Newbie CK MP weekend coming up - recruits and advice from veterans needed

[smn_]

Hi all,

This week I'm finally going to try out CK MP. I've got some experience from SP but compared to many, I'm a newbie in CK still.

The plan is a free-for-all, just for fun saturday of CK multiplayer. Preferably, if all goes well, also sunday . The current plan is to start at 1.30 PM CET on saturday, meeting in Vnet crusaders channel somewhat earlier. New players can and will be picked up later on, during rehosts. The game might or might not be continued during next weekends, mostly depending on the level of fun and general interest.

The player profile I'm looking for is someone with a bit of experience with CK,who wants to try out playing with other humans and is not too serious about winning. If you know how to tune your politics to get more knights in your armies, or even if you know if that would be a good idea (I don't know either), you are probably too experienced Feel free to join even if you can not commit for the whole day, more players is better!

Sensible or for-winning playing is not expected, as long as you don't do anything really stupid, like DoW all the moslems as a vassal of Germany, to get Germany and yourself annexed, everything goes

Post in this thread or contact me in ICQ if interested in joining the fun (Or just pop by in Vnet on saturday, but if we get too many players for our hosting capability, those who signed up get priority).

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Edit:
So far interested parties:

Saturday (possibly sunday too)
- smn
- RedPhoenix
- JooHoo
- devil
- cheech
- Gathenhielm
- Byakhiam

Sunday only
-RogueTrader

We will play dukes, possibly in England or France, Poland or whatever. The area is still up for debate.
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And the questions for advice for veterans:
- What kind of player loads can CK run conviniently with?
- Recommended starting positions?
- Are there any fun-removing tactics or exploits that should be denied?
- Any other tips to improve the gaming experience?

 

[unmerged(21937)]

Player load depends largely on host. We have in Sunday game regularily 6 to 7 players and with Solmyr's hosting there is no noticeable lag and CTDs are rare.

Player positions should be dukes, as count game is best when played as long term SP, mainly because count game tends to be very slow paced and slow pace is boring in MP, but kings are not too good as a newbie start or in anywhat shorter term, because managing a whole kingdom is quite a hassle and kingly game tends to have mostly loads of AI bashing. With dukes, I'd suggest to have roughly equal dukes in power and with quite close proximity, like for example within one kingdom.

Game can be fun without any rules whatsoever, but it depends on what you like. Some possible issues:
- As Crusading is so beneficial, MP games where this it is not regulated by house rules tend to have loads of Crusading.
- Vassalization spamming, not too big issue as it rarely succeeds, but we often have "Only one attempt per year at each target" limitation
- If two players are vassals of same AI ruler, one player dowing other player's vassal is likely to cause crashes

There are other exploiting tactics in CK generally which people tend to have found in SP already (like "Take king's provinces and watch kingdom fall apart" or "Theocratic Empire"), which could be limited, but it depends on the players and what kind of game they want to have.

I think the best thing for gaming experience is to have relaxed attitude and if you have any kind of house rules, have all players understand them in the same way. Players arguing about rules in the middle of the game tends to ruin the atmosphere and feel for all players.

Oh yeah, one thing: Be prepared to deal with setbacks because if your ruler becomes mad or you get just idiot sons, you can't reload game in MP and quitting due to setbacks is discouraged.

 

[Sterkarm]

Your problem here is really the time... it's really bad for most americans and also for some europeans... later on in the day would be better for most.

 

[unmerged(24704)]

I might be able to play on sunday, but I'm in Australia. What's time are you guys planning on sunday (in terms of GMT please), just did my rough timing, seems 1:30 CET = 11:30am GMT = 8:30 pm AEST (which is great for me)

so if my timing is correct, can I play please?

 

[Sterkarm]

Oh, by the way, DO NOT GET THE FOLLOWING TRAITS:

Kinslayer, Excommunicated, and Heretic

While in SP you may have a chance to survive it, in MP other players will tear into you while you are at war with vassals... trust me.

 

[unmerged(21937)]

Also don't rack up 100 badboy points like good Sterkarm here. :rofl:

 

[Swuul]

Ah darn, I would be interested, but I am out of town then

For scenario, I suggest play dukes in KoJ area. You'll learn to fear the AI, you'll learn to handle vassals in MP, you'll learn to die with style

 

[smn_]

I might be able to play on sunday, but I'm in Australia. What's time are you guys planning on sunday (in terms of GMT please), just did my rough timing, seems 1:30 CET = 11:30am GMT = 8:30 pm AEST (which is great for me)

so if my timing is correct, can I play please?

You are welcome, if there is a game goes on on sunday. Which it should, I can't see why it wouldn't.

Edit: Your timing seems to be correct. Normally CET is GMT +1 but now, during daylight savings time, it is GMT +2.

 

[smn_]

Your problem here is really the time... it's really bad for most americans and also for some europeans... later on in the day would be better for most.

Sterkarm, the game will go on for the whole day, more people are welcome to join during rehosts. As long as the hosting can handle it of course.

 

[smn_]

Player load depends largely on host. We have in Sunday game regularily 6 to 7 players and with Solmyr's hosting there is no noticeable lag and CTDs are rare.

This is good to know. I hope we get someone with good/great hosting capabilities to join, as I'm only below average (256 upstream IIRC). Is CK similar to EU2 in the sense that host save must always be used?

Game can be fun without any rules whatsoever, but it depends on what you like. Some possible issues:
- As Crusading is so beneficial, MP games where this it is not regulated by house rules tend to have loads of Crusading.
- Vassalization spamming, not too big issue as it rarely succeeds, but we often have "Only one attempt per year at each target" limitation
- If two players are vassals of same AI ruler, one player dowing other player's vassal is likely to cause crashes

Thanks. However since this is less serious, more just-for-fun game, I wouldn't want to enforce anti-crusading rules, but rather see a manic crusader nation, where the dukes compete of the pagan/infidel lands

Same goes with vassalization offers .. unless it becomes a real problem with a sleazy player gathering too many vassals this way.

I think the best thing for gaming experience is to have relaxed attitude and if you have any kind of house rules, have all players understand them in the same way. Players arguing about rules in the middle of the game tends to ruin the atmosphere and feel for all players.

True. We'll try this way.

Oh yeah, one thing: Be prepared to deal with setbacks because if your ruler becomes mad or you get just idiot sons, you can't reload game in MP and quitting due to setbacks is discouraged.

Haha, no worries, I'm used to collapsing my kingdom in every SP game I play. Reloading would remove all the fun

 

[Swuul]

Is CK similar to EU2 in the sense that host save must always be used?

CK does not have events like EU2, but still the game seems to be acting odd and crashing a lot if a non-host save is used. I would definitively not accept a non-host save to be used in any of my games (wether I was the host or client)


A few things to remember about CK MPing. Start the game on Very Slow. Pause after one day, so that players can position their courtiers and propose marraiges etc (it will otherwise cause massive lag as players are hyperactive and the AI is *also* hyperactive during the first days). Then let it roll for a few days on Very Slow so that the AI gets its claims, marriages, DOW's etc cleared, then rise the speed to Below Normal. Players might see lag from the host on 1st of January, but that is because of autosave.

All players should close all other processes from the background. There are people who claim they have a good enough computer to them not cause problems, but for some reason those games seem to crash more often. The Sunday-morning games (where the "veterans" play) players comply to this (and I believe a few others beside me has also renamed the music and sfx folders to cause minimum strain on the computers) seee 6-7 pplayers play up to seven hours without crashes.

 

[smn_]

Thanks for the tips Jarkko.

Ah darn, I would be interested, but I am out of town then

Wouldn't you be a bit too veteran for us, we could give you a count in southern Iberia

For scenario, I suggest play dukes in KoJ area. You'll learn to fear the AI, you'll learn to handle vassals in MP, you'll learn to die with style

Sounds a bit hardcore to me, maybe next weekend

 

[devil]

I am interrested in playing I truely suck at CK

 

[smn_]

I am interrested in playing I truely suck at CK

Good, you fulfill the requirements then, you're in

 

[Joohoo]

I saw I was in the playerlist, good, but now I confirm I am in. I may not be able to start on the start time but it is too early to know it yet i will say more excatly later on.

 

[tombom]

I would like to do something like this, but unforunately I have 56k and am on a different computer for midday saturday-midday sunday. If you put back the start to something like 10:00 gmt I might be able to do something if I also had broadband.

 

[Gathenhielm]

I would really like to play in this one.

and I agree Jarkko playing with KOJ is really fun way to paly and lose

 

[unmerged(7276)]

Im back baby!

OK this is my first CK mp so im happy whatever the setup is. However i had an interesting idea that id like to share.

We all play in the same realm. Call this realm x. A random player is the king to start and everyone else is a duke or count. The more ambitious players would try to gather support amoungst the various barons to overthrow the king while others can just be happy to increase their demese/wealth. We would play primaraly for our own dynasty but also for our realm as a whole. So it would be a co-op game some other the time with possible vassal infighting and civil wars. Ruthless barons could gather favour amoungst players to overthrow the king by promising money and inluance to those who join him. The kings job would be to keep his place and to keep the other players loyal. He would have to insure the various players dont become too strong but at the same time make sure they dont get too pissed off. Backstabing would be part of the game as players must insure that their rivals are both not too strong, but also supportive of your interests.

What do you think??

The only rule would be that players musr remain either as king of realm x, or a vassal of the king of realm x.

 

[Gathenhielm]

Interesting idea, but I can see the following possible problems:
No one wanting to be king
No co-operating as there are very few scenarios where the kingdom will face an external threath that the king need his vassals to handle.

But I still I think it would be worth trying.

 

[unmerged(7276)]

No one wanting to be king

I would want to be king

No co-operating as there are very few scenarios where the kingdom will face an external threath that the king need his vassals to handle.

Well it would be up to the king to insure his vassals toe the line. A certain degree of RP would be required of course. Not to take it too seriously would be another thing.

BTW I think a small kingdome like scotland could be fun. In their case the vassals would be needed more and their are plenty of dukes. Also poland or france might be good.