Thank you for this year! We will deliver more awesome stuff in 2017!

Thank you for this year! We will deliver more awesome stuff in 2017!

Greetings all EU4 players!

The EU4 team is currently wrapping up the year by fixing some bugs on a few new great features that are yet to come. Everyone on the team is very excited for the upcoming expansion and we can’t wait to announce it. Two people have already started their Christmas vacations, whereas the most of us will leave on Thursday / Friday this week.

2016 has contained a lot of changes to the team and we’ll still keep experimenting, learning new things and find new ways to work. One of our legendary AI-programmers has unfortunately left the team to try his own wings - but we’ve also got two new additions to the team who have already proved themselves highly worthy. During the development of Rights of Man we also had the opportunity to get some help with creating events from two content designers in the CK2 team. More than ever before we’ve had structured feedback sessions (retrospections) regularly as well as new exercises in estimations every now and then. But even though lots of changes happen all the time we fortunately still have Johan as a cornerstone who has worked with EU4 longer than any of the rest of us and knows in which direction we’re going with the future expansions.

This year we’re also taking pride in having released Rights of Man, which received a Steam review of 86% - sharing second place in terms of EU4 Steam Review on par with El Dorado and 2% below Art of War. This is a great result and we aim even higher for the next expansion.

Additionally we’ve managed to get two (!) of our dedicated fans to become translators for us in French and German respectively - which is just in line with our vision of being close to our fans. Our quality of translations increases with passion and skills. Maybe sometime in the future we will get all our texts translated by fans.

By the way, it was great talking with some of you at the Fangathering at our office some time ago - hope that some of you will join PDX Con next year!

Last but not least I hope you have enjoyed our competitive Multiplayer-sessions as much as we have, the plans and strategies behind the sessions have not been limited to what’s seen on camera but there is continuous talk in the team on how to form alliances even when the camera is turned off. Congrats to Wiz who won!

Thank you for all the feedback you’ve given to us this year, it’s very useful to us and we have people in the team reading your posts every day. Keep talking with us and we’ll keep listening to you.

***Here is a small teaser for next year***




Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all EU4-fans!


Read the original post

Useful links
Official Website
Europa Universalis IV Wiki
Europa Universalis IV Development Diary Archive

Greetings all EU4 players!

The EU4 team is currently wrapping up the year by fixing some bugs on a few new great features that are yet to come. Everyone on the team is very excited for the upcoming expansion and we can’t wait to announce it. Two people have already started their Christmas vacations, whereas the most of us will leave on Thursday / Friday this week.

2016 has contained a lot of changes to the team and we’ll still keep experimenting, learning new things and find new ways to work. One of our legendary AI-programmers has unfortunately left the team to try his own wings - but we’ve also got two new additions to the team who have already proved themselves highly worthy. During the development of Rights of Man we also had the opportunity to get some help with creating events from two content designers in the CK2 team. More than ever before we’ve had structured feedback sessions (retrospections) regularly as well as new exercises in estimations every now and then. But even though lots of changes happen all the time we fortunately still have Johan as a cornerstone who has worked with EU4 longer than any of the rest of us and knows in which direction we’re going with the future expansions.

This year we’re also taking pride in having released Rights of Man, which received a Steam review of 86% - sharing second place in terms of EU4 Steam Review on par with El Dorado and 2% below Art of War. This is a great result and we aim even higher for the next expansion.

Additionally we’ve managed to get two (!) of our dedicated fans to become translators for us in French and German respectively - which is just in line with our vision of being close to our fans. Our quality of translations increases with passion and skills. Maybe sometime in the future we will get all our texts translated by fans.

By the way, it was great talking with some of you at the Fangathering at our office some time ago - hope that some of you will join PDX Con next year!

Last but not least I hope you have enjoyed our competitive Multiplayer-sessions as much as we have, the plans and strategies behind the sessions have not been limited to what’s seen on camera but there is continuous talk in the team on how to form alliances even when the camera is turned off. Congrats to Wiz who won!

Thank you for all the feedback you’ve given to us this year, it’s very useful to us and we have people in the team reading your posts every day. Keep talking with us and we’ll keep listening to you.

***Here is a small teaser for next year***




Merry Christmas and Happy New Year all EU4-fans!


Read the original post

Useful links
Official Website
Europa Universalis IV Wiki
Europa Universalis IV Development Diary Archive

Hello again, everyone! Doomdark was going to tell you more about Societies this week, but he’s [S]locked in the dungeon[/s] too busy, so I have [S]seized power[/s] taken on this duty. So let’s talk about Monks.

In Monks and Mystics, we have added 8 Monastic Order Societies. There are two Catholic orders, the Benedictines and the Dominicans, while the Orthodox, Miaphysites, Nestorians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains each have their own order. Now, while actual Monks and Priests can of course join these Societies and are likely to advance more quickly through the ranks, it’s quite possible for secular characters to join these orders as lay members / patrons and reach the highest ranks.


Life in the Monastic orders is focused on learning, piety, and good deeds. Typically members will be expected to use the Theology focus (if you have the Way of Life expansion), perform Charity, help build new Temples, go on Pilgrimages, and engage in prayer or meditation.


Time spent in self-reflection does have its upsides though; through these acts characters will tend to better themselves, losing negative traits like vices and gaining more godly virtues. Not to mention that time spent reading and then debating the meaning of books is helpful in increasing Learning and Diplomacy skills. At the highest levels, members can also Council other characters in their realm, to encourage them to end their sinful ways.

Dominicans: Religious province conversion significantly faster, and a bonus to the “Hunt Heretics” counciler job.
Benedictines: Can get rid of “Slothful” and gain “Diligent” by donating money.
Hindus: Higher Fertility and Health.
Buddhists: revolt risk reduction.
Jains: opinion bonus with other Jains.
Miaphysites, Orthodox and Nestorians: More income from Temple vassals.
All: Chance of losing many negative traits and gaining positive ones over time.


new dharmic pilgrimage chain
That's all for now, and indeed that'll all the DDs for this year as we'll be on holiday for the next couple of weeks! But we'll be back on the 9th of January to talk about more Societies. And if you need to hear more about MnM, I believe we'll be showing some gameplay in our Three Kings stream in under an hour (1700 CET)

Read the original post

Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive

Hello again, everyone! Doomdark was going to tell you more about Societies this week, but he’s [S]locked in the dungeon[/s] too busy, so I have [S]seized power[/s] taken on this duty. So let’s talk about Monks.

In Monks and Mystics, we have added 8 Monastic Order Societies. There are two Catholic orders, the Benedictines and the Dominicans, while the Orthodox, Miaphysites, Nestorians, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains each have their own order. Now, while actual Monks and Priests can of course join these Societies and are likely to advance more quickly through the ranks, it’s quite possible for secular characters to join these orders as lay members / patrons and reach the highest ranks.


Life in the Monastic orders is focused on learning, piety, and good deeds. Typically members will be expected to use the Theology focus (if you have the Way of Life expansion), perform Charity, help build new Temples, go on Pilgrimages, and engage in prayer or meditation.


Time spent in self-reflection does have its upsides though; through these acts characters will tend to better themselves, losing negative traits like vices and gaining more godly virtues. Not to mention that time spent reading and then debating the meaning of books is helpful in increasing Learning and Diplomacy skills. At the highest levels, members can also Council other characters in their realm, to encourage them to end their sinful ways.

Dominicans: Religious province conversion significantly faster, and a bonus to the “Hunt Heretics” counciler job.
Benedictines: Can get rid of “Slothful” and gain “Diligent” by donating money.
Hindus: Higher Fertility and Health.
Buddhists: revolt risk reduction.
Jains: opinion bonus with other Jains.
Miaphysites, Orthodox and Nestorians: More income from Temple vassals.
All: Chance of losing many negative traits and gaining positive ones over time.


new dharmic pilgrimage chain
That's all for now, and indeed that'll all the DDs for this year as we'll be on holiday for the next couple of weeks! But we'll be back on the 9th of January to talk about more Societies. And if you need to hear more about MnM, I believe we'll be showing some gameplay in our Three Kings stream in under an hour (1700 CET)

Read the original post

Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another development diary for Europa Universalis IV. Today we’ll talk about the biggest feature of our next expansion. A system we called “Ages of Europa Universalis”.

The game is now divided into 4 separate ages, where different rules apply in each age. Each age also have objectives you can fulfill, and abilities you can use use.

• Age of Discovery => 1400 -1530
  
• Age of Reformation => 1530 - 1620
  
• Age of Absolutism => 1620 - 1710
  
• Age of Revolutions => 1710-1821

Each age have seven objectives that can be fulfilled, and if they are fulfilled, you gain +3 power-projection as well as 3 splendor each month.

Now you may ask? What is splendor then? Well.. Splendor is the age specific currency you use to purchase abilities. There are seven abilities in each age that each country can purchase, and there is also four unique abilities in each age, where countries that historically were powerful in that age can unlock a special ability.

Whenever a new Age arrives, you power projection from objectives start decaying, and you now lose all the abilities you purchased in the previous age.

Today we’ll take a look at the Age of Discovery, which is the first Age.



Rules
Religious Rules are valid. (Previously before 1650)
Peasants War, Castilian Civil War, War of the Roses can only happen in this Age.

Objectives

• Capital in old world, discover Americas
  
• Own Territory on two continents
  
• Embrace Renaissance and keep it in all state provinces.
  
• Own a 30+ development city
  
• Own 5 Centers of Trade
  
• Have at least 2 personal unions.
  
• Humiliate a Rival

Abilities

• Allow Edict “Feudal De Jure Law”
  
• Transfer vassal wargoal
  
• Create a claim bordering claims
  
• 50% longer lasting claims.
  
• Explorers & Conquistadors do not cost maintenance while on missions.
  
• Finished colonies gets +1 random development.
  
• Gain +1 attack bonus in your capital's terrain type
  
• Ottomans : +33% Siege Ability
  
• Portugal : +50 colonial growth
  
• Denmark : 30 less liberty desire in subjects.
  
• Venice : +50% Trade Power from Ships

Another cool concept we have related to the Age mechanics is the Golden Era. A golden era can be started once per game for a country, as soon as you have fulfilled 3 objectives in an Age, and lasts for 50 years.

A golden age gives you 10% cheaper costs for anything you spend monarch power on, your land and naval morale increase by 10%, and you produce 10% more goods.


The free patch keeps track of which age the game is in, and uses it for triggers for disasters and events.

Read the original post

Useful links
Official Website
Europa Universalis IV Wiki
Europa Universalis IV Development Diary Archive

Hello everyone and welcome to yet another development diary for Europa Universalis IV. Today we’ll talk about the biggest feature of our next expansion. A system we called “Ages of Europa Universalis”.

The game is now divided into 4 separate ages, where different rules apply in each age. Each age also have objectives you can fulfill, and abilities you can use use.

• Age of Discovery => 1400 -1530
  
• Age of Reformation => 1530 - 1620
  
• Age of Absolutism => 1620 - 1710
  
• Age of Revolutions => 1710-1821

Each age have seven objectives that can be fulfilled, and if they are fulfilled, you gain +3 power-projection as well as 3 splendor each month.

Now you may ask? What is splendor then? Well.. Splendor is the age specific currency you use to purchase abilities. There are seven abilities in each age that each country can purchase, and there is also four unique abilities in each age, where countries that historically were powerful in that age can unlock a special ability.

Whenever a new Age arrives, you power projection from objectives start decaying, and you now lose all the abilities you purchased in the previous age.

Today we’ll take a look at the Age of Discovery, which is the first Age.



Rules
Religious Rules are valid. (Previously before 1650)
Peasants War, Castilian Civil War, War of the Roses can only happen in this Age.

Objectives

• Capital in old world, discover Americas
  
• Own Territory on two continents
  
• Embrace Renaissance and keep it in all state provinces.
  
• Own a 30+ development city
  
• Own 5 Centers of Trade
  
• Have at least 2 personal unions.
  
• Humiliate a Rival

Abilities

• Allow Edict “Feudal De Jure Law”
  
• Transfer vassal wargoal
  
• Create a claim bordering claims
  
• 50% longer lasting claims.
  
• Explorers & Conquistadors do not cost maintenance while on missions.
  
• Finished colonies gets +1 random development.
  
• Gain +1 attack bonus in your capital's terrain type
  
• Ottomans : +33% Siege Ability
  
• Portugal : +50 colonial growth
  
• Denmark : 30 less liberty desire in subjects.
  
• Venice : +50% Trade Power from Ships

Another cool concept we have related to the Age mechanics is the Golden Era. A golden era can be started once per game for a country, as soon as you have fulfilled 3 objectives in an Age, and lasts for 50 years.

A golden age gives you 10% cheaper costs for anything you spend monarch power on, your land and naval morale increase by 10%, and you produce 10% more goods.


The free patch keeps track of which age the game is in, and uses it for triggers for disasters and events.

Read the original post

Useful links
Official Website
Europa Universalis IV Wiki
Europa Universalis IV Development Diary Archive