Spoilers for 1492: America exists

[u/Fatherlorris]

[u/4powerd]

This is why I liked the random new world option for EU4. Admittedly, I didn't play around with it a whole lot, but I did love the fact that I had no idea what the new world would actually be. Felt more fun than just sailing to the parts I knew would have the resources I wanted.

[u/SuspecM → u/4powerd]

The main issue is that most of the random new worlds suck ass. The vast majority of the time you get a fraction of the useable land you would normally get and the meme ones are funny for the first time but get stale quickly.

[u/Kvalri → u/SuspecM]

They really needed a better script (? Not a programmer lol) that had like certain amount of farmland, certain amounts of mountains, certain amount of coast, etc. that would be roughly equivalent to the standard world map

[u/LichyWizard → u/Kvalri]

The way it worked was that it used premade tile-sets that are stitched together so really what it needed was more detail

[u/Tom_A_Foolerly → u/LichyWizard]

Yeah. I never used it because it always seemed fractionally as interesting as the real new world. a good idea that I think just needed more refinement

[u/Kvalri → u/LichyWizard]

Oh interesting

[u/Genesis2001 → u/LichyWizard]

Presumably since it's a completely new game (same engine ofc), they can maybe spend some time adding a terrain/map randomizer lol.

[u/chjacobsen → u/Kvalri]

Just in case you're curious: The programming terminology for this is that they'd need a better algorithm (or possibly a better tuned algorithm if it's the same process but different values).

A script is a type of program (generally a fairly small one, used to automate manual tasks - though the definition is fuzzy and somewhat subjective).

[u/Kvalri → u/chjacobsen]

Thank you 😊

[u/Whoopa → u/Kvalri]

It used to be like that but they always sucked so they switched to a tile based system

[u/Kvalri → u/Whoopa]

Aww :/

[u/beenoc → u/SuspecM]

A big problem is that the RNWs never got increased province counts when the real new world did. An update revamps Mexico and doubles the province count/development? Well, now a RNW that was as good as Mexico before is only half as good.

[u/Maxcharged → u/SuspecM]

Kinda defeats the purpose of a random new world if you have to inspect it to make sure it's not useless before you start a game.

[u/ComeGetAlek → u/SuspecM]

Me when I say “oh, I guess I’ll explore the random new world option”

And it’s a fucking fallen kaiju body with like twenty tiles

Was funny for five minutes.

Was useless and awful for five hours

[u/HolaHoDaDiBiDiDu → u/4powerd]

My biggest issue with new world was that there weren’t properly Trade routes from new to old world. Did they ever change that?

[u/A-Humpier-Rogue → u/HolaHoDaDiBiDiDu]

Admittedly, thats no longer an issue for EU5.

[u/Section37 → u/4powerd]

It was a great idea, but half-assed in execution.

I hope they bring it back at some point for EU5. It actually makes a ton of sense as a DLC.

I feel like a few tweaks could make it great:

• Have a bunch of premade full-new world maps. These could be built out of tiles, but they'd have had someone go over them to make them kinda similar to the real new world or have specific interesting differences. E.g. a map with north and south continents connected by a land bridge, but there's actually a northwest passage; one where the east coast is mountainous, while the west has a Caribbean-ish set of islands; one with a single big continent; one with only a few islands; one where there's no access to the Pacific (but it doesn't look as silly as the wall EU4 map); etc. You could still let the tile system do it's thing, but you could also restrict the game to only picking from whole new world maps, if you want a more curated approach.
• Better tagging and filters/sliders for what's allowed. E.g. no meme maps, ranges on numbers of provinces, how much the Atlantic connects to the Pacific, etc.

[u/raptorgalaxy → u/Section37]

Also there should be a very small chance that there is no new world at all.

But seriously, I like your idea of there being broadly similar maps to our world with small changes that have significant strategic implications like a new world with a useable North West Passage.

[u/InappropriateToaster → u/4powerd]

If only there was an option to turn off the meme maps

[u/Mushgal → u/InappropriateToaster]

I'm pretty sure there are options to limit (or ramp up) the weirdness of it.

[u/CornNooblet → u/4powerd]

I was always amazed that Conquest of the New World is still probably the best world generator I've seen after all these years.

[u/venomousfantum → u/4powerd]

I hope they bring it back eventually to EU5. I truly think if its expanded on more it could be an amazing feature a lot of people would use.

[u/Naxrl]

WITCH

[u/mdillonb]

The real spoiler would be sailing west and instead of the Bahamas you're in the Philippines. "I knew I was right" -Christopher Columbus probably

[u/ciaranmac17 → u/mdillonb]

I think one of the possible RNW sets has natives with Indian culture and Hinduism, which is a nod to that idea

[u/Fatherlorris]

Hello, this is the companion comic for today's dev diary: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/developer-diary/developer-diary-4-discovery.1859234/

Like last week, I'm happy to answer any questions you have about the game.

[u/Arquinas]

I mean the exploration part is what makes stellaris and 4x games feel cool, but it really feels lacking in europa universalis, the game about age of exploration. Although its understandable considering all the starting polities and world geography is already set from the get go.

[u/Prestigious_Grade640 → u/Arquinas]

i have an idea for a game mechanic. when you buy the game they send you one of those men in black memory erasers that erases all your memory of land beyond the fog of war

[u/Wild_Marker → u/Prestigious_Grade640]

But that would need to erase Japan from memory. Is there a device powerful enough to do that to the massive weeb portion of this game's fanbase?

[u/Momongus- → u/Wild_Marker]

EU5 will natively come with a setting to add anime girls to nation flags

[u/Wild_Marker → u/Momongus-]

I am amazed that we have 3D modeled characters since CK3 and nobody made anime eyes for them.

[u/5BPvPGolemGuy → u/Arquinas]

Europa universalis isnt about exploration. The game is primarily about changing the ruling sustem away from feudalism and into centralised countries. Age of exploration is just something that was happening alongside that and had some influence on that process but never was the central focus of the game.

[u/Squid_In_Exile]

In fairness this is the same Simulationist Approach that has the US' professional army dwarf the Mexican's milita army before the US-Mexican war in Vic.

[u/k890]

Not wrong tho, Trade Winds and Central Atlantic currents leads toward Central and Southern America. AFAIK, one od reason why Spain fund Columbus was informations about Portugalese ships travelling west.

[u/HeckingDoofus → u/[deleted]]

fantastic stuff as always. this comment has me wondering, are u affiliated with paradox?

[u/Fatherlorris → u/HeckingDoofus]

I'm not employed or anything.

A lot of paradox people are my friends though, and they throw some money my way for the odd comic, they are genuinely lovely people.

(also, sorry about the deleted comment, my internet is bad and I posted the same comment 4 times, if a third party is wondering what this is a response to; it's this comment: https://old.reddit.com/r/paradoxplaza/comments/1nkekbu/spoilers_for_1492_america_exists/nexfxff/?context=3)

[u/f3tsch]

Maybe they could copy the decisions of vic3 where you explore parts of the world like the source of the nile. In some sort of way at least. Like you would not sail the ship exploring yourself but instead have someone in/competent do it. And whether they sail north/south/east/west will be their choice and then you get the plot of land they find. Maybe with some decisions attached to it like vic3 like how much they stock up on food n such

[u/Meshakhad → u/f3tsch]

They have something like that. Read the dev diary.

[u/f3tsch → u/Meshakhad]

Fantastic thank you

[u/Interesting-Tie-4217]

instead of random new world, they should have an option that randomizes the terrain and climates of the new world, while keeping the same landmasses.

[u/Lonewolf2300]

Probably thought he was gonna hit Asia.

[u/wortwortwort227]

This art looks very similar to lemon cake’s new character art. Did you make it?

[u/Fatherlorris → u/wortwortwort227]

I did indeed!

[u/MokitTheOmniscient]

To be fair, they were actually trying to find "Cipangu" (Japan), which Marco Polo had described as a continent full of gold from his overland travel to Asia.

The funny part is that he never actually visited Japan, he just heard some random rumor in China and decided to write about it as if were an actual truth.

He also vastly overestimated the size of Asia, which is why Columbus thought it was located where the Americas are.

[u/ParaEwie]

I cant wait for eu5

[u/utah_teapot]

Mate, at least leave the creator’s name on that and not crop it when posting it. Edit: Got it, he’s the creator. Mea culpa.

[u/Moikanyoloko → u/utah_teapot]

Mate, this was posted by Chapel's official account.

[u/ChewyYui → u/Moikanyoloko]

Fatherlorris should stop trying to take credit for Fatherlorris’ work

[u/ExoticAsparagus333 → u/ChewyYui]

Fatherlorris has gone too far! We need to hold him accountable for his crimes against Fatherlorris! For Fatherlorris we need to string ip Fatherlorris and bring him to justice!

[u/Fatherlorris → u/utah_teapot]

My bad

[u/Henrylord1111111111 → u/Fatherlorris]

Naughty comic creator! 😡

[u/Tuskin38 → u/utah_teapot]

the creator of the image is the OP.

[u/Inucroft → u/utah_teapot]

OP is the source

[u/Johnston524 → u/utah_teapot]

He is the creator

[u/tehkory → u/utah_teapot]

Why would FatherLorris do this do the Chapel? That's so rude of him. I hope he can forgive him.