Wiki

effect · release_on_controlled

Definition

  • Supported scope:COUNTRY
  • Supported target:THIS, ROOT, PREV, FROM, OWNER, CONTROLLER, OCCUPIED, CAPITAL

Description

releases specified country as a puppet using your owned or controlled states

Hands-On Notes

Hands-on notes are AI-generated and checked against the vanilla command vocabulary — treat them as a starting point, not authoritative reference. The definition above is the game's own documentation.

Hands-On Usage

release_on_controlled is commonly used in scripted events or decisions to allow the player or AI nations to establish a puppet state from an occupied/controlled territory without needing to own all of that nation's core states beforehand. Typical scenarios include: liberating occupied nations as vassals in post-war peace settlements, or in civil war scripts where the victorious side immediately controls and establishes a new regime.

# Example: Germany releases occupied France as a puppet through a decision
release_on_controlled = FRA

Synergy

  • [controls_state](/wiki/trigger/controls_state) — Check before execution whether you actually control key states of the target nation, avoiding invalid triggers due to incomplete occupation;
  • [exists](/wiki/trigger/exists) — First verify whether the target tag already exists as an independent nation, preventing conflicts from releasing an already-existing nation;
  • [add_state_core](/wiki/effect/add_state_core) — After releasing the puppet, add cores to the host nation over relevant states to strengthen the territorial legitimacy of the puppet relationship;
  • [diplomatic_relation](/wiki/effect/diplomatic_relation) — Pair with subsequent diplomatic relations (such as military access rights) so the puppet enters the intended diplomatic state immediately upon establishment.

Common Pitfalls

  1. Mistakenly assuming only "owning" states is sufficient: This effect accepts both "controlled" states, but if the target nation's capital state is neither owned nor controlled, release often fails silently — always confirm key states are actually in your possession using [controls_state](/wiki/trigger/controls_state) or [has_capitulated](/wiki/trigger/has_capitulated) before triggering.
  2. Failing to check whether the target tag already exists as an independent nation: If the target nation currently exists as an independent nation ([exists](/wiki/trigger/exists) is true and is not a puppet), calling this effect directly may produce unexpected results; either handle it first with annex_country or other logic before releasing, or add a condition to skip it.