Crusader Kings II - Dev Diary 23 - Christmas Q&A

[Doomdark]

Well folks, we're coming up on the Holiday season and you already know almost everything about Crusader Kings II. So instead of a regular dev diary, let's run a little Q&A session. So, let's hear those questions and Santa Claus might just answer them.

 

[Doomdark]

How will be fostering dealt in the game?

How will be hostages dealtt in the game ?

Children over the age of 6 can be sent to be raised by a guardian. This can be pretty much anyone, a vassal or courtier, or a foreigner. The child will tend to get the traits, skills and education of their guardian, as well as his or her culture and religion. You can also suggest a guardian for children in other courts, meaning that you can mold the heirs of your vassals to your liking, provided they like you enough to agree. Children in a foreign court serve as a kind of hostage, since they can be imprisoned and executed freely should you attack their guardian's ruler.

Is it likely to hope for a demo before release ?

I cannot really say at this time.

 

[Doomdark]

What is your name?

Henrik

What is your quest?

To seek the Holy Grail

What is the capital of Abyssinia?

Fasilghebbi

 

[Doomdark]

Also concerning the education of children.

How does the "Learning skill" of the guardian effect the child?

Does it both modify the base values like Martial, Diplomacy, intrigue etc. or does it also help the child get better stats?

It does not. The Learning skill mainly affects technology gain and the actions of the Court Chaplain councillor.

 

[Doomdark]

1. How does political map look after 100- 200 years? Do bigger countries (France, HRE etc.) have tendency to fall apart or do they create blobs?

This varies from build to build as we tune the game balance. Currently, the states tend to blob a bit, but not too much.

2. Is there any chance for a strategy guide?

There is a chance.

3. Will there be any bonuses for those who preordered the game? And what kind of bonuses?

AFAIK, there will be, but I'm not at liberty to say exactly what.

 

[Doomdark]

Are the Channel Islands represented?

*hopes*

Nope

 

[Doomdark]

Are the Mongols a real threat in the game? Or do they keep being destroyed in a few years after showing up like in DV?

The Mongols are a scourge from Hell. Resistance is futile.

Does the AI behave well? Is there any such silliness like like king of Sweden having only to provinces in his demesne: Stockholm and Jerusalem? Because that kind of stupidity was so annoying in DV.

I dare say it's already a lot better than in CK. This is also exactly the kind of thing we are working on at the moment, and we'll keep at it until release.

Can we please have some new screenshots?

Here's one from an overnight hands-off game with some interesting results...

 

[Doomdark]

And what advantages will you have in sending your children to a foreign guardian ? Will the AI be more active than what we saw in the LP in "suggesting" you to foster their children ?

(thanx Doomie and merry Xmas ! )

Guardians (and their ruler) will like you better if you entrust them with close kin as wards. The AI will rarely do this with foreigners, but rather frequently with vassals. Merry Christmas to you too!

 

[Doomdark]

Is there a "distant vassal declares independence" event, if so does it work the same way as in CK1?

This is not event driven in CKII, but distant vassals are much more likely to declare independence, yes.

 

[Doomdark]

Does the AI still tend to revoke vassal titles to give it to their heirs, like in CK1?

No, the AI tends to revoke titles for entirely different reasons. No code was reused from CK.

 

[Doomdark]

You have mentioned in one of the threads that traits have scripted AI behaviour parameters (the "ai-rationality" being mentioned as one example).
Would you mention any other examples?

Thanks for this and
Merry Christmas!

Sure. The AI parameters in traits are:

ai_rationality
ai_honor
ai_ambition
ai_greed

Merry Christmas!

 

[Doomdark]

Will you get asked if you want to inherit titles?

No, you cannot turn them down.

Can regents seize power, and let you play as him [the regent]?

They can seize power through events, but you cannot play as the regent afterward unless he or she is of your own dynasty.

 

[Doomdark]

Are rulers nicknames (the great, the bold etc) somehow represented in the game?

Yes, dukes and above can gain nicknames. These are scripted and fully moddable. For example, you gain "the Conqueror" when you succeed with an invasion.

 

[Doomdark]

Are there many events? Compared to CK for example.

There are more events than in CKV.

 

[Doomdark]

Oh, one more thing:
- Was it a conscious design decision to have as many as 10 traits per character (as seen on the plathrough of the game)? would it be possible to mod/restrict the number of traits per character without hurting the gameplay?

Characters normally have around five traits, plus an education trait. So it's similar to CK. It's easy to mod, since traits are gained by events.

And the game mechanics are looking really good - from the insider's point of view, do you think it has chanced a lot from the project's start to today?

Thanks, and yes, it has changed a lot. Mainly the GUI, but many features have also mutated as we tried them out and found them lacking.

 

[Doomdark]

Let's see. We have the Golden Horde... in Norfolk. Sweden in Hungary. A Muslim (?) Sicily. The Rus' spread out between Pomerania and central Asia. Armenia Minor all over the place. Norway in Germany. The Holy Roman Empire shield in Rome...

Yes, some funky results. Sweden and Hungary had a personal union. A Russian count in England was vassalized by the GH when they took over some Russian principality. Armenia Minor is currently revolting against Byzantium, and the HRE has taken over the Papal State.

... is there a decision or somesuch to move the HRE back to Rome? (The Pope is nowhere to be seen)

To move the HRE back to Rome? No. The Pope is unlanded but still active.

What religion are the Golden Horde?

Tengri.

 

[Doomdark]

How close does the relationship have to be to get "inbred", and what are the consequences of the trait?

There is a slight chance if you marry anyone of the same dynasty. There is a higher risk of you marry a cousin, and quite a big risk if you marry a niece or aunt or whatnot.

Will other rulers related to me be more likely to "like" me? If so, does it matter if they are of the same dynasty or will non-dynasty relatives be treated the same? Does it matter how distantly they are related; will relationships with 1st cousins be just as likely to be good (or bad) as relationships with 8th cousins?

There is a flat opinion bonus for members of a dynasty. Also, between mother and child.

 

[Doomdark]

Around how many user suggestions have ended up in the game?

Impossible to say, really. A few. A lot, if you count the beta team.

 

[Doomdark]

Will it be possible to sell county or counties to other rulers?

No

 

[Doomdark]

Are there any statistics screen like in HOI3, EUIII?

The Ledger? Yes.