So if I read the files correctly, the relevant journal should show when inactive once you have any one of the companies right?
I definitely started this game after the update where you added these, do you know why I might not be seeing it?

@MasterOfGrey The Journal should show under *possible* journal entries in the second tab, not under the currently inactive ones in the first tab. If they don't show up there, we'd like for you to send us a save so we can investigate it further.

Ok yes I have found it. It should probably be under Domestic Affairs, since it applies to deliberate decisions you should be making, rather than just development which is more general "improve your country" goals.

It's also very awkward in that it doesn't tell you anything about the company prosperity bonuses.
If you got the companies that feed into a merger specifically for their prosperity bonuses, how do you know if you want to pursue it or not?

@MasterOfGrey The Merger companies all gain combined prosperity bonuses that can be found within some of the specific required companies. Showing the prosperity bonuses in a natural way that doesn't break immersion was sadly not possible.
The JE tells you what companies are used during a merger. Going for the merger is almost always useful as the merger companies themselves have a higher prosperity budget according to the amount of required companies (usually 2). This makes their prosperity bonuses better. In some specific cases (like with US Steel), you can reform some companies (after the 5 year period) after they get disbanded due to the merger.

Wait, are you saying they *dynamically* gain prosperity bonuses based on the companies being merged, other than whats defined in the company definition?

Or just that the bonuses from the merged company definition weren’t able to be pulled dynamically for the journal?

Because “immersion” is probably the least of many players concerns when it comes to companies being replaced by merger companies. There is very little reason (for example) to get >1 of the companies for IG Farben unless you’re going for some combination of chartered industry and prosperity bonus, because those companies are all essentially doubling up on the same industries.

The prosperity bonus of the merger might be “better” in raw scale, but that doesn’t help you if you got say Farbwerke Meister, Lucius & Brüning specifically for the trade advantage bonus, and then the merger doesn't have a trade advantage bonus.

With the diversity of companies you’ve added, players can really pick and choose what combinations of industries, prestige goods, and prosperity bonuses they want to shoot for.
Without being able to know the prosperity bonus of the mergers, these run counter to the play style and player considerations that the rest of the mod encourages.

@MasterOfGrey No, they have preset prosperity bonuses, those however, were determined with the prosperity bonuses of the original companies that were a part of the merger in mind.
Putting the prosperity bonuses in the tooltip just wouldn't look good.
Your concern towards the JE companies not having original prosperity modifiers is valid though.
The general strength of the company however should balance the loss of certain modifiers out. Especially considering that the JE companies hit prosperity a lot sooner as they gain up to 20 levels of each building in each state depending on what the companies that it is made up of previously owned.