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Hello again folks, I do believe it is time for another dev diary!

We've basically covered most of the features in the game by now, so I thought I'd change tack and talk a bit about what we've been up to in the last week. Much of the focus lately has been on war and peace, both the rules and the AI behaviour. I am pleased to report that we've now got vassals within the same realm fighting each other like the vicious bastards they are.

We have also changed the rules a bit - vassals are now allowed to declare war on independent rulers, but independent rulers still cannot declare war on vassals. Thus, we now have William of Normandy as a vassal of France while invading England on his own. An unforeseen consequence of this is that he now tends to call in his father-in-law, another French vassal, Duke Boudewijn of Flandres to help him out. Marriage matters folks, and don't you forget it!

On a related note, Duchess Matilde of Tuscany, vassal of the Holy Roman Emperor (and the most eligible bride in Europe), tends to open the game in 1066 with a rather bad move, attacking the Pope to seize Orvieto (which is de jure part of her Duchy of Spoleto.) Other times, the Pope usurps the title Duke of Spoleto, and then Matilde feels obliged to attempt to take it back.

Either way, the unfortunate Duchess tends to get a rather nasty surprise. She has forgotten an important lesson that you might remember from an earlier diary - the Pope gets taxes from loyal bishops around Europe, making him a very, very rich man. So, while he has few levies of his own to raise, he can basically afford to hire every mercenary company in Europe! Even the mighty Holy Roman Emperor sometimes loses to the might of the Vatican.

Crusader_Kings_2_DevDiary_110929.png

...and there was much balancing.

Until next time!
 
Nice. Will the AI generally leave the Pope alone or will it try to take the Pope's territories just like any other AI country?

Currently the AI will try not to eliminate the Pope(well, catholic AI:s at least), but if the Pope expands, his territory is treated just like everyone else's.
 
Looks pope-tacular.

Geddit?
 
I kinda wish to know about the Muslim movement as well.. Man, what I would give for an AAR of this game ;)

It's really nice to hear vassals received more war-declaring powers. Also that the Pope kicks ass for the Lord.
How did you end up rebalancing him, though? Less money, or limited mercenary-hiring capacity? Something else?
 
I feel the message system used in DW and V2 is the way to go.

well its the best way to do it, the new system and the old side by side instead of sengoku's just the new with nothing to fill the void left by it lacking the old.
 
Is there a way you can adjust Mathilda so she doesn't always attack the Pope? This is important for two reasons. One, shes important to history as a thorn in the HRE's side and two, she was rather fervantly supportive of the Papacy's claims. I'm wondering if she could be be made weary to attack the Papacy if she has traits and/or relations that prevent her or severely discourage from such actions?

Either way, it'd be a shame to see her reduced to virtually nothing, leaving one of the more important characters of the period forgotten in most games.

Regards,

The Great
 
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Is there a way you can adjust Mathilda so she doesn't always attack the Pope? This is important for two reasons. One, shes important to history as a thorn in the HRE's side and two, she was rather fervantly supportive of the Papacy's claims. I'm wondering if she could be be made weary to attack the Papacy if she has traits and/or relations that prevent her or severely discourage from such actions Pope?

Either way, it'd be a shame to see her reduced to virtually nothing, leaving one of the more important characters of the period forgotten in most games.

Regards,

The Great

The simplest way would probably be to make her a Papal ally at the start of the game, thus preventing her from going after the Pope every single time.
 
Claims are one way, but if you are a duke, you get to declare war on those who hold de jure counties in your duchy as well. There are other casus bellis as well.

Regarding vassals being able to declare war on independent rulers; will their liege not get involved, not even when an independent ruler starts a counter-invasion of his own? I assume that a liege might be inclined to protect the de jure borders of his kingdom, but refuse to support his vassals in their foreign ventures. For example Philip I of France won't support duke William of Normandy in his conquest of Anglo-Saxon England, but Philip would probably support his vassal the duke of Normandy to protect him from an Anglo-Saxon counter invasion. In which situation the liege could broker a mainly status quo ante bellum peace treaty (restores the pre war situation), however the aggressor could still be forced to pay reparations and give up claims.
 
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Regarding vassals being able to declare war on independent rulers; will their liege not get involved, not even when an independent ruler starts a counter-invasion of his own? I assume that a liege might be inclined to protect the de jure borders of his kingdom, but refuse to support his vassals in their foreign ventures. For example Philip I of France won't support duke William of Normandie in his conquest of Anglo-Saxon England, but Philip would probably support his vassal the duke of Normandie to protect him from an Anglo-Saon counter invasion. In which situation the liege could broker a mainly status quo ante bellum peace treaty (restores the pre war situation), however the aggressor could still be forced to pay reparations and give up claims.

there are no counter invasions, only aggressors can win anything in a war. defenders fight for a white peace, atleast thats how it sounds anyway
 
there are no counter invasions, only aggressors can win anything in a war. defenders fight for a white peace, atleast thats how it sounds anyway
If thats how it is then thats pretty stupid, I can understand being unable to grab land, the defender might not even have a claim to the aggressors titles anyway, but not even some monetary reparations? Prisoners? A marriage? Sth? So the defender would have to sign a white peace after trouncing his opponent and then wait for the truce to end before he declares on him again, this time being the attacker, to reduce him?
 
youd have to read the DD on it, but from what i remember of it i think thats how its going to be. but really who knows, apart from devs and better testers and generally theyre not allowed to say
 
youd have to read the DD on it, but from what i remember of it i think thats how its going to be. but really who knows, apart from devs and better testers and generally theyre not allowed to say

In which DD did they mentioned something like that?
I have read them all and can only remember the thing about the claim.
But that you as defender are reduced to a white peace...
 
I think you can force the attacker to give up his claim. At least, that would make sense.

That's what the dev diary on warfare says. I'd imagine also that the defender could demand reparations or hostages or other non-territorial prizes--he just won't be able to enforce his own territorial claims.
 
That's what the dev diary on warfare says. I'd imagine also that the defender could demand reparations or hostages or other non-territorial prizes--he just won't be able to enforce his own territorial claims.

That's pretty much how it works, yes.
 
That's pretty much how it works, yes.
Sounds cool, thanks.

Can you give us some more details on the possibilities?
Perhaps if you get attacked by two allied counties, if you win, can you force them to dissolve their alliance?
How do you prevent things like in EU, when you force someone to cancel treaties only to read a bit later that they renewed all of them?

Will you be able to choose a hostage in relation to war score?
And the last one ;-)
Is it possible to dissolve a forced marriage in a further war?