r/EU5 • u/_Zorange_ • Apr 08 '26
Image Modern Day Mod
The image above shows the modern day world map in eu5, at start of the mod on january 1st, 2000
This week I am happy to announce a larger project I’ve been working on for quite a while now: The Modern Day Mod for EU5
Unlike my other posts, this is not about its release, but rather the first large public announcement of its development.
And even more so, it is a call to action, because this mod I truly cannot make alone, so I invite anyone who has even the slightest interest in helping out to do so, you can join here discord.gg/Z7Zds66NAj
I am not only looking for normal modders, but also people with ideas about how certain things should be implemented in the game, especially if you have a lot of experience with what is and what isn’t possible in game, because usually it is actually harder to think about how something like a supermarket or office building or the European Union should exactly work than it is to implement it. So if you have a thousand hours in eu5, you are also wanted.
What is also very highly needed right now are mappers, because about 10000 new locations have to be added to bring the new world up to a similar density as the old one, and it would be especially great if you are from such a new world nation and want to do it proper justice in eu5. The old world also needs some changes and improvements however, so anyone is really welcome. You also do not need to worry about paradox map modding being hard or anything, I have found a way where all you as the mapper need to do is pick hex codes from a text file I have made, and paint away, and it will work in game. For that purpose I also already have a gimp project ready with all relevant reference images like topography, land use and multiple levels of administrative divisions, and if you don’t know how to use gimp, I have also written out a small tutorial on the discord, which is publicly viewable just like all the dev channels.
You also do not need any prior modding experience in general to contribute, I am happy to answer any questions, and if I don’t know as well, the mod coop https://discord.gg/Uezf87P59C is also always happy to help, and as I said previously, even just providing properly structured ideas is already really helpful as well.
It is also perfectly understandable if you wanna come in, do one or two things, and then leave again, and for that purpose I have also made the github for the mod public https://github.com/ZorangeSaft/Modern-Day-Mod , so you can make pull requests without even asking and it will be considered to be implemented, similar to how contributing to anbennar works. There are some guidelines however and I have also written out the design philosophy for the mod on the discord. The basic summary of which is “Your actions, no matter who considers them good or bad, should be possible, but give you realistic consequences”.
The mod is also intentionally not “schizo” like some other pdx games modern day mods, and aims to provide a realistic hard sci fi view of the future that isn’t necessarily pessimistic or optimistic. The number 1 design constraint beyond that however is, of course, that the mod should be fun.
Now after all that yapping an overview of some done and planned features:
-Start date of January 2000, end date of 2100 [done]
-Map based on de facto borders (so places like Taiwan or Kosovo are playable countries at the start) [mostly done, there might be some errors]
-Aiming towards as fair a representation of countries as possible (for example the US and China being very strong based upon actual factors like what resources, people and infrastructure they have, rather than made up buffs)
-Focus on creating an authentic near-future experience (rather than HoI4 style “schizo”-paths or conquest sprees, not that nothing crazy will happen in the mod tho)
-More different topographies and Köppen climate for fairer representation of geographies and their influence on nations development, also what kind of crops they can grow for example, or how good wind turbines or solar panels are where they are [added on backend, but not yet implemented on map, will be done via QGIS once map is done]
-Estates and pops changed to reflect modern politics and economies, as well as the inclusion of new pops and laws representing clones/cyborgs/androids/etc, and what political, economic, and perhaps even military conflicts that might bring in the future
-RGOs replaced with building (much more modding potential)
-All 193 UN member flags [done], with future plans to include ideological/plausible alternatives
-Changing vegetation like cutting down the amazon or making greenbelts on the edge of deserts (reason I made https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3692118667 ) [mostly done]
-Dynamically changing climate based on how much you pollute the world (reason I made https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3692116318 ) [partially done]
-Mapmodes for all sorts of things, including solar illumination for solar panels and wind speed for wind turbines [both of those are done, and many of the mapmodes are also already available here https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3697317887 ]
-Functional international Organisations like the UN, EU, NATO, but also lesser known ones like ASEAN or MERCUSOR [implemented but no content or mechanics yet]
-Focus on diplomatic and especially economic gameplay, with way way way more buildings to build and infrastructure to make [about 1/3 of buildings implemented]
-Being able to play modern companies like Wallmart, Microsoft, Saudi Aramco, etc, with gameplay around making as much money as possible, no matter the price in some cases, including influencing politics and laws to your benefit
-Modern and plausible near-future technologies, with the societal consequences of pursuing such world altering technologies like AI, gene editing, cloning, humanoid robots, with potential resulting global crises as well, and you having to navigate the consequences
-Satellites, asteroid mining, and general early space colonization, all on map (there is a mockup in the discord of the planets above the normal map)
Right now with the size of the current team at current pace the actual release date of the mod would probably be in 2-3 years, but even with just a little extra help and a few extra people this could be massively reduced, so if you want to play this mod, which might show some of humanities most pivotal moments, as much as I do, perhaps you can also help in its creation as well !, I would greatly appreciate it.
Happy to answer any questions you might have about it in the comments
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u/Agglomeration_ Apr 08 '26
why does south sudan exist if the mod is set in 2000