Development | Administration EU IV Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

Technological development in EUIV may seem complicated, at first, but after you give it a closer scrutiny, it will turn out to be quite simple. First of all, Monarch Power points are the most important again. The MP points determine when you can develop. There are three basic technology trees - administrative, diplomatic and military. You develop each one of the trees by spending the corresponding MP points. The base cost to improve a technology is 60 MP but, it is modified by your neighbors, ideas and the current year. The more ahead of your times with a technology you are, the more expensive the next levels. Still, if your neighbor's technological advancement, for a technology, is higher, you will receive a discount of 5% for each level higher. Sometimes, it is worth it to lag behind n purpose. E.g. if you want to develop and idea that makes it possible to colonize, or if you want to perform westernization and take advantages of the discounts to make up for your losses. Still, these are single exceptions from the rule.

As you progress for higher levels, you will unlock further ideas, buildings and improvements. You will unlock detailed information about what will get improved , if you hover your pointer over the appropriate icons to the right of the technology tab. Additionally, these are indicated by the elements highlighted I the screenshot. The highlighted type will be improved with each next level.

Ideas

Apart from the development of technological levels, Monarch Power can be spent also to develop ideas. Ideas are specific permanent bonuses of a given kind. These are mighty tools which it is good to account for in your plans at the beginning. There re , in total, 15 idea groups, 5 of each kind (i.e. administrative, diplomatic and military), and each of them uses up the corresponding MP points. You can select new ideas after you reach the following levels of administrative technology- 4, 7, 10, 14, 17, 22, 26, 29. So, as you can see, it will never be possible to acquire all of the ideas. Which groups you select, should be the result of the of your general strategy, e.g. if you are planning to establish a colonial empire, the "Exploration" group is mandatory for you. This will provide you with access to conquistadors and explorers.

While choosing ideas, you should turn your attention to where you need the most points. The base cost of unlocking an idea is 400MO of the corresponding type. Make sure that you can spend them on the idea and you are not going to need them elsewhere. Administrative ideas, for example, use up the administrative points. But you also need them to unlock higher technology levels, core provinces and regain stability. If the last one are a commonalty that you face every day, taking up additional administrative expenditures makes no sense, and it will be better to take the military or diplomatic group.

Ideas are unlocked one after another from left to right, you e.g. cannot select the third and leave out the first two. After you unlock the whole group, you will receive a special bonus. Additionally, each idea is connected with a random event that occurs every five years.

Administrative:

Innovative

Patron of the Arts: Annual Prestige Decay drops from -5 to -2%

Pragmatism: Mercenary cost-25%

Scientific Revolution: technology cost -5%

Knowledge Transfer: Army and Navy Tradition Decay drops to-2%

Organized Recruitment: Regiment Recruitment Time -10%

Optimism: Monthly War Exhaustion -0.05

Formalized Officer Corps: Leaders without upkeep.

Bonus: Advisor Costs -25%

Religion

Unam Sanctum: Permanent Casus Belli Against All Other Religious Groups

Missionary Schools: +1 Missionaries

Church Attendance Duty: Stability Cost -25%

Divine Supremacy: Missionary Strength +3%

Devoutness: +1 Tolerance of the True faith

Religious Tradition: +1 Prestige per year

Ecumenism: +2 Tolerance of Heretics.

Bonus: Better Relations Over Time +100%

Espionage

Privateers: +33% embargo efficiency

Vetting: +25% protection against espionage (e.g. fabricating of claims by the other countries , or their support of rebels in the country)

Rumourmongering: allows you to sabotage the reputation of a foreign country among their neighbors and enemies. Especially useful for entering coalitions against weaker countries.

Efficient Spies: +25% effectiveness of covert actions, additional diplomat.

Shady Recruitment: 33% less penalty for being discovered.

Destabilizing Efforts: Adds a covert action- Sow Discontent, that increases the risk of rebellion by 1 and increases the cost of stability by 50%.

Espionage: Adds a covert action - Infiltrate Administration, which temporarily covers the fog of war from another country.

Bonus: +50% do to rebel support efficiency in a foreign country.

Economic

Bureaucracy: +10% National Global Tax Modifier

Organized Construction: Build Cost -20%

National Bank: Yearly Inflation Reduction -0,10

Debt and Loans: Interest per annum -1

Centralization: Possible Advisors +1

National Enthusiasm: Military Maintenance Modifier -10%

Smithian Economics: Production Efficiency +20%

Bonus: May reduce inflation by 1% for 200 AMP, if higher than 3%.

 

Administrative

Organized Mercenary Payments: Mercenary Cost -25%

Benefits for Mercenaries: Mercenary Maintenance -33%

Mercenary Recruitment: Available Mercenaries +50%

Bookkeeping: Interest per annum -1

Administrative Efficiency: you can select from among four advisors instead of three.

Resilient State: National Spy Defense +25%

War Cabinet: Cost of Reducing War Exhaustion -33%

Bonus: Production Efficiency +20%

Diplomatic:

Diplomatic

Foreign Embassies: Additional Diplomat

Claims Fabrication: Time to Fabricate Claims -50%

Cabinet: +3 Diplomatic Relations

Adaptability: Core Creation Cost -25%

Revolution & Counter Revolution: Permanent Casus Belli against other Government Types.

Diplomatic Influence: +3 Diplomatic Reputation

Flexible Negotiations: Unjustified Demands Cost -33%

Bonus: Lowered impact of Diplomatic actions on Stability, e.g. penalty to stability for attacking a country without Casus Belli.

Trade

Shrewd Commerce Practices: +10 Global Trade Power

Free Trade: Additional Merchant

Merchant Adventures: +25% Trade Range

National Trade Policy: +10% Trade Efficiency

Overseas Merchants: Additional Merchant

Trade Manipulation: +25% Trade Steering Income

Fast Negotiations: +10% National Trade Income

Bonus: Additional Merchant

Exploration

Colonial Ventures: Additional Colonist

Quest for the New World: allows you to recruit explorers and conquistadors. Absolutely necessary if you want to join the race for America colonization

Overseas Exploration: Colonial Range +50%

Land of Opportunity: +33% Global Settler Increase in Colonies.

Viceroys: +33% Global Tariffs

Free Colonies: Additional Colonist

Global Empire: Overseas Income +10%

Bonus: Permanent Casus Belli against Heathens.

Naval

Superior Seamanship: Morale of Navies +1

Naval Glory: Prestige from Naval Battles +100%

Grand Navy: Naval Force Limits +100%

Seahawks: Yearly Naval Tradition +1

Excellent Shipwrights: Leader Maneuver +2

Naval Fighting Instruction: Port Blockade Efficiency +50%

Press Gangs: Ship Costs -33%

Bonus: Ships can repair in coastal sea zones.

Expansion

Additional Colonists: Additional Colonist

Additional Merchants: Additional Merchant

Faster Colonists: Colonial Travel Time -33%

Additional Diplomats: Diplomatic Relations +2

Improved Shipyards: Ship Construction Time -10%

Experienced Diplomats: Diplomatic Reputation +3

Competitive Merchants: Global Trade Power +20%

Bonus: Permanent Casus Belli against Indian, Chinese and Nomad technological group countries.

Military:

Aristocracy (unavailable for republics, except from Noble)

Noble Knights: Cavalry Cost -33%

Local Nobility: +100% Hostile Cost-Core Creation.

Serfdom: +25% Manpower

Noble Officers: +1 Shock for all commanders

International Nobility: Additional Diplomat

Noble Resilience: -20% Cost of Reducing War Exhaustion.

Military Traditions: -10% Military Technology Cost.

Bonus: Cavalry Combat Ability +10%

Plutocracy (only for republics, except for the Noble)

Tradition Of Payment: Possible Mercenaries +50%

Abolished Serfdom: Land Morale +0,25

Bill Of Rights: Global Revolt Risk -1

Free Merchants: Additional Merchant

Free Subjects: Production Efficiency +20%

Humanist Tolerance: Tolerance of Heathens +2

Emancipation: Manpower Recovery Speed +20%

Bonus: Technology Cost -10%

Offensive

Bayonet Leaders: +1 Shock for all commanders

National Conscripts: +25% Manpower

Superior Firepower: +1 Fire for all commanders

Glorious Arms: Prestige From Land Battles +100%

Improved Maneuver: Land Leader Maneuver +1

Grand Army: Land Force Limits +25%

Esprit de Corps: Discipline +10

Bonus: Allows the issuance of the Forced March order. Land forces move faster by 150% at the price of 2 Military Monarch Power per each 2 provinces moved.

Defensive

Battlefield Commissions: +1 Yearly Army Tradition

Military Drill: +0.50 morale

Engineer Corps: +1 Leader Siege.

Regimental System: -10% Land Maintenance Costs

Defensive Mentality: +33% Fort Defense

Supply Trains: +33% Reinforce Speed

Improved Foraging: Land Attrition -50%

Bonus: Attrition for Enemies +1

Quality

Private to Marshal: +10% Infantry Combat Ability

Quality Education: +5% Army Morale Recovery Speed.

Finest of Horses: +10% Cavalry Combat Ability.

Oak Forests for Ships: +10% Heavy Ship Combat Ability.

Naval Drill: +5% Navy Morale Recovery Speed

Merchant Marine: +10% Light Ship Combat Ability

Massed Battery: +10% Artillery Combat Ability.

Bonus: +15% Discipline

Quantity

Benefits for Horseowners: Cavalry Cost -10%

The Young Can Serve: Manpower Recovery +20%

Enforced Service: Infantry Cost -10%

The Old and Infirm: Land Maintenance Modifier -10%

Ship's Penny: Ship Cost -10%

Standardized Artillery: Artillery Cost -10%

Levée en Masse: National Manpower Modifier +50%

Bonus: Land Force Limit +33%

National ideas

An additional element is the special national ideas, which are different for each country. First of all, each country will have access to two special bonuses of own tradition that it starts the game with and which do not need to be unlocked. E.g. France receives a bonus to diplomatic relations, and Portugal to trade. Secondly, there is a special set of seven ideas that unlock automatically, from left to right, per each three ideas purchased in a normal way. These do not necessarily have to be any specific ideas, not necessarily from the same group. Simple calculations prove that, in order to unlock the national idea fully, you need to buy 21 ideas. With full unlocking of the group, you also receive a special bonus, different for each country.

The national ideas correspond to the historical conditioning of a given nation. And so, in the case of Poland, it is going to be +33% to cavalry strength, due to the Hussars, for Spain, it is going to be a 10% improvement of the fleet, due to the Spanish Armada. As you can see, numbers are high so, it would be good if you learned about your ideas and take full advantage of the bonuses that you receive for them.