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Legacy of Rome will be released next week, so this dev diary will be the last of this cycle. Doomdark is busy hammering away at the game, so this week the honor of writing it falls to me. As he said last time, we'll finish off with some of the unique decisions, events and mechanics we've added to the Byzantine Empire in the DLC. Note that the following stuff is for the DLC, not the free 1.07 patch.

Succession in Byzantium works the same as in the rest of Europe, except for one thing. Children born to an emperor during his reign will get the ”Born in the Purple” trait, which gives them a stronger succession claim than any older siblings born before their parents ascended the throne. If you, as emperor, still want your gifted firstborn son as your heir instead of his snotnosed younger brother who had the good fortune of being born during your reign, infanticide is not your only option. Granting the Despot honorary title to your firstborn will rank him the same as if he had the Purple trait, and given his seniority in age, he will become your heir again.

View attachment LoR_02_ERE_Events.jpg

Ambitious emperors will no doubt try to reclaim some of Rome's former glory by restoring the Empire's lost territory. If they or their imperial vassals hold certain provinces, they will have the opportunity to restore the Roman Empire. This decision essentially signifies that the West has no choice but to accept the Byzantines as the true heirs of Rome's legacy. You will get a new title (complete with a new flag, of course), and the rulers of a restored Rome always get the ”Augustus” trait, which gives a slight boost to vassal relations. If you wish it, there is a decision to move your capital to Rome, though the city scarcely compares to Constantinople in this era so you will likely have to invest a lot of gold and time to rebuild it.

Another major decision, of course, is to mend the Great Schism between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. You will need to reunite the Pentarchy (Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria and Rome) under Byzantine and Orthodox rule and accumulate a great deal of piety. When this decision is taken, Catholicism will become a heresy and Catholic rulers across Europe will have to decide whether to convert or not. A few will refuse, and Europe will likely be plagued by religious unrest for some time, but the first step has now been taken to unite Christendom under a single church.

View attachment LoR_01_ERE_Events.jpg

As you have probably seen, Byzantine rulers can elect to blind or castrate their prisoners. This can be an efficient way of permanently crippling your rivals without executing them outright. Have an obnoxious brother that covets your throne? If he is blinded or castrated, he will be removed from the imperial succession, and you will have one less pretender to worry about. Just don't expect him to like you much afterwards.

Castrated rivals aside, eunuchs played an important role at the Byzantine imperial court, and from time to time one of them will distinguish himself enough to be brought to your attention. This eunuch will be very loyal to your ruler and quite skilled in his chosen field. When other lords turn their backs on you, you will usually still be able to depend on his service, whether it's as a skilled general or a gifted spymaster.

Other events you can expect to see are triumphs being held when you emerge victorious from decisive wars, unruly Varangians in the capital, Hippodrome races and much more.

View attachment LoR_03_ERE_Events.jpg

Finally, let me stress that this does not mean that we have created a supercharged Byzantine Empire that will always go on to dominate Europe as the Romans did before them. Skilled and dedicated players will be able to stage a miraculous recovery and recreate the borders of the Roman Empire and maybe even hold it all together afterwards, but we have naturally taken care not to upset the balance of the game. Just wanted to put that out there. :)
 
Can the Empire still change to use different succession laws? Would the Born in the Purple trait have any impact on the likes of Seniority Succession or Elective Monarchy?
 
ho ho ho. and here I was hoping to make waiting for the dev diary the centerpiece of a cramming all-nighter :laugh:

edit: wait a minute. is it just me, or is having banners to represent armies/hosts something that was just shown/revealed in this dev diary as well? it looks totally awesome by the way.

edit2: you also mentioned something in the past about an event/trigger that makes constantinople the capital of the ERE whenever a different dynasty takes over. what if Rome is the chosen capital of the revived Roman empire. Will it still force a capital shift to constantinople if, say a dynasty whose demesne are in Sicily takes over? Or will it be Rome?
 
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Sounds great, Goose. Definitely going to get this.

Two things, though:

1) Did you see the thread about changing the color of Byzantium to that darker shade of purple? Tyrian, I think. That would be good for Byzantium, or Rome.

2) Can you please give us some more information on the new culture skins DLC pack?

EDIT: By the way, don't forget to give the restored Roman Empire its own localized ruler titles...
 
I'm so getting this the moment I get access to Steam on the day it's released there. Time to restore my favorite empire of the era to it's full glory. :D
 
When you say this stuff isn't for the 1.07 patch, does that include the new succession rules? Does 1.07 have the castrating option? I like that a lot.
 
Can the Empire still change to use different succession laws? Would the Born in the Purple trait have any impact on the likes of Seniority Succession or Elective Monarchy?

Yes, it can use different succession laws. Born in the Purple is essentially another layer to consider on the existing laws.
 
the dlc looks great. especially the born in purple ect. modifiers, and ofcourse mendin the great schism.

one question tho, will 1.06b games e fully compatible with the dlc or will we need to start a new game to make use of all the features?
 
Awesome I can't wait to restore Rome to it's former Glory ! :D
 
1) Did you see the thread about changing the color of Byzantium to that darker shade of purple? Tyrian, I think. That would be good for Byzantium, or Rome.

2) Can you please give us some more information on the new culture skins DLC pack?

1. We're not planning on changing the color of Byzantium on the map for this DLC. Personally I kind of like it the way it is, but it's something that is quite easy to mod.

2. Sadly, I can't, but something will probably be announced in the not too distant future. :)
 
Sounds ok, I'm a little dissapointed that there seems to be no difference in the way you handle your vassals :( so sounds like we're still stuck with the feudal system...

The joys of Europe! :D


ahh i see - what are the banners for?

If I had to guess, they're a unique "icon" display for a restored Roman Empire, to simulate the old Eagle Banners of 'yor.

Also, is anyone else -really- excited to watch Europe squirm as Catholicism is rendered obsolete by GLORIOUS RHOMANIA?


Edit: Alternatively, they could be retinues.
 
Sweet, sweet anticipation.
 
Yes, it can use different succession laws. Born in the Purple is essentially another layer to consider on the existing laws.

This intrigues me greatly. Very curious to see how they interact. The idea of Seniority succession where a 20 year old born-in-the-purple is ahead of a 50 year old normal dynasty member, or an elective monarchy where born-in-the-purples are the only valid candidates, would make for an interesting spin on imperial politics. Though I'm sure you haven't focused too much on the atypical succession laws, the potential for fun with this feature is quite exciting.
 
When you say this stuff isn't for the 1.07 patch, does that include the new succession rules? Does 1.07 have the castrating option? I like that a lot.

Born in the Purple and the ability to castrate and blind prisoners are unique to the Byzantines, and will only be in the DLC.
 
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