First off, the long-awaited Update 1.5 “Chimarrão”, which has been in Open Beta since September, will be released on November 14.
Second, it is my pleasure to announce our new Region Pack Colossus of the South, focusing on the Amazonas region of South America. Colossus will be released alongside Update 1.5, and will be free to all Grand Edition or Expansion Pass owners. The price of the standalone pack will be $5.99.
Region Packs are a new type of product for Victoria, and will contain detailed content regarding a certain region or political sphere. They differ from Immersion Packs through a heavier focus on narrative content, and a lighter focus on art and mechanical systems. Whilst Region Packs do include some 3D and 2D art assets, such as clothing and event images, they do not include features such as new UI skins or building sets.
Infographics
For those who would like a quick reference, we have these excellent infographics to help summarise the content.
Colossus of the South is largely centred around the largest nation in South America - Brazil, with a selection of content for its neighbours. Owners of Colossus of the South will be able to experience events through Brazil’s history from 1836 to 1936 through new journal entries and events, with plentiful flavour and alternate-history options.
In addition to in-depth content for Brazil, Colossus of the South contains a selection of journal entries for Paraguay, representing the buildup to the War of the Triple Alliance. For the other Hispanophone South American nations, the region pack contains journal entries revolving around pan-national ambitions, from Gran Colombia, to the United Provinces of Rio de la Plata, to Simón Bolívar’s greatest ambition - a unified Spanish-speaking South America.
Magnanimous Monarch
Whilst Pedro II represents the Intelligentsia class, and the royal family is abolitionist, the extent to which the entrenched agrarian oligarchy is willing to tolerate reformism is severely limited. Failing the crises that embroil Brazil throughout his reign will lead to the military and landowners coming closer and closer to assuming unrestricted power, whilst successfully centralising authority and tying the nation together will bring them further from doing so.
If one wishes to embark upon the monarchist course, one must seek to minimise the power of the Landowners and Armed Forces, keep Brazil on a strong and stable course, and be willing to take short-term penalties for long-term political gain.
If all goes well, rather than heralding the end of the Empire, Pedro II’s death will be regarded as only the beginning of a continued, enlightened reign.
On the other hand, whilst the Landowners remain basically supportive of the institution of the monarchy, continuing down the reformist road will alienate them further and further, until they become full-fledged supporters of an oligarchic Republic.
If the monarchy continues to alienate their interests enough that the progress bar reaches zero, the military will march on Rio de Janeiro hand in hand with representatives of the oligarchy, and put an end to the Brazilian Empire.
The Matter of Slavery
The economy of Brazil, dependent largely on agricultural exports, is massively dependent upon slavery as a source of cheap labour. Whilst abolitionist elements in society, including the royal family, condemn slavery, to truly abolish it represents an enormous struggle.
Whilst Brazil preserves the Slave Trade law, these interceptions and crises with Britain will continue. In order to keep track of this state of affairs, Britain possesses a similar journal entry, providing a British player several tools for combating Brazilian slavery on the high seas.
The official stance of the nation on slave trading can be switched every two years via the second button in the journal entry, either providing bonuses to suppressing the slave trade at the cost of angering the Landowners, or the inverse.
Enacting Legacy Slavery, however, is not the end. In order to truly end slavery, Brazil will need to risk the ire of the Landowners, and the credibility of the monarchy, by enacting the Slavery Banned law. Fortunately, with this journal entry, there is a tool through which this process may be expedited, albeit controversially.
Coffee and Milk
With wealth, however, comes power. As the Brazilian plantation economy grows, a new trend will emerge in politics - the monopolisation of power by the agrarian oligarchy, and politics being increasingly bent around two states. Whereas historically these two states were Minas Gerais and São Paulo, in Victoria 3, additional combinations are possible.
Pictured: The name of the Conservative Party under a Brazilian Republic has a dynamic name, determined by the most prosperous non-capital state.
The Coffee with Milk journal entry may be escaped through breaking the power of the Landowners and modernising Brazil - but how to do that, when they control politics so heavily? The next piece of content will present the answer.
The New Republic
Pictured: They simply love the Regime.
The populist movement will persist until it can either overthrow the government or get squashed down by the current order. Turmoil, Unemployment, and Petit-Bourgeois clout will advance it, whilst Loyalists, and Home Affairs and Policing Institutions will fight against it.
If this movement succeeds in overthrowing the current Landowner-dominated government, it will seize power in a swift coup, and instate the Autocracy law, under the justification that that current political system has utterly failed Brazil, and requires a total reorganisation.
…as well as new potential allies for the government to help see through their agenda.
Nation-Building
In 1836, Brazil is not a truly united nation, but rather a patchwork of regional identities loosely unified by sharing one government. From the start, the government will need to struggle with this, and seek to construct a unified Brazilian culture from the disparate identities of Brazil.
If these cultures are not successfully integrated within fifty years of the start date, the integrity of the nation will be compromised, and secessionist sentiments will begin to flare. Additionally, a failed integration of the regions will harm the monarchy, potentially bringing Pedro II’s reign to ruin.
New releasable nations have also been added, representing the various cultures of Brazil, in addition to the existing secessionist tags. Piratini is now a Sulista state, and Grão-Pará is now Amazonic.
Pictured: Paulistania represents the Paulistas, Angola Janga the Afro-Brazilians, and the Confederation of the Equator the Nordestinos. Minas Gerais is Brazilian culture, and Piratini and Santa Catarina are Sulista.
Positivism
Pictured: Auguste Comte and the Positivist ideology will be free for all players.
The history of Brazil and Latin America has been heavily marked by the influence of Positivism, a philosophical strand, ideology, and atheistic religion founded by Auguste Comte. In the early game, France will receive a new, free event representing the foundation of Positivism - unlocking the Positivist ideology for the rest of the world. Many years will pass between Positivism’s development and its popularisation - but once certain technologies are unlocked, it will make its entry into the political scenes of eligible nations.
Pictured: Owners of Colossus of the South will be able to experience the full extent of the Positivist movement.
Similar to existing journal entries for political movements, such as the Nihilism and Communism journal entries, the progress of Positivism will be tracked through a variable, and be able to be influenced through events. Nations with the Positivism journal entry will be able to either make choices to endorse or suppress the ideology, with the end results of the journal entry dependent on the choices made therein.
In the end, the fate of the Positivist movement will depend on the degree of influence they have been able to receive. If the movement is politely but firmly rejected, they will be regarded as just another ephemeral trend…
…but if fully embraced, the influence of Positivism will be certain to remain for time to come.
Pictured: Brazil’s unique interaction with the Positivist content, which grants them a slightly more modernist Landowners interest group. If one wishes to pursue the historical Oligarchic Republic route, this may be an excellent asset.
The Paraguayan War
Paraguay in 1836 is a peculiar nation indeed. An isolationist state in the heart of South America, it is ruled by the iron fist of Doctor José Gaspar Rodríguez de Francia, an eccentric dictator devoted to transforming his nation into a Rosseauian paradise.
Paraguay begins with a set of laws reflecting its unique situation, a journal entry for Francia’s rule, and leaders with a unique ideology - Despotic Utopian.
However, the Perpetual Dictatorship cannot necessarily last for as long as it advertises. Once Francia dies, a power struggle will emerge within Asunción, allowing for either a change in course or a continuation of Francia’s vision.
When the dust is cleared, and Carlos Antonio López has ascended to the position of President of Paraguay, a new journal entry will be unlocked, covering the rapid modernisation of Paraguay in the post-Francia period.
The buttons of this journal entry present powerful opportunities for modernisation, allowing Paraguay to experience the boom in population and GDP growth that it did historically.
Once this journal entry is complete, Paraguay will be in a strong position to challenge its neighbours - and, if one wishes to follow the President’s desires, challenge them it will.
This journal entry, “Si Vis Pacem, Fac Bellum” permits for a modelling of the historical War of the Triple Alliance. An AI Paraguay that reaches this stage will have its aggression massively increased - and, with the developments provided by the previous journal entries, will serve as a worthy opponent for the other South American powers.
Once Paraguay launches a diplomatic play against Argentina for Corrientes, the war will escalate, granting journal entries to its opponents, and encouraging them to stand together against the invasion.
A selection of historical commanders for Paraguay with advanced defensive skills have been added, ensuring an interesting, challenging, and historical experience re-enacting this conflict.
If Paraguay can manage a victory in this war, great benefits await it…
…but a loss will bring utter ruin to the nation.
Pan-Nationalism
In 1836, South America still bears the scars of its wars of independence. It has been marked by both the struggle against Spain, and against itself - the collapses of the state of Gran Colombia in the North, and the United Provinces of the Rio de la Plata in the South. Despite this, pan-nationalist thought remains prevalent, especially in the former Gran Colombia.
In Colossus of the South, as one’s nation develops, it may choose to either embrace these pan-national identities, preserving its broad starting culture, or abandon them, surrendering its greater claims in favour of harmony with its neighbours and the development of a unique national culture.
Colossus of the South’s pan-national Journal Entries will be active for as long as a nation can retain its North Andean, South Andean, or Platinean culture. Successfully forming a pan-national construction will allow a nation to retain one of these cultures, whilst failing to do so will lead to its loss. What will replace these cultures as time goes on is the subject of the Culture section below.
Once one of these nations has been successfully formed, however, that is not all.
Once Pan-Nationalism is researched, a North Andean or South Andean nation that has successfully retained its starting culture and has either formed its formable or simply expanded by a large amount will receive the option to adopt a maximalist approach to South American unity. This approach will take the form of Simón Bolívar’s dream - the Federation of the Andes.
The Federation is a new major formation available to owners of Colossus of the South, and enabled by accepting the Federation proposal.
Pictured: One of the Federation’s possible incarnations.
Of course, this configuration is not the only one that it can assume. If the Federation is formed by a Rio de la Plata that adopts the South Andean culture, for example, it may be able to assume new territories and names.
Free Content
In addition to the paid content coming in Colossus of the South, Update 1.5 will include a selection of free content to improve South American gameplay as a whole.
Peru-Bolivia Rework
The starting situation of Peru-Bolivia has been reworked in Update 1.5, to include the governments established in the wake of the Salaverry-Santa Cruz war of 1835-36. Where a unified Peru once stood, there is now North Peru, South Peru, and Iquicha, states subordinated to the Supreme Protector of Bolivia, Andrés de Santa Cruz.
At game start, the states of the Peru-Bolivian Confederation are working to establish a stable government with a functional constitution, whilst facing pressure from their neighbours. The Peru-Bolivia journal entry has been reworked, now requiring the maintenance of a legitimate government and the management of more component states against foreign aggression. The Peruvian states will begin with a large amount of radicals, presenting the constant risk of a revolt to break free from Bolivian influence.
The Peru-Bolivian Confederation, if it forms, presents a serious challenge to the balance of power in the region - and the nations facing off against it know this well.
Whilst the process of unifying the Peru-Bolivian Confederation is ongoing, AI nations will have greatly increased aggression towards Peru-Bolivia, seeking to forcibly dissolve the Confederation by liberating Bolivia’s puppets. A new journal entry has been made available for player nations with an interest in the region, presenting solutions to this problem. Either the Confederation must be smothered in its cradle, or it must be made amicable.
If these threats are averted, however, the Peru-Bolivian Confederation shall transition from being a concept that exists on paper to a truly powerful nation - one which is certain to use its population and gold deposits to dominate the Andes and provide a counterweight to Brazil.
Migration
The New World of the nineteenth century has enormous potential, but a low population that hampers the exploitation of its resources. Free to all players, Update 1.5 contains a journal entry for all New World nations designed to greatly boost immigration from Europe and allow for fully populating one’s nation.
In addition to boosting base migration attraction whilst it is active, this journal entry permits a North or South American nation to create migration targets within its territories, drawing European migrants in search of a better life.
Update 1.5 includes modding support for mass migrations, allowing for the creation of migration targets in script for all of your immigration or emigration encouragement needs.
Culture
The South American states are young nations, only recently winning their independence from Spain. At game start, many aspects of their national identities are mixed with their neighbours, built primarily from shared regional struggles. These loose regional identities are represented through the existing North Andean, South Andean, and Platinean cultures.
Upon researching Nationalism, however, this will rapidly change.
Once the first national identity journal entry appears, a South American nation will be set on a race against the development of its own identity. Once the progress bar reaches 100, the shared regional culture will be replaced with a true national culture, locking it out of the pan-national content. Whilst regional formations will still be available, they will be prone to secessions, and the Federation of the Andes will be no longer possible.
Upon completing this journal entry, the nation will lose its previous regional culture, and gain a new national culture. The new national cultures will begin with homelands solely in a nation’s capital, with the previous culture retaining its homelands, but no longer being a primary culture.
This is very easy and simple for one-state nations such as Uruguay - but what about larger nations, with a hinterland which is not necessarily clued into the work of the nationalist intellectuals of the capital?
Pictured: If one wishes to become a Buenos Aires-centred Argentine ethnostate and oppress the unenlightened Platineans of the rural provinces, one can certainly do that, but there are other options.
The “A New National Identity” journal entry permits for the spread of this new national identity across the provinces of one’s nation, bringing the light of culture to areas outside its capital. The “Promote National Identity” button spreads the new national culture outwards from the capital, prioritising states that border the capital to convert.
As time goes by, a nation is developed, and pops in the newly spawned homelands of its national identity assimilate, the culture will expand further and further, until all of one’s nation has embraced its new national identity.
1.5 contains one new culture for each existing South American nation - Ecuadorian, Venezuelan, Colombian, Argentine, Chilean, Uruguayan, and Paraguayan. Whilst expansion is very much possible in the early game, doing so in the late game is hazardous - whilst any amount of South Andeans can be converted to Bolivians, one cannot convert a Peruvian.
Amazonas
For all nations that own Amazon states, the Exploiting the Amazon journal entry has been reworked, with all-new buttons for transforming the Amazon Rainforest into an asset. For Brazil, it contains additional content, granting the ability to claim the state of Acre from Peru-Bolivia and resolving border disputes in Brazil’s favour.
By creating Rubber Plantations in the Amazon, nations with this journal entry will be able to transform the Amazon Rainforest state trait into something less punishing and more useful for a rapidly industrialising nation.
Pictured: The state traits granted by advancing through this journal entry.
This is not the limit of Brazil’s expansionist ambitions, however. If a Brazilian player wishes, they may use this journal entry’s buttons to claim the Bolivian state of Acre, opening a new journal entry - the Acre Dispute.
Pictured: The full extent of the Brazilian Amazon, following the use of every option in this journal entry.
To wrap things up, here are the six more new achievements directly tied to Colossus of the South’s content.
Magnanimous: Playing as Brazil, complete the Magnanimous Monarch JE and preserve the monarchy.
Federation Day: Form the Federation of the Andes.
Estado Novo: As Brazil, make Vargas your ruler and complete the New Republic JE.
Piratini, not Pira-tiny: Starting as Piratini or Grão-Para, have a higher GDP than Brazil
Republic or Death!: Starting as Paraguay, complete the Expanding Paraguay and Populating the Americas JEs.
Devil's Railroad: Complete the Exploiting the Amazon JE and build railroads in all Amazonian states
And that is all. Thank you for reading.
South America plays a fascinating role in the Victorian century, both in its countries' internal development and in how the struggles and conflicts in the region came to impact the world as a whole. It has been very interesting to research and develop narrative content for Colossus of the South, and exciting to see how it affects the experience of playing through these nations' many potential stories. The revised mechanics available in Update 1.5 "Chimarrão" - military improvements, Companies, local prices, Diplomatic Play options, and more - also add a lot to the experience. We hope you will enjoy playing it as much as we do.
For those of you who won't already get it for free with the Grand Edition or Expansion Pass, you're able to wishlist it on Steam already.
We will now get busy putting the final touches on Update 1.5 and compiling the absolutely massive changelog, which you will get access to in the next Development Diary on November 9th. Until then, Victorians!
Hello Victorians!
Community Manager Pelly here. That was a monster of a dev diary, 88 pages in all!
I have something to share about the Expansion Pass, due to technical difficulties, Colossus of the South will not appear in the Expansion Pass Steam store page immediately. It is being worked on to appear as soon as possible. We will keep you updated on this!
Alongside this, when the region pack releases on the 14th of November owners of the expansion pass will need to 're-buy' the pass to gain access to the region pack. This will not cost you anything as in the pass, like the American Buildings pack, Colossus of the South is marked free.
