Often we read about people asking to add China and the rest of Asia, sometimes about more Sahel and the Eastern African coast. Usually, the counter-argument is that it would add an excessive strain to the hardware and it's not totally unmotivated. It's true, especially if we plan on converting the game, the results of the converter can make little sense related to the CK2 map and playing at the edges still feel... empty.
What I propose is to only partially simulate far-away realms, in region the developers think would require too many resources.
What is simulated
Out-of-map realms are listed, but only the top liege's court can be interacted with. Periodically a RNG decides whether they expand, get conquered, shrink or explode in smaller entities. At the moment, this would mean: China, Japan, Korea, SEA, Tibet, Siberian tribes, the Sahel between Sudan and Mali, the deserts, Gulf of Guinea, Zanj, Greenland, Atlantic islands.
GUI
A new tab, Distant Realms, will be added. It will include all realms within the map but outside the diplomatic range and what is left outside.
Missions
A lord can send a mission to distant realms, choosing up to three courtiers for it and three objectives, with a certain cost. Once they leave, they will be gone for months or years
Off-map
On-map states can eventually be contacted normally, within a game, but off-map entities will always have a limited set of interactions. If the edge of the map is out of diplomatic range, missions to these states will take years and years.
Military actions
Nations bordering the edge of the map will also interact with armies: they might demand tributes or be asked for them. If one party disagrees, it's war.
Colonies and exploration
Besides Greenland and Vinland, the Atlantic exploration beyond Gibraltair began well within the game's timeframe. With a high enough level of shipbuilding (or random event for Norse characters), realms can commit a part of their ship levy and gold to explore the Ocean, possibly reaching the Canaries -which should be terra incognita-, Madeira, the Azores, Guinea. Finding new lands opens the possibility of trade routes being established, new nations to be contacted, subdued or converted. Some states could form with the influence of the exploring culture, like what happened on the Swahili coast.
The control of small outposts in far lands will give prestige, money and decrease the travel time for missions in that region.
Mongols
For the Mongols and the few other empires encompassing both parts of the world, a much tighter control will be possible, with their eastern or southern portions represented by subject lords. Of course, this also means that they will have to commit more resources to keeping the off-map parts under control.
New religions and governments
Waiting for the addition of the bureaucratic government, we have to accept that most realms will be "feudal", others will be "tribal", a few theocracies.
The spread of the already present religions will depend on the current mechanics, so no more muslim Aceh in EuIV if Islam was wiped out in the 900s.
Since they won't be playable, religions don't need to be too fleshed out, so most polytheistic faiths can be summed as fetishist or animist, but we do need Bön, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto and other Asian practices as distinct religions with some flavour. Personally I think that the mod Tianxia has great ideas about them.
What I propose is to only partially simulate far-away realms, in region the developers think would require too many resources.
What is simulated
Out-of-map realms are listed, but only the top liege's court can be interacted with. Periodically a RNG decides whether they expand, get conquered, shrink or explode in smaller entities. At the moment, this would mean: China, Japan, Korea, SEA, Tibet, Siberian tribes, the Sahel between Sudan and Mali, the deserts, Gulf of Guinea, Zanj, Greenland, Atlantic islands.
GUI
A new tab, Distant Realms, will be added. It will include all realms within the map but outside the diplomatic range and what is left outside.
Missions
A lord can send a mission to distant realms, choosing up to three courtiers for it and three objectives, with a certain cost. Once they leave, they will be gone for months or years
- Diplomatic missions will try to get a marriage (forming an alliace), or agree on attacking a mutual foe.
- Trade missions will try to get trade agreements, giving a small bonus to the trade values of the two parties.
- Religious missions will aim at converting the hosting lord or at least giving him sympathy for the religion (and piety to the sender).
Off-map
On-map states can eventually be contacted normally, within a game, but off-map entities will always have a limited set of interactions. If the edge of the map is out of diplomatic range, missions to these states will take years and years.
Military actions
Nations bordering the edge of the map will also interact with armies: they might demand tributes or be asked for them. If one party disagrees, it's war.
- In defense: a temporary adventurer (e.g. "Chinese Expedition") with a certain amount of troops appears. If they win the war, the loser will become a tributary.
- In attack: the attacker will have to raise a levy and flag it as expeditionary force. It will then march to the hostile country and a battle will be simulated off-map after a certain time. Vassals will consider the raised levies in an offensive war.
Colonies and exploration
Besides Greenland and Vinland, the Atlantic exploration beyond Gibraltair began well within the game's timeframe. With a high enough level of shipbuilding (or random event for Norse characters), realms can commit a part of their ship levy and gold to explore the Ocean, possibly reaching the Canaries -which should be terra incognita-, Madeira, the Azores, Guinea. Finding new lands opens the possibility of trade routes being established, new nations to be contacted, subdued or converted. Some states could form with the influence of the exploring culture, like what happened on the Swahili coast.
The control of small outposts in far lands will give prestige, money and decrease the travel time for missions in that region.
Mongols
For the Mongols and the few other empires encompassing both parts of the world, a much tighter control will be possible, with their eastern or southern portions represented by subject lords. Of course, this also means that they will have to commit more resources to keeping the off-map parts under control.
New religions and governments
Waiting for the addition of the bureaucratic government, we have to accept that most realms will be "feudal", others will be "tribal", a few theocracies.
The spread of the already present religions will depend on the current mechanics, so no more muslim Aceh in EuIV if Islam was wiped out in the 900s.
Since they won't be playable, religions don't need to be too fleshed out, so most polytheistic faiths can be summed as fetishist or animist, but we do need Bön, Daoism, Confucianism, Shinto and other Asian practices as distinct religions with some flavour. Personally I think that the mod Tianxia has great ideas about them.
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