The "diplomat trick": why does it exist?

[grommile]

I guess I was assuming that the AI would still have access to development, even if the player didn't.

I thought it was a general thing that DLC-only game mechanics are completely disabled (i.e. not just for the player, but for the AI too) if the DLC is not in use.

 

[blackchoas]

We can do some sleuthing here by working under the singular assumption that Paradox staff haven't misspoken.

Wiz said, specifically: "Small independent nations are actually significantly buffed in income and forcelimits in 1.12"

He said in 1.12, not in the CS expansion. Therefore, we can rule out internal development entirely since this feature is locked behind the expansion.

The question of relative vs absolute is noted, but the phrasing used here suggests that it's an absolute buff to small independent nations as opposed to a straightforward nerf to the larger nations. Buffing small independent nations is not the same thing as nerfing large nations. Therefore, we can assume that small independent nations have more income and forcelimits than they did before on an absolute basis.

This leaves the question of how this is achieved. I can see two possibilities. One is a conditional modifier for small nations that gives a boost to these values. This could get awkward as initial growth could penalize instead of help, though this could be worked around with a "progressive" modifier so that you keep a bonus, but it grows smaller as you continue to expand. Basically the same concept as a progressive income tax.

A second possibility is that the base / capital bonuses for all nations have been increased. This is technically a boost to all nations; however, in terms of percentages, this proves to help small nations more than large ones. If you previously had the income and FL to support 4k troops, and after this change you can support 8k, then you've doubled your capabilities. A large nation that went from 20k to 24k doesn't see as much of an impact; it's a 20% increase. Further, 4k vs 20k is fairly dismal -- the smaller nation has 20% the power of the larger nation. But with 8k vs 24k, now the smaller nation has 33% the power of the larger nation. One issue is that Wiz specified "independent" nations, but a subject nation would enjoy this same boost. For this to be the method, subject nations would have to have a new penalty that slashes their base income and force limits back to the previous value.

Other possibilities, like every nation getting a percentage boost to income and manpower, can be rejected because this would not be considered a "significant buff" to small independent nations.

So, while we don't know the details, we can confidently conclude the following: Small nations have higher absolute values of income and force limits in 1.12 than before, in a way that makes them stronger vs larger nations than they once were. And it has nothing to do with improving development over time (which means it's almost certainly out-the-gate Nov 1444 modifications).

your over thinking it, the statement in 1.12 does not rule out development as Common Sense DLC is part of 1.12, if he said in free patch this assumption would be correct but he didn't its likely he is simply talking about development

Also development will be a buff to smaller nations anyway, to add additional buffs on top of that is bad game balancing since by adding multiple buffs at once if they become viewed as too strong or stronger than they should be it becomes more difficult to tell where you went too far

But to add into reading way too much into a single sentence, he said "small independent nation" what exactly is this change that it effects independent nations but will not effect and buff vassals?

 

[net.split]

No, CS is not "part" of 1.12. It is an independent DLC that is being released alongside the 1.12 patch. The devs are (almost) always clear on differentiating patch (with the version number) and DLC (with the name). Further, the CS DLC will continue to lock out the development feature long after version 1.12 (at least until the next DLC that requires it).

Development is also in no way strictly a buff to small nations. Small nations and large nations pay the exact same cost in Monarch Points to develop a single province. If anything large nations are actually better off because they can accrue more Monarch Power (getting higher level advisors sooner, maxing out Power Projection, etc) and spread development over more provinces, keeping costs lower (costs rise the more you develop an individual province on top of the costs from how high the actual values are).

Large nations that continue to expand won't be able to focus as much on development because they're spending the MP on coring, harsh treatment, DP in peace deals, etc. But a large nation that stops expanding can develop more readily than a small nation, all else being equal.

Wiz is also on record stating that a combination of expansion and development is optimal. He knows better than to suggest a small independent nation benefits more from it.

 

[RobRoy3]

...what exactly is this change that it effects independent nations but will not effect and buff vassals?

How about something like a Triggered Modifier that doubles? triples? the capital bonus on non-subject nations having three or fewer provinces?

Might still make for some awkwardness moving past the threshold, but I'd think a more progressive approach might get overly complicated.