Europa Universalis IV - 30th of March 2021

[Junuxx]

I think the reduce opinion action is seriously overpowered with -100 opinion. I think this should be reduced to 75 or 50, honestly.

Also I sure hope it doesn't stack.

 

[Vetgirig]

One thing just occurred to me that I haven't seen mentioned here. One of the "cheats" the AI currently has over the player is that they have one more diplomat, specifically to interact with the player. Will that extra diplomat be allowed to curry favours with the player ?

The extra diplomat is used to ask for permission to enter your provinces during wars. Thats why you get spammed by nations for access when they are at wars.

 

[Vetgirig]

Also I sure hope it doesn't stack.

I'm guessing it will be decay about the same way as improve relations decay thus about 3 per month so it should be down to 0 in about 3 years time.

Players have been complaining that they do not like it that allies are also their enemies ally. This gives players a way to fix this.

 

[Maxxie42]

improve relations decay thus about 3 per month so it should be down to 0 in about 3 years time.

Improve relations decay is 3 per year, not per month. If this works the same, it would take 33 years to decay down to 0.

 

[Junuxx]

I'm guessing it will be decay about the same way as improve relations decay thus about 3 per month so it should be down to 0 in about 3 years time.

Players have been complaining that they do not like it that allies are also their enemies ally. This gives players a way to fix this.

What I'm saying is, if Muscovy, Sweden, Bohemia, Austria and Hungary all decide to reduce Lithuania's opinion of Poland, does that give Lithuania a -500 to its opinion of Poland?

Or if just Bohemia spends 5x10 favors to reduce Lithuania's opinion of Poland 5 times? Is there a cap in either situation?

 

[Mindel]

Request Relative as Heir, for 90 favors, if you both are monarchies, and they do not have an heir, you will give them an heir of your dynasty.

Wouldn't it be more interesting to make this into a competitive event, like something akin to Poland's elective monarchy?

I can easily imagine multiple great powers seeking to install their dynasty on the throne of X, and trying to thwart each other in the process. Right now there isn't even any way for the mechanics to recognize a multi-nation competition for the throne.

Perhaps we could have something like bidding with favors, cash, etc. to make your offer more appealing than your rivals' offers. Country X could retain some internal criteria to determine whether it wants to keep waiting for an heir of its own dynasty, or just accept an offer from a foreign power.

Reducing what could be a complex geopolitical game down to who can just get to 90 favors first and click the button seems underwhelming.

I'm aware that, with the release date fixed, nothing is likely to change by the end of April. But this might be worth considering for the future.

 

[TheDeadeye]

Why zero dev comments to questions doe?

1) Bluntly they don’t care
2) They already made the “button” marketed as a complex diplomatic feature thus 1) again
3) It’s the dev’s dogma to talk at their fans (if any want to call themselves that) and their customers instead of with them, especially if it’s constructive or destructive criticism, hence, yep, back to 1)
4) They got Easter break to plan and go dark for a few weeks again as per norm and yep, chalk that up to to 1)

 

[Will Steel]

Would be nice to see great powers able to do things like break AI alliance at a cheaper cost with smaller nations because, you know, superpowers do that and have always been known for doing that.

 

[Runite Drill]

Each of them require a relation above +50 with the target country, and you can not use favors on a nation you have a truce with. The AI will usually accept, if the conditions are right, but as a player you can decline them, at a cost of 1 stability.

Will this stab hit be mitigated by Diplomatic Ideas?

 

[Xetfield]

Will this stab hit be mitigated by Diplomatic Ideas?
View attachment 699699

Don't bother, Johan and the rest are apparantly resting in the ivory tower, even if the question is worth answering.

 

[Vaximillian]

Very excited for a new abstract currency

Old new abstract currency.

 

[TheDungen]

For example the Russians were able to defeat Ottoman Expeditionary Forces into the Pontic-Caspian Steppe around Astrakhan. A Russia that size in the same conflict in EU4 would get bulldozed by the entire Ottoman army.

Exactly, back in the day the AI at least suffered bad attrition when it decided to march it's 500.000 men across Siberia to fight an OPM but instead of teaching the AI not to do that they nerfed attrition.

 

[Twoflower]

I ... really don't like this.
great, now I can push more buttons to make it easier.
This isn't depth, it's a cop out

This, in my opinion (and you are of course entitled to your opinion ), is something of an unfair accusation.
We obviously have to wait and see how it all works out in the game, but as it appears, Paradox Tinto has taken the existing favour mechanic and enhanced its uses to basically make it a new and possibly rather interesting minigame.

I do no think this is, as has been stated, a new abstract currency or a "mana"-based system.
For one, because it is not new. Favours have been around for quite a while. One current (and somewhat justified) complaint about EU4's development is that they keep on stacking on more and more point systems (corruption, innovativeness...) instead of making existing systems work together. Here, they have done the latter - take an existing system with relatively limited uses and make it more relevant and interesting.
Also, I do not think that favours are really "mana points" in the strict sense of an abstract currency that doesn't really have a real-world equivalent and that is used to pay for a broad range of things that aren't really related (like DIP points being used for better trade, peace deals, naval leaders and stronger ships) . They are an abstraction of real-world phenomenons - countries owing each other something, good standing between countries, diplomatic tit-for-tat - that do exist and they are used to pay for things that one would intuitively expect them to be used for - if a country owes you something, it will do certain things for you.

People have constantly asked for more diplomatic depth and more diplomatic/peaceful options. Paradox have added a way to gain something peacefully from other countries. If it is done right, this is certainly not just a "button to make it easier", it is something that you can work towards and decide to invest in or not to by increasing your diplomatic reputation, using your diplomats to curry favours and helping out your allies.

If it is something the AI can also use against you, it doesn't even necessarily make the game easier.

I would mostly like two changes to the concept - not having a stabhit as a consequence of refusal, and allowing to ask for the return of not just cores, but also permanent claims, possibly at a higher cost.

 

[Oglesby]

Would be nice to see great powers able to do things like break AI alliance at a cheaper cost with smaller nations because, you know, superpowers do that and have always been known for doing that.

1. Can't great powers already break alliances?
2. Current favor gain scale depends on the relative size of the parties involved. A larger nation gain favors on a smaller nation faster. I can see that logic follow into the 'curry favors' action too. So while not cheaper it would be faster to collect the favors.

 

[MordredViking]

Why zero dev comments to questions doe?

We are watching, and I do collate your feedback and send it on to the developers. It's just a good idea to give these threads a couple of days so that everyone has had a chance to bring in their thoughts, so that we get a bigger overall picture.

I also only just joined the team, but I hope to be more involved in these spaces, especially in DD posts in the future!

 

[Henryboi2341]

Command Suggestion
Fav *Amount* *Tag Of Country They Are Favors For *(optional)Actor Country*
Adds Favors

 

[Heiliges Thüringens Reich]

1) Bluntly they don’t care
2) They already made the “button” marketed as a complex diplomatic feature thus 1) again
3) It’s the dev’s dogma to talk at their fans (if any want to call themselves that) and their customers instead of with them, especially if it’s constructive or destructive criticism, hence, yep, back to 1)
4) They got Easter break to plan and go dark for a few weeks again as per norm and yep, chalk that up to to 1)

So true it hurts

 

[Pandrea]

To be honest, this expansion doesn't deserve my money. Quite boring actually

 

[Shiny Dog]

• Trade Favors for Ducats, you will spend 10 favors for 6 months of their income.
• Trade Favors for Soldiers, you will spend 10 favors for 6 months of their manpower.
• Trade Favors for Sailors, you will spend 10 favors for 6 months of their sailors.

I have to ask: How often will the AI use this or Curry Favors? Will the entire HRE treat me like I'm the Central Bank if I'm Austria?
Can't we just spend favors in return in order to not pay?

• Reduce Opinion, for 10 favors, you will reduce their opinion of a third party by 100.

Again, exactly how often will the AI try to use this and how many times will it be against the player? -100 opinion is more than enough to put anyone in a coalition if they have the required 50 AE opinion but are over 0 relations.
How will the AI consider who they want the third party to be? Rivals? Negative Opinion? Bingo?

 

[Rebox-O-Lots]

I know I'm responding late, but historically the concept of a European "balance of power" began to emerge as a formal concept during this game's time period.

Can we expect to see this introduced as a concept to make AI/player AE more punishing overtime? Especially as ideas of nationalism and forms of communications advanced? Additionally, would it, if ever implemented, be tied to the ability to use other nations favors?