How do you feel about the 'slacken recruitment standards' feature?

[Palatinus Germanicus]

I just got caught up on DLC, so I'm getting used to the features added in 2017. One thing that really surprises me, is the ability to grab a substantial amount of manpower, for only -5 professionalism.

Used to be, even a powerful empire could have a costly war & find themselves in trouble when it comes to manpower. Running short on manpower was one thing you always had to fear... no matter who you were. (Unless you had a monstrous economy & could hire unlimited merc's, of course)

Now I feel that sense of fear is practically gone from the game. As long as you keep a decent amount of professionalism on hand, you'll likely never really find yourself in a situation that you can't successfully get out of. Also I wonder: does the A.I. actually use this feature to full effect? I.e., does it 'push the button' as much as needed, while in a brutal, costly war? -I haven't been able to definitively tell, yet. But it doesn't seem like it.

I'm not really complaining, in fact I like the feature. Only thing is: it definitely does take a certain 'fear factor' out of the game... effectively making it easier. It gives more flexibility, but at the cost of... maybe taking away realism? I mean face it: just because you have a professional, well-drilled army... doesn't mean you can draft a GIGANTIC number of troops, does it?

Anyway, I guess keep it, as is. But I'm much less nervous when playing the game now. Manpower used to be the most precious commodity. Now? -Not so much. Now it's just a minor 'hassle' that I have to sacrifice 5 or 10 professionalism to get myself out of a major jam, that once upon a time would've given me a 15-40% chance of rage-quitting. Just wondering what everyone else thinks.

 

[El_Cid_]

I haven't played a huge amount on the current patch but I haven't used the slacken button at all.

I love the bonuses that high professionalism brings so maximising it is my MT-LT goal.

There are other ways of dealing with manpower - buildings, developing, using the + manpower edict in a 'specialized manpower state', mercs..ideas, better micro (minimizing attrition), special units where applicable, estates (nobles, dhimmi, cossacks, tribes).

 

[Palatinus Germanicus]

I don't think I've used it yet, either. Maybe once... can't remember. I've just been using the old-fashioned empire management skills, plus taking advantage of the new edicts... like you said. Plus I try to arrange extorting the nobles @75%, as much as I can.

But just knowing that it's there... and seeing how much manpower I can get (x10, since I'm @ ~50% prof.), just makes the whole game feel much different. I no longer 'fear' going to war against major foes (1st war against Ottomans, for ex. -- or knocking on China's door for the 1st time)... like I would have once upon a time.

 

[makaramus]

its making mercs more useless so its good Its letting you use your reguler troops more than mercs at late game as it must be I love it

 

[bbqftw]

The reason why no one cares about manpower anymore is that all the sources of it got nerfed into the ground, so now boosting your income generation is a better way of making your economy tick compared to boosting manpower.

 

[Rocketskates]

its a bit too strong, previously you pressed the magical take loan button and the results were the same, the 25% manpower state edict is much more severely OP i feel like, state maintaince stops being an issue if it is ever and increasing your pool/regain by 1/4 is huge, maybe ppl just forget to use it

 

[Badesumofu]

I stopped worrying about manpower (outside of some edge cases) a long time ago. Slacken just makes it more manageable to play without mercs if that's what you want. Or more likely to play with fewer mercs since you can spend professionalism on mixing some mercs in as well. That means that you end up with crazy, crazy amounts of money which you can use to go way over FL.

 

[Ironside121]

Free.
Manpower.

I don't even take quantity anymore. I mean you get more from it sure, but it's not needed now, and taking another mil idea will provide more powerful bonuses than 100 Army Professionalism will, and depending on the idea, will still provide manpower.

And regardless of it, you can still keep AP high anyway, thanks to events.

 

[uberjedi]

I like slacken.
You dont have to rely on mercs in the late game.

On a side note. Russias streltsy combined with high professionalism is even better than slacken to refill your manpower pool.

 

[Bibor]

What I find obnoxious about the professionalism system is that accursed event "Lack of officers" that forces you to lose either 5 % professionalism or around 25% manpower that can chain up 2-3 times in a row, effectively costing you either all your manpower or 10-15 % professionalism. Combined with "Slacken", I wonder if they really though through the whole idea of training costing as much as being "combat ready".

 

[Drachenfels]

I just got caught up on DLC, so I'm getting used to the features added in 2017. One thing that really surprises me, is the ability to grab a substantial amount of manpower, for only -5 professionalism.

"Only 5% professionalism" - assuming no lucky events is 4 years of full maintenance, full force limit drilling. The best bonus half-price general is at 100% professionalism, hit that button you loose it for a few years. I am contesting your 'merely 5% professionalism" in here.

It gives more flexibility, but at the cost of... maybe taking away realism? I mean face it: just because you have a professional, well-drilled army... doesn't mean you can draft a GIGANTIC number of troops, does it?

History tells us that it's exactly the case. Initially you go for well trained (even if conscripted) soldiers, later you just do 2 weeks mandatory training and off you go to the front. Manpower is not number of able man to carry a gun, but those that can be drafted.

Manpower used to be the most precious commodity. Now? -Not so much.

Manpower used to be forgotten factor. You just spammed mercs left, right and centre. Right now you have to balance things out. More mercs? Slower professionalism growth. Professional army has -10% to dmg received and 10% to dmg dealt. At the same time when mercs were useless, manpower got depleted and you had to sit on your ass for a couple of years till it got replenished. Generally speaking right now it's all juggling between ratios of merc to regular soldiers if you want to min-max.

The only things that plays very badly is drill. It's extension of an attrition so in effect it always low as you have no way to mittigate that.

 

[Dakka]

The only things that plays very badly is drill.

Drill just doesn’t last long enough to be all that useful. You get one or maybe two battles out of it before it’s gone.

 

[El_Cid_]

forces you to lose....... or around 25% manpower .

Ways and means....

 

[Northernwwater]

What I find obnoxious about the professionalism system is that accursed event "Lack of officers" that forces you to lose either 5 % professionalism or around 25% manpower that can chain up 2-3 times in a row, effectively costing you either all your manpower or 10-15 % professionalism. Combined with "Slacken", I wonder if they really though through the whole idea of training costing as much as being "combat ready".

I think that is a good thing. There has to be some downward pressure on Professionalism. It doesn't decay. It can't be all upside.

 

[Comrade Kalle]

I've found myself using it sometimes in mid/late-game when there are huge wars and I'm at 0 manpower.

 

[liveandletdie14]

It gives more flexibility, if I have the money use the mercs if I don't use the recruit.

 

[jdavis86]

Yeah it is a powerful feature. I'm not a MP player, but I imagine it scales better in that environment. Tearing through your professionalism to win a long current conflict may not be the best decision. Since you can only gain a max amount from drilling a year, it could take you much longer to regain professionalism than it would to regain manpower.

Farming professionalism and slacken is the way to go now, generally not dropping below 75 -- stacking manpower modifiers as that is what slacken scales off.

Honestly I haven't played a game yet where I hadn't basically won by the time I hit 100 professionalism. So I'm not sure how big of an impact it has on most SP campaigns.

 

[PhoenixG]

What I find obnoxious about the professionalism system is that accursed event "Lack of officers" that forces you to lose either 5 % professionalism or around 25% manpower that can chain up 2-3 times in a row, effectively costing you either all your manpower or 10-15 % professionalism. Combined with "Slacken", I wonder if they really though through the whole idea of training costing as much as being "combat ready".

eh, you can always recruit all the men, take the manpower hit and cancel the recruitment to save you manpower. It will only cost you less than 1000 men

 

[bradles0]

i just think of as sending not-quite-trained people out of the training camp and into the war.

 

[KlinkerFyren]

Good. I always hate using mercs. To me its like saying "Hey! Look at us we are so weak we cant even fight out own battles!" or "Hey! Look at us we have been using alchemy to clone soldiers using gold!".
Real men sacrifice hundreds of thousands of citizens for minor territorial gain and good looking borders.

i just think of as sending not-quite-trained people out of the training camp and into the war.

Or recruiting drunkards and criminals. I do love how the Slacken Recruitment standards icon looks like a fat drunken man. I like to imagine something like the Charge of the Winged Hussars at the Battle of Vienna, but they are all comically obese drunkards slurring their war cries.