Got it. What I don't get, though, is why the SWMH Mod chooses "gut it" whenever they couldn't find real people to hold it. That makes no sense. The logical answer would be to maintain the fan fiction characters and add real ones whenever records exist to prove them. Fan fiction characters can also be created based on what history knows about those regions. Even if they don't know the men, we still understand the cultures and peoples that populate the region. Accurate representations of those cultures are fully feasible. I doubt there are less historical records there than sub-Saharan Africa, which you included in all its glory. You can't tell me that a place as vibrant and rich India isn't as important, and I doubt that people look at the Mod and go "Oh wow, I can play as sub-Saharan Africa!". I'd be the farm that more people play India.
Is there a HIP Mod that adds Tibet and such back? The main reason I wanted to play the Chinese Annals Mod is because, unlike Tianxi, it actually has features and such, including more immersion, Events, and religions that are not placeholders. Unlike Tianxi, IIRC, it also has a working system of invading China and becoming the Emperor. The author also plans to recreate the Jade Dragon plans.
Furthermore, though I subscribed to HIP because of the Chinese Annals, I am really interested in just how far it goes in giving each and every religion, heresy, and mechanic a deep purpose and adventure. I wanted to experience CK2 like never before, and was stunned to see that the HIP Map cut off something like a quarter of the Map. I'm not giving up just yet; I was just surprised at a Mod whose Map went in reverse.