... All people have to do to get your attention is make a well-written quest based on Third Odyssey with dozens of players and many consistently good updates?
Y'all have high standards.
Elysian Dream (Byzantium in the New World) (EU4 Quest)
... All people have to do to get your attention is make a well-written quest based on Third Odyssey with dozens of players and many consistently good updates?
Y'all have high standards.
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Location
- Florida
Well, none of us really go on SV, so we only learned about this quest when it was linked to our Discord server.... All people have to do to get your attention is make a well-written quest based on Third Odyssey with dozens of players and many consistently good updates?
Y'all have high standards.
With that out of the way, I'm up to about 1500 so far, and I have to say I really like what I see. A couple things that sound like good ideas to include in the mod, and I really just have, aside from that, a few irrelevant comments in no particular order:
-Native tech is increased in this quest, which is good; it's something I'd like to see in the actual mod, but EU4's system itself kinda defeats us there unless we want to overhaul tech levels (which is possible, mind you).
-Belisarius died before he could go do Sparta. I think Sparta is a silly idea, but its existence is mandated from on high, so I'm not going to screech autistically about killing off Belisarius/Leonidas.
-The Albanians also aren't a thing. To be honest, I'm not too bummed about their lack of inclusion either - it's another thing mandated from on high and my job is just to make sure their arrival doesn't break the suspension of disbelief too badly.
-I'm not sure if this ever actually got implemented in the mod, but Creta Minor's leader is meant to be Loukas Notaras instead of this rando Thomas Whatshisface. We have a whole storyline planned out for Creta Minor and everything, it just never got implemented yet due to its very low priority.
On the whole, I really like this quest and any problems I have with it so far are minor quibbles at best (and occasionally clashing headcanon).
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inb4 I get reamed out for not being faithful to the source material. Wonder how they heard about it.
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- Location
- Florida
Nope! I actually like most of the changes. Sparta was utterly ludicrous, so I'm not really bummed that Belisarius got deleted.
Also, this is gonna sound really noobish, but how do I start private conversations?
trooperist
Cinnamon Roll AI
Click on someone's profile name and then click 'Start a Conversation".
- Location
- Florida
Scurek said he'll try and get the update out over this weekend, so... silver lining?
Aside from that, I finally caught up with the quest. To be honest, I'm not really too comfortable with either of the dominant plans for one reason: we expand northward instead of further south.
Hear me out here: the Spaniards and Portuguese are getting dangerously close to having a foothold on the continent (and the Spaniards already have one), as opposed to island strongholds in the Carribean/Kyklades. That Vinland might grab Maine is of very little importance in my mind, and I think that our efforts should instead be focused on A) colonizing the last few empty provinces in Florida (called Anthiros here iirc) to prevent Castille or Portugal gaining a(ny further) foothold(s) literally on our doorstep, and B) sending a punitive expedition toward the Yamasee and Hitchiti to bolster our military's prestige and reputation after our attack on the Huron and Pequot decreased it somewhat (and, also, to prevent bordergore from any further Floridian colonization).
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You didn't say how you heard about it, though. I've got to admit I'm curious.
Also the Yamasee are your allies.
- Location
- Florida
It was posted completely randomly in the discord's channels, and I wasn't too interested at first, but then I saw, in the thumbnail, "Elysian Dream (Byzantium in the New World) (EU4 Quest) The year is 1444. The last hope of the Romans has been crushed..." and I squinted at the screen and I was like "Hey, wait a minute..." so I checked it out and I see literally the image from the loading screen plastered all over the first page and I was like "Hey, wait a minute!"
Oh.
HanEmpire
Delicious
They're not major concerns right now. Portugal declared bankruptcy a while ago, and the French crushed the Castilians. The English are our major immediate threat so taking their closest colonial provinces is priority.
Plus we'll be taking Spanish Texas real soon.
trooperist
Cinnamon Roll AI
The winning plan had us declare war on Castile. So I guess we'll be taking their Caribbean and Mexico colonies.
We can probably do the same to Portugal next turn since it seems to be a time of 'everyone beat up the Iberians' over in Europe.
It would be nice to have a monopoly on all that sugar and coffee. And to take away all of their nice funding. Well not a complete monopoly since I know France and England are setting up in South America. And Castile also has a much more extensive colony in Argentina.
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Wait, we have a Discord? :O
- Location
- UK
Yeah, the Third Odyssey mod has a discord here: Discord - Free voice and text chat for gamers
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Location
- UK
@Sayle If you check the Third Odyssey discord channel and the mod page on Steam, you'll see that it's just been updated. You can also download the mod directly if Steam isn't working.
Edit: To everyone else, hopefully this means that the quest will be able to continue, or at least a version of it.
Edit: To everyone else, hopefully this means that the quest will be able to continue, or at least a version of it.
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Skywalker_T-65
Writer with too many ideas.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- Plural/They/He/Her
The problem wouldn't be the mod.
The problem would be that Paradox updated the game and, as is tradition with EUIV, proceeded to break every save. I know it broke my latest (non-Third Odyssey) Byzzie run. Saves are busted. Probably the same situation here.
And that's much harder to fix than waiting for a mod update, when PDox hasn't put the most recent previous version up as a beta path.
The problem would be that Paradox updated the game and, as is tradition with EUIV, proceeded to break every save. I know it broke my latest (non-Third Odyssey) Byzzie run. Saves are busted. Probably the same situation here.
And that's much harder to fix than waiting for a mod update, when PDox hasn't put the most recent previous version up as a beta path.
- Location
- UK
Hmm. I don't think the update broke every save per se, just those with mods. Was your latest byz run using any mods at all? At any rate, I've been able to load up unmodded saves from 1.28.2 in 1.28.3 without too many problems, although I might just not have played for long enough to encounter any game-breaking bugs.
- Location
- The United States
Would it be possible to run the game on an older version? I am almost certain I remember having heard about some sort of tool which would allow you to do that.
- Location
- UK
Unfortunately Paradox disabled the beta which previously had allowed people to roll back to 1.28.2. While it would still be possible to roll back to 1.27 or another, earlier patch, that still wouldn't allow the save to be continued.
At any rate, even if the save can't be salvaged by playing with the new update of the mod (which I doubt, based on my own experimentation), the QM will still be able to start a new playthrough. Alternatively, they could try to simulate what's happened so far in a fresh save, and continue it from it from there. That wouldn't be perfect of course, but it would be better than giving up altogether.
Or, as I suggested before, QM could manually patch the game then run it without Steam, staying on 1.28.2.
The Shoulders of Giants: 1570
In 1566, the position of the Castilian finances was untenable. While historians can point to the systemic weaknesses of the Iberian states, these have often been exaggerated by those wishing to present a neat and tidy explanation for what can only be described as the total collapse of Castile in the span of only a few decades. However there were a number of factors completely outside the control of King John III, and despite being on the victorious side in the War of the Protestant League from 1561-1568 (Castile was forced to leave the war in 1566) the lack of willpower in the Habsburg Emperor to press a campaign against the Kingdom of France resulted the de Valois keeping control the land surrounding Toledo that they had extracted from John III in the war. Instead of the reversal that was hoped for (and even expected) where the French would be driven back through the Pyrenees, the situation had become even more dire.
Here there remained one hope for Castile to remain independent of de facto vassalage to France. John III re-established the traditional alliance with the Kingdom of Portugal, a move of desperation that was nonetheless in the interests of both Castile and Philipe of Portugal, a man who only years before John had described as a 'base usurper of the royal house'. In exchange for an agreement pledging the total resources of both Kingdoms against any person who would assault their territory Castile returned the Algarve to Portugal, which it had taken from Morocco a decade prior. This seemed to soothe the bad blood between the two monarchs, and by all indications from then on they were wholly united in purpose. This would be sorely tested by the declaration of war from the Elysian Empire a year later.
The logic behind such a move by the exiled Greeks was plainly obvious: the Castilian fleet had been smashed to timbers by the French in the opening months of the War of the Protestant League. The humiliating loss of much of the declared paradise of New Castile to an Elysian tribe had been profoundly embarrassing and a signal of local weakness. By a look at any map such a contest should been decided from the start, yet the common perception in Europe (and one borne out by the Elysian imperial census) was that the Empire of the Hellenes was a paper tiger, one incapable of posing any real threat. Despite her colossal size on even maps of the time, the majority of her claimed territory was utterly unclaimed wilderness, broken up only by roads and local settlements. Her influence and wealth was entirely predicated on the scarcity of her trade - a trade that Castile had been interfering with by colonizing the Cycladian Sea.
Faced with the prospect of losing her colonies and the influx of coffee and sugar that was staving off complete financial ruin, Castile called on Portugal to honor the alliance between them and dispatched a fleet of over twenty heavy carracks to Lisbon. There they rendezvoused with the Portuguese fleet, one of equal size (itself an indicator of how far Castile had suffered), and set off together with the goal of making port in the Castilian West Indies to prepare a counter attack. Castile's luck had no changed, however, and it was not without sympathy that the monarchs of Europe called John de Trastamara 'the Unlucky'. First had been in the invasion of France through the mountains, one that he had been unable to repel. Then against all expectation Francois de Valois thoroughly obliterated the combined armies of Aragon and Austria in the battle of Avignon, ensuring a continued French ascendancy in the halls of European power. Thirdly, instead of the strategically sensible choice of marching the French army into the Austrian Netherlands (which would become a thorn in Francois' side for the remainder of the war), the French monarch instead marched through the Pyrennes and extracted even more of Castile's heartland in exchange for peace after a brutal summer campaign.
The Atlantic storm that whipped up from the ocean waves was an Act of God that was merely the crowning disaster of a reign of disasters. Of a fleet that would have been able to contend on equal footing with the untested Greek navy, only a ragged dozen limped into harbor at Porto Rico two weeks overdue. The damage was severe, with one account written by the captain of the Santa Maria stating that 'her timbers breathed with every wave, and oft there would be a great crack and the ship would shudder in the grip of that storm - for many hours it seemed the ship would burst at her sides and throw up all into the sea. When the skies cleared and at last we made landfall I took a rowboat down and about the sides of the ship, and there were great rents torn in her planking where a rib had shattered and a long crack along her waterline that breathed out water when she rose high on the wave. I and all those with me made the sign of a cross at such a sight, for surely it was only by the hand of Santa Maria herself that her namesake survived such terrible wreck.'
After such a journey, little of the fleet was battle ready. As months passed and Dominica fell to Elysian bombardment and the newly formed Kykladian tagma, the need to sail out and extract a victory became increasingly apparent. However, of the fleet only ten had been repaired sufficient to survive the open sea, and so the combined Iberian fleet were outnumbered nearly two to one by the combined Elysian and Cycladian vessels. After some days patrolling the area and making probing passes at the occupied settlements of Dominica, the Elysian fleet responded and attempted to trap the Iberians in a pincer movement. The Battle of Hireia commenced in the early morning of June 6th, 1568. The Iberian vessels were already damaged, but were larger and mounted more cannon. Despite the superior manoeuvrability of the Elysian carracks their commander, Artavastos Doukas, struggled to utilize them effectively. The continued efforts of the Elysian fleet to establish broadsides with the Iberians led to a predictable movement which Francisco de Velasco on the Santa Maria exploited to focus his efforts on one element of the Elysian formation, keeping his ships in column but manoeuvring with the wind and wave to maintain his distance. Raking fire inflicted such damage on the Minos that it sank in minutes with the loss of all hands. Another ship, the Basileisa Zoe, exploded when the magazine was hit by a red-hot cannonball.
Here the Greeks were saved from greater losses by the superior handling and experience of the Cycladian commander: Megas Doux Andreas III Akropolites, Grand Admiral of Creta Minor. Breaking off from the trailing edge of the formation, he successfully slipped behind the Iberians over the course of several hours and then emerged from the cannon-smoke to divide Valasco's line of battle with a column formation of his own. The intersection of the two forces threw the Iberians into chaos, at which point Doukas was finally able to close to engage. There the superior numbers of the Elysian fleet and the existing damage to the Iberians combined to inflict ruinous casualties and wreck, and the majority of the fleet was sunk in the close-quarters passes and collisions. Valasco was struck by a crossbow in the upper shoulder and lost consciousness, and when he emerged the battle was done. Only five ships managed to escape the confrontation, but despite appalling odds they had nonetheless inflicted equal casualties on the Elysians. But the campaign was done, and Velasco was forced to return to Porto and plan his return across the Atlantic.
The resulting loss of both the Castilian and Portuguese colonies in the Cycladian Sea was a ruinous blow to both Iberian kingdoms, and one that would not be forgotten. Elysia cemented her near-monopoly on the production of both sugar and coffee. All did not go quite as expected for the Greeks, as an attempt to seize the remainder of New Castile was called off at the last minute when it became apparent that the landing forces had been beaten to it. The Mayan locals had grown tired of of the settlers in the area, and promptly conquered the territory when it became clear that they were not defended by troops and gunpowder in any meaningful quantity. Still, the self-proclaimed Elysian Empire had fought two of the powers of Europe and won, something that would not be forgotten in the Old World. Castile's part in that saga, however, was concluded.
-Reconquista and Colonialism, the Fall and Rise and Fall again of Christian Hispania (1962).
There is nothing like a short and victorious war to secure the people's faith in your reign. But there is nothing like the birth of a son to secure your faith in your own. Young Basil seems to do nothing but sleep, an indulgence you cannot help but envy him for. You would certainly like the opportunity to escape matters of state with the same ease, after all. Your wife Adelaide dotes on him, seeming to equally enjoy time away from court. The young girl had been lifted from a position as niece of the French king to being empress-consort, an elevation that has ill-suited her sensibilities. She is utterly incapable of believing anything but the best of somebody, has a deep-seated aversion to hunting, and about her only notable skill is a small talent for numbers that is vastly outstripped by your own. The court seems to appreciate that she isn't trying to integrate herself into matters of state, however, and so you must look to the positives there.
You have enacted a great construction spree, linking the disparate and separated towns that make of Elysia together into a cohesive whole. But sometimes you feel as though the whole realm stands on feet of clay, held together only be a common belief in Christ and his Deliverance. While the Elysian Bay is the heart of the empire and filled with those sharing a common heritage, much of the rest of the towns that chart out her territory are inhabited by those descended from the barbaroi or those who have mixed with them. They have no common link back to Byzantium, only a shared language and the trappings of civilization. That legacy is very much confined to the capital and surrounding area. Most of the court is ecstatic with the victory over Iberia, wondering if they will live to see the day when the Hellenes return to Europe and claim their birthright. But there already those who wonder if there is a point to such an endeavour at all.
Only time will tell.
Demetrios I Palaiologos, by the grace of Christ Pantokrator anointed Basileus and autocrat of the Romans, august imperatoris, fidei defensorem.
Age: 24
1565 -
Imperial Court: +30 Points in all categories.
Administrative Skill: 6 (120 Administrative Points per turn.)
Diplomatic Skill: 2 (80 Diplomatic Points per turn.)
Military Skill: 4 (100 Military Points per turn.)
Symbasileus Basil Palaiologos
3 - 1 - 3
Age: 0
Monarch Points
Administrative: 145
Diplomatic: 90
Military: 70
Projects
Technology
[ ] [110 Administrative] We stand on the shoulders of giants - Aristotle, Plato, Socrates. Yet their legacy is being built upon every day, and new ways of thinking are beginning to proliferate among natural philosophers. Understanding the world in a systemic way can be applied to more than just knowledge - we must be prepared to adjust our views and experiment to achieve the utmost for the realm. [Unlocks Plantations and a new Idea Group].
[ ] [90 Diplomatic] The navy is at present comprised of similar vessels, differing only in size and armament. But as the applicable uses and range of seapower both increase the differentiation of vessels on a more fundamental level is becoming more common. We should endorse this new practice with some experimental designs, to make sure that our warships and merchantmen can outperform our rivals in times of need.
[ ] [120 Military] The proliferation of artillery in Europe has taught the continental powers the the old ways are no longer sufficient when it comes to protecting against cannon. In response they have adopted new techniques for construction to deflect shot and provide overlapping fields of fire as firearms became more common. We should adopt these new methods for the day when we must defend against the same, even if it requires larger and more expensive bastions.
Ideas
[ ] [60 Diplomatic] Presently the right of citizenship is predicated on certain responsibilities that have made it excessively difficult for merchants setting up across the Atlantic to maintain their taxation privileges as citizens. Extending certain exemptions for these men will increase the reach of our trade network. [Trade Ideas]
[ ] [60 Military] It is more important than ever to defend the wealth that allows Elysia to field such a well-trained and well-equipped army. Instituting a rotating patrol system for trade routes will allow our frontline units to gain experience as well as project Elysian power and influence.[Quality Ideas]
Development
[ ] [100 Administrative] There is always room for tax reform, especially when it comes to poll taxes. Equally there are always projects that cost only time and effort that will improve conditions for the citizens and thus their health - public baths and aqueducts the most obvious among them. It can take a great deal of work on the part of the bureaucracy to put such plans into action, but the returns are worth it. (Increases development and tax income.) [Repeatable]
[ ] [100 Diplomatic] Incentivising the further production of valuable goods can be accomplished through tax cuts, sponsored initiatives, and investment. The trick is making sure you get out more than you put in. (Increases development and trade/production income.) [Repeatable]
[ ] [100 Military] Improving the pool of military recruits isn't as simple as telling the people to be fruitful and multiply, though it certainly helps. What is key is fostering a military culture that values skills that a soldier needs - archery, horseriding, discipline. We should always strive to ensure our raw recruits start a step up from the rest of the world. (Increases development and manpower.) [Repeatable]
Other
[ ] [40 Administrative] Increase Stability. With a series of community initiatives and celebratory festivals you can improve the happiness of your citizens and their faith in the good-will and capabilities of their ruler. The citizen who thinks they live in a time of prosperity is a happy citizen. (Stability +1)
[ ] Prepare plans for a war of conquest against the X
Imperial Treasury
Income: 7024
-Taxes: 2088
-Production: 1848
-Trade: 2846
-Gold: 37
-Tribute: 203
Expenses: -3698
-Settlers: -400
-Army: -1100
-Navy: -848
-Court Stipend: -810
-Fortifications: -540
Balance: 3698
Hyperpyra: 3855
Treasury Projects
Buildings
[ ] [4000 Hyperpyra] The dyantoi have been suggesting imperial subsidy and investment in farming and ranching for so long it feels as though the first Word may have been 'latifundia' instead of 'Let there be Light'. Such an endeavour would be enormously expensive, and you are uncertain as to when it would return the investment in full. Still, the production of foodstuffs is one of the most fundamental measure of a nation's strength, and it may be worth the cost for that alone.
[ ] [2500 Hyperpyra] With the ongoing expansion of Elysia's navy there has been plenty of competition for state contracts among the great lumbermills and shipwrights of the coast. But the time has come to firmly endorse certain companies with imperial favour and subsidy in order to expand their operations. We must ensure our navy never lacks for vital supplies and skilled labourers for construction.
[ ] [1300 Hyperpyra] [Nyspios] The theme of Nyspios is primarily populated by Elysian settlers, with only the outermost region falling under the control of the Natchez tribe. Despite its coastal location the local industry is more concerned with farming and furs than exploiting the sea, while there seems some potential for cotton cultivation among the marshland of the Natchez territory. Expanding the coastal dock and shipyard system would also provide direly need services to ships that have rounded the point of Anthiros and entered the bay.
Naval
[ ] [55 Hyperpyra/-40 Expenses] [X Vessels] The capability of a nation to defend its borders is often the most important factor in whether it will have to defend them at all. The same applies on the sea as it does on land. The commissioning and maintenance of heavy warships will show that Elysia is willing to fight to preserve her interests and provide her the means to do so.
[ ] [22 Hyperpyra/-4 Expenses] [X Vessels] Trade made the merchant republics some of the richest in Europe, capable of toppling small nations if it meant more gold flowing into their coffers. Their large navies were in no small part responsible for this dominance, the sheer quantity of trade ships carrying goods giving them the money to finance their dominance of the sea. We would be wise to follow their example.
[ ] [120 Hyperpyra/-40 Expenses] [X Flotillas] The transport of troops is not simply a matter of cramming them onto a ship and setting sail. Supplies are needed, organisation talent, and ships designed for the purpose. To provide these necessary services, the cost of the ships required to transport one tagma of ten thousand troops has been determined.
Special Projects
[ ] [
Elysian Empire
Stability: 2 (Great)
Patriarch Authority: 75/100
Development: 649
Pronoia Infantry: 45000 Men
Kataphraktoi: 5000 Men
Reserves: 59000 Men
Professionalism: 37/100
Heavy Carracks (Heavy Ships) [-40 Upkeep] [50 Cannon]: 14 Vessels
Caravels (Light Ships) [-4 Upkeep] [13 Cannon]: 32 Vessels
Flute (Transports) [-40 Upkeep] [5 Cannon]: 3 Flotillas
Navy Capacity: 58/77
Elysian Bay
New Constantinople
Nea Aleksandra
Methenai
Odessos
Alouion
Ivos
Great Valley
Piedmont
Rhogadia
Belisarios Valley
Vandalia
Westsylvania
Lake Champlain
Overmountain
Illion
Iasydon
Lower Andronika
Nysepios
Upper Pylos
Pylos
Theodosian Bay
New Constantinople
Nea Aleksandra
Methenai
Odessos
Alouion
Ivos
Great Valley
Piedmont
Rhogadia
Belisarios Valley
Vandalia
Westsylvania
Lake Champlain
Overmountain
Illion
Iasydon
Lower Andronika
Nysepios
Upper Pylos
Pylos
Theodosian Bay
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