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This Development Diary, the last one before the release of The Old Gods, will elaborate a bit on the new technology system we are introducing to the game. We are including it for free in a patch, so you'll be able to make use of it even if you don't own TOG.

The original technology system in CK2 was not very rewarding or interactive, and thus the majority of people mostly or completely ignored it.

So since for The Old Gods we would need 200 more years of technological development we figured instead of trying to shoehorn that into the old system we could just as well throw most of it out and build something more interesting from the ground up.

View attachment CKII_ToG_DD_07_Technology_Spread.jpg

Now all rulers of duke rank and above generate technology points in three categories based on their stats: martial gives military, stewardship gives economic and diplomacy gives cultural technology points. The ruler can then spend these to increase the technologies of their choosing in their capital. In addition to the stats, combat gives military points, universities give economy points and religious schools cultural points.

This means however that technology will only grow in the capitals of dukes and above, and for the rest of the world it will spread as usual.

View attachment CKII_ToG_DD_07_Steppe_Buildings.jpg

The Old Gods and its accompanying patch has a few new buildings as well. Any holding by the coast can now build shipyards that produce galleys.

The horse lords of the Altaic and Magyar peoples will also have access to two special buildings in any castles they own in a Steppe province. This is a new terrain type that now covers most of the Eastern European plains. The Steppe Warrior Lodge and the Steppe Riding Grounds will take the place of the normal Barracks and Stables buildings in these holdings. They provide more cavalry at the expense of foot soldiers, to better reflect the tradition of mounted warfare the steppe cultures had mastered.

View attachment CKII_ToG_DD_07_Amalfi.jpg

There are two merchant republics active at the start of the new 867 bookmark. The first is Venice, which should be familiar to most of you, and the second is Amalfi, a growing trading hub on the western shores of Southern Italy ruled by a collection of Greek and Italian Patrician families. As you can see from the screenshot, we have added a new province for this republic. It has an interesting if somewhat challenging starting position, given its close proximity to the Karling realms of Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire which still maintains a tenuous hold on the southern tip of Italy, and the Muslim lords using Sicily as a springboard from which to carry their conquests further into Europe.

That should cover most of it. The rest you will have to see for yourselves when The Old Gods is released on May 28th! :)

Bonus: Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods Video Dev Diary 3 - Technology
[video=youtube;QngSrHke4u8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QngSrHke4u8[/video]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QngSrHke4u8
 
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Duke John of Amalfi seized control of the city in 1052-5, and when he died he left the throne to his son Sergius. When Sergius died in 1073 he left the throne to his own son John, who was a small child at the time.

What about that sequence of events says that Amalfi was still a republic after 1052, as opposed to a hereditary feudal domain?
 
Let's say the average kingdom has 6 duchies. The average empire has 5 kingdoms (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland -- ok, so four there. But Scotland, Brittany, Ireland, Wales, England; that's five.)

Probably an insignificant thing of me to bring up, but Brittania has only 4 kingdoms. Brittany is de jure part of Francia (very inappropriate, I know, but that's how the game does it). In fact, while 5 is the average number of kingdoms per empire, no empire actually has 5. Almost half of them have 4.

Just a silly thing I thought I'd mention.
 
There are two merchant republics active at the start of the new 867 bookmark. The first is Venice, which should be familiar to most of you, and the second is Amalfi, a growing trading hub on the western shores of Southern Italy ruled by a collection of Greek and Italian Patrician families. As you can see from the screenshot, we have added a new province for this republic. It has an interesting if somewhat challenging starting position, given its close proximity to the Karling realms of Western Europe, the Byzantine Empire which still maintains a tenuous hold on the southern tip of Italy, and the Muslim lords using Sicily as a springboard from which to carry their conquests further into Europe.
No Hedeby, or other northern european trade centers?
 
I wonder whether one of the most interesting aspects of the extra 200 years will turn out to be in Crusading. That's a lot of time to roll back Muslim conquests (or extend them).

Very much looking forward to Tuesday, and with Kittens from Space finally on sale, I can finally try the expansion everyone's been talking about!