Jul 21, 2020

Europa Universalis IV - MagnusPDX

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Hello again! Last week I asked you all what nation you’d like me to focus on today, and the two most popular answers were Ayutthaya and Majapahit. Today I’ll focus on Ayutthaya, with Majapahit coming up next week.

Ayutthaya is the nation that would eventually become known to the West as Siam. It is named after its massive capital city, so large and so bustling with activity that even its canals were filled with floating markets. By 1700 it may have had 1 million inhabitants, making it one of the largest cities on the planet. In 1444 Ayutthaya is a nation on the rise. In 1378 it subjugated Sukhothai, taking its place as the dominant Thai kingdom. In 1431, Ayutthaya sacked the great city of Angkor, capital of the Khmer Empire. The devastation wrought by the Thai armies was so great that the following centuries are known as the Dark Age of Cambodia - more on that in a later dev diary. Ayutthaya also rules the vassal kingdom of Ligor on the Malay Peninsula, and would go on to launch a narrowly unsuccessful invasion of Malacca and a more successful subjugation of its smaller kingdoms like Pattani.

By 1444 Sukhothai is barely even a subject kingdom. Taking advantage of the political situation, Ayutthaya appointed Prince Trailok as King of Sukhothai. Upon the death of his father, Trailok would inherit both kingdoms and rule from Ayutthaya. This will now happen in EU4.

In 1.30 Ayutthaya’s national ideas are both a little on the weak side and not especially supportive of a South-East Asian playstyle. I’ve made some changes to their national ideas to better reflect the flavor of the nation, focusing on vassal-play and diplomacy:

AYU_ideas = {
start = {
cavalry_power = 0.15
liberty_desire_from_subject_development = -0.2
}

bonus = {
diplomatic_annexation_cost = -0.15
}

trigger = {
tag = AYU
}
free = yes

white_elephant = {
vassal_income = 0.2
}
corvee_system = {
global_manpower_modifier = 0.25
}
trading_links = {
diplomatic_reputation = 1
}
ayu_foreign_mercenaries = {
merc_maintenance_modifier = -0.15
}
ayu_embassies = {
improve_relation_modifier = 0.3
}
phrai_luang = {
development_cost = -0.1
}
personal_executions = {
harsh_treatment_cost = -0.2
}
}

Of course it wouldn't be a South-East Asia update without new mission trees. Below is the new mission tree for Ayutthaya, which it shares with the formable nation of Siam:

Ayutthaya’s mission tree rewards very few permanent claims. Instead, many missions award Subjugation CB’s, allowing Ayutthaya to vassalize large nations in a single war. Originally it was enough to simply have the required states owned by you or your subjects, but after some playtesting in both single player and multiplayer I judged these missions a little too powerful. So most subjugation missions additionally require reducing the liberty desire of relevant subjects. It’s not enough to have vassals in name, your subjects must be truly loyal to your will. Your National Ideas have an opportunity to shine here, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to complement them with Influence Ideas.

Some other interesting highlights:

Completing the Embassy to Japan mission rewards you with the renowned Japanese adventurer Yamada Nagamasa as a general, as well as access to the Japanese Volunteers mercenary company (highly disciplined soldiers) based in Ayutthaya itself.
Completing the Devaraja mission grants a new estate privilege that causes Dharmic faith provinces to have no Religious Unity penalty. We’ll talk about Estate Privileges in more depth in a later dev diary, probably one focussing on the Khmer Empire.
Completing the Royal Absolutism mission awards the Chakravarti tier 1 government reform, which will have the (as yet unrevealed) new features of the Mandala reform without the penalties, as well as +10 Maximum Absolutism and +1 Monarch Administrative Power. It also raises your government rank to Empire. If you are playing as Ayutthaya, completing this mission is the only way to form Siam.
There are several elements of the leftmost branch of the mission tree that I can’t talk about yet, but the general idea is that you’re using various means to develop your nation, especially your capital, and ultimately making your capital into the most glorious city on earth.
The rightmost branch deals with Ayutthaya’s ambitions in Maritime SEA. Preparing an invasion of Malacca can severely harm Malacca’s relationship with the Ming, resulting in the loss of their tributary status. Further missions grant claims only on Centers of Trade in the region and require establishing trade power in the node.
The final missions of the central branch (not pictured) have you taking on East Asia’s only superpower - the mighty Ming dynasty - and claiming the Mandate of Heaven.

Ayutthaya can now experience a new Disaster, the Siamese Revolution. In 1688 a rebellion broke out in reaction to the increased European (especially French) imperial presence in Siam and the King’s perceived complicity in the influence these powers were exerting over the country. The stage is set for this Disaster when Ayutthaya has decent (~50) relations with a European power active in South-East Asia. When the Disaster begins, a series of events lead you towards either Openness or Reactionary options each with their own benefits and drawbacks. These events deal with the military, religious, commercial, and diplomatic power that Europeans attempted to impose on Ayutthaya. The disaster can end once you pursue one path to its conclusion.

There are two possible endings to the Siamese Revolution, depending on whether you choose the Openness or Reactionary paths. The historical Reactionary path ends with the Siamese noble Phetracha launching a palace coup and seizing the throne, which historically led to an isolationist period for Ayutthaya - and was perhaps also a factor in Siam becoming the only power in SEA to avoid becoming part of a European colonial empire. This grants a permanent Foreign Spy Detection and Tolerance of the True Faith bonus, but will also destroy your relations with all European powers active in SEA. Following the alt history Openness path results in Phetracha’s arrest and execution, and instead instantly adds a large amount of institution progress in the capital for any institution that is not fully present in your capital but which have been embraced by any European power active in SEA. You’ll also get a permanent bonus to Institution Spread, but a permanent penalty to Foreign Spy Detection.

That’s all for today! Next week by popular demand we’ll focus on Majapahit and the disastrous situation they’ve found themselves in by 1444. Until then, have a good week!

edit: I just noticed the typo in the title. Well, too late. It's the twenty-firth now. :D

Moderator note:

As a reminder, @neondt is a content designer, not a programmer, therefore cannot reply on the programming side of the patch.

This development diary is about content design. Remain on topic.

Jul 14, 2020

Dev Diary: Maritime South East Asia

Europa Universalis IV - MagnusPDX

Good morning! Last week I revealed that the focus of the next update is South-East Asia, and gave a brief overview of the map setup for the mainland part of that region. Following on from that, today we’re going to look at Maritime South-East Asia.

This rework is somewhat more radical than the rework of the mainland, which focussed primarily on adding detail and tactical depth to the existing setup. For the Maritime region I wanted to provide a very different and much more engaging campaign experience that reflected the thriving and diverse Malay world that existed historically.

First thing to note is that all of the surrounding sea zones have been converted to Inland Seas, meaning that galleys get combat bonuses in the region. Naval warfare was very important in the Malay world, and Malay fleets tended to consist of smaller vessels not unlike those used in Mediterranean warfare.

Let’s take a closer look at the map:

Seen here is the Malay Peninsula and the island of Sumatra. Pattani and Kedah are no longer one-province minors; Pattani receives the inland province of Gerik, which historians believe may have been the origin of the kingdom, whie Kedah receives Penang, which would eventually become a point of conflict between the Sultanate and the British East India Company.

Malacca remains the dominant power on the Peninsula, but no longer controls the eastern half. The Sultanate of Kelantan and the Kingdom of Pahang are now independent. Pahang is the last non-Muslim polity on the Peninsula, and would historically be conquered by Malacca in 1454 and made into a vassal state. Its last Maharaja, Dewa Sura, sits upon a precarious throne. Kelantan is another city-state that would eventually fall to Malacca, and in 1444 shares a dynasty with the Sumatran nation of Jambi. Malacca has gained the province of Singapura, modern Singapore. Singapura is the origin of the Malacca Sultanate, and according to legend also the origin of many other Malay dynasties.

Quite a lot has changed on Sumatra. Besides its many additional nations and provinces, the central inland part of the island is now impassable. This to emphasize the importance of navies in the region and reflect how difficult it was to march armies across this hostile terrain.

There are several accounts of the origins of the Aceh Sultanate, located at the northern tip of Sumatra. It is generally considered to have come into being at the end of the 15th Century, being preceded by a kingdom named Lamuri about which we know little. I have opted to take a slightly ahistorical route and represent Aceh as a Sultanate in 1444. Aceh is one of the historical “winners” of the region; Sultan Iskandar Muda launched a successful campaign in the 17th Century that resulted in the conquests of much of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula, and prior to that Aceh was already the dominant power in northern and western Sumatra. Aceh is also referred to as the “Porch of Mecca” owing to its importance in the spread of Islam to Maritime South-East Asia.

Western Sumatra is ruled by the Hindu and Buddhist nations of Barus, Pagaruyung, and Indrapura. Eastern Sumatra is far more Islamized, with the Sultanate of Deli, Siak, and Jambi having embraced the Sunni faith and leaving Palembang as the last Hindu state on that side of the island. On the topic of Palembang, it remains under the rule of Chinese elites following the expulsion of the pirates by Zheng He, and players that own Golden Century still have the option to restore the pirates to power. Palembang has received an additional province on the southern tip of the island; the area today known as Lampung produced an immense amount of pepper and as such has been given a significant goods produced modifier.

Onwards to Java! The familiar kingdoms of Majapahit (Mahajapit, Majahapit, Mapajahit, Mahapajit, Mapajahit, Majahapit?) and Sunda have received a fair few additional provinces - Java is a very populated place both historically and today. Sunda is now the home of the Sundanese people, a new culture in the Malay group made distinct from Javanese. Two new nations appear on the map in 1444: Blambangan and Bali. Both are represented as Tributary States of Majapahit. Majapahit is a nation in its death throes. An empire that once spanned across Maritime South-East Asia is now struggling to hold together its remaining Javanese territory. We’ll talk more about the fall (and potential resurgence) of Majapahit in a later dev diary.

Here we have Borneo (left), Sulawesi (center) and the Moluccas (right). These more distant nations, with the very notable exception of Brunei, have yet to embrace Islam and follow a mix of Hindu and Animist faiths. The Hindu kingdoms of Borneo are Sambas, Berau, Kutai, and Banjar. The Animist kingdoms of Sulawesi are Makassar, Bone, Luwu, and Buton. Coastal Borneo would become dominated by the Bruneian Empire during our period, which will be reflected in Brunei’s mission tree. The interior of Borneo remains impassable. Even today it is extremely difficult to traverse except by its indigenous tribal people, and no nation in our time period attempted to make incursions into the interior, being fully aware of the impossibility of maintaining rule.

Ternate and Tidore are the only nations in the aptly named Spice Islands. Tidore and Ternate share a small mission tree that allows them to colonize the surrounding islands. In 1444 they have a monopoly on a new trade good: Cloves. Cloves initially exist only on Tidore and Ternate themselves, but have a very high chance of being discovered on colonized provinces in the surrounding islands. With a base price of 8, a province effect of +20% local trade power, and a trading bonus of +5% trade efficiency Cloves are by far the most desirable trade good in the game prior to the availability of Coal. Note that as always, numbers presented in dev diaries are not final.

The formable nation of Malaya has undergone several changes. Firstly, the requirements have changed to owning at least 40 provinces in the Malaya or Indonesia regions, as well as several specific provinces depending on your religion. When you form Malaya, you’ll immediately get an event giving you the option of what to name your new nation. You can always choose Malaya or Nusantara (a geographical Malay term for the entire region). If you have the Srivijaya dynasty - Malacca begins with it in 1444 - you can choose Srivijaya, while if you form the nation as Majapahit you can choose to name yourself the Majapahit Empire. This uses the same cosmetic name change mechanic that we introduced with the Kingdom of God in 1.30.

That’s all for this week! I haven’t yet decided on the topic of next week’s dev diary - most likely we’ll focus on a major nation in South-East Asia. If there’s any nation either in Mainland or Maritime South-East Asia you want me to talk about in more detail for next week, let me know in the comments and I’ll consider it. Until then, have a great week!

Jul 7, 2020

Dev Diary: South East Asia

Europa Universalis IV - MagnusPDX

Click here for the Forum post.

Good afternoon! I am once again eschewing the traditional Swedish summer vacation, this time because I’d prefer to wait until I can safely travel rather than taking a dull staycation in my Stockholm apartment. What that means for you lovely people is that you get summer content dev diaries! Let’s get right into it!

Those of you who know me even slightly will be aware that I love all things South-East Asia (SEA). After 2.5 years on the project, I finally have the opportunity to create the SEA map rework of my dreams. Shown above is Mainland SEA. Burma/Myanmar is excluded from the map rework as I feel that the treatment I gave it during the development of Dharma still holds up. There will certainly be new content for nations in that region however, including what another dev fondly described as the “Shan mission stick” when we played MP this weekend.

The country setup has not been radically altered. The only new additions to the 1444 setup are the tribes inhabiting what is today the Central Highlands of Vietnam. I have, however, added many new provinces and increased the total development of the region significantly. According to the logs, the indo_china_region now contains 64 provinces with 542 total development. Note that these numbers, like all numbers presented in dev diaries, are not final. I’m especially satisfied with how Lan Na fits into its 5-province state, bordered on its west by impassable terrain. Speaking of impassable terrain, the Annamite Range now separates Vietnam from much of Laos, making Dai Viet a drastically more defensible nation.

A design goal for Mainland SEA nations in the 1.31 update is to emphasize vassal play and the development of capital super-cities. We’ll talk about various ways that this will be achieved another time, but one prerequisite for the goal is having nations to vassalize:

Several releasable nations now have cores on territory held in 1444 by Lan Xang and Dai Viet. These nations actually already exist in the game files, but are very rarely seen in 1.30 due to their lack of cores. Unfortunately there aren’t really any sensible ways that I’ve found to divide Ayutthaya or Khmer, though in Ayutthaya’s case Sukhothai can still serve as a vassal to which you can feed your Thai provinces.

I’ve also taken a look at culture groups in the region. Central Thai and Northern Thai are now simply “Thai”, which belongs to the Siamese culture group that it shares with Lao and Shan. Countries in this culture group are able to form Siam, though Ayutthaya can only do so via its new mission tree. The “Indochinese” culture group is admittedly fairly arbitrary, but does serve to encompass regions of “natural” Vietnamese expansion on their “nam tiến” (southward advance). Cham has been moved to this group to reflect that we no longer equate culture and language.

Next week we’ll take a similar look at Maritime SEA - modern Indonesia and Malaysia. In terms of scripted content you can expect plenty of historical events, mission trees, disasters, government reforms, estate privileges, and more from the 1.31 update. We’ll get to these in later weeks, but for now that’s all I have to say. Until next time, have a good week!