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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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the advisors still affect tech at the very least, since it seems state attributes (ruler + advisor + 1/2 spouse) are what determines technology points earned ..........

I'm under the impression, that it in general basically still works like before, with the exception of these individal character points you can actively allocate and that buildings and combat give specific research points.
But i feel so insecure about it. :unsure::laugh:
 
Great, another feature in the game that I can't pretend doesn't exist anymore. :p
 
The technology system update sounds brilliant! In the past all you could do to improve tech was to hope for an able ruler+spouse+advisors team and park your court chaplain in your capital and your spymaster in *Constantinople*.

In addition, I love that steppe cultures are getting new, interesting-looking building pictures for them. Before today, I thought they'd have those pagan wooden buildings, so this is a welcome improvement :D
 
I love CKII, but I would give it up for a YEAR if I could go on an archaeological dig

Paleontology, actually, and I'm more than happy to go. Doesn't change the fact I'll miss my gaming, but it's hardly standing in the way of my life.

And funny you'd say it: I was originally supposed to go to South Africa for a dig instead, but it fell through leaving me with Plan B.

EDIT: And Plan C (yes, there was a Plan C!) would've been an archaeological dig in Oklahoma. One way or another, I was going to spend a few weeks this summer digging.
 
Will we be able to mod it so that only kings and higher get their own tech bonus?

With one duke per 2-3 provinces, that means 1/3 of the world is going to be progressing at approximately the same rate. IMO, it's kind of ridiculous that a minor duke in northern England would be able to draw the kind of foreign trade and influence that would make his capital a center of learning. If he claims all of England, though, then that's a whole other issue.

And about the steppe buildings: I notice that even with the new buildings, the province that was selected produces far more infantry than cavalry. Is that just because not enough has been built? But even so, shouldn't the steppe always have tons of cavalry and few if any infantry, even in 867?
 
Thank god Amalfi's its own province now, that means it'd be playable in the 1066 start too, I presume.
 
Ah, okay, that makes sense. But at least there will be the new province. I wonder if we will get any other new provinces or sea provinces?
 
No, Amalfi is not playable in 1066. There are no events for the rise of Genoa and Pisa as merchant republics, but it often tends to happen over the course of the game, especially in the case of Genoa.

So, with Amalfi being a province, what duchy does it belong to? Also, what does Salerno (the province) become when held by a Greek? Currently it becomes Amalfi with the duchy becoming Lukania (sp?).
 
Given that it didn't exist in 1066, I'd imagine not.

...of course it existed in 1066. In 1073 it became vassal to the Normans, but the republic didn't fall until 1131-1137, when a failed rebellion caused an heavy revenge from the King of Sicily and an opportunistic attack from Pisa.