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Welcome back to a new Dev Diary! I am Aldaron and I am the other new Content Designer in Paradox Tinto. Happy to be here with all of you, adding a bit more information to that which my colleague @skingrado shared last Tuesday.

During the last Dev Diary there were two questions that were repeated a few times and that hopefully I will be able to answer today:

  • What about Western America?
Well, we cannot just add everything we have done to a single dev diary, but do not worry, because today we’ll show you a bit more, this time devoted to this area of North America that you people asked for.

  • Will there be any work on the rest of America?
The focus of this expansion is not the rest of America, but as a matter of fact, we added a mission for those nations with the Religious Reforms feature.

So without much preambles, and before we start, I would like to remind everyone a last tiny thing. As my colleague said last Tuesday, we have divided North American Natives into 6 of the 9 cultural areas that are normally used in anthropology when studying these people. Dividing them in cultural areas has given us the opportunity to group several TAGs into a common core and at the same time add diversity to the area.

MISSIONS:

As you might know, one of the less fun things when playing natives was the mission tree. You had the general mission tree, but you could not fill it due to the limitation natives have! Well, no more. As part of the work on natives, we have created a new general mission tree adapted to Natives, with some interrelationships between several of the missions and the addition of some new ones to make them more engaging. This mission tree is available to every native nation, from the Northwestern Pass to Tierra del Fuego.

1606204192958.png

(Notice that all icons are still placeholders).​

Besides, as you can see in the previous image, we have added a small mission (Reform our Religion) for the three more advanced native groups (Aztec, Inca and Maya) to deal with their mechanics, despite them not being the focus of the expansion.

1606203947425.png

Continuing with last week’s trend, here we have the specific regional mission tree for those natives whose living developed in the Great Plains of North America. This group includes the several Sioux tribes (such as Lakota or Dakota [Sioux ingame]), the Shoshone or the Wichita. This group’s focus revolves around hunting bison and would evolve to a horse riding culture after contact with the Europeans. Without any doubt the most iconic Native American group of people.

Some highlights of this tree include:
  • Gathering all that available food from the wild that will improve your economic power.
  • Befriending those around you will help you with your federations.
  • Capturing those horses from the Europeans will greatly improve your capacity to combat over them.

1606203975409.png

If Plain Natives were a rather peaceful people before contact, Northwestern ones were pretty much the contrary. Raidings were a constant in the life of these people and would bring their canoes to capture slaves as south as California. But war and slavery were not the only thing Northwestern natives would focus on, they had a complex social culture that involved showing wealth of to their own people or to foreigners as a way to celebrate their power (the Potlach Ceremony) or showing respect to ancestors or shaming enemies with their elaborate totems.

Some highlights of this tree include:
  • Remembering the ancestors and their deeds to unite your people under your rule.
  • Boasting about your wealth to bring your allies closer to you.
  • Showing your strength and using that fear against your enemies.

NATIONAL IDEAS:

Pretty much as with Mission Trees, we have divided National Ideas into Regional National Ideas that will fire for TAGs belonging to certain regions.

In this DD I will present two of the six regional sets.

Since California was forgotten in the previous section, I will start with them.

California is the smallest cultural region in North America but with a very pronounced personality. Despite being mostly sedentary people, living in a very rich region, Californian Natives did not rely much on agriculture and despite their population density (it is estimated it was the biggest in NA) they were not very warfaring. Their NIs relate to their own development and diplomatic expansion.

Code:
california_native_ideas = {
    start = {
        autonomy_change_time = -0.25
        same_culture_advisor_cost = -0.5
    }
   
    bonus = {
        years_of_nationalism = -5
    }
   
    trigger = {
        primary_culture = yokuts
    }
    free = yes
   
    division_as_a_strength_cf = {
        num_accepted_cultures = 1
        promote_culture_cost = -0.25
    }
    basketweaving = {
        production_efficiency = 0.05
    }
    tribelets = {
        diplomatic_upkeep = 1
        stability_cost_modifier = -0.10
    }
    forest_gardening = {
        development_cost = -0.10          
    }
    kuksu_cult = {
        religious_unity = 0.5
    }
    rock_art = {
        prestige_decay = -0.01
        global_unrest = -2
    }
    medicine_men = {
        land_attrition = -0.10
    }
}

Back to the Northwest, these people had a different angle on how they saw life and their NIs are more devoted to warfare and expansion.

Code:
nw_native_ideas = {
    start = {
        development_cost = -0.10
        heir_chance = 0.5
    }
   
    bonus = {
        army_tradition_decay = -0.01
    }
   
    trigger = {
        OR = {
            primary_culture = athabascan
            primary_culture = chinook
            primary_culture = haida
            primary_culture = salish
        }
    }
    free = yes
   
    raid_warfare_nw = {
        infantry_shock = 0.5
        rival_change_cost = -0.2
    }
    brother_salmon = {
        tolerance_own = 1
    }
    potlatch = {
        improve_relation_modifier = 0.2
        global_unrest = -2
    }
    mother_and_father = {
        female_advisor_chance = 0.1
    }
    totem_poles_nw = {
        prestige_decay = -0.01
        stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
    }
    canoe_people = {
        leader_land_manuever = 1
    }
    division_as_a_strength_nw = {
        num_accepted_cultures = 1
        promote_culture_cost = -0.25
    }
}

EVENTS:

Different regions will have access to different events, and some common ones. This week we will show a few of these regional events and we’ll call it a day for now.

1606204499094.png

Californian Natives had their own secret cults that should you pay the price for them would bring you some wellbeing.

1606204635645.png

Diplomacy in the Plains is not always easy.

1606204707435.png

The Potlach was a massively important ceremony for the Northwestern Natives. Choosing to celebrate it or not could have consequences.

You might have noticed that both my colleague and me have shown a small selection of missions for you. After the release you will have the chance to discover the other two regional mission trees (SE and California) and several TAG/culture specific ones, find some Easter eggs here and there and several other goodies. Stay tuned and see you next week!
 
same_culture_advisor_cost = -0.5
Damn -50% same culture advisor cost is going to be great, but

female_advisor_chance = 0.1
Ladies and gentlemen, here we have the most useless national idea in the entire game.

I mean, usually it's packaged together with something else, but female advisor chance as a standalone idea...? (And it's only 10% what)
 
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Damn -50% same culture advisor cost is going to be great, but


Ladies and gentlemen, here we have the most useless national idea in the entire game.

I mean, usually it's packaged together with something else, but female advisor chance as a standalone idea...? (And it's only 10% what)
I guess I'd rate it on the same level as transport combat ability. Jokes aside I agree and it would make more sense if at least it also increased the number of possible advisors. The second most useless idea in the game.
 
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Can the NA tribes adopt religions from the Aztecs or Mayas?

Also, any chance that impassable terrain will be added in South America in the future (The Andes)? It would help shape colonization better.
 
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You maybe want to revise some of the numbers in the NI. -50% advisor cost if they are from your culture is strong, especially in a situation where you will colonize land to your culture. On the other hand, I see a full idea slot for 5% production efficiency. I also see development cost in the traditions, while devving as a native is now very expensive.
Another thing: the basic native ideas were actually quite decent, since they provided army bonuses and more importantly, an awesome colonial bonus. This would ensure that players can climb out of this disadvantageous start. I see that colonial bonus is missing now. People who play a native and switch to catholicism will be heavily penalized compared to now, I fear.
 
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transport combat ability
I mean, transport combat ability has like a 0.01% chance of being useful in the early game with a small nation when every ship counts, but female advisor chance is just completely useless. They're functionally exactly the same as male advisors. And no nation in the game actually has transport combat ability.

At least +1 advisor means that you only have to cycle through 14 instead of 15 different advisors to get an inquisitor, +10% female advisor chance is the sorriest excuse for a national idea I've ever seen.
 
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oh great! What I like the most, are the events and their event pictures. That is really great. Hope that there are lots of them ! Keep up the good work and welcome @Aldaron to your first DD ! :)


Do I understand the last words correctly? Was this the last DD about North America? Still don't know what is the main focus of this Patch/DLC/Immersion Pack. Hope that we will have some clarification about that soon. Also Its i.m.O. time for a patch. Emperor is out already to long. Really hope to see an update to play with before christmas. The SEA DDS were so full of content that they felt ready at the time the DDs were released
 
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Congrats for being chosen, @Aldaron ! Nice to have someone of the spanish community inside Tinto. ;)
 
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The additional mission for Aztec, Inca, and Maya is welcome but I wished for a little more. Being outside of DLC's scope bar is high I suppose.
 
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Damn -50% same culture advisor cost is going to be great, but


Ladies and gentlemen, here we have the most useless national idea in the entire game.

I mean, usually it's packaged together with something else, but female advisor chance as a standalone idea...? (And it's only 10% what)
I have actually revised it and added advisor pool to the idea.

Can the NA tribes adopt religions from the Aztecs or Mayas?

Also, any chance that impassable terrain will be added in South America in the future (The Andes)? It would help shape colonization better.
Sorry but this is not in the focus of this expansion.

You maybe want to revise some of the numbers in the NI. -50% advisor cost if they are from your culture is strong, especially in a situation where you will colonize land to your culture. On the other hand, I see a full idea slot for 5% production efficiency. I also see development cost in the traditions, while devving as a native is now very expensive.
Another thing: the basic native ideas were actually quite decent, since they provided army bonuses and more importantly, an awesome colonial bonus. This would ensure that players can climb out of this disadvantageous start. I see that colonial bonus is missing now. People who play a native and switch to catholicism will be heavily penalized compared to now, I fear.
Dully noted, I have reduced the advisor cost to -25%.

The mission tree gives you a, imho, better bonus when you complete it. Besides, neither NIs not missions are linked to your religion, but your culture and/or government type.
 
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What I wonder is what name will you use for this DLC. I mean you guys focused on SEA with North America as side project.
The name of the DLC will be given when the time is right. Cannot disclosure it yet. ;)
 
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What about minorities expulsion, will it be fixed?
What should be fixed about it?
It is a very situationally useful feature (or put more bluntly: a feature that is useless in most situations). Which is a marked improvement over the immersion-breaking, genocide-simulating, ahistorical abomination that it used to be. The only addtional "fix" I could imagine would be outright removal from the game.

Be that as it may, this really doesn't have much to do with the dev diary.
Which is quite an interesting one. Looking forward to the patch/expansion :)
 
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What should be fixed about it?
It is a very situationally useful feature (or put more bluntly: a feature that is useless in most situations). Which is a marked improvement over the immersion-breaking, genocide-simulating, ahistorical abomination that it used to be. The only addtional "fix" I could imagine would be outright removal from the game.

Be that as it may, this really doesn't have much to do with the dev diary.
Which is quite an interesting one. Looking forward to the patch/expansion :)
Just balance it a bit more - make expulsion more costly etc, and we good to go
 
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Very much enjoying these dev diaries - been looking forwards to playing in North America, so all of these updates will really give me the kick to stop repeating 'Tales of the HRE' over and over :D
 
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