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EUIV - Development Diary - 28th of April 2020

Good morning! Those of you who have been watching the dev clash with a keen eye will have noticed that a new religion has appeared on the map, emanating from the Kingdom of Bohemia. Today I’ll talk about the Hussite faith and its associated content, as well as the new mission tree for Bohemia coming with the Emperor expansion.

hussite_1.png

The Hussite faith may now experience a resurgence.

The Hussites were in many ways a precursor to the Protestant Reformation. It was a very broad movement encompassing both moderates who merely wished to reform the Catholic Church and radicals who denounced the Church entirely in favour of strictly Biblical authority. Jan Hus, the leader of the movement and its namesake, was executed as a heretic in 1415, sparking a series of conflicts known as the Hussite Wars which lasted until 1434. This was not the end of the Hussites however, as the wars ended in an uneasy agreement between the Church and the moderate Hussite faction, and many people in Bohemia still believed that Jan Hus knew the truth.

In our 1444 start date, Bohemia begins with several Hussite provinces, but retains its Catholic state religion. Early in the game the Return of the Hussites event will fire, which gives Bohemia the opportunity to elect Jiri z Podebrad, a Hussite noble, as King. This event chain has been reworked to allow for three outcomes:
  • Bohemia adopts a Hussite state church and permanently breaks with Rome
  • The Hussites and Catholics reconcile, causing the remaining Hussites in Bohemia to revert to Catholicism. This is the path the AI will usually pursue.
  • Bohemia pursues an aggressive policy of Catholic orthodoxy and strives to convert the remaining Hussites to win the favour of the Pope.
When the Protestant Reformation begins, Hussite nations will be given the choice of whether to retain their unique Hussite faith or convert the nation and all Hussite provinces to Protestant instead. Hussites are only eligible to become Emperor under the Religious Peace.

hussite_2.png

The Adamites were a curious sect that believed that church services should be held entirely in the nude. Note: numbers are not final

The Hussite faith uses the Church Aspects mechanic, much like Protestant nations. Hussites get an entirely unique list of Church Aspects to distinguish them from Protestants. We’ve aimed to make these Aspects, as well as the base bonuses of the religion, relatively powerful to offset their diplomatic isolation. And of course no rework of Bohemian content would be complete without a button to enact Regular Defenestrations. Here’s the full list in script for those curious:

Code:
clerical_poverty_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        church_influence_modifier = -0.1
        stability_cost_modifier = -0.15
    }
}

punishment_of_sins_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        nobles_influence_modifier = -0.1
        yearly_corruption = -0.05
    }
}

orphan_hetmans_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        shock_damage_received = -0.1
    }
}

bread_and_wine_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        tolerance_own = 1
        global_trade_goods_size_modifier = 0.05
    }
}

sola_scriptura_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        warscore_cost_vs_other_religion = -0.1
    }
}


adamite_services_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        culture_conversion_cost = -0.2
    }
}


pacifism_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        stability_cost_to_declare_war = 1
        improve_relation_modifier = 0.3
    }

    ai_will_do = {
        factor = 0
    }
}

regular_defenestrations_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        harsh_treatment_cost = -0.33
    }
}

taborite_resurgence_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        global_manpower_modifier = 0.2
    }
}


freedom_to_preach_aspect = {
    cost = 100
    modifier = {
        religious_unity = 0.1
        tolerance_heretic = 1
    }
}

hussite_3.png


This is the new Bohemia mission tree, available to owners of the Emperor expansion after the release of 1.30. The upper left branch concerns the matter of the Hussites in Bohemia. The requirements and rewards change depending on which path the nation takes through the event chain. One notable reward is that if Bohemia becomes Hussite and breaks with Rome, a Hussite Center of Reformation will spawn in Prague upon completion of the Hussite Resurgence mission. To avoid an overwhelmingly non-Catholic Europe (as we’ve seen in dev clash), we’ve decided to make this CoR last only 100 years rather than until the end of the Age of Reformation.

At various points in the not-so-distant past, the Kings of Bohemia held prestigious titles such as Holy Roman Emperor, King of Poland, and King of Hungary. The majority of the Bohemian mission tree is aimed at regaining these titles and cementing a dominant position in Central Europe and the Empire, and rewards include powerful Restoration of Union CB’son Poland and Hungary. With Hungary under the Bohemian heel, they must contend with the greatest threat to Christendom: the Ottoman Turks. Bohemia is able to subjugate both Brandenburg and Saxony, keeping them as subjects without the usual penalties for subjugating electors if they are able to first Humiliate Austria. The Reformatio Sigismundi mission requires Bohemia to become the Emperor and pass the Perpetual Diet reform, which then rewards you with a 20% bonus to Imperial Authority Growth. The final mission in the Imperial branch, Peace in Europe, requires you to expand the borders of the HRE to 250 provinces while being at peace, and rewards +1 Monarch Diplomatic Skill as well as -5 Years of Separatism for the rest of the game.

That’s all for this week! The dev diary schedule for the next few weeks is content-focused, with next week’s dev diary being about the Burgundian Inheritance and their shiny new mission tree. So stay tuned for more mission trees and other associated content. And remember to catch the weekly Dev Clash every Wednesday at 15:00 CEST at https://www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive. If you can’t watch the stream, the vods are posted on youtube later. Go Milan!
 
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I wouldn't mind if Anglican was made more flexible. Two of its abilities are complete memes - how often do you actually press the create/remove Consort button outside of the Chop-Chop achievement? - so you're left with only three relevant buttons to press. Two if you're already at +3 Stab. One if you don't care about Mercantilism (which I think is viable if you monopolize the most relevant trade nodes).
 
@neondt

Shouldn't the conversion to the hussite church lead to the continuation of the hussite wars? I mean the last pope to oversee those wars was still alive and pope at the time (Eugene IV)
 
I wouldn't mind if Anglican was made more flexible. Two of its abilities are complete memes - how often do you actually press the create/remove Consort button outside of the Chop-Chop achievement? - so you're left with only three relevant buttons to press. Two if you're already at +3 Stab. One if you don't care about Mercantilism (which I think is viable if you monopolize the most relevant trade nodes).

Indeed, maybe some more interactions with the archbishops in England, like Canterbury.

Henry VIII's killing off his consorts should simply be a decision for a singular ruler if he fails to get an heir and has the infertility trait.
 
Are the mechanics to gain Church Power / Church Aspects exactly the same as for Protestants?
What happens if you switch to Protestantism - I assume improved relations with Protestant countries but something else? Will you get a centre of reformation like normal? Will the AI favour switching or staying Hussite?

The content is interesting, although I find it a bit weird that we now have 7 Christian denominations with the Reformation branch split into 4.
 
Now, what would also be cool is once the Reformation starts, you get the option to become one with Protestant and be one of many state churches, classified as Protestantism. If you take this option by event, everything Hussite releated would switch to Protestant (your provinces, state religion, advisors etc). Ofc there would also be the option to keep doing do your own thing, much like Anglican.

That is indeed what happens :)

What are the chances that AI bohemia becomes hussite?

Very low

How far this Hussite center of reformation in Prague would convert provinces? Hussite Spain?

As far as any other CoR

@neondt What is 'stability_cost_to_declare_war = 1' modifier? I can not found in eu4 wiki...

When you declare wars, you lose 1 stability. Intention is that you spend your church power to switch into this Aspect when you need to burn your AE, then switch to something else when you're ready to go conquering again.

Will the new Hussite king stats fixed to 5 4 3 (shown in the screenshot)? Or is still the old event with minimum 5 3 3 stats?

Yes, stats are fixed


Will there be spawn a hussite center of religion if you convert to it?

Do we have to convert via rebels as Catholics or can we convert via the religion tab?

The CoR you get from the mission will be the only Hussite CoR that can spawn in the game.

There will be a decision you can take to convert to Hussite if it becomes your dominant religion, you don't need to break to rebels.

Any rework to their ideas? Their single military idea wagenburg only gives 5% inf. combat ability and -5% shock received, seeing as how bravely bohemia fought in the hussite wars a buff to 10% seems to be in order. Also they are one of the only relevant countries to still have that god-awful hostile core creation cost idea.

We've changed the hostile core creation cost idea to "same_culture_advisor_cost = -0.25"
Bohemia gets military bonuses through the Hussite faith, but by default it's geared towards a more diplomatic/imperial playstyle.
 
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So half of Europe needs to humiliate Austria to complete it's mission tree? Poor little thing. :D

Like some others, I think a hussite CoR that will stays for 100 years is still too much. I just don't think one is needed at all. Especially with a +2% missionary strengh vs heretics bonus and half of provinces already hussite in 1444 for Bohemia.
Or, the hussite CoR conversion range could be reduced compared to protestant and reformed ones. I spotted through the DevClash that the hussite CoR was converting provinces in Tuscany. This is not an option at all... I was hoping the increased number of provinces to be an indirect nerf to protestant and reformed CoR, but things could become even worse than now for catholics with this implemented.
 
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This is looking like a very interesting Bohemia, but I can't help but wonder about Austria.
Will they actually be able to deal with them in this patch?
Because currently (and for a while now) the Habsburgs more often than not end up losing their hegemony in the HRE not to an ascending Prussia in the 18th and 19th century, but to Bohemia in the 16th and 17th, eventually even getting partitioned.
One thing that helps them hold on is the PU with Hungary they get sometimes, but the AI seems to have severe issues in trying to get their historical PU with Bohemia itself, letting them become a threat.
It seems to me that, rather than being an issue with AI efficiency itself, it's the Austrian AI inability in getting the backing of 5 electors and push their opinion to 100 (and considering that Bohemia often rivals Austria, it only becomes harder if not flat out impossible if another one does so as well) to complete the "secure electors" mission and get the PU CB in the first place.

So, at the end of the day, my question really is: will AI Austria be able to complete the "secure electors" mission and thus have a shot at getting the PU over Bohemia?
 
  • The Hussites and Catholics reconcile, causing the remaining Hussites in Bohemia to revert to Catholicism. This is the path the AI will usually pursue.
Thanks goodness. I was not looking forward with ahistorically having Hussites on the map in every game, especially with them spreading with the CoR. Have them appear rarely or only on player wish is fine.
 
@neondt
Is there anything that e.g. Poland can do to encourage Hussitism spreading within its borders? During the Hussite wars it was the most friendly towards the rebellion amongst all foreign powers. Despite the Edict of Wielun, which was mostly a lip service, the ideas were widely known and have gained some popularity amongst the nobility of the Kingdom.
Is the only way to play with Hussite Bohemian AI, to switch to Bohemia, fire the event manually and then switch back to out original country?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but Emperorship is, at least before the 30 Years War, constrained to Catholicism, is it not?

To me, it seems that the decision to stay Hussite will therefore lock you out of really getting your profit out of the more HRE-centric missions for half of the game.
While that makes sense, it somehow saddens me that you'll have to choose whether to be a really strong imperial power from the get go or to explore the Hussite content.

Decisions, decisions. Whelp, I guess it does make for a bit of replayability though.
 
I wish they didnt buff Anglican, but made it be friendly with other protestant faiths.

cause the real divide was catholic vs reformation faiths, not Catholic vs Anglican vs Reformed vs Protestant vs Hussite.

Anglican is easily one of the worst religions in the game. It might narrowly beat out Animism/Totemism. That's about it. It seriously does need a buff [Although by all rights it shouldn't even exist]. It was already significant worse than any other branch of Christianity, and Catholic is getting buffed. [Catholic has it's place as it is for stability; it's actually really nice for Republics]

Made worse by the fact it literally doesn't even have a reason to exist. Protestantism is Church of X. Anglicanism is Church of England. Anglicanism IS Protestantism, it was just a Religious gimmick thrown in to make Rule Brittania have content, and I guess if you really want to be Henry 8th and kill a bunch of wives.
 
To avoid an overwhelmingly non-Catholic Europe (as we’ve seen in dev clash), we’ve decided to make this CoR last only 100 years rather than until the end of the Age of Reformation.

I wonder, how much of the collapse of Catholicism we saw in the dev clash was caused by the CoR being overpowered, vs a large number of the devs wanting to play with and show off the new systems and mechanics?
 
That is indeed what happens :)



Very low



As far as any other CoR



When you declare wars, you lose 1 stability. Intention is that you spend your church power to switch into this Aspect when you need to burn your AE, then switch to something else when you're ready to go conquering again.



Yes, stats are fixed




The CoR you get from the mission will be the only Hussite CoR that can spawn in the game.

There will be a decision you can take to convert to Hussite if it becomes your dominant religion, you don't need to break to rebels.



We've changed the hostile core creation cost idea to "same_culture_advisor_cost = -0.25"
Bohemia gets military bonuses through the Hussite faith, but by default it's geared towards a more diplomatic/imperial playstyle.
What's the obsession with same culture modifier, if you want a specific advisor type you'll just burn ducats trying to get them, why not just generic reduced advisor cost. Hopefully eu5 will allow dynamic advisor cost based on court wages and creeping corruption events
 
Now that we can have the Hussite faith right in the middle of the empire, is there any chance of Religious Leagues getting a little more love in the context of the other Protestant faiths? Currently you are locked into the historical Catholicism vs. (Lutheran) Protestantism conflict and the other "Protestant" denominations aren't really reflected (Hussites, Reformed, Anglican in extreme edge cases).

That is fine for most games that follow a historical course of events, but it is somewhat disheartening that you get the opportunity to change the course of history by e.g. embracing and potentially spreading the Hussite faith (or Reformed) but then other game mechanics do not properly respond to that and are still railroaded into the historical course of events.

I know there have been events added specifically for the Reformed faith recently, but those feel rather tacked on and are not properly integrated with what actually happens during the League Wars, and also exclude potential other faiths that are part of the Reformation.

For a sensible, low dev effort fix I would propose:
* the Religious League mechanics remain largely unchanged, except:
* if the Protestant side is victorious and enforces Religious Supremacy, the leader of the Protestant league gets an event to decide one of the following outcomes:
1. Establish Protestantism as the dominant religion of the empire (current outcome)
2. Exclude Catholicism from the empire: all Protestant, Reformed, and Hussite nations receive the perks for winning the League War and are eligible to become Emperor and Electors. Catholics are excluded as Electors and Emperor.
* the AI would make this choice based on whether the majority of Reformed/Hussite nations have fought on the Protestant side

This would give e.g. a Hussite player more agency within Religious Leagues, and also encourage historical behaviour: historically, you should want to oppose the Catholic church as much as possible, but under the current system you have no incentive to do so because helping the Protestants win the League War would also exclude you from becoming Emperor and steal your Elector title. I don't think it makes sense to have Hussites prefer Religious Peace. Of course, similar considerations apply to Reformed nations.