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FadedThunder

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Jul 5, 2017
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I made a post on reddit and someone there recommended i post here for a better chance of my suggestion being implemented, so here i am. HI, everyone:)
Because i am lazy by nature i will just copy & past the post here or you can view it on reddit: (I cant link reddit links for some reasons, not sure why. i will try and add it latter(check comments down bellow))
Hi, Oromo here! :)
Firstly, I love the game, i have over 10k hrs invested since i bought it 4yrs or so ago. (so this is not some SJW thing)

but ever since the "Ethiopian" update back in 2019 (maybe it was 2020, not sure), the portrayal of Oromos in the game has always bothered me. The idea that Oromos just spring up from the woods and convert people into their culture and religions in a matter of few days just does make any logical sense. in terms of game mechanics or historical accuracy....
The very idea Oromos are not natives to their lands is a very "R"(word) thing. It was first developed during the rule of haile selassie to justify the inhuman treatment and discrimination his government was doing.
During his rule, Ethiopia was centralized and he wanted to rule from a central capital, Dominated by one ethnic group and one language
He even sent out embassies around the world (specifically) to understand how white people dominate other groups so he could replicate it here. case and point (i tried to link a YT video, but it wont allow it for some reason (Fixed it, check the comments down bellow))

They then made Books claiming we are from Madagascar, Indochina, or Nigeria (because that is where all N* are from), basically everywhere except Ethiopia, Some of those "historians" even claim that we are from Mongolia, not knowing where Mongolia is.

Their historical fabrications are not just limited to Oromos, they have the same outlandish theories on everyone (there are round 70-80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia), But due to Oromos being the numerically dominant group their "court historians" targeted us extra hard, But they also have theories on themselves also, they claim they are from Palastine/isreal and are actually Israelites and not African (they often say we are not "N**" ).

Its laughable when you dig through their claims and actual sources.
But their ideas has been intrenched in the minds of alot of the newer generations specially among the diaspora, and is now defended by alot Amharas (the ethnic group haile selassie used to centralize his government around). as a infamous person once said, "If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes accepted as truth".
I thought that someone else would have fixed this by now, but since no one is taking the initiative, why not me.

So what should be done?
I think the whole "The Oromo migration" event tree should be gone from the game.
add two Oromo countries with one being Fetishist and one Sunni (Jimmaa kingdom) preferably with atleast 10-20 provinces and 100 dev between them.
Done.
-------------------------------

If you wanna make it extra spicy and more inline with our timeline. Then remove Ethiopia as a tag and make it into a formable end tag that anyone in the Cushitic culture group with some requirements can form. So Release shawa, Tigray and gondar as new tag's. and make anyone who holds the most developed Coptic province in the Ethiopian region the "Shogune" of all the tags. forced to join any offensive/defensive war.

Many possibilities. Would be happy to help if needed. (of course, by helping i am referring to everything except coding)
----
Edit; since this post is getting some traction, I wanna redirect everyone to this post - absolute masterpiece, and covers basically everything in the Horn region in a balanced and objective way!

please excuse the grammatical errors and correct me if possible. much love.
 
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I made a post on reddit and someone there recommended i post here for a better chance of my suggestion being implemented, so here i am. HI, everyone:)
Because i am lazy by nature i will just copy & past the post here or you can view it on reddit: (I cant link reddit links for some reasons, not sure why. i will try and add it latter(check comments down bellow))
Hi, Oromo here! :)
Firstly, I love the game, i have over 10k hrs invested since i bought it 4yrs or so ago. (so this is not some SJW thing)

but ever since the "Ethiopian" update back in 2019 (maybe it was 2020, not sure), the portrayal of Oromos in the game has always bothered me. The idea that Oromos just spring up from the woods and convert people into their culture and religions in a matter of few days just does make any logical sense. in terms of game mechanics or historical accuracy....
The very idea Oromos are not natives to their lands is a very "R"(word) thing. It was first developed during the rule of haile selassie to justify the inhuman treatment and discrimination his government was doing.
During his rule, Ethiopia was centralized and he wanted to rule from a central capital, Dominated by one ethnic group and one language
He even sent out embassies around the world (specifically) to understand how white people dominate other groups so he could replicate it here. case and point (i tried to link a YT video, but it wont allow it for some reason (Fixed it, check the comments down bellow))

They then made Books claiming we are from Madagascar, Indochina, or Nigeria (because that is where all N* are from), basically everywhere except Ethiopia, Some of those "historians" even claim that we are from Mongolia, not knowing where Mongolia is.

Their historical fabrications are not just limited to Oromos, they have the same outlandish theories on everyone (there are round 70-80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia), But due to Oromos being the numerically dominant group their "court historians" targeted us extra hard, But they also have theories on themselves also, they claim they are from Palastine/isreal and are actually Israelites and not African (they often say we are not "N**" ).

Its laughable when you dig through their claims and actual sources.
But their ideas has been intrenched in the minds of alot of the newer generations specially among the diaspora, and is now defended by alot Amharas (the ethnic group haile selassie used to centralize his government around). as a infamous person once said, "If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes accepted as truth".
I thought that someone else would have fixed this by now, but since no one is taking the initiative, why not me.

So what should be done?
I think the whole "The Oromo migration" event tree should be gone from the game.
add two Oromo countries with one being Fetishist and one Sunni (Jimmaa kingdom) preferably with atleast 10-30 provinces and 200 dev between them.
Done.
-------------------------------

If you wanna make it extra spicy and more inline with our timeline. Then remove Ethiopia as a tag and make it into a formable end tag that anyone in the Cushitic culture group with some requirements can form. So Release shawa, Tigray and gondar as new tag's. and make anyone who holds the most developed Coptic province in the Ethiopian region the "Shogune" of all the tags. forced to join any offensive/defensive war.

Many possibilities. Would be happy to help if needed. (of course, by helping i am referring to everything except coding)
----

please excuse the grammatical errors and correct me if possible. much love.
The suggestions sub forum might make it easier to see, however the maori thread got a dev response on main forum even tho non Maori NZers made it

Ethiopia as a starting tag is that kinda conflict between endonyms and exonyms with players wanting the former but the latter making the place more recognisable to players and so more easily gathering use.

Racial history is going to be a very complicated thing. The dynasty did claim descent from Solomon, and the bible places every race as coming from Noah's sons Shem, Ham and Japheth who go from the holy land to the rest of the continents, so it's not too unique.
With r word you can say racist here, but obviously mods will be against ne... and ni....
 
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Hi! :D

As someone who has done years of research on Ethiopia/Horn of Africa and has always found the Oromo history interesting, I think your suggestions represent the entire timeframe rather than what went on in 1444-onwards. Note that I am not from Ethiopia, so my knowledge is from what I've read. I think your ideas can be refined.

I am gonna try and keep it brief, because I ramble way too much on these types of replies. As a result, I'm gonna simplify my points.

  • You are 100% correct the Oromo are misrepresented as foreigners. They've also been historically ostracized by Somalis and from Ethiopia (a historical slur you probably are familiar with is 'Galla', and of course historicans took it from other peoples and it stuck when colonial historians were writing). The major Oromo clan, the Borana (Booraana), live/are from Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. However, the Oromo were also in Southern Somalia during EU4's period too! There were of course other clans. Two clans that were also historically important are the Barentu and the Orma.
    • The province of Oromia in Ethiopia is a product of the Oromo Migrations. For any other person looking at this thread, when I mean southern Ethiopia, I mean the area around Moyale to Kebri Mangest =D.
  • I believe the last time the Horn of Africa received any new provinces was Art of War, but the new tags were added after. The Horn of Africa is very old compared to neighboring Arabia, so the lack of update to it shows.
  • Regarding the Oromo Migrations, actually the assumption that the Oromo assimilated parts of Ethiopia in a few years is somewhat accurate. The migrations are a complex issue, and I would spend hours writing an accurate wall of text to talk about in detail, but again I want to keep this brief. Ethiopia was at a low point when the Migrations started.
    • The major factors included:
      • The long war with Adal and the associated devastation/war exhaustion on the provinces.
      • The decentralized nature of Ethiopia,.
      • The military differences between the Oromo and Ethiopia.
    • Ethiopia was not prepared for the migrations, and the southern provinces were hit extremely hard during the Adalite war. As a result, the Oromo for the most part just walked right in without much resistance. Additionally, the Oromo's use of cavalry and their tactics were completely new to Ethiopia.
    • Conversely, the reasons the migrations were halted because of a few reasons:
      • The overextension of the Oromo, which led to groups breaking off and traveling further into Ethiopia. The Wollo (Barentu) and Welega (Borana) are examples of these types of groups.
      • Susenyos, who was captured by the Oromo when he was a child, used the Oromo tactics against the Oromo themselves, stopping them at the Abbay river.
      • The Oromo started to settle in these new lands and assimilating the inhabitants (Susenyos also settled some of them along the Abbay).
  • Regarding your suggestions, the fractured Ethiopia occurred during the Zemene Mesafint, which started in the 1760's. Ethiopia as a kingdom was a united tag before this, but I would love to have the disaster represented :). the Kingdom of Shewa (the one that participates in the Zemene Mesafint) came about in the Oromo Migrations.
  • Jimma is also a product of the 1800's. Conversion to Islam occurred after the migrations, and it took a long time. The Wollo converted by the 1700's, and the groups that took over Jimma converted a little later. The kingdom of Jimma as a result is a late game tag, not present in 1444. Ennarea is the historical tag before the migrations.
What I think should be represented in 1444 is a Borana and Barentu tag in Southern Ethiopia. 200 dev is a little much, but a Borana tag holding land in Southern Ethiopia, Northern Kenya, and Southwestern Somalia should have an adequate amount of dev. The Oromo Migrations should stay in, because it was an historical event. There is a thread in my description that covers this topic and more!

Of course, I need to back up my points here. I also have a source list in my signature! I will also link it here:

Source list for the Horn of Africa
Ethiopia as a starting tag is that kinda conflict between endonyms and exonyms with players wanting the former but the latter making the place more recognisable to players and so more easily gathering use.

Racial history is going to be a very complicated thing. The dynasty did claim descent from Solomon, and the bible places every race as coming from Noah's sons Shem, Ham and Japheth who go from the holy land to the rest of the continents, so it's not too unique.
With r word you can say racist here, but obviously mods will be against ne... and ni....
Ethiopia is the correct tag in this case. Ethiopia/Abyssinia as the name of the kingdom can be said to have started in 1291. The supposed mythical/biblical origins doesn't really matter in my opinion, because at the end of the day EU4 deals with 1444-onwards, and thee Oromo lived where I've mentioned in 1444 =).
 
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Good. I hate that stupid migration event. It converted my 35 dev metropolis at Shewa to fetishist. My religious unity was in the gutter until I converted it back. Dark days for the patriarchate of Alodia.
 
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Ethiopia is the correct tag in this case. Ethiopia/Abyssinia as the name of the kingdom can be said to have started in 1291. The supposed mythical/biblical origins doesn't really matter in my opinion, because at the end of the day EU4 deals with 1444-onwards, and thee Oromo lived where I've mentioned in 1444 =).
I was more talking about Ethiopia as a name than as a tag, because of the various renditions it could have, Ethiopia, abyssinia, Ityop'p'ya, al'habshi

Mythic origins was a refute to his claim of it being unique of Ethiopians to claim they come from the holy land and so very seperate from the oromo
 
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I was more talking about Ethiopia as a name than as a tag, because of the various renditions it could have, Ethiopia, abyssinia, Ityop'p'ya, al'habshi

Mythic origins was a refute to his claim of it being unique of Ethiopians to claim they come from the holy land and so very seperate from the oromo
I am under the impression that EU4 sticks to the English names of tags, but I could easily be wrong on that.


For the second point, I was referring to both. The biblical origin was referring to Ethiopia. Apologies for the confusion.
 
I made a post on reddit and someone there recommended i post here for a better chance of my suggestion being implemented, so here i am. HI, everyone:)
Because i am lazy by nature i will just copy & past the post here or you can view it on reddit: (I cant link reddit links for some reasons, not sure why. i will try and add it latter(check comments down bellow))
Hi, Oromo here! :)
Firstly, I love the game, i have over 10k hrs invested since i bought it 4yrs or so ago. (so this is not some SJW thing)

but ever since the "Ethiopian" update back in 2019 (maybe it was 2020, not sure), the portrayal of Oromos in the game has always bothered me. The idea that Oromos just spring up from the woods and convert people into their culture and religions in a matter of few days just does make any logical sense. in terms of game mechanics or historical accuracy....
The very idea Oromos are not natives to their lands is a very "R"(word) thing. It was first developed during the rule of haile selassie to justify the inhuman treatment and discrimination his government was doing.
During his rule, Ethiopia was centralized and he wanted to rule from a central capital, Dominated by one ethnic group and one language
He even sent out embassies around the world (specifically) to understand how white people dominate other groups so he could replicate it here. case and point (i tried to link a YT video, but it wont allow it for some reason (Fixed it, check the comments down bellow))

They then made Books claiming we are from Madagascar, Indochina, or Nigeria (because that is where all N* are from), basically everywhere except Ethiopia, Some of those "historians" even claim that we are from Mongolia, not knowing where Mongolia is.

Their historical fabrications are not just limited to Oromos, they have the same outlandish theories on everyone (there are round 70-80 ethnic groups in Ethiopia), But due to Oromos being the numerically dominant group their "court historians" targeted us extra hard, But they also have theories on themselves also, they claim they are from Palastine/isreal and are actually Israelites and not African (they often say we are not "N**" ).

Its laughable when you dig through their claims and actual sources.
But their ideas has been intrenched in the minds of alot of the newer generations specially among the diaspora, and is now defended by alot Amharas (the ethnic group haile selassie used to centralize his government around). as a infamous person once said, "If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes accepted as truth".
I thought that someone else would have fixed this by now, but since no one is taking the initiative, why not me.

So what should be done?
I think the whole "The Oromo migration" event tree should be gone from the game.
add two Oromo countries with one being Fetishist and one Sunni (Jimmaa kingdom) preferably with atleast 10-30 provinces and 200 dev between them.
Done.
-------------------------------

If you wanna make it extra spicy and more inline with our timeline. Then remove Ethiopia as a tag and make it into a formable end tag that anyone in the Cushitic culture group with some requirements can form. So Release shawa, Tigray and gondar as new tag's. and make anyone who holds the most developed Coptic province in the Ethiopian region the "Shogune" of all the tags. forced to join any offensive/defensive war.

Many possibilities. Would be happy to help if needed. (of course, by helping i am referring to everything except coding)
----

please excuse the grammatical errors and correct me if possible. much love.

I gave it a disagree because of the proposition. I dont think 20-60 more provinces and 200ish more dev in that region (without touching Arabian peninsula and East African coast dev) would be good for game balance.
 
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@ajsieg

Oh wow, so many sources!! Thank you for the comment, very appreciated and I think you have this under your belt. Cant argue with facts.

The Borona & Barentu tag idea is great! (might have been carried away with 200dev hehe) shame that jimma is a production of 1800, I assumed it was much older from conversations i had with people in the region, i am a child of wollaga so we are neighbors. (but i guess that cant be used as proof)

Another idea i have been thinking about is instead to give Borona or Barentu provinces bordering them if the host country has high war exhaustion and make the AI into a war mongerer
 
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I gave it a disagree because of the proposition. I dont think 20-60 more provinces and 200ish more dev in that region (without touching Arabian peninsula and East African coast dev) would be good for game balance.
totally understandable. That might have been a teeny-tiny to much :D I got carried away
 
Oh wow, so many sources!! Thank you for the comment, very appreciated and I think you have this under your belt. Cant argue with facts.

The Borona & Barentu tag idea is great! (might have been carried away with 200dev hehe) shame that jimma is a production of 1800, I assumed it was much older from conversations i had with people in the region, i am a child of wollaga so we are neighbors. (but i guess that cant be used as proof)

Another idea i have been thinking about is instead to give Borona or Barentu provinces bordering them if the host country has high war exhaustion and make the AI into a war mongerer
I am always happy to provide info regarding this type of stuff =D. I'm also always excited when I get to talk to someone from the areas I research :).

The one annoyance I have with the Oromo Migration event chain currently is that it's not dynamic. If Ethiopia is in a strong state, it has the same outcome as a weakened one. I've suggested a mechanic similar to the Protestant Reformation (I called it "Oromoization") , where the migrations are simulated by conversions. however, I don't know if that idea is possible or even if the game code can handle it. There should definitely be factors that can cause the migrations to occur though. The other problem is is if Ethiopia blobs/the player is Ethiopia, but that is related to the dynamic conditions I would like.
 
I've suggested a mechanic similar to the Protestant Reformation (I called it "Oromoization") , where the migrations are simulated by conversions. however, I don't know if that idea is possible or even if the game code can handle it.
hmmm...Not sure if this is the way to go about it...This makes us look like parasites XD
 
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hmmm...Not sure if this is the way to go about it...This makes us look like parasites XD
I can see how it would look like that, but the migrations were independent of the tags. Borana owning half of Ethiopia isn’t really realistic. North of Shewa, Ethiopia either still owned the lands that the Oromo settled on, or the Oromo broke off into the groups. It was the best solution in my head at the time, but I’m open to other ideas =).
 
I can see how it would look like that, but the migrations were independent of the tags. Borana owning half of Ethiopia isn’t really realistic. North of Shewa, Ethiopia either still owned the lands that the Oromo settled on, or the Oromo broke off into the groups. It was the best solution in my head at the time, but I’m open to other ideas =).
I just read the (awesome) post you made here. it seems like you have covered basically everything in the horn region! I am 100% onboard! you got me jacked!
Just wish Paradox would implement them already!! @DDRJake <- come on jake help us get this out there!
 
I just read the (awesome) post you made here. it seems like you have covered basically everything in the horn region! I am 100% onboard! you got me jacked!
Just wish Paradox would implement them already!! @DDRJake <- come on jake help us get this out there!
DDRJake no longer works on Eu4. Johan is the current game head and Aldaron is the content designer (I’m not @-ing them because it at most point we might get a replay). Also if they’re gonna work on Africa, posts like these will help them give ideas.
Thanks for the compliment =D.
 
DDRJake no longer works on Eu4. Johan is the current game head and Aldaron is the content designer (I’m not @-ing them because it at most point we might get a replay). Also if they’re gonna work on Africa, posts like these will help them give ideas.
Thanks for the compliment =D.
Oh, I didn't know Jake left, hope he left under good conditions, Its been a while since stopped fallowing EU4 related stuff after my gaming pc broke down.
but If @'them doesnt work, how else can we can get this in front of them? Side question; Have you gotten any offers to mod this inn?
 
Oh, I didn't know Jake left, hope he left under good conditions, Its been a while since stopped fallowing EU4 related stuff after my gaming pc broke down.
but If @'them doesnt work, how else can we can get this in front of them? Side question; Have you gotten any offers to mod this inn?
It's more that @-ing them will at most get a reply from them, which isn't always necessary. The devs don't disclose ahead of time what they're working on. I'm sure the devs will read this, and note it for future reference =).

Modding-wise I do plan on it. I haven't gotten to it for a few reasons. There are a couple mods that do have it in. Historical borders +, and I believe a mod called Dei Gratia (not the M&T one).
 
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@ajsieg

Oh wow, so many sources!! Thank you for the comment, very appreciated and I think you have this under your belt. Cant argue with facts.

The Borona & Barentu tag idea is great! (might have been carried away with 200dev hehe) shame that jimma is a production of 1800, I assumed it was much older from conversations i had with people in the region, i am a child of wollaga so we are neighbors. (but i guess that cant be used as proof)

Another idea i have been thinking about is instead to give Borona or Barentu provinces bordering them if the host country has high war exhaustion and make the AI into a war mongerer
Ilmaan Wallaga! Obboleesa koo, maqaanke eenyu? Unfortunately, that’s about how far my oromiffa stretches. Can you imagine, the look on my face, when playing as Ethiopia, and the oromoo migration event happened? ”They know about the Oromoo?” Just a great game. Nice to know another son of Wallaga found it and plays it!
 
They then made Books claiming we are from Madagascar, Indochina, or Nigeria (because that is where all N* are from), basically everywhere except Ethiopia, Some of those "historians" even claim that we are from Mongolia, not knowing where Mongolia is.
Could I get more sources and/or specific information for this? I just got curious thanks to your post and want to delve this matter deeper. Thanks :)
 
A lot of southern Ethiopia isn't even in the game, since Ethiopia stretches to Lake Turkana. I don't think we will see it in EU4, but would like to see more of Kenya and southern Ethiopia in the game, and then more Oromo can be represented.