Europa Universalis V confirmed

[Solmyr]

So apparently 1.3 completely breaks a lot of things.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/beta-1-3-is-plagued-with-mechanical-issues-that-really-need-fixing.1926666/#post-31334252

[crazy canuck]

It's in beta

[Syt]

Comment by One Proud Bavarian:

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/beta-1-3-is-plagued-with-mechanical-issues-that-really-need-fixing.1926666/post-31336012

It sounds like the real complaint here is "many nations start the game with a negative income" not "it's too expensive to expand RGOs".

To be clear, I think that nations starting with a deficit is a major problem for the game (outside of ones in the midst of a historical crisis).

I just think you're mistaking a positive balance change as the cause for your frustration.

Personally, I think the issue comes down to the dev attempt to slow down economic growth using the wrong tools.

They are attacking it at the very baseline (going from very little money to ok money by building up initial RGOs and buildings) instead of limiting explosive runaway growth wherever they can by either adding more big-country moneysinks (not just scaling costs like cost of court, but things that let you run a country of a significant size and wealth on a building/institution level) or by limiting exponential income sources.

So we end up with tiny countries that are more and more limited in their initial actions while big countries can now outbuild them even more aggressively simply due to having four or five times the income of a small country.
Really, the changes made primarily just reinforce the powergap between a country in a good starting position compared to one in a weak starting position.

It doesn't help that the AI doesn't really know or prioritise in their economy either. They don't really pursue a policy of "Oh, if I have X opinion with somebody, I can build trade posts" or any of that either, so much of the economy isn't accessible to them in a directed way as is.

[Syt]

So it seems there's three main issues with the beta:
- diseases wipe out populations even before the bubonic plague
- some issues with the demand system leading to almost immediate price/economic death spirals
- some issues with the trust system, where it's often affected by % changes - so if a OPM increases their production by 33% by creating a single building, their neighbors are becoming massively distrustful of them

But hey, you can earn achievements when using mods now.

[Solmyr]

They are axing the trust system apparently. It's a good sign when the shiny new mechanic you introduce doesn't even make it out of beta.

[Syt]

JFC. They aren't really coming across as having much of a plan or concept what they want to do to balance/fix/expand the game at the moment.

[Syt]

Today's feedback thread from their community manager (who I don't envy their job):

You are welcome to comment on anything, but for today's post we'd highly appreciate the feedback is related to:
Credit, bonds & central banks

Tell us what your thoughts production buildings in 1.3 are. How did they make you feel? Was there anything you felt confused about or mislead?

So ... which is it?

[Norgy]

They are axing the trust system apparently. It's a good sign when the shiny new mechanic you introduce doesn't even make it out of beta.

They are also axing a few other things, I gather, such as complacency.

[Syt]

 

[Syt]

Friday, home office, writing documentation no one will read, so time for an observer game with the latest beta patch.

Performance seems quite a bit faster.

But in 1395 I notice something weird. A rather significant number of female rulers in Europe.

Queen Elizabeth Plantagenet in England.
Queen Catherine de Vaolois in France
Duchess Jeanne II d'Artois in Brittany
Duchess Marie de Valois in Normandy
Queen Joan Stewart in Scotland
Queen Anna Estridatter in Denmark
Esther von Schwarzburg in Sweden and Astrid av Skaun in Norway (though they're "only" regents for the 12 year old crown prince)
Princess Zenislava in Kyiv
Grand Princess Predslava in Muscov et al
Grand Princess Maria Piast in Halych
Queen Irena Menajic in Serbia
(just looking at big countries)

Could be a fluke, but still seems really weird.

[Norgy]

It is a fluke, but there are a lot of female monarchs in countries. And a lot of dynasties die out very quickly.

I have a hypothesis; if you (and apparently the AI) have a good heir, the event where said heir becomes sick and you send for a medicus or pray, or in adulthood the heir goes on a hunt and "hunting accident" triggers, the number of potential heirs drop rapidly. These two random events trigger for me any time an heir has expensive education and intelligent or better traits.

The only time I have had the same dynasty into the 1600s is the Plantagenets of England. Who historically were among the first to croak.

Also, what is the use of winning the throne of France when a union never triggers? 

[crazy canuck]

Are you building hospitals and apothecaries in your capital asap? And do you select purchasing medicines in your plague options?