User Guide

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morale will be recovered over time in the same
way that morale is regained after combat.
The only field regiments that will be up-
graded are the ones that were of the old pre-
ferred type. If you have recruited any regi-
ments that are another country’s preferred type
in that category, these will not be upgraded.
Keep in mind that if another country owns
a province that is considered your core, that
realm will now be able to recruit your new pre-
ferred unit type as well; however, if they have
already recruited several regiments, these will
not be upgraded when you change your pref-
erence. Similarly, any regiments that you have
built that are another country’s preferred unit
type will not be upgraded if that country later
changes to a new type; however, if you still own
one of that country’s core provinces, you will
be able to order regiments of the new type to
be recruited.
Preferred ship types are handled differently.
Your preferred ship type will always be the most
powerful ship type you have researched in each
of the four categories of vessel. When a new
type is unlocked, any new ships you build in
your core coastal provinces will be of the new
and improved variety. Existing ships of the old
type are not upgraded since the technological
advancements usually reflect new hull designs
and rigging. To take advantage of a new naval
unit type, you will need to build a new fleet of
ships and scuttle any antiquated models.
Army/Naval Maintenance
Each month, there is a cost associated with
maintaining your military, reflecting the need
to feed them and ensure that their equipment is
in good working order. This maintenance cost
can be quite expensive if you decide to keep a
large army in the field or a sizeable fleet in your
navy. When a regiment has suffered combat
casualties or a ship has received damage, the
maintenance cost is also used to automatically
replenish the losses or repair the damage.
Each month, every regiment and every ship
costs a small, fixed amount of money to main-
tain. The combined total of all land and naval
maintenance costs is the “Military Mainte-
nance” value we saw on the budget summary
scroll on the Domestic Economy page of the
interface. If you wish, you may reduce your
funding to either facet of your military by ad-
justing the maintenance sliders at the bottom of
the Domestic Military page. The slider’s range
runs from a minimum of 50% to a maximum
of 100% of the necessary monthly expenditure
to keep it in perfect condition. Setting a value
below 100% will reduce your monthly mainte-
nance costs, but has two detrimental effects:
• The maintenance setting limits the morale
level of your units to that percentage of
their maximum possible value. A unit that
receives only 50% funding will be much
more likely to break in combat; however,
after the combat is over, the rate that mo-
rale is regained by that unit is not affected
by the maintenance setting.
• The land maintenance setting also reduc
-
es the rate that regiments will be replen-
ished after sustaining casualties. Similarly,
the naval maintenance setting will reduce
the speed that repairs are made to your
ships when they have been damaged. Nei-
ther maintenance setting affects the total
combat strength of a unit. Both land and
naval units will eventually return to full
strength.
When your country is at peace, it is generally
advisable to adjust your maintenance settings
to lower values since this will free up part of
your monthly income to be used for other
things. You could invest more heavily in re-
search, or perhaps build up a large treasury
amount that could be used to purchase im-
provements for your provinces or other such
expenditures. During this time, your forces
will be at only a portion of their potential mo-
rale level and will take longer to repair if they
are not currently at full strength, so you will be
more vulnerable to a surprise attack. If you feel
that war is imminent, you should immediately
return the sliders to their maximum levels to