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EU4 - Development Diary - 13th of February 2018

Good day all. As promised, we return to talk a bit more about the new Missions system coming in the 1.25 update, as well as some of the new Idea sets and a modding guide for the new Mission Trees.

Firstly, we have been hard at work translating the old mission system so that old nations' unique missions from the old system will work in the new one, as evidenced in our previous dev diary. But what of the nations focused on in Rule Britannia?

Along with the 1.25 England update, the mission trees for Scotland and England will still contain the old missions such as subjugate France and Advance the Frontier. For owners of Rule Britannia however, we have put together special mission trees for England, Ireland, Scotland and Great Britain.

Scottish Missions.jpg

It took much self control, but Scotland has more than just 15 iterations of "crush England" as missions

The Irish Minors, Scotland and England will all start with their tailor made Mission trees, now complete with their own artwork and sadly not containing bright purple coder art. Forming Great Britain will also unlock an even grander mission tree for the one who unites the Isles.

eng to gbr missions.jpg

Meddling in mainland politics opens up as a mission branch for Great Britain, rewarding either securing the throne or dismantling the Empire.

And don't worry for Mann, Gaeldom and The Isles. Highlander nations are now able to form Scotland (complete with their missions and ideas) should the Stuarts fail to defend the kingdom

there can be only one.jpg

New decision available for Mann, The Isles and Gaeldom

Additionally, it can often be confusing which provinces you still need to complete a mission. As a Quality of Life change for the 1.25 England Update, by hovering over the requirements for a mission, the required provinces will highlight on the map, while clicking will centre the map on one of the required provinces.

mission highlight.jpg

For all those times you've just had no idea what you're meant to conquer. We've all been there.

And we have also taken the liberty of adding more generic mission icons, so Ottoman missions don't have to represented with charging Hussars!

Now we previously may have vaguely promised a modding guide for the new missions system. @mikesc was generous enough to put one together, so I give the floor to him:

mikesc said:
# Intro
Since there was a lot of interest expressed in the last dev diary I thought I'd write a small guide to help you get started modding the new missions system. Hopefully this will make it easier for you to start working on creating and updating mods for it. As we are still working on the immersion pack minor things might change, be added or removed. I will do my best to update you in this thread as we are going forward.
For an overview on how the new missions work from a players perspective have a look at last weeks dev diary: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...velopment-diary-23rd-of-january-2018.1066296/
Let's start with explaining a few terms I am going to use in this guide.

# Glossary
Slot - A column in the missions grid (1 based indexing)
Tier - A row in the missions grid (1 based indexing)
Series - One or more missions in one slot (Can span tiers)
Potential - Trigger that must be fulfilled for a series to be visible
Priority (AI) - Determines what missions the AI picks to work towards
Weight (AI) - Determines the worth of a mission to the AI

# Overview & Series
Missions for a country are composed of one or more acyclic graphs laid out in a grid view. This means missions can have any amount of other missions as a prerequisite and missions can branch out into any amount of other distinct missions. The grid can be as wide and tall as you like, it will automatically expand to fit all missions.

All missions are part of a series. A series is used to set various parameters that determine layout, visibility, appearance and AI behavior:
slot (Integer): Used to set the slot for the series
generic (Boolean): Provides a way to control series precedence
ai (Boolean): Turns AI for this series on or off
potential (Trigger): Determines visibility for the player
has_country_shield (Boolean): If set, the player country flag will be shown for all missions in this series

As you can see series are basically used to conveniently set parameters for any number of missions. Of course you are not required to use it that way, you can use one series per mission as well.
The layout of the mission nodes is determined by the tier set for the missions and the slots set for the series, there is no automatic layout. If no tier is set for a mission, missions in a series will be laid out top to bottom, starting in the first free tier in the slot.

# Missions
Let's have a look at a simple mission:
conquer_franken = {
icon = mission_conqueror_icon
required_missions = { conquer_ansbach }
trigger = {
franconia_area = {
type = all
country_or_non_sovereign_subject_holds = ROOT
}
}
effect = {
add_adm_power = 100
add_country_modifier = {
name = "bavarian_ambition"
duration = 7300
}
}
provinces_to_highlight = {
area = franconia_area
NOT = {
country_or_non_sovereign_subject_holds = ROOT
}
}
}

We start with the mission key, which also doubles as part of the key for the localization (name + _title for the title and name + _desc for the description). The icon references a sprite in a .gfx file. Required missions can be left out or left empty, and can also contain multiple missions (Comma separated). The trigger describes the conditions you need to fulfill to be able to complete the mission, the effect what you get when you complete it. These work just like triggers and effects anywhere else. There are a few more fields you can set for a mission:
has_country_shield, ai (Booleans): Same as in series, setting this will overwrite what was set in the series
completed_by (Date): If set, this mission will be marked completed when starting the game later than the given date
position (Integer): The tier for this mission
ai_priority (MTTH): Priority for this mission for the AI (See notes on AI below)
ai_weight (MTTH): Weight/Worth of this mission for the AI (See notes on AI below)
provinces_to_highlight: Will highlight provinces that match this trigger when you hover over the missions requirements and center highlighted provinces when you click on the icon

# Series precedence & Potential
You can have any amount of series of any size in a slot, and as long as they don't overlap and their potential is fulfilled they will be visible and available to the player. If series do overlap, precedence is given to the series with "generic" set to false. If two or more series with the same precedence (Either generic or not) compete for the same spot, you will get an error (Check error.log) and the first series read from disk will get precedence.
The potential is only evaluated at the start of the game and when executing the effect swap_non_generic_missions.

# Arrows
The arrows showing the dependencies will be laid out automatically. However, there are a few limitations you should be aware of.
Arrows can be laid out horizontally and vertically but not diagonally, that means that required missions can be at any tier above in the same slot and in any slot in the tier directly above. Same goes for follow-up missions, they can be in any tier below in the same slot and in any slot in the tier directly below.
Note that, regardless of the arrows being able to show the dependency, the dependencies you define will work no matter where you put the missions, so if you'd want to, you could just manually add arrows and hide the automatically added ones.

# Some notes on the AI
The AI will pick missions based on their priority and adjust it's strategy according to their weight to try and fulfill missions. The AI understands many triggers you would usually use for missions, but not all of them, so your results may vary. Have a look at our missions to see what the AI can understand.

I'm excited to see how you use this new system to create and/or enhance your mods. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact me. Suggestions for improvements or additional features are of course also very welcome.

Thanks to Mikesc for that. Let's move on to look at some of the National Ideas that have been added to the game. It's a hefty list of them so I'll split them across the dev diaries in three groups: British, Irish and Low Countries. Today let's look at the British lot.

On the isles we have changed the ideas for England and Great Britain so we can have a distinct feel between the two. I'll list them here:

ENG_ideas = {
  • start = {
    • infantry_power = 0.10 # agincourt
    • global_unrest = -1 # magna carta, parliament
  • bonus = {
    • free_leader_pool = 1
  • royal_navy = {
    • navy_tradition = 0.25
    • heavy_ship_power = 0.10
  • eltham_ordinance = {
    • production_efficiency = 0.1
  • secretaries_of_state = {
    • diplomatic_upkeep = 1
  • navigation_acts = {
    • trade_efficiency = 0.1
  • city_upon_a_hill = {
    • global_colonial_growth = 20
  • eng_red_coats = {
    • fire_damage = 0.1
  • british_bill_of_rights = {
    • years_of_nationalism = -5
GBR_ideas = {
  • start = {
    • naval_morale = 0.20
    • heavy_ship_power = 0.15
  • bonus = {
    • navy_tradition = 1
  • gbr_acts_of_union = {
    • diplomatic_annexation_cost = -0.15
    • max_states = 3
  • british_merchant_navy = {
    • global_tariffs = 0.15
  • gbr_the_royal_society = {
    • technology_cost = -0.05
  • sick_and_hurt_board = {
    • sailors_recovery_speed = 0.10
    • sailor_maintenance_modifer = -0.1
  • reform_of_comission_buying = {
    • discipline = 0.05
  • british_industrialization = {
    • global_trade_goods_size_modifier = 0.2
  • britanna_rules_the_waves = {
    • leader_naval_manuever = 1
    • blockade_efficiency = 0.33


Additionally, we have added ideas for Highlander (Gaeldom, The Isles), Mann and Cornwall. This dev diary has already reached quite a length, so I'll spoil whichever one is most requested in this thread in its entirety.

EDIT: Adding in all three idea sets because why not.

# Manx ideas

KOI_ideas = {

start = {
global_sailors_modifier = 0.2
global_ship_cost = -0.1
}
bonus = {
discipline = 0.05
mann_stanleys = {
diplomats = 1
"The Stanley dynasty has ushered in an era of peace and prosperity for the Manx people. Their skill at diplomacy ensures the safety of the island from both political and military threats to our sovereignty."
}
mann_kings = {
core_creation = -0.10
"Despite its size, Mann is recognized as a de jure Kingdom. But what is a Kingdom without land? We must acquire more."
}
mann_tynwald = {
advisor_pool = 1
"The Tynwald is the Manx high court. The House of Keys, led by the most powerful families of Mann, act as a national jury that give advice on legal matters. As the state expands however, its administrative needs multiply. The Tynwald must become a permanent institution, akin to a parliament with the power to write new laws."
}
mann_and_the_isles = {
naval_morale = 0.15
"In centuries past Mann was the heart of a great realm that spanned across the Irish Sea. It is time to revive the tradition of shipbuilding so that we can restore this empire."
}
mann_act_of_settlement = {
global_unrest = -1
"It is time to finally settle the status of peasant landholding on Mann. The Act will guarantee the basic rights of citizens and become a basis for the future development of our constitution."
}
mann_burn_the_heretic = {
global_heretic_missionary_strength = 0.02
"Witchcraft and heresy are ever-present dangers to the faithful. Suffer not the witch and the heretic to live."
}
mann_act_of_revestment = {
diplomatic_annexation_cost = -0.15
“There are too many petty nobles holding minor titles and withholding rents from their land. The Act Of Revestment will revoke these titles so that the monarch can rule more directly."
}

CRN_ideas = {
start = {
global_regiment_recruit_speed = -0.10
production_efficiency = 0.1
}
bonus = {
land_morale = 0.10
crn_stannary_parliaments = {
global_unrest = -2
"The tin miners of Cornwall have long upheld their special legal rights. These include tax exemption and exclusive prospecting rights, but most importantly the right to be tried only before a Stannary Court with a jury composed of their fellow miners. A Stannary Parliament oversees and revises these rights, keeping the mining population productive and content."
}
crn_cornish_rebels = {
hostile_attrition = 1
"The Cornish people are quick to rise up against oppression and misrule. Hostile armies entering their lands receive an unfriendly welcome."
}
crn_prayer_book_traditionaliism = {
tolerance_own = 2
"Farmers, miners, and landlords alike are extremely reluctant to accept changes to religious prayer books. Many complain that prayer books written in English exclude a significant part of the population who speak only Cornish, though others point out they could not read the old Latin prayers either. Regardless, a traditionalist attitude to religion pervades Cornish society and binds it together."
}
crn_pirates_of_penzance = {
capture_ship_chance = 0.1
privateer_efficiency = 0.2
"Oh, better far to live and die. Under the brave black flag I fly, Than play a sanctimonious part,With a pirate head and a pirate heart."
}
crn_royalist_army = {
land_forcelimit_modifier = 0.2
"Ever staunch monarchists, the Cornish people are quick to rally to the defence of the crown against republican revolutionaries. Despite Cornwall’s relatively low population, it can raise a surprisingly large levy of determined soldiers willing to fight for King and country."
}
crn_gear_rout = {
movement_speed = 0.15
"Even should we lose the war, enough of us will likely flee the field that they will live to fight again another day."
}
crn_arthurian_romanticism = {
prestige_decay = -0.01
"A recent revival of interest in Celtic culture has created an interest in Arthurian legend. Tintagel Castle is said to be the place of King Arthur's conception, and acts as a focal point of a renewed Celtic identity in Cornwall."
}

highland_scottish_ideas = {
start = {
garrison_size = 0.25
heir_chance = 0.5
}
bonus = {
manpower_recovery_speed = 0.1
hsc_the_wallace = {
land_morale = 0.15
"We reide of ane rycht famous of renowne,\nOf worthi blude that ryngis in this regioune,\nAnd hensfurth I will my proces hald,\nOf Wilyham Wallas yhe haf hard beyne tald."
}
hsc_highland_clans = {
hostile_attrition = 1
"The Highland clans are a contentious people. As much as they resent one another, they resent even more the prospect of foreign invaders ruling their ancestral lands. Of course, when the threat of foreign invasion is over, the clans will resume their infighting. There can only be one."
}
hsc_storm_the_castle = {
siege_ability = 0.10
"Whatever problems arise in the Highlands, few can be resolved without at some point storming a castle. Our experience in these matters goes back generations and is a highly transferable skill."
}
hsc_episcopalianism = {
religious_unity = 0.1
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
"There are many competing ideas about how the Church in the Highlands should be structured and what doctrines should be adopted following the advent of the Reformation. We have opted to retain the hierarchical Bishopric model, which allows for both a clear structure for Church proceedings and a degree of doctrinal independence for clergymen."
}
hsc_highland_charge = {
shock_damage = 0.15
"Gunpowder weapons have revolutionized the battlefield, and the warriors of the Highlands must adapt. An aggressive new shock tactic has been developed by our generals. Our soldiers will run, preferably downhill, straight into the first enemy volley, firing as they go. After shooting, they will draw more traditional weapons and enter the melee. The speed required for this tactic necessitates that our warriors wear very little in the way of clothing however."
}
hsc_arming_act = {
global_manpower_modifier = 0.1
"Our oppressors would confiscate our weapons to rob us of the ability to resist. The Arming Act requires all Highlanders to own and train with a firearm."
}
hsc_ossian = {
prestige = 1
"The Romantic revival of Gaelic culture is exemplified in a collection of poems written under the pseudonym 'Ossian'. They tell ancient folkloric tales that remind the Highlanders of their storied past."

That's it for today. Next week we'll look at more of the newly added ideas, as well as some more of the features coming with the Rule Britannia Immersion Pack.
 
Is it possible to give GBR different flags depending on the forming nation? Historically there was a version with the Saltire superimposed on the others, before the current version was settled on. I see the AI forming GBR as Scotland surprisingly often when England loses to France.

Welsh / Irish versions could also look cool.

View attachment 335201
I don't think so but it is very easy to mod new flags into the game, replacing the default ones. And it's ironman compatible.
 
A comment on the new ideas for England and Great Britain:
First off, I'm really happy you are updating these ideas. Forming Great Britain did not feel like a significant action in the previous versions and unique ideas are critical to making nation-forming pay off.

That said, I would have thought that Great Britain would have a bonus to Development Efficiency. Improving their development efficiency would be both historically accurate and favorable to a more conservative Home Islands plus colonization game. Might I suggest this as a replacement for "Sick and Hurt Board"? England has enough naval ideas as it is and that naval focus would be significantly more useful if Late Game viability did not require substantial conquests in Mainland Europe. As the meta stands now, a Home Islands-only strategy simply isn't viable from a development perspective, requiring significant holdings in Mainland France to keep the money flowing and the colonial empire stable. However, gaining and keeping these holdings in France means that England's naval superiority is of little use and force it to play the game like any other mainland European power. With a significant reduction in development efficiency (30-40% by combining the Economic Ideas finisher with a national idea and the occasional event/mission reward), England could play a more historical and conservative "Balance of Power" role in Europe while focusing on colonization. They could also make better use of the naval CBs to extract trade power and money, allowing their naval dominance to be more useful and potent. Finally, all that development boosting in England would pay off significantly when the Industrial Revolution comes around and the new Coal resource shows up. All in all, this one change has the potential to encourage a whole new type of gameplay not centered on the traditional "Map Painting 101" that comes standard with most Land-based empires.

Have I presented a compelling case? Thoughts?
I really appreciate Paradox's commitment to continually improving its games and responding to user feedback!

I completely agree that it would make perfect sense for Britain to get a significant boost to development, enabling it to focus on the the British Isles and colonies as a viable strategy, without liberty desire becoming an overarching concern during the last 150-200 years. This would also better reflect GB's economic development during the period. As far as liberty desire of colonies go, a complementary idea, would be to allow naval power to figure more prominently in the calculation of liberty desire for overseas subjects, akin to what happens with armies. Surely a 200k+ army is not going to do a colonial overlord any good if it has no navy to move those troops around, while a 100k army backed by a powerful fleet to transport it quickly to any trouble spot could be a real deterrent, especially combined with the treat of massive blockades.

Since you are adding additional war demands, I would suggest "Relinquishing Fleet" as another useful demand. A historical precedent would be the Battle of Copenhagen in 1807 when the British forced Denmark to relinquish its fleet. This would be a powerful way for powers to bolster their naval supremacy and cripple competing naval/trade powers.
 
It sucks. So many changes in Scottish and Irish wastelands when there is so much to do in other more important areas...
It is really sad that Ireland and Scotland have as many provinces as Castille...
 
Britain's Empire is somewhat referred to as an accidental empire.

England saw Spain as a natural rival during the 16th century and those Elizabeth I declared open season on Spanish treasure ships. Pirates made a fortune and invested some of it in land that settlers had established themselves on in the Lesser Antilles. Sugar and tobacco became valuable merchandise which allowed England to gain strength. Part of the reason why England opted to colonize the Northeastern Seaboard was to feed the monocultural Caribbean islands plus there were already religious settler and endorsed merchant companies there. Canada was snatched in the 7 Years War to protect the northern front of the Thirteen Colonies and to deprive the Native Americans to the west of potential allies. Once wealth was discovered in India, South Africa became a pit stop. The East India Company autonomously began to expand in India by issuing its own taxes and paying for its own army. Australia was colonized as a penal island and New Zealand came into the fold by osmosis. Eventually the Egypt became a key strategic location due to the Suez crossing. The British pushed south into Sudan as a way to create a buffer zone to protect Egypt. Meanwhile in South Africa, people like David Livingstone and Cecil Rhode (with the help of Rothschild) began snatching land northwards while merchants and missionaries in the Gambia and Nigeria began pushing eastwards. France wanted to partition Siam but Britain decided it was best to keep it independent and neutral as a buffer state between India and Indochina.
 
I think its pretty weird that gbr doesnt get any colonial boost what so ever but england does. That doesnt make sense to me. Since the biritsh empire was the largest colonial power in the world and colonialization really started after gbr was formed after the death of queen elizabeth . Maybe cut the naval tradition and put in some colonial growth? Or change diplo annexation cost from gbr and colonial growth from england. With that you stick with english ideas when you want to pu/integrate france and become a continental power or you change to gbr ideas if you want colonial/naval game.
 
I ca't help but think that someone at Paradox has a secret hate of the UK, given the national ideas.

For example, GB gets tech cost -5%. France gets tech cost -10%. Historically, Britain's contribution to science was just as great, if not greater, than France's during the EU4 time period (Isaac Newton, anyone?). So it's not historically justifiable. Nor is it justifiable in terms of gameplay balance, as there's no great need to keep GB weaker than France (given that IRL GB comes out on top by the end of the EU4 time period).

It just seems so odd that an update focused on Britain nerfs their national ideas rather than makes them stronger. Yes, Britain was historically a naval and economic power. But those two things mattered a lot more IRL than they do in the EU4 game system. Sure, give Britain some good naval ideas, but if you want them to perform in-game as they did IRL on a reasonably consistent basis (subject to luck, alliances, etc) then you have to give them at least semi-decent land ideas. As it is, with just 5% discipline, Britain's army is by far the weakest out of all the major powers. That's a huge historical caricature. Britain's army was of perfectly good quality, able to hold its own against major European land powers. What Britain had was a small army, not a rag-tag one. If Paradox wants to model the fact that Britain was not a land power, they should give Britain quality bonuses comparable to e.g. France and Spain but a quantity penalty.

There's just some idea choices that seem very strange, if you presume that national ideas are supposed to resemble historical strengths. Diplomatic annexation cost reduction is only a powerful idea if you are blobbing, exactly the kind of action GB was not performing historically in this time period. Adding further states is also extremely odd, given that the British empire was massively decentralised.
 
I ca't help but think that someone at Paradox has a secret hate of the UK, given the national ideas.

For example, GB gets tech cost -5%. France gets tech cost -10%. Historically, Britain's contribution to science was just as great, if not greater, than France's during the EU4 time period (Isaac Newton, anyone?). So it's not historically justifiable. Nor is it justifiable in terms of gameplay balance, as there's no great need to keep GB weaker than France (given that IRL GB comes out on top by the end of the EU4 time period).

It just seems so odd that an update focused on Britain nerfs their national ideas rather than makes them stronger. Yes, Britain was historically a naval and economic power. But those two things mattered a lot more IRL than they do in the EU4 game system. Sure, give Britain some good naval ideas, but if you want them to perform in-game as they did IRL on a reasonably consistent basis (subject to luck, alliances, etc) then you have to give them at least semi-decent land ideas. As it is, with just 5% discipline, Britain's army is by far the weakest out of all the major powers. That's a huge historical caricature. Britain's army was of perfectly good quality, able to hold its own against major European land powers. What Britain had was a small army, not a rag-tag one. If Paradox wants to model the fact that Britain was not a land power, they should give Britain quality bonuses comparable to e.g. France and Spain but a quantity penalty.

There's just some idea choices that seem very strange, if you presume that national ideas are supposed to resemble historical strengths. Diplomatic annexation cost reduction is only a powerful idea if you are blobbing, exactly the kind of action GB was not performing historically in this time period. Adding further states is also extremely odd, given that the British empire was massively decentralised.
When was GB capable of fighting off France without help? Heck, GB couldn't even beat the late 18 century Spanish army...
 
When was GB capable of fighting off France without help? Heck, GB couldn't even beat the late 18 century Spanish army...

I already said that GB was not a land power due to having a small army. GB would not beat France in a land battle without help because it would be hugely outnumbered. For example, Britain brought 31,000 troops to the Battle of Waterloo compared to France's 73,000. But this does not say anything about the quality of Britain's army.

If you want some examples of British military success against European peers (France) on roughly equal terms, however:

Blenheim (War of the Spanish Succession) 1704
Salamanca (Napoleonic wars) 1812
Plassey (Seven Years War) 1757
Quebec (Seven Years War) 1759
 
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It is really sad that Ireland and Scotland have as many provinces as Castille...
And North Italy. Nobody even creates threads about Italy, I wonder if they ever get to refining it, or birthplace (more or less) of Renaissance and other useful things is going to stay as dull.
 
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I already said that GB was not a land power due to having a small army. GB would not beat France in a land battle without help because it would be hugely outnumbered. For example, Britain brought 31,000 troops to the Battle of Waterloo compared to France's 73,000. But this does not say anything about the quality of Britain's army.

If you want some examples of British military success against European peers (France) on roughly equal terms, however:

Blenheim (War of the Spanish Succession) 1704
Salamanca (Napoleonic wars) 1812
Plassey (Seven Years War) 1757
Quebec (Seven Years War) 1759
There was a large Spanish and Portuguese force in Salamanca.
The British Army largely outnumbered the French one in the Franco-Indian war. In fact, the French army did better than expected...

There is literally no reason to give GB a military NI. It never was a relevant Land Power.
 
And than North Italy. Nobody even creates threads about Italy, I wonder if they ever get to refining it, or birthplace (more or less) of Renaissance and other useful things is going to stay as dull.
Indeed.

North Italy and the HRE make me cry. But we needed more Irish provinces. Again. Yay.
 
"The Highland clans are a contentious people. As much as they resent one another, they resent even more the prospect of foreign invaders ruling their ancestral lands. Of course, when the threat of foreign invasion is over, the clans will resume their infighting. There can only be one."
A Simpsons AND a Highlander reference in one post, I'm impressed.
 
And North Italy. Nobody even creates threads about Italy, I wonder if they ever get to refining it, or birthplace (more or less) of Renaissance and other useful things is going to stay as dull.
In my opinion thats because Italy is not weak as a region and have the highest development and money making in the game.
 
I'm just sad that Ireland has no missions related to the flight of the earls :oops: This expansion was the one...
 
Britain dominated due to its navy and colonial empire. It brought in wealth and a lot of conflicts saw Indian colonial troops due the heavy work. A large percent of WWI British troops were in fact from India.

Most if not all British war victories were because of the Royal Navy cutting of reinforcements and supplies.

The redcoats are romanticized because infantry is the pillar of all armies and the British were at the top for a long time.

Every power and gain Britain has in the game should be directly or indirectly related to the navy.