Looking at various threads in the CK3 forums I have recently noticed discussions about event quality; writing style; tone; the number of them; triggers; and their creation.
This got me thinking that perhaps some constructive brainstorming about how to improve their overall quality and quantity in the game is desperately required. Before I get into that I will link some of those said threads here:
One more important thing we need to address first is the plan to add more event packs, especially if they all follow the trend of only having 100 events like Friends and Foes (event chains being included in this number lowers the unique number even lower).
To give some context to their bad value, the mod VIET Events exists and is free with 1008 unique events in it. I believe this shows that not only do more events need to be included in event packs, but the base game itself needs more events with more consistent quality.
Now lets begin with what can be done to improve events along with their development (starting with highlighting their current issues):
Current Issues With Events and Their Development:
One prevalent issue with the current event creation in CK3 is that they are created sporadically by different content creators in their spare time, with no unifying vision. Alongside this, there is the inescapable fact that no matter how passionate these content creators are they are not professional writers or historians.
Which leads to events with wildly varying quality and historical accuracy/plausibility in their creation. Nothing in my opinion is worse than someone using pop culture and modern writing style to inaccurately describe and contextualize medieval rulers, this destroys the quality of the events (again in my opinion).
What I mean by this is using language that is anachronistic to the medieval period, complemented with a style and tone that often leads in farcical directions (the writing overwhelmingly does not take itself seriously for the majority of the time).
The event writing also suffers from over specifying details in them, when you give too much detail to events that are supposed to fire quite often for many different rulers. This can take you out of the experience when the writing is not vague enough that you can fill in the blanks yourself so that it fits your current ruler. There is something to be said about having some brevity... (though lets not include this thread, because its length is a necessary evil)
Moving on to a major issue, a great number of events in the game have laxed or no triggers on when to fire the event, which characters to pick, or why they happened in the first place. This can lead to all sorts of illogical situations where your ruler who is a baby has to fight a duel against an adult warrior for their throne, with other examples showcased in the threads I listed.
So what can be done to potentially fix this you ask?
Development Changes to Implement for Creating, Maintaining, & Revising Events
A key step to take in improving event development in CK3, would be for developers to create a small dedicated team solely focused on creating,
How its potential creation could look like is involving three fundamental people:
| 1. A professional writer | 2. A historian (can be a medieval history undergrad or grad student) | 3. One coder (to code the events) |
Who dedicate their time in exclusively creating events with a unified vision, consistent writing style, and incorporating some degree of historical plausibility.
Their goal and main purpose would be in ensuring proper event triggers, quality writing, and consideration for balancing the amount of historical accuracy that should be weighed against understandability. They would make sure a steady flow of events would be in the work, while reviewing and fixing older events that need further work after the community gives feedback (such as bugged triggers or errors).
By implementing a team similar to the one I proposed, the development of events in CK3 would improve in their number and professional quality. Instead of haphazardly made events, the Event Triad Team ensures consistent event maintenance and development.
Final Remarks:
I know I wrote a lot on events so good on you if you read or even if you skimmed it. Also, while event quality is subjective alongside having the opinion of whether they are good or bad. I believe their actual development process can be more objectively measured. Therefore, I welcome any feedback on what I proposed and feel free to give your own opinion on events including their development.
One more important thing we need to address first is the plan to add more event packs, especially if they all follow the trend of only having 100 events like Friends and Foes (event chains being included in this number lowers the unique number even lower).
To give some context to their bad value, the mod VIET Events exists and is free with 1008 unique events in it. I believe this shows that not only do more events need to be included in event packs, but the base game itself needs more events with more consistent quality.
Now lets begin with what can be done to improve events along with their development (starting with highlighting their current issues):
Current Issues With Events and Their Development:
One prevalent issue with the current event creation in CK3 is that they are created sporadically by different content creators in their spare time, with no unifying vision. Alongside this, there is the inescapable fact that no matter how passionate these content creators are they are not professional writers or historians.
Which leads to events with wildly varying quality and historical accuracy/plausibility in their creation. Nothing in my opinion is worse than someone using pop culture and modern writing style to inaccurately describe and contextualize medieval rulers, this destroys the quality of the events (again in my opinion).
What I mean by this is using language that is anachronistic to the medieval period, complemented with a style and tone that often leads in farcical directions (the writing overwhelmingly does not take itself seriously for the majority of the time).
The event writing also suffers from over specifying details in them, when you give too much detail to events that are supposed to fire quite often for many different rulers. This can take you out of the experience when the writing is not vague enough that you can fill in the blanks yourself so that it fits your current ruler. There is something to be said about having some brevity... (though lets not include this thread, because its length is a necessary evil)
Moving on to a major issue, a great number of events in the game have laxed or no triggers on when to fire the event, which characters to pick, or why they happened in the first place. This can lead to all sorts of illogical situations where your ruler who is a baby has to fight a duel against an adult warrior for their throne, with other examples showcased in the threads I listed.
So what can be done to potentially fix this you ask?
Development Changes to Implement for Creating, Maintaining, & Revising Events
A key step to take in improving event development in CK3, would be for developers to create a small dedicated team solely focused on creating,
maintaining, and revising events.
How its potential creation could look like is involving three fundamental people:
| 1. A professional writer | 2. A historian (can be a medieval history undergrad or grad student) | 3. One coder (to code the events) |
Who dedicate their time in exclusively creating events with a unified vision, consistent writing style, and incorporating some degree of historical plausibility.
Their goal and main purpose would be in ensuring proper event triggers, quality writing, and consideration for balancing the amount of historical accuracy that should be weighed against understandability. They would make sure a steady flow of events would be in the work, while reviewing and fixing older events that need further work after the community gives feedback (such as bugged triggers or errors).
By implementing a team similar to the one I proposed, the development of events in CK3 would improve in their number and professional quality. Instead of haphazardly made events, the Event Triad Team ensures consistent event maintenance and development.
Final Remarks:
I know I wrote a lot on events so good on you if you read or even if you skimmed it. Also, while event quality is subjective alongside having the opinion of whether they are good or bad. I believe their actual development process can be more objectively measured. Therefore, I welcome any feedback on what I proposed and feel free to give your own opinion on events including their development.
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