Europa Universalis IV: Wealth of Nations – Dev diary 5: Religion

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For the record, i counted 7 other major interface improvements that are free, just from the first page of changes.

Here's the deal.. i'll figure out 4-5 alternatives for you, and you can vote which one is paid for. (From a bunch of free features)

I have to say that if you're suggesting that some interface improvement, rather than new content, should be paid for, thats a bad idea. You've got so much new content: fervor, patron dieties, trade companies, trade capitals, privateers, canals... just off the top of my head. If any of that is included in the patch rather than the DLC, move those to the DLC. They're entirely new content and gameplay options. Don't require people to pay for fixes to existing features.
 
Its funny how paradox reworked envoys, so they'll be less things that you have to watch as they grow slowly so you could use them, or have too many to use.
And then they added Monarch Points, and now this "fervour". Same thing with removing sliders, only to add piety/patriarch power.
 
As usual, we have ended up with way too much for free, as you'll see in the next few weeks..

Which is why you have a very loyal userbase. It's why you will continue to get my support with most of your products until you change your policy.

Aside from that, QoL improvements should not be considered "features". They are the things that ought to get patched in and that shows you love your game. It's appreciated when you do these things, which is why I think your studio is doing better than ever before. Stay on the right path.
 
Though I do plan on buying WoN, and many other Paradox DLCs besides, I certainly agree that the Papacy UI change should be included free in the patch. It is perfectly reasonable to lock out big new features to make DLCs worthwhile, but not fixes for poorly-implemented features of the past.
 
Paradox, I like your games, I also like most of your DLCs, but selling a UI fix for a in most eyes broken and tedious mechanic is just... sad. I think the fact, that roughly 80% of this threat contains posts with disappointment with this decision instead of praising the quite good changes (e. g. with Hinduism) is proof enough for that.
 
It is perfectly reasonable to lock out big new features to make DLCs worthwhile, but not fixes for poorly-implemented features of the past.

Here's the thing though, it isn't a fix to a poorly-implemented feature. The feature isn't changing, they are adding an automation system for those who don't want to do the micro work required to optimize their use of the feature, which is pretty clearly an add-on. A much requested, highly desired, add-on but, nonetheless, still an add-on.

That being said, I do think it would be better for PDS, from a customer relations perspective, to include it in the free patch instead of putting it behind the pay wall.
 
Meanwhile, for me it's an incentive to wait for a sale instead of buying it on release.
I bought CoP on release, and I've barely even played it. If this papacy thing is a paid feature though, I'll wait for a sale instead as a statement that I can't support this kind of DLC policy.

And Ill wait for a patch to add it in for free. I was about to buy the DLC on release but now that I see this bullcrap of been 'an excellent DLC feature' I wont. I feel insulted by the very notion. It might be the best DLC/expansion ever but this kind of policy is like calling us stupid in front of our faces.

Thanks but no.

No matter what we do, its always some people upset.

'Too many features for free' or 'Too few feature for free'.

As usual, we have ended up with way too much for free, as you'll see in the next few weeks..

And that was the nail in the coffin. Thanks m8. Next time if you create a dlc that doesnt allow the mouse to click but requires 4 clicks to give a command due to bug charge for it too.

I dont even play Catholics but this kind of treatment....

For the record, i counted 7 other major interface improvements that are free, just from the first page of changes.

Here's the deal.. i'll figure out 4-5 alternatives for you, and you can vote which one is paid for. (From a bunch of free features)

Speachless...
 
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Some thoughts....

Reformed: Its still going to be the crappiest of the Chrisitan religions. +2 Heretic tolerance is terrible and the bonuses on favor are very mediocre.

Catholic: Welp, this just makes Catholicism king for large empires. The Papal bonuses are already OP as hell and with the automated points system, the only disadvantage that catholics had evaporates.

Hindu: I will reserve my judgement until I see the bonuses, probably wont be anywhere close to Muslim/Catholic level though.
 
Some thoughts....

Reformed: Its still going to be the crappiest of the Chrisitan religions. +2 Heretic tolerance is terrible and the bonuses on favor are very mediocre.

Catholic: Welp, this just makes Catholicism king for large empires. The Papal bonuses are already OP as hell and with the automated points system, the only disadvantage that catholics had evaporates.

Hindu: I will reserve my judgement until I see the bonuses, probably wont be anywhere close to Muslim/Catholic level though.

And, of course, Reformed nations stop being traders if you do not get WoN, because they lose the +10% TE but do not gain the Fervor options.
 
Ganesha and Ganga looks quite powerful. Ganesha in general and Ganga if you are running a lot of interest. 0.5% interest per year is quite significant. Though with the interest gone I do suppose that deity is less valuable for the rest of the rule.
It's interest. Not inflation.
 
Papacy
And finally, as a little extra to those who buy Wealth of Nations, you will now be able to automate cardinal influence, by using a checkbox next to each cardinal. With that checked the game will automatically assign enough influence to selected cardinals to keep your guy ahead in the competition. This is mostly to avoid the busy work of fighting to add +5 here and there to keep France out of the Throne of Peter.

That’s it for this week. Next week, we will talk a bit about the diplomatic additions that come with Wealth of Nations.

I agree the changes in Reformed and Hinduism is a welcome addition and a value addition to the game and should be part of DLC, but why is the automation of Cardinal influence spending a part of the DLC and not the patch? This is a basic feature which reduces micromanagement and should be an essential part of the user interface. What you are doing... is essentially offering a GUI FIX as a DLC.

To me the Cardinal thing is an excelent dlc feature. The game was designed without it and you can have the same amount of fun as you could before the DLC was released, and its not something that affects gamebalance for the people that doesnt have the DLC. But if you buy the DLC you get a little bit of extra value, as you should.

This is a very dangerous position to take... you could include AI improvement (in Single player) in this category as well.
 
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Sikhism would be awesome, it'd either make my Sikh mod obsolete or vastly decrease the effort of doing so (I have too many mods to update :p)
Hindu stuff looks great, always nice to have more flavour, particularly in neglected regions.
Have to agree with others that the Papacy thing should be free.
 
Can someone explain me what is the problem with +2 Tolerance of Heretics? People talk of random province religion flipping so i assume that my Reformed provinces will randomly turn Protestant or Catholic no?

Too much heretic tolerance means provinces will randomly flip. I don't have the number at the top of my head, but I'm sure the wiki has the answers (or someone will provide a value in the thread). What I'm more concerned about is why they're adding heretic tolerance to Calvanists, of all Christian religions. I would really appreciate an answer from a dev on why they settled on this 'bonus', since it is completely ahistorical. Someone mentioned the extreme hostility the Calvanists had towards Catholics, but there was an almost identical level of hostility from the Calvanists towards the Lutherans as well! Pliz justify!
 
Too much heretic tolerance means provinces will randomly flip. I don't have the number at the top of my head, but I'm sure the wiki has the answers (or someone will provide a value in the thread). What I'm more concerned about is why they're adding heretic tolerance to Calvanists, of all Christian religions. I would really appreciate an answer from a dev on why they settled on this 'bonus', since it is completely ahistorical. Someone mentioned the extreme hostility the Calvanists had towards Catholics, but there was an almost identical level of hostility from the Calvanists towards the Lutherans as well! Pliz justify!

Again, it's necessary for gameplay reasons. Not for historical reasons.