Rock, Paper, Shotgun Preview

[KonradRichtmark]

Then there is the problem of demesne penalty. I'm anxious to see how that one works out.

I think it was confirmed in a dev diary that the demesne penalty is computed from the number of settlements (i.e. baron-level holdings) the ruler has, rather than number of provinces. Thus, the obvious CK1 strategy of keeping the richest provinces in the country as a demesne and leaving the rest to vassals isn't so obvious anymore.

[veji1]

Hopefully the whole 3 generals things for the battles will add nice flavour : You can have a good trio, with you good martial king, a good Marshall and a highest noble of quality, or you could have a crappy trio with infighting during a regence.

This could emulate well an Agincourt type of situation, where the king wasn't there (crazy) and the seasoned officers (the marshall) got overuled by cocky incompetent dukes (Orleans, Alençon, etc..) who ended up charging like dimwits and causing a complete disaster.

I also hope that the whole war engine will be better. In CK1 you ended up using only your personal demesne soldiers most of the time because : 1 they were usually enough, 2/ you didn't have enough money to finance using your vassals' hosts. Only when the situation got tense did you start using your vassals troop. Hopefully in CK2, if you are at war with more than a rogue duke, you will have to draw on your vassals and you will be able to campaign with them, not go for ultra blitzkrieg before getting bankrupt...

[RedRooster81]

Hopefully the whole 3 generals things for the battles will add nice flavour : You can have a good trio, with you good martial king, a good Marshall and a highest noble of quality, or you could have a crappy trio with infighting during a regence.

This could emulate well an Agincourt type of situation, where the king wasn't there (crazy) and the seasoned officers (the marshall) got overuled by cocky incompetent dukes (Orleans, Alençon, etc..) who ended up charging like dimwits and causing a complete disaster.

I also hope that the whole war engine will be better. In CK1 you ended up using only your personal demesne soldiers most of the time because : 1 they were usually enough, 2/ you didn't have enough money to finance using your vassals' hosts. Only when the situation got tense did you start using your vassals troop. Hopefully in CK2, if you are at war with more than a rogue duke, you will have to draw on your vassals and you will be able to campaign with them, not go for ultra blitzkrieg before getting bankrupt...

I appreciate your final points. I think that your vassals should demand that you take them along, because the battlefield was one of the best places to gain prestige and access to more fiefs and thus power. In most cases, the closer you are physically to the king and especially in critical times like battles the better your chances for advancement.

[KristopherWG]

I hope we actually do get to choose which leaders are with which army, instead of CK1's automatic assignment.

[TempestDK]

I also hope that the whole war engine will be better. In CK1 you ended up using only your personal demesne soldiers most of the time because : 1 they were usually enough, 2/ you didn't have enough money to finance using your vassals' hosts. Only when the situation got tense did you start using your vassals troop. Hopefully in CK2, if you are at war with more than a rogue duke, you will have to draw on your vassals and you will be able to campaign with them, not go for ultra blitzkrieg before getting bankrupt...

Really?? .. you do realize that the vassal troops were free of charge in CK1?? .... so that is what I used most of the time.

Whether the vassals should demand to be included in battle should also depend on their personality ... cowardly ones might not want to join in.

[Cikomyr]

Man, reading the description, I wonder if they could try to apply it to a recreation of the Roman Republic. The intrigue war between the roman families, the delusions of the sons of Famous Families (and Consular Commander) that they should be the one leading the armies of Rome against their ennemies. The effort of upstarts like Gaius Marius against people like Metellus Numidicus.

*sigh*, maybe a mod. Or maybe a game for later. In the meanwhile, I am so buying this game when it comes out.

Paradox, is it possible to buy some of your shares?

[RhoDaZZ]

Really?? .. you do realize that the vassal troops were free of charge in CK1?? .... so that is what I used most of the time.

Whether the vassals should demand to be included in battle should also depend on their personality ... cowardly ones might not want to join in.

Free of charge as in 70 % chance of realm duress, heir and/or ruler assasination? At least in DVIP...

[DukeWilleo1630]

I am very excited about this. Good preview. I can't wait to start roleplaying medieval again. haha.
I am already picturing my future tyrant king of england. Execute them all! Off with their needy heads! You want to lead my army? Execution!

[King of Men]

This is looking better all the time, but Q1 2012? Wow... that's going to be a long wait. And yet from the previews it seems to be moderately complete-ish as far as code goes? Is there a lot of research still to be done, maybe? Balancing, testing?

[DukeWilleo1630]

This is looking better all the time, but Q1 2012? Wow... that's going to be a long wait. And yet from the previews it seems to be moderately complete-ish as far as code goes? Is there a lot of research still to be done, maybe? Balancing, testing?

From what I have heard from the interviews they'll have the basic game and map done soon enough but will spend plenty of time balancing as you say. Making the game within the game what they want it to be.

[TempestDK]

Free of charge as in 70 % chance of realm duress, heir and/or ruler assasination? At least in DVIP...

That must be in a new version of DVIP ... I have never had any of those problems with vassals. But still, it was referred to as if the CK1 logic of bankrupting the liege when he was using the vassal troops, and that is incorrect. Now whether Jordarkelf included nasty events in a later version of DVIP, for using vassal troops for too long is another matter

So yes .. in CK1, using vassal troops is free of charge, and will not bankrupt you

[TempestDK]

This is looking better all the time, but Q1 2012? Wow... that's going to be a long wait. And yet from the previews it seems to be moderately complete-ish as far as code goes? Is there a lot of research still to be done, maybe? Balancing, testing?

From the closed beta testing thread:

Closed Alpha. More people will be invited in mid to late February. Most features are roughly complete at this stage, but AI and balancing is non-existent.

So still quite a long way to go

[vadermath]

While I obviously don't like waiting as much as the next guy, I quite appreciate the design strategy Paradox is using with this. Getting the features done early on will give them about a year at this point to create and refine the AI, and also to deal with the inevitable bugs.

[RedRooster81]

While I obviously don't like waiting as much as the next guy, I quite appreciate the design strategy Paradox is using with this. Getting the features done early on will give them about a year at this point to create and refine the AI, and also to deal with the inevitable bugs.

My sentiments exactly. Sounds like they have a good, solid foundation, without which it really doesn't matter what the wallpaper looks like, so to speak.