User interface

Topic

User Interface

Lobby & Setup

Ingame screen

Country interface

Macro-builder

Province interface

Map & Map-modes

Ledger

Controls

EU4's Interface, also called user interface (UI), or graphical user interface (GUI), has a number of specific screens and visual elements. This article will focus on the pragmatic purpose and utility of the interface (as opposed to the stylistic elements).

Launcher

The Paradox launcher is used to launch the game and handle all pre-game options.

The launcher is separated into the following:

• News section.
• DLC section – lists all installed DLCs sorted by type and the option to enable/disable them.
• Mods section – lists all installed mods from the steam workshop and the paradox mods website and the option to enable/disable them. It also contains Mod Tools to create a new mod and upload it.
• Settings section – allows the configuration of some game settings like language, display mode and resolution.
• Paradox account – used to login into PDX account.
• Play and the option to resume the last non-ironman save game

Main menu

The main menu is the first screen players see after the game loads at start up, and where players return to after they leave their in-progress games. It (usually) shows a map of continental Europe along with some tool bars, buttons and information along the bottom.

Lower left corner

• Game Version
• Checksum

Lower center

• "Continue game" button, which will load the most recent local game saved with the current version.
• Singleplayer to choose a single player game
• Multiplayer to choose a multiplayer game
• Tutorial to play a tutorial game
• Credits
• Settings to access graphics, audio, controls options.
• Content
• Exit (to leave the game)

Lower right corner

• Web and social media links (Home, Paradox Forum, Facebook, Twitter)

Single player interface

Upper left corner

• Historical Start
  • Bookmarks (historical scenarios at particular dates)
  • Starting date, can be chosen between 1444-11-11 and 1821-1-1
• Saved Games, click here to select one
• Icons of enabled expansions

Upper center

• Year
• Map modes: Terrain, Political, Trade, Religious, Imperial, Diplomatic, Development, Regions, Culture

Upper right corner

• Top panel:
  • Centre: country's coat of arms
  • Left: rank and technology group
  • Right: state religion
• Country name
• Government type and diplomatic status (hover for the exact government type)
• Starting leader and skills (note that some republics, e.g. Switzerland, gain a random leader on start)
• Starting administrative, diplomatic and military technology levels
• National ideas and traditions:
  • Lightbulb icon: hover over to see the country's traditions and ambitions
  • Idea icons: hover over each to see a description and its effects
• Size and development, from left to right:
  • Number of provinces
  • Total development
  • Total level of all forts
• Diplomacy: lists alliances, subjects, current truces, ongoing wars, etc.

Lower left corner

• Game options to change various video and audio settings
• Find, to search for specific province, state or nation
• Options to change various in-game setup options
• Back, to the Main Menu (this will cause the game to restart)

Lower center

• Country shields of interesting nations at this time (recommended glow green)
• Scenario description, if a bookmark is selected

Lower right corner

• Random New World (with Conquest of Paradise DLC). Will immediately generate a randomized New World, replacing the Americas. Not available for starts later than 1 January 1492
• Custom nation – to start the Nation designer – only with El Dorado DLC enabled
• Random nation – a random nation is selected
• Play – to start the game

Starting screen

If you start a new game you will be presented a screen that tells you what's happening in your country. It will help introduce the mechanics available to your nation and explain some of the more important nuances about the country.

It is divided into 4 parts:

• Country - On this place is a background story about the past of your nation, and the neighbors.
• Religion - Here you will learn about your faith's mechanics and boosts. Also there are explanations about DLC features that changes your religion (it will be marked with the DLC's symbol).
• Government - Here you can see what type of government you have, and if it has any special features.
• Environment - Explanation about big diplomatic actions or mechanics for the region. Like the HRE in West-Europe, or tributaries in East-Asia.