What are the chances of an SDK/API?

[Luka]

I know this is possibly going to sound a bit stupid to some. But considering all the the features I'd like to see implemented - particularly as some can be done with existing user interface components - and the fact that I can program (how well is debatable ) make me wonder if such a thing as as development kit for Paradox games would be a good idea.
I've no idea if the software architecture of the game engine makes it easy/difficult/impossible to do this but some sort of plugin system could be an exceptional step forward for these games.
As it currently stands we can mod, but this can only go so far and you must deal with the game systems that are already implemented by Paradox, but if the very game itself could be extended, the possibilities are very exciting.

If this isn't a planned development then I highly suspect that it is impossible to do without significantly more time from Paradox, which they haven't planned for. However, I'd love some feedback concerning this, both from Paradox and people willing to develop on these boards.

 

[Myth]

I very much doubt there'll be an sdk of any sort. Nevertheless, given just how moddable Paradox games have historically been (and even more so with the Clausewitz engine), I'd say you'd probably be able to do nearly whatever you want to with the game.

 

[gigzoid]

Would be great to be able to access the game state beyond using events, i.e. get the OOB's at a battle start, pipe it into a tactical battle application, fight it, then pipe the results of the external battle back in afterwards. Ended up writing a saved game parser to generate events for the flight of the royal navy after UK surrender, would have so much better to have had a means to avoid the save->exit->manipulate savefile->startup->load cycle.

Imagine it would be a lot of work for PI, with no obvoius commercial benefit, therefore unlikely, boohoo

 

[Luka]

I very much doubt there'll be an sdk of any sort. Nevertheless, given just how moddable Paradox games have historically been (and even more so with the Clausewitz engine), I'd say you'd probably be able to do nearly whatever you want to with the game.

Hehe, have you seen what I want to do with the game? new user interface panels and the like. I'm pretty sure that'd not available through modding, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

 

[Luka]

The Clausewitz engine - was it developed by Paradox or do they license it? If they didn't develop it then an SDK would be pretty much impossible.

 

[potski]

The Clausewitz engine - was it developed by Paradox or do they license it? If they didn't develop it then an SDK would be pretty much impossible.

Of course they developed it. They were willing to licence the old Europa game engine, see:

http://www.europa-universalis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=352059

But only once it was at the end of it's commercial life. It would be commercial suicide to do the same now with their current engine. But give it a few years.

 

[Luka]

Ah good. As long as it's their own engine, they can write an API for it. That's all I was wondering.
Whether they will or not is a different matter, but it would take modding to an entirely new level.