The current tech system is an Eurocentric approach to technological development. Therefore, I think it is not working as it should for a ROTW nation.
I do think the system works fine with Western, Eastern and Ottoman tech; maybe the Ottoman and Eastern tech group should get their own descriptions, but that’s all. Their westernization by means of conquering western cities or launching the process is fine. Maybe the costs of westernization should be halved for them. The process for the nations in the Americas is fine, too.
Nevertheless, for the ROTW the ultimate goal is westernization. This is something that was not fully achieved until the 19th century, with Japan being the first example. Other nations followed even later. So in the EU4 time frame, I really wonder whether you should really want western tech. In many aspects, the skills of the eastern nations (like China and India) were only surpassed by European countries after the Industrial revolution. Before that process, I think you shouldn’t want to westernize your country; you only want to improve the way of research.
Therefore, I propose that 1) the initial penalties should differ per tech (I’ll explain), 2) getting rid of those penalties will be a dynamic process, 3) the results of teching differ per tech group (for instance, muslims get earlier acces to more advanced galley types) and 4) for flavour, each tech group should get its own tech descriptions & names. (So these changes apply to the Muslim, Chinese, Nomad, Indian and Sub-Saharan tech groups).
1) Because some nations were better in some aspects than in other, the tech penalty should be different. 2) There will be several stages to get rid of tech penalties. My proposal:
-Nomad: +100% admin cost, +75% diplo cost, +50% military cost. They were warriors, but formed no real administration, and therefore this. They can reform the government to get into Muslim/Chinese group. That is fine, and I like the way it is done.
-Sub-Saharan: +80% admin, +70% diplo, +80% military. They were just a little… undeveloped. They will firstly be able to ‘Reform the army’, if they border a Muslim/Ottoman/Eastern/Western nation, giving a 30% military tech discount. After that, if they border a Ottoman/Eastern/Western nation, they can decide to ‘Create an administration’, giving a 40% admin discount. Then they will be able to ‘reform the administration’, like described below.
- Chinese: +20% admin, +30% diplo, +70% military.
- Indian: +40% admin, +40% diplo, +70% military.
- Muslim: +60% admin, +30% diplo, +50% military.
To get rid of the penalties, if they border a western/already reformed nation, they will be able to launch a process ‘Adapt to the use of gunpowder’, at the cost of 500 military points, resulting in only +25% military tech cost, by a modifier ‘use of gunpowder’. To reduce all their penalty’s to a mere 10%, they can ‘Reform the administration’ at the cost of 500 points in each category, with the usual effects (+5 unrest, …). They need to border a reformed/western country, of course, too. This will give a nation that borders and is allied to a western nation an edge, because the penalty will be mitigated by ‘Western arms trade’.
3) en 4) can be discussed.
What do you think of this? Should there be some more requirements? And should those innovations be processes or decisions?
Edit: Changed some penalties, according to response.
I do think the system works fine with Western, Eastern and Ottoman tech; maybe the Ottoman and Eastern tech group should get their own descriptions, but that’s all. Their westernization by means of conquering western cities or launching the process is fine. Maybe the costs of westernization should be halved for them. The process for the nations in the Americas is fine, too.
Nevertheless, for the ROTW the ultimate goal is westernization. This is something that was not fully achieved until the 19th century, with Japan being the first example. Other nations followed even later. So in the EU4 time frame, I really wonder whether you should really want western tech. In many aspects, the skills of the eastern nations (like China and India) were only surpassed by European countries after the Industrial revolution. Before that process, I think you shouldn’t want to westernize your country; you only want to improve the way of research.
Therefore, I propose that 1) the initial penalties should differ per tech (I’ll explain), 2) getting rid of those penalties will be a dynamic process, 3) the results of teching differ per tech group (for instance, muslims get earlier acces to more advanced galley types) and 4) for flavour, each tech group should get its own tech descriptions & names. (So these changes apply to the Muslim, Chinese, Nomad, Indian and Sub-Saharan tech groups).
1) Because some nations were better in some aspects than in other, the tech penalty should be different. 2) There will be several stages to get rid of tech penalties. My proposal:
-Nomad: +100% admin cost, +75% diplo cost, +50% military cost. They were warriors, but formed no real administration, and therefore this. They can reform the government to get into Muslim/Chinese group. That is fine, and I like the way it is done.
-Sub-Saharan: +80% admin, +70% diplo, +80% military. They were just a little… undeveloped. They will firstly be able to ‘Reform the army’, if they border a Muslim/Ottoman/Eastern/Western nation, giving a 30% military tech discount. After that, if they border a Ottoman/Eastern/Western nation, they can decide to ‘Create an administration’, giving a 40% admin discount. Then they will be able to ‘reform the administration’, like described below.
- Chinese: +20% admin, +30% diplo, +70% military.
- Indian: +40% admin, +40% diplo, +70% military.
- Muslim: +60% admin, +30% diplo, +50% military.
To get rid of the penalties, if they border a western/already reformed nation, they will be able to launch a process ‘Adapt to the use of gunpowder’, at the cost of 500 military points, resulting in only +25% military tech cost, by a modifier ‘use of gunpowder’. To reduce all their penalty’s to a mere 10%, they can ‘Reform the administration’ at the cost of 500 points in each category, with the usual effects (+5 unrest, …). They need to border a reformed/western country, of course, too. This will give a nation that borders and is allied to a western nation an edge, because the penalty will be mitigated by ‘Western arms trade’.
3) en 4) can be discussed.
What do you think of this? Should there be some more requirements? And should those innovations be processes or decisions?
Edit: Changed some penalties, according to response.
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? Descendants of Timur used gunpowder on regular basis. In first half of XVI even artillery was a common thing in Mughal Empire (i read it in some memories of Portugal Solder i think, i was sceptic at the begging, but after reading book about Mughal it seems to be mostly correct. They still don't use it numbers seen in European wars.).