EU4 Victorum Universalis BC Server Update for August

Now that it’s the middle of August, we are ready to launch the next Europa Universalis IV multiplayer campaign. As always, this multiplayer experience uses the BC Server Mod, which is in turn a sub-mod of the large conversion mod called Victorum Universalis (VU). BC Server is a suite of tools for moderators to create a semi-realistic run through history using the 1215AD start in VU. Recently, the developers for VU have decided to make some significant map updates, which in turn meant we had to make updates on our end in order to compensate for the differences.

Below is a list of the major changes to the BC Server Mod. This is on top of the enhancements to the VU mod which are not captured in our updates.

Crusade Update

The latest update to VU has created inconsistencies with the 1215AD map. One of the biggest ones was the removal of Toulouse. While it was technically innacurate before, the AI managed to handle it in a semi-accurate way with France invading the Languedoc area within the first decade of the game. However, the new change gave all of this territory to a dominion called Narbonne. In reading through the code, I determined this was likely done to represent the capitulation to Simon de Montfort. However, Raymond of Toulouse was not dead, and his house would successfully launch a counter attack within the next decade causing a reversal of this territory. None of this is captured in the current map state. As a result, we have completely re-worked this area to make it follow the timelines of real history, including the ongoing expulsion of the Cathars which was only done following an inquisition formulated in this area.

In addition to this, the Crusade mechanic has been slightly re-worked. It is now possible for large Catholic powers to go on a crusade without some of the limitations set in the vanilla 1444 start. This only exists until the Black Death event, and then the Papal Controller can only call limited crusades, the type available to in the vanilla game. This mechanic will likely need some tweaks to entice the AI to use it, and it will be actively monitored during the upcoming multiplayer game to see how it handles the change. If it works well, the mechanic will probably be expanded to include dynasty wars as well, such as the Anjou invasion of Sicily, which won’t happen right now because the logistics of such a campaign are next to impossible.

The Burgundian Succession

The VU team has decided to change the way Burgundy works in the early game. However, the mechanics are half baked and not yet ready for use by a human player. In preparation for this eventual update, the team added a new tag called French Burgundy. Since we know it is temporary, we have coded a small update to fix some of the most egregious errors while we wait for the VU team to do their updates. These include giving the correct provinces to Burgundy, using a secondary Burgundian tag for the territory of Burgundy-Arles, with a future event that merges the various Burgundian lands under a succession event following the same scenario where the real life Burgundian duke, Philip I, caused the 1444AD Burgundy to form.

Mythical Locations

By popular demand, we have added in code to support mythical locations! This is a scholarly event, meaning you get it when your ruler is smart enough to understand the academia behind the events. These events start a chain that allows you to trace the real-world path scholars took in searching for mythical locations such as the fountain of youth. These were real initiatives that drove some of the exploratory activities. Right now there is only one event chain that acts as a pilot, but more can be added if there are other events you would like to see in-game.

Major Disasters

We have added multiple historical disasters to the game. Some of these are quite significant and will completely change the way you play the game. Others are less impactful, but will alert the rest of the world who may think the disaster was greater than it actually was. While it’s hard to reveal a list of all the changes, the majority of weather events are now in the game as well as famine and plague events.

Additional Minor Updates

The following minor updates were also included to account for some changes to the VU files:

• Timurid and Tunisian ideas were modified to conform to the new VU direction.
• Minor cosmetic changes made to the Angevin trade lane to limit conflicts with other trade lines on the map.
• Added Limousin claims to the English. These would have existed since they were freshly lost territory in the last war John fought (and lost) against France.
• Added the Cathar diaspora to Aragon
• Removed the changes to the Wales formation events. These were all modified by VU and are no longer relevant to maintain separately.
• Re-added the code that deletes the Irish Unification events. The VU code causes crashes and messed up tags and had to be re-applied.
• Fixed an issue where the Two Sicilies forms too early. This should only occur if the ONE Sicily is not in existence, or it’s capital has moved off Sicily. Right now it fires the capital is set to Palermo.
• Reduced the impact of the rebels from the Baron’s War.
• John of England has been given the cruel and sinner personalities, as well as a reduction of his military stats.
• Added the Baron’s Court event if the king oversteps his boundaries with his subjects.
• Updated English mission tree to reflect the latest changes in the VU mission tree.