The issue of Aggressive Expansion

[Emperor Hadrian]

Since 1.13, I played 9 different games, 4 with Prussia formed once by Teutonic Order and 3 times by Brandenburg and 5 games as Holland. All ironman campaigns ruined by the harsh AE. Before I was able to form Germany around 1700 with historical borders (just as I like my borders) and Netherlands before 1500. Now, the coalitions are ruthless, at least for me. My suggestion is that the AE should decrease faster in time and claims should reduce the AE more drastically.
P.S. Why would Saxony or Bavaria join a coalition against me (Holland) at the beggining of the game if all I do is take Antwerpen and Breda in my independence war (with claims)?

 

[BrokenSky]

One of the things I dislike about coalitions is that by the time they form the AI believes that it can beat you in a war if everyone it thinks will join will do so. Since it's idea of what the AI will do is basically perfect (It is 'predicting' it's own actions after all), by the time Coalitions form, it's already too late a lot of the time. Simply sitting back and not engaging in any wars isn't enough to stop the AI from attacking. Basically what I'm saying is that the AI should be able to form coalitions not just for putative purposes, but for self defense, as a deterrent to further expansion.

 

[Shimohi]

Stack better relations over time, get vassals and retake their cores, form germany 1525, get rekt by spain because aragon had austria under pu and iberian wedding is very funny.

 

[Mattius]

I actually have a thread dealing with coalitions, but I'm not sure that it's what you're looking for.
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/a-new-coalitions-system.855969/