I’m sure this has been talking about many times before but I’d like to add my take. At its core this game seems to be about blobing and that’s ok but I would really like to see playing tall be made more viable.
There have been some very nice improvements to this effect but I believe even more can be done. Historically, many smaller nations wielded great power and this has been reflected in the game by merchant republics such as Venice and mechanics like the Prussian monarchy. These are great, but are specific to a few nations. I would like to see an ability for any nation to build strength in ways other than just expanding as much as possible.
My quick thought for this is a centralization mechanic that rewards you in certain ways for having more development in fewer provinces. It other words, the higher development you have coupled with the fewer provinces you have, the better the bonuses you receive. What the bonuses would be, I do not know but I’m sure everyone around can come up with some good buffs.
Another possible option is to make ducats even more useful. Inspired by fido’s glorious run as Portugal in the dev clash, perhaps you can bribe countries to attack other countries, even if the are not your ally. or maybe you can pay protection money to a country. Money is power and small but rich nations should be more able to dictate global politics for the right price.( which would have to be substantial)
By contrast, while it seems easy for the player to pick any moderately sized nation ( I.e. Holland, Milan, saxony etc.) and turn them into the greatest power in the world about halfway through the game, the Ai countries in significantly better starting positions rarely exceed expectations. I understand that in eu 3 there were some problems with an unchained Ming going on a rampage that paradox wants to avoid but countries like Spain, France and Britain should have greater ambitions.
Historically, Spain built one of the largest armadas ever seen to invade England with in 1588. It didn’t exactly work out but I have never seen Spain own a province of the British isles in eu 4. France conquered most of Europe under napoleon, yet never decide to dive to deep into Germany in this game. England gained control over India and even important cities in China, yet never holds sway over those regions in the game. I think the ai needs to show a bit more gusto.
My quick idea for this is that ai countries have a certain goal for every game. They can have rulers who are more diplomatically or militarily focused who try to achieve this goal in different ways yet still stay focus on the goal at hand. For example, in one campaign France may want to dominate North America, gobbling up as much colonial territory as the can while attacking any other European power trying to set up shop there. Yet leaving the rest of Europe untouched as long as the don’t get in the way of there colonial ambitions. However in another campaign, France might not care about the colonies, instead focusing on a Napoleon like European empire becoming a military powerhouse.
I think that this could make the game more interesting for ai nations. by focusing on a specific goal, they would become more powerful and tougher advasaries. To me this would make the game more difficult and more enjoyable. The greatest aspect about this game is the idea that it is based in historically fact, yet can take path that results in a completely different looking world. Too often it seems to ai nations play to their historical outcomes with factoring in what their true ambitions were.
I am not sure if my suggestions would be the best way to implement the changes I suggest. However, I do think the ideas of making playing tall more viable while also extending the scope of power which ai nations might and hope to achieve would make for a less predictable and more enjoyable experience, with each campaign feeling very different and unique.
All that said, love the game and I appreciate ally the hard work the people at paradox put in the make this game even better. Of course, that only leaves me wanting more
There have been some very nice improvements to this effect but I believe even more can be done. Historically, many smaller nations wielded great power and this has been reflected in the game by merchant republics such as Venice and mechanics like the Prussian monarchy. These are great, but are specific to a few nations. I would like to see an ability for any nation to build strength in ways other than just expanding as much as possible.
My quick thought for this is a centralization mechanic that rewards you in certain ways for having more development in fewer provinces. It other words, the higher development you have coupled with the fewer provinces you have, the better the bonuses you receive. What the bonuses would be, I do not know but I’m sure everyone around can come up with some good buffs.
Another possible option is to make ducats even more useful. Inspired by fido’s glorious run as Portugal in the dev clash, perhaps you can bribe countries to attack other countries, even if the are not your ally. or maybe you can pay protection money to a country. Money is power and small but rich nations should be more able to dictate global politics for the right price.( which would have to be substantial)
By contrast, while it seems easy for the player to pick any moderately sized nation ( I.e. Holland, Milan, saxony etc.) and turn them into the greatest power in the world about halfway through the game, the Ai countries in significantly better starting positions rarely exceed expectations. I understand that in eu 3 there were some problems with an unchained Ming going on a rampage that paradox wants to avoid but countries like Spain, France and Britain should have greater ambitions.
Historically, Spain built one of the largest armadas ever seen to invade England with in 1588. It didn’t exactly work out but I have never seen Spain own a province of the British isles in eu 4. France conquered most of Europe under napoleon, yet never decide to dive to deep into Germany in this game. England gained control over India and even important cities in China, yet never holds sway over those regions in the game. I think the ai needs to show a bit more gusto.
My quick idea for this is that ai countries have a certain goal for every game. They can have rulers who are more diplomatically or militarily focused who try to achieve this goal in different ways yet still stay focus on the goal at hand. For example, in one campaign France may want to dominate North America, gobbling up as much colonial territory as the can while attacking any other European power trying to set up shop there. Yet leaving the rest of Europe untouched as long as the don’t get in the way of there colonial ambitions. However in another campaign, France might not care about the colonies, instead focusing on a Napoleon like European empire becoming a military powerhouse.
I think that this could make the game more interesting for ai nations. by focusing on a specific goal, they would become more powerful and tougher advasaries. To me this would make the game more difficult and more enjoyable. The greatest aspect about this game is the idea that it is based in historically fact, yet can take path that results in a completely different looking world. Too often it seems to ai nations play to their historical outcomes with factoring in what their true ambitions were.
I am not sure if my suggestions would be the best way to implement the changes I suggest. However, I do think the ideas of making playing tall more viable while also extending the scope of power which ai nations might and hope to achieve would make for a less predictable and more enjoyable experience, with each campaign feeling very different and unique.
All that said, love the game and I appreciate ally the hard work the people at paradox put in the make this game even better. Of course, that only leaves me wanting more
