I suggest the baseline for diplomatic relationships be reduced from 4 to 2. With certain nations' NI's & Diplomatic Ideas EACH providing for only an extra +1.
Optional refinement: ONLY Alliances, Vassals, PU's & Royal Marriages to count towards limit. i.e. remove relationship cost of Guarantees & Access Rights.
Besides nerfing the French & Austrian powerhouses a tad (NB But NOT Milan), & Diplomatic Ideas, I see the main benefits being:
1) More chance of smaller/shorter Wars - Therefore more opportunities for expansion (but this will still limited by the aftermath of AE & OE).
2) Nerfs, but doesn't remove threat of, cascading alliances.
3) Relatively boosts power/detterent of coalitions (which already don't cost relations), as these are not so easily counterbalanced by an aggressive nations own (less numerous) allies.
4) Nerfs Diplo-vassalisation & PUs (if only a little) by costing more Diplomatic MPs to maintain over a smaller relationship limit.
5) Less chance of late game gridlock of inter-connected alliances, caused by the naturally reduced number of independent states (which is currently hardly offset over time by global exploration). - I don't object to large naturally opposing power blocks developing, but maybe it is a little too easy for some nations to find themselves effectively junior alliance partners in both blocks at the same time. OK it improves their security by contributing to detterent of both blocks, but it's really limiting everyone's late game options.
Disadvantages:
1) More difficult for small nations to protect themselves with alliances from an over-mighty neighbour (but it is still only a soft-cap which can always be circumvented at a cost in Diplo MPs - Much less restrictive on alliances than EU3, which had an AI hard-cap of 2 alliances excluding vassals & PUs).
2) OK May make some conquests TOO easy (but, as previously stated, you still have to deal with AE, OE & coalitions, & any extra vassals/PUs are going to cost you Diplo MPs).
FINALLY: Developers, PLEASE remove the additional relationship slot that AI nations reserve only for players (why not reserve it for easy difficulty, or put on a malus for alliance acceptance above AI's Relationship Limit).
Why should an experienced player get this preferential treatment by the AI regardless of difficulty level? If a player has a surplus of Diplo MPs there should still be some alliances that you simply can't get, no matter how good your relations are. Simply because the other nation is already commited to other alliances. Players are, or should become more, capable of looking out for the opportunites provided by the broken & dishonoured alliances of others, in order to change/upgrade their own alliances.
Just a suggestion! Let criticism commence...
Optional refinement: ONLY Alliances, Vassals, PU's & Royal Marriages to count towards limit. i.e. remove relationship cost of Guarantees & Access Rights.
Besides nerfing the French & Austrian powerhouses a tad (NB But NOT Milan), & Diplomatic Ideas, I see the main benefits being:
1) More chance of smaller/shorter Wars - Therefore more opportunities for expansion (but this will still limited by the aftermath of AE & OE).
2) Nerfs, but doesn't remove threat of, cascading alliances.
3) Relatively boosts power/detterent of coalitions (which already don't cost relations), as these are not so easily counterbalanced by an aggressive nations own (less numerous) allies.
4) Nerfs Diplo-vassalisation & PUs (if only a little) by costing more Diplomatic MPs to maintain over a smaller relationship limit.
5) Less chance of late game gridlock of inter-connected alliances, caused by the naturally reduced number of independent states (which is currently hardly offset over time by global exploration). - I don't object to large naturally opposing power blocks developing, but maybe it is a little too easy for some nations to find themselves effectively junior alliance partners in both blocks at the same time. OK it improves their security by contributing to detterent of both blocks, but it's really limiting everyone's late game options.
Disadvantages:
1) More difficult for small nations to protect themselves with alliances from an over-mighty neighbour (but it is still only a soft-cap which can always be circumvented at a cost in Diplo MPs - Much less restrictive on alliances than EU3, which had an AI hard-cap of 2 alliances excluding vassals & PUs).
2) OK May make some conquests TOO easy (but, as previously stated, you still have to deal with AE, OE & coalitions, & any extra vassals/PUs are going to cost you Diplo MPs).
FINALLY: Developers, PLEASE remove the additional relationship slot that AI nations reserve only for players (why not reserve it for easy difficulty, or put on a malus for alliance acceptance above AI's Relationship Limit).
Why should an experienced player get this preferential treatment by the AI regardless of difficulty level? If a player has a surplus of Diplo MPs there should still be some alliances that you simply can't get, no matter how good your relations are. Simply because the other nation is already commited to other alliances. Players are, or should become more, capable of looking out for the opportunites provided by the broken & dishonoured alliances of others, in order to change/upgrade their own alliances.
Just a suggestion! Let criticism commence...
