Greetings!

Jade Dragon has been released, and work has started on a post-release patch. Our QA are scouring the Bug Forum as I’m writing this, while our Programmers and Content Designers are hard at work fixing the issues that has been found! All in all it’s been a very good release, and the team is very happy with how things went.

You can expect the patch to arrive within three weeks (possibly a bit sooner), so remember to report any and all issues you’re experiencing before then, again - in the Bug Forum!

In addition to bugfixes, the next patch will add a few things that you’ve requested… I won’t tell you what they are yet though, it’ll be a secret for now.

Here are some of the more severe issues we’re currently working on fixing:

• The Ruler Designer not working in MP.
• China getting the wrong name if you switch bookmarks a lot before starting the game.
• Ruler Designing a Nomad causing a game over.
• Some Historical Wars not working.
• As well as many more less severe issues.

May the Emperor look upon you with grace!

 

[Ixal]

How do you check if China is expansionistic or not?
Because in my current game Sweden is a tributary of China. In my game before the tributary border also moved quite far westwards to I think the slavic region and I never got a message that China entered an expansionistic phase.

I will provide a screenshot when I am back home.

 

[Rationalsanity]

The Silk Road does hit Berbera and Socotra, so it's within China's diplomatic range.

I suppose the Protectorate should be adjusted to favor closer neighbors unless provoked. And their ability to march across half the way and win by rushing sieges needs a look to.

 

[Serenity84]

How do you check if China is expansionistic or not?

Top left of the China screen

 

[Ixal]

Top left of the China screen

There was never anything other than open in my games so far and still at its high point China had 7 tributaries including european countries.

 

[Serenity84]

A non-expansionist China will want to have no more than three tributaries

I could have sworn I've seen a lot more than that even when non-expansionist

and will only make tributaries that either border the WP or an existing tributary

This still lets them chain attack range pretty far

 

[rageair]

And yet we still see the Protectorate interacting with Africa and Northern Europe rather often. Why?

Saying that they do this 'often' is hyperbole, we didn't want to make it impossible for them to conquer their way west, but they won't actively seek to do so. The diplomatic range of China is the same as any other character, plus the extent of the Silk Road. This means that if they conquer land, their range will increase slightly, though they will still not attack a realm that doesn't border them or one of their tributaries. This means that if they attack northern Europe, they've managed to conquer a path to there - the only place in the game where they will attack realms that don't explicitly border them is in the 'Chinese Region of Influence' region, as mentioned before.

It is the most likely for China to extend their reach into Europe or Africa if they win a war against a large nation, i.e. a successful Nomad horde, though this requires them to be expansionist. If someone has a China that is both Expansionist AND in a Golden Age, this would not be an unexpected scenario. This is a very rare combination though, and shouldn't even occur every game. Note that if China conquers a realm that has exclaves (border gore) that will extend their reach. Realms having that level of border gore is a separate problem entirely though.

I suppose the Protectorate should be adjusted to favor closer neighbors unless provoked.

They do favor closer realms already, they actually favor closer realms to the point where they sometimes leave certain targets that provoke them alone (i.e., characters raiding them) just because they want to attack something closer to their existing borders.

I could have sworn I've seen a lot more than that even when non-expansionist

They will keep existing tributaries even after they stop being expansionist. It's also not impossible for them to go for more than three small tributaries, though they will not actively pursue them.

This still lets them chain attack range pretty far

Under optimal conditions that is true, though they need to be expansionist to tributize the really large realms.

 

[Ixal]

As I said in my game China was never Expansionistic, only Open. And they still had at one point 6 ir more tributaries, some in or close to Europe.

 

[vienastoks]

The AI is over its over its vassal limit and needs to transfer vassals to get back to the limit, there's nothing strange about that. Before this patch, the AI in this situation would literally transfer vassals completely randomly - the only thing this patch changed in this regard is that they now try to keep vassal borders contiguous. In your specific case, the Francian Kingdoms were united before Charlemagne had time to create any duchies, which causes him to transfer counts to the existing dukes.

Thank you very much for the explanation. Having played the game for years now I do know why the AI does that - I just can't figure out why this new method is better than the random one. Correct me, please, if I'm wrong, but that's what was happening then and what is happening now:

THEN. AI transfers counties randomly often distributing it so that one county from each "uncreated" duchy goes to some ducal vassal. Later, when AI had enough money to create duchies, it tried to "reunite" their territories often giving ducal title to the previously transfered count so that everything could stay together. Sometimes a county or two were "lost" in this process and caused a bunch of de jure wars, but that was only natural. The player could suspend disbelief of the proceedings by pretending that the King does this to balance the power in the realm and lower threat to the throne by engaging their vassals in fun wars for de jure territories.

NOW. AI transfers entire "uncreated" duchies, sometimes entire kingdom worth (esp. in Aquitaine) to ducal vassals entirely disregarding the threat to the trone the process creates. (Could you honestly believe Charlemagne would give all his "extra" lands to the hated gascons or aquitanians?). The power of the beneficiary dukes increases so much that it equals or even exceeds that of the monarch causing them to pursue the path of independence (again, mostly Aquitaine) with the required amounts to create a kingdom already donated by Karl. I did only three quick 50-year playthroughs after the patch - none gave the slightest chance for Karl to create the HRE. Twice the überduchies split in independence wars, and once they instantly removed Karling inheritors from the thrones (East Francia and Aquitaine) upon Karl's death.

I don't mind stop playing in Francia in 769 - I just wonder whether anyone has some plausible theory why would this happen "in game". I mean, to explain not why AI does that, but why Karl Karling would do that...

 

[Ixal]

Saying that they do this 'often' is hyperbole, we didn't want to make it impossible for them to conquer their way west, but they won't actively seek to do so. The diplomatic range of China is the same as any other character, plus the extent of the Silk Road. This means that if they conquer land, their range will increase slightly, though they will still not attack a realm that doesn't border them or one of their tributaries. This means that if they attack northern Europe, they've managed to conquer a path to there - the only place in the game where they will attack realms that don't explicitly border them is in the 'Chinese Region of Influence' region, as mentioned before.

It is the most likely for China to extend their reach into Europe or Africa if they win a war against a large nation, i.e. a successful Nomad horde, though this requires them to be expansionist. If someone has a China that is both Expansionist AND in a Golden Age, this would not be an unexpected scenario. This is a very rare combination though, and shouldn't even occur every game. Note that if China conquers a realm that has exclaves (border gore) that will extend their reach. Realms having that level of border gore is a separate problem entirely though.


They do favor closer realms already, they actually favor closer realms to the point where they sometimes leave certain targets that provoke them alone (i.e., characters raiding them) just because they want to attack something closer to their existing borders.


They will keep existing tributaries even after they stop being expansionist. It's also not impossible for them to go for more than three small tributaries, though they will not actively pursue them.


Under optimal conditions that is true, though they need to be expansionist to tributize the really large realms.

I played 2 games as vasall of the Protectorate and in both its tributaries reached Europe (and in one game it also expanded quite a lot).
Sadly I do not have screenshots from the time it had 6-7 tributaries. Still in both games China never was Expansionist, only Open the whole time. In both games I did not start any conquest wars with targets outside of the Protectorate. In the 2nd game I used Invasion to dismantle Tibet, but thats it.

 

[Ksiendzu]

Maybe Peace Deals shouldn't extend diplomatic range of China?

 

[classicist]

Where do I see the amount of Grace my ruler is enjoying in the mind of the emperor? I think I've checked all the intuitive places... It could perhaps be made more apparent.

 

[Quackytheduck]

Where do I see the amount of Grace my ruler is enjoying in the mind of the emperor? I think I've checked all the intuitive places... It could perhaps be made more apparent.

It's right there in the middle of the China screen. It's the only number present. Right under the Emperor's name. To the right and left (respectively) of the "give tribute" and "request boon" buttons. If you're talking about how to get into that screen in the first place, it's a button to the left of the minimap. It has a dragon's head on it.

You can see both the China screen and the button to get there in Ixal's post just a few before yours.

 

[Quackytheduck]

The one thing I'm puzzled about is the seeming lack of Monks and Mystics love for Bon and Taoist religions. I was super excited to get religious artifacts for my ridiculous Taoist Roman Empire, but I kept getting generic ones. Eventually I went into the game files, and discovered that there AREN'T any Taoist artifacts...or societies, or ANY real advanced features.

This seems like a bit of a mistake, considering one has paid for the DLC that adds a religion, and then again for the DLC that enhances religions with said artifacts, religious orders, etc. Are there any plans to change this?

Edit: Oh, and Khurzmata too. I always forget those guys.

 

[LNCarr]

So, it may be a bit of a stretch, but would it be possible to add more mystery cult-like features to secret religion? Of course, I'd be happy with actual mystery cults, too... but none of the Greco-Roman cults remained very strong past the 4th century, and none survived past the 5th, as far as I remember, so it wouldn't be very accurate... though Mithraism and the cult of Sol Invictus were kind of neat. Basically, I'd just love to see more esotericism. For both the East and the West, actually. I can understand the complex nature of figuring out how they'd actually work, what they'd do, and how to balance it all, of course... but it's just so COOOL!

I'd also like to hear more about the philosophical struggles which were happening at the time. I'm happy to see some of the great philosophers and scientists of the time bopping about of course; but it'd be so neat if there were a mechanic by which you could patronize philosophy or science... make universities more like trade posts or hospitals and add a function for what they should be focussing on; have them occasionally generate a skilled courtier, maybe?

I think, though it is a pretty minor thing, that it would be interesting if the Visigoths (and the derivations thereof) and Italians/Lombards (as heirs of the Ostrogoths), both of whom saw themselves as preservers of Roman institutions, received a bonus based around the patronage system they inherited from the Romans.

I know... it's a lot to ask...
Really, really a lot.

 

[KN_Leo]

Sounds like a rare but significant issue. If someone is able to come up with a way to reproduce it, it is a likely candidate for the patch. Without a way to reproduce it however, fixing it will likely be near impossible.

It's not reproducing report but another vassal independent problem report.

I was playing as the Emperor of the Tibetan empire.
One of my vassal king of Kham conquered kingdom of Amdo which was also one of my vassals title.
And then he got instantly independent with two king clowns Kham and Amdo. With no warning.

 

[classicist]

It's right there in the middle of the China screen. It's the only number present. Right under the Emperor's name. To the right and left (respectively) of the "give tribute" and "request boon" buttons.

Thanks ever so much - I don't know how I managed to miss it!

 

[Harker207]

Reasons for diplomatic decisions are now replaced with nonsensical text, so for example, if I'm betrothing my daughter to someone, in green where there used to be a positive reason for them to say yes, it now just reads "A~~~~~~~~~~". When will this be patched? That's important to understanding where you stand with different leaders.

 

[GUILDAM]

Are confucian/han character getting feast and/or other events? because right now they are pretty raw.

 

[Mjur3k]

Could you change colours of some kingdoms (for example Islamic kingdoms) In the next Patch/expansion ?

 

[Roland Jones]

There are some typos in the second menu for picking a patron god as a Khurmazta person. Minor, but it's worth noting anyway.

Less minor, using the "Change Council Position" decision apparently gives the "Fired from council" and "Recently fired" negative opinion modifiers, which sucks because it seems like it's meant to get around exactly that, since you aren't actually firing them.

Also, is there a reason Mazdakites aren't able to perform the Sadeh and get a summer fair instead? I figure there is (though, the Sadeh seems much, much neater than the fair so it still feels like a shame that they don't get it), I'm just curious what it is.