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.

• Meiou And Taxes Eu4 Download
• Meiou And Taxes 2.0 Download
• Eu4 Meiou And Taxes 2.51 Download
• Meiou And Taxes Download
• Meiou And Taxes 3

• Rather Death Than Dishonor - Europa Universalis IV with MEIOU & Taxes 2.0 modification Follow a lone man's epic quest to make Brittany a great power and learn a thing or two about the freaking amazing mod MEIOU & Taxes. About the AAR in general: - Read with vertical scrolling on, contains lots of text-'comedic' and historical, mild roleplay.
• Welcome to MEIOU and Taxes, the quintessential overhaul mod for EUIV v.1.29.6. Brought to you with love by Lukew, Gigau, Myzael, Dharper, Sun Wu, and the rest of the M&T team.

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.

MEIOU and Taxes. Welcome to MEIOU and Taxes, an EUIV total conversion mod brought about by the merger of the Death and Taxes and MEIOU. Find out more at meiouandtaxes.com.

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 the14^th 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.

Comments

Log in to join the discussion.

Related Posts from Wargamer

Featured

Top Articles

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.

Meiou And Taxes Eu4 Download

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 the14^th 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.

Comments

Log in to join the discussion.

Meiou And Taxes 2.0 Download

Related Posts from Wargamer

Featured

Eu4 Meiou And Taxes 2.51 Download

Meiou And Taxes Download

Top Articles

Meiou And Taxes 3