Questions about the 1.09 patch

[Marshall Thomas]

I have read the details of how the new 1.09 patch changes from the 1.08, but could anyone please offer some opinions on how the 1.09 changes gameplay most signifigantly? How does it effect the grand campaign? How does it change things finacially? Thanks

 

[Castellon]

This is the Tech support forum, we do not offer gameplay advice here.
You have been around long enough to know better.
Gameplay questions and general questions like this belong in the General discussion forum.
*Moved

 

[unmerged(15337)]

Here are a few major changes as best I recall.

1. Alliance system: alliance leader = war leader. Huge change, very important, and IMHO very good. Now you can successfully defend AI minor allies among other things.

2. The new straits added somewhere in the 1.08 betas are now moddable, so you can keep them or edit them to your own specifications. And you don't have to be a tech genius to do it -- even I did.

3. Somewhere in the 1.08 betas you lose 1 centralization after annexing a country, and fortunately that penalty was removed in 1.09.

4. Both trade agreements and embargoes now are very costly to your trade efficiency, 3% for each one of either type. Essentially TAs are now forbidden apart from perhaps one or two. Monopolies, though, are very sweet, now adding 2% each to trade efficiency.

5. Tech costs and merchant success both were made a bit worse in a presumed attempt to make the economy more challenging.

I've only played one complete GC under 1.09, with another about 1/4 done. So my experience is not vast with 1.09 but I like this version very, very much.

 

[George LeS]

Here are a few major changes as best I recall.

1. Alliance system: alliance leader = war leader. Huge change, very important, and IMHO very good. Now you can successfully defend AI minor allies among other things..

I don't understand how this helps defend minors. Would you explain?

2. The new straits added somewhere in the 1.08 betas are now moddable, so you can keep them or edit them to your own specifications. And you don't have to be a tech genius to do it -- even I did..

Are there instructions somewhere how to do this?

3. Somewhere in the 1.08 betas you lose 1 centralization after annexing a country, and fortunately that penalty was removed in 1.09.

The vassals bonus also makes loss of CEN slightly more bearable. Although still undesirable, at least you can sometimes give attention to another slider instead of constantly fighting events.

I agree, it's a great advance.

 

[unmerged(15337)]

For modding the straits, I recommend this thread by Third Angel.

As for protecting allies, under the old rules this can be very difficult. Example: I was playing Magdeburg (owning most of Germany plus neighboring areas, very strong) and allied to Courland. Russia would DOW Courland regularly. I would honor the alliance, fight hard, capture a few enemy provinces, but to what end? I didn't want the wrong culture/wrong religion Russian provinces. I didn't want their money -- they didn't have much anyway, and I had bank vaults full of it as my rich Germany. The one thing I really wanted was for them to leave my ally alone, but I could neither ask for that nor enforce it. After a few years of war I would start having RR/WE problems. Eventually I would have to exit and hope I had crippled Russia enough that they couldn't steamroll Courland.

Under the new rules, I as alliance leader could put a stop to Russia's bullying very quickly. Win a few battles, maybe siege one province, take white peace or a bit of cash, end of problem.

 

[unmerged(51219)]

Just one minor problem with the new alliance rules. In fact, I think vassals can't negotiate peace on their own as long as they are in the same alliance with their overlord. This brings about a "strange" behaviour: when my vassals conquer a one-province minor, they will never annex until I make a separate peace deal with that minor....this way my fellow allies always have a temporary CB on me....