Porta Atlanticum, Portus Classis / An England MMU AAR

[Chris Taylor]

I'm still thinking about how to structure "previously on so-and-so" summaries of past updates, but to be honest, it is a low-priority item right now. The bulk of the effort, as always, has to go toward writing the updates themselves.

Oh damn you OP, I've spent almost two hours reading this entire AAR...

When will the next update arrive? :happy:

Whenever it is, it can't be soon enough. I'm addicted to this one.

Glad to have you aboard, fellas. The update is being worked on; it will encompass less than one year of game time, but it will be a very eventful slice of time. The graphics have been done for nearly two months, But the text has been in rewrite hell for weeks.

 

[Ashantai]

Take your time (wait, no, don't!), we're looking forward to it!

 

[Estonianzulu]

An excellent AAR, I pray you find the time to post again. This is the first AAR I have read all the way in some time (probably the better part of 2 years), and it has been thoroughly enjoyable to follow it thus far.

You seem to be a big fan of drawing and quartering. The Lancasters apparently find beheading to be too kind.

 

[Chris Taylor]

An excellent AAR, I pray you find the time to post again. This is the first AAR I have read all the way in some time (probably the better part of 2 years), and it has been thoroughly enjoyable to follow it thus far.

It will continue. I'm still a tiny bit unhappy with the storyline for the next update, but I am working through it.

Sometimes it is like pulling teeth and takes days to write and rewrite a couple of paragraphs; other days you can effortlessly knock out several pages worth. Right now it is like pulling teeth—but just this afternoon I got a bit of inspiration on how to deal with a plot element that was making me unhappy for weeks, so I'm looking forward to cranking out a lot of rewrites this weekend. Hopefully by Monday?

You seem to be a big fan of drawing and quartering. The Lancasters apparently find beheading to be too kind.

They are "hanging judges".

 

[Estonianzulu]

Hopefully by Monday?

I can be patient. Whether the rest of your readers will keep the pitchforks at bay I can not say.

 

[robb1993]

I can be patient. Whether the rest of your readers will keep the pitchforks at bay I can not say.

not this one.
nar i'm kidding i'm just anxiously awaiting the next update

 

[BwenGun]

I can be patient. Whether the rest of your readers will keep the pitchforks at bay I can not say.

I don't know what you're talking about.

*hides pitchfork and flaming torch behind back*

If you'll excuse me I appear to have set the back of my shirt on fire...

 

[Omen]

Heh. I'm looking forward to an update, but as long as one is coming, I can be patient.

 

[Rifal]

Just out of curiouity, How long do you think you will be able to hold on to Normandy. Or any continental holding for that matter. Won´t France eventually become to much of a Behemoth on land?

 

[thekonkoe]

If England, Spain, a presumably the Emperor at some point keep beating up on France and deny it territory maybe it will be kept in check. Of course a lot may be riding on the Burgundy succession. Even that though is somewhat less important given that England holds "greater Flanders" including Picardie.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Just out of curiouity, How long do you think you will be able to hold on to Normandy. Or any continental holding for that matter. Won´t France eventually become to much of a Behemoth on land?

Eventually, yes. When? Hard to say. A lot depends on the economics and geopolitical situation. My ability to hold on to Normandy depends on 1) having a fleet capable of getting transports across the Channel and 2) maintaining parity or near-parity with France in army sizes and tech levels.

If I were to get into a war with two major naval powers at the same time (say, Castile and Scandinavia), then they could mass larger navies and I would lose sea dominance. I am reasonably confident I can keep Scandinavia on-side, but I do have a core of theirs right now—Orkney.

Castile is more worrisome; it's gigantic, makes piles of money, and has colonies I can't see. Castile and Portugal must have had a border dispute; they have some cores on each other and I may get dragged into a war there. If Castile becomes Spain they will get a core on Gibraltar, giving them an incentive to go to war.

Economically it's becoming a tighter race, too. In this post I showed a snapshot of the top economies of 1494. In it, we can see that England is #1, and France's GDP is just 49% of England's.

It's not too spoiler-y to say that within two decades of that screenshot, England has slipped to the #3 economic power; its income has declined slightly (below the 1494 level); and the French economy has grown significantly—France's GDP is now 82% of England's. If the French economy continues to grow faster than England's, then France will inevitably acquire larger and more advanced armies.

So I think it is safe to say that by the mid-to-late 16th century the possibility of losing Normandy moves from being plausible to likely.

 

[Ashantai]

Defend the continent from the infernal frogs! Drive them back!

 

[Chris Taylor]

Okay, bad news first. Update definitely won't be Monday, another day or two to polish it. But it's really close.

Now, other news. I cast a ballot in this quarter's AARland Choice Awards and then promptly forgot to mention them in this thread.

So here's the mention. Voting ends November 1st so there's still some time to squeeze in a ballot.

As always, I am grateful if you vote for me, but I'm equally grateful if you vote at all. It kind of breaks my heart each time to not be able to nominate all the AARs I'd like to, and there's lots of good ones out there.

 

[Rifal]

Okay, bad news first. Update definitely won't be Monday, another day or two to polish it. But it's really close.

Now, other news. I cast a ballot in this quarter's AARland Choice Awards and then promptly forgot to mention them in this thread.

So here's the mention. Voting ends November 1st so there's still some time to squeeze in a ballot.

As always, I am grateful if you vote for me, but I'm equally grateful if you vote at all. It kind of breaks my heart each time to not be able to nominate all the AARs I'd like to, and there's lots of good ones out there.

Well, it been two days *Puppy eyes*

 

[JWSIII]

two days from Monday is tomorrow.... although if it'll produce more updates, I'll totally join in the puppy dog eyes

 

[SerialCereal]

Why u no post

 

[Rifal]

Why u no post

Valid question.

 

[hoi2geek]

Just finished reading this AAR, incredible detail and graphics I should say.

Will you be willing to establish colonies in North America and the Philippines?

 

[thaiphan]

Will you be willing to establish colonies in North America and the Philippines?

Did Britain ever colonise the Philippines?

 

[Incognitia]

Did Britain ever colonise the Philippines?

Not really, hence the name - they're named for the Spanish King Philip (the Second, I think). I'm not aware of there ever having been a major British presence in the Philippines.