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how come youre allowed to answer questions? everyone else has to get paradox permission before saying anything.
how come youre allowed to answer questions? everyone else has to get paradox permission before saying anything.
Crusader Kings II Preview on Adrenaline Vault
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It was confirmed that there can be inter-realm wars (vassal vs vassal). But you talked about crown authority in relation to this. Can you talk more about this? Will rulers with high crown authority takes sides in these wars?
Preview copy.
Preview copy.
Anyway, after this further insight, I start to think that CKII will be the perfect game.
*Intra-realm wars. It's inside of the realm, not between different ones. Although it would be Inter if said vassals fight other vassals in other realms, but presumably you meant the Right of Feud.
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Well, the way it works now is like this (subject to the "Johan doesn't like it so he changes it in late November" clause):
Vassals may only DOW each other if crown authority is LESS than a certain point. (Also, vassals may DOW foreign entities at a different crown authority.) If crown authority is too high, they simply are not allowed to do so. Your liege cannot intervene if vassal wars are valid
But (and this is a big conditional):
All bets are off during a civil war. If the vassal you attack is fighting against your liege, you may declare an independent war against them for whatever valid reason. And your liege is already fighting them, so you are already fighting together. This means that backing your liege in a civil war may be more about pressing your claims against your neighbor than being a good, pliant vassal.
Did I mention that when civil wars end, all vassals that did not specifically fight for independence and win revert back to the kingdom instantly? No matter who ended up with what titles? Your liege can't even be mad at your for annexing other vassals during the civil war. Sure, he can revoke your titles, but that will just piss off everyone...
You know what's even more fun? During a civil war, the crown law that prohibits/allows vassal infighting is irrelevant if you are on opposite sides of the civil war.
Maximum Fun: When you get an invitation to join a plot against your liege, a smart player that has no axe to grind with his liege will turn down the offer and start generating claims against the leader of the conspiracy. With any luck, the moment the war breaks out, you can exercise your claims and start annexing because you knew to plan ahead.
Final Note: Crown authority does other things, too. Since the game has no documentation, and the tutorial was not finished last time I tried it, there are some things I don't understand about it. But from the tool tips, at extremely low crown authority, lieges can't even revoke vassal titles at all. At the high end, vassals can't do hardly anything at all except sit around and either plot or wait for their liege to raise their levies.
Higher crown authority laws hurt relations with vassals, though. Running at max crown authority might hurt you indirectly in other ways.
I'm not a beta tester. I am a game previewer and reviewer. If Paradox doesn't want free press for CK2, they can just not send us a preview copy. And if they want certain features kept secret, then they shouldn't put them in the preview they send out.
See, there is a cold set of calculations in the video game industry. One of those things is that publishers want cheap/free advertising. So, they send out preview copies to reviewers. Reviewers want preview copies because our readers want a hot news story about upcoming games. And reviewers get more page views, and thus more revenue, from posting previews. It's win-win.
And since its a preview, it's a non-adversarial arrangement. I'm actually not allowed to say anything negative in a preview because the games aren't finished and it's not that kind of writing (would it make sense to complain that heresy is unbalanced when the whole game hasn't been finished yet?). A review, on the other hand, is conducted with a much more "Is the game worth it" kind of process, and I am actually obligated to try and find things that are screwed up.
I just added all this stuff on the forum because I figured you guys would be interested. I don't normally cheer-lead this much for something I preview, but I genuinely enjoyed the game, even if it's just beta. Besides, I figured Johan and the crew wouldn't mind the extra press.
I'm also not the only one who's been talking about the game. JaguarUSAF posted a gameplay video from an earlier version of the beta and showed people stuff he was doing in the game. I just went into more detail about specific mechanics because that's how I look at games anyway. (Video games are, in terms of gameplay, rule sets with interfaces, so I get analytical sometimes.)
The whole civil war mechanic sounds interesting. Can you tell more about that? Like, how are plots to start one formed? If someone is invited to a plot can he rat the plotters out to the victim? Does triggering plots work the same as in Sengoku (you need more troops than the victim)? If plotters start a civil war you weren't invited to (or declined the invitation) can you join it after it started? Do you have to take a side or can you stay neutral (I guess you will still need to deliver troops to the liege if you stay neutral)? What happens if you're on the losing side as a vassal?
Just some random questions I have. Feel free to answer any or none.
Just some random questions I have. Feel free to answer any or none
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Example: In my recent game, Hungary went Lollard. For the first decade or so, Poland intervened in the lengthy civil war, backing Catholic vassals against their heretic king. Croatia also intervened and annexed a duchy. But the king eventually won and converted most vassals and counties to Lollard. Then his son, also a Lollard, started spanking Croatia and Poland. The only reason they didn't annex Poland was because I (King of Rus, Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden, Khazaria, and God knows what else) annexed Poland first. They still got their revenge on Croatia. The Empire didn't get involved, probably because three succession wars were fought in a 30 year period over the throne.
That sounds excellent, I smell a 'Strange but remarkably plausible screenshots' thread.
Oh, regarding my earlier Komi question, I think I've found the answer. Komi and Orthodox in the early fourteenth century.
This was a really good preview, I was worried this game was going to be half finished and half broken, but it looks amazing.
Is the tech tree pretty much the same as CK 1?
Is the tech tree pretty much the same as CK 1?
So do mercenaries suffer attrition as you transport them to their target?
The whole civil war mechanic sounds interesting. Can you tell more about that? Like, how are plots to start one formed? If someone is invited to a plot can he rat the plotters out to the victim? Does triggering plots work the same as in Sengoku (you need more troops than the victim)? If plotters start a civil war you weren't invited to (or declined the invitation) can you join it after it started? Do you have to take a side or can you stay neutral (I guess you will still need to deliver troops to the liege if you stay neutral)? What happens if you're on the losing side as a vassal?
Just some random questions I have. Feel free to answer any or none
With no documentation, there are some things I can't answer.
But plots SEEM to work a lot like Sengoku. You initiate a plot via the intrigue screen. You start asking characters to ally with you (both other vassals and foreign rulers). When you have enough "plot power" you can green light the plot. Plots against lieges usually are presented as an ultimatum: "Give me what I want, or civil war will happen." If your liege declines, the war fires up and all members of the plot join on your side.
Note: Since you can ask foreign rulers to join, it is always possible that ridiculously powerful rulers join a plot that meddles in the domestic affairs of a realm. That's when things get really ugly. And that's how you influence the interior politics of a neighboring realm without conquering them.
This also means that plots can succeed without bloodshed. I've given in to plots before because I'd rather let vassal X have stupid county Y than start a civil war in the middle of my crusade against Acre. I can always come back later and deal with that vassal. After all, if I am willing to take the tyranny penalty, I can imprison and banish/confiscate his lands later, at my leisure. I have a long memory for that kind of thing.
Duchy of Perm exists, so you are good. It's right on the eastern edge of the map.
Well, since the buildings are all pretty much new, the tech tree is very different. However, it seems like spread and research is not WAD at the moment, so I will refrain from commenting.
There are no "filler" techs, though. Every tech has a distinct purpose with fully enabled tool tips to remove any mystery as to what's going on.
At the moment, most of the Islamic world has significantly better economic and cultural techs, although they are not too far ahead of the Christians in terms of military techs. This makes the emirates difficult opponents, since they are richer and have more troops per holding than you do. But, since the Iberian emirates all have claims on each other in 1066, it's not like they are marching to Aquitaine within five years.
do you always get the option to plea out with plots? or might it end in civil war no matter what you try?
Well, every plot that has political demands has the option to peacefully resolve so far. Plots to kill people, not so much (but you probably figured that out).
There might be ones that have no way to be peacefully resolved, but I haven't seen them.
Now, some demands are so heinous that I never accept, even if both the HRE and Byzantium are backing the plot. I will never accept a change to elective inheritance law, nor will I give up top-tier titles without a fight. And my vassals can roast in Hell if they think I'm going to lower my crown authority. I'd let the kingdom burn to the ground before I give in. :angry:
There might be ones that have no way to be peacefully resolved, but I haven't seen them.
Now, some demands are so heinous that I never accept, even if both the HRE and Byzantium are backing the plot. I will never accept a change to elective inheritance law, nor will I give up top-tier titles without a fight. And my vassals can roast in Hell if they think I'm going to lower my crown authority. I'd let the kingdom burn to the ground before I give in. :angry:
Have the huge king titles in CK (Germany and Byzantium) been sized down a bit or improved somehow now that there's an Empire tier? A Duke could end up with quite a few vassalized Counts before he was strong enough to declare himself King, due to the sheer size of those titles -- is managing a lot of Count vassals in this situation less annoying than it was in CK? Or is there some way to get Dukes as vassals, through perhaps a grand duchy tier 3 title, or just by... handing out ducal titles or something?
For someone who hasn't played Crusader Kings. Could you explain how the actual Crusader mechanics work?
we haven't had a dev diary about that yet, but i'm also curious to know how it works. i just watched a documentary about the first crusade and my impression was that CK2's crusade mechanics might suffer if independent realms do not somehow coordinate their actions. if a bunch of random duchies and kingdoms just try to take a crusade target on their own then it should be easy pickings for the caliphates they have to attack along the way.
I must add that I'm really liking the way that civil wars are set up in your build. There are an infinite improvement over CK1.
Some other questions:
What is the incentive for landed vassals to become members of their liege's cabinet? As spy master, can you be the power behind the throne, feeding the King selective information about plots? Can you embezzle funds as the realm's steward? As chancellor, can you befriend other vassals or rulers to the detriment of your liege? As marshal, can you lose a battle at the opportune moment for a civil war to succeed?
And the other way round, is it possible to befriend people with the ambition to become part of the cabinet, back their plot to achieve the position, and receive their gratitude later when they make decisions in your favour? Say a spy master overlooks another plot of yours? A chancellor helps getting good relations with other vassals or the liege himself? Is it possible to back the ambitions of dimwits in this way, to weaken the liege with their ineptitude?
Edit: Actually I think all of the second paragraph is possible based on what we already know. The grateful spymaster for example will more likely become part of your plot when he likes you.
What is the incentive for landed vassals to become members of their liege's cabinet? As spy master, can you be the power behind the throne, feeding the King selective information about plots? Can you embezzle funds as the realm's steward? As chancellor, can you befriend other vassals or rulers to the detriment of your liege? As marshal, can you lose a battle at the opportune moment for a civil war to succeed?
And the other way round, is it possible to befriend people with the ambition to become part of the cabinet, back their plot to achieve the position, and receive their gratitude later when they make decisions in your favour? Say a spy master overlooks another plot of yours? A chancellor helps getting good relations with other vassals or the liege himself? Is it possible to back the ambitions of dimwits in this way, to weaken the liege with their ineptitude?
Edit: Actually I think all of the second paragraph is possible based on what we already know. The grateful spymaster for example will more likely become part of your plot when he likes you.
Germany and Byzantium are still big, huge kingdoms. The good news is that you can conspire to take the throne for yourself in CK2 using plots, so if you have enough political power, you can just take over in a civil war, not spend years annexing counties just to usurp/create the title (although that is possible, too).
The other good news is that there are plenty of kingdom titles within reach of HRE and Byzantium vassals. And making yourself a king does not make you leave the empire.
Well, I think they are not done, but here's how they work so far.
A crusade is, in many ways, like a regular war. But it has some uniqueness.
Step 1) Pope calls a crusade against a specific county (say, Jerusalem or Acre).
Step 2) All Roman Catholics get a Crusade CB against the owner. Note that the Crusade CB is slightly different than the Holy War CB which you have at all times against non-Christians. The Crusade CB adds extra piety if you win.
Step 3) Rulers who think they're cool enough DOW the target. All wars are independent (meaning that if King A and King B are on crusade, their wars are separate).
Step 4) Your character arrives in the Holy Land (or general vicinity of the target). You get a trait "Crusader" adding +2 to martial and boosting your relations with clergy and other crusaders. Also, since you are in the area of the Crusade Target, the game recognizes this. Bishops and the Pope like you more. You are also immunized from "Hey, dummy, go on crusade" events.
Step 5) Fight battles, win sieges, kick butt.
Step 6) Force the enemy to give you the crusade target in the peace treaty.
Step 7) Profit! (Which currently includes a pile of prestige and piety)
These things are probably not finished yet, but I already know that the spymaster can plot with impunity. Since the spymaster is usually the one that tells the ruler about plots, if the spymaster is either starting one or joining one, the ruler is blissfully unaware. You really need to be able to trust your spymaster and keep them happy.
Also, characters can currently fabricate evidence of treason against one another and try to get you to imprison their rivals. I don't know if being on the council makes this more likely or not.
The Marshal is responsible for imprisoning people when order him. I can't be certain, but I think disloyal marshals intentionally fail in their task when they hate you. I have had unusually ineffective arrests when my marshals hate me, despite a 70% or better many times in a row.
At the moment, if you appoint someone to a court position that they want, their loyalty boosts. Anytime your character helps someone achieve an ambition, they like you more. I've also had my spouse ask me to appoint their friend to court positions, with loyalty hits depending on your response.