EUROPA UNIVERSALIS IV: MOD ROUNDUP
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Paradox Entertainment released Europa Universalis IV last year, so it consequently suffers from a smaller mod selection as compared to Crusader Kings 2. Still, a great deal of work is out there, and a bigger map – EU4 expands from CK2’s Europe to the entire planet – breeds bigger ambitions. Two of these mods grew to such size and popularity that they have their own subforums on the official Paradox message board: MEIOU and Taxes and Veritas et Fortitudo. There are, of course, other mods worth playing, such as Occultis Orbis Terrestre and various smaller alterations.
MEIOU AND TAXES
MEIOU and Taxes is an Europa Universalis IV total conversion created to enhance its experience. 1 Overview 2 Features 3 M&T team 4 Gallery 5 External links This mod has been formed by the conversion and merger of two major EUIII mods: MEIOU, and Death & Taxes. It adds over a thousand new provinces and hundreds of new nations to conquer and tax. Almost every aspect of the game has been either. A subreddit for the epic full conversion mod, MEIOU and taxes. Containing 4000+ provinces to conquer and tax, as well as numerous new mechanics to flesh out your EU4 experience.
MEIOU and Taxes (hereafter M&T) is most expansive and popular EU4 mod. Its bizarre name is the result of combining the teams behind two EUIII megamods, MEIOU and Death & Taxes. The main M&T thread proudly boasts of its “970 new provinces and 450 new nations”, with a huge emphasis on historical accuracy. The end result of such a focus is this:
The above is a screenshot of the area around the modern Franco-German border, using M&T’s map. It’s a mess. Note the green splotches, for example – that’s a single province, composed of exclaves within and around several others. It, like the rest of the European map, conforms to feudal law and historical holdings, but makes little sense within the context of EU4. Contiguous provinces aren’t just more attractive, they’re necessary for the game to work properly.
Unfortunately, this ethos – one of slavish devotion to historical accuracy to the detriment of gameplay – is perpetuated throughout the mod. It chokes and lags a little just looking around on the “country select” screen. With all those new provinces, countries, mechanics – new everything – the M&T team put Paradox’s Clausewitz engine under heavy strain. The game is quite a bit slower than vanilla, and it’s almost impossible to remain stable enough for multiplayer to be a viable possibility.
To be fair, the M&T team, with their broad mandate of “add everything”, definitely improved areas neglected by Paradox. South and Central America, in particular, turned from boring backwaters into exciting starts for players, with plenty to do. Southeast Asia is greatly improved as well. Unfortunately, M&T has actually cut other vanilla gameplay elements – M&T players interested in a North American game have to download a separate submod for those natives to even be included. (Apparently, they’ve been removed from standard M&T for “performance reasons”.)
Changes for their own sake are rife. Someone appears to have run all the flags through a sepia-tone filter in Photoshop (presumably to remind you that this is a Historical Game and all these flags are Old). Is it really necessary for Australia and New Guinea to have triple or quadruple their normal number of provinces? For Albania to be five, instead of the singular province of vanilla EU4?
You have to admire the sheer amount of work they put in – particularly in areas that were underutilized by the vanilla game – but there is such a thing as going too far, or missing the forest for the trees. The existence of MEIOU and Taxes is a good thing, but it’s not really worth recommending, even if it did perform smoothly. More isn’t always better.
VERITAS ET FORTITUDO
Another common move for Paradox mods is to extend the timeline – make the game last longer, giving the player more time to construct the perfect empire. Veritas et Fortitudo (herafter VeF)’s main claim to fame – besides being “the overhaul mod that won’t choke your computer” – is a timeline extension of several hundred years, covering 1309 through to 1865. Included is dynamic province and country history for all those years, meaning you can play the American Civil War (as seen above).
It is actually kind of fun. It doesn’t have pretensions of total accuracy like MEIOU & Taxes, and the expanded history gives lots of new options for fun starts. It feels more stable than M&T, too. The map is clean, attractive and usable – it adds “only” 700 new provinces, as compared to MEIOU & Taxes’ nearly 1000. As with M&T, though, this provincial bloat means the game tends to stutter, even at slower speeds.
Its attempt to represent world history up to 1865 led to some interesting compromises – for instance, the province map of North America was reconfigured to represent modern US state borders, which looks decidedly out of place inhabited by, say, the Apaches in the 1400s. A side note: Veritas et Fortitudo shares M&T’s failure to represent native North Americans, with only a few tribes represented. South America and Southeast Asia are also poorly served, as in vanilla.
VeF falls into the same trap as M&T: making changes for the sake of making changes – the vanilla font, for instance, was replaced with a less-readable style for no apparent reason. All the flags were reworked as well, to no functional benefit. To be fair, purely aesthetic changes aren’t always a bad thing. As mentioned, what they’ve done with the map is reasonable, even lovely; compare the clearly-defined provinces in this VeF shot to the confusing mess of M&T:
The included alternate history scenario, “Glory of Byzantium”, is enjoyable, though it does seem to be infected by a bit of the Islamophobia and Byzantophilism common among amateur historians these days. Still, it’s a new scenario with new challenges.
Extending the timeline is generally a bad idea. The 1300s, for instance, are still heavily mired in feudalism and better represented by Crusader Kings II, while the EU4 model of proto-states becomes less and less realistic as the world approaches the French Revolution era, nationalism, and early industrialisation. Vanilla EU4 ends in 1820, and even that is probably too late. Expecting an engine to model the Hundred Years’ War and the American Civil War with any semblance of accuracy is, bluntly, a little crazy.
Looking at the Civil War also set off a few warning bells. The Civil War history of VeF appears to embrace fringe historical views – the United States is a “Republican Dictatorship”, while the Confederacy is represented as a “Constitutional Republic”. There are several references to State’s Rights but no mention of slavery. It makes the player wonder, suffice to say.
They’ve also awkwardly wedged a new “research” system, entirely distinct from usual technological progress, into the “National decisions” screen. Furthermore, why does EU4 need separate North German and South German techgroups? As with M&T, there are lots of components of Veritas et Fortitudo that are individually great, but there’s so much everything, good and bad, that the mod is weighed down. VeF is worth a look, but spending 550+ EU4 years in this system is a chore.
OCCULTUS ORBIS TERRESTRE
So: we have dispensed with the “overhaul” megamods. Let’s turn to something playful and genuine.
OOT posits a simple question: what if the legends were true? What if Atlantis was real, the Northwest Passage cut straight through Canada, and the mythical continent of Lemuria and kingdom of Prester John did exist? Why not throw in Thule, too? Well, Occultus Orbis Terrestre has all that, plus a giant Polynesian landmass and a lake in the middle of Australia. If a European cartographer doodled a dragon or a sea monster next to it, it’s here.
The new continents and their civilizations are surprisingly fleshed out, with their own cultures, religions, national ideas and more. It makes playing as one of the mythical civs – say, a Lemurian – a unique experience, and Atlantis serves as a sort of “final boss” for Europeans looking to colonize. All this new land imposes no significant performance penalty, either – the provinces are vanilla-EU4 sized, so the count isn’t huge.
The modder has further ambitions for OOT, including adding “that warm patch in Siberia, El Dorado, and probably some other stuff” – other stuff which may include R’lyeh. Fending off Cthulhu-worshipping zealots sounds like fun.
Some of the new nations, religions, and ideas are a bit unbalanced – check out the Anthropofagoi National Ideas for a taste of that. (+10% missionary chance is nuts.) There are a few other flaws, mostly with localization, but it’s generally a very positive experience. OOT certainly isn’t the third-most popular mod, not by a long shot, but it’s a genuinely fun experience, despite the balance issues. It’s built on the sort of freewheeling silliness (as opposed to tedium and pedantry) that the EU4 community could use more of.
OTHER MODS
EU4 modding really shines with the small projects – ones with defined goals. NeonDT put out a number of these, and they’re almost all solid – just do a CTRL+F for his name on this thread. Conquest of Australia, which adds Aboriginal Australian nations with native mechanics, and White Elephant (a Southeast Asian revamp) are both quite good. White Elephant is, however, on hiatus.
Extended Vanilla Experience changes, rebalances, removes, or replaces so many mechanics that its connection with vanilla EU4 is tenuous at best – but closer than the megamods. The many new sets of National Ideas are the most impressive parts of the mod, and they tend to be well-balanced and based on accurate research. Graphical Map Improvements (found here, on Steam Workshop) is also quite good. As shown above, this is a purely graphical overhaul to the vanilla map; it is tweaked to be sharper and cleaner. Being entirely cosmetic, it tends to cooperate with other mods.
It can be tiresome playing vanilla EU4 and fighting the same French/Austrian/Spanish blobs. Warring States is a clever little mod that does not alter mechanics but provides players with a brand new scenario, with major powers broken up and lots of fun new states to play as. (The header of this article is a screenshot of WS’ European setup.) This is a common trope in “alternate history” scenarios, like CK2’s Lux Invicta – some backstory is fine, but the main objective is to give players something new to do and make every start somewhat viable. In a similar vein is Europa Gooniversalis, a Goon-developed ‘balkanization’ mod with a focus on player choice and replayability. (Objectivity note: I am a developer for EG.)
Some mods focus on specific regions. Koro’s South American Nations, found here on Steam Workshop, replicates and expands on MEIOU & Taxes South American work but without adding a huge number of new provinces. There are many good words about Pax Sinica as well; it is developed by a pack of Sinophiles to make China and its environs fun to play. Their new map looks great, and the overhaul of the Faction system for China was sorely needed.
There’s a lot out there – a flavor of mod for any EU4 player – so enjoy!
You can find all these mods through the Master Mod List thread on the EU4forums.
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Ifyou've been at the Europa Universalis IV (EU IV) section of the ParadoxInteractive forums lately, you might have noticed a slight buzz over therelease of the much anticipated ?MEIOUand Taxes? mod helmed by ?gigau? and ?lukew?. This mod, which is acooperation between the heads of the MihiEst Imperare Orbi Universaso and Deathand Taxes mods respectively, is a comprehensive enrichment of the base EUIV game. Included in this free-to-download mod is a massive expansion on theoriginal map, hundreds of new nations to play, as well as overhauled mechanicsand the addition of new music.
Unlikeother mods which attempt to radically shift the atmosphere or gestalt of aparticular game, the gamplay of MEIOU andTaxes itself has not changed much from the unmodified EU IV game. Instead,this mod is focused on providing texture and immersion into the EU IVexperience. Perhaps the best example of how MEIOUand Taxes achieves this goal is by the richly enhanced map which is thelargest gem in the MEIOU and Taxescrown. Nearly a thousand new provinces have been added to the map with carefulattention to historical boundaries, naming, and production. These provinces arenot merely cut ups of the base game, but are completely thought out boundarieswith historical cities and regions demarcated as if they had been lifted from ahistorical atlas. The naming, as well, has been researched and, in many cases,debated by the modders as well as fans of the mod. This regular flow ofconversation and community input is one defining feature of many of these modshoused on the forums of Paradox Interactive as it draws and pools togethereducative talent in history, geography, and politics. These gentlemen are notyour Call of Duty crowd that's forsure. The result is a map which is wrought in the crucible of discussion withnaming conventions that follow the historical trends of any given region.
MEIOU and Taxes takesthis naming mechanic to a whole new level as it introduced a dynamic system forchanging province names. One is given a national decision to active ordeactivate a re-naming system which changes the province name depending on theculture of the province owner. Thus, Gharnata turns into Granada when theReconquista is completed. Some might consider this to be vanity, but I wouldargue that this necessary function helps player immersion by bringing theplayer into the drama of conquest. The spread of nations not only becomesterritorial, but also cultural. The fires of nationalism which were barelyignited in the Renaissance, and became a flame which spread through Europeafter the so called Enlightenment, become etched into the very map itself whichgives the player a real sense of the dynamic sandbox nature of the game.Admittedly, this feature has its drawbacks. Since there is no actual coding forthis operation, the modders had to make do with creating their own code on topof the notoriously overburdened Europa Universalis engine. This can cause agood deal of processing lag on machines. It's not so surprising since, afterall, EU IV is attempting to calculate the minutiae of an entire world in realtime.
Thisprocessor lag is a problem in general with the massive amounts of new provincesand nations present in the game as well. It's obvious that the developers of EUIV had not anticipated nearly a thousand extra provinces and hundreds of newnations making calculations every second when they coded the game. In a veryreal sense, MEIOU and Taxes ispushing the limits of the capabilities of this historical-world simulator. Thegood news for many individuals who were well aware of these limitations is thatthe venerable Clausewitz engine which powers the core of EU IV has made the mapa lot more stable. This means that many of these massive calculations may lagthe game, but crashes are relatively fewer than they were in previousincarnations of Europa Universalis which had not used the Clausewitz engine.Although there is little the modders can do to mitigate the engine load thatthe mod puts in, at the very least the dynamic naming tool can be permanentlyswitched off if the player wishes to rename his or her provinces manually.
Thisundertaking with the map is not merely a cosmetic change either, although theway in which the three dimensional graphics for the map were overhauled isimpressive in and of itself. It also means that new nations throughout thecourse of the game have been researched and finely tuned with their own set ofnational ideas. This massive undertaking truly brings to life the historicalperiods which the player has access to, and adds a sense of realism to thegameplay. The player speedily becomes acquainted with the native names of manyof these nations that he or she will choose to play. I found myself rathercharmed and enchanted by the synergy between the redrawn map and the nationsone can choose from. For example, Genoa at the start of the grand campaign hasmany small port cities along the Black Sea and Rimini is a small coastal strip.All of these details bring the player into a historical setting which takesitself seriously. This is a mod which lovers of historical accuracy will enjoythoroughly because let's face it: how many times have players found themselveswith games that oversimplify borders? How many times have players groaned withsome anxiety whenever they see the noble and proud factions of the Holy RomanEmpire lumped into three or four factions in Empire: Total War? Even the base game of EU IV necessarily doesthis. This is where MEIOU and Taxeshelps by adding much needed texture to an already excellent engine. Whetherit's the fun of playing an obscure, small nation in the different corners ofthe globe, or the heavy handed glory of one of the many massive empires fromChina to France, MEIOU and Taxesgives the player the choice of his throne. The Europa Universalis franchise hasalways prided itself on its depth of historical detail such as their fullyfleshed out Holy Roman Empire and the inclusion of minor nations from Livoniato Ceylon. MEIOU and Taxes expands onthis tradition in such a way that one should have almost expected from the basegame to begin with. As a bonus, MEIOU andTaxes not only provides the choice of where a player may begin hisadventure, but also when. MEIOU and Taxesextends the timeframe of the game nearly a century earlier to the heyday of the14th century, giving the player even more time to enjoy his sandboxexperience. This alone would have made this mod an easy download, but it isonly one of the many features included therein.
Althoughthe mod does not alter much of the gameplay, the way religion has been treatedin the mod has gotten the most attention so far. Written and organized by thelegendary ?dharper? of the Dei Gratiamod, this new overhaul adds the same level of refinement and distinction to themyriad religions as the map does for the politics of the game. Just asoversimplification on the map has been chipped away by the mosaic amalgamationof all of the nations and factions of the world during the EU IV timeframe, sodoes the religion portion of the mod separate the various religions into theirdistinct factions. Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, for example, are clearlymarked and each faction has its own different set of attributes and bonuses.Provinces not just have the same ?majority? religion mechanic that the basegame has had, but now also sport icons which display various minority groupsliving in the province which could have different effects on the province'srevolt risk, taxes, etc, depending on the size and ferocity of the minority.This added level of religious texture adds a level of nuance that is akin towatching one's favourite childhood movie in ?High Definition? for the firsttime.
Micromanagingthese religious elements is made through a clever set of events that triggerwhenever one works at converting a province. One conversion may not be enoughin any particular province depending on the size of the minorities involved,which demonstrates for the player the lengthy and often complicated process bywhich real national powers had to deal with their citizens of varyingreligions. Different events which are available depending on prerequisites(such as having a theologian adviser) add another level of interaction withthis new mechanic. Peaceful or forceful conversions, for example, can beenacted by the government and the choice is left up to the player.
Variousevents are well equipped to follow up on these decisions as well, and far flungareas can have an effect on your own national spotlight as religious wars orreligious conversions abroad may trickle down to your corner of the globe anddetermine your relations to distant areas. The Papacy has also been given atreatment by this mod. Various buffs are now available depending on the?sponsor? of the Pope, and events for General Councils make much more sense inthis mod. Overall, the treatment of religion in MEIOU and Taxes is of the same level of necessary nuance that helpsto immerse the player more totally into the destiny of his nation. It isanother triumph for the MEIOU and Taxesteam.
Religionis not the only mechanical aspect touched by this mod. New events, decisions,and overhauled buildings provide a new set of options for the player. There'ssomething quite encouraging about finding the national decisions screen filledto the brim with varying flavour and practical options. There is even a chainof decisions to bring a Tennis match to your capital so that when one has march'd their rackets to those balls, theycan, in France, by God's grace, play a set. The trade map has also beenreworked reflecting more accurate positions of historical trade nodes. Therehad been talk about making the positioning of these nodes dynamic, but that isonly a pipe dream for the mod team at this time. Combined with the addition ofnew music to the game, it is clear that MEIOUand Taxes is fulfilling its mission to provide the player not with a?different? EU IV experience, but a fuller one. Here is a mod that trulyexemplifies the spirit of the Europa Universalis franchise.
Thereare a few things about the mod which I am a bit displeased about. I believethat the mod should have fundamentally reworked the National Ideas, especially asI thought Paradox particularly botched up this mechanic in EU IV. As I hadwritten about before, I thought Paradox oversimplified their National Ideas andI had hoped MEIOU and Taxes wouldtake a stab at bringing this aspect of the game into the glory days of how itwas in MEIOU for Europa UniversalisIII. In other words: I was expecting a more richly adorned and nuanced set ofNational Ideas which didn't offer tiny bonuses but real and potentiallyworld-changing changes to a nation.
It'sclear, however, that the modders are determined to continually update the mod.From its release, the modders have time and time again reiterated that this isa work in progress, and although the mod itself is now live, there willcontinually be updates to add new features. Considering how well staffed thismod is, I consider it to be one of the most exciting downloads in the EU IVstable and easily one of the most thought out. If the quality of MEIOU and Death and Taxes for Europa Universalis III is any benchmark onwhere this mod will go, it's easy to see why this might be a mod which willforever vanquish any wish for the player to return to the base game.Considering that this is a fan-made mod which is free to download, there isabsolutely no reason for a fan of Europa Universalis IV to not give MEIOU and Taxes a spin.
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