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EU4 - Development Diary - 16th of February 2021

Hello everybody and welcome back to another EUIV dev diary and it has been a while for me!

Shortly before EUIV moved over to sunny Barcelona, I devoted some of my time to reworking Australia as I felt the current map of the continent was a bit lacking and very annoying to own what with all these little unconnected islands amidst the wasteland. On top of that, the continent being an entirely uncolonized block of nothing before colonialism seems a little inaccurate, given how lively the continent actually was before the Europeans arrived.

So, first thing to note is that Australia is now entirely connected through colonisable provinces, with the great Pilbara now connecting the north and west of Australia.
20210215172646_1.jpg

Another important rework comes in the form of the new states Australia now enjoys. What I wanted out of this is I wanted Australia to be on par with the other colonial regions in the game in terms of province count and strategic importance.
20210215170805_1.jpg

When shaping the states and provinces, I wanted to hit a nice balance between pre and post colonial Australian borders, so state borders are largely determined by colonial Australian state boundaries, while provinces are more determined by the distribution of Aboriginal peoples. All provinces also have both their Aboriginal and colonial names depending on who owns the province.
1613408346626.png

The Australian Gold Rush can now be yours, with Australian provinces enjoying a high chance of gold and some provinces in the south having a chance for gems, and a few key provinces able to produce coal.
20210215172855_1.jpg

Next, I’ll highlight some of the playable nations down under. Up north we have the Larrakia Federation composed of all of the top-end nations you see here, with Larrakia and Tiwi enjoying a unique set of national ideas. The Larrakia federation was responsible for much of pre-colonial Australia’s wealth through trade with the Makassarians. This trade also brought with it some Islamic influences, though the Aboriginal people of Australia never fully converted.
20210215170717_1.jpg

LAR_ideas = {
start = {
global_trade_power = 0.1
trade_efficiency = 0.1
}

bonus = {
global_ship_trade_power = 0.2
}

trigger = {
tag = LAR
}
free = yes #will be added at load.

LAR_makassar_trade = {
merchants = 1
global_foreign_trade_power = 0.1
}
LAR_federation = {
diplomatic_upkeep = 2
}
LAR_dreaming = {
global_autonomy = -0.05
}
LAR_dowed = {
legitimacy = 1
republican_tradition = 0.2
global_unrest = -1
}
LAR_ceremonial_scarring = {
shock_damage = 0.1
}
LAR_hospitality = {
diplomatic_reputation = 2
}
LAR_kenbi_land_claim = {
core_creation = -0.15
}
}

TIW_ideas = {
start = {
female_advisor_chance = 0.75
shock_damage_received = -0.2
}

bonus = {
leader_land_shock = 1
}

trigger = {
tag = TIW
}
free = yes

TIW_yiminga = {
may_recruit_female_generals = yes
global_manpower_modifier = 0.2
}
TIW_dreaming_totem = {
tolerance_own = 2
}
TIW_kulama = {
production_efficiency = 0.1
}
TIW_purrukapali = {
naval_tradition_from_battle = 0.5
}
TIW_marriage = {
heir_chance = 0.5
global_unrest = -1
}
TIW_isolationism = {
land_morale = 0.1
}
TIW_one_people = {
culture_conversion_cost = -0.25
}
}

Moving along down south we have the Eora people, the original inhabitants of the Sydney area.
EOR_ideas = {
start = {
diplomatic_reputation = 1
light_ship_power = 0.15
}

bonus = {
num_accepted_cultures = 2
}

trigger = {
tag = EOR
}
free = yes

EOR_lifestyle = {
naval_morale = 0.15
}
EOR_bands = {
state_maintenance_modifier = -0.25
}
EOR_enduring = {
religious_unity = 0.25
tolerance_heathen = 1
}
EOR_protect = {
manpower_recovery_speed = 0.1
global_sailors_modifier = 0.1
}
EOR_sacred = {
own_coast_naval_combat_bonus = 1
}
EOR_pemulwuy = {
land_morale = 0.15
}
EOR_berewaldal = {
merchants = 1
global_foreign_trade_power = 0.1
}
}

The Kaurna people, first inhabitants of Adelaide.
KAU_ideas = {
start = {
female_advisor_chance = 0.75
global_tax_modifier = 0.3
}

bonus = {
development_cost = -0.1
}

trigger = {
tag = KAU
}
free = yes

KAU_totemic_matriarchy = {
may_recruit_female_generals = yes
tolerance_own = 2
}
KAU_pangkarra = {
governing_capacity_modifier = 0.1
}
KAU_coastal_pangkarra = {
global_ship_trade_power = 0.2
}
KAU_redgum_shelters = {
build_cost = -0.15
}
KAU_communal_ownership = {
global_unrest = -2
}
KAU_old_tjilbruke = {
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
reform_progress_growth = 0.15
}
KAU_south_australia_act = {
core_creation = -0.2
}
}

Palawa, first people of Tasmania.
PLW_ideas = {
start = {
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
land_morale = 0.1
}

bonus = {
monarch_military_power = 1
}

trigger = {
tag = PLW
}
free = yes #will be added at load.

PLW_oyster = {
production_efficiency = 0.1
}
PLW_dual_identity = {
legitimacy = 1
num_accepted_cultures = 1
}
PLW_darwin = {
shock_damage = 0.2
}
PLW_parlevar = {
ae_impact = -0.15
}
PLW_writers = {
technology_cost = -0.1
}
PLW_survivors = {
fire_damage = 0.1
}
PLW_enduring = {
manpower_recovery_speed = 0.25
}
}

Kamilaroi, one of the most populated collective of Australian nations.
GMI_ideas = {
start = {
land_morale = 0.1
shock_damage = 0.1
}

bonus = {
land_forcelimit_modifier = 0.33
}

trigger = {
tag = GMI
}
free = yes #will be added at load.

GMI_sacred_caves = {
core_creation = -0.15
}
GMI_land_of_languages = {
num_accepted_cultures = 2
}
GMI_fertile_soils = {
development_cost = -0.1
}
GMI_dhulu = {
diplomats = 1
envoy_travel_time = -0.25
}
GMI_matrilineal_lineage = {
legitimacy = 1
republican_tradition = 0.2
female_advisor_chance = 0.5
}
GMI_familial_law = {
global_autonomy = -0.05
}
GMI_red_kangaroo = {
global_unrest = -2
}
}

I would have loved to have made ideas for all nations in Australia, but alas time was not on my side there so if you do not have unique ideas, you will get the shared Aboriginal Ideas.
generic_aboriginal_ideas = {
start = {
tolerance_own = 1
stability_cost_modifier = -0.1
}

bonus = {
shock_damage = 0.1
}

trigger = {
culture_group = aboriginal_australian
}
free = yes

aborig_art = {
prestige = 1
}
aborig_fire_stick_farming = {
development_cost = -0.1
}
aborig_walkabout = {
movement_speed = 0.1
}
aborig_outback = {
land_attrition = -0.1
}
aborig_sacred = {
global_tax_modifier = 0.1
}
aborig_dreamtime = {
religious_unity = 0.2
}
aborig_music = {
improve_relation_modifier = 0.2
}
}

But Aboriginal culture is not a single monolithic entity, so it has been divided into its own group. If we were being entirely accurate about this, almost all provinces in Australia would be their own culture, so some generalization has been done for gameplay purposes.
20210215173636_1.jpg

On top of all these new nations, the Aboriginal Australians also have access to the new Alcheringa religion! Most commonly known to colonizers as “Dreamtime”, Alcheringa refers to the vast distinct religions found among the Australian population. Though each people usually have their own distinct faith, most Australian faiths have a concept of “Dreamtime” or “The Dreaming”, a time of myth and legend that simultaneously occurred in the distant past and continues to occur around us every day.
20210215173412_1.jpg

Every Aboriginal people has their own pantheon of gods and “Dreaming Stories”. Alcheringa uses a system similar to the Fetishist cult system, with new stories becoming unlocked via missions.

These missions vary in what you must do, from defeating enemies in battle, to building an oceangoing vessel for the first time, to turning the Makassar trade on its head and dominating trade in the Moluccas.

The Aboriginals also enjoy all new unit models.
image (21).png


That’s all for this week, hope you all enjoy my last hurrah of EUIV content.
 
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Minor correction: in the states section it should be spelled 'Illawarra' with two R's not "Illawara". It looks odd with that spelling. Nevertheless, thanks for the awesome work and detail!
 
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Nope. I did try to find anything resembling a unified Australian identity before the arrival of the Europeans, but no such thing exists. Having an Aboriginal Australia tag would be a bit like making a "Europe" tag. The concept of continental unification is a very modern one, even the Australian colonies operated as separate entities for the longest time.
Usually unified identities only arise when the subgroups involved have enough interactions with foreign peoples to distinguish themselves apart from others. It's rather difficult to see yourself as part of a united Australian identity when Australia itself constitutes your entire known universe. Did Aboriginal Australians even know about foreign peoples before they got invaded by colonizers?

But EU4 spans four centuries, and in that time Aboriginals are certain to run into foreign nations in one way or another. My point being that the emergence of a shared native Australian identity would seem like a natural reaction to these kinds of encounters, even if it doesn't exist in 1444. Similarly, Canada, the US, Mexico, ... were non-existent in 1444, and emerged through political dynamics that played out during the game's timespan.

I think in this sense a unified native tag would make sense. It represents one possible way that Aboriginals could have responded to meeting the outside world.
 
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Reminder that racism is not tolerated on this forum. At all. I've already had to delete several extremely racist posts. Don't be like those posters. Do better.
 
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Dont get me wrong. I really loved the new stuff for Australia, New Zealand and North America. I think I wll enjoy them.

But besides the traditional eurocentrism we now can notice an "anglo-sphere-centrism" quite crazy...

Not only North America has more dev than Mexico by 1450, but New Zealand has more tags than non-Andean South America and probably Oceania plus Australia will have more dev than the Andes!

Every region needs to be interesting to play. But important regions that are central to explain EU4's time frame cannot be relatively neglected or misrepresented.

Some stuff we can understand, like Europe having more dev than India and China. It makes no sense from a historical point of view, but maybe necessary for the game showing coherent outcomes.

Other stuff like Ireland being more detailed than Portugal is really weird.

I bought all DLCs and dont regret any purchase. I will buy next one for sure. But I have the feeling it will leave the game more unbalanced (from a historical viewpoint) than it already is.

Anyway good job with next patch and DLC!
 
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Dont get me wrong. I really loved the new stuff for Australia, New Zealand and North America. I think I wll enjoy them.

But besides the traditional eurocentrism we now can notice an "anglo-sphere-centrism" quite crazy...

Not only North America has more dev than Mexico by 1450, but New Zealand has more tags than non-Andean South America and probably Oceania plus Australia will have more dev than the Andes!

Every region needs to be interesting to play. But important regions that are central to explain EU4's time frame cannot be relatively neglected or misrepresented.

Some stuff we can understand, like Europe having more dev than India and China. It makes no sense from a historical point of view, but maybe necessary for the game showing coherent outcomes.

Other stuff like Ireland being more detailed than Portugal is really weird.

I bought all DLCs and dont regret any purchase. I will buy next one for sure. But I have the feeling it will leave the game more unbalanced (from a historical viewpoint) than it already is.

Anyway good job with next patch and DLC!
I wouldn't say it's any conscious bias but more so the nature of certain areas being touched in earlier dlcs such as El Dorado which contrasts with the current thoughts and movements in Content Design with Emperor and Leviathan
 
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Love it! Also from Melbourne (Naarm) and very pleased to see these changes.

For what it might be worth: the province that you've got listed there as 'Port Albert' would probably be more accurately labeled 'Gippsland'. The settlement at Port Albert was a very early one, but that whole region of eastern Victoria was even by then (and is still to this day) called Gippsland.

The state regions are a little odd too - Victoria extending as far north as Bathurst won't make anybody happy! Noting the design preference to have five-province states, you'd almost be better off having Victoria as Melbourne / Bendigo / Port Albert + Tasmania, then giving 'New South Wales' both Bathurst and Bogong (which would maybe be better labelled as Wagga Wagga or Cootamundra?).
Plus the chunky Canberra from HOI4 is back
 
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Project time was not devoted to this, it was made out of my personal desire to see more content for Australia. "Why do this when you could have done that?" is not a question I can really answer. If the team does or does not devote time/resources to other areas of the world then I feel my position as a HoI4 content designer gives me very little control over that.

However, if you do have questions about the content that I made, I can answer that.
 
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@Meka66 I love what you've done with Australia, fantastic to see it getting the attention it deserves!

I was just wondering if you could shed some light on the absence on a crossing between the Northern and Southern territories, it is a shame not to have the presence of Uluru or representation for the Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri peoples. Big fan of what you did here though, and always was a big fan of Oceania Expanded!
 
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Project time was not devoted to this, it was made out of my personal desire to see more content for Australia. "Why do this when you could have done that?" is not a question I can really answer. If the team does or does not devote time/resources to other areas of the world then I feel my position as a HoI4 content designer gives me very little control over that.

However, if you do have questions about the content that I made, I can answer that.
I don't want for it to sound wrong, but at this point, almost every redesign was given the description "project time was not devoted to this": Australia, Oceania, North America, some of South East Asia.

What was the project time devoted to? Are there major features as of yet not revealed?
 
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Amazing! Is there a list of resources that you used to research the Australian content? Every culture getting their own Dreamtime stories is very impressive depth of content in a part of the world which is usually very hard to research, I have to say.
 
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@Meka66 I love what you've done with Australia, fantastic to see it getting the attention it deserves!

I was just wondering if you could shed some light on the absence on a crossing between the Northern and Southern territories, it is a shame not to have the presence of Uluru or representation for the Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri peoples. Big fan of what you did here though, and always was a big fan of Oceania Expanded!
Ahhh I wish I could have done that too, but alas my original designs for Australia were rejected for having way too many provinces so I had to make cuts somewhere haha. While central Australia was very important for the Aboriginals, it was not important for the colonizers and we wanted to strike a nice balance with the two perspectives players will approach it from so focusing mainly on the Australian coastline felt much more fitting for EU4.
Means Leviathan release for very soon?
It does not mean that, it just means I personally will not be contributing any more to EUIV in the foreseeable future. This was something I made a while before EU4 made the move over to Barcelona.
 
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I don't want for it to sound wrong, but at this point, almost every redesign was given the description "project time was not devoted to this": Australia, Oceania, North America, some of South East Asia.

What was the project time devoted to? Are there major features as of yet not revealed?
Which part of South East Asia is not part of project time?
 
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I don't want for it to sound wrong, but at this point, almost every redesign was given the description "project time was not devoted to this": Australia, Oceania, North America, some of South East Asia.

What was the project time devoted to? Are there major features as of yet not revealed?
You're misunderstanding, parts are not project time. For instance the thing that was not project time in North America was the contributions made by a beta program participant and some parts by me. But after that you still have bugs that needs to be fixed, improvements to be made, etc. What Mekka is saying is the things he did he did because he could. That doesn't mean no other work from other Content Designers/Programmers etc was not necessary.

As an example is the missions, events etc for North America was implemented by Tinto's new Content Designers and are very much things that were budgeted for after the inclusion of my contributions. After that I also kept sitting on the things I've added and fixed issues and changed things after play testing. For instance Federations have gotten more stuff added to them since I initially showed them after feedback. You can now for instance form a client-state style country through Federations uniting the tribes that comprise of it. This work for instance which wasn't part of my initial hobby/freetime work was budgeted in the time of the project.
 
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I wouldn't say it's any conscious bias but more so the nature of certain areas being touched in earlier dlcs such as El Dorado which contrasts with the current thoughts and movements in Content Design with Emperor and Leviathan
I disagree here. I think it has to do with business. It is interesting to have more tags and mechanics in North America, because of playerbase. People usually go for what they know or to what shares some history in common with their countries, like Australia and New Zealand. At least casuals, probably.

I think we can see if it is deliberate from PDS with the next patch in Imperator.

After Heirs of Alexander, Rome and the Hellenistic tags will have a good amount of content.

From a historical viewpoint the new region for PDS to touch should be Persia.

But I bet they will release DLCs for the tribes in France, Britain, Iberia and Germany. They will touch Persia and India only after giving content to those small tags.
 
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@Meka66 I understand, whilst unfortunate I can see why it wouldn't make the cut. As a follow-up I have to wonder; without Uluru is there any religious site for the Aboriginals present on the map?
 
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