Issues with the Carpathian basin

[tamasSzentandrasi]

The current representation of 1444 Carpathian basin is heavily flawed, but it could be so much better with some adjustments. This area includes at the starting date Hungary and Transylvania. The map issues are fairly straightforward, the additional ideas would be better if you put them into consideration rather than straight up implementation.

There are three major concerns with the current map:

• Terrain
• Culture
• Fort placements In addition there are minor province border adjustments that should be there for accuracy.

Terrain

Mostly its alright, there are a few major and some minor mistakes, most of them stemming from the base game.

• Campeni province is a Coastline in Transylvania (should be Mountains/Highlands)
• The provinces of Hajdúság, Szabolcs, Szolnok, Békés, Jászság, Bács, Baja should be Steppe
• The provinces of Szerém, Becej, Csanád, Csongrád, Kalocsa should be Wetlands
• The provinces of Vas, Zala, Zilah, Torda should be Woods
• The provinces of Esztergom, Bihar, Alba and Lugoj should be Hills

Culture

The current culture map reflects a version that is closer to the 21st century cultural borders in some ways, before the turkish devastation of the area and the floods of refugees fleeing the turkish expansion. In many ways its extremely generous towards the minorities, which is simply ahistorical.

• Érsekújvár should be Hungarian
• Abaúj should be Hungarian
• Szatmár, Bihar, Zilah and Temes should be Hungarian
• Alba, Turda & Cluj should be Hungarian
• Resicabánya & Orsava should be Serbian
• Szlavónia and/or Vukovar should be Hungarian
• Ung and/or Beregszász should be Hungarian
• Arad should be Hungarian (maybe Zaránd, too)
• Sziget should be Transylvanian/Moldavian

Fort placements

The current forts are a bit messy and have little to no basis in historical accuracy SOURCE

• Pozsony should get a fort (Pressburg, Pozony castle)
• Zólyom should get a fort (historical)
• Szlavónia or Baranya should get a fort (Either Eszék or Pécs castle)
• Temes should get a fort (historical)
• both Alba and Cluj had a fort that was more important than Hunedoara, especially since that fort didn't get built until Matthias Corvinus (the second Hunyadi)
• remove the fort in Máramaros (ahistorical)
• remove the fort in Hont (ahistorical)

In addition, there are a couple of minor border adjustments that would make sense:

• Pest was just a merchant town, real importance was on the other bank of the Danube, Buda, which was the capital and had the fort and much bigger importance than the latter. Additionally, Pest was a german settlement. (maybe split it?, or just take out a chunk from Fejér and move the settlement position a bit west)
• Szlavónia-Baranya border should follow the river, the current borders follow the 20th century borders.

Localization suggestions:

Province Capitals:

• Érsekújvár: from Nové Zámky to Érsekújvár
• Hont: from Nové Zámky to Levice/Léva
• Abaúj: from Košice to Kassa
• Zemplén: from Kassa to Humenné
• Beregszász: from Berehovo to Beregszász
• Zilah: from Zalau to Zilah
• Gyor: from Gyor to Györ
• Szerém: from Sombor to Újvidék
• Becej: from Beckerek to Nagykikinda
• Temes: from Timisoara to Temesvár
• Zaránd: from Zaránd to Borosjenö
• Bihar: from Oradea to Nagyvárad
• Mures: from Targu Mures to Marosvásárhely
• Oduorhel: from Oduorhel to Udvarhely

Province Names:

• Becej to Torontál

Additional ideas worth considering:

Transylvania:

• Transylvanian capital was historically the province of Alba, especially prior to the Hunyadis
• Transylvania wasn't a Personal Union under Hungary, either should be fully part of Hungary, or a vassal (vassal would be more accurate, considering the Voievodes of Transylvania -> Janos Hunyadi was that, could be made ruler of that vassal, it would be the most historically accurate representation)
• Transylvania had primary culture Hungarian, was ruled by Hungarian nobility until it became part of Romania after WWI.

Hungarian Ideas

The Hungarian idea groups could also get a rework, as many of them don't have any basis for being there. It's understandable why paradox didn't manage to get a great roster for these ideas, since the Kingdom itself seized to exist a mere 100 years into their game, but it could be made less nonsensical.

• Renessaince Prince is ahistorical and based on folk tales about Matthias Corvinus, should be replaced, as in reality, he raised taxes and was the cause of a giant peasant rebellion (which makes the unrest modifier even funnier)
• The Black Army was a mercenary army financed by those taxes, so it either should be mercenary discipline, and/or force limit modifier
• Bulwark of Christianity should be a fort defense & recover army morale speed modifier (the latter could be taken out from the starting tradition)
• Reformed Coinage, Curtail the Freedom of Peasantry, Strengthen the Towns and especially the Estates General are filler, nonsensical, might be worth replacing.

What might work:

• Starting traditions: Cavalry combat ability +20%, Max promoted cultures +1
• Hungarian Renaissance: Institution cost reduction and/or Constuction cost reduction and/or Advisor cost reduction (idea cost wouldn't fit, neither would institution spread)
• Bullwark of Christianity: Fort Defense modifier and/or Fort Maintenance reduction
• Found the Black Army: Mercenary Discipline and/or Force limit modifier
• Riches of Upper Hungary: Goods Produced modifier and/or Production efficiency modifier
• Spirit of Freedom: Significant increase in liberty desire (Hungarian liberty desire as an underling, would help simulate the Hungarian rebellions against the Habsburgs - Thököly, Rákóczi...)
• +3 out of the four filler ideas
• Ambitions: Aggressive Expansion reduction (Balkans)

[Narediel]

Thanks a lot for the suggestion/contribution. I will implement most of it if not all (I will have to double check everything/confirm research etc). Also thanks for the unintended bug report lmfao I don't know what's up with that coastline in Transylvania.

[Narediel]

Just implemented the majority of it. Save for a couple provinces I couldn't find info on or contradicting info. I didn't finish the NIs either because that requires a lot of research for each idea, altho I changed where I could. Thanks again .

[tamasSzentandrasi]

@Narediel Thanks! I just checked out the changes, and they're making the area already a lot better to play in.

Did you mean to change Hont to Hungarian instead of Érsekújvár (3433, NoveZamky)? The status of Transylvania as a vassal of Hungary, with János Hunyadi as its ruler would get rid of the Austrians inheriting/integrating it before Hungary and eating Wallachia every single game :/ (instead of Personal Union)

[Narediel]

I may have. I will double check.

Also the Transylvania thing was temporary to begin with, until I made proper events changing the ruler etc to go with the Diet of 1445 and other Hunyadi events. For simplicity and not having insane stuff like different ages Ladislaus in previous EU4 versions, I made them a personal union till then

[tamasSzentandrasi]

Also, one more thing I noticed, The Transylvanian Saxon provinces (Saksesch) should be catholic, not orthodox. (wiki link)

Thanks for the changes, amazing stuff 👍