Full disclaimer: I'm a newcomer to the Crusader Kings franchise. Prior to CK3, I'd heard about CK2, as most mod enthusiasts have. But when I tried to play it and coax out its mythical properties, I baulked at what I saw as a clunky, unpolished UI and utter lack of visuals.
To me, it felt like a game from the '00s. Without the protective sheen of nostalgia, it wasn't a compromise I was willing to make. There was also a lot of mechanics going on, and it felt like a chore to learn them.
I'm no stranger to things with a learning curve (like learning how to make games in Unity 3D) but the game's hidden gems seemed deep beneath the surface, and I didn't want to dig only to find out they were imaginary.
There, my secret is now exposed. You now have an imprisonment reason!
RynGM gains +20 Stress
for Exposing CK Newcomer Secret
Fast forward to CK3. There were rumblings on the gaming news sites. Unlike CK2, this seemed visually stunning, accessible, and fun. I spent ages reading the Wiki before I bought, making sure I learned every system I could. I wanted to know the difference between Faiths, Doctrines, and Tenets, or what decisions I could make.
I hit the ground running in Ireland, and loved it. After quitting the tutorial, I started up as Haesteinn, and over 200 years later I painted the world (I had to do it once). Compared to a regular AAA game where you can get anything between 20 to 120 hours, what I was getting out of CK3 was amazing.
RynGM has gained the Reclusive Trait.
In the lead up to RC, I was watching every Dev Diary, waiting for it to drop. That's when I realised, compared to many other games I've played, there was more of a two-way dialogue going on. Ideas were being taken from users and included.
"Hey, I've got ideas! Why don't I share some of them?"
So I jumped on the forum, and excitedly made some threads. It was going to be a new community to check out of people who liked CK3 as much as I did. Maybe there'd be a few folks who were hardcore about historical details, but that's fine.
RynGM has the Trusting trait.
Fast forward two weeks.
I'm flicking through thread after thread. There's post after post about how "x has been a failure" or "y is a catastrophe." It's a malicious act by Paradox, who are either fools, or actively conspiring to make the player suffer.
The common solution offered is that the developers need to sit in a corner, think about all the terrible things they've done, then gut the game until it's good again. Sometimes this involves pulling the game from the shelf, or releasing a new DLC to fix it.
My best post - which got over sixty likes - was saying something critical about the game having too many silly events.
"Am I playing the same game? Am I on crazy pills? Does anyone like this game, or is it just me?" I thought.
Let me check Reddit. There's some people who like the game (but, according to Forum folk, they are too positive). Okay, so let's check Steam.
Right. So I'm not alone. What the heck is going on, then?
It clicks. I'm probably the new audience. This is the old audience, and there's some friction going on. There's this toxic, suffocating air that hangs around the forum, seemingly spilling from the wounds of the fans that came before.
I'm no stranger to criticising things - I'm the first to point out a movie's flaws when I exit the cinema, much to my wife's chagrin. But the negativity is so omnipresent, it feels like no oxygen actually gets in.
Seems like the smart move is to move on, right? That's what people say: if you don't like it, leave it. On one level, that kind of sucks. This is the space where you can leave suggestions. Plus, if it's like this for me as a new fan, how is it for everyone else?
So I decided to make a post. Very sure it won't do anything, but I wanted to add my voice to it all, as a new player. I like CK3, and it got me here when CK2 didn't! And I'm not alone.
That's not to say anyone else's preferences or gameplay styles are invalid. But I don't think calling CK3 a catastrophic failure that needs to be redone is right, or that it needed two or three more years of development before first release.
I think there are definitely things that need to be improved - making different cultures and religions feel different, for a start - but I think calling it a comprehensive failure is a stretch.
I think you can tell I used my journaling decision.
RynGM Writes Thoughts Down
To me, it felt like a game from the '00s. Without the protective sheen of nostalgia, it wasn't a compromise I was willing to make. There was also a lot of mechanics going on, and it felt like a chore to learn them.
I'm no stranger to things with a learning curve (like learning how to make games in Unity 3D) but the game's hidden gems seemed deep beneath the surface, and I didn't want to dig only to find out they were imaginary.
There, my secret is now exposed. You now have an imprisonment reason!
RynGM gains +20 Stress
Fast forward to CK3. There were rumblings on the gaming news sites. Unlike CK2, this seemed visually stunning, accessible, and fun. I spent ages reading the Wiki before I bought, making sure I learned every system I could. I wanted to know the difference between Faiths, Doctrines, and Tenets, or what decisions I could make.
I hit the ground running in Ireland, and loved it. After quitting the tutorial, I started up as Haesteinn, and over 200 years later I painted the world (I had to do it once). Compared to a regular AAA game where you can get anything between 20 to 120 hours, what I was getting out of CK3 was amazing.
RynGM has gained the Reclusive Trait.
In the lead up to RC, I was watching every Dev Diary, waiting for it to drop. That's when I realised, compared to many other games I've played, there was more of a two-way dialogue going on. Ideas were being taken from users and included.
"Hey, I've got ideas! Why don't I share some of them?"
So I jumped on the forum, and excitedly made some threads. It was going to be a new community to check out of people who liked CK3 as much as I did. Maybe there'd be a few folks who were hardcore about historical details, but that's fine.
RynGM has the Trusting trait.
Fast forward two weeks.
I'm flicking through thread after thread. There's post after post about how "x has been a failure" or "y is a catastrophe." It's a malicious act by Paradox, who are either fools, or actively conspiring to make the player suffer.
The common solution offered is that the developers need to sit in a corner, think about all the terrible things they've done, then gut the game until it's good again. Sometimes this involves pulling the game from the shelf, or releasing a new DLC to fix it.
My best post - which got over sixty likes - was saying something critical about the game having too many silly events.
"Am I playing the same game? Am I on crazy pills? Does anyone like this game, or is it just me?" I thought.
Let me check Reddit. There's some people who like the game (but, according to Forum folk, they are too positive). Okay, so let's check Steam.
Right. So I'm not alone. What the heck is going on, then?
It clicks. I'm probably the new audience. This is the old audience, and there's some friction going on. There's this toxic, suffocating air that hangs around the forum, seemingly spilling from the wounds of the fans that came before.
I'm no stranger to criticising things - I'm the first to point out a movie's flaws when I exit the cinema, much to my wife's chagrin. But the negativity is so omnipresent, it feels like no oxygen actually gets in.
Seems like the smart move is to move on, right? That's what people say: if you don't like it, leave it. On one level, that kind of sucks. This is the space where you can leave suggestions. Plus, if it's like this for me as a new fan, how is it for everyone else?
So I decided to make a post. Very sure it won't do anything, but I wanted to add my voice to it all, as a new player. I like CK3, and it got me here when CK2 didn't! And I'm not alone.
That's not to say anyone else's preferences or gameplay styles are invalid. But I don't think calling CK3 a catastrophic failure that needs to be redone is right, or that it needed two or three more years of development before first release.
I think there are definitely things that need to be improved - making different cultures and religions feel different, for a start - but I think calling it a comprehensive failure is a stretch.
I think you can tell I used my journaling decision.
RynGM Writes Thoughts Down
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