We've now resolved the issue with yesterday's 1.15.0.1 update, so we're deploying Update 1.15.0.2 as planned. The changelog is effectively the same as 1.15.0.1, so you'll be familiar with the changes if you read yesterday's changelog. [hr][/hr]

Update 1.15.0.2 Changelog

Game Balance

• Reduced the frequency of the 'Instill Virtue' Court Position task.
• The Instill Virtue Court Position task can only affect children 6 years or older now.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue that caused congenital traits to not show up in the character list of the Arrange Marriage window
• Fixed an issue with a toast message saying "DESCRIPTION" instead of the actual description.
• Fixed an issue with the Instill Virtue Court Position task where it would affect the Wet Nurse herself, if her employer was a child ruler, rather than the child in question.
• Fixed an issue where the Wet Nurse was using the childrens aptitude as a Wet Nurse rather than her own for the Instill Virtue task. Creative, if nothing else.
• Fixed an issue where you could try to make a county the capital of a Duchy/Kingdom/Empire without it being a part of the De Jure of said title.
• Fixed an issue where an excessive amount of traits could push interface elements out of their respective windows.

Interface

• Added quick interact buttons for Ransom, Execute and Release in the Prison View
• Added descriptions for how to gain experience in Commander Traits
• Changed wording of the message when warscore gets capped

[ 2025-04-03 13:11:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone. Earlier today we released Update 1.15.0.1, which introduced a user interface issue that wasn't caught during certification and approval of the update. Considering the severity of this issue, we have decided to rollback the public version of Crusader Kings III to 1.15.0 until this issue is resolved.

What are the next steps for us?

• Immediate Rollback. Effective immediately, we are reverting to the previous version of the game to maintain playability for as many players as possible
• Ongoing Investigation and Resolution. Our Release and QA teams are actively working to resolve this issue, and working on an express pipeline to ensure an update is ready as soon as humanly possible.
• Deployment of 1.15.0.2. Once we have certified a new update, we will deploy it immediately to Steam.
• Preventative Measures. Afterward, we'll be looking into our testing procedures to prevent issues like this from occurring in the future.

We understand this is frustrating and inconvenient to many of you, and we sincerely apologize for the trouble. Your feedback and support help us continually improve as a developer, and we will do our best to keep the community updated throughout this process. Thank you for your patience, and for your continued support.

[ 2025-04-02 15:14:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

! Today we will be covering most of the nomadic flavor that we've introduced with this update, so without further ado

The Greatest of Khans

Great are the plump princes in their southern fortresses, great are the chieftains of the grass sea but great-EST? Only one is greatest. CHINGGIS KHAAN, Universal Ruler, Khan of Khans, biggest and baddest boi well, actually, Genghis is only the greatest and the baddest baddie sometimes. In some other playthroughs, the Greatest of Khans will arise organically. Heck, the Greatest one could even be you.
[Its quite the trait.] The key point is that there is only one GREATEST. Once someone has become Greatest of Khans, no ruler ever can again. Its the highest point of nomadic achievement, and an absolute game-changer! So yeah, should you or an AI ruler achieve this highest of titles in time the Mongol Invasion wont happen. That perilous time of nomadic conquest under a single, mighty ruler has basically just come early. Conversely, if Temujin becomes Genghis in your game session its over for other aspiring GoKs. He is the Greatest of Khans, and there will be no other. So be mindful of your Mongol Invasion game rule. Now, it seems prudent to outline the path to becoming Greatest of Khans, as well as the opportunity youre afforded to prevent others beating you to the finish line. All nomads can view the Become the Greatest of All Khans decision, but you must be Dominance level 5 - and therefore, must also be the Gurkhan (owner of the biggest herd on the steppe) - to take it.
[The triggers you must fulfil to begin the path to world conquest.] Above, you can see some additional requirements. Not only must you be the first to achieve Greatest Khanship in your playthrough, but you need an empire of substantial size and to command the Obedience of a range of powerful nomads. Be warned! Taking this big step will immediately provoke quite a war against all those whod like to stop you. There is much to be gained by winning the Great War of Defiance against those arrayed against you and much to be lost by failure.

[The decisions warning and victory effects]
[The decisions failure effects] When youre ready to face an uncertain number of foes in order to achieve your grand destiny click the button. The Great War of Defiance begins, and every nearby ruler in the steppe joins against you. At least one powerful non-nomad will join as well, since - like historical Byzantium and China - they certainly have no interest in a great steppe conqueror arising.
[The Attackers true strength is always at least double whats immediately shown here.] Though your Obedient vassals will join on your side, this should be a stiff fight! The coalition of rulers attack from all sides. If youre a player trying to stop an AI Gurkhan whos taken this decision: youll be given the chance to join the cause, and keep the Greatest of Khans available for yourself. It can end poorly for the Greatest of Khans
Or in absolute triumph.
And there it is. You - or your fearsome foe - get the Greatest of Khans trait, a slew of big ol nomadic armies, and the mission to conquer a big chunk of the world and establish your lasting reign within 75 years. This is done through the Reform the Great Khanate decision. But, first, what tools do you have as GoK for expanding your empire? One is the Offer Submission or Ruin interaction, quite similar to Offer Vassalization but with some more intense effects.
[The Greatest of Khans can demand armies of special troops, if theyre not feeling particularly lenient] If your offer of Submission is rudely refused, a particularly devastating war is instantly declared on the recipient. This war slaughters courtiers, destroys buildings, reduces development, and even erases holdings. And, helpfully, makes other rulers more willing to simply submit to you peacefully.

[It is soooo on.] The casus belli used by Offer Submission or Ruin is also available to the Great Khan independent of the interaction, to be freely used for seizing whole realms. However, it only has its devastating refusal effects when incurred as a result of, well, being refused. The Greatest of Khans will lose these special capacities if they do not take the Reform the Great in time. Its a possible end goal for them, and is it ever an endgame one, my dudes. It will afford you with new de jure lands and a major choice: establish an admin/feudal/clan empire OR RAZE CIVILIZATION TO THE GROUND AND LET NOMADISM REIGN. Ill leave the specifics of that madness to your imagination, but it really shouldnt disappoint.

Yurt Buildings

The Nomadic Domicile lands somewhere between the Landless Adventurers Camp and the Administrative Estate in many aspects. While mobile like the Camp (as you can gather from the wheels attached to the central yurt), it serves as the focal point for the whole realm, rather than just a small group of adventurers. We tried to reflect that with the domicile buildings, referred to hitherto as yurts. We hope they give Nomads numerous ways to deal with the harshness of the steppe. As always, please be mindful that the numbers are not final and are prone to change.
[Example of the fully upgraded yurts] Each of the yurts provides various bonuses centered around particular aspects of Nomadic life. There is one more yurt not visible in the screenshot above, the Barter Stalls, upgradable into Grand Bazaar. It can be constructed if your realm borders the settled people outside the Steppe and connects to Summon Wealthy Visitors and Establish Paiza System decisions shown in the previous dev diary. Let us take a closer look at the central yurt first.
[First level yurt that county-level Nomads start with] As you can see, it is a start but not much. Resources, cunning, and higher Dominance will be needed to expand your Domicile.
[Third-level yurt upgrade preview] Without higher dominance levels, you cannot upgrade your central yurt. And without higher levels of the central yurt, you cannot construct and upgrade additional yurts. And without yurts no yurts. Thus your Nomadic Capital grows with your power and hopefully serves as a record of the road that got you there. As you can see, each yurt has internal slots for upgrades that allow for further customization of your domicile. I will be referring to them as yurts as well. Its all yurts now.
[Example of main yurt upgrade. Those seats are very comfy, we swear!] Yurts cost gold, prestige, and herd. While the costs are fairly low at the start, they get much higher with each upgrade. The steepest difference is in the gold cost. As gold income for the Nomads is much smaller than for the settled people, fully upgraded yurts require a lot of gold redistribution via raiding. So what can you get for your hard-earned wealth?
[Fully upgraded Square of the Tumen yurt] This yurt focuses heavily on warfare and raiding. If you're curious about the Heavy Horse Archers men at arms, please keep on reading or quickly scroll down to the Men-at-Arms section at the bottom.
[Square of the Tumen internal yurt example] If you wish to rely on sellswords, this yurt has you covered. The modifier gives you martial, prowess, and stewardship skills and is available only on the 6th level of this yurt.
[Another Square of the Tumen internal yurt example] If your tributaries provided you with archers and skirmishers, this yurt will allow you to squeeze extra value from them.
[Fully upgraded Court Yurt] As one of the most trusted Temujin advisors allegedly once said, conquering the world on horseback is easy; it is dismounting and governing that is hard. For when your glorious horde has swept the steppe, the Court Yurt will provide you with more tools to deal with your trusted subordinates and newfound subjects.
[Example of Court yurt upgrade] If ruling the steppe is a family business for you, since only blood guarantees loyalty, this yurt will allow you to reap additional bonuses from having your step-aunts and step-brothers in your Kurultai. If your curious about Kurultai, please continue reading, more about them below.
[Millet Storage yurt upgrade] This is an upgrade to the fertility and herd-centered Millet Storage yurt. For others, the deserts are inhospitable and provide little fertility and herd, with a little bit of investment your Nomads can thrive where others perish. There are similar yurts that cover other types of terrain as well. To further specialize, some cultural traditions have received Nomadic bonuses as well, once again, more about it down below.

Obedience

We have already talked about Obedience in our first Nomadic Dev Diary, but as a refresher Obedience is a binary state for subjects and courtiers of Nomadic rulers. Obedience increases the chances of a peaceful migration and vassalization, and it reduces the chance of a tributary breaking free or joining their allies in a war against their suzerain, as well as reducing the chances of a character using a Murder scheme against their overlord, or joining a faction against them. Most importantly, Obedience is the only way to guarantee a peaceful succession, explained in our previous Dev Diary. Several factors impact Obedience, like opinion, having a good relationship, being a Kurultai member or being employed in a Court Position. Your spouse and family also have higher spouses, but only your preferred heir will all other children of martial gender will look at your favourite with disdain, and their obedience may not be guaranteed. Traits also impact how likely a character is to be obedient, and underage characters and herders will always be obedient. However, there are some tools that you can use to convince someone to become obedient to you: Negotiate Obedience is a character interaction that can be used to bribe someone with Herd or Gold.
Demand Obedience costs prestige, but only those with 45 Dread or more will be able to intimidate their targets.
Impose Obedience is a new intent available for all types of Hunts. With it, events are more likely to give out obedience as a reward, especially if the hunt is successful.

Nomadic Court Positions

Besides the Stargazer, already covered in the previous Dev Diary, we needed to add some other Court Positions to make the Nomads feel unique from the Feudal rulers. In some cases, we have simply renamed the positions, whereas for others we have chosen to replace one position with another.
The first is the chief law overseer, who, in many ways, takes the role of the Seneschal for a Feudal ruler. They ensure capital control, legitimacy, and obedience. They have access to the Seneschal tasks, Organize Court (Aptitude) and Manage Domain (Control), but also have access to a new task called Blend Cultures, which will increase culture acceptance with cultures in the realm.
The second is the Boyan, one of your leading generals. It improves your military and gives you access to two new tasks: 'Cow Vassals (Increased Vassal Contribution) and Prepare Raids (Increased Raid Speed and Movement).
The third is the Yurtchi, a position similar to a quartermaster that oversees both your camp and your troops. It has access to two tasks, either decreasing everyones opinion of you and costing a lot of prestige but gaining more gold, or spending gold to increase everyones opinions of you and popular opinion.
The Keeper of the Horses ensures your steeds are well-equipped for war and travel. They also have access to the two tasks that Master of the Horses usually have access to.
The siege engineer is instrumental if you want to start sieging areas outside the Steppes. It has access to the task to increase fort level in your lands, but also a new task that gives a chance to get access to Siege Weapon MAAs (which is usually harder for Nomads to get access to). This position can only be held by someone with the Military Engineer trait, so you will likely have to look outside the Steppes to find a fitting candidate.
As the chief of the bodyguards, the Cherbi will improve other bodyguards, give access to more knights, and increase some of your Men-at-Arms. They can access the regular bodyguard task and a new task that improves your scheme defenses.
Finally, we have a position for those with many tributaries. It has access to the task Entertain Courtiers from the Court Jester and a new task to increase culture acceptance and gain opinion with your tributary cultures.

The Kurultai

Nomadic rulers no longer have access to the regular Council but instead have a unique Kurultai setup for its council. They keep the Spymaster, but the rest of the positions have been replaced with a new Kurultai position.
Each of the four Kurultai members has access to the same eight tasks:

• Two for Diplomacy
• Two for Stewardship
• Two for Martial
• Two for Learning

To start, two tasks have been moved from regular councillors to the Kurultai:

• Increase Control (from the Marshal)
• Domestic Affairs (from the Chancellor)

As for their other tasks, let us start with their new default task.
It is a simple Diplomacy task that they can always fall back on to improve Herd Gain and Capacity for their liege.
For the Nomads who are growing larger and more settled down, they should consider utilizing the Manage Fertility task to ensure that their lands are as well taken care of as possible.
Whereas for a smaller Nomad planning to migrate more often, maybe you just want to squeeze the land before moving on. Then, it might be good to see if you can get as much out of it as possible before moving on.
If you are interested in being a tourist in foreign lands, lets say, this will enable you to maximize the number of souvenirs you can bring home again.
If you want to maximize the potential of your Stargazer and their predictions, having a well-taught Kurultai member who can help them out will be key to improving their Aptitude.
If you are more interested in hybridizing your culture or changing something around, you should look to the final new task for the Kurultai. This will mesh well with the two new Court Position Tasks we have added to improve cultural acceptance in your or tributary lands. Three of these tasks can only be done by one Kurultai Member at once:

• Organize Raiders
• Aid Stargazer
• Explore Cultures

Because otherwise, they would most likely be too effective or work funkily (Explore Cultures). Two tasks cannot be done in the same province at once:

• Manage Fertility
• Exploit Lands

Because they are pretty much doing the opposite of one another. Exploit Lands can only be done inside your Domain instead of in the Realm at large. We found it was way too good if you could simply squeeze your vassals dry by exploiting their land. As you might have noticed in the first picture, we have a small UI change to how their tasks look.
Since it was pretty noisy to have eight tasks shown for all 4 Kurultai members at all times, we added a new little window you can open and close to choose the tasks you want.

Hunt Activity Adjustments

Nomads on the Steppe hunted all the time - it was a way of life for them. To represent this we couldnt leave hunts exactly as they were, costing gold which is a resource that nomads generally do not have. Instead they cost herd, and have a host of additional benefits for nomads in particular. Nomads pay a nominal amount of Herd to start their Hunt Activities, and upon finishing a hunt they gain a Stocked Meat modifier which reduces the cost of their next Feast - a perfect way to get the gold required for hosting Tsagaan Sars!
[Nomad-specific host Hunt effects] Nomads tend to find a lot more Animal Sightings through their flavor content, which boosts success chances for any Hunts hosted in those provinces.

[Two simple hunt sighting events]
[Some seasons have special hunt events, like Everlasting Summer] Theyll get sightings for regular game, birds, and dangerous beasts - the latter of which has additional benefits to hunt: taking down dangerous beasts, such as wolves, will give you both dread (a currency very useful for nomads) and prowess, both for you and all of your hunters.
[Dread and Prowess gain from hunting a wolf] Expect to be invited to many hunts on the steppe, as AI Nomads are always on the hunt for more Prestige, and will now, in addition to who they previously invited, invite their tributaries, suzerains, and potential friends/lovers to their hunts.

Nerge and Tsagaan Sar

Moving onto a more flavorful (literally) topic, the nomad feast the Tsagaan Sar! Observed in the coldest months of the year (December to March), the Tsagaan Sar ensured the new year started with a bout of revelry, and many would exchange gifts.
[Choosing a preferred gift for the Feast] As the host, you can choose which gift youd prefer to receive, and as a guest, send a gift to the host. The Tsagaan Sar brings encounters not seen in a regular feast. Race against your peers, gamble against your local yurts drunkard, or even demand gifts from your guests. And of course, you cannot forget a staple of steppe culture throat singing! During your feast you can learn a throat singing style, which can benefit you in tournaments!
[A Throatsinger at the Tsagaan Sar] For followers of Tengri, the feast concludes with a declaration honoring the animal according to the lunar calendar. There are 12 different animals associated with the lunisolar calendar, each offering a different boon!
[Receiving a boon for the Year of the Pig]
Building on the Hunt changes mentioned before, Nomads have access to a new hunt type - the Nerge. Known as the Great Hunt, dozens of hunters would gather in the steppe to slay hundreds of animals. Along with being an opportunity to gain prestige, this new hunt type offers a unique Intent - Dreadful. The Nerge was not only an opportunity to slaughter beasts for the next feast, but is a great way to flex on your tributaries and vassals.
[Showcasing the Dreadful Intent] Contrary to a traditional hunt, the Nerge was used to practice military tactics that led to Mongol victories.
[Youll get to decide the best tactic as the Nerge host.] If your Nerge is successful, along with gaining prestige, gold, and legitimacy, youll bring the strategies used into battle - via commander traits and experience.
[Nerge outcome event]

Pleasure Dome

[Devise Pleasure Dome Decision] What better way to immortalize your legacy as a mighty Khan than to construct a leisure palace fit for a conqueror? This decision becomes available to you once you have a Kingdom title. Based on a vision in a dream, the Kubla Khan poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. A favorite here among the development staff.
[Pleasure Dome Special Building] This decision allows you to construct the Pleasure Dome building, offering a substantial bonus to your Feasts, Taxes, Prestige, Schemes, and Court Grandeur. It is said that different kinds of wine flowed from its silver tree fountain! Sign me up please.
[Summon Fair Courtiers Decision] On top of that, you can now invite Courtiers with congenial beauty traits. It is time to secure your dynastys lineage!

Burkhan Khaldun

The Burkhan Khaldun is one of the Khentii Mountains in northeastern Mongolia. This mountain had a special religious significance to the peoples of the steppe, as it was the mythical birthplace of the historical Genghis Khan. To reflect that, we've added a special building to the map, giving out Piety and Renown rewards, as well as some military advantages to having control over such an imposing natural feature.

Expanding the Steppe

"Oh bother!" you might say in your most emphatic Winnie the Khan voice, "The steppes are too small, and my realm has overflowed into a neighboring region full of icky settled peoples and not enough pasturage for my herds!" Worry not, O Horse Lord of the Thousand-Acre Steppe! You can Expand the Steppe if your grip on these new lands is firm enough.
Completely control, through vassals or tributaries, specific regions that neighbor the existing Steppes, and with enough prestige and pizzazz you can add your conquered region to the Steppe, giving these lands some much-needed fertility and making it much easier to migrate around in as a good nomadic leader. Even more regions can be added as the Steppe grows the only limit is the endurance of your horde, and how far they're willing to ride.

From Adventurer to Nomad, and Back Again

If your character is an adventurer there's a chance that the nomadic life will appeal to them. For this, we have added a special Decision to Adopt the Nomadic Ways.
If you move your camp to a county held by a Herder you'll be able to take over their lands and hybridize with the local culture, becoming a proper Nomad. A Percentage of your Provisions will be transformed into Herd, and you will join the Great Steppe situation. However, if that Herd was a Tributary or Vassal to a previous nomadic ruler you will be asked to become a tributary yourself or make an awful first impression.

Special Casus Belli

Besides the Migration, Invasion, Tributarization and Nomadic Quarrels we have added two extra new types of Casus Belli, only available to Nomads. The Humiliation CB is available to target a ruler of higher Dominance than you, or the Gurkhan (the character with the highest Herd in all the Great Steppe). This is a great tool to try and stop someone on their way to become the Greatest of Khans. If you win a Humiliation war, the loser is forced to go down one Dominance level (putting the regular 5 year cooldown on them to prevent them from changing it back immediately), and to pay part of their Herd and Prestige to you, as well as some of their obedient vassals deciding that they should not obey a defeated liege.
The Retaliation CB becomes available when a character migrates into one of your tributaries' lands and decides to not pay tribute to you.
If you win a Retaliation War you will force the character to become your Tributary regardless, and make them pay some Herd and Prestige to you in addition to that.

Recruit Courtiers from Nomadic Capital Decision

Now, youre the leader of a nomadic people - it feels wrong to not have skilled hunters and other characters ready at your will. Because of this weve added a Recruit from nomadic Capital decision where you can choose to spend a nominal amount of herd (symbolizing that the ones you recruit can no longer manage their flocks) in exchange for three courtiers of the desired type.
[Recruitment decision] These characters will be of the Culture and Faith of your people - and will generally be quite skilled. Not all types are available from the start though, some require you to construct specific Yurt Buildings. A perfect way to get skilled hunters for your Hunt Activities (where the Hunting skill of the guests affects success chance!). You can also get good knights, commanders, shepherds (good as vassals!), brides, and husbands.

New Schemes

With Herd being the bread and butter of a nomadic ruler, and the main currency, there must be multiple ways to obtain it at will. Landed rulers can increase their taxes, ask their head of faith for gold, and others can trade hooks for gold. But as a ruler of the steppe, you have no such options. So how will you obtain herd outside of normal means? Well, since you cannot embezzle or launder large flocks of animals, the next best thing is to steal!
[Steal herd scheme window] Youll be able to choose how much herd to steal, and bigger amounts make the task more difficult. The scheme uses agents, ensuring your thievery is a success.
[Steal herd scheme sidebar] If you manage to succeed in stealing another rulers Herd, there is a small chance of gaining additional outcomes. You can go for more herd, some of the rulers gold, his wife, or even a headstart at a murder plot against them! (evil character playthroughs only)
[Steal herd scheme giga outcome]

New Cultural Traditions

Before we started working on this expansion, the cultural tradition selection for Nomads was a bit bland. The big three of Horse Lords, Malleable Invaders, and Steppe Tolerance were present for almost all the cultures, meaning there was little difference between Kimeks and Mongols. And since all three were required to have access to Nomad-like flavor and mechanics, further customization was heavily limited. Now, with all the shiny bright new features and content this DLC brings to you, this is no longer the case. The starting cultural traditions have been rearranged, some existing traditions have received new effects and modifiers. And we have new ones as well!
[Wolves of the Deep Steppe cultural tradition] The strength of the inner steppe. The Mongols start with this tradition, and while all Nomads cultures can get it as well, it is much more expensive for cultures with heritage other than Mongolic. For details on Mangudai men at arms, please keep reading!
[Iron Cavalry cultural tradition] Where the Steppe warriors meet the ironworking wonders of the settled people. Turkmen and Oghuz cultures have this tradition at the game start.
[Tribes of the North cultural tradition] This one is a bit different. It is present for the cultures that border the northern end of the ck3 map, the Buryats, Kirghiz, Ostyaks, Oirats, and Permians. Some of those have the Nomadic government like the Buryats, while Ostyaks and Permians are still tribal. Those tribes had a history of defiance while faced with adversaries: heirs of Temujin, ruling over the vast lands, still needed to endeavor a punitive expedition every decade or so to bring the northerners to heel, if only for prestige's sake. This tradition can be obtained via hybridization; it is heavily connected to the Siberian Permafrost county modifier. This modifier is placed on the game start to counties up north, and it offers some powerful bonuses while preventing development growth and the creation of a feudal state with stone castles.
[Siberian Permafrost modifier breakdown. Its effects change if the owner does not have the Tribes of the North modifier] Additionally, we have added new Nomadic effects to some of the existing cultural traditions, to make them a more viable and interesting choice when riding across the Great Steppe. Below you have just a couple of examples.
[Stalwart Defenders Cultural Tradition unlocks a special Yurt and gives a Toughness bonus to your Nomadic Horde]
[Pastoralist Cultural Tradition provides a fertility boost in certain terrains and increases the fertility growth of Herders]

New Men-at-Arms

Do you ever pop open CK to play as your favorite steppe people (the Kimeks, obviously), flip open your Army tab, and see that you have pikemen, siege weapons, and some other units that dont exactly represent the riders of your tribe?!? It was clear what had to be done for nomads MaA in this expansion: they needed to be limited from units that are much more emblematic of sedentary armies, and they needed some cool new units of their own. So, there you go. If youre playing a nomad (with no unique MaA through Traditions), your main way to get heavy/light infantry, pikemen, archers and proper siege weapons is through your non-nomadic Tributaries. How exactly this works was outlined in Dev Diary #165. But forget about those dorks plodding around in the dust in their soft lil civilized shoes. You dont need their MaA. As a mighty nomad, you need only - and are supremely skilled as - CAVALRY.
[The MaA units available to the Khan of Great Liao in 1066.] The main mass of nomadic armies arent levies: these are replaced by the less-pathetic Horde Riders, which are converted over from Herd size when armies are raised. Even though theyre, of course, themed after horse archers, they dont have the Archer Cavalry type, in order to limit the effects of bonuses and counters. Otherwise, these could really get out of hand, given Horde Riders will make up the vast majority of every nomadic army.
All nomads have access to classic, basic Horse Archers. Theyre largely unchanged.
Steppe Raiders are nomadic light cavalry which are better-suited to dry and rough terrain than other nomadic cavalry units, receiving only mild penalties in hills, mountains and wetlands. Theyre also available to all nomads.
Nomadic rulers wont have direct access to real, substantially effective siege weapons. Until they can get a sweet tributary connection to hook them up, they make do with Torch-Bearers. Even worse than onagers, at least this standard nomad siege unit gets a siege bonus against nomadic holdings.
Only unlocked by building the Square of the Tumen domicile building, Heavy Horse Archers are a more costly alternative with more fighting punch, and a very handy counter against light cavalry (also, elephants). To counterbalance this, they suffer more penalties in harsh terrains.
The second level of Dominance allows Nomad Lancers to be recruited. What this means is nomadic rulers of means have access to heavy cavalry, even right at the 867 game start.
The Mongol tradition Wolves of the Deep Steppe gives them access to the Mangudai. These vainglorious warriors have very high attack and pursuit, but low defence, meaning that they devastate defeated armies and leave few survivors. Their reckless attack and repeated retreats excel at breaking up formations, allowing armies with Mangudai to counter heavy infantry and spearmen.
Inspired by the Tangut Iron Harriers and the Mamelukes, this unit is available to a spread of cultures that were known for their employment of heavily armored horse archers. Note, however, that the unit's type is Heavy Cavalry and not Archer Cavalry: this allows Cataphract Archers to counter Archer Cavalry, and be one of the best ways to fight back against steppe conquerors.
Thats not a panini press on his chest. Thats armor. The Maturkan Warriors represent foot archers from all along the northern Siberian frontier, drawing particular inspiration from the noble Khanty warriors which lent the unit its name.
The glorious guard of Genghis himself can be yours, should you make it far enough down the new nomadic Dynasty Legacy. Youre limited to hiring just one regiment of this special unlock, but increase that regiment in size and youll see it packs quite the punch.
[hr][/hr] And with that we reach almost the end of our Development Diaries dedicated to Khans of the Steppe! We will go over the modding support, art and music in the future, but this is our last feature spotlight. Thank you for reading go forth, and conquer!

[ 2025-04-01 11:58:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

! Today we'll be covering some of the extra mechanics that Nomads use. Weve already talked about the main features in our first Khans of the Steppe Development Diary, so make sure you take a look at that one first and apologies if I repeat myself. We shall now get into the details. [hr][/hr]

Dominance

As we have mentioned in previous Development Diaries, Nomads have their own mechanics and, when it comes to how they rule, one of the most important is their Dominance level. Before I dive into the specifics of each level, it's important to note that Nomads have a fixed Minimum and Maximum Domain and Vassal Limit per Dominance level. These numbers can be increased only through Dominance and Yurt Buildings, and no skills or lifestyle perks affect it. We have also changed the Lifestyle Trees to better work with Nomadic mechanics, but more on that later. Dominance represents a Nomadic ruler's perceived power. It can be increased by a prestige cost once the character reaches the necessary Herd to unlock the next level. Rulers of Dominance 1 are typically Counts. They migrate frequently and have a maximum of 1 Vassal and a Domain limit of 2. At this point, moving to the area with the best fertility or taking over Herders lands is very common. Some may even offer themselves as tributaries to bigger realms, to ensure their safety during this critical time. Only the strongest are able to survive. Rulers of Dominance 2 are usually Dukes. At this point, their Fertility Equilibrium is a bit higher, and they can stay in their lands for longer periods of time; theyll simply likely need enough tributaries to continue growing their herd. This is also the moment when a ruler can, if they own a non-Nomadic holding, decide to Forsake the Nomadic Ways and become settled. This is one of the three ways to stop being a nomad. More on that later.
Rulers of Dominance 3 are typically Kings. This is the level that the khans of Cumania, for instance, have on game start. Vassal and Domain limits have grown significantly and now migration can target entire de jure kingdoms. If you target a kingdom or empire during your migration, however, you must choose which duchy within that title is the one you're aiming for. If you win, you will take over the duchy and all lands the previous king held within that de jure title. If your foe held additional outside titles, they would retreat to there. After successfully migrating thusly, you will get access to the Expand Dominance CB, which lets you de jure shift additional lands.
Rulers of Dominance 4 are akin to emperors. At this level, migration can target empires. However, rulers of this high Dominance level don't tend to migrate at all. They get most of their Herd through Tributaries, and their Fertility has reached a comfortable level where their herd can steadily grow through holding their vast territory. It is at this point that a Paiza System can be established, and access to the Overrun Kingdom Casus Belli is granted. Paizas were the mark of trust of a great khan. They were given to their loyal merchants and used to ensure safe travel through the Great Steppe. Granting paizas is a great way to make characters Obedient, and allows for the Summon Wealthy Visitors decision, where you can invest some gold to get special artifacts, even more gold, improvements for your Nomadic Horde, or random Innovation progress. However, characters in possession of a paiza can use the Leverage the Khan's Authority interaction to make a different character obedient to them, or Abuse the Gurkhan's Authority through a decision that extracts fertility from someone's lands to increase their own prestige and gold. But the khan may hear of these infractions and take matters into their own hands, gaining an imprisonment, execution and banishment reason on their previously favored character. The effects of paiza investments can be increased through the yurt buildings of the capital.
The Overrun Kingdom Casus Belli is the second path that nomads can follow to stop being nomadic. This CB can target any settled kingdom title and, if the war is won, will grant the target title to the attacker, who also converts to Feudalism, Clan or Tribal.
But coming back to Dominance. Dominance 5 is the highest level of them all and can only be obtained by the Gurkhan that is, the ruler who possesses the largest Herd of the entire Great Steppe. At this point, the Gurkhan can take the decision to Become the Greatest of Khans (should they fill that decisions steep requirements). In a later Development Diary, well explore this further! For now, well let you know that the Greatest of Khans is well set up to both conquer the world and switch their government type, without having to leave the Great Steppe.
Dominance also affects migration range, with higher Dominance rulers being able to travel further while migrating.

Dominate Title

Migration is not the only way to increase your tier. Nomads can also use the Dominate Title decision to create the de jure title of their very own territory they just need to fight everyone in the desired area.
Dominating a title replaces regular title creation for nomads. In the steppe, no amount of document fabrication will prove that a title belongs to you: only fighting everyone in the area will.

Fertility Equilibrium

We have already talked about County Fertility in our first dev diary, but we have not yet explained Fertility Equilibrium. Equilibrium is the prediction of how fertile a county will become over time. It is where the Fertility Growth and Consumption meet, and it can be affected by terrain types, seasons, kurultai tasks and the holder's learning skill. Equilibrium is higher the bigger your Domain is, representing your herd travelling through different counties to graze, rather than being confined to just one county. This means that higher Dominance rulers are able to live a more settled life within the Steppe, without having to abandon their nomadic ways. A County will always tend towards its Equilibrium, which means that it will grow until it reaches it, or decrease if the current value is higher.
[The "Current County Fertility Modifier" represents the tendency of the county towards reaching Equilibrium.]

Settlement Issues

County Control slows down the rate at which Fertility grows by a percentage equal to the current control. So the Fertility growth will only be optimal when Control is at 100%. To address Control, we have introduced Settlement Issues.
After migrating, either peacefully or not, nomads will be greeted with some contracts regarding the problems presented by moving to a new area. These contracts will usually help increase the County Control, which allows for a better Fertility extraction and a much calmer life.
These contracts have 3 possible tiers, as usual, and some extra rewards.

Steppe Seasons

Nomads live in the Great Steppe, divided in three regions: Western, Central and Eastern. Each of these regions has its own active Season, which may or may not differ from one another's. Seasons affect the Fertility of the region, but they also offer modifiers to how people (and even animals) behave, with additional effects on subjects, warfare, herd and characters. There are 2 good seasons, 3 bad, 1 especially good and 1 quite bad, all of which are also reflected on the map visuals. Let's go over them.
Abundant Grazing offers 25% fertility growth to any county in the region. It's a calm time, and rulers are generally happier, with increased Vassal Opinion and more Herd given out using the Demand Herd character interaction. Men-at-Arms are also 20% cheaper to maintain, as food supplies are well stocked, and Hunts are 50% cheaper to host. Everlasting Summer represents the perfect climate for the land. It's a time of leisure and abundance that brings 75% fertility growth. Supply limit in the Great Steppe is also 50% larger, and Vassal and Tributaries have both an increased opinion and increased herd contribution, based on their contracts. The Severe Drought is the first of the bad seasons. Fertility Consumption is increased by 20%. However, this means that people are more willing to migrate, and every courtier will increase their opinion of you after a peaceful migration. Rulers are also more likely to accept a peaceful migration request during this time, and the Conquer Casus Belli give out Prestige in the Steppe, which they normally don't. Herd gain is slower, and so is their conversion into Horde Riders, as more resources are needed for the same result.
[A Drought reflected on the map.] During Zud seasons, the weather is especially adverse, which pushes character to seek protection from stronger and more resourceful nomads. During these seasons, the Demand Obedience and Demand as Tributary Character Interactions have a higher acceptance chance.
Characters are also slightly more likely to gain the Ill trait. A Cold Zud brings strong winds and blizzards. The extremely low temperatures force the livestock to use most of their energy to keep warm. A White Zud occurs when the snow settles over the grazing lands, making it impossible for the livestock to reach the grass. This is reflected by a 40% increase in the Fertility Consumption. The Retaliation Casus Belli (given when someone moves into your Tributary's lands but refuses to pay you tribute) is free, and upgrading your Horde Riders into better Men-at-Arms 25% cheaper. However, the supply limit is 20% smaller. A Havsarsan Zud is the combination of two or more types of natural disasters. It's a time of great adversity, with grazing land impossible to find, and hardships in every possible direction. The County Fertility is completely gone, but that doesn't mean that you're out of options. Demanding Tributaries still has a higher acceptance chance, and the Desperate Times Decision becomes available. In it, you can pay some Prestige and make all of your people Obedient, as well as unlocking the Invasion Casus Belli to try to get you out of the Steppe, no matter your situation. The Retaliation and Humiliation Casus Bellis (used against a Nomadic ruler of higher Dominance than you) are free, and characters have a 30% increased Stress gain.
The other special season is the Blessing of the Blue Sky, which is much nicer to everyone involved. During a Blessing, Fertility grows with a 300% increase. The Supply Limit within the Great Steppe is also 100% higher, Tributaries and Vassals have a better opinion of their overlords, and characters have 25% less Stress gain.
We have nudged these seasons so they're more likely to happen after the Mongol invasion of China, and the Mongol invasion of Europe, as climate change was one of the factors that drove them out of the steppe. They can only happen once in the entire game, and their chances also grow each 100 years after each game start date. It matters not if the 10 years of the previous season havent concluded: these seasons will take over whenever they reach their turnover point, and propagate to all regions. If you are blessed, you can grow an enormous herd that will help you take over the world; if you encounter the Havsarsan Zud, you will soon discover that the only possible way is out. Rulers will also try to migrate to other regions if the local season is much better than theirs, and they have the necessary resources.

Stargazer

The Stargazer is one of the main tools that Nomadic rulers have when it comes to predicting upcoming seasons. This Court Position also acts as a substitute to the Court Chaplain, as they have been replaced by the Kurultai, and can help guess what the next season is based on their aptitude.
However, if the Stargazers aptitude is poor, there's a chance that they will predict two entirely wrong seasons, or one right and one wrong. Their reasoning is unpredictable. They come with two Court Position Tasks: Oversee Preparations and Guide Shepherds. Oversee Preparations is a bit of a special one, and its effects change based on seasons, as they're trying to ensure the best possible outcome. Therefore, they may help manage fertility during a Cold Zud, or increase piety gain during a Blessing.
The Guide Shepherds task helps Herder subjects gain the Seasoned Pastoralist trait, which increases the rate at which they replenish fertility of their held counties.

Kurultai Succession

All nomads have a unique and new succession law: the Kurultai Succession. During a Kurultai Succession, your two oldest children of eligible gender and the four members of your Kurultai will either approve or disapprove of your choice of heir. Their approval depends on whether they are Obedient or not, so ensuring an obedient kurultai should be among your highest priorities if you are aiming for a smooth succession. During a Stable Succession, all of your titles go to your preferred heir, with no partition or harsh consequences.
If one or more members of your Kurultai are not obedient, you will be facing a Chaotic Succession instead. The consequences are unpredictable, but they go from losing some Legitimacy or Prestige, to one of your vassals stealing part of your herd, to even facing a realm fractioning disaster like the splitting of the great Mongol Empire.
The consequences are not completely arbitrary, though, and they scale with your title tier, realm size and the number of your disobedient Kurultai members. So if you are a Duke with only one disobedient member, you will not be punished as severely as a hated Emperor.
If the season is a Havsarsan Zud, the realm stability is shaken and the succession will always be chaotic!
[Example of some medium consequences.]
[Example of some harsher consequences.]

Nomadic Lifestyle Trees

Some changes were done to the Lifestyle Trees to make sure the perks would be adapted to the Nomadic government and its needs. I apologise in advance for the ugly changelog, but this is easier and more to the point than me writing complicated explanations for all. Diplomacy:

• Added Fellow Tributary Opinion and Fellow Confederation Member opinion to Defensive Negotiations
• Added increased aptitude to Boyan/Cherbi Court Positions in Praetorian Guard
• Added Renown if you have a Blood Brother to Inspiring Rule
• Added increased acceptance to Demand as Tributary and Offer Confederation to True Ruler
• Added Monthly Prestige per Blood Brother to Bound by Blood
• If you have a Blood Brother you get one extra random skill point from Friendly Counsel

Martial:

• Added Horde Riders bonuses for Organized Retreat for Nomads
• Added Horde Riders bonuses for Hit and Run for Nomads
• Made Nomads able to duel rivals from the get-go
• Changed Stalwart Leader so it allows nomads to duel any non close family member martial gender character
• Made Loyalty and Respect increase Obedience of Spouse and Vizier
• Added a discount to converting Horde Riders into MAAs for Prepared Conscription

Stewardship:

• Added Tributary taxes to Heregeld
• Added Domicile herd gain to Detailed Ledgers
• Changed Cutting Cornerstones to Cutting Wood and added extra 10% discount for Domicile Buildings for Nomads
• Added Domicile building speed bonus to Professional Workforce
• Added Herd gain to Centralization
• Added Herd to Horde conversion to Organized Muster Rolls
• Changed Large Levies to Planned Herd and added income from Herd and Herd from vassals
• Added Tributary Opinion to Likable
• Added happy powerful vassal Herd contribution to Honored to Serve
• Added higher Obedience from Councilors from Honored to Serve
• Added Tributary Opinion to the Administrator trait

Intrigue:

• Added bonus to the Capture raid intent for Kidnapper
• Added Herd gain from Intimidated/Cowed vassals to Fear Tax

Learning:

• Made Religious Icon make obedient characters converted via the Inspire Conversion interaction
• Zealous Proselytizer increases the acceptance for the Inspire Conversion interaction
• It also increases the piety gain from the Aid Stargazer task by 10%
• Planned Cultivation increases Fertility Growth

Wandering:

• Changed Development for County Fertility gain when hosting activities in No Stone Unturned
• Changed Souvenirs Aplenty for Changing of the Seasons and added Fertility and Control bonuses whenever the seasons change
• The Of the People perk increases the speed of the Explore Cultures Kurultai task

Nomadic Legitimacy

Nomads have a new Legitimacy type, which differs in some ways from the settled one. The first big difference is that, while settled Legitimacy is much nicer to lower tiers (allowing Count and Dukes to get bonuses in the first levels), Nomadic Legitimacy is the same for all tiers, representing the harsher judgments of the steppe.
However, we have made the way of obtaining and losing it be also in accordance with the nomadic way of life. Nomadic rulers gain double Legitimacy from winning wars, but they also lose double on defeat. They will also gain Legitimacy from Duels and marrying noble-born Courtiers of someone of equal or Higher Dominance. Nomadic Legitimacy also affects Tributary and Confederation acceptance, as well as Herd gain and Tributary opinion. The effects on Casus Belli costs and creating new Titles have been removed, as Nomads get CB discounts from Seasons, and they do not create higher tier titles the usual way, but through the Dominate Title decision.

Nomadic Faction

Peasant and Populist factions do not make much sense within the steppe, instead there will be Nomadic factions. These factions can happen for any type of ruler, settled or nomad, but are more likely for settled rulers. They are very powerful, comparable to Populist armies, composed of nomadic riders, horse archers, and other nomadic Men-at-Arms. Similarly to Peasant factions their discontent will always rise, and it'll rise fast. The goal is to make it unattractive for settled rulers to hold nomad lands, as they will be attacked by revolting nomads on a semi-regular interval - feudalizing the holdings will be crucial to stop this. Of course, defeating them will pacify their lands for a while. If a Nomadic faction is successful, they will rip any duchy that had a county part of the faction out from your realm, and each of them will get a new nomadic ruler generated.

Belligerent Vassal Stance

We decided that most vassal stances made little sense for nomadic people, so we have added a new one called Belligerent, more commonly found within the steppe. Belligerent vassals want to see their liege as a powerful and strong leader, and enjoy shows of both physical and military might.
[hr][/hr] Thanks for reading and getting into the depths of the steppe with us! Next DD will go over the flavour and warfare of the Great Steppe.

[ 2025-03-25 12:58:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there! Welcome back to the first official dev diary for our Core Expansion this year, Khans of the Steppe. For those who did not see it, we first talked about the DLC back last month with Dev Diary #162 - Steppe by Steppe, so I recommend reading that first. Today we will discuss Tributaries, Confederations, and Raid Intents. All three topics were mentioned in the previous Dev Diary, but we will discuss them at length in this one, so lets settle in like a migrating nomad and get started.

Follow-up from Previous Dev Diary

The team has gone through an intense iteration period based on both feedback collected internally and the comments received from our previous Dev Diary. Many changes have been thus made, and we are sure we are not done with it yet. However, here's a small list of some of the most significant tweaks done based on your feedback:

• A new, "base" Tributary type has been made available for non-Nomads.
• Concerns about the Nomadic economy have been addressed by adding a monthly income for nomads based on their Herd size (symbolizing the trade of meat, hides, etc.)
• A game rule has been added to include Nomadic governments in the Sahel, Arabia, the horn of Africa, Sami and Karelia regions
• Tweaked the borders of the Steppe and characters who should be nomadic in all bookmarks (more than I can list here, screenshots will be shared in following Diaries)
• We've added a Culture and Faith specific to your Nomadic Capital, different than your own
• Adventurers can now become Nomads if they move into a Herder holding
• We have expanded what we originally scoped for razing
• We've extended and altered the effects of some Seasons
• We have made it possible to grow your herd if you hold lands outside of the Steppe, giving those counties Fertility if held by a nomad

Tributaries

One of the new features were introducing with Khans of the Steppe, and the free update that goes along with it, are Tributaries. Vast nomadic realms like the Cumans, Khitans, and Khazars were not kept together by a tiered system of formal vassalage and pledges of fealty, nor were they delineated by culture or religion. Instead, the harsh realpolitik of the steppe applied - whoever could muster the greatest capacity for destruction on their neighbors proved themselves worthy of tribute, in exchange for the privilege of not being trampled underhoof. Modeling this type of subject relationship properly was the impetus for the Tributary feature. Let's back up a bit and discuss some fundamentals first though, because tributaries aren't just a nomad thing. While Tributaries are similar to vassals in some respects, they represent a whole new type of unequal diplomatic relationship in the game. As a result, many game elements that formerly referred to "vassals" now refer to "subjects" instead. Subjects can be either vassals or tributaries, and these sub-types adhere to different rules. As with vassal contracts, there can be different types of tributary contracts with varying degrees of obligations. In most cases, these terms can be renegotiated. Tributaries can be seen as a more independent subject type compared to vassals. While in most cases they share the map color and realm name with their suzerain, they can act and be interacted with independently, even when it comes to warfare. Most tributary types can also be created through peaceful means, by a sovereign ruler pledging tribute to a nomadic realm in exchange for a guarantee to not be attacked by them, or through a nomadic ruler demanding tribute from a neighboring realm. Agreements of tribute are (usually) perpetuated across generations, but may change in nature over time or be more easily broken when the contract changes hands.
[Marzoban Tokku and his weak backbone stands little chance against the persuasive might of the Cumanian horde]
[If some scary nomadic realm is on your border and you'd like to remain as independent as possible, you can proactively choose to pay them tribute to avoid outright conquest]
[Existing vassals can be released as tributaries, and in some cases you can even vassalize an existing tributary] Nomadic Tributaries are what you will encounter most frequently in Khans of the Steppe. These consist of nomadic realms (or spineless herders) who have pledged tribute to a stronger nomadic ruler on their border. They will pay a part of their herd in tribute on a regular basis, and some of the prestige they gain will also be conferred upon their suzerain. In exchange for tribute, they enjoy a great deal of independence from their suzerain and will not be outright attacked or raided by them. They can even have tributaries of their own! Settled Tributaries are non-nomadic realms (such as feudal princes, tribes, or clans) who have yielded to a bordering nomadic ruler. Like their nomadic tributary counterparts, they will pay tribute on a regular basis, but instead of herd they will provide gold and levies. Both these types of tributary contracts are inherited across generations, but they also have quite a bit of leeway in simply ceasing payments (if they are ready to face the consequences of insulting their suzerain, that is). This is most likely to happen if a nomadic suzerain prove themselves weak in some way (and therefore unworthy of tribute, by the laws of the steppe), like losing a war or suffering a chaotic Kurultai succession. Once tributaries opt to stop sending gifts to their suzerain the suzerain can choose to attack them to recover control, or let them go try to make their own destiny without their protection. To try to keep this from happening, nomadic suzerains can either be lenient with their contract conditions, or leverage their Dread to demand Obedience of their tributaries.
[Your subject view will display if any of your tributaries are likely to stop paying you and why. Obedience plays a strong role in keeping your subjects in line, but even disobedient ones will be reluctant to stop paying off much stronger suzerains. More factors will be added before launch, such as losing a war or having chaotic Kurultai successions.] A third type of subjugated tributary has also been added, which has no direct relation to nomads. This is a tributary type obliged to pay a lot of gold and a small amount of prestige to their suzerain in exchange for their suzerain's protection from outside invasion. If attacked, a subjugated tributary can call their suzerain in to defend them, and if they refuse their tributary obligations are annulled. Any non-nomadic realm can create this type of tributary through the Bring Under Tribute casus belli, enabling the extortion of neighboring protectorates through sheer military might. This contract does not get inherited by the suzerain's heir upon their death, but also cannot be voluntarily broken. If the tributary wishes to break free of their obligations prior to their suzerain's death, they will have to fight them for independence.
[Even feudal realms can subjugate neighboring kingdoms to make them pay tribute, if their Crown Authority is high enough] It's important to note that it's possible to modify the terms of a tributary contract, just like a vassal contract. For example, nomads can negotiate for protection by their suzerains in exchange for higher tribute payments. If you and your tributary are Blood Brothers, you can even negotiate a guarantee that they will follow you on all military adventures, offensive as well as defensive.
[Even the tributary can try to renegotiate the terms, but without a good relationship with (or a hook on) your suzerain this might be met with limited success] Another aspect of tributaries of nomadic realms is that they can provide new Men-at-Arms types to their suzerain. In keeping with the flexible and heterogenous nature of steppe warfare, nomad rulers are able to recruit Men-at-Arms from both tributaries and vassals as if they were their own. Since the Men-at-Arms are recruited from other realms, rather than an additional cost of herd (to represent the development of more advanced mounted units) this costs a premium in gold to entice the foreigners to join up with the Khan's formidable horde.
[If you dont have any subjects with access to some of the basic Men-at-Arms types, you get a little hint suggesting who might give you access to them] Visually, tributary realms will typically adopt the map color and name of their suzerain to clarify the relationship between them. Modders might be interested to know that this behavior can be changed in script depending on the subject contract: you can make tributary types that do not inherit the suzerain's color or name, or just one of them, as well!
[In 867, the Khazars dominate the Western Steppe while the Kirghiz control the Eastern parts. The Karluks and Ohguz are powerful nomadic realms in the central steppe region and have a lot of opportunity to compete for the smaller nomadic and tribal realms towards the northern parts.]
[In 1066 the western and central steppe regions are dominated by the Cumans in the south, with a considerable tributary network maintaining their control of the center and maintaining their power against the Karluks and Khitans. The Pechenegs have migrated west and act as a buffer zone between the steppe and the Byzantine Empire - will they manage to become their own nomadic powerhouse, or fall to either of their titanic neighbors?]
[In 1178, the Cumans remain the most powerful nomadic realm on the steppe, but for how long? The Khitans are migrating south into East Asia, leaving their old lands to the fractured Mongols to thrive.] Since tributaries inherit all of the functionality of the vassal contract system, with a few extensions, they are very flexible and capable of modeling a great deal of unequal relationships between realms and rulers. There's a fair chance you will see more tributary types and dynamics added to the game in the future, and the system is fully available to modders to play with as well! But how would you deal with these massive, aggressive nomadic realms as a smaller nomad who just wants to live a laid-back, peaceful nomadic lifestyle? One avenue to that is what we'll discuss next.

Confederations

Brothers and sisters, do you ever tire of lusting after power? When you jump into a game as a meek little Count, do you wish friends and neighbors would stand together with you against the masters of the world? Do you want something new to do as a tribal? Say no more, my brothers and sisters - but the sacred words, the oath of confederation! In short, Confederations are a new way for nomads and tribals to feel safe while initially building their power, playing tall, etc. Its also a bit of an extra challenge for those looking to easily gobble up areas of the map that lack a mighty King or Emperor.
[12th c. Estonia mightnt have looked quite like this, but hopefully this captures some of its spirit] The inspiration for Confederations came from a visit to beautiful Tallinn, Estonia (which I very highly recommend), a fascinating conversation with a very learned scholar in medieval Baltic history, and a visit to the Great Guild Hall Museum. Therein, an exhibit asked the question Why did Estonia not become a Kingdom? Its an interesting question, with at least a few answers. In a sense, the Estonian tribes did actually have kings, but these were temporary war-leaders or spiritual figures, and they did not serve to unite all the tribes together into one lasting polity. They are mentioned, as stubborn figures of resistance, in the Christian chronicles of conquest. This kind of defensive decentralization seemed new for CK3; I immediately wanted to represent it in our game. And, of course, there are the steppe confederations of history the Khamag Mongol, the Kimek-Kipchaks, the Mogyrs, and so on to consider and draw from as well. Im also a Canadian btw, and Confederation has been a force of history around the Great Lakes for quite a while. Lets go through the confederating process, and discuss.
[The Decision that lays the path to Confederation] The first step is a Decision that enables you to offer Confederation to other rulers. Its warnings are to be taken seriously you will likely have to leave your Confederation if you want to increase your station in the world (through means like title creation, migration, Dominance) or enrich yourself by raiding/attacking your fellow weaklings.
[The requirements for starting a Confederation; you have to be something of a small fish] Who can make a Confederation? Well, you have to be standing on your own, and you cant be standing very tall. These same restrictions apply to all prospective Confederates.
[Additional Confederation triggers. Most of the time, youll need a big, scary common foe] Confederations in Crusader Kings III will be fleeting, ephemeral things, and focused largely on deterring the depredations of powerful neighbors. Thus, they will almost always be created in response to major powers being at their borders. Its been really cool to watch Conquerors and great kings arise and, as they do, Confederations spring up all along their underbellies like nests of rats or colonies of fire ants. There is now a third, sometimes-viable alternative to submit or die. The possible faith hostility trigger also works really nicely along the borderlands between pagan tribals and reformed faiths: it means the former can often be seen making the Confederation defensive arrangement to resist the brutal tide of history.
[Youre ready for Confederation you just need a buddy to join you] Given Confederations are available across the map, to both nomads and tribals, related content is laced with conditional loc and effects to keep things from feeling too inappropriate. That said, this isnt a content-heavy feature; development on Confederations instead focused on making it an effective new mechanic.
[The interaction used to create a Confederation, and also to add new members] The character interaction Offer Confederation (unlocked by the Call for Confederation decision or by Confederation membership) is how this brothers-in-arms, last stand-style shit comes to pass. Notice that, because migration removes members from the Confederation, there are incentives to stay put for a bit longer (a positive County Fertility modifier and an immediate County Fertility boost). AI should also be more reluctant to migrate than usual, at least for a few years.
[Weights are pretty comprehensive and pretty make-or-break] Your level of investment in your confederation can make a big difference in its strength: herd, prestige and hooks can be sacrificed to make valid members more willing to join.
[Well isnt that nice - he accepts!]
[Note the Confederation icon and breakdown] Confederations arent a title. Their closest equivalent is an alliance or truce, thus they live in the Diplomacy space of the Character view. Here, you can see all members of the Confederation. The Kimek Confederation is a culture-based name, which happens when both the first members are of the same culture. When they arent, the Confederation will be named after the founders de jure duchy (ex. the Semey Confederation, the Kargassia Confederation).
[A handful of Kimeks have joined the Confederation (squint, its on the left)] On the map, Confederations will look similar to the new Tributaries: their individual realm names are replaced by the overall Confederation and their map colors are blended towards the main Confederation color (which is based on the founders capital). You may notice that the members remain rather unevenly-sized. Thats because only independent top rulers are members of the Confederation, and their vassals (if they have any) are not.
[The Confederation is attacked!] When a Confederation member is attacked is when the organization really comes into its own. All members are automatically added as Defenders. This can result in a pretty potent nest of bees that the aggressor has just poked. Accordingly, the combined strength of a Confederation is shown when opening the Declare War screen on one of its members, and AI should be appropriately hesitant to attack strong Confederations. Note that this applies only to members defensive wars. They cannot call on the Confederation when they themselves declare offensive wars.
[The Decision for when a Confederate decides its time to go] While AI will usually give the Confederation at least a few years of their time, players are quite free to strike off on their own whenever. Albeit for a higher Prestige cost during the first couple years. The AI weighting for this Decision is heavily dependent on circumstances. Chief among these is the presence of big nearby threats that necessitate confederation. The result is that, where confederations are needed, they should prove much more lasting and resilient. And when they are no longer needed, they should often quickly disband.
[BROTRAYAL] And there it is, Confederations! I hope this run-through has cleared up the feature. And remember the CK player who stands alone, dies alone. Call up a friend right now and ask if theyd FUCKING DIE for you. Post results in the comments.

Raid Intents

We discussed raid intents in the previous dev diary, with a small WIP screenshot. Its time to expand on what we said then. First of all, we should talk about loot. As you all know, weve had loot in the game for quite a while. Gold you can take from a settlement as you raid them as a tribal ruler or a pagan, which you then bring back home to turn into gold and prestige. We havent changed the core mechanic of loot, but we have disconnected it slightly from purely being gold, now that you have more ways of using it. With Raid Intents, we now have ways of turning that loot into other things, to symbolize your aims as you are raiding foreign lands.
Here is the new raid intent screen (for nomads), after a small art pass and after we added some proper names. Now, lets look at the default raid intent for nomadic rulers, Pillage.
[Note that none of the numbers are final, so they might change before the release] Its a fairly straightforward calculation. If you bring home 100 loot, you will get 100 gold and 150 herd out of it when you return to your borders. Most of the other raid intents have some kind of separate side effects in addition to their base calculation, so lets look at some of them.
Nomads were known for raiding far and wide, with the Hungarian raiders, for example, bringing home loot from all across Europe. With the Adventure raid intent, it will take a bit longer to raid each settlement, but you can carry a significantly larger amount of loot with you, and you will take no hostile county attrition. It should be noted that within the steppe, nomad raiders will not take any hostile county attrition, regardless of raid intent, but they will regularly take attrition outside of it.
Plunder symbolizes that you arent necessarily just taking anything but trying to find the most valuable things to take. It will take significantly longer to raid every single settlement. Still, the loot conversion as you get home is considerably better, and you have a chance to learn innovations of a culture as you raid a settlement if they know about something you do not (though the chances are quite low).
For those less interested in the loot itself but rather other side effects, you might want to take the capture raid intent to significantly increase the chance of capturing someone as you raid a settlement. Its great if you are looking to ransom someone.
And last but not least, you have the opportunity to destroy. Its an opportunity for nomads to increase their prestige (as they dont get any prestige from other raid intents) and their dread (which is more important for nomads). It also destroys buildings and development in settlements they raid. Now, one thing to mention is that we dont only have raid intents for nomads but for other raiders as well. Regular raiders also have access to the Terrorize raid intent, so feel free to bring destruction to your enemies no matter which flavor of uncivilized you are. They also have access to Pillage, but in a slightly different form:
Like current functionality, you simply change your loot to gold and prestige. And for Vikings, they have access to a slightly modified version of the Adventure intent.
If you want to raid your way down to Constantinople and then home again, feel free to take this to bring all that loot back home. Now for the other side, you can destroy the raiders as they enter your lands, but we have also made one small adjustment so you can protect yourself a bit against any incoming threat.
We have increased the hostile raid time reduction in the building, so you have more time to respond to incoming threats. It now also reduces the chances of special raid intents. In other words, it reduces the improvements from the Capture raid intent, minimizes the chance of Terrorize ruining your lands, and for Plunder to find any innovation. Upgrading the building will improve the effect and block raid intent special effects from happening outright. In other words, something to keep in mind if you experience a lot of raids in your lands.

Next Week

Thats it for this week. Next week, we plan to revisit migrations and the nomadic government, so we hope to see you again then. Go forth and conquer, my blood brothers.

[ 2025-03-18 12:58:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=9o83yWfMlTM;full][/previewyoutube] Hello everyone! I'm the Community Manager with Paradox Studio Black, and today we're excited to present to you the next stage in Crusader Kings III's development: Chapter IV. Today, we'll go over the themes of each piece of content that make up the Chapter, as well as give a brief peek at their features. Without further ado, let's get into it. [hr][/hr]

Core Expansion: Khans of the Steppe

The first release in Chapter IV, Khans of the Steppe, focuses on the brand-new Nomadic Government and the systems we've created to support it. Inspired by the nomadic peoples of the Eurasian Steppe, these mechanics will challenge you to adapt to a lifestyle dominated by the ebb and flow of the land's vitality, maintain your herds, and establish your dominance over the region by any means necessary.

Key Features

Nomadic Government

Nomads don't live in a single static location; historically they travelled across the steppe as climate and fertility demanded, and we've strived to recreate that experience in Khans of the Steppe. You'll guide your people and herds across the region, tapping into the fertility of the land for as long as it lasts. Once resources run dry, you must migrate anew. Chieftains can roam peacefully by negotiating with neighboring shepherds, or seize new pastures by force.

Herd

Representing your horses, cattle, and overall strength within the steppe, the new Herd system becomes a cornerstone of diplomatic, martial, and economic actions. Use it to fuel your warbands, or as currency in your negotiations.

Dominance

Prove your might on the steppe through Dominance, increasing it alongside your power and territory. At its highest level, you might even claim the mantle of Genghis Khan; the Universal Ruler.

Seasons & Survival

Life in the steppe is harsh, affected by the changing climate and weather patterns. A White Zud could blanket the land in snow, decimating fertility and putting pressure on you to find greener pastures. Meanwhile, milder conditions can bring bountiful growth to your herds, ushering in a period of prosperity. Khans of the Steppe releases on April 28, with dev diaries scheduled for every Tuesday until then. Be sure to mark your calendars if you're eager to try your hand at this new style of governance and rulership. [hr][/hr]

Event Pack: Coronations

Beyond the steppe of Eurasia, Chapter IV introduces a new event pack simply titled: Coronations. In the medieval world, a coronation was more than just a gathering, it represented the moment where earthly and divine legitimacy converged.

Coronation Activity

Coronations function as a new activity type, letting you experience the event first hand. Coordinate with religious authorities and conduct the perfect ceremony to establish your right to rule in the eyes of your vassals and subjects. Plan it wisely, because the consequences of this activity can echo throughout your entire reign and beyond. [hr][/hr]

Major Expansion: All Under Heaven

Chapter IV's flagship Major Expansion, All Under Heaven, is set to be the largest and most ambitious expansion in Crusader Kings history. We're completing our map of the medieval world by extending its scope across all of Asia. This massive expansion brings new gameplay, unique governments, and entirely different perspectives on life in the medieval era.

Key Features

From Ireland to Cathay

From the celestial might of Imperial China and the unique governments of Japan and Korea, to the god-kings of the Indonesian archipelago, each new area in All Under Heaven features new cultures, faiths, and flavor.

Hegemony

To properly represent the power and influence of China in this period, we're introducing a new tier of title above an empire: the Hegemony. This new title tier allows for further granular representation of the division of power within large-scale realms.

Dynastic Cycle

The fate of the imperial dynasties follows a cyclical pattern, reflecting historical eras of stability and eras of chaos. Players will struggle to maintain the Mandate of Heaven and prove that they are the right choice to navigate the empire through treacherous waters.

Imperial Treasury

A new centralized treasury system for the Chinese Emperor represents the flow of wealth upward and into the empire's coffers, letting you decide how to spend (or squander) resources that could make or break the stability of the realm. While no release date is being announced at this time, you can expect our normal in-depth developer diaries to start for this expansion shortly after the release of Khans of the Steppe, with our first dev diary tentatively scheduled for May. [hr][/hr]

1.15 "Crown" Update: Available Now

To properly prepare for our upcoming content in Chapter IV, we're releasing a broad set of changes to the game's existing content with our 1.15 "Crown" Update, available to all owners of Crusader Kings III right now, free of charge. This update overhauls multiple systems and fixes numerous issues to ensure your experience in the medieval world is more enjoyable. The full changelog is too large to share here, but you can find it on our official forums at the bottom of this dev diary.

Update Highlights

Court Position Overhaul

A more intuitive interface for appointing and managing your court's less essential roles. New court positions are introduced, while existing ones are given tasks that their holders can be directed to perform for various benefits. Additionally, you can now choose to replace vacancies manually, or set specific positions to be refilled automatically.

Army Automation and AI Improvements

Focus on what's important to you while you let the AI handle martial affairs. There's also new interface elements to clarify what allied armies (or your own, if automation is enabled) are actually doing, making it easier than ever to coordinate your war efforts.

Improvements to Crusade AI

The AI will now gather its armies before striking at its enemies as a properly coordinated force. Expect more unified Great Holy War offensives, and fiercer opposition as a defender. From quality-of-life changes to bug squashing, the 1.15 "Crown" update refines the overall experience of the game. It's also available right now, so give it a try and let us know what you think! [hr][/hr]

Instant Unlock: Crowns of the World

For those eager to dive into Chapter IV content as soon as possible, anyone who purchases the Chapter IV pass will immediately receive the Crowns of the World cosmetic pack, unlocking various culture-specific crowns and turbans. Whether you play in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa, you're sure to find new stylish ways to represent your royal persona. [hr][/hr]

Community Q&A

We want to ensure that the content in Chapter IV is the best it can be, and a huge part of that is building strong communications and relationships between us and our layers. Your feedback on existing content as well as upcoming features is vital to this effort. To facilitate this, we're collecting questions from all of you until March 19, and will publish a video responding to as many of these as we can on March 26th. Submit your questions below in the comments, or on any of our social media channels. [hr][/hr] Chapter IV is the most ambitious content cycle in Crusader Kings history, offering everything from the struggles of maintaining your herd as a nomadic ruler in Khans of the Steppe, to the weight of ceremony and duty in Coronations, culminating in the completion of our map of the medieval world in All Under Heaven. Whether you choose to play in the new areas being introduced to the game or your existing favorites, Chapter IV will redefine the stories you make in Crusader Kings III. The 1.15 "Crown" Update and the Chapter IV pass are both available right now. The Crown update is available for free to all owners of Crusader Kings III, while those who purchase the Chapter IV pass will immediately receive Crowns of the World as well as all the content mentioned above as soon as it is released.

[ 2025-03-12 14:20:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! This Dev Diary is about the upcoming free update, which weve dubbed 1.15.0 Crown! Similarly to free updates of the past, the Crown update will be pretty big - it has reworked systems, new features, and a myriad of bugfixes and balance changes. All of the changes that Ill go over stem from the fact that we spend a lot of time updating, tweaking, and bugfixing existing systems and features as part of our parallel development track setup - depending on the status of an individual track, people from that track are assigned to what we call Realm Maintenance, where we focus on improving areas of the game that we either feel arent good enough, or that you in the community are asking for us to change. Usually a lot of Realm Maintenance time happens at the start of a new development track, as there are few bugs in newly developed content during, for example, the concepting or pre-production phases. During Realm Maintenance we have Improvement Days where we add as many smaller improvements and quality of life changes as we can, and some time is also used to polish promising projects from the Black Forge Jam (an internal sort-of game jam where we experiment with new CK3 features). The Crown update contains over 4 months worth of Realm Maintenance, including 200+ bugfixes. I wont have time to go over everything in detail, so Ill focus on a few highlights! [hr][/hr]

Court Position Rework

Last year we teased a Court Position rework, and since then weve refined it and added even more improvements. In short; the rework aims to make Court Positions more interesting and engaging, adding tools, adjusting costs, improving quality-of-life, and making the UI less of a hassle to use. The intent is for Court Positions to be more widely used by giving them new effects and tasks that allow you to deal with many different situations.
[Image - The new layout] The new layout allows you to see more positions at once, and presents them in a more immersive way. All of the information is still there, of course: most of what you dont need to see at all times has just moved into the tooltip. What you need to know at a glance is still visible.
[Image - Unavailable Court Positions] At the bottom of the list weve added a new foldable category that reveals all positions that you could potentially have. Itll exclude anything you cannot possibly get, such as Adventurer Officers for landed characters and vice-versa. The tooltips will tell you what you can do in order to get them.
[Image - Court Position automation] Now when its more important than ever to keep certain positions filled, weve added the option of choosing to fill the position automatically. This comes in three flavors, depending on your preference: an event giving you the option to choose between a few good candidates in your court, auto-assign the highest aptitude courtier, or auto-assign with an event notifying you if there are no candidates. This can be toggled per Court Position, and different positions can have different settings.
[Image - Seneschal Tooltip] A lot of court positions were never used because it was hard to justify spending gold on their salaries, so we decided to transfer part of the costs into prestige, and we also lowered salaries across the board (the salary pictured in the screenshot is from the late medieval era, roughly 150 years in from 1066). Prestige is a resource most players are more willing to part with, but as there up until now has existed very few prestige income sinks you need to be careful so you dont spend it all All of the new tasks have costs; some of them prestige, some gold, and some even cost piety. It's these tasks where the brunt of the cost will come from, but they are naturally opt-in, and you can use them to handle tricky situations, toggling them on/off as you see fit. Most positions now also come with an interesting effect for the holder of the position, such as the 20% stewardship experience pictured above. This also means that weve opened up a lot more positions to be held by vassals, which is interesting because:
[Image - Request Court Position] You can now request Court Positions from your liege, allowing you to reap some of the benefits that they convey, such as Royal Architect now reducing your build time/build cost, or the Court Poet now reducing your stress gain, general opinion, and diplomacy lifestyle xp.
[Image - Grant Court Position] You can also grant court positions directly via a character interaction now, making it easier to, for example, appease angry vassals with ceremonial positions.
[Image - A handful of the new tasks] There are way too many new Court Position Tasks for me to go through them in detail, but above is a small sample of what youre going to see. Most Court Positions now have three tasks to choose from, with a few having one or two - these tasks cover a wide variety of things you might want, from Wet Nurses instilling virtues into your children, to your Antiquarian searching for rumors about locations of rare Artifacts, to your High Almoner promoting the opinion of Zealous Vassals, among many, many more things. Many of the things you can now do didn't have any tools before; such as reducing the stress of characters other than yourself (which can be achieved via the Entertain Courtiers task for the Jester). You can also use various positions and tasks to slowly increase your Legitimacy; the Seneschal gives a small passive trickle, the Court Poet can give you Legitimacy % Gain Modifiers as part of the Write Poetry Task, and the Court Musicians Bolster Legitimacy Task (the Court Musician is now available to Duke-tier characters and no longer requires Royal Court to have!). Its worth noting that all tasks that increase stat points, such as Exercise with Ruler, are balanced in such a way that you cannot gain skills unless the holder of the position is better at the skill than you are. Weve also taken this opportunity to move the entire Hunt Sighting system into these tasks. If you want hunt sightings to improve the success chance of your hunts, you now choose what your Master of the Hunt should focus on finding - this makes the system less random and gives you more agency. Theres more that Ive not talked about, to see the full extent of changes I refer to the full changelog here on our official forums!

Automated Armies

Another feature we teased last year was the addition of Automated Armies, an opt-in feature where the AI takes control of your armies and fights wars for you. The intent behind this feature is to allow you to focus on other things while engaged in trivial wars, and to allow players unfamiliar or uninterested in warfare to enjoy the game more. If you are an experienced player we still recommend that you control your armies yourself, but give it a spin if youre just cleaning up those three counts bordering your empire!
[Image - Automated Armies Settings] Now, there are two crucial parts to this feature working well: seeing what the AI is thinking, and for the AI to play well. Theres nothing that differentiates Automated Armies from how the AI normally plays, so improving one improves the other. Both of these areas will be covered in the two sections below:

AI Ally Info

Sometimes you have an ally in a war that you have no idea what they are thinking - perhaps theyre just standing there, moving erratically, or being generally unhelpful. Quite often this is because of something that youre not aware of; perhaps they are resupplying their armies, perhaps they are guarding a siege, etc. To make it more transparent what an army is doing, weve added icons with descriptions that explicitly tell you what the AI is up to.
[Image - Exposed Ally Thinking] This is also applied to your own armies if theyre automated, giving you an overview of what theyre doing.
[Image - Exposed automation thinking] In the above screenshot, the right army is actively besieging while the left one is guarding the siege while standing in a province with enough supply limit to support it. There are a multitude of different states for the AI to show; moving, attacking, moving to siege, supporting the player, etc. Hopefully thisll clear up most uncertainties regarding why theyre doing things that might otherwise appear inexplicable.

Warfare AI Fixing/Updates

Weve been working a lot with warfare AI in an effort to make it better. Were not promising miracles, but we have spent over two months of programmer time in an effort to nail down bugs, improve sub-par behavior, and change behavior that, while intended, didnt feel right. This includes a lot of cases where the AI would be indecisive, passive, or dance between provinces, which was often caused by various competing systems trying to avoid attrition, match supply limits to stack sizes, and edge-case bugs. These fixes in combination with the exposed AI ally logic above results in much more clear warfare where its easier to understand what the AI is up to. Weve also taught the AI about War Score, making them pursue what would give them score, rather than arbitrarily choosing actions based on a set of circumstances that were always fixed. For example; when youre fighting a war as a player, youre less likely to pursue battles if you know that the siege youre currently about to finish would win you the war, and youre also less likely to pursue battles if youre already capped on battle warscore (usually war score for battles is capped at +50% for most CBs). Theyre now also much more likely to siege using stacks with Siege Weapons, and will try to shuffle their siege stacks around in such a way that their ongoing sieges arent broken. Now, there are going to be edge cases where unwanted behavior still happens, and well keep fixing bugs as we find them. Hopefully you won't notice as much strange AI behavior any more. An area of the game where the normal war AI does not perform as well is during Crusades, so we decided to take a suggestion from the community and give these Great Holy Wars some special treatment. The one size fits all philosophy out the window, the AI now has a set of special procedures they follow during these grand-scale wars in particular. Firstly theres a set of smaller tweaks; the AI cares less about attrition and supply until theyve made some headway, and they will try to boat hop less often (take short sea paths). When youre going from well-supplied Europe by boat disembarking into low-supply drylands with an army of potentially hundreds of thousands of men theres no way you can find enough supply for all of them - the AI now knows this, and when they start assaulting the war target they will temporarily ignore attrition until theyve gotten enough of a beachhead that they can support the size of their units, this makes the initial phase of a crusade more likely to succeed as the attacking AI wont desperately shuffle their troops around to find supply. By boat hopping less they will prefer land routes to their targets, avoiding the -30 advantage penalty. Now for the meat of the changes; the attacker in a GHW will first find a Gathering Area, and then move their armies to a Staging Area.
[Image - AI armies gathering in Roma before sailing to Jerusalem] For the first stage of a Great Holy War the attacking AI will find a good-supply area where they can gather their forces. As stacks of units are raised across a large part of the world they need some time to gather, and should do so in a safe place. In this example we have a crusade against Jerusalem, so Roma with its surrounding counties is deemed both safe and close enough to the target to be designated the Gathering Area. You will see an icon on allied AI units with a text that says where they intend to gather, so that you can follow them there. They will gather for several months before setting off to the next step of the journey: the Staging Area.
[Image - AI armies staging in Issus after having gathered in Roma] The Staging Area is the closest friendly or neutral area to the war target, in this example its in Byzantium. The attacking forces will make their way there before starting their assault, which means that they will arrive as a much more unified force. This also means that they wont immediately attack from the water, avoiding disembarkment penalties and ensuring that their stacks have an acceptable degree of supply. Instead they will most likely march in via land, taking a modicum of attrition along the way, but ultimately mustering a more successful assault. Now, the testing that weve done reveals that the attackers are usually more successful, but can still lose. Though now when they lose its less because they frustratingly trickle in across several years with disembarkment penalties and no supply, and more because the defenders have a homeland advantage - as it should be.

Character Interaction UI Update

The character interaction menu has received a facelift, with the intent of cleaning it up and making interactions more intuitive.
[Image - Cleaned-up interaction menu] Several categories have been removed and merged into other categories to keep the overall number down. Weve added colors to these categories so its easier to glance at the one you need. You can now easily see if a scheme is personal, hostile, or political - with the predicted scheme difficulty shown next to it, making it easier to see what you could be pursuing without having to delve into each interaction.
[Image - Favorite button] As weve moved several interactions to no longer be common and only shown in sub-menus, weve added a way for you to select favorite interactions. Favorite interactions will be shown in their own category at the top of the interaction menu, allowing you to see what you think is important first.
[Image - Favorites in action] Wherever it makes sense weve now added a quick-interaction button that contains a collection of relevant interactions for that context. These buttons have been added in various places, such as for your head of faith, on your Administrative liege, or on administrative governors in the theme view. If youre a modder you can easily make more custom contexts.
[Image - Head of Faith custom interaction category]

Right-click to Raise Armies

[Image - UI for raising armies anywhere] You can now right-click to raise your armies in a specific area, so you no longer have to move a rally point there first. This simplifies the act of raising armies and prevents the mistake where you can accidentally raise your armies on the wrong side of your empire just because you moved your rally point there during your last war Its not impossible that well remove and replace the rally point system entirely in the future.
[image - Tooltip for Raise Armies]

Administrative Government Additions

[Image - Eparch] Going hand-in-hand with the Court Position rework, a new Court Position has been added for independent rulers of Administrative realms: the Eparch. The Eparch focuses on improving your capital in various ways; the tasks are expensive, but the effects are significant! Being the Eparch is also very attractive for vassals, as they get a significant influence boost
[Image - Eparch Tasks] Going hand-in-hand with the Eparch is the new Capital Magistracy building, which improves the aptitude of the Eparch among other things. It can only be built in the capital of an Administrative realm.
[Image - A tier 1 Capital Magistracy building] Not everything will be easier for Administrative realms - we also thought that it was way too easy for them to hold on to their lands, even when engaged in civil wars or otherwise weakened. Weve added a new CB that can only be used on Administrative realms, Seize Peripheral Duchy, that allows you to take any duchy that is outside of the empire's De Jure for a very low prestige cost. This CB has 3x the Siege and battle warscore for the attacker, and a significantly faster ticking warscore, making it the perfect way to reclaim lands from an otherwise preoccupied empire.
[Image - The Seize Peripheral Duchy CB] Alongside this weve also reworked the "Order Mass Arrests" decision to be a character interaction. You can now use this on all noble families, and not just powerful families, as long as their estate is located in the capital. Weve also tweaked the options for when you restore the Roman Empire, such as offering a path to become Hellenic without activating Roman Hard More, as well as making said mode more enjoyable by tweaking event frequencies and removing parts of it that made little sense (such as increased diseases).

Clan Government Tweaks

The Clan government is one that is both fairly underplayed (according to telemetry) and that the AI struggles in playing well (often underperforming significantly). This prompted us to look into doing something to make them more interesting and less frustrating to play - when managing Tax Jurisdictions its a constant battle to find competent Tax Collectors. All you have at your disposal are your unlanded courtiers and a decision with a fairly long cooldown, which leads to a frustrating time as you often end up in a combination of not having anyone to assign, and if you do have someone, theyre more often than not terrible. The various tax decrees also felt underwhelming with the vast majority of players simply opting for the Zakat (luxury tax) one as it increased your gold income. All of this has prompted a host of changes to the feature.
[Image - Updated Tax Jurisdiction UI] Alongside a general facelift of the UI, weve opened up the possibility for Vassals to be Tax Collectors - this makes it significantly easier to find tax collectors, and to find good ones. Similarly to how we handle Court Positions, landed tax collectors get a penalty to their aptitude, but on average its much easier to find good tax collectors because of this change. Clan rulers now also dont have to worry about being allied to ALL their vassals, as only powerful vassals will expect to be allied to their liege. This makes you able to focus on pleasing a select few characters in the realm without having to suffer a permanent -20 opinion with every vassal. You also no longer gain a legitimacy penalty for marrying lowborn characters as secondary wives (and to pre-empt exploits weve also made it so that switching to a lowborn spouse as your primary spouse triggers the lowborn marriage penalties). This means that as long as your main spouse is highborn, the remaining ones can be lowborn. The AI has been updated to always try to set the spouse with the best stats as their primary one, as long as that doesnt trigger the lowborn spouse marriage penalties.
[Image - Updated tax decrees] All Tax Decrees have been updated to have more interesting and modern effects, including systems that have been added since Tax Decrees were added, like Legitimacy, Danger, and Plague Resistance, and enabling systems that are logically connected to the decree, like raiding for Ghazi. These changes match the Clan realm's more volatile nature, providing bonuses that are more relevant and interesting to choose between. They should now more closely be able to match the power that Feudal realms can muster with their Vassal Contracts.

Tiered Commander Traits

All commander traits are now tiered traits that are leveled up by taking actions related to the trait.
[Image - A levelled Logistician trait] Commander traits now start out less impactful, with effects weaker than they currently are. Through war, battles, and siege, you can now level them up - potentially reaching heights that were not previously possible. A fully levelled Military Engineer reduces siege phase times by 40%, a fully levelled Flexible Leader reduces enemy defensive bonuses by 80%, and so on. To level the traits you need to do whatever makes sense: to level up Aggressive Attacker you win offensive battles, to level up Military Engineer you complete sieges, and so on. The higher the commander's Martial skill, the faster they will level up their traits. This also means that a commander with a high-level commander trait can be extremely valuable, as replacing their accumulated knowledge of warfare is not a trivial task.

Barbershop Fixes/Updates

The Barbershop has been updated with several new categories, and items have been re-shuffled to allow for a greater degree of customization. Many items previously not accessible has been added, such as some Byzantine and Jain clothing, and you are now allowed to freely change eye items, face items, crests, veils, and special crowns.
[Image - New barbershop categories] Weve made extra care to address pain points such as not being able to remove glasses or veils, while simultaneously allowing you to create combinations you werent able to before. More customization is better customization!
[Image - New Crests, Veils, & Special Crowns category] Use responsibly!
[Image - a distinctly cursed barbershop creation]

Minor/Misc Changes

AI Promote Culture Tweaks

Late-game culture maps are often quite boring, with the culture map gradually becoming more and more populated by small divergences. This is fine in the case where these divergences lead to interesting new cultures expanding their presence on the map, but often it is not so. Weve tweaked the AI to be more inclined to promote their cultures under certain circumstances. Central Germanic heritage cultures within the HRE will now want to promote culture in Sorbian-culture counties, very small cultures will want to grow (if they are below 10 counties), 'Imperious' cultures (cultures with a powerful culture head, realm of 30+ counties and King+ tier) will want to grow to a decent size (35 counties, about the size of French at 1066 start), smaller (<5 counties) divergent/hybrid cultures with no existing culture head are more likely to be promoted by other cultures (with the intent of reducing the amount of small and orphaned cultures by the end of the game). This makes the culture map more dynamic and existing, with interesting results every game.
[Image - Saxon slowly being promoted in Polabian lands]

Game Rule Updates

Weve added several new options to the Realm Stability Game Rule, based on community feedback - and a few extra for good measure! You can now set stability to only affect AIs, and theres an additional setting that avoids changing the frequency of peasant and populist factions as those could become too frequent or infrequent depending on your setting.
[Image - New Realm Stability settings] For those that enjoy the occasional Scourge of the Gods Conqueror but think that 5% is too much weve added an additional rule; Low Random, with a 0.5% chance of it happening.
[Image - Conqueror Low Random setting]

New Message Setting Options

The message settings window now has a history log of all feed messages, so you can browse through them at a later time.
[Image - Message Settings log] Weve also added two community-requested message settings: scheme advantages and non-dynastic courtiers coming of age.
[Image - Scheme Advantage message setting]
[Image - Non-dynastic courtier coming of age]

Guardian Status in Courtiers UI

There are now new indicator texts and filter options for finding children without guardians in your court. This is present both in the right-hand-side Court window and in the character view.
[Image - Guardian indicators]

New Major Decisions

Two new major decisions have also made their way into this update, both focusing on forming new empires - Beth Narain for rulers of Syriac heritage, and the Empire of Hindustan.
[Image - Beth Narain creation decision] When adding new decisions for creating new empire titles in Crusader Kings there are two different things we look for. One could be an interesting alternative history empire for a historical group or region, like Beth Nahrain, another is to look for what great empires existed during the historical timeline but which currently cannot be formed in the game.
[Image - Hindustan creation decision] The Islamic Conquest of India is not something that happens in every game, but when it happens we rarely ever get something like the actual Delhi Sultanate. The new decision lets a muslim ruler who controls a fair chunk of the north, move his capital to Delhi or Lahore, while creating a new empire title that incorporates any held line in the 3 Indian Empires. If you have Roads to Power it will also give you the Administrative government, though one with a hereditary succession instead of acclamation.

Commanded by Ruler Banner

[Image - Commander by Ruler banner] You can now see if the enemy war leader is in an army, as theyll be marked with a crown banner stating Commanded by Ruler. [hr][/hr] Thats it for this Dev Diary! The 1.15.0 Crown update will soon be in your hands, and we hope that itll be to your liking! You can find the full changelog here on our official forums!

[ 2025-03-11 13:01:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing our two newest Content Creator Packs, Medieval Monuments & Arctic Attire. Please find the changelog and release trailers below. [hr][/hr]

General Update

• Added support for Medieval Monuments and Arctic Attire Content Creator Packs
• Added new DLC icons and descriptions for the Content Creator Packs

[hr][/hr]

Medieval Monuments Content Creator Pack

Discover the great architectural achievements of the Middle Ages with the Content Creator Pack Medieval Monuments. Created in collaboration with the established Crusader Kings III modder PiGu, Medieval Monuments brings new varied and culturally significant monuments to the game. [previewyoutube=mfKkV9cu2Bg;full][/previewyoutube]

• Added 20 new special buildings to the map
  • Drassanes in Barcelona*
  • Great Kyz Kala in Merv
  • Cluny Abbey in Cluny
    • Has 2 different levels, one for the Monastery and one for the Grand Cathedral. Highest level is available in the 1178 start date.
  • Duomo of Florence in Florence
    • Has 4 different levels. In the 1178 start date, it is at the second level.
  • Walls of York in York
  • Great Mosque of Damascus in Damascus
  • Jokhang Temple in Lhasa
  • Wartburg in Schmalkalden
  • St. George of Lalibela (Beta Giyorgis) in Lalibela*
  • Holy Wisdom of God in Novgorod
  • St Wenceslaus Cathedral in Krakow
  • Visegrad Citadel in Visegrad*
  • University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fes
  • Kairouan Basins in Kairouan
  • Ghana Palace in Al-Ghaba
  • Kano Earthworks in Kano*
  • Golden Fort in Jaisalmer
  • Konarak Sun Temple in Konarak*
  • Somapura University in Somapur
  • Vatapi Caves in Vatapi

* These monuments are not pre-built in any of the available start dates. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3315540/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_Medieval_Monuments/ [hr][/hr]

Arctic Attire Content Creator Pack

Brave the chill of far northern lands in style with the Arctic Attire Content Creator Pack, made in collaboration with the established Crusader Kings III modder Aj. Arctic Attires adds cosmetics inspired by Sami and Khanty aesthetics. [previewyoutube=t5IFE4fTh1o;full][/previewyoutube]

• New clothing and headgear inspired by Sami and Khanty cultures to the northern regions of the map
  • Clothing
    • 3 variants of male Khanty Commoner Clothing
    • 2 variants of female Khanty Commoner Clothing
    • 2 variants of male Khanty Low Nobility Clothing
    • 2 variants of female Khanty Low Nobility Clothing
    • 2 variants of male Khanty High Nobility Clothing
    • 2 variants of female Khanty High Nobility Clothing
    • 1 variant of male and female Sami Fur Coat
    • 2 variants of male Sami Commoner Clothing
    • 1 variant of female Sami Commoner Clothing
    • 2 variants of male Sami Low Nobility Clothing
    • 1 variant of female Sami Low Nobility Clothing
    • 2 variants of male Sami High Nobility Clothing
    • 1 variant of female Sami High Nobility Clothing
  • Headwear
    • 1 variant of male and female Sami Cap
    • 3 variants of male Fur Four-Winds Hat
    • 3 variants of male Four-Winds Hat
    • 1 variant of male Khanty Raised Fur Hood
    • 1 variant of female Sami Hat
    • 1 variant of female Fine Sami Hat
    • 3 variants of female Khanty Common Headscarf
    • 3 variants of female Khanty Low Noble Headscarf
    • 3 variants of female Khanty High Noble Headscarf
    • 3 variants of male and female Arctic Lamellar Helm
    • 1 variant of male and female Khanty Shamans Hat
  • Cloaks
    • 2 variants of male Commoner Lukha
    • 2 variants of male Lukha
    • 2 variants of male Fancy Lukha
    • 1 variant of female Sami Shawl
    • 1 variant of female Sami Noble Shawl
    • 1 variant of female Fancy Sami Noble Shawl
  • Legwear
    • 1 variants of male and female Sami Legwear
    • 1 variants of male and female Khanty Legwear
  • Armor
    • 3 variants of male and female Arctic Lamellar Armor
    • New music track: Longing for the Land
      • Added support for the new music track in the games Music Player

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3315550/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_Arctic_Attire/ [hr][/hr] You can also save 20% off both Content Creator Packs by purchasing them as a bundle! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/49929/

[ 2025-02-25 14:13:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We have an unusual dev diary today, in that its two dev diaries in one! PiGu, developer of Medieval Monuments, and Aj, developer of Arctic Attire both will give us a brief overview of the content theyre bringing to Crusader Kings III as well as the work that went into creating it. Lets dive right into it with Medieval Monuments. [hr][/hr]

Medieval Monuments

Hello everyone! Im Pietro PiGu Cavalli, creator of the Medieval Arts mod, and today I have been granted the privilege to welcome you to this developer diary introducing the new Crusader Kings III Content Creator Pack: Medieval Monuments! Ive been playing Paradox games for years, but Medieval Arts was my first modding experience. Developed in 2021 to represent the artistic and architectural achievements of the Middle Ages, it has grown and changed many times but it has always kept to its original mission. I have grown with it, learning several skills from scratch with help from the modding community, and falling particularly in love with 3D modeling, which has now become the core of the mod. Today Medieval Arts is an expanding collection of dozens of new monuments, all with their own unique art and flavor, backed by a wonderful and supportive community.

The Content Creator Pack

Before delving into details, I would like to take a moment to explain the vision behind Content Creator Packs. They are meant as a nice way to support modders financially and enhance their skills, while at the same time providing the game with a product of higher quality than a modder would realistically be able to produce on their own free time, that is able to blend seamlessly into the game, and that is maintained in the future directly by Paradox. I was first approached this summer to pitch ideas and discuss the different shapes that an architectural cosmetic pack might take. While initially proposing a more regional focus, we ended up opting for a broader geographical scope, encompassing the whole map. I then spent a few weeks researching and thinning out options until reaching the final version of Medieval Monuments. To be clear about expectations then, this Content Creator Pack includes 20 brand new special buildings, each with their own 3D model, art, flavorful descriptions and modifiers. I feel so grateful to the people at Paradox Interactive for offering me this opportunity. I greatly enjoyed working with them, and I learned so much throughout the whole process. We had an honest and clear collaboration where my creative input was greatly respected, and guided when necessary to ensure a proper delivery to a community that has always been kind and supportive of my work. I cant wait to read what you think!

The Monuments

So, lets have a look at some of the special buildings included in the pack! As previously mentioned theres 20 of them, but I wont spoil them all for you here, Id like you to search the map and find where they are yourselves ; ) One of the most difficult steps of the creative process was deciding just which monuments to actually portray. The overall size of the pack had already been determined previously, so I had to pick 20 out of the entire architectural production of the Middle Ages, a task easier said than done. To help make the best choice, I decided to keep a few priorities in mind: First of all I wanted the pack to represent the whole map, to make sure that wherever you may choose to play your next game, youd always have at least one monument relatively close by. Ive also tried to favor regions that are lacking unique map objects in the base game. This has granted me the opportunity to be very diverse in the styles, colors and shapes of the monuments, changing with the cultures and environments. These range from the frigid lands of the Rus, where youll be able to construct the Holy Wisdom of Novgorod, the oldest church in Russia proper and a magnificent example of its unique art, to the humid heat of the Bengal delta, where the great university of Somapura were piously carved.
[The important church of the Holy Wisdom of Novgorod, one of the oldest in all of the Rus lands and inspired by the marvels of Constantinople, covered in winter snow]
[Somapura has long been an important center of learning for India, attracting scholars to the fertile delta from afar] Furthermore, another important distinction is temporal in nature. The Middle Ages lasted a thousand years, and even Crusader Kings more restricted time span still offers enormous variety in styles and functions and materials. Many monuments greatly changed throughout time, some were expanded, others torn down. I have tried to strike a balance between the centuries, favoring those buildings that belonged to the games era so that you may have a chance to build them yourself, but also adding some already constructed at the start, and whenever a monument changed form or function throughout time, I tried to represent a synthesis of its history, even if not always entirely faithful. Youll therefore find buildings varying greatly in period, such as the ancient Umayyad mosque of Damascus, one of the holiest sites for the Abrahamic faiths whose millenarian story has very few equals, or the more late game castle and royal residence of Visegrad, which holds a very special place in the history of Central Europe.
[The Great Mosque of Damascus already has an incredibly fascinating history by CK3s time]
[With its strategic position yet unclaimed, constructing the fortress-palace of Visegrad is sure to give even the lowest of lords a great advantage] In two select cases, because the architectural evolution was so profound, I chose to represent them as multiple tiers. The constructions of these buildings lasted decades, if not centuries, and youll be able to follow them with generations of your characters! The complex of the Duomo of Florence begins as the modest basilica of Santa Reparata, but with proper time and investment can evolve, over four different tiers, to include the baptistery, the cathedral and finally the masterpiece of the Cupola, the famous dome that heralded the Renaissance and is still triumphant over Florences skyline.



[The complex of the Duomo of Florence has gone from the small early Christian basilica of Santa Reparata to the colossal cathedral we see today, topped by a dome that has become symbol of the Renaissance] Similarly, on the opposite side of the Alps, the lords and monks of Cluny will be able to expand their already considerable power base into the largest of the medieval churches, which unfortunately did not survive to our day.

[The monastery of Cluny was a powerful instrument in the reform of the Church, and the construction of its new Romanesque abbey was a testament to their great wealth and prestige] Finally, I also wanted the monuments to vary in their function and aspect. The study of medieval architecture, especially in the West, has long been focused on cathedrals due to their scale and disproportionate rate of survival, but the world of Crusader Kings III had far more and many great works. For example, in Tunisia you will be able to see the basins of Kairouan, a monumental complex to guarantee water to the city no matter the climate, and in Barcelona you will be able to construct the Drassanes, industrial-scale shipyards that allowed the citys rulers to expand their influence all over the Mediterranean.
[The basins of Kairouan are an impressive feat of engineering that provided fresh water to the growing city]
[The shipyards of Drassanes were fortified to keep out intruders and protect the secrets that allowed the kings of Barcelona to rule the Western Mediterranean]

Research and Realism

To conclude I would like to spend a few words on creative freedom and historical accuracy. Although of course no comprehensive academic survey of all these diverse monuments exists, I took the time to research each of them individually to the best of my abilities to follow the standards upheld by Paradox and the developers of Crusader Kings and guarantee proper realism in all the models included in the pack. Sometimes I was lucky. When designing the Great Kyz Kala, an ancient fortified palatial complex in the oasis of Merv, Central Asia, I was able to draw from ancient representations and modern reconstructions, as well as of course from the ruins we see today, which allowed me to depict it with a fair degree of accuracy.
[The Great Kyz Kala is today an impressive ruin, but it used to be a magnificent palace blending Arab and Persian architectural traditions]
[The ruins of ancient Merv have long been excavated and studied, yielding important information that allowed me to reproduce the Kyz Kala in-game. Furthermore, this silver gilt dish from the State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg, shows a raid to a palace that likely resembled greatly the original appearance of the palace.] Other times I was less lucky, and I had to use my own judgement to fit the monument into the game. I understand this is by no means a perfect choice, but to properly represent cultures and regions with scattered records some compromises had to be struck, and I want to assure you they were all properly thought out. Such was the case for the Jokhang temple - the holiest site in Tibet - or some of the monuments in West Africa.

Appreciations

I would like to properly thank the kind people at Paradox Interactive for trusting me with this project. It was a wonderful experience that helped me improve my work considerably, and I have learned so much from it. Finally, I want to take the opportunity to thank you all for the amazing support you have shown me and Medieval Arts through the years, and Im so excited to share this chapter with you! --Pietro https://store.steampowered.com/app/3315540/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_Medieval_Monuments [hr][/hr]

Arctic Attire

Hey hey! Im Aj, the 3D artist behind the Shogunate mod - and now the official Arctic Attire DLC! After months of telling my mod dev teams that Im busy and that I cant help with compatch, I can finally reveal what Ive been working on (and be able to go back to work on the already compatibility patched mods completely guilt-free). Arctic Attire takes inspiration from the previous Content Creator Packs by El Tyrannos, but instead of adding just one aesthetic, it adds two aesthetics of slightly smaller scope. The Smi are the indigenous people of northern Scandinavia and Kola. The Smi garments depicted in Arctic Attire are primarily inspired by clothing of the Kautokeino region as depicted in photographs from the late 1800s, but some pieces take inspiration from other regions and are informed by research of Smi in the middle ages. The Khanty are an indigenous people of Western Siberia living in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug-Yugra. Their traditional clothing is the primary inspiration for the Ugro-Permian set used across west Siberia. Both peoples traditionally live a nomadic lifestyle, herding reindeer and hunting, and have historically been involved in fur trade. I will now give a quick tour of the CCP and what is contained inside, with some commentary here and there.

The Khanty

The main male Khanty winter garment is the Malitsa - here are variants for men including belt accessories. These take advantage of the pattern system to vary between reindeer antler, silver, and gold. There is also a version without a belt, not shown here.
[Khanty men's clothing - commoner and nobility. Also shows dynamic lowered hood gfx when hood headgear isn't worn.]
[Khanty mens clothing - commoner clothing, showcasing knife and belt details, and reference images - Estonian National Museum (Wikimedia Commons), German wood-engraving from 1895, Khanty belt from the British Museum]
[Arctic armor posed with reference image from American Museum of Natural History] Ugro-Permian armor is inspired by various Siberian armors, but primarily by Chukchi armor, since it seems to be quite representative of Siberian armor in general, and there wasnt a lot of good period-appropriate reference material from Western Siberia. Plus, its a really cool design. Fun fact - the oldest lamellar in the world was found in Siberia, and it was made of bone. The practice of making bone armor in Siberia continued for a very long time after that, and bone armor will show up on Ugro-Permian commoners. The back shield design is also very old - Scythian armor employed this design as well.
[Armor work-in-progress images.]
[Khanty women's clothing] The main female Khanty winter garment is the Panitsa, or Sakh. The winter Sakh is quite elaborate and is outfitted with a lot of internal and external straps and ties to allow for a more precise fit. I chose to model winter clothing over summer clothing because it's very visually distinct from surrounding clothing styles, and I thought it would fit great with the new adventurer playstyle.
[Khanty women's clothing variant and headgear.]
[Khanty women's clothing work-in-progress images.]

The Smi

Most of the assets for Arctic Attire were made with cloth simulation in Marvelous Designer, then touched up in Blender, but hard-surface details like the knives or much of the armor were modelled entirely in Blender.
[Smi women's clothing and cloaks with reference images - hand-colored photograph from the Nordic Museum, and photo from Heimbeck c.1900]
[Smi men's clothing, work-in-progress sculpt and reference photograph by Marcus Selmer.]
[Smi clothing selection, showcasing the lukha, a work-in-progress sculpt next to finished clothing.] Smi commoners have a lot of color variety - they have a lot of undyed or only slightly dyed clothing, or clothing made from leather or fishskins - fish hide clothing was actually very widespread in the arctic for a long time, and was produced by a variety of cultures. In Smi culture, it seems to have been an option for the lower classes, while reindeer fur was reserved for the rich. Unfortunately I didnt have time to make a bespoke fish skin pattern, so I represented it with a grey-colored leather pattern instead.
[Smi commoner clothing and fish-skin clothes reference - from Norsk Folkemuseum, by G. Roche]
[Posed Smi travel coat with reference image.] Smi travel clothing - a big fur coat, based on some south and east Smi beaskas.
[Posed Smi council portrait, showing a selection of different garments.] Its been a great time working on this Content Creator Pack with Paradox, and I hope everyone enjoys the new accessories. Thats all from me for now. Back to modding, I guess! https://store.steampowered.com/app/3315550/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_Arctic_Attire [hr][/hr] Thats all we have for today! A huge thank you goes out to PiGu and Aj both for their work on putting this dev diary together. Medieval Monuments and Arctic Attire both release on February 25th

[ 2025-02-18 15:59:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Were pleased to announce that two new Content Creator Packs are coming to Crusader Kings III on February 25th! These packs introduce historically significant monuments and new clothing inspired by the Smi and Khanty peoples of the far north, offering players even more ways to immerse themselves in the Medieval world. [hr][/hr]
Discover the great architectural achievements of the Middle Ages with the Content Creator Pack Medieval Monuments made by the modder "PiGu", bringing 20 new varied and culturally significant monuments to the game. This Content Creator Pack includes the following monuments: - Drassanes - Great Kyz Kala - Cluny Abbey - Maior Ecclesia - Walls of York - Great Mosque of Damascus - Jokhang Temple - Wartburg - Beta Giyorgis - Holy Wisdom of Novgorod - St Wenceslaus Cathedral - Visegrad Citadel - University of al-Qarawiyyin - Kairouan Basins - Ghana Palace - Kano Earthworks - Golden Fort of Jaisalmer - Konarak Sun Temple - Somapura University - Vatapi Caves https://store.steampowered.com/app/3315540/ [hr][/hr]
Brave the chill of far northern lands in style with the Arctic Attire Content Creator Pack made by the modder "Aj", adding cosmetics inspired by Smi and Khanty aesthetics. This Content Creator Pack includes the following cosmetics: - 8 clothing styles - 2 legwear models - 3 cloaks - 8 headgear - 1 armor set (headgear & armor) - 1 soundtrack; Longing for the Land (a joik a traditional form of Smi song) https://store.steampowered.com/app/3315550/ [hr][/hr] These Content Creator packs are part of our ongoing collaboration with the modding community, bringing their expertise and passion for the Medieval world into official content for Crusader Kings III. Join us on Tuesday, February 18th for a dev diary exploring the content of both of these packs in further detail!

[ 2025-02-13 14:11:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

! I am here to welcome you to a special kind of Development Diary It's the first of a series, but the rest will come later and not in the following weeks. We're working on a comprehensive system for the Nomads of the Steppe, and while we are knee-deep in the production of the expansion, we still want to introduce you to the features as soon as possible, with the aim of collecting feedback and acting on it during our approaching iteration phase. For that reason we are showing screenshots earlier than usual, so do keep in mind that all shown here is still a work in progress. Therefore, some small caveats:

• Layouts, visuals, and other aspects of the UI may change as we continue to refine these systems.
• The map set up is also not final and we are open to feedback.
• All values and numbers are still subject to balancing, and some of them are mere placeholders while we work on the features.
• This is an overview of the next DLC. The following Dev Diaries will go more in depth about all features at a later date we need time to act on the feedback we get from you, so dev diaries for this update will not be releasing weekly just yet.

[hr][/hr]

Nomadic Government

At the core of this update lies the new Nomadic Government. This new government type is heavily inspired by the rulers of the Eurasian Steppe, and puts a heavy emphasis on herd, might, and land.
[Initial distribution in 1178.] But what do we mean by that?

Herd

Your cattle and horses are represented by a new currency only available to Nomads called "Herd". In the Steppe, Herd is incredibly valuable and plays a big role in how other Nomads perceive you: it can be used for ransoming, dowry, bribes and even be stolen via a scheme or raiding. It controls who the Cultural Head is and serves as a gate for increasing Dominance (we will talk more about this later in this Diary). Herd is obtained both through the land by exploiting its Fertility and through your Nomadic subjects via their contracts, since Nomads don't have a stable income. We will talk more in depth about this in the "Land" section below. One of the main changes when it comes to Nomads is that they do not use levies. Instead, they transform a percentage of their Herd into Horde Riders. Horde Riders are the most basic type of Men-at-Arms that Nomads have access to. However, these Riders can be then upgraded to better MAAs types, such as Horse Archers, for a cost of gold. These numbers don't come from a vacuum, however; if I want to create 100 Horse Archers, then I will lose 100 Horde Riders as they are converted into the new unit. Basic Horde Riders don't have an associated maintenance cost, but the other MAAs do in the form of monthly prestige. We've opted for this change because warring was an essential part of the Steppe life, and levies did not exist per se, as every able warrior would be called when the time was needed. From a more mechanical standpoint, we wanted Nomads to have fewer, but stronger and more significant, MAAs.
The percentage depicted in the screenshot above represents what percentage of your Herd can be converted into Horde, as not all of them are mounts suitable for war. This percentage can be affected by yurt buildings, dynasty perks, character modifiers and other factors.
[Extremely WIP, we are aware of some issues like the Maintenance cost not being displayed] To reflect the importance of your people, the names on a Nomadic map are also different from our regular naming conventions. It is the Borjigin Mongols that move across the map, not the Duchy of rg. The Cultural Head gets to take the cultural name (The Mongols), while the smaller rulers have a combination of their House Name + Culture (The Borjigin Mongols). To better reflect the dynamics of the Steppe, we have also changed the way that the Cultural Head is selected in Nomadic governments: the ruler with the biggest Herd becomes the Head instead, independently of their title. The names on the map, as well as this naming convention using culture are still work in progress, and we are open to hear your suggestions.
[Note that we may remove the "The" to make the titles more readable.] [hr][/hr]

Might

In the Steppe, might makes right. Titles are not as important as actual strength, and to reflect this we've made a series of changes that only affect Nomads. Nomadic rulers have access to Dominance, a measurement of their perceived power. Low Dominance implies a relatively insignificant chieftain, while the maximum Dominance represents the rise of Genghis Khan. Dominance is a fixed scale, a mountain that Nomads have to climb, with each level being a hard-achieved goal that each ruler must work towards. Only those who have a Herd of a significant enough size are allowed to reach the next level. Dominance affects things such as Vassal and Domain limits, with the lower levels having a very reduced number of both, but with higher levels offering impressive bonuses. Dominance also governs the tiers that you are allowed to target during your migration (more on this in "Land"), access to special Men-at-Arms, title and vassal revocation, settlement outside of the Steppe, flavourful decisions and more.

Obedience

You'll need loyal followers if you're going to take over the world and it does not matter by what means you've ensured their loyalty. Obedience is a binary state either you are obedient or not. Every character that's a subject or courtier has Obedience towards their overlord. Obedience works as a threshold; if a character is below the threshold then they will be unruly, plotting against their overlord or just having general acceptance maluses to various interactions. However, if a character is above the threshold then they will not form factions, start hostile schemes against their liege, and more importantly will take their side during the Kurultai succession by voting for whichever heir was your preferred one. The Kurultai is formed by special members of your Council, and having them on your side is extremely important for Nomads. Obedience is calculated based on several parameters like the relationship with the other character, friendship, their traits and whether you have granted them a Kurultai or Court Position.
[hr][/hr]

Land

Nomads grow their Herd by extracting Fertility from the land. Thus, migrating becomes an important part of their loop in the early stages of the game, when their realms are not big enough to accommodate the horde. County Fertility is calculated primarily based on the terrain type. Nomads deplete Fertility of the counties they hold until it stabilises at a fixed number where the Herd can be maintained. This number is mostly affected by the domain size, but Stewardship, dynasty perks, yurt buildings and other character modifiers can affect it.

Migration

When the Domain Fertility is depleted, it's time to migrate. Migration targets de jure titles, and the available title tiers you can target depend on your level of Dominance. A Nomadic ruler of Dominance level 2 can only target counties and duchies, whereas someone with level 3 can target kingdoms as well. This means that smaller rulers should migrate frequently, either find abandoned lands occupied by Herders, or subjugate themselves before bigger rulers. Bigger rulers in the Steppe should, on the other hand, adopt a more sedentary way of life and demand Obedience and Tribute from rulers in their sphere.
[This panel is subject to reorganizations and reworks.] The migration screen allows you to negotiate with the local rulers. If two or more independent rulers occupy the same de jure territory, then the ruler with the highest Herd leads the negotiations with you. You can use gold, herd, or a hook to bribe them, and their acceptance depends on their relationship with you, your Dominance level relative to theirs, your Prestige, Prowess, Herd size, their traits, and other minor factors. If they accept, you will start a travel plan that will take you and your herd to the desired location. If the location had already been suggested by perhaps a courtier you may get some extra bonuses for following the desires of your people.
However, many nomads may refuse to give up their lands, especially if they have a high level of Dominance and find themselves pretty comfortable where they are. In those cases, one must resort to war.
[Total soldiers aren't being calculated in this screenshot. Keep in mind that this is from a development build!] Migration wars allow the attacker to take the lands by means of force. The targeted ruler will be either displaced to their other lands if they hold any titles outside of the de jure, or be made landless similar to Administrative Noble Families or Adventurers. While landless, Nomads keep their yurts and upgrades but can't grow their Herd due to the lack of stable access to Fertility. They roam the Steppe in search of a new place to set up their tents. No matter how you choose to migrate, your Obedient vassals will follow you, while non obedient ones will keep their titles and lands and stay where they were. The lands that you leave behind will be occupied by someone else entirely

Herders

Nomads are not the only rulers that inhabit the Steppe. A new unplayable government type called "Herder" populates the map with shepherds that wander small counties. Herders replenish Fertility over time, and are extremely easy to displace, given their lack of armies. They are the ones occupying those counties left behind by migrations. Having a Herder as a subject is still possible, however, and they will pay a small, fixed rate of herd based on their county's fertility. One may also choose to voluntarily abandon one of their counties to a local herder, in the hopes that they will replenish Fertility quick enough for them to seize it back. The Steppe is not merciful, however, and another Nomad ruler may be faster than you.
[We indeed have several sheep variations.] [hr][/hr]

The Great Steppe

Life in the Steppe is not easy, and being at the mercy of the weather and pasture quality is something that nomads have had to adjust to since time immemorial (up to this day, in fact). To reflect this, we've created a seasonal system that governs the general climate of the steppe. The Great Steppe is divided into three subregions: Western, Central and Eastern, each of them with their own season.
[Another very WIP screenshot, artpass pending.] Seasons affect the Fertility of the subregion, as a White Zud creates a thick layer of snow that prevents the animals from grazing, while a more moderate and warm weather offers the perfect climate for pastoring. Thats not the only effect they have though, as different seasons also change the general mood within Nomads. If a ruler extorts their vassals for Herd during an Abundant Grazing season, then they will receive more than usual, and a Severe Drought will promote characters to migrate even more than usual. The two special and rare seasons of Havsarsan Zud and the Blessing of the Blue Sky explore these effects even further, with the Blessing amply increasing the Fertility of the subregion and the terrible Havsarsan Zud allowing rulers to take a desperate stance, making all of their subjects obedient and getting an invasion CB on settled people. One of the academic reasons given for the Mongolian Invasion is, after all, the lack of pasture in the Steppe at that point in time. Your Stargazer can also help predict the next season depending on their aptitude. More on this in upcoming diaries!

The Gurkhan

Only one character in the entire Steppe can go on to the highest level of Dominance and become the Greatest of Khans, but we will provide you with tools to stop them. The Gurkhan is whoever has the largest Herd within the Great Steppe. They are on their way to reach the highest Dominance and are a threat to all. Confederations may form to target them, while hostile scheming and wars may target them more frequently, and the Gurkhan will have to prove that they deserve their seat.

Your Yurt

Nomads have no buildings. Whatever they build is carried with them when they migrate. To represent this, Nomadic Holdings cannot have any other buildings than some basic corrals, but in turn they have access to a new domicile type: the Yurt Settlement. Yurt Settlements have a main yurt that can be upgraded internally, and several other specialised buildings that give upgrades to pasture management, warfare, diplomacy, raiding, and more.
[Names and art are not final]

Tributaries

During this Development Diary, you may have observed my careful use of "Subject" instead of "Vassal", and here is the reason why. Tributaries are a new and looser type of subject introduced with this expansion. Nomadic Tributaries specifically have some unique qualities to them. The Tributary Contract governs the levels of Obligations (or Tribute) that they may pay to their Suzerain. While the tribute is being, sent all is well and a truce is held between the two of them. The tributary relationship is even inherited across generations. However, tributaries may become unruly over time, and if the suzerain doesn't look that threatening to them then they may eventually opt to stop paying tribute. To bring them back into the fold, a former suzerain can bring them back under tribute by force, pacifying them and extracting both resources and prestige to a greater extent. Nomadic Tributaries offer a payment in herd, while settled tributaries give gold to their Nomadic suzerains.

[Art and map visualization are still in progress.] Tributaries can be obtained through a Character Interaction to Demand Tribute or through a Casus Belli. A ruler may also voluntarily offer themselves as Tribute to a Nomadic Ruler to ensure that their lands are spared from destruction. As with the other features covered in this dev diary, we will do a deep dive on the Tributary system at a later date.

Confederations

With the rise of all these powerful and dangerous khans in the Steppe, lower-tier Nomadic rulers may decide to band together against a bigger enemy through forming a Confederation. For those in a Confederation, an assault on one member is an affront against all members, so everyone in a Confederation joins defensive wars being fought by fellow members. This potent defensive power is balanced against checks on expansion: as long as they belong to their Confederation, members cannot increase their Dominance or create new titles.

Raid Intents

Raiding is one of the main ways Nomads have to get access to Gold. Given the importance that raiding had in their society, we have decided to expand this feature by adding Raid Intents. A Raid Intent allows to set a desired outcome of the raiding: you may want to raid to capture interesting characters, steal your neighbors' cattle, or simply burn their property to the ground.
[Art and names are placeholder, so are the intents themselves as we may change or tweak them.] Some of the Raid Intents will also be available for Tribal characters, while others need specific Nomadic unlocks.

Nomadic Flavor

Lastly, we are adding a number of new Character Interactions, Decisions, Activity Types, a new Vassal Stance, Events, and more focused on unique Nomadic flavour. Genghis Khan's famous storyline and Mongolian specific events will, of course, also make an appearance. Expect to see a Kurultai, Blood Brotherhoods, Paizas and Kublai Khan's famous Pleasure Dome. More on this to come. There are many things that we have left out of this Diary because our focus is on the main mechanical features introduced with this expansion, but we will come back to all of this in more detail in the future. Thanks for reading. We are eagerly awaiting your thoughts and feedback.

[ 2025-02-11 13:00:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Steam's Real-Time Strategy Fest is here, and Crusader Kings III is participating! During the sale, you can enjoy the following discounts on CKIII content:

• 70% off Crusader Kings III
• 50% off Royal Court, Fate of Iberia, Northern Lords, Wards & Wardens, and Friends & Foes
• 45% off Crusader Kings III: Starter Edition
• 30% off Tours & Tournaments

and more! Check it out before January 27th to save on Crusader Kings III and other Paradox Interactive titles!

[ 2025-01-20 18:01:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

End of an Era

[previewyoutube=-Zy4ge7OXqA;full][/previewyoutube] With Legends of the Dead, Roads to Power, and Wandering Nobles, we've had a captivating journey of new content, flavor, and mechanics released for Crusader Kings III in 2024. You've crafted your own legends, danced through illness, relocated camps, blinded co-emperors, and finally... took a hike. From all of us at Paradox Development Studio, thank you for a fantastic year. We're incredibly grateful to have players as passionate about the medieval era as you are, and we wouldn't trade (most of) you for the world. With all of the content in Chapter III now released, the time is quickly approaching to retire the content bundle. While all of content within Chapter III will still be available individually (and as part of the Collection Bundle), you will no longer be able to purchase the Chapter III bundle itself after January 9, 2025. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036/Crusader_Kings_III_Chapter_III/ [hr][/hr]

A Good Deal Gets Even Better

Speaking of the Collection Bundle, we've increased the permanent discount on that bundle from 10% to 20%, so it's now cheaper than ever before to complete your Crusader Kings III collection. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/36586/Crusader_Kings_III_Collection/ [hr][/hr]

Win Artifacts from Afar (Or, Well... Sweden)

While a true ruler never gives away treasures lightly, you can take our Which Ruler Are You? quiz (freshly updated with new rulers!) to prove your mettle and enter for a chance to win in our giveaway. While we don't offer titles, holdings, or court positions, we do have some intriguing artifacts to send out to winners of the giveaway.

• 5 lucky winners will receive: 1 Crusader Kings III Displate signed by the development team, 1 physical copy of our Many Roads to Power comic book, and 1 Legends of CKIII mouse pad.
• 15 winners will get: 1 Legends of CKIII mouse pad and 1 physical copy of our Many Roads to Power comic book.
• 10 winners will receive: 1 physical copy of our Many Roads to Power comic book.

[url=https://pdxint.at/LoCKIII]Sign up and take the quiz before January 9th, and test your luck!

[ 2024-12-20 19:14:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=lVnfzDMVKOU;full][/previewyoutube] Greetings! 2024 is coming to a close, and with it the conclusion of Chapter III and everything weve done this year - weve hit some big-ticket milestones, including one Ive been dreaming of since I started working on Crusader Kings way back in 2015! In fact, back in 2017-2018, when we were planning the features for the CK2 expansion Holy Fury, I had a design for a rudimentary Adventurer mechanic that we ultimately decided not to go with because itd fit CK3 much better! Interestingly enough, some elements of that design survived to this day, such as the concept of officers, mercenary work, and contracts on the map. Discuss Dev Diary #161 on our forums!
Some of the heavy-hitting features weve managed to tackle this year include having the Black Death (and other plagues) ravage the world, a bespoke and truly unique Administrative government for Byzantium, and, of course, the aforementioned Adventurers roaming the map in search of fame and glory. For Chapter III weve focused a lot on making the map more interesting; with disease and legends spreading bloody tendrils and beams of light over the world, estates and camps representing the seat of power of powerful families or ambitious travelers, contracts and issues denoting local opportunities and disruptions, and more reasons than ever to travel with new activities ranging from chariot races to local inspections. This focus on tying features to the map is something that well definitely be bringing with us in the future! Weve also changed and improved how we gather and work with feedback from you in the community, making sure that were working on the right things in the right way going forward. We moved from small and aspirational Dev Diaries (LotD) to chunky and very matter-of-fact and this-is-what-the-feature-is diaries (RtP, WN) over the course of the year - this allowed us to collect as much useful feedback as we could from your discussions during a time where there was still time to make changes. But the most important thing weve done this year is to lay the foundation for the future, as were not slowing down any time soon! Were already working on what's to come next year, and while we wont go into what it is yet, its going to be big. [hr][/hr]

Chapter III

Let's take a look at Chapter III, what it was, and which learnings were taking with us!

Legends of the Dead

Legends of the Dead and the accompanying update introduced a new system for spreading things on the map - deadly plagues that ravage development and family trees alike, and glorious legends to bolster your legitimacy and make sure your name is known across the world. We knew that you in the community had been asking for plagues for a long time, therefore we wanted to introduce them sooner rather than later - and itd also introduce some very CK-appropriate challenge, as the perfect heir suddenly dying from an illness and leaving everything to the less talented younger brother makes for a good story. At large, weve hit the goal of making plagues feel immersive and dynamic, with names taken from the state of the map (Kaiser Heinrichs Plague, French Boils, etc.) and varying levels of intensity - of course, it took a while to get the balancing right, but we now feel like theyre in a good spot (and of course, were always open for further feedback on this). From the start, we knew that we wanted the plague feature to be free. We generally avoid having such features as part of feature sets of expansions to avoid a general feeling of pay-to-lose. Thats why we sat down and thought about what else could spread across the map. That's where we came up with legendsstories about an individual embellished throughout the ages, ultimately ending up as founding myths or even folklore. During this development cycle, we had really inefficient communication. Dev Diaries presented the features in a much too embellished and flowery way, making them appear as something they werent. This meant that the feedback we got wasnt really for the features that we were making, which made it difficult to apply. Most of the significant changes to the system came after the release, as the stage of development we were in during the Dev Diary phase didnt allow for major pivots at the time. Now, we know that Legends as a system is a divisive one, with most of you wanting to see changes to it for the legends to feel truly legendary. Without promising too much, the team who worked on the Legends feature has been gathering feedback and has proposed some improvements to enhance the immersion and player agency of the system. Were currently looking into when we would be able to commit to doing it. For those of you who dont already know, we develop several expansions in parallel, which means that our timelines are somewhat strict. So finding the right time to add something can take time, especially if that something needs to be done by very specific people (in this case, members of the LotD team). That said, the improvements will surely happen sometime next year!

Roads to Power

Contrary to LotD, our communication strategy for Roads to Power was to have the Dev Diaries earlier (allowing for harder pivots, if needed) and as I mentioned earlier make them more matter-of-fact, leaving no room for misunderstandings. This paid off in a major way - we were able to gauge what you thought about the features well ahead of them being fully finished, and were able to integrate a LOT of feedback immediately. Of course, you have to strike a fine balance as showing something too early also carries risk - you might get reactions such as is this it? which in the worst case can deflate someone's excitement - you have to show things not too early, and not too late. This is the undoubted strategy well be working with going forward! Now, this expansion is by far the most well-received one weve made so far, and it can be explained in a simple way; we chose features that you had been asking for for a long time, going back way before CKIII was even released! We also chose complimentary features, so no matter who you are or what your preferred playstyle is, there was something for you - whether you enjoy creating stories of adventure on the open road or want to partake in the complex bureaucracy of Byzantium! For the first time in the CK series were able to represent the administration of Byzantium, a landmark realm in any of our start dates, and the Middle Ages in general. The constant intrigue, political machinations, and jockeying for prestigious positions differentiate the Administrative government from all others in a way that hadnt been explored until now. While weve done attempts to represent this form of governance in previous iterations of the game, theyve come nowhere close to what weve achieved with RtP - and it feels great to finally be able to represent such an important and pivotal realm in an appropriate way. After all, the fall of Constantinople is the symbolic end of the Middle Ages, and Constantinople is the beating heart of the Empire itself Another first is having Adventurers roam the map in search of fame, gold, or revenge! Synergizing fantastically with the Travel system introduced last year, these characters, unburdened by land-holding, are free to go where they please, presuming they have the resources to do so Whether youre playing a displaced noble, a historical adventurer like El Cid, or an adventurer of your own making, you are sure to make a name for yourself in one way or another, be it by conquest, mercenary work, or kingmaking! One of my favorite aspects of this feature is that you can now create your own ruler-designed character without having to displace a real-life historical character, something that never sat right with me personally. The advent of landless play, as an adventurer or noble family, opened up the game like never before - we were able to get rid of the most traditional of game-overs, losing your last title, and replace it with stories of vengeance and comeback. We were able to truly represent the governance of a state as complex as Byzantium, where most of the power didnt come from enforcing a hereditary succession of land, but from political influence held by powerful families located in the Jewel of Cities herself. Not to say that this opens limitless possibilities for the future.

Wandering Nobles

Wandering Nobles also synergised heavily with the Travel system, giving (primarily) landed rulers many new reasons to leave their capitals and set out on the road! This is the first time weve released a new Lifestyle, but itll hopefully not be the last. Its also a highly interactive Lifestyle, with each tree unlocking a new Activity for you to undertake - be it active de-stressing via Hikes, bolstering your Domain with Inspections, or increasing your skills by Exploring distant monuments. An interesting tidbit from the development of this one is that, because of our parallel development setup that I mentioned earlier, we realised mid-development as the Roads to Power Adventurer feature started taking form that we also wanted the Lifestyle to work for Adventurers, despite originally planning it only for landed rulers. This resulted in using the system for dynamically switching out Perk bonuses from RtP to make sure that we had interesting tie-ins that affected adventurer-specific mechanics also. This had some fun emergent effects, the Monument Expeditions primary gating mechanic is the fact that monuments become more and more distant (and thus you might not want to leave your realm for literally 10 years just go gain a skill point), but for adventurers it enabled a true tourist playstyle, as they wander the world all the time anyway! A learning from Wandering Nobles is that its generally better to focus on something visible and more instantly available rather than just collections of events - its both easier to see what you get, and enables new styles of play. It's very likely that future Event Packs will follow a similar setup.

Concluding and Retiring Chapter III

With the end of the year also comes the end of Chapter III, after which the contents will be folded into the collection bundle, and of course, the individual expansions will still be available standalone. If you still want to buy the chapter with its current discount, you should consider doing so soon! The last date for purchasing Chapter III is January 9th! But thats not all, were also increasing the discount on the Collection Bundle from 10% to 20% on December 19th! [hr][/hr]

Content Creator Packs

This year, weve started a new program where we collaborate with modders to release Content Creator Packs, and for this year, weve had the opportunity to work with El Tyranos, the lead for the excellent Community Flavor Pack, in releasing two of them! Both North Africa and the Western Slavs have new looks and attires, both well-researched and beautiful. The latter we even decided to pair with a brand new Polish localization of the game (and a big thank you to you in the community for helping us find & fix issues with it, its never easy to localize into a new language!). From our perspective these collaborations have gone fantastically, we get to work with talented modders - acknowledging their skills and the value they bring to the community, and the game gets more variety of content. Its a win-win. We will continue to collaborate with our excellent modding community to create even more content for the game, and we have some modders that were excited to be working with lined up for 2025 already! While were currently focusing on graphical assets, we are looking into if we could expand the scope to include other things in the future, too.

Legends of CKIII

One of the initiatives we launched during 2024 was the Legends of CKIII, where we highlighted a collection of characters both outside and inside of the game, making the game more approachable for new players while at the same time giving something new and interesting to existing players! We even found time to make some bespoke content for most of the characters, such as events pertaining to the marital dilemma that Matilda of Tuscany was in at the start of the game, or Vratislav of Bohemias conflict with his brother Jaromir. We actually have a couple of new highlighted characters launching alongside this Dev Diary, though they will only be highlighted outside the game for now! Its possible that well make some bespoke content for the ones that dont have any in the future, though See the characters HERE! We're also giving away a ton of stuff left over from this year. Signed Displates, extra physical copies of the Many Roads to Power comic, and the Legends of CKIII mousepads. If you take the quiz here you have a chance to get one of these! [hr][/hr]

Coming in 2025

Were currently hard at work on Chapter IV, and have been for quite some time. While its too early to give any specifics on the content, its safe to say that its likely going to be our biggest year yet! While the themes are already decided, were of course still interested in what youd like to see in the game as anything you mention now can be accounted for in our future plans. All of the expansions and features weve made in 2024 will allow us to do so much more going forward into 2025 and beyond. Our current philosophy is that we want to create expansions that build upon and synergise with what weve created previously, we want to have a logical progression of features that both make sense from a development standpoint, and match with what you are asking for! We've seen a lot of discussions about merchants lately, now, we won't be implementing them next year, but we hear you - we have some things that we want to do first, things that will make the merchant experience stronger when it eventually comes out. In the most likely scenario a mercantile expansion will be planned for the following chapter, and this is because we're seeing the many engaging posts and conversations that you are having about this topic - as I mentioned earlier we're working in a parallel development setup which requires us to decide expansion themes very, very early. What will be in Chapter IV are all things that have been requested in the past! So keep discussing what you want to see for the future, it will help us form the content of upcoming chapters.
[Image - Automated Warfare feature coming next year, WIP screenshot] Next year, we will also aim to have a free update sometime in the first quarter of the year (probably towards the end), which were stuffing with improvements, fixes, and quality-of-life features. We are, for example, looking into improving the Warfare AI in multiple ways (work on this is ongoing: well see what the extent of the changes will be, so far theyre promising)! Were also looking into improving interfaces like the Court Positions, and bringing over and improving the automated warfare feature that the console version of the game has - among many other things.
[Image - Court Position overhaul - More compact, immersive, and useful with all positions having Tasks. Numbers are WIP and from a massive late-game empire so keep that in mind] [hr][/hr]

Outro

This year has been a fantastic one, and we couldnt have done it without you in the community. Weve released landmark features such as Plagues, the Administrative government, and Landless Adventurers - and were paving the way for a future that is unbelievably exciting! Truly, I see CKIII as a game with endless potential, and next year and the years beyond will see it grow to new heights, that I say with utmost confidence. Once again Ill invite you all to share your thoughts about the year and what you hope 2025 and beyond brings to the game. And do not worry, for even if what you wish for isnt what were doing next, it might just be what were working on after that - you expressing your desires is what makes us able to plan for the future! Now thats it for this year! Well see you again in 2025 where well be talking more about what the free update will bring. Until then, have a wonderful winter, fantastic holidays, and a very God Jul!

[ 2024-12-17 13:00:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a small update today to tackle some localization issues reported to us since the introduction of Polish language support alongside the launch of Update 1.14.2. This update should be fully compatible with mods and save files supporting 1.14.2. Thank you to everyone who reported issues to us after the release of Update 1.14.2! As always, if you encounter issues after today's update, then please let us know by submitting a report in the Bug Report board of our official forums. [hr][/hr]

1.14.2.2 Changelog

Bugfixes

• Fixed UI overflow when playing in Polish in:
  • County View
  • Interaction options
  • Scheme Headers
  • Law descriptions
  • Struggle cultures

Localization

• Changed the name of poborowi (levies) to pospolite ruszenie
• Changed the names of West Frankia and East Frankia to Francia Occidentalis and Francie Orientalis respectively. Unfortunately, all the Polish versions of those realms were creating highly visible, broken loc strings in the game, hence the Latin
• Fixed the missing Wanderer lifestyle name in the perk selection window
• Fixed the UNLOCKED_PERKS string in the perk selection window gluing itself to the previous string
• Fixed the desc and/or names for the following Roads to Power decisions:
  • visit_local_settlement_decision
  • gather_provisions_decision
  • seasoned_visitor_decision
  • zealous_missionary_prep_decision
  • zealous_missionary_start_decision
  • bandit_king_decision
  • start_city_construction_decision
  • separatist_uprising_decision
  • go_fishing_decision
  • butcher_animals_decision
• Changed the name of domicile temperament modifiers
• Fixed the lowercase in governorship gov desc in foreign character panel
• Fixed the text overflow on Move Domicile button in the Domicile window
• Fixed the EPIDEMIC_OUTBREAK_LOCATION in the epidemic window
• Changed too modern and too long AI personality names to more suitable ones
• Fixed the text overflow in the character window from being a vassal
• Fixed the text overflow for landless adventurers in the character window
• Fixed the missing loc string in when selecting a new court position task
• Fixed the text overflow in the invite_to_court_interaction and recruit_guest_interaction names
• Changed armored_footmen, armored_horsemen, cataphract and guanch_vaulter MaA names
• Changed the trait_adventurer name
• Changed the trait_tourney_participant name
• Changed the trait_gallowsbait name
• Added a missing apostrophe in game_concept_iberian_reclamation_desc
• Fixed all truncated game rules descriptions
• Removed incorrect translations of landless in the context of landless adventurers
• Shortened the choose random destiny text to fit the button in Choose New Destiny window
• Changed the concubinage doctrine name
• Removed doubled dashes in visit settlement event options
• Removed all mentions of "period of time"
• Allowed modifiers header in schemes window to be translated in all languages
• Removed all uses of superfluous "as follows"
• Fixed missing diarchy scope in notifications about diarchies
• Fixed link to the into description in recruit wet nurse event

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Bluesky Twitter / X Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-11-28 15:33:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

Princes and Princesses of Fashion, sound the horns for the arrival of Polish language support and our next Content Creator Pack, West Slavic Attire! Crafted by the talented Pierre "El Tyranos" Azuelos, West Slavic Attire features new clothing and accessories, bringing Western Slavic flavor to your court. https://store.steampowered.com/app/3275760/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_West_Slavic_Attire/

Discover Western Slavic Culture

Immerse yourself into Western Slavic culture with diverse new fashions. This pack includes:

• 6 clothing models
• 1 new legwear model
• 15 pieces of headgear including the crowns of Bolesaw I and Casimir III the Great
• 2 additional war nobility headgears (a crown and a crest)
• 1 new sword
• The Szczerbiec artifact - the royal coronation sword of the Polish monarchy
• 11 clothing patterns and trims

Become the true Kingdom of Fashion and expand your medieval wardrobe with West Slavic Attire!

Free Polish Language Support

We are pleased to release free Polish language support for all players. You heard that right, the Polish language is now officially supported in Crusader Kings III! We would like to give a special mention to modders Santroy, Hora, Witcher, sano2, and Blizzer for their hard work - their community translation gave us a solid footing for this new localization. From the Crusader Kings III team, thank you all! Aktualizacja pobierze si automatycznie, po czym bdzie mona wybra jzyk polski w menu ustawie w grze. Dzikujemy za Wasze wsparcie!

[ 2024-11-27 17:18:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there! Im Pierre El Tyranos Azuelos, the creator of the Community Flavor Pack mod. The past couple of months have been busy again and I am once again delighted to collaborate with Paradox Interactive on a second Content Creator Pack named Western Slavic Attire. This second project is a little more special as it does not come alone, for the 8th official language of Crusader Kings III will be released at the same time. The game will be entirely translated into Polish and for free of course!

Introducing the Content Creator Pack

Before showing you some garments, explaining the artistic direction and getting into more technical details, I wish to (re-)introduce you to the vision of this project. The philosophy remains the same as North African Attire and this Content Creator Pack has been designed to be of similar size: you get an entire set of clothes, headwear, armors and trousers for Western Slavic characters. These assets are exclusive new content and they will be officially supported by Paradox Interactive in the future.

Artistic Direction

At the interface between Western and Eastern influences, contemporary sources tend to show a Westernized or Byzantine ceremonial fashion in the highest ranks of the medieval polish societies. On the opposite, archaeology brings out that the lowest ranks wear similar clothes as the other regional Slavic groups (Sloveins, Ruthenians, Kievans, etc.), inherited from Great Moravia and the Viking age. Considering the many Western options already in CK3 and even if historical sources show no evidence that Polish high nobility ever dressed as lowborn western Slavs, this Content Creator Pack tries to prioritize Slavic garments as if a Slavic lower nobility fashion outbreaked in courtly dressing.

Character Art

The tunic with apron is THE woman outfit of Eastern Europe and you will get two of them (for a total of 6 variants). Architectonics of pra-Slavic costume had double or probably tipple layered structure which was kept in the Middle Ages as well (NSEN, 2020). The main difference between Rus and Western Slavs is the jewelry, in particular the temple rings since they all wear coral necklaces. In contrast to fabrics those are very well documented in archeology. All pieces of jewelry are 1:1 reproductions of actual Polish or Czech artifacts.
[Mannequins from Archeology museum of Biskupinie and Museum of the Origins of the Polish State, Gniezno, Poland]
[Left: Duchess Agnes of Gogw-aga, Kodeks lubiski, 1353 ; Right: Reenactment by Fibularius] The svita was the wool outer clothing in the 10th through 13th centuries. Its an unisex garment. It was made of heavy horizontal strips of a contrasting color fabric, braid or galoons (Kireyeva & Stamerov). The hat is very represented in 14th century Polish sources.
[Right: Henry the Bearded, Duke of Silesia and his son Henry II Pobony, duke of Silesia and Greater Poland, Kodeks lubiski, 1353] Theres no strong evident sources for such a garment, but it allows complex clothing for higher classes without falling back to Byzantine or Western options that are already in the game. The hat is likely Czech, also poorly represented.
[Left: pitlky, Vestibule of the church detail of a silver disc portraying a horseman holding a short baton, the so-called Falconer from grave 16, 2nd half of the 9th century ; Right: Around 1385 - detail of a fresco in the Church of St. James the Greater, Slavtn nad Oh, photo by Martin Hibc ] For royalty and imperial tiers, youll find several famous crows, from left to right :

• The crown of Bolesaw I the Brave after representations of its second version (made for Ladislaus the Short in 1320) before it was melted in 1794 ;
• The crown of Casimir the Great as sculpted on his contemporary effigy (made just after his death in 1370) ;
• The crown of Emnilda sowiaska, wife of Bolesaw I the Brave, after a statue of her at the cathedral of Naumburg (1250) ;
• The travel (or funerary) crown of Casimir the Great, mounted on his display bascinet and, found in his tomb in Krakow.

Kings and Emperors also get a special version of the svita with a golden belt, pearls and gems fastener as well as a reproduction of Szczerbiec. Szczerbiec is also available as a court artifact. For other characters such as knights and marshals, they will wear a Type Z Starigard sword.
Speaking of swords, are you planning to go to war early in the game? Then grab your gambeson, scale armor and Giecz helmet. Based largely upon a little-known but important carved bone or ivory chess piece found in Cracow, this foot soldier illustrates the mixture of Western and Eastern traditions which continued to characterize parts of Poland, especially its eastern provinces. The cuirass is also based upon the chess piece, the details of its construction being taken from an inverted lamellar system seen in neighbouring Russia. (Osprey M.A.A. 445)
Did you expand peacefully for a century? Its never too late. As I know you all liked the crazy Aragon golden Dragon Crest from Community Flavor Pack, I could not resist to fit in this adaptation of Pranckhs Topfhelm displayed in Vienna. The crest is inspired from the Battle of Legnica (1241) representation in Kodeks lubiski. Use it anywhere as long as you crush your enemies and see them driven before you. It will show up for Western Slavic high nobles during Era 3. Regular characters will enjoy the basic helm.
Same setup for the bascinet (Era 4, crown for royalty and regular version for others). Side note: enhanced experience for Tours and Tournament owners who will be able to reenact Casimir the Great in his full plate armor glory. Chodmy!

Conclusion

It has been a blast to work on these two Content Creator Packs together with Paradox Interactive. I know the CK3 team has been very happy with this experience and that they have expanded the amount of Content Creators they are working with. I look forward to seeing the results of these new collaborations! It is now time for me to conclude this Dev Diary and also this chapter of my life. You, the community, are the fuel that made me able to reach this point and I will forever be grateful for your enthusiasm. I will now focus on other projects of Paradox Interactive, including for CK3. So until next time! [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Bluesky Twitter / X Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-11-26 12:57:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

We are thrilled to announce the next Content Creator Pack coming to Crusader Kings III: West Slavic Attire, crafted by the talented Pierre "El Tyranos" Azuelos. West Slavic Attire will arrive on November 27th. [hr][/hr]

Discover Western Slavic Culture

Dive into the world of Western Slavic societies with a rich array of new clothing and accessories. The pack includes:

• More than a dozen new distinct clothing items
• New legwear
• New unique headgear
• New intricate patterns

This pack is perfect for those looking to expand their medieval wardrobe and immerse themselves further into the diverse cultures of Crusader Kings III.

Free Polish Language Support

Alongside this release, we are delighted to introduce Polish as the 8th official language of Crusader Kings III. This update will be freely available to all players. We would like to thank modders Santroy, Hora, Witcher, sano2, and Blizzer for their hard work on this localization. Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the release date!

[ 2024-11-20 15:01:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a hotfix today to address several issues reported to us since the release of 1.14 "Traverse" Update. Please check the changelog below. [hr][/hr]

Update 1.14.1 Changelog

Game Content

• Reorganized the Wandering lifestyle trees slightly, so the activity opening perks would be one row further up, and easier to open up early.
• Moved around the three perks 'Mercenary contacts', 'Been there, done that', and 'Journey planner'.
• The 'Second try' modifier for failed inspections will now go all the way up to 30% (if you fail it three times in a row).
• Changed the merge France decision to be visible even if you don't hold both titles.
• Made the dynamic battle points of interest slightly more likely to happen in general, and particularly if a player is involved.

Bugfixes

• Fixed all adventurer invasion casus belli granting you incorrect or no land on victory to always give you the targeted title capital county and counties held directly by the defender in the targeted title de jure hierarchy.
• Adjusted the amount of lifestyle experience points gained by dynamic battle points of interest, so they are in line with historical ones.
• Fixed an issue where province occupation would not get cleared properly after a vassal became independent due to an independence revolt.
• Tweaked the wording of the Souvenirs aplenty perk to be clearer.
• Changed one of the alternative descriptions for when you start a hike, which refers to a court, so it'll also fit for landless adventurers.
• Made sure that babies wouldn't talk about what a good day it is for fishing.
• Fixed an issue where a castle wouldn't properly upgrade in certain cases when you found a holding as a landless adventurer.
• Removed a betrothal in certain cases where a grand wedding wouldn't go through, so you wouldn't be stuck being unable to marry the character you are betrothed to.
• Added a missing toast description when one of your knights is injured while sparring whilst visiting a castle as a landless adventurer.
• Fixed bug that could make the travel itinerary target a special building visited where no building actually existed.
• Fixed the gender of Judyta of Poland.
• Fixed the localization issue of the 'Possession by Lust Demons' modifier in the odds prediction of seduction schemes.
• Fixed an issue that made the Searching for Talent event unable to trigger.
• Added more stringent checks on a scheme event, so you wouldn't get a duplicate character in it.
• Made sure that prestige and stress effects are applied when exposing secrets.
• Adjusted the vfx of activity events slightly, so they don't go outside the event window in specific cases.
• Removed the line mentioning adventurers as possible acclamation candidates, as that is not the case.
• Added stricter checks and ensured that some characters would not be pruned, so the dynamic battle points of interests would not end up with broken localization.
• Fixed the localization issue with the 'The Great & the Good' event, where the second option would only be a period.
• Fixed an issue where the contract 'Settle Theological Disputes' would not end properly if you had your domicile in the start location of the contract.
• Changed the 'Pilgrim's Guide' artifact to be a journal, instead of a trinket.
• Fixed the contract Fighting Corruption, so you cannot accidentally leave the travel planner and proceed to get stuck during one of the events.
• Changed the Embrace English culture decision to be above 14 pacification instead of 16, so it is in line with the game concept.
• Made sure that you also receive a tiny bit of Hastiluder experience when you return from pilgrimages, so it is line with other types of travel.
• Fixed an issue where you could get an invalid female bodyguard from the 'Mercenaries of ' travel event.
• Fixed an issue with the chance of gaining a trait from battle point of interests, where the game would think you had gotten one even if you had not.
• Moved the text saying you would get a legitimacy boost from the Diplomat trait to the August trait, since internally that has been the one who has actually gotten legitimacy all along.
• Added a missing bonus from the legalistic culture tradition for the administrator trait.

Game Balance

• Increased the language learning scheme bonus from the journey perk.

Interface

• Restricted the regency tutorial to basic regencies.

Modding

• Added the effect set_designated_heir_allow_non_direct_children, use it with care!

[hr][/hr] As always, we encourage you to disable any mods and start a new campaign if you encounter any issue. If the issue persists afterward, then please submit a report via the bug report board on our official forums!

[ 2024-11-19 10:05:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a small hotfix today to address a bug with sieges. Please check the changelog below for the specifics! [hr][/hr]

Update 1.14.0.2 Changelog

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where siege occupations would last forever if the attacker was ousted from their realm by a third party during war.

[hr][/hr] While we don't anticipate this update will break compatibility with existing saves or mods, we encourage you to disable all mods and start a new save if you encounter any issues after today's update. If the issue persists, then please post a thread on our bug report board here!.

[ 2024-11-06 14:08:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all! Today we are releasing the Event Pack, Wandering Nobles. Alongside this, we are also releasing Update 1.14.0 "Traverse". Check out the release trailer just below this text, and then the changelog a bit further down! [previewyoutube=po5FKZ9vuNo;full][/previewyoutube] [hr][/hr]

Update 1.14.0 "Traverse" Changelog

Expansion Features (Paid)

• New lifestyle, Wandering, split into three new lifestyle trees
  • Inspector: Landed characters can survey and improve their realm; landless characters can specialize in a terrain type
  • Wayfarer: Travel to reduce stress and pursue fame for your exploits.
  • Voyager: Improve linguistic skills and live the life of a tourist and sightseer.
• Three new activities linked to the new lifestyle
  • Inspection: Inspectors can examine their realm and pursue improvements
  • Hike: Wayfarers can reduce stress with a walk in the wilderness
  • Monument Expedition: Voyagers can set forth to see special buildings in other realms
• New events connected to travel, new lifestyle trees, and the associated activities

Free Features

• Added a new set of buildings, Breweries, available to Catholic temples, a building giving a lot of county-wide bonuses
• Added a new cultural tradition, Brewing Culture, where you can unlock the Breweries building for cities of your culture
• Added new Court Position, Court Brewmaster, related to the Breweries building line, with three Court Position tasks:
  • Empty the Cellars
  • Share with the Court
  • Experimental Brew
• Added a new decision to merge the kingdoms of France and Aquitaine in the 867 bookmark
• Added a new decision to restore the Bosporan Kingdom
• New Points of Interest, Battle
• Added 11 Historical Battle Points of Interest:
  • Battle of Yarmuk
  • Battle of Aror
  • Battle of Tours
  • Battle of Talas
  • Battle of Lechfeld
  • Battle of Svolder
  • Battle of Dandanaqan
  • Battle of Civitate
  • Battle of Stamford Bridge
  • Battle of Hastings
  • Battle of Manzikert
• Added dynamic Battle Points of Interest, where particularly large and bloody battles will be remembered and be able to be visited after the fact
• Added a salacious Grand Wedding event chain

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue with adventurers checking distance incorrectly
• Fixed error with a wedding event not checking faith correctly
• Fixed errors in siege events with a scope that does not exist
• Fix flavorization title tier names for landless adventurers
• Tweaked some events animations/portraits
• Fixed a rare issue where the player loses all war progress after enemy liege dies
• Add raid block reason to map tooltip
• Fix raid immunity being applied to the wrong character
• Any plague that appears in a realm that shares a border with you (land or sea) will now show up in the nearby section
• Removed incorrect land loss notification when a Governor's county vassal is in line to inherit a Governorship
• Fixed many issues with the family chronicle event decision and story cycle
• Now the Pope will be referred to as the Pope rather than a King-Bishops in many events
• Adjusted some Hunt modifier icons so they are appropriately shown as mixed (yellow) instead of positive/negative

Balance

• Placing bets in a chariot race no longer grants or reduces stress.
• Journals are now a new type of inventory artifact. Only one journal can be equipped at any time. Many books that were previously trinkets are now considered journals
• Family chronicles are now generally better with more modifiers; they are also either considered books (if you have a court) or journals
• Artifacts that boost terrain advantage now give a more significant boost.
• The kingdom of Aquitaine is now a part of the De Jure kingdom of France in the 1066 bookmark
• Rebalanced inbred/pureblooded chance, due to inbreeding risk now being calculated based on the degree of relatedness instead of the number of missing ancestors

Art

• Added a cheers icon.
• Added a new court position icon, new court position task icons, and a new building icon. All related to the new brewery building.
  • Added icon for new activity option inspection allocated funds.
  • Added a new wanderer lifestyle icon.
  • Added several art assets as well as GUI adjustments
  • Added several new events backgrounds:
  • Hills (Winter)
  • Plains (Winter)
  • Wetlands (Winter)
  • Mountains (Winter)
  • Steppe (Winter)
  • Riverside
  • Coast
• Added new animations:
  • Survey with Walking Stick
  • Idle with Walking Stick

[ 2024-11-04 17:11:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there! Last week, we got a glimpse of what we are adding to the Wandering Nobles DLC. Today, we are back to discuss the new Wandering lifestyle and the new activities it unlocks in more depth. Discuss Dev Diary #159 on our forums!

New Lifestyle

As mentioned last week, it is set up like all the other lifestyles in the game, with 27 perks spread across 3 lifestyle trees, 3 new traits, and 3 attached focuses. Unlike our other lifestyles in the game, it is not connected to an education trait but to the Traveler trait. Now, you will gain a 10% monthly gain from the base Traveler trait and an additional 20% for every level in the Wanderer trait path.

The way we see this lifestyle is that for some characters, it might be something to go for right away to use some of its bonuses. For many others, however, it would rather be a natural step after finishing a tree in another lifestyle and having had time to travel around to build up their Traveler trait. Last week, we looked at the whole tree to see what it looked like for a landed character, whereas this time, I will show what it looks like for a landless character. The two rightmost trees have minor variations, whereas the Inspection tree had to be almost entirely recreated for the new play style.
As we start looking through each perk, I will show variations of each perk, if any, and talk a bit about each. That said, its only natural to start with the first tree we made for the new lifestyle.

Wayfarer

When explaining the fantasy of the tree to people, I often used my father as an example. This is not the person who goes out in the forest for the sake of going anywhere, but rather someone who enjoys the journey itself. They enjoy traveling, and exactly where they end up is less important. Before we start, one last thing to say is a bit about lifestyle philosophy when we created these new lifestyle trees:

• We wanted each tree's first perk (intro perk) to be generally suitable for anyone, so it is easy to dip into any of them and still feel like you get some kind of bonus worth taking. We believe it is easier to entice people to go further down the tree if they have invested some points.
• Then, we have a midpoint where we unlock the activity, which we wanted to be a halfway-capstone traitit is supposed to define the tree.
• We also included one capstone perk right before the trait so you would feel it is worth finishing up the rest of the tree.
• Every tree should have at least two themes that will synergize throughout the tree.
• You should be active to gain the tree's bonuses. You engage with this lifestyle; the lifestyle does not engage with you.

So, with that in mind, what were the themes for the Wayfarer tree? We attached it to Fame (Prestige Experience) and Stress Loss. Attaching it to fame, rather than Prestige, enables us to give out some more sources without worrying about giving out an abundance of Prestige to the player. We also wanted to include a bit of a friendly ruler traveling through their domain kind of feel to it, so we have some perks trying to enable that fantasy. Now, lets have a look at the perks for Wayfarer.

Well Prepared

This perk was supposed to give you a simple way to make traveling safer. If you want to travel around a fair bit, which is the point of this tree, we want it to be less costly and dangerous. We also included a supply boon because it fits the name of the perk.

Far and Wide

This is the first perk dipping into the fame synergy we wanted for the tree. By letting you travel around more safely (from the first perk) and now giving you a fame gain, you can start racking up fame while participating in activities or traveling to distant lands.

Just One More Hill

This is inspired by the two educational perks in the game: the Pedagogy perk in the Scholar (Learning) tree and the Groomed To Rule perk in the Family Hierarch (Diplomacy) tree. I wanted a way to enable the player to prepare their heir for the tree if they wanted to dip into it with their next character and give them a solid way to pass on the Traveler trait from one character to another. As a fun little side note, the name is inspired by my father, who would always respond with a Just one more hill and were home! or Its just around the corner now! whenever my sister or I would ask if we would be home soon when we were out walking as kids. Of course, that was a lie; it was not just one more hill or just around the corner.

Storyteller

The first capstone perk of the tree enables both the fame and the stress loss synergy. It gives you fame from hikes and random travel events (particularly danger-related ones), and the activity is intended to be a very effective way of removing Stress (similar to feasts).

Of the People

The first perk in this tree has two different variations, one playing into the friendly ruler fantasy and the other into the fame theme. In both cases, we wanted to inspire the character to move around often.

Local Hero

For the Wayfarer tree specifically, we made the perk of both lines leading up to the trait a bit of a capstone perk. In this case, the Local Hero one is intended to be a great boon for those grabbing all that fame, giving them a decent Diplomacy boost. It also gives you access to two new travel options, one of which provides you with another way to play into fame and stress loss:

Travel Companion

This is just a simple perk that increases the opinion of everyone traveling with you at any given time and improves the Caravan Master aptitude of anyone currently serving that role for you.

The Home Away from Home

This is the capstone perk for stress loss. You can increase your stress while traveling and open up a new activity option: expanding the time spent on a hike. This should give you more options to lose stress or gain fame.

Wayfarer Trait

Finally, for Wayfarer, the trait tries to tie together the two synergies that we have played into throughout the tree. It gives you higher stress loss the more fame you have, as well as giving you the Prowess fame bonus. It does mean, at the end of the day, that how many boons you get from these last perks matter how much fame you have managed to scrounge together, but we felt that was fine and played into one of our philosophies from earlier; you have to (most likely) be active to get fame, which in turn will give you a good boon at the end here.

Voyager

So, on to our second tree, the Voyager tree. If the Wayfarer tree was about the one who enjoyed the journey but didnt care about the destination, then the Voyager tree is the opposite. They dont care about their journey but about where they are going. When explaining their fantasy, I have often described them as the tourist tree. The themes we have explored for this tree focus on Points of Interest and Languages. The points of interest theme was an obvious fit for it, whereas the language theme just happened as we played around with themes that might fit the tree. Of course, the tree isnt limited to just those two things.

Power at Home/Organized Camp

When we originally made the perk for landed gameplay, being able to handle your regent at home would help someone who would regularly travel abroad to see things. If the idea was that you should be able to travel to distant places, we didnt want you to get punished too hard immediately. That idea did not easily reflect into a landless variation, so we instead tried to dip more into our idea of having something that is just generally good to dip into for landless play, and that was an across-the-board boon to provisions and travel speed.

Mercenary Contacts

We wanted to give the Voyager an easy, cheap option to provide general boosts to their travels, but taking a travel option spot. This means you can travel far with fewer dangers, presumably, but you are giving up other opportunities. Due to the name, we attached a bonus to hiring regular mercenaries.

Journey Planner

Looking into opportunities to go to distant locations, we figured a boon to diplomatic range would be an exciting option. One thing to note is that it is not an easily obtainable modifier in many places in the game, giving another reason for dipping into the tree. Another thing to note is that the tree unlocks diplomatic range matters for the Monument Expedition activity, so increasing it slightly means you will have access to more locations for that activity if you so wish.

Finally There

We wanted to empower the player when they finally reach their destination in a journey, to play into the core idea of the tree. Initially, we simply gave the player a prestige and stress bonus every time they reached their destination in a journey. However, this didnt quite work when we looked at the tree for landless characters, as Well They could reach a destination every other day if they kept moving their camp about. Instead, we attached the same idea directly to Points of Interest, which synergizes surprisingly well with another perk further down the tree. We initially kept the original idea for landed gameplay, but after seeing the synergy and how much cleaner it looked, we changed it to be the same as the landless one.

Journey

The mid-way capstone perk of the tree, where you unlock the Monument Expedition. The activity was strong enough that we did not need to attach many other effects to this one. The first perk that plays into the language theme, making it slightly easier to learn new languages.

Souvenirs Aplenty

As part of this tree, we wanted to include at least one perk where you could effectively bring home development, but we wanted to ensure it couldnt be stacked infinitely. In that sense, we figured it might be fun if you, as a, for example, slightly backward Scandinavian, traveled to Constantinople to see the sights and were inspired to improve your homeland. This is another one that didnt reflect well as a landless one. We tried different variations, some decreasing building costs for a period, etc. But in the end, none of them felt quite right, so we simplified it and reimagined it as a perk where going to new places would give a (non-stacking) opinion boon with your camp.

Gracious Host, Impeccable Guest

We imagined this perk as someone who has often been traveling to other cities and knows the etiquette and manners expected of you no matter where you are. Someone who can equally serve up an impressive feast for strangers on one side and attend one in an exotic court on the other. This is the primary payoff perk for the language theme, as you get a neat bonus for all your court positions. Its not grand or super impactful, but it can add up if you have a lot of active court positions.

Been There, Done That

This is the other perk I mentioned in the Finally There perk. It increases almost all rewards you gain from Points of Interest by 30% (with a few exceptions, like events triggering or gaining traits). This is the absolute capstone perk of the tree, and it enables a playstyle mostly traveling around and seeing Points of Interest with Monument Expeditions and Pilgrimages while still racking up lifestyle experience points, a lot of prestige, and reducing stress.

Voyager Trait

Unlike its Wayfarer equivalent, we wanted this trait to play less into the synergies of the tree but more be a composite of the tree. It bumps up the diplomatic range gain even further and increases your travel speed, giving you access to even more points of interest previously out of range.

Inspector - Landed

The final tree of the lifestyle is the Inspector tree, and as you might notice, we will split this into two different sections altogether, rather than simply showing the variations of the perks. This was the one tree that saw a significant rework for landless gameplay due to how the tree was initially structured for landed gameplay. When we started making this tree, we wanted a tree that was very much built up around a managerial figure who would travel the realm regularly to make sure everything was up to scratchthe one who periodically shows up unannounced in a vassals domain to ensure they are doing their job correctly. The themes for this tree are fuzzier, and it is more playing into a specific idea of having to travel to holdings around the realm to give them a temporary boon. You go somewhere, host an activity, or make a decision somewhere, and that place is improved for a while.

Mustering

The first one is a simple boon as you travel through holdings of your realm, improving any Stationed Men-at-Arms there by about 5-10% for 15 years. In other words, consider preparing before going to war, making sure to do the rounds and inspire your men so they get that fighting boon.

Know Your Land, Know Your People

This is a mouthful but less impactful than it first seems. The parochial and minor landholder vassal bonuses should be negligible, and the importance lies in the marriage acceptance boon. It means that within your realm, you have a significantly higher chance of being able to grab any marriage you may wish, both for yourself and your extended family. Want to ally with a pesky vassal who keeps being an issue to your rule? This could push up the acceptance level enough to make it happen. I understand that certain players will read this as marriage acceptance with close and extended family, and technically speaking, that would also be true as long as they are within the realm.

No Stone Unturned

As part of our work on this lifestyle tree, we wanted to give the player more active tools for gaining control and development, of which this perk is a key part. By hosting feasts, hunts, inspections, or other activities, you can now focus on where you want to improve something. Need to hold a feast, and you recently had a popular revolt ruin the control in your domain? Now, you can handle both of those at once.

Travel Logs

We often noticed that many players ensured that they only traveled relatively safely, so the Seasoned Trait Track had little time to shine. As a ruler who was actively trying to make sure their realm was safe and well taken care of, it felt natural that you would be able to increase this trait track even if you didnt directly experience the danger, simply because you were so directly working against it.

Inspection

The first capstone perk of the tree opens up the inspection activity. This should open up the fantasy of traveling around your realm more appropriately, as we will see later when discussing the activity. We also attached some tax bonuses,

Arbitration

This unlocks a new decision where you can stop a journey to manage the domain for a while. Effectively, you will trade some prestige and travel time to gain legitimacy and either remove corruption in that domain or gain a temporary modifier that will increase levy size, holding taxes, or development. This plays into the same logic as with No Stone Unturned, where you can more directly manage one holding and take care of any issue it might have.

Charts & Itineraries

This unlocks a new decision: You can write a book about your travels somewhere. This is a leftover from when the tree was focused more on surveying the land rather than inspecting it when we focused more on mapping out your realm, etc. We like how the decision turned out, so we kept it as is, even if things around it have changed slightly.

Personal Touch

This is the proper capstone perk of this tree, binding together No Stone Unturned, Inspection, and Arbitration in one, either giving you them for free or improving them. This should be a noticeable boon for those who want to simply do realm gardening and ensure their little realm runs smoothly.

Inspector Trait

With a similar logic to the Voyager trait, this is supposed to, at a glance, tell a player what kind of fantasy this tree is supposed to provide to you as a player. Its about realm management and gardening and ensuring all the little bits and bobs work as they should.

Inspector - Landless

As we approached making a landless variant of the Inspector tree, we asked ourselves if we could keep the same logic as we did for the landed tree. After all, it was a tree focused on improving your realm, which is hard to simulate with a character that does not hold land. In the end, we decided to do away with the central theme of the tree and look for something that might work better for the landless playstyle instead. We landed (see what I did there?) on a theme around improving your understanding of a specific terrain. Simply put, you can become the master of a particular field or area.

Finding Your Way

So, the very first perk of this tree is critical to setting up the rest of the tree. We unlock a new decision for you where you choose a designate a type of terrain that you would like to focus on:

• Woodlands - Forests/Jungles/Taiga/Wetlands
• Highlands - Mountains/Hills/Desert Mountains
• Lowlands - Plains/Steppe/Farmlands/Floodplains
• Drylands - Deserts/Drylands/Oasis

For many perks following this, you will then enable bonuses to the Designated Terrain.

Knowing the Land

As we looked at changing the Knowing Your Land perk, we still wanted to try and keep some of the same fantasy. But rather than knowing your land or its people, you know the terrain you specialize in and how you keep yourself alive as you travel through it. As a significant boon to the Gather Provisions decision, it is an even more helpful tool in getting extra provisions, particularly if you spend most of your time in your Designated Terrain.

Navigating the Wilds

We knew we wanted to put a battle bonus to this one. After all, as we started playing around with the idea of specializing in a terrain, one of our first ideas was to be a renowned bandit group holed up in a mountain pass. We want you to feel like when you are fighting in your terrain, you are truly in your element.

Earths Bounty

Replacing the Inspection trait wasnt easy, as it was vital to the original tree. What we looked at was to continue the logic from the Knowing the Land perk, where provisions are less of a problem as you travel through your Designated Terrain. Opening up the Quartermaster and Head Porter positions irrelevant to your buildings means you will always have effective ways of handling provisions.

Right-Hand Man

After making Earths Bounty, we felt we had a tiny sub-theme of Officers in the tree, so we thought we could play further into that with this trait. The Second officer is the most crucial position you can have as a landless character, and this is a way to ensure they are doing their utmost for you. The second part of the perk was my experimentation to see if it would be interesting for the player to gain skill bonuses based on their current Camp Purpose, slightly inspired by other perks such as Friendly Counsel in the Family Hierarch (Diplomacy) tree or Learn on the Job in the Scholar (Learning) tree. As you might imagine, the exact skills will change depending on your camp purpose, such as Martial and Prowess for Swords-for-Hire or Learning and Stewardship for Scholars.

King of the Wilds

This is the capstone perk of this lifestyle, unlocking a decision to hyper-focus on a specific terrain from the ones in your Designated Terrain. For example, if you chose Highlands the first time, you can now select between Mountains, Hills, or Desert Mountains as your terrain to master. The idea was that since you specialize in a particular terrain, you are likely to be often forced to take action outside of that terrain and then get 0 bonuses from this perk, so in turn, they should be extra strong when you finally get the chance to shine.

New Activities

As we started working on the DLC, we knew we wanted to add activities so the player could open up more travel options. We already have many options across base-game activities (see Hunts, Pilgrimages, and Feasts) and DLC-locked ones (see grand activities), but we wanted to make something symbolic of each tree. In the end, though we had many different potential options, we ended up with three activities we wanted to go for:

• Hikes for the Wayfarer tree, so you can travel just for the sake of traveling
• Monument Expedition for the Voyager tree so that you can get to the points of interest you want to see
• Inspection for the Inspector tree so you can improve the specific counties you want to improve

It was vital for us that each activity gave you more of what the lifestyle tree already gave you, but usually with minor tweaks or twists from the regular lifestyle. For example, the hike will give you stress loss and fame, but you might also get wise man trait XP.

Hikes

Speaking of hikes, it is the first activity we will talk about.
You can set out with your guards and up to 1 special companion to leave life at court for a short bit. If you bring a companion, the events will change slightly based on that, and you will have opportunities to build a bond with them. Or torment them if they arent built for hiking. You will set out towards a location, usually quite remote from anything. As you reach the area, the activity will start, and you will take a short hike before you start the return journey back home. You will go through several events detailing your experience in the wilderness, some rarer than others. Some examples:

The systemic events of the activitythe start, mid-activity, and end eventsdont have options, but any randomized events in between those will. You will meet people, see sights, or experience nature's good and bad sides.

Monument Expeditions

The Monument Expedition is the only one of the three that lets you travel outside your borders, which felt fitting considering the lifestyle trees and how they have been set up. You can go to any barony in the world with a special building, so its not just for any point of interest, but it will let you visit most of them.

When you arrive at the activity's location, you can choose one skill to focus your efforts on as you explore the local sights. The alternatives will be based on the building and its type, and then throughout the activity, you will have opportunities to increase or decrease the chance of getting skill boons.
Most events related to the activity will either increase your chance of getting extra skill boons or give you options for good court position holders.

Finally, at the end of your journey, you will gain a slight skill improvement, with the possibility of a second one based on how things turned out.

Inspections

Now then, to the final activity, Inspection. Similar to the hikes, this can only be done within your borders, giving you a few options based on where it is and what you want to do. One thing to note is that numbers might be higher than they should be in the following pictures (success chance and gold gain).

As you arrive, you will have three options to choose from (the first one is only available in border counties). They are:

• Claims/Vassalization Acceptance
• Taxes/County Control/Development
• Levies/Opinion/Popular Opinion

We made all the information easily accessible in the event, so you do not have to comb through menus to find it. In the picture, you can see that you have 325 levies from the county, 1.64 in taxes, 9 development, 10 popular opinion, and the local ruler has an opinion of 100 of you. The option chosen will affect the rest of the inspection and how things will turn out, and this will be the goal of the inspection. Based on your options here, many events in the rest of their activity might act slightly differently. For example, an option that would increase the chances of success for someone aiming to increase Levies/Opinion/Popular Opinion might decrease the chance of success for someone aiming to increase Taxes/Control/Development. Halfway through the activity, you will get a second option to specialize:
Here, you get to choose even further. In this case, we decided on Taxes/County Control (which is invisible due to already being at a 100)/Development as our first option, and here, we get to choose between Taxes and Development to hyper-focus on. This lets us decide which will have the strongest effect in the case of a successful Inspection. Throughout the inspection, you will encounter a fair number of events that give you opportunities to affect the county in some way. Most of these will have opportunities to increase or decrease the chance of success, which is at the heart of the activity.

And if things work out, you will get the rewards you sought.
[hr][/hr]

Conclusion

And thats all for this time. Hopefully, you all enjoyed this glance at the new lifestyle and new activities. With winter soon upon us up here in the north, I figured Id give you one last art piece to look at before I jump out. Look at it and freeze, like I do.
[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036

[ 2024-10-29 13:00:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good day everyone! We're releasing an update today to tackle some balance, bugfixes and interface issues affecting Roads to Power and the associated 1.13x "Basileus" Update. Notable changes include the addition of a game rule to limit the amount of adventurers in game and Administrative governments having a new "Realm" interface. See the changelog below for a full list of changes. [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.13.2 Changelog

Expansion Features

• Administrative government now has access to a new tab in the Realm interface, listing additional laws that can be changed independently of imperial bureaucracy to allow an administrative top liege to have greater agency and control over their realm.
  • Added a new law for administrative to prevent governors from using the boundary dispute and subsume governorship schemes, ensuring that your internal borders stay somewhat more constant over time.
  • Added a new law for administrative, which allows the top liege to prevent governors from declaring external wars.

Free Features

• Added a new game rule to limit the amount of adventurers in a game.
• Added a new game rule to adjust the amount of damage gained by point of advantage in battles.
  • Options include 1, 2, 5, 7, and 10.

Game Balance

• Default damage adjustment is now 5% per advantage in battles, down from 10%.
• The martial lifestyle perk Strict Organization now provides increased governor efficiency for administrative rulers.
• Increased the cost of refilling MAA with provisions by 68.75% for adventurers.
• Rebalanced cost and bonuses of the great tower of silence.
• The stewardship lifestyle perk Detailed ledgers now provides some additional administrative vassal tax obligation for administrative rulers.
• Increased the base levy obligation for administrative to 30%, up from 10%. While admin has less levies in general, there is no need for the governors to keep that many levies for themselves.
• Civilian themes no longer provide less levies to the liege. They are meant to generate income and provide development, which means that they have less reason to keep their levies than other administration types.
• When a populist faction sends their demands to a ruler with a state faith, the ruler can only choose to change the state faith if the factions faith is of the same religion as they are, or if the faith covers a majority of their realm (60% or more of the realms counties).
• Enabled raiding for governors of frontier themes, allowing them to raid neighboring realms.
• Governors will now spend a higher portion of their income on men-at-arms. This should prevent governors from disbanding their troops too easily when their governor efficiency changes, or when they are replaced by a new governor with a lower efficiency.
• The emperor now has 0 candidate score for appointment, making sure to avoid inheriting titles needlessly if there are others in the line of succession with low scores.
• Significantly reduced the likelihood and frequency of the AI asking for a council position (not accounting for when they force themselves onto the council).
• The Men-at-Arms innovation in the high medieval era now increases the size of title MAAs by 1.
• Reduced the amount of gold you receive from dividends when you found a holding as a landless adventurer.
• Added a grace period after you take the Stand with Us contract. No longer will you be called out as an Oathbreaker if the war immediately ends and you have no time to join it.
• Increased the chance of a vassal governor to accept, and to accept without making any demands, when you ask them to end their war.
• Asking a vassal to end their war now takes the Loyal and Disloyal traits into account, increasing and decreasing acceptance respectively.
• Higher levels of imperial bureaucracy now increases republican tax obligation in addition to administrative tax obligation.
  • Level 3 provides a base +5%, while level 4 provides a base +10%, bringing the total obligation to +30% at maximum bureaucracy.
• In an effort to make sure that titles are created at a rate we want them to within an administrative realm, administrative government now has an innate -50% title creation cost bonus.
• AI vassals will no longer adopt a state faith if their top liege follows the same faith as they do. If the emperor can have it, then so can we!
• Non-admin vassals will only consider to adopt a state faith if their faith hostility is low enough, and will not adopt it by themselves if they consider the state faith hostile or evil.
• Enabled the Demand Administrative Governance interaction towards republics, allowing you to convert mayors into admin.
• Lowered the defensive advantage the vassal gains from frontier administration to 6, down from 8.
• Lowered the coastal advantage the vassal gains from naval administration to 10, down from 15.
• Updated acclamation succession to take the palace politics cultural tradition into account for reducing candidate score based on disfigurement. Not having this tradition will no longer reduce a candidates score if they are blind, disfigured, infertile, etc.
• Increased the penalty to a candidate's score for appointment succession when of the non-preferred gender to -80%, up from -66%.
• Made it a bit easier for vassals to convert with you when creating a new faith when you also have a state faith.
  • If you hold a lot of sway within the realm (i.e. you have high diplomacy, learning, legitimacy, influence level, is part of a powerful family, etc.) vassal acceptance will increase.
  • Additionally, having the Prophet lifestyle perk will increase acceptance based on your diplomacy and learning.
• The Influence candidacy interaction no longer requires the target character to belong to a noble family. This allows you to promote lowborn and nobles who have yet to become a noble family to governorships, without having to resort to revoking a governorship and using Grant Appointment.
• The AI will no longer force others to join their faction if they themselves were forced to join.
• The influence option in the Force to join faction interaction can no longer be used on characters who actually like their liege.
• Administrative can now adopt the cultural tradition City Keepers.
• Administrative vassals who are not a part of your de-jure can now be granted independence.
• Administrative rulers can now grant independence to tribal vassals who are a part of their de jure.
• Made it more expensive for administrative to convert tribal holdings, increasing the base cost by 25%. Admin should not want to conquer tribal land, but rather wait until someone else does it first and make it more civilized.
• Moved 1 MAA limit from the Roaring campfire building to the Swords-for-Hire and Legitimist camp purposes directly in order to promote specialization.
• Moved one MAA max size from the Proving Grounds to the Lockwagon building (unlocked by Freebooters, Swords-for-Hire, and Legitimists) in order to promote specialization.
• Reduced knight limit from Roaring Campfire significantly.
• Reduced adventurer government knight limit by 8 (10 -> 2), added 8 knight limit to Swords-for-Hire and Legitimists, added 3 knight limit to Freebooters.
• Moved knight efficiency from Proving grounds to Roaring Campfire.
• The base acceptance for the Make a Request interaction has been reduced to 0 (down from +30).
• AIs are now less willing to give adventurers gold using the Make a Request interaction just because the adventurer is poor.
• AIs now give less gold when adventurers use the Make a Request interaction.
• AIs will no longer give adventurers using the Make a Request interaction more gold if they have 25+ opinion of them. It now only counts being friends/lovers.
• Best friends/soulmates will give adventurers more gold when using the Make a Request interaction.
• Requesting a new contract now only reduces opinion by -5, and the AI gets +30 acceptance for the request.
• AIs are now less willing to give adventurers gold using the Make a Request interaction if they themselves are poor (from -10 to -30).
• AIs are now less willing to give maa using the Make a Request interaction if the adventurer is powerful (-25 at 400 max strength, -50 at 800 max strength).
• AIs are now less willing to give maa using the Make a Request interaction if the adventurer is stronger than themselves (using max troops count).
• Reduced the acceptance bonus for the Make a Request interaction based on your prestige level (from 10, 20, 30, 40 to -> 5, 10, 20, 30).
• Lowered opinion malus from demanding artifacts.
• Rebalanced options in stewardship_wealth.1051.
• Significantly lowered gold costs in travel_events.2013.
• Removed stress from opting out of buying a trinket in travel_events.4036.
• Gather Provisions now has a chance of critical success and critical failure: critical success awards more provisions, and failure can result in wounds, illness, or frostbite (depending on terrain).
• Removed the MAA max size modifiers from excellent aptitude camp officers.
• Reduced the piety gained from Proselytize to Locals by 50%.
• Reduced the Max MAA regiment limit that you could get from your adventurer camp by 4 (across multiple buildings).
• Reduced the Max MAA regiment size that you could get from your adventurer camp by 5 (across multiple buildings).
• Reduced the individual MAA max size modifiers from the Baggage Train camp building by 2 (3 -> 1).
• Updated the AI acceptance in Contest Appointment. Spending influence now takes your influence level into account, and instead of comparing direct influence with the target governor, we now compare influence level instead.
• The AI will now avoid calling players to war if the player is in debt.
• Increased difficulty for adventurers attempting to chain church-robberies.
• Added an upper limit to gold reward from the Stand with Us contract of 1 yearly income of the employer and their current gold.

Bugfixes

• Eliminate performance degradation when zooming in and out close to terrain - map icons should now be much more efficient.
• Added missing localization and formatting to the administrative_government_vassal_opinion modifier.
• Fixed issue causing religion and culture to not show up for characters in the Arrange Marriage list of potential spouses.
• Fixed elope.1003 being broken.
• When restoring Rome and converting to Hellenic it will now destroy all head of faith titles you hold.
• Fixed a softlock in the Conduct census contract when the first destination was the same as your camp location.
• Allowed Turfida to start the game inside her husband Hereward's camp.
• Enabled Adventurers to complete betrothals without having to use another request for marriage.
• Fixed an exploit where you could keep reducing your stress when using the petition liege decision. By canceling the travel planner before you start to travel, you would lose stress, despite not having gained any stress yet.
• Fixed the effects of granting prestige and influence without gaining experience in their corresponding levels having no text.
• Fixed the petition liege decision not refunding your influence if you decided to cancel it before reaching your liege's capital.
• Fixed the Caravan Master and Wet Nurse court positions not being affected by the family business cultural tradition.
• Updated the script for when an estate is damaged, as it would deal much more damage than intended by removing entire buildings. An estate building should instead typically lose a level (or several) instead.
• Locked DLC only dynasty legacies for AI too.
• All cultural traditions lifting terrain restrictions on buildings will now properly check for the county culture instead of the holder's culture.
• Fixed an issue where you could use the Force to Join Faction interaction without having enough influence.
• Fixed the faction join-chance modifier Liege was preferred heir being applied twice.
• Fixed a previous change to the holding triggers which prevented you from constructing holdings in most baronies with desert or desert mountain terrain in the areas in and surrounding the Sahara. Only the corridors across the Sahara will remain empty.
• Updated the logic for the transferring of titles in the Force to Step Down interaction. Titles and vassals should behave more consistently as a result.
• Added missing petition type names in the Petition Liege invalidation event.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when hovering on a rally point icon that is moving with your adventurer camp, or on a province you've just lost in a war.
• The Varangian Guards men-at-arms and the Akolouthos court position are no longer strictly locked to the Byzantine Empire. All emperors who have the cultural tradition unlocking these have the option to use the decision to found the Varangian Guard for their primary title.
• When restoring the Roman Empire with the Varangian Guard founded, you get to keep access to the Varangian Guard MaA and the Akolouthos court position.
• Restoring the Roman Empire will now transfer your title Men-at-Arms to your new title, making sure they won't get lost as the old title gets destroyed.
• In order to befriend an ally you are helping at war you now have to actually contribute something to the war score.
• Blocked the decision to form Portugal if Portugal already exists.
• Changed the lone clan Portuguese vassal into feudal.
• Made it easier for landed rulers to become a legitimist landless adventurer by ensuring you get claims to all of your former titles on transition.
• Fixed an issue preventing the top liege of an administrative realm from granting the duchy containing your de jure capital to a vassal. It now checks de facto capital instead.
• You can no longer renounce personal ambition using the decision Renounce Imperial Aspirations if you are a diarch.
• The "Formation Fighting" cultural tradition now provides bonuses to the Strategist trait, providing a higher combat roll and reduces enemy defensive advantage.
• Removed the warning telling you that you have less than expected court grandeur, if you do not own the 'Royal Court' expansion.
• Fixed the domicile outline element being broken if you switched from admin to feudal.
• Fixed charnel grounds being missing from the duchy building list.
• Fixed the displaying of gold from mercenary contracts in the war overview.
• Fixed occurrences where adventurers may get stuck in contracts that became invalid while traveling.
• It's no longer possible as a landless adventurer to kidnap people and wait for their liege to offer you a contract to prison break them.
• Fixed tutor child contract to invalidate properly if the child or the employer is dead.
• Fixed hold_court.6080 to no longer target provinces with holdings and changing their holding types, instead target only empty provinces.
• You can no longer use the "contest appointment" interaction if you are invalid to be a governor for the requested title.
• Fixed the "Commission Artifact" decision cost reduction from estates not being applied correctly.
• As a head of faith, you can no longer use the Adopt State Faith decision. It wouldn't change your faith anyway.
• Artifacts you are wearing will now be correctly shown in your portraits and in the barbershop.
• Fixed characters that lost all titles, due to their liege losing a war, not having a chance to become landless adventurers.
• The Discovered Secret Schemes tab will now correctly display all known schemes.
• Administrative heads of faith will no longer lose their family head titles when their administrative titles are revoked.
• Moved the "Summon to War" interaction to the expanded section of the interaction list, and it is no longer shown on governors who don't have frontier or naval administration.
• Fixed becoming a wanderer instead of landed when getting promised land from support a faction contract.
• Fixed becoming a wanderer instead of either losing the game or becoming an adventurer when your last title is revoked.
• Discovering agents in hostile schemes against you will no longer expose agents that you were forced to remove from the scheme. Added a weak hook on the agent if you decide to not remove them.
• Fixed convert to witchcraft odds prediction to be more precise.
• Added missing localisation for the court gardener trigger.
• Fixed the court gardener court position requiring the employee to have, or have finished, an inspiration. It no longer does so.
• State faith will no longer change when the title gets inherited by landless rulers.
• Fixed an issue where granting an appointment as a vassal would give the new sub-vassal a noble family, even though they shouldn't get one.
• Added missing text for the heavy infantry pursuit and screen multiplicative modifiers.
• Added some text explaining that a governance issue is unavailable while you have an active issue already.
• Fixed the reception hall upgrade for the estate providing additional legitimacy for every title the emperor would get, including when revoking titles. The bonus is now only applied for the primary title.
• Fixed the reception hall not resetting the stored legitimacy upon being gained.
• Fixed global_culture.0015 being empty with an inappropriate background.
• The Scholars of Baghdad event can now only happen if you own and are located in baghdad.
• Fixed background of fp1_jomsvikings.1001.
• You can no longer start the depose scheme if you are disfigured, blind, etc. and the top liege has a culture that frowns upon these traits in regards to succession (e.g. the palace politics tradition). The scheme implies that you will take the title yourself, but due to your low score for having either of these traits, this will rarely happen.
• Fixed the description not always showing for the depose scheme interaction.
• Custom appearances in the ruler creator will no longer be automatically overwritten when changing culture.
• Removed options from the Have child study language interaction - you're already paying a tutor for that.
• Fixed the liege regency tutorial not progressing when it should.
• Bp1_yearly.5720 can now only happen if the rival is in the same location as you.
• Shortened the text and fixed animations of bp1_yearly.5720.
• Fixed an issue where you could accidentally enable Roman Empire hard-mode even if you never chose that option.
• Changed odds predictions in romance schemes to be more accurate.
• Fixed an issue when attempting to release a prisoner in exchange of becoming your executioner, where they would not end up becoming your executioner as expected.
• Fixed the secrecy grace period for the Challenge status scheme.
• The Save preset window in Game rules view will now be fully visible on 1080p resolution.
• Make sure the Refill MAA with gold option for adventurers states the correct numbers in the tooltip.
• Fixed the Offer eunuch interaction not allowing you to replace the selected character, should you have multiple eunuchs available.
• Clarified in the localization that you only have access to runestones before the High Medieval era.
• The Offer eunuch interaction now requires the target to be a ruler and have a court.
• The Roaming, raving event now correctly states it has a 25% chance of spreading the modifier, rather than the incorrect 15%.
• Fixed a small history issue with the County of Coburg being a prince-bishopric in 867.
• Your bishop will check a bit closer before claiming your marriage is consanguineous in nature.
• The Warrior culture cultural tradition will not properly explain that you need a tribal government to choose it.
• Fixed an issue where in some rare cases, when replacing a bodyguard in events, you would fire the best one instead of the worst one.
• Fixed a minor issue with the event Ruin rumbling where one of the characters wouldn't be assigned a proper nickname.
• Blind and maimed people will no longer take part in archery contests.
• Fixed an issue with the Guest of honor APA in camp parties, where they would occasionally not be able to find the host properly.
• Fixed an issue in the Another lover event where a character would check if they were attracted to themselves. Narcissus is before our time.
• Fixed an error in the event Another lover where you kept a best friend lover even if you broke up with them.
• The friendly language learning letter should be less likely to call you a mud-eater, even if you might deserve it.
• Added an event reason for some camp officers which were missing.
• Fixed an issue with cooldowns in the wedding event Oath in moment.
• Updated the text when attempting to change a tribal vassal into administrative. It will now say that only settled governments can change directly to admin.
• Fixed the Do you know who I am perk to actually give +20% acceptance instead of 50%.
• Fixed the reason not being shown when attempting to pick the cultural tradition city keepers without having an eligible government type.
• Set_designated_heir effect can now only be applied to direct children. Prevent some crashes when this becomes circular.
  • Made a fix for Designate Heir to line up with recent code changes. The recipient now has to be your child to be eligible for being designated. (This should only affect administrative, who could designate close family members.)
  • The Request co-emperor interaction will only designate the co-emperor as heir if they are a child of the current emperor.
• Added missing text for when you have a hook available in the 'Summon to War' interaction.
• Fixed a bunch of animations not working in a large number of events.
• Removed duplicate war score values in the adventurer raid contract CB.

Art

• Added the correct grudge icon to the game concept.
• Added struggle trait background for modders.

History

• Saxon culture now starts in the high medieval era when starting a game in 1178.
• Corrected dynasty house for Robert de Dreux.

Game Content

• Added an event for adventurers where a follower wants to get married to a local.
• Added a new interaction named Aid Tribal Development, allowing lieges to support their non-tribal vassals in converting their tribal holdings into castles.
• Enabled the decision to restore the Roman Empire for administrative. You can now adopt the administrative government first and still restore Rome, instead of having to do it in a particular order.
• The Byzantine cultural traditions Roman ceremonies and Palace politics can now be adopted if you restore the Roman Empire and don't have the traditions already.

Interface

• Removed mentions of antiquarians being needed to repair artifacts from tooltips and court position description.
• Fixed Music player not being localized.
• Hid the commission legend artifact decisions unless youve completed a legend, and made the decision major.
• The breakdown tooltip for candidate score in appointment now explains the gender penalty in a better way by showing the % penalty, and not just the value.
• Fixed cut off text on Fight Corruption contracts.
• Added advanced features to the Ruler Designer: you will now be able to generate random appearances based on the selected Culture, only load Traits or Appearance from a saved Ruler, and decide whether to regenerate the Appearance when changing Culture.
• Added potential gold gained from mercenary contracts/interactions in the war overview for all participating landless adventurers.

[hr][/hr] While today's update should be fully compatible with existing save files, we encourage you to disable any mods and start a new campaign if you encounter any issue. If the issue persists afterward, then please submit a report via the bug report board on our official forums!

[ 2024-10-23 08:06:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dev Diary #158 Wandering Nobles Hello there! Its been a while since I wrote one of these, so I figured I could give a short presentation of myself. Im Joachim, one of the two Design Leads on CK3, and I have been around at Paradox on different projects since CK2s Holy Fury (my first DLC). Its my pleasure to present our last entry in Chapter 3, namely, the Wandering Nobles DLC. Discuss Dev Diary #158 on our forums!

Vision

As we set out to create this piece of content, our primary goal was to see if we could spend more time with the traveling system from Tours & Tournament. It was a system that was generally well-liked internally and externally, and we knew we would most likely be used a fair bit by adventurers (though exactly how that game loop would turn out was unclear at the time). We wanted to continue experimenting with it and see if we could add more content to it in different ways. Since I have seen some confusion about this, one thing to clarify is that the Wandering Nobles is not a Landless Adventurer DLC. It was made primarily for landed gameplay, and though much of it is also available to landless characters, they are not the pack's focus. In other words, this DLC will not have unique landless features, new contracts, or anything locked to the adventurer playstyle. Even though I will not go into detail about events, a plethora of new events are spread throughout the different features that will be detailed here, as well as a slew of new travel events. In this event pack, we tied them all into things the player will choose to engage with, see activities, lifestyle, and travel, rather than having them appear seemingly at random.

Lifestyle

Besides the traveling focus, what you can find in the pack is our first new lifestyle since the game's release. This avenue of content has remained almost untouched since the game was first released, except for adventurer-specific perks in Roads to Power, which we wanted to try and experiment with. It is set up like all other lifestyles in the game, with 27 perks split across 3 lifestyle trees, 3 focuses, 3 traits, and landless perk variants where needed. One essential philosophy of the new lifestyle tree is that we wanted it to be a tree where you had to engage with it rather than having it simply engage with you. In other words, there are fewer passive bonuses, and most bonuses are gained by engaging in travel or activities. In that sense, we tried to go for impactful effects and bonuses from the perks, but at an opportunity and gold cost. We will talk at length about the lifestyle trees and perks next week, but I wanted to give you a small look at what it looks like.

Activities

In the DLC, we have included three activities, each associated with (and unlocked by) one of the new lifestyle trees. They are intended to be about the size of the University Visit we introduced in Wards & Wardens, giving landed rulers more opportunities to travel through your realm or abroad. Two of the new activities are set in your realm, whereas one takes you outside your borders. When we created these new activities, one of our philosophies was that we wanted them to be deeply tied to each of the lifestyle trees, synergizing in different ways and playing into the strengths of the lifestyle tree. That way, investing in the lifestyle tree opens up an activity that lets you continue to build down that route. The first activity we will examine is Inspection, where you can choose to travel to a specific part of your realm to ensure that it is well-run. You will be able to decide what parts of realm management you would like to focus on, and if you travel to a border county, you might even get vassalization acceptance from neighboring rulers or claims on their lands.
Our second activity, the Monument Expedition, involves traveling to a distant city to see its sights. This allows you to visit specific places with Points of Interest, which youd previously have to drop by as you pilgrimage elsewhere.
The final activity, the Hike, is one where you can temporarily leave behind the stress of court life and seek the calm of nature. Shy characters, you poor souls who would desperately try to lose stress through feasts, I see you.

Battle Points of Interest

As a travel-focused pack, we wanted to include something new for the players to see as they traveled around the map. One I had wanted to include for a while was points of interest focused on battles. These new points of interest will come in two forms: dynamically created ones as particular battles happen on the map and historical ones set up from the start of the game. For the historical ones, we have some that can be seen in all our bookmarks and others that can only be seen in later bookmarks, like two related to the fight over England in 1066.

A Toast for Your Travels

One minor addition to this patch is a new building and court position, primarily for Catholics but accessible by anyone with a new cultural tradition. The building can only be built in Catholic churches by default, but in any city for those who choose to get the cultural tradition. It is intentionally made to have a fair number of county-wide bonuses rather than holding specific ones and opening the new Court Brewmaster Court Position for whoever is in charge of the county.

Until Next Time

That was all for this week. I hope you enjoyed this first look at Wandering Nobles. We will look in-depth at the activities and lifestyle perks next week. Until then, I figured Id show some of the new art we have in the DLC to tide you over.

[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-10-22 12:00:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Rulers! Today we are happy to announce the release date and final part of Chapter 3, Wandering Nobles! Building on the travel system introduced in Tours and Tournaments as a ruler, wander both your realm and beyond with the new lifestyle! Wandering Nobles will be released on Steam November 4th! Choose to set out for exotic cities and distant lands, or travel through your realm to ensure the prosperity and loyalty of your lands and vassals. Wandering Nobles Features include: - New Wandering Lifestyle with three new branches: - Inspector: Landed characters can survey and improve their realm, Landless characters can seek environmental specialization. - Wayfarer: Travel to reduce stress and pursue fame for your exploits. - Voyager: Improve linguistic skills and live the life of a tourist and sightseer. - New Activities designed for the new Lifestyle branches: - Inspection: Inspectors can examine their realm and pursue improvements - Hike: Wayfarers can reduce stress with a walk in the wilderness. - Monument Expedition: Voyagers can set forth to see special buildings in other realms - New Events connected to travel, the new lifestyles and the associated activities. Be sure to check back tomorrow, October 22nd, for our first diary on Wandering Nobles! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036

[ 2024-10-21 16:16:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a hotfix today to tackle a couple of issues reported since Update 1.13.1's release on Tuesday. Please check the changelog below. [hr][/hr]

Update 1.13.1.2 Changelog

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where certain religions couldn't properly appoint a Court Chaplain.
• Repairing artifacts as an adventurer should now work properly.

[hr][/hr] While we don't anticipate this update will break compatibility with existing saves or mods, we encourage you to disable all mods and start a new save if you encounter any issues after today's update. If the issue persists, then please post a thread on our bug report board.

[ 2024-10-10 09:46:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Governors and Gallivanters! We are happy to announce that our Crusader Kings 3 merch is finally being replenished! Now you can show your love for map painting, vassal arresting, and child banishing to all. Who among us wouldn't want to be readily identified as an ardent fan of the most vaunted of Grand Strategy RPGs? T-shirt? Hoodie? Both? Whatever weather the map brings, you will be ready. Visit our shop here, and let all of the realm know that you are a member of the Crusader Kings family*. May your realms prosper and your garments be the most fashionable across all of the land. *Warning, being part of our family might come with schemes, stabbings, and occasional poisonings.
[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-10-09 15:59:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a sizeable update today to tackle some balance and interface issues affecting Roads to Power and the associated 1.13x "Basileus" Update. Notable changes include reducing the maintenance cost of Akritai men-at-arms, ensuring that factions have at least one member who actually wants to be there, and a myriad of bug fixes. See the changelog below for a full list of changes. [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.13.1 Changelog

Balance

• Significantly reduced the maintenance cost of Akritai. Due to a math error, the cost was way higher than intended. Math is hard.
• Increased the AI weights for estate buildings slightly. The AI should hopefully construct new buildings more evenly between holdings and estate compared to before.
• Landless administrative characters can no longer use the Request governorship interaction on titles held by non-admin rulers.
• Changed the AI slightly for how likely it is to use the Adopt state faith decision.
  • Reduced the base chance and made zealous characters never wanting to do it, but added a few additional modifiers which increases the overall chance.
• Updated the Adopt state faith decision to be available to all vassals, regardless of government type, when the top liege has a state faith.
• Adjusted the AI acceptance for requesting a council position in exchange for influence to make it a bit more difficult to become a councilor.
  • The AI is now more reluctant to accept if your skill is significantly lower than the target councilor's, but is in return more likely to accept if you belong to a powerful family while the councilor does not.
• Instead of making it more likely for the AI to adopt administrative government if they have the hereditary hierarchy cultural tradition, the tradition will instead slightly reduce the AI's willingness to become administrative.
• Updated several cases of when administrative rulers are forced to change government in order to better transition into a government type you would expect. The government a character gets should be more consistent across the board as a result.
• Updated the cost logic in the Depose Governor interaction and how it uses Governor Efficiency to influence the cost.

Bugfixes

• Fixed the AI not upgrading more than one internal slot in their Domiciles.
• Fixed game lobby so you can create landless adventurers in theocratic or republic realms.
• Made sure that not every single member of a faction could have been forced to be there. You figure at some point someone would ask the awkward question if everybody actually wants to start a rebellion.
• Fix locked domicile building slot tooltip.
• Clarified The X path ascension tooltip to inform the player that the holy site used must also worship your faith.
• We now display how many marriageable characters a ruler has when using Make a request, including filtering out anyone they'd be unlikely to offer in marriage.
• Become an adventurer decision will now list all cultural traditions and faith tenets that unlock the decision, and not just the really cool ones.
• Fixed an issue where a diarch could become independent and be called co-co-co-co-co... and so on. This should hopefully no longer happen.
• Fixed the selected amount of influence in the request imperial expedition interaction not matching the threshold at which you can force your liege to accept. Now, if the liege doesn't have enough influence compared to how much you are spending, the liege will always say yes.
• The imperial expedition cb is now only visible in the list of cbs when you are the co-emperor.
• Corrected a niche issue where the increase county control contract could get into an infinite rewards loop if only one county was valid.
• Made sure the right ship models were used while traveling, instead of always falling back to the default ship model.
• The governance issue "Public Land" should no longer target dead characters. They've earned their final rest.
• Added a tooltip for the mandatory admittance fee to the chariot races.
• The Confirm governor decision now tells you what you'll get if your audience is accepted.
• Added a missing loc key label to the tooltip for offering a eunuch to someone you have a hook on.
• Corrected an issue where historically defined adventurers would sometimes be treated slightly differently in inheritance logic than dynamically created adventurers.
• For a bit of gold event will no longer offer you discounted upgrades only to fail to deliver them if your domicile could not build them.
• Corrected a minor temporal anomaly in the event loc for A bit of gold event.
• Corrected some minor issues in the populist faction copy for administrative realms.
• Added missing event option reasons for the head groom, kenneler, and chief engineer camp officers.
• Corrected an issue where the faith ascension events could refer to your own faith as flawed (which, naturally, it definitely, definitely couldn't be).
• Fixed a minor typo in the Abundant initiative eunuch event.
• Ransom cages now correctly unlock the abduct scheme for adventurers regardless of whether they have the appropriate perk or not.
• In administrative realms the most powerful noble family heads are now considered as powerful vassals
• Landed guardians will no longer travel to wards that are landless administrative rulers.
• Added reduce stress as a valid intent for attending chariot races, so that everyone can attend medieval nascar for something other than politics.
• Adjusted clan succession. Friendly and harmonious gave the player heir a smaller portion of your titles than intended (33% and 66% respectively). Values have been increased to 50% and 75%.
• Made the grant title blocker loc for giving governors a second title of their highest held tier a little more precise.
• The marriage window now informs you if you have vassals that would be upset by you marrying that attractive genius lowborn.
• Adventurers can no longer attempt to earn influence whilst attending chariot races.
• Added legitimacy-specific loc to whispers in the wind.
• Using adopt faith on your spouse/liege will now, if appropriate, open the cheaper & more beneficial adopt state faith decision window instead.
• Moved Hasan story cycle decision triggers to be visible at all times and grouped them into a new category.
• Enabled event on caliph death in the hasan story cycle to be able to progress the story on the assassins path even if the caliphate had no heir.
• Put in some extra exception logic to help stop co-emperors from occasionally silently invalidating out of their positions.
• Appointing someone your co-ruler now moves them to your court/retracts their sub-vassal status, if appropriate.
• Fixed an edge case where great conquerors who had either not killed anyone or killed someone not on the battlefield would have an inaccurate recollection of their first kill.
• Court positions that cost no upkeep for adventurers now correctly tooltip the reason they're free in their salary breakdown.
• Made it possible for bookmakers to be terrible by lowering their base aptitude slightly.
• Forced the bookmaker to stop tricking their employer. The chariot race cost reduction provided by said court position now correctly scales with their level of aptitude, as stated by the description.
• Now prevents war leaders from disbanding their armies, instantly losing the war. Secondary war participants are always allowed to disband their armies in their domicile location.
• The Adopt State Faith decision will now correctly tell you that the decision is unavailable when you are involved in an activity.
• Fixed a case of AI reasoning related to being a powerful vassal not showing the value of how much it affected the acceptance.
• Fixed the administrative "request council position" interaction to not refund any of the spent influence. It will now refund half the cost if the liege declines. Updated the description in the interaction to reflect it.
• Succeeding at impersonating as a tax collector as part of a landless adventurer contract will now properly grant the critical success reward.
• Fixed the explanatory loc string in the rustle animals contract to correctly refer to the actual event chain challenge it creates, rather than saying it'd offer a prowess scheme.
• Fixed a case of dead people being selected as heirs, which could cause various glitches on ruler death.
• Added the icon for governor efficiency to a number of places that were missing it, such as a number of character modifiers.
• Added a missing description for the "restored theme" character modifier.
• Fixed a grammar issue when attempting to change the administration of a theme when you don't have one.
• Added new text for the influence gained of being a co-emperor.
• When a scheme target is ambitious, the text will now specify that it is, in fact, the target that has the trait.
• Target's learning impact in the challenge status scheme now clearly indicates that it's the target's learning skill we are looking at.
• Fixed the cost of archery and duel tournaments if you have the militia camps or blacksmiths building, so it properly provides a 50% cost reduction rather than 10%.
• The encyclopedia entry about accolade attributes is now clearer and has no duplicate entries.
• Changed the amount of buildings at startup for estates, so they no longer grab locked slots in certain bookmarks.
• The barony window will no longer open for water tiles.
• Knight regiments will no longer be counted incorrectly in some tooltips.
• The expose secret window will now show the correct view.
• Displayed decision description in the first step of the recruit for a court position decision.
• Ensured that you can choose your own chaplain, instead of it being auto-filled, if you have ruler clerical appointment.
• Ensured you can use the "retire from governorship" decision in admin kingdoms.
• Fixed primogeniture succession for byzantium, if played by someone who does not have the roads to power dlc.
• Fixed a loc issue with a house feud event, when the last remaining member of the feuding house dies in your prison.
• Implicit claims from admin rulers have been disabled.
• Long reign opinion bonus now correctly scales on the ruler's dynasty's splendor instead of the vassal's.
• Made it more likely to show other loading screens besides the latest one.
• Tweaked medi study event scene illustration.
• Blocked characters from requesting a character to support themselves for an appointment.
• Baronies now have zero loot after a siege and will get the appropriate modifier applied.
• Included liege's noble family title in noble_family script lists if they have one.
• Fixed travel option tooltip data when they're shown outside of the travel planning UI.
• Fixed tooltip names for MaA belonging to mercenaries and holy orders.
• Clarified effect localization for adding and removing house modifiers.
• Barred the AI from marriage for the defined time period only if their liege or top liege is the player.
• On_end effects for court position tasks are now run if the court position is revoked or the holder dies.
• Added clarifying text to travel speed and safety game concepts explaining that a character's contribution can never be below 0.
• Fixed empty state text for imperial armies tab.
• Added error logging when trying to check prowess with highest_skill trigger which isn't supported.
• Fixed guardian being referred to as parent in smuggling sweets event.
• Fixed wrong legacy requirement in legendary watchtower build condition.
• Fixed broken text if your dog saves you in a murder scheme.
• Fixed potential for ludicrously large county list tooltip in a romantic revenant event.
• Trampled baker in maunds of wheat now added to kill list.
• Improved current situation log entry for debt when landless.
• Jizya status feudal vassal contract can now be used by lieges with the jizya or tax non-believer tenets once again.
• Fixed missing text in mentor in governance events if target was not a governor.
• Fixed capitalization in rites of passage: hair-shaving event.
• Added missing tooltip for cooldown for chief eunuch recruitment.
• Fixed empty random outcomes in I could do better! event.
• Fixed broken text in Admires Legitimacy message.
• Fixed broken text in the event Prisoner Escaped!.
• Fixed overflowing description in event to belong somewhere.
• Fixed a devoted follower camp temperament event option not adding agent to scheme.
• Fixed close-zoom map icon offsets.
• Fixed Message Settings correctly saving or discarding changes.
• Fixed message settings shortcut obscuring 2nd character.
• Expanded trigger to make sure the AI only stops supporting a character's candidacy for the top title when they don't want it, instead of doing it for all titles.
• The Governor trait is now called Governess for women.
• Raiding armies will no longer count as defenders when being attacked in settlements without forts by the owner of the settlement.
• Fixed issue where some agent slots would show up as empty in schemes for rulers.
• Fixed issue where landless adventurers wouldnt be able to raise armies in provinces they had occupied.
• You can no longer ask a candidate to support themself when using the Request Appointment Support interaction.
• Loyalty or Fear Event no longer assumes landless rulers have vassals.
• Fixed the issue of the AI literally ALWAYS auto accepting wars. They have been convinced that they have something worth fighting for after all.
• Fixed the tournament cooldown loc for Make a Request.
• Fixed the issue of eyelashes brightening by decreasing specular light.
• Added audio stinger when creating a legend.
• Added cultural context to the message when losing Culture Head title.
• Fixed knight regiments count in the top-right counter.
• Prowess is no longer included in the "Sum of skills" used for sorting.
• Fixed court position appointment tooltip for camp officers.
• Clarified that only personal artifact claims are lost on losing a duel.
• Fixed text issues in murder event "En Route" referring to terrain, which wouldn't refer to the terrain of the target's capital as expected, and instead use the target's location.
• Updated the description of a couple of triggers for Grant Appointment to improve clarity.
• Fixed an OOS where domicile buildings could get mixed up.
• Fixed some edge cases where Commanders could be raised as Knights and still keep commanding their armies, potentially making them appear in two different locations at once.
• Improved several game concepts and messages related to the Harrying.
• Fixed crash to desktop from travels when stars aligned with the moon while the moon is in a waxing phase. That is to say: fixed CTD when a travel plan is created from the on_action of an ending travel plan during the daily update while the list of active travel plans is at its exact capacity.
• Fixed a crash when holding trying to calculate the number of free building slots.
• Fixed rare crash from vassal contracts when attempting to load older save games.
• Fixed various issues related to the usurpation of admin titles.
• Petition liege no longer always results in gold and renown for feudal characters.
• Non-Temujin Genghis Khans no longer get a secondary education trait upon becoming Great Khan, which could happen if they had a non-martial education trait.
• You will now actually return the reclaimed artifact to the contract giver in the Reclaim Artifact contract.
• Reduced frequency of spectacles for Scholar camp characters by 75%.
• Byzantium should now give in to same-culture populist demands to change the state faith much less often, and never at all if the populists demand a change to another religion (such as from Orthodox -> Ashari).
• Fixed an issue where you could get stuck if you tried to travel whilst doing a contract.
• Fixed an issue where you could get stuck if you were imprisoned while petitioning your liege.
• Fixed an issue where same-sex characters could end up married in specific circumstances, despite the game rules saying otherwise.
• Fixed an issue where you could not get prisoners from sieges in wars.
• Fixed some issues with the history files around Byzantine lands for those who don't own Roads to Power.
• Added rain VFX to the event 'Shelter from the Storm'
• The 'A Worthy Chief Eunuch' event is now more likely to have one alternative of your culture and faith.
• Fixed Byzantine Throne Room being lost when forming Rome
• Fixed Roman capital being in Rome even if you formed Rome as Byzantium
• Nobles holding only their Family Title will no longer join factions due to the Byzantine Emperor not being their De Jure Liege.
• Filters in the Courtiers window now correctly affect both hired positions and empty positions.
• Fixed a Modifiers OOS on hotjoin
• We will now return your gold and prestige if you choose to postpone the "Travels of " decision when you get the follow-up event.
• Fixed an issue where the contract "Eager Explorers" could get stuck if the contract employer died while you were doing it.
• Removed duplicate script for scaling modifiers using influence levels. These modifiers should be using nothing but influence levels now.
• Fixed numerous issues with the Duchy Expansion CB. Rather than always attempting to take the title, it will primarily vassalize the target if possible, and only usurp the title when applicable. This fixes issues where you would not always get all of the targeted land. The duchy title will also be created if it isn't already, and you take enough land to have more than 50% of its de jure.
• The Naval Duchy Expansion CB didn't match one-to-one in functionality with its land based equivalent. This has been fixed and the Naval variant now behaves as intended.
• Solved a "Secrets" hotjoin OOS.
• Leaving or switching sides in a war that you'd contracted yourself to assist in no longer blocks you from contracting again
• Fixed a bug that would sometimes add a helmet crest without a helmet to court physicians who are also knights.
• Fixed OOS where domicile buildings would be mixed up.
• Fixed inappropriate artifacts sometimes being made for aniconic faiths.

Interface

• When traveling with a Domicile (such as a Camp) a 3D model of cart and horses are shown on the map
• We now show if a character has been forced to take part in a faction in the faction commitment screen, so it is clearer who wants to be there versus those who have been forced to be there.
• Added tooltips to a couple of buttons that didn't have any in the imperial armies ui.
• Fix collapsible groups for the domicile buildings overview.
• Added an option to write a custom message to yourself.
• Added a shortcut from messages to their settings.
• Add foldable groups to message setting filters
• Added an accepted task contract HUD icon.
• Revamped Duel Event window.
• Fixed bug with background in Activity Event Window shifting in size and not scaling properly.
• Added improvements to window header art textures and various general improvements.
• Added a dead icon next to jousting portraits if the character died.
• Added Domicile information to the outliner, allowing you to see ongoing constructions, income, etc. at a glance.
• Updated the name of the overview tab in the domicile window to include the name of the domicile type.
• Added a max width to the Diarchy label in the Relationships tab, in order to keep it from colliding with the Lovers label.
• Added a sorting option for Candidate Score, available as a sorting for characters in applicable interactions and list when playing as administrative.
• Fixed text issues in event health.3103 referring to chambers and not tents for adventurers.
• History, Claimants, and other windows anchored to the Title Window will now open further to the right as to not overlap their parent window
• Fixed the Grant Title to Vassal list entries being misaligned and having information outside the screen
• The landless mapmode now only shows the CoA instead of the full portrait when zoomed out.

History

• Added some extra landless adventurers in 1066 & 867.
• The universities of Bologna and Oxford are now constructed if you start a game in 1178.

Game Content

• Added a new map cart model for when you are moving your camp.
• Added a new game concept for provincial/thematic armies, to better explain some of their mechanics. for example when they are returned. Added links to it where appropriate.
• Added new events when you as an administrative ruler change government, to better explain why and when your government changes.
• Added a new effect to the mortal adoration perk in the intrigue lifestyle for admin, allowing rulers to request provincial troops from lovers.
• Added a new effect to the friendly counsel perk in the diplomacy lifestyle for admin, allowing rulers to request provincial troops from friends.
• Added a new decision for administrative government, allowing characters to renounce any and all efforts to gain the throne, preventing the ai from supporting you and significantly reducing your candidate score. this should make it vastly easier to avoid becoming the emperor when you don't want to, yet be valid to compete for governorships.
• Setting a new culture for a character now looks for a culturally appropriate name equivalent from the name equivalency scripted lists.
• Made it possible to override the background on interactions via script.
• Added rival relation to realm conquered adventurers.
• Updated the county trigger in the Adopt Centralized Administrative decision to show how many counties you currently have, to make it easier to know how close, or far away, you are from completing the requirement.

User Modding

• Added two new flavourization rules.
• Adds ability to define custom character sorting options per interaction in script.
• Add has_domicile_construction trigger to domiciles.
• Updated the info file for character interactions to include additional information.
• Removed old save game optimization in regiment chunks where if a regiment's current soldier count and max soldier count were the same, it would instead write it as size. Normally this would not be in change logs, but we know some mods rely on this information, so here you go.
• Added add_supply effect to army scope.
• Added subtract_supply effect to army scope.
• Added clear_supply effect to army scope.
• Added refill_supply effect to army scope.
• Added army_supply trigger to army scopes.
• Changed gui structure in the court positions window by combining the empty and filled court positions into the same list.
• Added defines for default fallback sounds for messages with one for each type

[hr][/hr] While today's update should be fully compatible with existing save files, we encourage you to disable any mods and start a new campaign if you encounter any issue. If the issue persists afterward, then please submit a report via the bug report board on our official forums!

[ 2024-10-08 13:04:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a small update today to address some issues reported to us by the community. Notably, this update improves performance when rendering character portraits, as well as adding an easier way to check the status of your current contracts as an Adventurer. If you encounter any issues after todays update, please check our Known Issues list and submit a bug report if your issue isnt already listed there. [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.13.0.4 Changelog

Bugfixes

• The game will now run expensive portrait script every few frames instead of every frame, to improve FPS.
• Fixed several triggers erroneously including Adventurers in the ending decisions for the Iberian Struggle, making them near impossible to succeed.
• Fixed recreating Byzantium via the Decision not setting the correct State Faith
• Fixed not being able to use interactions on Wanderers as an Adventurer.
• Removed unnecessary blockers for owning expansions on achievements that didn't warrant them.
• Fixed 'A Legacy to Last the Ages' Achievement not unlocking with newer legacy tracks.

Balance

• Adventurers can no longer use a hook to force faith conversion of landed rulers (that option was supposed to be restricted to lieges)

Interface

• Added a task contract icon to the bottom-right of the HUD, next to Schemes. It should be easier now to find and access your currently active contracts, to check their status or to abandon them.

[ 2024-10-03 08:04:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! Were releasing a small hotfix today to address some of the issues reported to us by the community since the release of Roads to Power and the 1.13.0 Basileus Update on Tuesday. Most notably, Adventurers have received a few balance adjustments to their military strength and income. If you encounter any issues after todays update, please check our Known Issues list and submit a bug report if your issue isnt already listed there. We hope this hotfix improves your enjoyment of new content! [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.13.0.3 Changelog

Balance

• Fixed an issue that would frequently cause adventurers using the Refill Men-at-Arms interaction to be told they were going to be charged significantly more gold or provisions than they were; this has meant removing scaling provision costs based on maximum army size, so the overall cost of refilling with provisions has been boosted by about 25% to compensate
• Rebalanced buffs to Adventurer MaA from officers and Buildings; they should now be much more consistent between unit types (moved additive bonuses to be multiplicative by-and-large) and on average lower. Adventurers will still be very powerful (esp. early on) but should not crush enemy armies into a fine powder with just a handful of upgrades.
• General contract gold rewards decreased by about ~30%
• Travel contract gold rewards decreased by about ~25%
• Crime contract gold rewards decreased by about ~16%
• The Settle Boundary Dispute contract had its gold rewards significantly decreased (~50%), due to it being so much easier than most other contracts
• Provision contract rewards decreased by approximately 1 tier:
  • 500 -> 250
  • 750 -> 500
  • 1250 -> 1000
  • 2000 -> 1500
• "Free Provisions" in the Visit Settlement decision has been nerfed
  • Halved the amount you would gain from trying to charm the salesmen
  • Halved the amount you would gain from trying to steal provisions
• The refund for aborting your Rite of Passage now matches the initial cost. Changing your mind should not conjure up gold and prestige from thin air.
• Nerfed the "Reinstated the Theodosian Borders" modifier gained from the decision to re-establish said borders. The Renown gain has been removed. It was, frankly, quite insane to give everyone in your dynasty a 10% boost. You'll gain a flat amount of Renown by taking the decision instead.
• Significantly reduced the amount of AI's willing to leave their realms behind to become adventurers, as it became almost impossible to manage a realm under some scenarios because your vassals kept packing their stuff up and leaving

Bugfixes

• Fixed an issue where loading an old save into 1.13 would cause armies to number in the billions
• Fixed an instance where the players Adventurer camp could get cleaned up because their heir wasnt cool enough, this should no longer happen and the player should be able to continue on their merry way!
• Fixed an issue where Bookmark adventurers wouldnt inherit from landed rulers properly (they would break free from realms rather than stay subjects as intended)
• Fixed an issue where your vassals would gain Strong Blackmail Hooks on you without you having a say in it
• Fixed some Administrative-specific events firing for non-Administrative rulers
• Fixed the issue with the lingering Eunuch story cycle, even after the Eunuch left court.
• Made sure you couldn't inherit any titles with the Gallivanter trait.
• Adventurers who win Crusades should now adopt a more logical government (more often Feudal instead of Clan)
• Fixed the 'Not Content to Serve' achievement not triggering when playing as Alexios (if youve already started a game as him before the update you need to restart unfortunately)
• Fixed a crash that occurs when loading old saves with mismatching provinces.
• Fixed guests showing up as blank agent spaces in the Agent selection window for Hostile Schemes.
• The estate/domicile window will now close rather than crash when the estate ceases to exist due to the character dying.
• Fixed the issue where you would occasionally try to settle down peacefully as the Champion of a Culture, and fail to receive any land.
• Ensured that you aren't petitioning your liege repeatedly in an infinite loop.
• You can no longer recruit a hooded figure infinitely from the tavern.
• You can no longer create Custom Rulers as Landless Administrative Vassals, as that would cause the game to crash.
• Fixed the issue where you could be asked if you wanted land in an Administrative realm, but not receive anything besides a Duchy title (and not transferring Counties), leaving you as a non-ruler
• Ensured that there is only one estate per Noble Family. This should also fix the issue where Estates could reset on inheritance.
• Fixed a crash when trying to calculate the number of free building slots in holdings.
• Fixed a crash in vassal contracts that could occur when loading an older save
• Fixed an OOS that could occur when Hotjoining
• Fixed the LotD soundtrack not showing in the Music Player

Interface

• The decision menu will now close itself when taking certain decisions; Visit Settlement, Gather Provisions, etc. This should make the flow smoother.
• The Relationship Reason icons will now be visible for other characters again in the relationships tab, so you can see the reason why two characters are friends, rivals, etc

[ 2024-09-26 13:09:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! Today we're releasing our Major Expansion for the year and the centerpiece of Chapter 3: Roads to Power. We're also releasing Update 1.13.0 "Basileus" alongside this expansion. Check out the release trailer below, and then a partial changelog under that. The full changelog is well beyond the limits of what we can fit into a Steam announcement, so check out our forums for a more comprehensive list of changes coming in today's update! [previewyoutube=ueVWWXG4JRg;full][/previewyoutube] Read the full 1.13.0 changelog on our forums!

Expansion Features (Paid)

• Added Administrative Government: A new government heavily inspired by the Byzantine Empire which introduces a completely new playstyle focused around the bureaucracy of a large realm.
  • Noble Families: Families are ranked and put into three categories depending on their overarching rating; Noble Families, Powerful Families, and Dominant Families, unlocking actions and various benefits as your family increases in importance.
  • Family Attribute: Set an attribute for your Noble Family, giving you a small bonus to all members of your house.
  • Influence: A new resource representing your political capital.
    • Earn it by scheming, landing your family members, being a successful governor, and, most importantly, constructing buildings in your estate.
    • Spend it on making your family members governors, or asking the emperor for various favors.
  • New Succession Law: Appointment - Spend your influence to put yourself and the members of your family first in the line of succession of the many provinces throughout the realm.
  • New Succession Law: Acclamation - Vie for control of the throne and become emperor. While skills, suitability, and family status is important, influence is the deciding factor in whether you will succeed in putting yourself, or someone else, on the throne.
  • Has access to Estates: A domicile type owned and controlled by the head of a noble family.
    • Upgrades and buildings provide valuable gold and influence income, and can be tailored to suit your own needs and playstyle.
  • Governors: Administrative vassals act as governors, making use of several new features:
    • Governor Efficiency: Based on a governors skill, they may increase or decrease the amount of taxes holdings provide, and the effectiveness of their Imperial Armies.
    • Governance Issues: On-map interactive pieces on content, issues appear for governors to solve or somehow address, gaining valuable resources and Governor Trait experience.
    • Governor Trait: A trait that represents a governors overall skill at governing. Experience is primarily gained by successfully solving Governance Issues, but older content has also been updated to provide experience whenever it makes sense, such as successfully reducing the impact of Plague outbreaks.
  • 14 Political Schemes: A new category of schemes custom tailored to Administrative gameplay - Such as teaching others to become better governors, or raiding the Estate of another family.
  • Imperial Armies: Recruit and maintain Men-at-Arms for titles.
    • All governors can maintain a provincial army by recruiting any available Men-at-Arms for their provincial title.
    • The liege has a unique access to armies, and can freely seize control of any available provincial army by spending influence.
    • Other governors may request provincial armies from their fellow vassals, assuming they have a valid reason and enough influence.
    • The efficiency of Men-at-Arms is affected by the respective governors Governor Efficiency.
  • New obligation types: Have your vassals govern their provinces in the way you want with six new obligation types, Balanced, Civilian, Military, Frontier, Navy, and Imperial.
  • Imperial Bureaucracy: A new law that replaces crown authority - Instead of individual levels of crown authority, the top liege of an Administrative realm sets the law level and all Administrative vassals will follow suit.
  • State Faith: Decoupled from the ruler, a state faith is the primary faith of a given realm, making it easier to convert vassals to the state faith, but more difficult to convert them away from it.
  • Reactive event content to the current state of the empire, the status of the emperor, and the nature of your governorate.
  • Confirm Governorship: An Administrative version of Pay Homage sees the Emperor bestow his grace upon Appointments.
  • Petition Emperor: Administrative vassals have new options for Petitions, including Gold, Family Governorship Appointments, and a bonus to House succession score.
• New Byzantine Throne Room - A spectacular throne room is made available for the Byzantine Empire (or any would-be conquerors of Constantinople!), including:
  • Marble floors and walls.
  • Stunning mosaics.
  • Mechanical roaring lions with slamming tails.
• Added historical artifacts for Byzantium: hydraulic organ, (half of the) statue of the four tetrarchs, and statue of a Roman woman.
• New Dynasty Legacy: Bureaucracy - A new legacy with a focus on Administrative gameplay, unlocking new buildings for the Estate, improving Governor Efficiency, improving political schemes, and more.
• Added new Chariot Race activity.
  • Host a Chariot Race to gain Legitimacy and Popular Opinion.
  • Place bets on your favorite team, and favored charioteer, in an attempt to win large amounts of wealth.
  • Interact with other nobles and governors, gaining influence, opinion, and more.
  • Make skilled individuals compete for you by appointing them to the Champion Charioteer Court Position, providing you with influence.
• Added an exclusive Map Table, that reflects the marbled luxury of Byzantium.
• New Men-at-Arms:
  • Ayrudzi - Light cavalry unit available to Armenians.
  • Conrois - Heavy cavalry unit available to Normans.
  • Akritai - Skirmisher unit available to Greeks.
  • Ballistrai - Archer unit available to Greeks.
  • Skoutatoi - Spearmen unit available to Greeks.
  • Varangian Guards - Heavy infantry uniquely available as special Men-at-Arms recruitable only as title troops for the Byzantine Empire.
• New Greek Cultural Traditions: These have a heavy focus on Greek flavor, adding new Men-at-Arms, decisions, Court Positions, and more, as well as having several tie-ins with the new Administrative government type.
  • Imperial Tagmata
  • Roman Ceremonies
  • Palace Politics
  • Cultivated Sophistication
• New Norman Cultural Tradition: Audacious Cadets.
• New Armenian Cultural Tradition: Indomitable Azatani.
• Flavor Content: a stable of misc events, mainly for Greeks but some available also for neighboring cultures. Traits like Beardless Eunuch (with genuine hairlessness!) and Despoiler of Byzantium. New interactions and decisions such as:
  • Castrate Kin
  • Offer Eunuch
  • Prepare Greek Fire
  • Found the Varangian Guard
  • Re-Establish the Theodosian Borders
  • Refound the Pandidakterion
  • Hold a Triumph
  • Reinstate the Grain Dole
  • Restore Greece
  • Ask for Support - seek military aid from the Catholics of Western Europe.
  • Evangelize the Pagans
  • Restore the Byzantine Empire
  • Establish Silk Production
  • Commission Icon
  • Commission Silk Regalia
• Splintered Crusade/Frankokratia: Catholic rulers can break their Crusade in two and redirect attackers in an assault against Byzantium. This unique war can destroy the Byzantine Empire, and begin a turbulent era as the new Latin Empire fights with Byzantine successor kingdoms.
  • Crusader and Byzantine flavor events.
  • Dynamic story cycle has multiple semi-historical outcomes and provides choices for both Byzantine vassals and victorious Crusaders.
  • New decisions for Latins and Greeks to switch de jure kingdom ownership back and forth.
  • Seize Imperial Duchy casus belli available to all rulers in former Byzantine lands: it provides special troops on attacker victory.
• Many new character assets to give the Byzantine Empire a distinct look:
  • 26 unique new variants of byzantine clothing for both male and female characters
  • 8 unique new variants of byzantine cloaks for both male and female characters
  • 22 unique new variants of byzantine headgears for both male and female characters
  • 12 unique new hairstyles for both male and female characters
  • 4 new beards for male characters
• Added 7 New Artifacts:
  • Statue of the Four Tetrarchs
  • Statue of Constantine
  • Statue of A Roman Woman
  • Tree Automata
  • Hydraulic Organ
  • Byzantine Icons
  • Throne of Solomon (Byzantine)
• Added 11 new music tracks
  • 01 Roads to Power - Main Theme
  • 02 Easter Prayers
  • 03 Knowledge from the Past
  • 04 Divine Mercy
  • 05 Greek Fire
  • 06 Ectenia
  • 07 Constantinople at Sunrise
  • 08 In the Name of the Lord
  • 09 A Journey to Adventure
  • 10 Awaiting Nightfall
  • 11 The Winds of Fortune
• Added Co-Emperors
  • Sufficiently powerful entrenched regents can, if their liege's title or culture would allow a co-emperor, forcibly appoint themselves as co-emperor.
  • Co-emperors and their senior emperors can now publicly scapegoat each other to the rest of the realm, sacrificing their relationship for influence.
  • Co-emperors may request (or coerce) a private despotate out of their senior emperor at a certain scales of power level.
  • Co-emperors may be blinded, castrated, disfigured, maimed, or killed to remove them from office they may likewise do this to their senior emperor to steal control of the empire.
  • Rulers able to have co-emperors can now (generally) dissolve powerful factions against them by appointing the faction leader as their co-emperor.
  • Administrative emperors with Roman Ceremonies may now raise one of their children as a nominal co-emperor, graduating to a full co-emperor on their majority.
  • Added Request Imperial Expedition interaction for co-emperors, allowing them access to a powerful cb to expand the realm's borders (_if_ their senior emperor is willing to risk it).
• Added Landless Adventurers, a new government focused on informal groups of characters (from small bands of scholars to large mercenary companies), allowing players to traverse the map and use the medieval world as a backdrop for smaller, character-focused roleplay.
  • Contracts: adventurers cannot easily obtain significant fixed incomes, so they have to earn their gold and prestige from serving landed rulers via contracts. These can consist of mercenary work, decisions, event chains, and one-off events.
    • Added 26 basic contracts.
    • Added 4 dedicated warfare contracts for starting different types of wars + the mechanics for getting hired as a mercenary in an on-going war.
    • Added 8 types of transport contracts.
    • Added 11 misc/reactive contracts.
  • Provisions: a new resource that adventurers require to travel across the map. As they travel, they deplete provisions (with the amount going up for some terrain types, as well as with the amount of Men-at-Arms they have).
  • Has access to Camps: a domicile type owned by the leader of each adventuring party. Buildings and upgrades focus on the culture and specialities of the group youve gathered, providing powerful bonuses representing your position as a powerful (yet scorned) outsider.
  • Several bespoke buildings are made available by your Camp Purpose
  • Switch between six Camp Purposes representing different types of adventurers, each with different unlocks and a little added flavor:
    • Travel the world as a Wanderer
    • Kill for money as a Sword-for-Hire
    • Teach as a Scholar
    • Sojourn to far-off lands as an Explorer
    • Commit many crimes as a Freebooter
    • Regain a lost throne as a Legitimist
  • Gallowsbait: adventurers that indulge in criminal acts will find that society no longer affords them the same respect a landed ruler would get. Petty crimes level up their gallowsbait trait, slowly making the world hate them.
  • All landed-specific lifestyle perks have been redesigned for adventurers, effectively giving them a (mostly) entirely new set of lifestyle perks to choose from.
    • The functionality for changing perk bonuses according to government is available for future vanilla use cases, as well as modding.
  • Many ways to become an adventurer:
    • A selection of historical adventurers can be picked from the ruler selection screen.
    • Adventurers can be custom made in the ruler designer.
    • Rulers that would otherwise game over due to losing all their land may become adventurers.
    • Various ways for minor rulers or unlanded characters to spontaneously become adventurers during gameplay.
  • Historical characters may appear in gameplay and become adventurers that players can switch to.
  • Many new interactions for adventurers to interact with the world around them, from requesting support to buying land to leaving wars.
  • Unlocked Iberian Struggle Offer Contract Assistance interaction for landless adventurers.
  • Added adventurer-specific Casus Bellis, unlocked by reaching higher Prestige Levels.
  • Added the Seize Realm scheme unlocked when reaching a very high level of Prestige, allowing you to seize an entire realm (while significantly destabilizing it).
  • A new micro-activity, the camp revel, that replaces feasting for adventurers.
  • Added special Men-at-Arms refill mechanics for adventurers.
    • They pay no maintenance on their armies, but do not refill them naturally. Instead, they have a brace of interactions that they can take to refill them in exchange for currency costs.
    • Successfully sieging holdings also returns a small amount of troops, enough for their armies to recoup most siege losses (and maybe a little extra) most of the time.
  • Added 28 camp officers, the adventurer equivalent of court positions (which they generally replace), most of which are unlocked by different domicile upgrades.
  • Added Visit Settlement decision, allowing adventurers to explore the holdings they pass through.
  • Added 7 new major decisions for landless adventurers:
    • Become a Great Conqueror
    • The [Your Faith Here] Path
    • The Travels of [Your Name]
    • Found a Holding
    • The Knight of the Swan
    • Champion Your Culture
    • Levy the Outcasts
  • Added various minor decisions alongside, including a small one for going fishing.
  • Added story content for:
    • Hereward the Wake
    • Hassan Sabbah
    • Wallada bint al-Mustakfi
    • El Cid
  • Added an interaction for expelling adventurers from your realm.

Free Features

• Added new game rules
  • Name of Byzantium - Dont like the name of the Byzantine Empire? Pick the name you like the most with several options available!
  • Added game rule for giving the historic ruler of Munster, Toirdelbach Mac Tadg, his rightful fiefdom (including becoming the player character if Murchad was selected; with credit to maniacal inc's thorough video on the subject for the switcharoo).
  • Added a game rule allowing manual determination of the Conquest of England's victor in 1066. If left to default, this will be overridden if Hereward is a player and no one else is playing a key belligerent.
  • Added a small slew of game rules for turning various arguably-administrative historical empires (plus the Carolingians, who only recently transitioned out of being administrative) into administrative empires, even if these realms aren't best suited to the mechanics of the government or already have their own distinct government flavors.
  • Added game rules to turn off the Iberian Struggle and/or Iranian Intermezzo mechanics, should you wish to play without them.
  • Added an optional game rule for restricting the creation of new empire titles neighboring/sharing a de jure with existing empires unless you have a stronger military, are married to their close family, or have a strong hook on them.
• Added a new start date, 1178, featuring two bookmarks: Call of the Empire and Swords of Faith.
• Added a grand city style event for visiting Constantinople while traveling.
• Added the Conqueror feature - rulers across the world can now be designated as a great conqueror, giving them special bonuses, content, and altering their AI behavior.
  • Conquerors switch over to a hyper-aggressive version of the AI, which is much faster to declare wars, can declare multiple wars at once, and invests all of their resources into warfare, Men at Arms, and means with which to declare more and better wars (such as hunt activities if theyre low on prestige and youve disabled their special bonuses via game rules, or taxation tours if theyre low on gold, etc.). They switch to the objectively best lifestyle focuses, use schemes in a very realpolitik way, etc.
  • Frequency, inheritance, and extra bonuses are fully customizable via Game Rules.
• Added Message Settings: customize notifications to your own liking to have them appear in the message feed, as toasts, or pop-ups.
• Added the Vassal Directives feature - You will now be able to give Directives to your vassals, presuming that they respect you!
  • Directives are either given from the character interaction menu, or via the Vassals tab in My Realm, the latter having the benefit of showing you the current directive. All government types can issue directives to their vassals - if you fulfill the triggers!
  • Administrative realms can give directives without the Vassal being able to refuse.
• Historical Characters can now appear across the map!
  • Historical Characters such as Hildegard von Bingen or Ibn Battuta will appear in their historical birthplaces and seek employment with the local ruler. Recruit them, or set them on their own path throughout the world!
  • Customize how youre notified of their appearance via a new Game Rule.
  • If you own Roads to Power, you can set out as an Adventurer as one of these characters should they spawn in your realm.
• Choose a New Destiny
  • When you die, you now get the opportunity to switch to another character of your Dynasty that is not necessarily your direct Heir. Our game is a dynastic simulator, and we want to unlock playing through more branches of your Dynasty!
  • Players will be offered up to three categories of Destiny characters: An Interesting Destiny, a Challenging Destiny, and an Adventurous Destiny. Each category aims to offer a different flavor. The last category specifically will allow you to go Adventuring, if you own Roads to Power!
  • You can also select a Favorite Child (direct child or grand-child), who will then always appear as a New Destiny character. They will not get any extra titles or gold - in fact their siblings might get a bit jealous of their favorite status.
  • For those who like to roll the Die of Fate - we have a special Random Destiny option with several random variants, to continue as any Dynasty character. It might still be your Heir, if that is what Fate determines.
  • You only get to Choose a New Destiny if you have a valid heir when you die. Securing your succession is an important part of CK3, and we want everyone to keep respecting that goal.
• Character of the Week: Each week a new character will be highlighted when you start the game, giving you information about them and a suggestion for goals to achieve!
• Music Player: Pick the track you want to listen to and customize which tracks to play
• Reworked the Scheme System
  • Schemes have been reworked to include several new parameters, affecting the overall success and progression of any given scheme
  • Success Chance: The current success chance of a scheme
  • Potential: The maximum potential success chance a scheme may get
  • Phases: Schemes have phases, where the length can vary between different types, which increases success chance and provides advantages with each completed phase
  • Secrecy: How likely it is a scheme is discovered over time and when the scheme is executed
  • Breaches: The number of time a scheme is discovered - Gain enough breaches and the scheme will fail
  • Advantages: Spend these to recruit agents and increase the success chance when the scheme is executed
  • Schemes utilizing agents now have dedicated agent slots - Each agent boosts the scheme in different ways
  • Basic schemes only have a success chance and a single phase - Usually with a longer duration - Sway is an example of a basic scheme
  • Updated characters portrait animations in older scheme events
• Added 19 new Special Buildings
  • Etchmiadzin Cathedral
  • Cattolica di Stilo
  • Cilician Gates
  • Church of Saint Lazarus
  • Church of Saint Sophia
  • Despots Palace
  • Hagios Demetrios
  • Hosios Loukas
  • Jvari Monastery
  • Kassiopi Castle
  • Maidens Tower
  • Meteora
  • Mount Athos
  • Patras Castle
  • Saint Catherine's Monastery
  • Sant'Apollinare Nuovo
  • Sumela Monastery
  • Temple of the Theotokos
  • Troglodytic Settlement
• Added co-monarchies for king+ feudal rulers, a permanent diarchy type that allows early access to designate heir in exchange for opting into one
• Added new Achievements:
  • The Old Man of the Mountain
  • Band of Brothers
  • Mio Cid
  • Birthright
  • Historically Inaccurate
  • Quantum Leap
  • Regnum Dei
  • New Management, same as the Old Management
  • Rags to Riches to Rags to Riches
  • Tamar Mepe
  • Despoiler of Byzantium
  • Chaos is a Ladder
  • Epic Paperwork
  • Against the Odds
  • In Good Estate
  • It's OK, I Got a Permit
  • Despotic
  • Byzywork
  • Not Content to Serve
  • Started from the Bottom now we're ERE
  Plus much, much, MUCH more. Check our official forums for the full changelog! [hr][/hr] Roads to Power is the culmination of more than a year of development, and we sincerely hope you enjoy playing it. If you encounter any issues after todays update, please disable all mods and ensure youre playing on a fresh save file. If the issue persists, then please submit a bug report either via our Community Support board here on Steam or via the Bug Report board on our official forums.
  
  [ 2024-09-24 16:14:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome comrades! Im Wokeg, and today well be going over some of the upcoming changes to the scheme system, as well as some of the story content were adding for a few lucky landless adventurers this DLC. My word count is going to be restricted in this Dev Diary because Community says that if I cant edit myself down, theyll edit it for me. Please send help. [CMs note: Woe, word-count limit be upon ye.] Discuss Dev Diary #157 on our forums!

Schemes

Alright, those of you who are paying attention will have likely seen the reworked schemes interface in several previous dev diaries what have we done here, and why have we done it?
[The new intrigue window, with a murder scheme spinning up] Put simply, we felt the old scheme system was a bit too random. Its difficult to conduct political machinations when the machinery by which you politic is more of a catapult than a crossbow. Itd rarely be practical to have a foe murdered on a strict timer (say, for war or a timely inheritance), but more than that, it was very binary. You could either almost definitely pull a scheme off, or it wasnt even worth attempting, with a very small middle ground for maybe-worthwhile schemes. This wasnt helped by most positive aspects of a scheme being strongly positively correlated, so if your chance of doing it at all isnt high, then youll likely also be slow and lacking in secrecy. Likewise, when on the receiving end of a scheme, you were generally either completely safe or utterly screwed, with no real room for manoeuvre or concern due to changing circumstances and enemies. If Ive got good intrigue and my spymaster likes me, you aint murdering me. What we wanted to do was to significantly widen the gap in the middle between schemes done the second I start it and scheme isnt even worth attempting, making it easier to both murder and be murdered by allowing characters to invest resources other than intrigue and gold in their schemes, as well as making agents more individually meaningful. The idea has been to give you more precise tools and interactivity within schemes, without notably increasing the micro required to conduct a basic one.
[An adventurer contract scheme] Early on in development, we had actually intended for most of what adventurers do to be different varieties of schemes that would require vastly different characters as agents. This didnt turn out quite how wed hoped, so we iterated, and eventually pivoted away from it to the current contract model a few scheme contracts are still scattered through adventurers, though, theyre just not the only thing they do.

Making Agents People

We wanted to get away from agents as faceless masses of people who hate a schemes target and little else. Most of the time, you dont even know whos in your scheme unless theyre a victims spymaster. Instead, we wanted agents to be generally just a few people who you pick carefully, fitting the right characters to the right job. What weve done to accomplish this is reduce the number of agents you get down to a general max of around 5, and give them each a specific role in the scheme, their agent type.
[The tooltip for an agent type, the Footpad, which makes schemes faster] These roles all boost some aspect of the plot, so one might help it go faster, another helps keep it secret, and a third helps increase success chance. Different agent types have different requirements, so not every character is a good fit for every role, and different schemes have different agent types available.
[The tooltip for an agent type, the Assassin, which increases a schemes maximum success chance] At the start of a scheme, you choose which broad type of agents you want to focus on from a set of several packages, generally selecting between focusing on success chance, focusing on speed, focusing on secrecy, or going for a balanced mix. We initially trialled adding agents randomly over time from event options, letting the player select between two choices, but this proved frustrating and micro-intensive, so we moved away from it and towards the current system of pre-defined groups.
[The new murder interaction window] What we hoped to create here was a situation where you might have different specialities within your scheme based on who you could get to join it, as well as be able to configure the same scheme type in different ways for different purposes heres my speed-focused murder scheme, were gonna get the job done and fast but it wont be quiet, that type of thing. In order to humanise them a bit more, weve also added a smattering of agent-specific (rather than scheme-specific) events. These let them have interpersonal conflicts, learn on the job, or bond over common hatreds, as well as dole out rewards for selecting agents that work well together and punishments for doing things like putting two nemeses in the same plot and asking them to work closely together.
[An agent event] Lastly, we do still have an auto-invite agents button, so you dont have to micro-manage agent adding if you dont want to. The button wont always grab the best person, and it wont help you with bribes or anything, but if someone would be easy enough to murder, itll do the job.

Agent Acquisition

Agents can now come from a broader pool, too; this changes a bit per scheme, but notably you can often bring in your own courtiers and vassals to help you conduct illicit business abroad, making intrigue-focused realms better able to wage war from the shadows without depending entirely on their targets weaknesses.
[Inviting an agent to a scheme, with many new bribes pictured though not all] In order to lure in better possible characters, weve added many new types of bribes besides hooks and gold: if you really, really, _really_ need someone dead, well, you can empty your treasury, expend your good word, maybe proffer land or use your schemes progress to sway them.

Anatomy of a Scheme

Other than agents, the other big change weve made is to scheme progression. Under the old system, a scheme had a random chance to progress every X months. This could be very slow and ponderous, and meant that (barring event content interference) you could not murder someone in less than ten months, regardless of your own skill or how much people hated them. Your chance to succeed was also largely fixed outside of adding more agents. You plod through the progress bar chunks, then you execute the scheme. Under the new system, your success chance starts out low (sometimes below 0%, especially for higher tier targets), and grows over time up to a maximum. Instead of having a progress bar with discrete chunks, your speed determines the interval of time it takes to gain a boost of success chance. Every time you complete one of these phases, you gain an advantage point: you can use these to help you recruit agents and a certain amount are required to execute a scheme. This means that you: Start with a low chance to succeed (exactly how low mostly depending on the target). [olist]

Grow your actual success chance by a certain amount every phase (exactly how much is mostly determined by your intrigue skill).

Can increase your speed, giving you faster phases, by adding the right agents.

Increase your maximum success, your schemes potential, by adding the right agents.

The general idea is that high intrigue will very much aid you in speedy, stealthy kills, but strong agent composition is needed to get to the finish line reliably. Scheme potential is tied extremely heavily to agents, having a base of only 30%, so you cant do schemes by yourself reliably. [/olist]
[The tooltip for a schemes current success chance, showing how much has been gained over time] TL;DR = theres a bar for success chance that grows over time, you affect how the bar grows over time and to what level, and you decide when you want to risk an ending.

Secrecy

Since the new system makes schemes, on average, much shorter, weve also increased the frequency with which theyre detected. Theres a grace period of about six months, and then after that, a low chance to be detected monthly. To help you make an informed choice about whether its worthwhile executing a scheme early, weve formalised the old system of segmented scheme discovery into a simple number that you can see in the interface, your schemes breaches. Every time your target gets a notification about your scheme, whether it be rumours of someone plotting to kill them or an agent rooted out or the actual scheme being exposed, that constitutes a breach. When you hit the maximum number of breaches, your scheme is automatically destroyed.

Execution

Once youre ready, you execute (most) schemes manually. If youve accrued excess advantages, you can use them to boost your scheme success even further here. After you execute, the scheme proceeds just like it used to.
[Schemes may now be executed manually, as pictured] This lets you make a meaningful choice on when to finalise your plans: is 60% success good enough if this dude is bearing down on me with an army? Can I simply murder a rival commander or troublesome spouse? How many breaches can we afford before discovery? Likewise, weve done some magic behind the scenes to make the blocking of different types of murder a bit more consistent. The mechanics of this are a bit specific, but in short, rather than the prior system of determining which murder method was being used then looking to see if the victim had anything that might block it (which made balancing murder blocks virtually impossible), we roll two flat checks. One to see if theyve got a one-use murder blocker (e.g., a dog throwing itself in front of the knife) and then pick the highest from that list and one vs. repeatable murder blockers (e.g., bodyguards), which takes a sum of all repeatable chances to a max of 75%.

Countermeasures, Odds, & Basic Schemes

Another thing about schemes as-is is that you cant really do much about them. You can replace your spymaster (if you didnt hire the best one you could before unpausing on day 1), and you can set them to Disrupt Schemes (if you werent already just defaulting to that). To complement a more varied scheme system with more tools to interact with it from the schemers side, weve added scheme countermeasures. These provide ways to proactively oppose hostile schemes, acting a little bit like council tasks. Their benefits are varied and excellent for buying time, but each also comes with severe drawbacks that mean you dont want to have one toggled on for long without good reason.
[The various countermeasure focuses] If you suspect someone is plotting to murder you or seduce someone you dont want seduced, countermeasures can give you a solid way to oppose them in the short to medium term at the cost of potential eventual instability. All countermeasures come with different tiers, generally unlocked by religious tenets or cultural traditions, though sometimes traits help too. These generally lower the penalties and increase the effects, meaning that some cultures, faiths, and just people are better able to resist scheming than others.
[A specific countermeasure, reducing opposing secrecy drastically for a significant cost] Odds replace the old scheme chance prediction they dont give an exact value, because thats very difficult to successfully build with the new mechanics, but they give a general idea of how likely a scheme is to succeed.
[Sway, a basic scheme, still uses simple mechanics] Basic schemes are what weve done with schemes that dont have agents: they have a simple success chance prediction ala the old system, and one long phase after which they execute automatically. We actually did experiment with adding agents to all schemes initially (even sway and seduction), but this proved very unfit for purpose during play-testing, so we created basic schemes as a way to allow plotting without all the extra clicks of the new agents system. [hr][/hr]

Stories

Coming up this DLC, weve got some pre-scripted historical story content for four of our new landless adventurer characters. Unless Im very much mistaken, this is CKs first venture into this type of thing since Charlemagne aaaaallll the way back in CK2, and Im sure some of you are curious as to why. As people came over from the Legends of the Dead team to Roads to Power, we had a bit of a grey zone whilst they were onboarding to working on a different DLC. We took a bit of a risk, and asked some of them to try making story content for our more famous landless adventurers we had some really cool people lined up, and couldnt easily represent why without giving them some bespoke mechanics (is it really Hassan Sabbah if you dont found the assassins? Can you call Hereward Hereward if he never murders a Norman?). That just sorta ballooned into this experiment into narrative content. As a result, we ended up with narrative content for four characters:

• El Cid
• Wallada bint al-Mustakfi
• Hasan Sabbah
• Hereward the Wake

The size of this content is unevenly distributed, because the people making it had drastically different amounts of time given. We initially assumed everyone would get a very small amount of time to make just a little bit, which is what happened for El Cid, but then we found a bit more time for the person covering Hasan Sabbah, two designers collaborated (one from a different game team offering some spare time) on Wallada, and Hereward just absolutely swelled in scope, because the designer allocated was able to spend much more time on him than expected. We didnt prioritise who got the most story content based on anything at all, it just worked out that El Cid got a light touch whereas Hereward got a whole sub-system.
[The new adventurer bookmark] All story content is optional, so if you dont want to engage in it, you dont have to.

El Cid

As El Cid, youll go through a small chain representing his travails through Iberia after being exiled by his foolishly-misled lord, King Sancho the Strong of Castille. As you progress, you will get opportunities to demonstrate your loyalty or assert your independence. If you remain steadfast and resolute even in exile, King Sancho will doubtless eventually welcome you back to the fold (assuming he lives), though a more ambitious Rodrigo may set his eyes on the prize of Valencia in the south. El Cid also starts with many of his historical friends and family, like Alvar Fanez & Martin Antolinez, as well as his uncle, nephew, and mother. Alas, in 1066, he is not yet married, though his future wife Jimena de Oviedo is yet available to romance and elope with from her brothers court. He begins as a Sword-for-Hire, and has plenty of work for him amidst the Iberian Struggle.

Wallada bint al-Mustakfi

Wallada is the last of the Umayyads in 1066, daughter of Caliph Muhammad of Andalusia, and inheritor of a great legacy and great wealth. Historically, she spent her life writing poetry, tutoring women at a school she founded, and generally causing consternation in her home city of Cordoba. She never married, nor did she have children, though she did take a broad variety of lovers, making her something of an eccentric by the standards of her time. As an adventurer, her story content revolves around securing an adopted child, tactical use of seduction and romance, and writing and selling poetry in order to level up both her unique Violet Poet trait and the Double-Moon Tome (an artefact collating her works). She can also found a literary salon for the ages in a county of her choosing, once she has acquired suitably talented courtiers. Wallada begins as a Scholar with ample starting gold and a decent prestige level. As she is quite old in 1066, her story may be inherited by her chosen successor and played for an additional generation.

Hasan Sabbah

Hasan Sabbah is not a particularly religious teenager in 1066. He is, however, about to become one after a chance encounter with an Ismaili preacher, he finds himself radicalised and set on a path to found the deadly Hashashins, eventually becoming the legendary Old Man of the Mountain. As an adventurer, his story content lets him fast-track the religious conversion of counties. By doing so, he will eventually be summoned to Egypt, convert once more to Nizarism, and then take on the fierce might of Seljuk Persia. With the people of the land behind him (or not, depending on how conversion goes), Hasan tries to lead a revolution against the Sunni Turks. Eventually, he may found the Assassins, leaving them in a mountain fastness to defend all good Nizaris going forwards. Hasan starts play as a Scholar, though given the nature of the work set out before him, he may not stay one for long.

Hereward the Wake

Hereward begins exiled to the continent, but unless theres a player involved in the Conquest, he wont stay that way for long. The decisive win of William of Normandy puts a Norman yoke on English necks, and begins the elaborate mechanics of the Harrying of the North, where Hereward, William, Norman invaders, and Anglo-Saxon lords compete to pacify or incite the countrys populace to revolt against the new status quo. As he kills Normans and rallies the locals against their attacker, Hereward levels his unique trait, becoming a better and better guerrilla fighter in his native fenlands in the east of England. Hereward begins play as a Freebooter, and history could hardly describe him as anything else.

Smaller Stories

Weve also got a smattering of smaller pieces of story content available Prince Suleyman Qutalmishoglu, another bookmark character, has a small introductory event where he chooses how to react to his exile in the mountains of Cilicia
Basileus Basileos has an introductory event featuring the (early) murder of his predecessor and a tie-in to the Many Roads to Power comic
and Siward Barn has a small chain forking off of Herewards content where you can go on to found the colony of New England in its natural, rightful, obvious place the shores of the Black Sea.
Right, and that about does it for our final dev diary before release. Next week will be the release of Roads to Power itself! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-09-17 12:02:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello there! Weve got some new stuff available for you to tinker with and Im happy to have the honor of presenting it for you! Im Jens, the programmer behind the Barbershop upgrade and Message Settings. But first I want to talk about Domiciles, the system behind Estates & Camps. Discuss Dev Diary #155 on our forums!

Domiciles

When building the feature, I made it in close collaboration with artists, designers and UX. Nobody wanted to work with another activity locale window again. So gathering the learnings and feedback, I wanted to make it as easy as possible for anyone to set the amount of building slots, their positioning or size and appearance based on triggers, all while having it updated by hot reloading in real time.

Domicile Slots

To get some terminology out of the way, we decided on 3 different domicile building slot types:

• Main: The building slot of your home building. It differs from the external slot in that its building is auto-constructed at start for free and is indestructible. Otherwise its handled just like any other external building slot. We decided on one main slot per domicile type, but there is no cap so technically you can add as many as you want.
• External: The visual building slot you see as you open the window. It has 4 states: locked, unlocked, under construction and constructed. Clicking an unlocked slot opens the building panel where you select what building you want to construct in the slot. Theres a new character modifier domicile_external_slots_capacity_add which sum determines how many extra slots are unlocked.
• Internal: For Estates we added internal building slots for its main building and for Camps we put them in the external buildings, but it's not enforced so any external building can host internal slots. They share the same 4 states as external slots even though it's visually presented in another way.

[Highlighted external building slot states of the Camp]
[Highlighted internal building slots of the Estate]

Domicile Types

With Roads to Power we add Camps and Estates as two new domicile types. What domicile type to use is set per government type. Each domicile has base_external_slots which sets how many slots always are unlocked before the domicile_external_slots_capacity_add modifier is applied. In the domicile_building_slots array you define the amount of external building slots the domicile type has. Because its an array youre free to add as many or as few building slots as you like. Camps have fewer building slots than Estates so we made its artwork slightly bigger to get the zoomed in feeling. For each slot you can define if its main or external, its position and size and what image to select for the empty and under construction slot states (meaning each slot can look unique if you so wish).
[Database of domicile type displaying how the array of domicile building slots is defined] The order of definition is only relevant when drawing the slots on the screen as the first items will appear behind the last items of the array. In the above example you can see we have several empty_slot_asset defined where slot appearance is selected by a trigger depending on current location. Make sure to have at least one empty_slot_asset and one construction_slot_asset per slot to cover the states. The background of the window is selected in the same manner by defining domicile_asset that will pick the first triggered match starting from the top.
[Database of domicile type showing how window background is selected using triggered domicile assets] If a domicile type uses provisions or not while moving is determined by a bool. Whether the domicile type will have a followers window and handle follower temperament will automatically be enabled if you start adding domicile_temperament_low_modifier or domicile_temperament_high_modifier.

Domicile Buildings

[Example building of the domicile building database] Some things in the above example are self explanatory but other parts are not that straightforward.

• allowed_domicile_types: This is an array defining what domicile types this building will be available for. If not specified this building wont show up anywhere.
• previous_building: Is arguably the most complex as setting what building comes before this is what the upgrade tree structure will be based on. It is fully dynamic so you can make the tree as simple or as complex as you wish regardless what slot type the building is.
• slot_type: This determines in what slot you may construct the building. Note that setting the previous building of an internal building requires its predecessor to either also be an internal building or being the base building of an external or main building track. Internal buildings cannot be base buildings so all internal buildings require a previous_building.
• internal_slots: Defines how many internal slots this building hosts regardless if its an external or main building. (Please dont add internal slots to internal buildings as that would start getting silly).
• asset: Works just like assets for the domicile types and may be selected by triggers as well.

Not shown above we also have can_construct trigger and on_start/on_cancelled/on_complete effects.
[Picture of a more complex tree structure. Note you wont find this particular building in the game]

Decision Groups

As you might have noticed in some screenshots we have structured the decisions window into collapsible groups. What decision belongs to which collapsible group and in what sort order is fully moddable.
[Displaying decisions sorted into collapsible groups] The only thing you have to do is to set decision_group_type = on the decision to have it show up within a specific collapsible group. The keys are defined in the decision group types database.
[Displaying decisions sorted into collapsible groups] We use gui_tags as an arbitrary string to check for within gui files changing how they should be presented and you can easily append with your own in the same manner if you want a unique look.

Message Settings

To talk about this I also have to reveal some updates to Message Settings we will ship later with the patch.
[Picture of the Message Setting window in the patch version]

Message Filters

Each message can define its own message_filter_type to be handled as. These filters are defined in a separate database. In the filters database you can set the default behavior of messages of the filter. You can set its display type, always_show if it never can be hidden, auto_pause by default and finally the collapsible group it will belong to. All but the always_show would get overridden as a players starts changing their own settings.
[Example of the Message Setting Filter database]

Message Groups

Works exactly like decision groups mentioned above, but without the gui_tag functionality.

Message Settings Patch Updates

Added shortcut on each message, quickly locating their respective filter.
[Image of shortcut icon on a toast message to its message settings filter] This one is from Joror: Added text field to search through your message filter list.
[Text search field for message filters] And as a parting gift requested by Mindel in a previous dev diary I present to you: Custom Messages! Giving you the ability to write messages to your future self reminding you about things of importance.
[Screenshot displaying the Custom Message feature] [hr][/hr]

Development Tool Improvements

Hiya, this is Joror - programmer on CK3 - I have been a modder myself before my Paradox days, and was also part of our central GSG Tools team before I joined CK3. So you can say that I have experienced our dev-tools from many different angles! Developing or modding any grand strategy game can be an overwhelming task, given the sheer amount of systems and visualization layers that work together to create a believable world. But we can help ourselves by improving the weapons that we have to wrangle this beast - our development tools. The modding community knows this all too well. (And often it has created better tools than the dev teams themselves. You do outdo us often, but you do outnumber us as well.) We have improved a number of the in-game dev-tools during the development of this expansion. And as a modding-friendly game, you get to use them too! Here is a probably-not-complete overview.

Object Explorer

A tool often used to check out what is going on in the simulated world while it is running; we tweaked its UX a bit. To access this tool you can run explorer console command. You can also open the Inspector part of it by ctrl-alt mouse clicking any portrait. Improvements:

• Made the edit input box bigger
• Added provider name to title of dockable
• 'Save as Default' also remembers size and position of the object browser window
• Object Browsers 'stack' when opened on top of eachother
• Object Inspector will now always open to the right of the Browser window instead of on top of it
• Hitting ctrl-enter while typing in the text box will auto-apply it
• Bugfix - Alt-Tab no longer kills half your typed text in the text box

[The Object Browser with more information and bigger input fields]
[Picture of several stacked Object Browser window, also demonstrating it remembers a Default size and position]

Script Debug Logs

That honker of a text file called `errors.log` - it is usually filled with messages of shame from a strict and mysterious machine overlord. We have cautiously convinced it to perhaps tell us a bit more than Error on line 0. Improvements:

• Scripted effects/triggers state their actual line-number instead of the 'relative' line-number
• Scripted effects/triggers state their full file name
• Multi-line script errors go "last-to-first" instead of "last, first-to-last" (they're now in an order like most stack traces)
• Script file lines mention extra context in (...) behind them - the name of the object they were in, with potentially their sub-part
• Mean-time-to-happen script calls now actually put their script location in the logs too
• A bit of extra indenting for visual clarity

[The same error reported in the old log style and the new] We also now follow script-execution-chains through more layers. More verbose, but ultimately easier to track down where things went wrong. For example with events triggering other events:
[A long chain of script calls, from a hold_court_decision initial call, all the way through a series of triggered events]

Localization Syntax Checker

Almost all of the text of our game lives in a large amount of .yml (sort-of YAML) text files. We call these files and their entries loc - after localization - but theyre also responsible for our text-formatting, and they can call Data script functions as well. A complex database, where it is easy to make a small mistake that goes unseen. Until spotted by our talented translators, or our very observant player base. Improvements:

• Added a high-level localization syntax checker at game startup on all localization keys of the current language (when in debug mode)
• Checks for extra / unterminated loc symbols `[...] (...) $...$ '...'`
• Checks for invalid usage of Text replacement within Data functions
• Other loc-key replacements via `$...$` can now also apply formatters via `$...|u$`
• Escaping single quotes in `$...$` can be done via a new formatter `q` : `$...|q$` - youll see a bunch of our localization has been tweaked to add this.

Various improvements

• The map debug menu buttons work again in our release version (they still worked in our internal development builds, but modders brought this to our attention)

[Map debug menu - all these button now again do things, nice for streamers and modder that want to enable/disable visuals]

• The Script Profiler (originally from Victoria 3 ) has been ported to CK3!

[The script profiler at work, showing us how much time was spent on various script statements]

Various AI Watch Window Changes

One of the tools at our, and modders, disposal is the Watch Windows. Some of these are receiving some minor improvements. First improvement to speak of is the AIWatch window, which contains various information regarding some of the AI logic and how the AI considers things like marriage, activities and relevant to this entry: available casus belli. One of the improvements weve made to the AI is that they will now consider a rulers military power rather than their military strength. Allow me to clarify the distinction: strength is the raw numbers a ruler has, no matter what troops they are. All military calculations up until now have been based on this. Power is a more accurate representation, in that it combines a regiments combined damage and toughness and multiplies that with the strength of the regiment. The short of it is: the AI now knows that levies are much weaker than MAAs and Knights when both declaring wars and picking battles. To make it easier for ourselves when investigating how the AI picks available casus belli, we are exposing the AIs power calculation, and the power they estimate other rulers to have. It is important to note that this calculation is affected by the rulers personality when targeting administrative realms, such that a craven ruler will overestimate a targets power, while a bold ruler will underestimate a targets power; a craven ruler will assume all governors operate at peak efficiency, while a bold ruler will assume them all to be useless administrators barely fit for office. These calculations can now be seen in the AIWatch Window in the Casus Belli section.
[AIWatch Window with military power in the CB tab] Furthermore, while in debug mode, the military strength tooltip in the character window will also show an entry for the rulers military power. Next is an improvement to the AI War Coordinator Watch Window. While this is not a window that helps modders too much, as the items shown within are more relevant to us who have access to the source code, it can be of worth for those who modify the strength of levies and knights.
[AI War Coordinator Watch Window] While rarely relevant for modders, the ai war coordinator watch window can be of value when modders change the calculus of war by modifying the strength of levies, men at arms and knights, to see if their tweaks have the desired effect on strength on the sides of war. The military power information is also available in the character window when in debug mode.
[Character Window showing Our Military Strength tooltip with debug mode enabled]

Warfare Modding

Retiring [strike]some of[/strike] !warfaremodding

New modders often ask the question: can I mod armies and regiments? For the longest time we have not allowed any sort of warfare modding to the point where our modding community has had this little command on their Discord server, first proposed in 2022.
[CK3 Mod Co-op !warfaremodding command proposal and first use] Now we retire some of these points. We are adding a whole suite of effects and triggers that affects regiments. Yes, we are making regiments a scope and various ways to access them. Youll now be able to create, destroy, change size of, and add troops to regiments from script. Lets look at the refill_maa_with_provisions_effect as an example where one of them is used.
[Warfare modding example with change_maa_troops_count] Another thing were adding with Roads to Power is dynamically changing commanders in battles. While not directly moddable, this does mean that one can add temporary modifiers to commanders to swap them around.

Starting wars never was easier!

The start_war script effect has some downsides because you have to specify exactly which war you want to start, and you might not know which Casus Belli and targets might be available to a character. Troublesome. You will have to wait for the general AI war background process to kick off a war you want to start. So to give our script a bit more power, we have added a new complex effect called ai_start_best_war, which can be used only for AI characters. It will go through all the valid wars a character can start at this moment, and gives you the opportunity to select them via the is_valid trigger. Out of all the wars selected this way, the effect will start the one with the highest AI score. (as determined by the regular AI scoring mechanism for wars, which is a combination of a code-based score and script-based ai_score calculation on Casus Belli) The outcome of the effect can be further acted on by its two sub-effects: on_success and on_failure. It is a key component of how we made characters with our new Conqueror trait extra aggressive!

Music Player

The contents of the music player are moddable. For those who're already modding music into the game, there's just a few more steps you have to do in order to have the songs show in the music player. We add the Music tracks we wish to put into the Music Player into categories. To do this they must be implemented with the following files structure:
[Music Player Modding directories] The music.txt files contain information on the tracks themselves, and in order to have them localized they all must have a name = loc_key field. Example:
[music.txt entry example for music player modding] The music_category.txt files will then contain information on the categories and tracks contained within:
[music_category.txt example for music player modding] It is important to note that the id field in these categories must be unique. Finally, heres where you can add illustrations for the music player. Using the above category as an example:
[Directory structure to add illustration for music player] Of course all the audio banks and all that must also be added into it.

Flavourization

Some changes are coming to the Flavourization system. For the uninitiated, this is what separates the Petty-King from the Duke, the Emperor from Basileus, and the Divine Empress from Empress-Bishop. The big thing of note from before is that were encapsulating previous true/false flags in a container to collect them all. This is to improve legibility when new rules are added. Lets look at the full structure of supported members.
[Complete structure of the flavourization, minus the detailing documentation] This entire structure was undocumented previously, so all modders had to go on was how we had previously used it. An up to date .info file on the structures will be coming with Roads to Power so you can make your own, flavourful modifications to titles, names and the like. As of Roads to Power, naming conventions of characters with their titles (Emperor Chad to Holy Emperor Chad), title tier names (duchy to petty-kingdom) and domicile names (Estate to Family Holding) are supported. As an example:
[Example flavourization entry for Badass Queen] An interesting thing we discovered while adding features to the Flavourization system was: we already supported looking for character flags. It was just never documented. Our designers were enthusiastic about this revelation. Our programmers were not so enthusiastic about the designers enthusiasm:
[Slack thread on Flavourization changes and discoveries] Fair warning to our modders: the Flavourization system can get very expensive to do in terms of execution, so as much as I know better than to say this but use it responsibly. [hr][/hr]

Achievements

Hello! Rageair here with a preview of the Achievements coming with Roads to Power! Ill start off with the easy ones, getting harder as we go down the list
As mentioned in a previous Dev Diary we have Historical Characters such as Dante or Fibonacci spawning across the map. If you get one of them to appear in your realm while owning Roads to Power, you will have the option to set out on an adventure as them!
Take care of the people in your camp and this one should come rather easily! Its not entirely trivial to get people to join your camp in the first place, though
A callback to an old way to play the game, harkening back to the CK2 days (there were several YouTube series with this gimmick!) - switching which character you played every time you died. Now this is supported by the game, making it easier than ever!
Now were getting into the intermediate difficulty achievements. This one can happen naturally, but a fun thing to try is by playing Harold in the 1066 invasion of England, and then returning to reclaim the crown from William!
Quite straightforward - create a large realm, then adopt the new government form!
Deceptively hard seeing as there are a lot of buildings to construct in your Estate!
Buddy up with the emperor and then smite your enemies with his permission! You will probably find a lot of enemies while playing in Byzantium, so you should be motivated to pursue this.
If youre really chummy with the emperor you might be named co-emperor, and as a co-emperor you can demand a larger share of the realm to rule as your own
This achievement is based on history; the Palaiologos dynasty became the longest-ruling dynasty in Byzantine history after having served faithfully for a long time.
A fun challenge! Save up a lot of gold in order to weasel your way into becoming a noble family (hint: this is easier to do if you adopt Byzantium's State Faith), and then use your influence to claim the throne, good luck!
Time for the harder achievements - if you follow the story of the historical founder of the assassins it will culminate with the dissolution of an empire (historically the seljuks, but you can take him anywhere!)
Playing as El Cid you will have plenty of choice; this achievement is unlocked by following his historical path.
Saladin starts out as a Conqueror, so this is a tall feat to pull off. You have a few years to prepare for his invasion as he tends to go for central arabia before holy warring Jerusalem.
If its not broken, dont fix it! Having a turkic-dominated islamic administrative empire is a fun challenge to pursue, especially seeing how Byzantium still can pack quite a punch despite having lost a lot of territories to you in the 1178 bookmark.
A natural continuation of the venerable Rags to Riches achievement from the base game!
Georgia had plans on holy warring for these territories, but in history this plan didnt come to fruition - an interesting and plausible alternative history scenario to pursue!
You have to work hard in climbing the political ladder to achieve the position of dominant family! Try putting as many family members on important positions as you can!
In 1178 Byzantium is at a low point, making it a fun challenge to not only survive, but thrive!
Perfect achievement to pursue in combination with Chaos is a Ladder.
If you wish to pursue this I recommend the 1178 bookmark, as its very likely for this to happen around that time. [hr][/hr] That's all we have for this week; come back next Tuesday as we dive into the details behind the new Scheme rework coming in Roads to Power! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-09-10 11:58:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! Im PDX-Trinexx, the Community Manager for Crusader Kings. This weeks dev diary will be slightly different, as were going to cover several topics from several different authors. Key subjects are Roman Restoration, the 4th Crusade, and the addition of dynamically spawned Historical Characters once the game has actually started. Well start off with the new Roman Restoration content coming with Roads to Power, so Ill hand it over to our resident Byzantine scholar now. Discuss Dev Diary #155 on our forums!

Restoring Rome

Salvete! You might remember me from the previous dev diary about Byzantium. Im Chad, a Game Designer (now turned Programmer) working on CKIII. Today Ill be discussing one of the smaller updates were making to the classic Restore Rome decision in Roads to Power. Even though they knew themselves as Romans, Byzantium was not the same as the Roman Empire that you can restore in game. And thoughts of restoring this idealized version of ancient Rome were not common during our period. If youd like to play a grand strategy game as the Roman Empire, may I point you towards a great one called Imperator: Rome? I think youd love it. It even recently received an update! With that aside, however, Id like to show off some of the content weve updated for reconquering pieces of Romes past.
[Event showing the reconquering of Tunis which is fired from the new important locations system] In Roads to Power, youll get updated event content for conquering pieces of the historical Roman Empire. This is part of a great new feature from my colleague were calling important locations that modders will likely be interested in. You can now script a relationship between a landed title and another higher tier title and fire content when they enter and exit the realm. These can be scripted on the fly as well, allowing for dynamic content about titles changing hands.
[Script example of setting the county of Rome as an important location for the Byzantine Empire]
[Full documentation of the set_important_location script effect showing information about parameters and scopes] Weve updated how you can restore Rome as Byzantium with an eye towards how the Byzantines may have thought about such a thing, primarily through the lens of Justinian. With this comes gorgeous new art as well as a new decision to make.
[Event that occurs when youve taken the decision to restore the Roman Empire]
[First option when restoring Rome, which provides access to unique bonuses and converts your realm to Hellenism, but turns on hard mode]
[Second option for restoring Rome, which keeps the original functionality] We wanted to create an interesting choice here. There were concerns that this increase in difficulty might be perceived as too gamey but we ultimately decided that restoring the ancient Roman Empire in the Middle Ages is already a gamey notion. Managing a massive empire like the de jure territory of Rome should be hard and create a new challenge for players. Of course, if its too difficult to keep the whole enterprise together and functioning, you can opt for the historical decision to split it into East and West. Many historical emperors tried their best to maintain control over such a vast territory and failedultimately deciding on some variation of dividing power. Perhaps you will be the one to succeed in keeping the realm unitedbut as I said, it wont be a walk in the park.
[Decision to Cleave the Empire which splits the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western parts and ends hard mode] This also means that there is now a legitimate way to convert to Hellenism in-game. Upon reforming Hellenism, players have access to a new Faith Tenet called Household Gods.
[New art for the Household Gods tenet for Hellenism]
[Household Gods tenet for Hellenism which gives bonuses to conversion speed among other things] Thats all from me today! Ill leave you with a heartfelt parting quote from Catullus: Frater ave, atque vale. Goodbye, brother, and fare well. [hr][/hr]

The 4th (more or less) Crusade (sort of)

[CMs Note: This section contains a lot of spoilers for the 4th Crusade mechanics. If youre bothered by that, then please skip ahead to the next section! (ctrl+f -> "rageair")]

Who Thought Doing This Was a Good Idea?

Uh the 4th Crusade? God. God willed it, duh. God was so into it. And besides Him, there was the Marquis de Montferrat, Mathieu de Montmorency, Pierre de Bracieux, and many others. Maybe the Doge of Venice masterminded the whole debacle (if CK2 is to be believed)? As far as CK3 content is concerned I guess Im the Doge, the architect of our lurid misadventure. My names Jason and Im the most hydrated designer on CK3. I started work on the Fourth(ish) Crusade as something small and simple. But and no one could have seen this coming the subject matter proved a little complex. And a little dramatic. It seemed to merit a whole hullabaloo. So the Fourth Crusade in CK will happen regularly and it absolutely will prove a great and terrible threat to the Byzantine Empire. The Mongols are an apocalypse for all the world; the Latins are an apocalypse to the Greeks. Their empire stands tall, crumbles or is succeeded by some hideous aberration based on whether this strange fight is won or lost.
[Later artwork of the siege of Constantinople.]

Historical Brief

In 1202, Catholic lords and knights began gathering to retake Jerusalem in a new Crusade. A number of these western crusaders chose Venice as their setting-off point. This involved a good bit of sitting and waiting for their fellow lords to show, and it soon became apparent few others were coming. But the Venetians still had to be paid in full. The first repayment effort involved sacking the Dalmation port of Zara, and staining their righteous swords in Christian blood. There, the Crusaders were joined by the Marquis of Montferrat and, with him, a claimant to the Byzantine throne, Alexios IV Angelos. Still low on funds, the Crusaders accepted an offer from this claimant: he promised them lavish support, money and troops for the holy cause, if the Crusaders could install him on his rightful throne. Though some dissenters instead departed directly for Jerusalem, the rest of the knights got onboard for Constantinople. Emperor Alexios III Angelos (who has the same name as the other Greek, yup) failed to fight these foreigners off. He was forced to abdicate in favor of the pilgrims claimant. The new Emperor Alexios, however, seeing the impossibility of making good on his promises to the Crusaders, reneged on their deal. The capital was stormed and he, overthrown.
[Now this is one salty mosaic.] Yet another Emperor Alexios would soon meet the same fate and, after that, Constantinople was truly and historically ravaged by the Latin crusaders. When the pillaging and slaughter was over, so too was the Byzantine Empire. At least, for a time. The sort-of Crusaders named their own Latin Emperor, divided newly-won Byzantine territories amongst themselves, and set about the business of establishing their rule. I really recommend Geoffroi de Villehardouins description of these events. His is a rare medieval firsthand account, as he was one of the Crusader leaders. It offers such a fresh, direct, farm-to-table kind of bias.

Interpreting this Mess into CK

Well this is one of those cases where gamefying history means sort-of choosing a narrative; it, too, means truncating events somewhat. And adding a bit of dynamism, as suits the sandbox of CK3. Jason, you ask will the Fourth Crusade happen around 1202? No. It is most likely to happen from the 1178 start date (and, fair warning, can happen very promptly), but its possible from other start dates, though only once the Catholics are onto their second (or later) Crusade. Well, its the Fourth Crusade though Not necessarily, not in-game. Were not adding a counter that permits this story only once the # of Crusades = 4. No. In game, this is referred to as the Crusader War for Imperial Claim or the Splintered Crusade. It was hard to come up with a nice-sounding term that actually fit, Ill be honest. The dynamism of when this thing will strike is matched by it having relatively open ownership. You dont have to play the Marquis de Montferrat to introduce a wannabe-Byzantine Emperor to some Crusaders; you can be pretty much any European Catholic ruler who has a relation to one such claimant at the right moment. This has kinda tipped our hand: the leader of the Splintered Crusade will be the above-named champion of the Byzantine aspirant. Putting this character at the helm centralizes authority over the Latin Crusaders more than is historical, yes, but its a big plus for playability and agency. Oh, and the Splintered Crusade? It isnt actually a Crusade. This thing is a big, fat, ugly limpet sucking off the underbelly of a proper Catholic Crusade. Lets get into that.

A Great and Pious Venture! - The Latin Perspective

It begins with a Catholic Crusade against lands east of the Mediterranean. Sure, theres a Christian Byzantine Emperor, but hes not involved in this Catholic initiative. Everything seems normal and then some paltry little Catholic lord is hit with this:
[A sudden flash of purple: the opening event for the Splintered Crusade] YOU OPT IN AND SHIT IS GONNA GO DOWN. JUST NOT RIGHT AWAY. As you wait for the Crusade (that you will, at least temporarily, bail from) to launch, youre waiting to see who in Christendom is down to say You son of a Byz! Im in. The Pope is first to weigh in.
[The Popes letter to his most misguided crusader.] This story would be incomplete without an avaricious financier, and Venice or the most Venice-y ruler available fills that role.
[Your financier goes all in.] As the months pass, other Catholics pledged to the Crusade will instead pledge to join you. And t hen the Crusade is launched, robbed of your confederates! Yall set off on a war of your own.
[The Crusader War for Imperial Claim begins.] The Byzantine Emperor will be fairly outnumbered, but all he needs to do is repel his attackers and this will be ended. If he fails, though
[The victorious crusaders must deal with their new emperor.] Your claimant may choose to bankrupt the empire in order to properly pay off every Crusader. More often than not, though, hell simply offer you a bribe to leave in peace. You can accept, of course, and may then even perhaps join the proper Crusade with your well-earned reinforcements (if it isnt too late). Is anyone really going to leave in peace, though?
[Its Latin Empire time, baby. And it isnt pretty.] Unlike in a normal Crusade, you can choose to leave your old realm behind and gain the newly-made Latin Empire title yourself. Or you can give it to a relative. Or maybe youll reward that kind old selflessly helpful Venice fella, just as the historical crusaders almost did. Below the Latin Empire title, are Greek duchies and counties distributed among the most powerful crusaders. These rulers choose new holders for their assigned title much as the Latin Emperor is chosen.
[Bye bye, Byzantium.]
[Whoomp! (There It Is)] The Latin Empire is born; Byzantium dies. Though not cleanly, and not all at once. The collapse is scripted to prefer historicity, but it happens dynamically. The capital kingdom of the (now destroyed) Byzantine empire will go to the Latins. The Venetian Stato da Mr claims some Byzantine maritime holdings. Yet most of the Greeks do not bow to Latin dominion: some mighty governors become Administrative kings, while lesser magistrates claim feudal independence. A Crusader trait for these first Latin lords wouldnt be quite right. They get a new one called Despoiler of Byzantium instead, and it also makes their AI personality aggressive as hell.
[The new, rare and shiny Despoiler of Byzantium trait.] But how does this all look to an unsuspecting Greek?

A Calamity of Fools! - The Byzantine Perspective

SWEET GOD IN HEAVEN, THE FUCKING LATINS ARE- Im getting ahead of myself. The Byzantine Emperor is the first to learn of the threat to come, and is given over a year to adequately gird his loins. For the rest of the empire, the cult of Rome strikes rather more suddenly.
[The Byzantine flavor on this war declaration does read just a bit different.] Then, if the foreign invaders arent repelled
[The news from Constantinople isnt exactly good.] This is right as everything in Byzantium is falling apart. If youre powerful enough, you can now seize the title of Despot (king), and remain administrative. Otherwise, keeping your estate will mean pledging to another soon-to-be Despot. Your alternative is goin back to feudal. And landless house heads? They should find themselves under one of the new Greek Despots. In sum: their empire is a wreck, but this isnt game over for the Greeks. The world marches on.

Frankokratia: The Rule of the Franks

The brief, tumultuous age of Latin rule in Greek lands was referred to as such. The Latin Emperor faces some interesting choices in the early days of rule.
[The Venetians offer a quid pro quo.]
[The Greeks suggest the Latin Emperor become Administrative?!?] In order to achieve maximum CK3 turmoil, the fall of Byzantium unlocks a new CB everywhere in the empire: Seize Imperial Duchy. For, in this age of uncertain aftermath, any who possess Byzantine de jure land can lay claim to other such titles.
[The Latin Emperor uses Seize Imperial Duchy to expand his realm.] And, in a broken realm haunted by armed hosts, earning victory attracts armies to your banner! This should help stronger Latins, Turks and Greeks in the region push their way to dominance. But what is de facto dominance without de jure righteousness?
[Legitimize Latin Dominion Decision.] Latin Emperors of sufficient legitimacy have a unique decision that lets them claim the kingdoms of Byzantium and the hearts of the Greeks, one by one.
[Expunge Latin Dominion Decision.] And the Byzantines, when/if they manage a comeback, can claw their kingdom titles back. Should they retake Constantinople and establish themselves well enough the Restore the Byzantine Empire Decision gives the Greeks a pretty easy means to scrub all this nonsense out. But yknow, probably just in time for the Ayyubids or the Mongols or the Ottomans or someone else to wipe them out for good. Krie, elison :( [hr][/hr]

Historical Characters

Greetings! Rageair here with a small feature coming in the free update. Something Ive felt the absence of for a long time are certain historical figures appearing as the game progresses. Im not talking about the likes of Frederick Barbarossa or Mansa Musa - rulers and their kin are simulated with vast branching dynastic trees, divergences here are core to the game! No, Im talking about the great poets, scientists, scholars, commanders, and tricksters of history - those without a lineage of nobility to back them up. In the update following Roads to Power you will see certain well-known historical figures appear across the map, which you can employ - or in case you own RtP - set out on an adventure as!
[Hildegard von Bingen - everyones favorite eccentric nun!] Characters will appear in their historical place of birth (or our best approximation), Hildegard will appear in the barony of Worms, for example. By default you will only be notified if they appear in your Domain or if they are extremely well known (and you are the liege of any vassal holding the barony) - this can be altered via game rules, should you wish.
[Game Rule controlling how Historical Characters spawn] Now, its no fun if these historical characters are too static! After all, no two games of CK are the same, and in one game the barony of Worms might be of the Ibadi faith and Baranis culture, for example, who knows! In any case, for most characters (who dont fall into the category of a specific religious minority or proponent) they will adapt to the faith/culture of their place of birth. As an example, heres Hildegard again, but with the setup mentioned above.
[Hildegard, in case the barony of Worms was Ibadi and Baranis] All historical characters spawned this way (not historical landed rulers, Im afraid) have a snippet of information attached to them, explaining who they were in real-life. This snippet can be accessed from a widget near their opinion, and from their Historical Character-trait. Of course, the destiny that theyll have in your game is almost always going to differ from their historical one, but its fun to compare with nonetheless!
[Thomas Aquinas also spawns with a Book inspiration - unfortunately we didnt have time to hook in historical book titles, so they remain random, alas] The trait helps you find them via the character finder, should you desire to see whos around, and what theyre up to! I like to use it in order to invite them and land them as my vassals
[The trait allows for easy searching] If youre lucky enough to have one of these characters spawn in your realm, you have three options:
[William Wallace - Illustrating the options] You can choose to ignore them, should you not be in need of their services - or you can employ them and get an obligation hook. As mentioned, you can also abandon your dynasty and set out on an adventure as them - the only time in CK3 where I think its fair to do so, because its just too cool to be able to go on an adventure as someone like William Wallace or Ibn Battuta, and it would be a crime not to offer you that opportunity!
[Ibn Battuta will set out on adventure if dismissed, as he did historically!] As the Expansion focuses on Byzantium, I took extra care to add every interesting character that I could for Byzantium and their surroundings, which does mean that an extraordinary amount of characters will appear in constantinople. At the start of 1066, no less than two well-known figures will make their appearance within a year or so
[Michael the Stammerer was technically already at court in 1066, so his text mentions that he made a name for himself at court, rather than wandering my realm!]
[Joseph is very useful in fighting the Seljuks, indeed] We tried to add as many interesting historical characters as we could to this new system, and we ended up with exactly(!) 100 of them, spanning most of the map! There are many very well-known figures, and some that are more obscure but that Im sure will pique your interest when you see them. Heres a sample of some of them:
[Omar Khayyam will also appear close to the 1066 start date]
[Perhaps youd like to set out on a real journey as the famous Dante Alighieri?]
[Or maybe youd like to literally take Ockhams razor to the throat of your enemies?]
[This somewhat controversial pair will appear as lovers, and if you set out on an adventure as Heloise, Peter will join you!]
[You didnt think wed forget about the Norse, did you? Snorri here is the author of most of what we know about norse mythology today.]
[Many famous Jewish personalities, such as Rashi here, will appear across the map]
[And were not forgetting about India! Heres Vidyapati, one of the most famous poets and scholars of the area.]
[Rumi hails from a non-Persian area in Anatolia, and instead of appearing Greek or Turkish will take his faith and culture from Balkh, as a compromise! Several historical characters hail from one place but take their faith/culture from another.]
[Alright alright, not all of the characters are 100% historically verifiable like Jangar here, but if they could have existed and are interesting enough - why not!]
[And some most certainly existed, but their stories were embellished over the centuries. Anyone from Turkey here who recognizes this funny fellow?]
[You might be familiar with a character named Varys who is a very influential eunuch from a certain popular franchise - John here is the real-life inspiration for that character!] As mentioned above weve added a hundred characters (technically 101 but Hlose d'Argenteuil & Peter Abelard is a package deal!), and heres the full list (not in chronological order!) Karunakara Tondaiman Sekkilhar Omar Khayyam Bhaskaracharya Joseph Rabban Atisha Hemachandra Kshemendra Akka Mahadevi Namdev Madhvacharya Vidyapati Abhinavagupta Basava Hildegard von Bingen Thomas Aquinas Dante Alighieri Thomas Becket Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) Chrtien de Troyes Egil Skallagrmsson Gunnlaug Ormstunga orbjrg the Seeress Erik Rde Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen) Ibn Battuta William of Ockham Geoffrey Chaucer Roger Bacon Aaron of Lincoln John Wycliffe Hlose d'Argenteuil & Peter Abelard Petrarch (Francesco Petrarca) Giotto di Bondone Leonardo Fibonacci Giovanni Boccaccio Christine de Pizan Snorri Sturluson Hrotsvitha Ramanuja Arnaldus de Villa Nova Ibn Khaldun Jalaluddin Rumi Avicenna Averroes Al-Biruni Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki) Yehuda Halevi Hasdai ibn Shaprut Levi ben Gershon (Gersonides) Abraham ibn Ezra Solomon ibn Gabirol Nachmanides (Moses ben Nahman) Hasdai Crescas Saadia Gaon Yusuf ibn 'Awkal Benjamin of Tudela Marco Polo Bridget of Sweden Johannes Eckhart (Meister Eckhart) Jangar Zawisza Czarny Theophanes the Greek Nicetas Choniates Michael Psellos John Tzetzes Theophylact of Ohrid Eustathius of Thessalonica Nicephorus Blemmydes Georgius Pachymeres Manuel Moschopoulos Theodore Metochites Michael Choniates Joseph Tarchaneiotes Gemistus Pletho Arethas of Caesarea Basil Lekapenos John the Orphanotrophos AKA totally who Varys is based on Samonas Peter the Eunuch Constantine the Paphlagonian Peter the Stratopedarches Basilios Bessarion Demetrios Kydones Manuel Holobolos John Axuch Mkhitar Gosh Shota Rustaveli Grigor Tatevatsi Sargis Pitsak Averardo de' Medici Alfonso de Borgia William Wallace La Hire (tienne de Vignolles) Rabban Bar Sauma Nasreddin Hodja Widukind of Corvey Roger de Flor Regino of Prm Geoffrey of Monmouth [hr][/hr] Thats all we have for this week! As always, thanks for your time and attention. Well be back next week to discuss the details of the new Scheme system coming in the Free Update releasing alongside Roads to Power. Until then, if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave them in the replies and well do our best to address them. [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-09-03 11:59:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Lucas Ribeiro here, 2D Art Lead at CKIII. Im here to share with you the results of our art struggles to represent both the awesome splendor of the Byzantine Empire and the mud-splattered travels of medieval adventurers. Discuss Dev Diary #154 on our forums!

Loading Screen

Lets start off with the first thing that will greet the player in Roads to Power, the Loading Screen. Before picking a definitive subject matter for our loading screen, we created many composition studies. We went for themes such as nautical, imperial, religious and triumphal.
1. The Emperor stands on a galley armed with a flamethrower and inspects the fleet. 2. An Imperial comitive struts through the Boukoleon palace waterfront. 3. An imperial comitive receives foreign dignitaries standing under the Boukoleon. 4. The emperor returns from his victorious campaign and receives a triumph. A one-eyed man guides an army of blinded soldiers of the defeated army. 5. The emperor is crowned 6. A religious debate between Orthodox and Catholic priests. 7. The emperor is crowned in the Hagia Sophia 8. Another religious debate. The coronation in the Hagia Sophia and the imperial comitive striding by the docks were picked as the best ones. As a next step we created color sketches based on those chosen compositions. You can see the results here:

(Color sketches of the two favorite ideas) After some debate, we decided that the coronation had the most unique and striking composition out of the two. But, since the team liked the imperial comitive color sketch so much, we decided to save it and use it for the bureaucratic dynasty legacy.
[Our selected loading screen.]
[Dynasty legacy based on the rejected color sketch.] [hr][/hr]

Story Event Illustrations

To mark great events that happen to the world or player characters we had originally introduced Story Event illustrations for Fate of Iberia. These dramatic splash screens would pop-up anytime something happened during the Iberian and Iranian struggles. On Legends of the Dead this format of illustration came back to represent major disease outbreaks and the black death. For EP3 we decided that these evocative images would be fitting for memorable events such as Triumphs, the Restoration of Rome and in the story of Hereward the Wake, the Harrying of the North.


[hr][/hr]

Event Backgrounds

While we had generic Mediterranean background images, it felt like they were insufficient to represent the particularities of Byzantine culture. The team thus made new versions for the feast, market, throne room, study, temple and relaxing room. This allowed us to represent some Greek particularities, such as the use of lavish recliners on their ostentatious feasts.
1. A view of the Chrysotriklinos, also used as the main menu background for greek characters. 2. A Byzantine study. Governors will be pondering administrative dilemmas in this office. 3. A Greek market, full of color and exotic goods. Your traveler will probably stumble on this during their travels. 4. An orthodox church or holy site. The striped walls really give it away. 5. A Greek relaxation room. It is impossible to relax without some marble and mosaics under your feet. 6. A Byzantine feast. The reclining chairs allow for maximum decadence, albeit the back pain. The hippodrome deserved special attention, as we have a background looking down from the stands into the track and one close down by the track directly.

We wanted to make sure you would feel in the middle of the action when the chariots were neck and neck, racing to the finish line. Hagia Sophia could not go without receiving their own unique background as well. At first we considered having the camera on the walkway. Our hope was to show the scale of the edifice this way, but our designers informed us that these were normally reserved for female visitors only, so we opted for a different composition.
[The abandoned sketch]
Constantinople is the focus of many new events, both of doom and glory. Accordingly we have made the appropriate backgrounds.

We put a lot of effort into trying to get everything in the right position in the city by following reconstructions and historical references. Our adventurers also demanded new backgrounds. Their camp life is represented by a variety of views of their encampment. By day or night, inside or outside.




[hr][/hr]

Animation

In Roads to Power, our environment team and animation team worked together to give our characters even more life, with new animations and assets for them to wield or ride on. Here are some of the highlights:

[Charioteers will ride on appropriately colored chariots, according to their team.]
[The emperor flaunts his shiny stick to remind everyone whos the boss.] We have added around thirty new animations or variations of older animations. Some of these will be applied in place of the regular idle animation the character usually has to present their newfound situation, such as when they are incapable or imprisoned. Some councilors will also change their animation depending on what task they are assigned to at the moment. Hopefully this will make characters feel more alive than ever in Roads to Power. We also expanded on event visual effects. Instead of using bink videos like we did for Legends of the Dead, we have opted for shaders that are a lot lighter. The new event effects include: Earthquake, heavy smoke, sand storm, rainy fog and lightning storm.
[hr][/hr]

Domiciles

[Initial experiments for the estate screen.]
[Initial Experiments for the camp screen.] Settling on a style for the domicile screen was quite a struggle for the team. At first, we meant to have them be very similar to locales (as in, the Tournament Screen). While this would make for more internal consistency in art style, for four reasons we decided to deviate from this initial plan: First, we wanted this NOT to be full-screen, as unlike the tournament screen, we do not mean to take the player away from their plots and immerse them in the event. The domiciles (estates and camps) communicate directly with your actions in the game world, and should be convenient to navigate. This made for a smaller screen and thus, a more symbolic representation of buildings and their purpose would work better in this medium. Second, we felt that our 3D environment team efforts were better used elsewhere, it was unlikely we couldve created cultural variations of buildings while depending on them. Keeping the work exclusively on the 2D artists expanded our capacity to create more buildings and have cultural variety on top of it. Third, The domiciles operate in a totally different way from tournaments, visual similarities would incorrectly communicate to the player that they should function the same way. Fourth, the team fell in love with the mockups we presented in the medieval art style. The non-descript isometric buildings ended up paling in comparison to the charming illustrations we had come up with.
Estate buildings have different visuals according to culture. For now, we have Western, Byzantine and MENA themes. Camp buildings are the same regardless of culture, except for the main tent, which has western, steppe, tribal and mena themes. Besides variation of buildings by culture, we also wanted to reinforce the sense of place in the world of the domiciles by creating different backgrounds that change according to the position of the estate or the camp. Estate Background can be: Dry, Green, Jungle, Rough and Urban. While Camp Backgrounds can be: Dry, Green, Jungle, Rough, Snow and Snowy Mountains. [hr][/hr]

Coat of Arms

While the Greeks showed less propensity to utilize coat-of-arms in the fashion we observe in western Europe, they did attach to the identity of their families certain symbols on their coins, murals and reliefs. It makes for an interesting variety that they would claim not only secular imagery, inspired on greco-roman myths, but also christian religious symbols. Their connection to the sea would also inspire many aquatic motifs. Thus, we can see mermaids, ophiotaurus and manticores side-by-side with Jesus, Mary, Archangel Gabriel and Saint George. These might be adorned with crosses, stars or shells.
[Randomly generated Greek coat of arms.] [hr][/hr]

Character Art

With Roads to Power we had the chance to greatly expand the Byzantine wardrobe, which was historically quite distinct and interesting looking, and very notably different from surrounding cultures. As usual our work began with collecting references, preferably from first-hand contemporaneous sources, but we also looked for modern books and other material that focus on this subject matter (a special shout-out to a book called By the Emperors hand by Timothy Dawson - which contains a lot of amazing research and conclusions!).
[A snapshot of (a small part of!) the Miro board put together by Nils and the character art team to collect references for everything related to Byzantine clothing.] There are quite a lot of both first and second hand sources that survive from the Byzantine Empire (perhaps not too surprising considering how vast it was and for how long it survived). Of particular value to note here are the Coptic garments that have survived in fantastic condition through the centuries in graves from Byzantine Egypt. Actual extant examples like these provide the best type of source we can wish for, and there are dozens of them! Most of them do pre-date the game by some margin, but we can see from 9th and 10th century manuscripts and mosaics that clothing in the same style was clearly still in use by our early start date.
[Some examples of Coptic tunics that have been excavated from Byzantine era Egypt.]
[Here we see very similar looking tunics depicted in the Paris Gregory from c. 880 and the Paris Psalter from the mid 10th century.] Following what we started with Western European clothes for Tours and Tournaments, we decided quite early on that Roads to Power should also include different clothes for early and late eras. This fits especially well with the new 1178 start date; Byzantine characters by that time will look quite different from those of three hundred years prior. Since there are very few preserved items of clothing from the later time period, we based those designs primarily on depictions in manuscripts and mosaics.
[From the Menologion of Basil II, 11th century (which - as a side note - is filled to the brim with these beautiful and disturbing paintings of saints being brutally tortured and murdered, people being burned alive, babies being skewered, with everyone looking slightly bored) and the Madrid Skylitzes, from around 1150.] Since we are depicting a lot of the Creme de la Creme of people of the time, we are always looking for suitable Bling to add as accessories to these outfits. This expansion was no exception. Again, we turn to primary sources of jewelry that have survived to the present day.
[Some spectacular Byzantine jewelry from museums around the world that we recreated for Roads to Power.] We then created concept-art to synthesize these disparate sources and fuzzy imagery into a more concrete form the 3D character artists could base their work on.
[Examples of concept art based on our collected references.]
[And some finished clothing assets showing a comparison between the early and late eras. ]
[This might look a bit funky, but we have to create many blendshapes so that the clothes can morph along with the character as they age and get thinner, fatter or muscular.]
We were grateful for the opportunity to bring to life many memorable headgear and accessories of the Byzantine world, such as the Propolma hat or the Imperial Delmatikion with Diadma. Most of them have their proper (Medieval Greek) names in the Barbershop. Overall, weve added 8 new hairstyles, 4 beards, 18 clothing sets, 2 armors, 3 sets of legwear, 4 cloaks and 24 different headgear. This great variety, layered on top of the original assets from the base game will make each character in the cast of your personal Greek drama be unique and memorable.

[Early and late era Byzantine courtiers dressed in some of the new clothes added with Roads to Power. ] [hr][/hr]

Patterns

Thanks to the fortunate survival of many textiles from the Byzantine times, we had our pick of the litter when it came to which trims and brocades to represent. It was more a matter of choosing the most characteristic, unique and interesting ones. Unlike other patterns, we have used a new type of texture map setup, where the bottom part of the medium trims is used for roundels. This permitted us to have specific bits of the pattern transform from a trim to a framed rounded-ish composition.
[hr][/hr]

Throne Room

The Byzantine throne room was a daunting task undertaken by our 3D environment Team. Our objective was to represent the Chrysotriklinos, the main ceremonial hall of the Great Palace of Constantinople. Unfortunately, the palace has been destroyed and there are no contemporaneous representations of the place. We had then to follow descriptions made at the time and observe other structures that take inspiration from the palace in some capacity (such as the Church of Ravena and the Palace of Aachen).
[Concept of the throne room.] The overall shape of our interpretation is quite similar to the Palace of Aachen, but we opted to optimize the shape so that it could better be captured by our throne room camera setup, so the dome is probably a bit lower than it wouldve been at the time. We also knew we wanted to decorate the room with many mosaics, as was the fashion at the time.
Instead of copying existent mosaics, we opted to create our own version, inspired by surviving examples. We wanted to have bigger individual mosaic bits. If we had made the individual tiles as small as they were in real-life, theyd become unreadable from a distance as being a mosaic.
[Here we can see the constituting texture maps to make up a mosaic, created by hand by our 2D Artists.] For the trims and patterns that frame the architecture and make up the more geometric parts of the mosaic, we created a variety of trimsheets and materials.
For subject matter, we knew from contemporaneous descriptions, the apse was dominated by christ on a lyre throne. We also knew emperors, saints and angels were represented. As well as verdant fields and flowers. When it came to deciding which figures to display, we wanted to do a nod to the fact that these mosaics were removed during the time of aniconism and then restored before our game starting date. We went with some staunch defenders of icons such as Irene of Athens and Theophanes the Confessor. We also included some classic characters such as Justinian, Constantine, St. Helen and Demetrius of Thessalonica.

From the writings of an emissary to the Byzantine court, we got reports of chirping mechanical birds and roaring metal lions. We have done our part in emulating these marvels, as the golden lions flanking the Throne of Solomon will intermittently bang their tails on the ground and roar. We also added the mechanical birds and the Water Organ as a court artifact.

[Some of the new statue assets that can be found in the Byzantine court.] [hr][/hr]

Holdings and Special Buildings

Besides the terrain rework mentioned on previous dev diaries, our 3D environment team has populated Anatolia and Greece with a variety of special buildings. We had great inspirations to draw from such as monasteries built against sheer cliffs or ancient temples repurposed as orthodox churches.
Greek-culture holdings now have unique graphics, distinguished from the generic Mediterranean ones.
You can now see the characteristic warm colors, red striped walls and rounded roofs. [hr][/hr]

Byzantine Hud and Table

Our environment team created a Byzantine version of the map table to make for an even more immersive experience for our players. The lamps and silverware are inspired by surviving pieces of Byzantine craft. The sword and the bag of gold on the rightmost area of the table are a nod to the adventurer aspect of the expansion. While playing as a Greek character, players will also enjoy a mosaic inspired HUD skin. Nature motifs are depicted by bits of colorful tiles. Some of the HUD elements have also been reworked to be modular, so its easier to add new buttons on the side panels and currencies on the top. Hopefully modders can make good use of that. [hr][/hr]

Miscellaneous Improvements

The UI team also dedicated some time to making the game look and feel better by improving on some older features. Toasts have been reworked, they are now more clearly color coded so the player can tell if they failed or succeeded on an event quite more clearly. Toasts are also built in a way that they vary in size according to the amount of information to be displayed, which means you will get less hidden results marked by a nondescript ....
Alerts are now color coded as well, so players will have a clearer distinction of when they are being offered an opportunity (purple), if its something that needs their immediate attention (red) or if they have a boon they can click to collect (green).
We have also reworked all of the event headers. Icons were made crisper, their design improved. The mosaic header itself is now colored differently depending on which type of event the player is engaged with.
I will now hand the Dev Diary over to Ernesto Lopez, our Audio Director to tell us more on the audio work for Roads to Power. [hr][/hr]

Music Player

Hey everyone, We're thrilled to share some exciting news about the latest expansion for Crusader Kings III, and today we're focusing on something truly special: the music. As you dive into the new content, we want to give you a peek behind the curtain at the fascinating process that brought this soundtrack to life. One of the standout elements of this expansion is the incorporation of Orthodox Chants, a unique and evocative addition that adds a profound layer to the game's atmosphere. We had the incredible opportunity to collaborate with Prof. Dr. Konstantin Nikolakopoulos, a renowned expert in orthodox music. Together with our talented composers from Audinity, Yannick S and Robin Birner, we embarked on a journey to capture the essence of these ancient chants. The recording process was something truly extraordinary. The team, alongside Prof. Dr. Nikolakopoulos, ventured to the Salvatorkirche in Munich, Germany, where they recorded these chants live. This wasn't your typical studio sessionit was raw, unstructured, and entirely authentic. With no predefined tempo or strict direction, the music was allowed to evolve organically from the live performance. What emerged was a soundtrack that not only captures the emotional depth of orthodox chants but also seamlessly integrates the signature Crusader Kings III vibea blend of medieval authenticity with a modern twist. Audinity deserves huge credit for how they approached this. They managed to maintain the integrity of the chants while infusing them with what we like to call a "modern-medieval" sound. It's a unique blend that feels both timeless and fresh, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of Crusader Kings III. The new Main Theme is a testament to this, showcasing the power and presence of Prof. Dr. Nikolakopoulos' performance in a way that is both majestic and haunting. But that's not allwe're also introducing a brand-new music player for Crusader Kings III. This has been a highly requested feature, and we're excited to finally bring it to you. The initial release will offer basic functionality, allowing you to have greater control over your in-game music. Whether you want to cue up specific tracks or mix and match songs from the base game with those from the Byzantium Empire expansion, the music player gives you that agency. You can enable or disable tracks at your discretion, allowing you to tailor your auditory experience to your exact preferences.
We believe the music player is a fantastic addition, and we're committed to continuing its development based on your feedback. It's a significant step forward in giving you more control over how you experience the rich musical landscape of Crusader Kings III. So, dive into the new expansion, enjoy the incredible new music, and explore the music player to make your game soundtrack truly your own. We can't wait to hear what you think and to continue refining these features with your input. [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-08-27 11:59:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Our free tie-in comic made in collaboration with Dead Good Comics, Many Roads to Power, is now available! Read about the rise of Basil I the Macedonian" to the throne of Byzantium, and then write your own conclusion to the story when our next Major Expansion, Roads to Power, releases on September 24. This comic is available for free to all owners of Crusader Kings III via Steam, and available to anyone whether they own the game or not via our website.
[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-08-22 13:08:00 CET ] [ Original post ]

! Im Chad, a game designer here on the CK3 team. Today, Ill be walking you through some highlights of what weve added in terms of Byzantine flavor in Roads to Power. Some cursory but important notes to begin our discussion:

• These images may be works in progress. We are still working away at polishing Roads to Power to provide the best experience possible.
• Yes, I will refer to Byzantium as Byzantium in this dev diary. I know that the endonym is more properly the Roman Empire, but its our policy to not use endonyms in the game. Those of you who have strong opinions about this get a special game rule to rename Byzantium with several options.

Without further ado, lets get into it! Discuss Dev Diary #153 on our forums!

Flagship for Administrative Government

Byzantium has been our main point of inspiration and the impetus for Administrative Government. We outlined this in the two previous dev diaries on Admin, but I wanted to discuss this in a bit more detail. Essentially, all the content weve made for Administrative Government has been designed with an eye towards Byzantium as the model. This doesnt mean that this content cant appear if playing as a different admin realm. Far from it. What it does mean is that all the content you encounter while playing as Byzantium should feel tailored and appropriate to the context. There is alternative text for other admin realms. So fret not, we havent siloed all the content to a single empire. Playing admin should generally feel different and exciting, but playing as Byzantium should feel special.

Improved Cultural Traditions

Weve revamped Greek Cultural Traditions and added special integrations with Admin Government and the other unique aspects of the DLC. In the descriptions below, youll undoubtedly find references to features and concepts that we havent yet discussed, but will be discussed either later in this or a future dev diary.
[Palace Politics & Cultural Traditions] In addition to this gorgeous new art, weve added loads of integrations with new content exclusive to Roads to Power. Palace Politics is a great example. Not only does it unlock the new Varangian Guards Men-at-Arms type and the Akolouthos Court Position, but also incorporates several unique bonuses to demonstrate the Greek affinity for Administrative Government. Maiming and disfiguring characters was a primary way to take your political opponents out of the running in the Byzantine political milieu, and weve reflected that here with reduced monthly Influence. Weve added unique bonuses to Greek characters for scheming. Not only do they get special bonuses to a new type of Scheme Countermeasure, but they can also execute Political Schemes faster. Political Schemes are a new category of Schemes that weve added as a central aspect to the Administrative Government experience. Ill go into more detail about this, but suffice it to say that you cant play in Byzantium without engaging with these new Schemes. And of course, your Chief Eunuch will be a major player. Weve added a new trait, called Beardless Eunuch, to differentiate characters castrated as children from characters who were castrated as adults.
[Beardless Eunuch Trait & Eunuch Scheme Agent Type] As you can see, these characters also affect Influence. They are generally disliked by other vassals in the realm because they make for excellent Scheme Agents in Political Schemes. Roman Ceremonies contains a slew of new features for Byzantium, including access to the Hold a Triumph Decision, the Chariot Race Activity and its associated Court Positions, and a new type of Diarchy called a Duumvirate.
[Imperial Tagmata & Cultivated Sophistication Cultural Traditions] Imperial Tagmata unlocks the Byzantine Men-at-Arms discussed in the next section, but also provides some unique bonuses that are useful for Administrative realms. This Cultural Tradition allows Governors with the Frontier Administration type to borrow Title Men-at-Arms from non-Frontier neighbors in the realm. They also get an additional Title Men-at-Arms Regiment slot and a bonus to their Heavy Cavalry Regiment maximum size. Cultivated Sophistication provides a variety of Culture-related effects in addition to granting Development from building Estate Buildings. Moreover, it allows House Heads to adopt characters into their House.

New Men-at-Arms Types

The Varangian Guard

[Varangian Guards Men-at-Arms and the Decision to Found the Varangian Guard] The Varangian Guards Men-at-Arms type is now available to the Emperor of Byzantium as Title Men-at-Arms. This means they can only be recruited for the Byzantine Empire Title. Furthermore, you cant recruit them right off the bat if you start in 867. You must take the Found the Varangian Guard Decision first.

Akolouthos Court Position

To head up these new Men-at-Arms is a brand new Court Position: the Akolouthos. Historically, this was an office in the imperial palace tasked with overseeing the Varangians. An Akolouthos with good Aptitude will increase Heavy Infantry Toughness of your Men-at-Arms overall and make Characters with the Varangian trait both more common and better at being Bodyguards.
[Akolouthos Court Position filled by Glum]

Byzantine Men-at-Arms

Aside from the Varangian Guard, we have added 3 new Men-at-Arms types for Greeks which are unlocked by the Imperial Tagmata Cultural Tradition.
[Akritai, Skoutatoi, and Ballistrai Men-at-Arms Types]

Additional Men-at-Arms

Additionally, weve added Ayrudzi for Armenians and Conrois for the Normans.
[Ayrudzi and Conrois Men-at-Arms Types]

Bureaucracy Dynasty Legacy

An expansion wouldnt be complete without a new Dynasty Legacy. This time, weve created one specifically for characters with Administrative Government.
[Art for the new Bureaucracy Dynasty Legacy] All of these perks buff how well you can play within an Administrative Realm. Unlocking perks will propel your family forward whether you are aiming for the imperial throne or you wish to pull strings from the shadows of your Estate.
[Effects of Bureaucracy Dynasty Legacy Perks] Youll notice that two of these perks unlock unique Estate upgrades, namely the Reception Hall and the Cabinet of Curiosities. These are special internal Estate upgrades that provide powerful bonuses for your House members. The Reception Hall provides Legitimacy to House Members who accede to the imperial throne. For every Feast or Grand Wedding that House Members host in the Barony where the Houses Estate is located, the counter on this internal building increases. Once a House Member wins the Acclamation Succession and becomes the Emperor, the counter resets.
[Description and Effects of the Reception Hall internal Estate upgrade] Upgrading this internal building decreases the Legitimacy counter lost whenever a House Member becomes Emperor and increases monthly influence gain for the Estate owner. The Cabinet of Curiosities, on the other hand, provides opportunities based on how many Artifacts the Estate owner puts on display. Once an artifact has been added to the Estate, it is irretrievable and only contributes to the quality of the Cabinet of Curiosities building.
[Hall of Wonders (Cabinet of Curiosities Level 2) Effects & Contributed Artifacts Breakdown] The image above shows the second level of the Cabinet of Curiosities, which is available after you have contributed enough artifacts so the quality level is 15 or higher. You can see the breakdown of scores below. Essentially, the higher quality the Artifact is, the greater it boosts the quality of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Upgrading this internal Estate building makes it cheaper and easier to attain higher quality Artifacts and allows you to request Artifacts from other House members. The more you upgrade this building, the more bonuses you receive to your Stewardship and Learning skills as well as your Renown and Influence gains. Finally Bureaucracy Dynasty Legacy unlocks the Order Mass Arrests Decision, which Ill let you discover for yourselves upon release.

Political Schemes

As we mentioned in the dev diaries about Administrative Government, weve created a new category of Schemes called Political Schemes which are available to characters with Administrative Government. Byzantium, and by extension, Administrative Realms, should be much more about Intrigue and Scheming than War. In these realms, palace politics and backhanded trickery reign supreme. For example, at some point youll want to run a smear campaign against one of your political rivals. You can do that now with the Slander Scheme.
[The Emperor schemes to slander the reputation of one of his vassals] If successful, this Scheme lowers the Targets Candidate Score for Acclamation (to be the Basileus) and Appointment (to be a Strategos) Successions in the Realm and lowers their Governor Efficiency by 5% for 10 years. This combo makes them a much less desirable candidate for any position. Another Scheme youll definitely want to try out is Raid Estate, in which you attempt to successfully stage a raid against another Noble Familys Estate.
[A Noble Family Head schemes to raid a fellow vassals Estate] Of course, its imperative that this kind of activity remains under the radar or there will be consequences. The potential rewards, on the other hand, are quite large: Gold for yourself and fewer political rivals from the other Noble Family. Disrupting your political rivals base of operations can prove quite fruitful. With plenty of these new Political Schemes in addition to a veritable buffet of new Character Interactions, youll have all the tools you need to plot and scheme your way to power in Byzantium.

Chariot Racing Activity

Byzantium would not be complete without a Chariot Racing Activity and beautiful new art for the Hippodrome. Period. Sure, the sport wasnt at the peak of its popularity during the High Middle Ages, but it is part and parcel of the Byzantine experience. So weve added it.

Intents

Weve also added a few custom Intents for this Activity that better fit its historical and political context. The default Intent will always be to Increase Influence, but you may want to choose Appease the Populace if your Popular Opinion is low. Of course, there are a variety of traditional Intents to choose from. Of course, youll need to be wary. Activity Guests have an additional Intent option to Sow Discord which aims to reduce the Popular Opinion of the current Emperor and sabotage their County Control.

Place Your Bets

At the very beginning of the Chariot Race, youll have the opportunity to place a wager on the Charioteers competing in that days competition. Youll see representatives here in a unique interface from the four traditional teams of the Hippodrome: the Venetoi (Blues), the Prasinoi (Greens), the Leukoi (Whites), and the Rhousioi (Reds). You can easily see which character is your own Champion Charioteer from the icon next to their name.
[Choosing a team to place a wager on during a Chariot Race Activity] Youll be approached by the Emperors Bookmaker, a new Court Position added in this DLC, and they will ask if youd like to place a wager. You then have a series of choices: [olist]

Which team would you like to place your wager on?

Would you like to place your wager on a specific member of the team or hedge your bets and bet on the team as a whole?

What type of wager would you like to place? [olist]

Win - The character or team will come in First Place

Place - The character or team will come in First or Second Place

Show - The character or team or will come in First, Second, or Third Place [/olist] [/olist] You may well want to place a wager on your own Charioteer if youve brought them along! Be wary, though, for if they perform poorly, youll gain stress. There are also chances to steal another attendees Champion Charioteer if you do not already employ one.

Charioteer Court Position

Every Landed and Landless title holder with the Roman Ceremonies Cultural Tradition has access to the new Champion Charioteer Court Position. If hired, these characters will travel with you to Chariot Races and compete on your behalf.
[Champion Charioteer Court Position & Charioteer Trait] Every Charioteer is assigned a Charioteer Trait indicating which team theyre on and how much experience they have competing. The more experience they have, the better they are. If you want to train up your Charioteer in between races, which can happen every 10 years in game, you can work on upgrading your Stables Estate Building. It has a special track which unlocks a new Court Position Task for the Charioteer, enabling them to gain trait experience outside of the Chariot Race Activity.
[Charioteer Training Grounds Estate Building]
[Charioteer Training Court Position Task]

Politicking

Before the race begins, youll have some opportunity for politicking and rubbing shoulders with other important people in the realm, depending on your stature. You only get to sit in the kathisma, the imperial box, if the Emperor invites you as his Guest of Honor.
[Event where the Emperor may decide to invite an additional guest into the kathisma]

The Race

Then begins the actual race what everyones come to see. This always begins with the Emperors address, which provides special options based on Activity Intent and current situation.
[Event beginning the Chariot Race where the Emperor decides how to frame his opening address] You can track the Charioteers and their place via the new UI element on the side of the Activity window. And, of course, weve added chariot animations complete with horses, which are also available in the Barbershop.
[Event in a Chariot Race where one charioteer passes another] But now an interlude on what happens when you have two Emperors at the helm from my beloved colleague Wokeg! [hr][/hr]

Duumvirates

Ill bet you thought you were safely out of the Wokeg info dump mines, didnt you? Youre never safe. Not from my word vomit. Lets talk co-emperors.
[Byzantium has historical co-emperors in both 1066 & 1178]

Co-Emperors? The Emperor does not share power!

Youd be surprised. Yes, the Roman Empire was very much an autocracy from Augustus onwards, and by the medieval period, that autocracy had decided fairly thoroughly that power rested entirely in and flowed exclusively from the emperor, but the key word there is emperor, not the. If its the position of emperor that is in charge, you simply appoint a second emperor. A slightly more junior emperor to the other emperor, but theyre both in charge. One is just a little more in charge than the other. This addresses who the next emperor will be (Emperor A is dead, but Emperor B is still emperor), mollifies powerful pretenders, or even just gives your child some practical experience of rule. Its also an absolute recipe for petty personal conflicts, drama, civil wars, and comes with the delightful incentive to murder the other emperor in pursuit of indisputed power. If youve ever wondered why the Byzantines have such a reputation for civil wars and intrigue, well, personally, Id peg this practice as a major contributor.

Co-Rule in CKIII

So, the challenge here was to model something that caused Byzantium a lot of problems, but also make it fun. We settled on a type of diarchy focused around settling the question of your succession, grooming your heir, and farming influence. In exchange, you get a diarch that can be helpful but who may, over time, grow too big for their boots and decide to take drastic action. Were introducing three new diarchies to represent this:

• Duumvirates
• Nominal Duumvirates
• Co-Monarchies

of these, duumvirates are a full-sized diarchy, whilst the other two are much smaller goals-focused diarchies for niche situations. These diarchies are grouped together as co-rulership. Co-rulers do not have diarchy inheritance when a co-ruling diarch dies, the diarchy ends and cannot be ended forcibly except by the death of one of the involved parties (or maiming for some, which well get onto). Making someone your co-ruler always makes them your designated heir, provided they are of your dynasty.

Loyalty

Co-rulers take their loyalty first and foremost from how likely they are to inherit soon.
[A co-emperor much younger than you receives a substantial loyalty boost] Theyre happier the greater the age gap. Conversely, if you have a co-ruler for decades, theyll start to get more and more annoyed with you not dying. We track both the years count for this, and how healthy you are vs. your age.
[Being unduly healthy, starting in your 50s and scaling up to your 90s, will cause a co-ruler to get progressively less loyal to you]

Nominal Duumvirates

Sometimes, youre just looking to help secure the succession. Though appointing one of your infant children co-emperor isnt a silver (sling) bullet ensuring theyll win the purple, it does help quite a lot. Such a child cant really wield any _true_ power, but they can start growing accustomed to the ceremonies of rule. Nominal co-emperors have access to no Borrowed Powers. Instead, as the Scales of Power swing towards them, they become more cost-efficient to promote for Administrative offices and earn progress towards base skill points granted when they come of age.
[An emperor names one of his children as nominal co-emperor] Basically, the more power they have when they hit 16, the more skill bonuses they get from their apprenticeship as emperor. The older a nominal co-emperor gets, the more the natural resting point of the Scales of Power will swing towards them. To hurry the process, you may voluntarily cede authority to them. When your little partner reaches adulthood, the diarchy type is immediately converted over to a true Duumvirate.
[A tooltip showing the potential skill rewards on offer for a well-trained nominal co-emperor] The Long Tail As long as you have them, both nominal co-emperors and full co-emperors boost your influence gain per month and give some directly to themselves. If you elevate and support one from a young age, theyll be not only a fountain of influence for you, but hopefully have a ready supply of influence themselves when they inherit. All you have to do is keep them sweet until then.

Duumvirates

Co-emperors can be picked up in a few ways: they might be nominal co-emperors that reached adulthood, you might nominate an adult family member, or you might diffuse a faction by elevating its leader (forcibly putting truces on everyone in the faction). They carry over the passive influence gain and Administrative office promotion efficiency we talked about in the last section. Additionally, as a full co-emperor is always an adult, provided all relevant circumstances permit, their children are considered to be Born in the Purple just as those of the full emperor. Co-emperors have access to the standard suite of Borrowed Powers that we give most diarchs, though things like Diarch Revoke Title and Diarch Retract Vassal cannot be used against the empires administrative vassals. Like all diarchs, theyre also somewhat better at scheming within the realm. Finally, they interact with their lieges realm law slightly differently. Co-emperors can ask to have it increased, taking the blame as diarchs usually do, but may also ask to have the Imperial Bureaucracy reduced. This reduces any strife that the co-emperor has accrued substantially, and makes co-emperors the only character other than the realms liege who can directly affect its primary law. Scapegoat Counterpart When two people hold ultimate power in an institution, petty personal spats can not only get out of hand quickly, theyre actively incentivised: you can always blame the other guy. One of the first Borrowed Powers a co-emperor unlocks is the ability to Scapegoat Counterpart. Fortunately/unfortunately, their senior emperor can also use it back on them. Scapegoating your fellow emperor requires you to have either higher diplomacy or higher intrigue than them. You receive influence and gain a little tyranny/strife to cause your target to gain even more tyranny/strife, and lose opinion with them.
[A senior emperor humiliates his co-emperor in order to earn influence] Influence, tyranny, and strife gain (as well as opinion loss) all scale with your relative skill, and whether you are being subtle or obvious. Demand Despotate A powerful co-emperor demands their own slice of the realm to rule. First, they must actually have a governorate of their own, but what self-respecting co-emperor could be happy with a mere duchy-tier title? With this interaction, they may demand they be given a kingdom title within the empire as their own private fief. This immediately creates said kingdom if it didnt exist, and grants it and all of its de jure vassals to the co-emperor. Refusing this interaction costs the senior emperor double the influence that the co-emperor paid to send it. There are other ways to acquire a despotate, but they generally involve more underhanded means and dont necessarily come with an immediate grant of (potentially) many vassals. Imperial Expedition With two emperors, you can afford to risk one doing something a little grandiose. This Borrowed Power gives the co-emperor a single usage of a very powerful Casus Belli: an Imperial Expedition, to be launched against realms that either border the empire or have territory de jure belonging to it. They can target all duchies that match either of these criteria and belong to the target. Every governor bordering the defender is forcibly called to war as an ally. Non-bordering governors with martial Province Administrations are given the choice to join. Upon victory, the co-emperor is given four choices:

• Turn the conquered lands over to their senior emperor for disbursement, reaping opinion and influence proportional to the amount of land captured.
• Keep the territories for themselves, losing proportional opinion with their senior emperor.
• Handing over most of the territories whilst keeping the best duchy for themselves (giving slightly reduced influence and opinion).
• Appointing local interim governors. This gives no influence or opinion with their senior emperor, but does give plenty of opinion with the newly elevated governors, as well as hooks on them. Perfect for producing a batch of loyal future supporters.

[A co-emperor launches an expedition to reclaim lands lost to the Turks] Gods Perfect Vessel Gods vice-regent on Earth understands that killing (even when justified) is a sin. It does a ruler good to show a little mercy when dispensing justice, and what is more mercifully just than sparing a usurpers life whilst denying them the chance to look upon Gods right-hand ever again? Co-emperors, senior emperors, and even appropriately-cultured co-monarchs have access to the new Maim Co-Ruler interaction. This allows you to choose whether you wish to cut away their testicles, eyes, nose, a leg, or an arm. If a co-ruler maims their senior ruler, they then immediately usurp their top tier titles plus the entire capital duchy. If the senior ruler maims their co-ruler, then their diarchy ends and their former co-ruler is demoted back to whatever rank is granted by any titles they hold. The same logic is applied on execution.
[A co-emperor maims his father (the option to cut off the nose is obscured by the tooltip for stabbing or boiling out the eyes)]

Co-Monarchies

Lastly, weve added in a reduced form of co-emperorship for feudal rulers, in the form of co-monarchies. These have no new Borrowed Powers, are unique to feudal kingdoms and empires, and are primarily intended as an early game mechanism. Since a co-ruler is your designated heir, raising one of your children as king or emperor in your lifetime allows you access to the designate heir mechanics much earlier than usual with the advent of Choose a New Destiny and loosened restrictions on who you might play after death, this is much less of a balance concern than previous patches. Your new co-ruler can only be deposed by execution (or maiming if you have the appropriate cultural tradition), has the same dubious loyalty mechanics as a co-emperor, etc., so consider this a roleplay-friendly alternative for putting your preferred heir on the throne to disinheriting your three eldest children to get to the fourth you actually wanted. Instead of influence gain, co-monarchs give vassal opinion scaling with their diplomacy to the liege, and gain considerable monthly prestige that scales slightly up for empires.
[Henry the Young King is a historical co-monarch in 1178] Okay, thats all from me. For now. Back to your regularly scheduled dev diary host! [hr][/hr]

New Decisions

Weve added a bunch of new decisions with associated content to make playing in Byzantium feel more unique. Ill highlight a few of those here.

Hold Triumph

The Byzantine Emperor can now use the Hold a Triumph Decision after a major accomplishment, like winning a War. This is a chance to capitalize on your successes and reap the rewards. You may gain Legitimacy, Influence, and Prestige depending on your actions.
[Decide whether your Triumph should conclude at the Hagia Sophia or the Hippodrome] The following events are reactive to what youve done most recently as the Emperor. For example, should you win the war against the Seljuks in 1066 and hold a triumph, youll have unique options for how to focus your speech.
[Decide how to craft your imperial speech while holding a triumph]

Prepare Greek Fire Dromons

Were not adding Naval Warfare to CK3 with Roads to Power, so get that idea out of your minds right now. But! We have added some representation for Greek Fire, the famed Byzantine weapon primarily utilized in naval warfare.
[Prepare Greek Fire Dromons Decision] Taking this Decision as the Byzantine Emperor unlocks a new Scheme that, upon completion, gives you the ability to harm or even destroy embarked armies near Byzantion.
[Event where the Emperor decides how to start the Scheme to construct Greek Fire Dromons]

Establish Silk Production

Taking this decision unlocks the unique Mulberry Copse Estate Building, which gives powerful bonuses. Upgrading the Building to level 4 unlocks the Commission Silk Regalia Decision, a means of acquiring a unique Artifact one of the many perks of being Emperor.
[The Decision to Commission Silk Regalia alongside the Estate Building art for the Large Magnanery]

Terrain Changes

A while back, there was a forum post that caught our attention suggesting Terrain changes for Anatolia. With some changes, we decided to implement these suggestions. Heres an updated Terrain map of Anatolia:
[New Terrain Map Mode changes in Anatolia] Most noticeably, we added a bunch of Steppe Terrain, changed the Impassable Terrain layout around Cilicia, and adjusted some County boundaries in that area as well, including the Baronies of Soloi and Tarsus.

Gloss Tooltips

One of my favorite things that we have added in Roads to Power is what were calling the Gloss functionality. We have always wavered about adding historically niche words or phrases to the game, especially if they wouldnt be translated. To me, this expansion just wouldnt feel right without adding some Byzantine Greek words and phrases. So to make this all work, weve implemented a new type of tooltip, which you can see an example of below.
[An example where we highlight a quotation in Ancient Greek from Homers Iliad] Weve added quite a few of these around the new content we have created and hope to include this more in future expansions. Alright, folks! Thats all from me for today. As Ive said, these are but a few examples of what weve made so as not to spoil any surprises awaiting you in Roads to Power.

[ 2024-08-20 11:59:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcomes back, comrades, to Landless Adventurers Part 2! Im Wokeg, and last week, we went over the general core gameplay (what we expect you to be doing, where your resources come from, and what you spend them on). This week, were gonna be doing uhhh literally everything else. Just like last time, everything shown here is a work in progress. Features wont shift massively but values (and occasionally modifiers or parameters) potentially will. Costs, gains, and some requirements in particular are all undergoing active adjustment at present. Discuss Dev Diary #152 on our forums!

Unfortunately, this DD exceeds the character limit for a Steam news post!

You can read the full dev diary by following this link to our forums or you can watch our video covering this dev diary below. [previewyoutube=5Jy9mEs5za4;full][/previewyoutube] [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-08-13 11:59:33 CET ] [ Original post ]

Grab a seat by the campfire as medieval historian Eleanor Janega tells tales of some of the great adventurers of the Middle Ages, some of whom you can encounter in Crusader Kings III: Roads to Power. Learn about the motivations and meanings of their travels, and what these journeys tell us about ourselves. [previewyoutube=pmOMp1eYKLs;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2024-08-08 17:59:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome comrades! Wokeg here: I hope everyone enjoyed their window into how the other half lives with the Administrative Government Dev Diaries, because today were gonna be going back down into the mud with our favourite homeless wanderers Landless Adventurers. As usual, everything shown here today is a work in progress. Values are likely to be changed, features are final but details are not, all that good stuff. In particular, some of the adventurer contract rewards are currently a smidge high right now, so well be taking those down a bit (specifically gold and prestige) pending further playtesting before release. Discuss Dev Diary #151 on our forums!

Unfortunately, this DD exceeds the character limit for a Steam news post!

You can read the full dev diary by following this link to our forums or you can watch our video covering this dev diary below. [previewyoutube=UDl-F0OYOP8;full][/previewyoutube] [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-08-06 12:00:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

We sat down with Professor Anthony Kaldellis from the University of Chicago to talk about the Byzantine Empire, the medieval incarnation of the Roman Empire and the inspiration behind our upcoming expansion for Crusader Kings III: Roads to Power. Learn more about the history, system of government, and religions of one of history's greatest empires! [previewyoutube=1iw-rYmZOTI;full][/previewyoutube] [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-07-02 12:32:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good day, everyone! I'm Cordelion: weve not had the pleasure of meeting before, and thats because since I joined Paradox last year Ive been working almost exclusively on the new start date and its two bookmarks that will be releasing as part of the free update alongside Roads to Power. Ive been closely following what you have to say about it and I cannot overstate just how happy I am to see people excited by it, and so today it will be my pleasure and honor to give you a closer look at all it has to offer. Discuss Dev Diary #150 on our forums!

The Who, What, When, Where, and Why

Lets start with the obvious question that I know some of you have been asking: why choose 1178 specifically? Thats a great and very natural question; unlike our preexisting start dates of 1066 or 867, 1178 isnt well known for any major, paradigm-altering historical events, but there are a few key factors that weighed the scales in its favor. One of the first things we look at when adding something like a new start date is who would be alive and interesting and playable at the time; we want to give you as many options for worthy historical figures as possible. This part of the process involves a little bit of back-and-forth at first; every time you move the year forward or backward you gain some figures and lose others, so we have to decide whom we cant live without and who were willing to consider an acceptable though unfortunate sacrifice. We knew, for example, that we wanted to have the Crusader states and particularly Jerusalem under Baudouin IV which gives you a preliminary range of 1174 to 1185 for his reign. Then we thought it could also be good to have Heinrich the Lion as Duke of Saxony and a rival and counterweight to the Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa, which would require a year before 1180/1181, when Heinrich was deposed. Just imagine doing this with a few more names and you should have a reasonably solid picture of the calculus involved. However, thats not to say that this was our sole consideration, although it certainly accounted for a healthy amount of the discussion. Another factor that heavily influenced our choice was that we wanted to make sure that any new start date would be in a good position to integrate not only the new mechanics being introduced in Roads to Power, but also a wide range of components of potential future expansions going forwards whatever they may be. No matter whether its the allied city-states of Lombard League asserting their independence from imperial suzerainty in northern Italy, or the iron men marching eastward to wage holy war at the urging of the men of the cloth, or a young man of as-yet untapped potential named Temjin beginning to make a name for himself on the steppes, we will relentlessly and enthusiastically take advantage of everything 1178 brings to the table whenever and wherever the opportunity occurs. And please dont take the above as indication of any specific plans for future expansions or the order in which they may or may not appear Ive merely highlighted a few relevant aspects that I personally find compelling and take it instead as a declaration of our intent to make sure that 1178 remains a vital, thriving, fully integrated, and fun part of your Crusader Kings gameplay experience from here on out. Hopefully this has given you a bit more insight into the logic behind our choice of 1178. Its perfectly alright if you still have more questions in fact, I hope you do because next were going to delve much deeper into the bookmarks themselves.

Call of the Empire

[Overview of the Call of the Empire bookmark] Now, since Roads to Power is the expansion introducing Administrative government, lets take a look at Call of the Empire first. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the particulars of this era, the Byzantine Empire is presently enjoying a resurgence under the adroit rule of the aging Basileus Manuel Komnenos, but the specter of his cousin Andronikos (an ambitious and reckless adventurer of preternatural charm) looms forebodingly over the prospects of Manuels underage son and heir, young Alexios. Furthermore, the Byzantines have suffered a recent blow to their aspirations of reclaiming the Anatolian interior defeat at the Battle of Myriokephalon at the hands of the Seljuk Sultan of Rum, Kilij Arslan II (whose name means Sword Lion, for the etymologically curious). The great-grandson of Suleiman ibn Qutalmish (the sultanates founder), Kilij Arslan has reigned ably in both war and peace thus far, but an abundance of potential successors (no less than eleven sons!) may bode poorly for the sultanates future stability. A more auspicious future may be in store for princess Tamar Bagratuni, the eldest daughter of King Giorgi III of Georgia, and another one of those historical figures who was an influencing factor on the start date; 1178 was the year her father officially confirmed her as his successor after hed put down the rebellion of the Orbeli family. Historically, her subsequent rule over Georgia marked her as one of its greatest rulers to quote a chronicle of her reign (The Life of Tamar, the Great Queen of Queens), the entire world was full of her praise, and every language in which her name was pronounced, exalted her. Governing along the Wallachian frontier of the Byzantine Empire youll find Ioannes Kantakouzenos according to Niketas Choniates Historia, a man huge in size and most courageous of heart, and with a booming voice. However, the historian goes on to add that despite Kantakouzenos extensive military experience, his arrogance and impetuosity resulted in failure more often than success. As a bit of interesting genealogical trivia, the 14th century Byzantine emperor of the same name descended from a cousin of Ioannes. The early genealogy of the Palaiologoi is more than a little Byzantine pardon the pun and so Ill clarify that our Alexios Palaiologos, governor of Bulgaria, is the Alexios Palaiologos who was the grandfather of the (future) emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos, and not his younger cousin of the same name (the Byzantines were not renowned for their innovative choice in names), who is historically best known for his association with the emperor Alexios III Angelos. And, lastly, we have Andronikos Angelos governing in Epirus (where his illegitimate nephew Michael will one day establish an independent despotate), cousin to Basileus Manuel and grandson of Alexios Komnenos himself, and among whose sons are the future emperors Alexios III (mentioned above) and Isaakios II Angelos. Although exhibiting an authentically Byzantine inconsistency in what surname they prefer to use, the Angeloi are a sizable family by contemporary standards and well placed to stack the empires offices with their kindred.

Swords of Faith

[Overview of the Swords of Faith bookmark] Before we get into detail on Swords of Faith, I do want to be transparent up front that an overhaul for crusades themselves is not a component of this expansion. Something of that magnitude and significance would need and deserve more than would be possible as second billing in an expansion with a very different mechanical focus. We know its important to you, so its important to us that we make sure what we deliver meets or exceeds your expectations. Now, to many of you, I expect some of the names in this bookmark will seem a good deal more familiar, in large part due to Ridley Scotts Kingdom of Heaven (and, of course, the CK3 mod of the same name). Though set a few years earlier than the events adapted by the film, here too the leprous Baudouin IV rules the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem with immense dignity and dedication despite his dreadful affliction although our historical Balian dIbelin is a baron from the beginning, not a blacksmith. Given the nature of his malady, particular attention must be paid to his heir, his elder sister Sibylla, who is historically (and conveniently for us) between husbands in this particular year. Although historically Baudouin would be succeeded by Sibyllas son, also named Baudouin, before Sibylla herself, at this point she was still being treated as the presumptive successor over the newborn infant. In addition, while bouncing baby Baudouin takes after his fathers dynasty at the start of the game, worry not as Sibylla, youll get an event shortly to let you determine which side of his parentage he ought to take after. Rounding out the Jerusalemite cast is Raimon de Toulouse, son of a murdered father (Nizari assassins happened) and brother to a spurned sister (Basileus Manuel happened), a regent of the kingdom during Baudouin IVs minority who had previously endured nearly a decade of captivity in a Zengid prison. The ruler of the county of Tripoli, the future of his lands is inextricably intertwined with that of the kingdom of Jerusalem itself. And, of course, what mention of Jerusalem could be made without acknowledging the exceptional character of Salh ad-Dn Yusuf, the last vizier to the Fatimid caliphs and the first Ayyubid sultan of Egypt? Of all our bookmark characters in this start date, he perhaps requires the least introduction his victory over the crusaders at the Battle of Hattin and the reconquest of Jerusalem in 1187 would soon lead to the launch of the famous Third Crusade in response. As an additional point of interest, Id like to mention that weve made some slight adjustments to how names are structured, in that Salh ad-Dn, his famous honorific (meaning Righteousness of the Faith), is now a prefixed nickname. Previously, many such honorifics were treated as components of given names and could be inherited as such, and so in the interests of accuracy and better representation weve gone through and reassigned a great many of them as historical nicknames instead. Segueing into our next bookmark character, Muzaffar ad-Dn Gkbri is one of the preeminent military commanders in service to the Zengids, as was his father before him. Deposed and exiled from his fief of Erbil in favor of his younger brother, Gkbri presently rules in Harran but historically would go on to betray the Zengids and joined forces with Salh ad-Dn (even playing a key role at the Battle of Hattin) to reclaim his patrimony, which he ruled prosperously until his death on the eve of the Mongol invasions. Truly, a man with an excellent sense of timing. Last, but certainly not least, is Levon, younger brother to Roupen III, ruler of Armenian Cilicia. Historically, Roupen III is remembered as a kind and humane ruler, but one of retiring character who abdicated in Levons favor perhaps his noblest deed of all, for Levon would be crowned the first true king of Armenian Cilicia and thoroughly earn the appellation Metsagorts, which is commonly translated as the Magnificent'' or the Great, but can also be read as the Thaumaturge, in the sense of one who performs marvels.

Various and Sundry Concluding Words

Its been an immense personal pleasure to play a part in bringing 1178 to fruition, and I truly hope youve enjoyed todays look at our new start date because were not done just yet. You see, my mandate is to tell you all about the new start date, and that just means I have no alternative but to tell you all about all the other interesting parts of it, too, doesnt it?
[Overview of England and France in 1178] King Henry II of England has imprisoned his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, for inciting his sons against him in a significantly more literal form of teenage rebellion than is typically meant by the term. Among said sons is the athletic 12th century tournament celebrity Henry (called the Young King for having been crowned during his fathers reign), leonine Richard, smooth-tongued Geoffrey, and young John, who would go on to enjoy such harmonious relations with his vassals during his reign that they enthusiastically invited the future king of France to replace him. In this period, the French are ruled by king Louis VII, the former husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine and perhaps better known as the Younger than the Young at this particular stage in his life. Louis eldest daughter is married to one of his preeminent vassals, Henri the Liberal, ruler of Champagne, who contributed greatly to the expansion of the famous and prosperous Champagne fairs. Meanwhile, in the south, the heretical Cathar creed has taken hold in the lands of Raimon of Toulouse, which would soon lead to the Albigensian Crusade.
[Overview of the Holy Roman Empire in 1178] The formidable Hohenstaufen Holy Roman Emperor Friedrich Barbarossa (Redbeard, after the color of hiswell, you get the idea) is rivaled within his realm only by Heinrich the Lion, duke over both Saxony and Bavaria the feud between their families gave rise to the enduring labels Guelph (after Heinrichs house of Welf) and Ghibelline (after the Hohenstaufen castle of Waiblingen). Within the empire, Id like to draw your particular attention to Berthold von Andechs, patriarch of an interesting and mildly obscure family that rose high in both the empire and Hungary and then burned out and went extinct within only a few generations. Some fifty years past, a young Afonso the Conqueror knighted himself on Pentecost in the Cathedral of Zamora, assembled a host beneath the banner of rebellion, and proceeded to emancipate himself from his mother and her Galician lover in near-legendary fashion, triumphing over them in the battle of Battle of So Mamede. For anyone else, this might have been enough adventure for a lifetime, but for Afonso this was only the prologue; he would soon become the first and founding king of Portugal. Now in his twilight years, Afonso has largely handed over management of the kingdoms affairs to his favorite daughter Teresa named, curiously, after his mother.
[Overview of Iberia in 1178] Sharing the name of the Portuguese monarch are Alfons the Troubadour, king of Aragon, and Alfonso VIII, king of Castile. Of the two, the former has managed to expand his realm to encompass territories well beyond the Pyrenees, possessing lands of his own in the south of France as well as having seated his brother in Provence although said brother would soon be murdered after embroiling himself in a war with the lords of Languedoc. It is the latter Alfonso, however, who will earn enduring fame as the future victor over the Almohad army at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. Jumping now to another corner of the map, the historically last of the Seljuk sultans of Persia, Togrul, is still a child, with true power in the realm resting in the hands of Jahan Pahlavan Mohammed, the Ildeguzid atabeg of Azerbaijan, subjugator of rebellious princes and emirs, and one of my personal favorites among the cast of this start date his honorific, incidentally, can be translated variously as Hero of the World or World Champion.
[Overview of Ciscaucasia in 1178] Immediately east of the dwindling Seljuk state is the realm of the Ghurids, where power is presently split between Muhammad of Ghor and his older brother, who is technically also Muhammad of Ghor they share a given name. Of the two, the younger is the more famous, and his exploits into India would ultimately give rise to the Delhi Sultanate only a few decades later. Standing in opposition to the Ghurids is Prithviraja III Chauhan, whose resistance against the foreign invaders earned him a legendary reputation, and has perhaps had more films made about him than anyone else in this list.
[Overview of Mongolia in 1178] Lastly, even further to the east, as mentioned earlier, youll find a young man named Temjin Borjigin, who will soon earn himself another appellation, one to make all the world tremble Genghis Khan. Need I say more?

The Almost Very Definitely Real Final Conclusion

This time, truly, weve reached the end the list of those Ive named is by no means exhaustive (I could easily name a good dozen more, and dont even get me started on Montferrat, but if I start thinking of more names we really will be here all day), and I fully expect youll turn up countless more interesting figures to play as or against! However, theres still one more thing the team would like to share with you today and its something Im pretty happy about, too. [hr][/hr]

A Special Message

Before we go, also coming with the free update is a small but oft requested quality of life improvement, Message Settings! You will now be able to customize the appearance of a variety of common interface messages to your hearts desire.
[Location of the Message Settings options] Messages are now sorted into Filter Groups. How each Group should appear is now up to you, as either a tried-and-true Toast message (banner messages that display near the top of the screen), a familiar Feed message (messages that appear in the notification feed at the bottom-right side of the screen), a Popup window (a new addition!), or simply be disabled entirely.
[Examples of Message Filter customization] As you might have noticed, it is also possible per Filter Group to set whether the game should automatically be paused as it appears, regardless of its display type. Note: Certain Filter Groups, integral to giving the player information about the game state or the outcomes of their actions, cannot be disabled.
[The new Popup message window] This is possible thanks to a new and fully moddable database of message_filter_types that may be freely edited or expanded upon, adding new types for more granularity or mod-specific needs.
[An example of how Filter Groups can be manipulated via modding] [hr][/hr]

Vassal Directives

In the last two Dev Diaries we picked up on the idea that some of you would be interested in giving your vassals orders, and after thinking about it we came to the conclusion that its not only a sound suggestion, but one that can help reinforce the difference that Administrative realms has over other government forms.
[Overview of the Vassal Directives menu] You will now be able to give Directives to your vassals, presuming that they respect you! Directives are either given from the character interaction menu, or via the Vassals tab in My Realm, the latter having the benefit of showing you the current directive. All government types can issue directives to their vassals, in the picture its the Holy Roman Emperor doing it.
[Requirements to give a directive to a Feudal vassal] As you can tell from the requirements, its not too easy to make them follow your orders. You have to work your way to a high level of crown authority, pursue specific lifestyles, or gain significant opinion with them. If you no longer fulfill this trigger, they will not follow your directive until you regain their trust. Directives are inherited, so you do not have to worry about setting them again as your vassals die.
[Differences in Vassal Directives for Administrative vassals] Of course, if youre Administrative, then following the directives you set is simply your vassals job! They will only ever refuse your directives if they are your rival, but otherwise youre free to set any directive you wish. Theyre fully baked into the Administrative UIs to maximize visibility. Oh, and Administrative also has access to three more directives; Improve Development, Boost Men-at-Arms, and Recruit Men-at-Arms - all significantly more powerful than the default set.

Choose a New Destiny Improvements

In previous Dev Diaries we gathered some feedback regarding the upcoming Choose a New Destiny feature, where it seemed as if a popular addition would be to add a random mode. If youre not interested in any of the three options, you can now choose to let the die of fate determine your destiny for you!
[Overview of the new Random Descendant options in the Choose a New Destiny screen] We based the choices on what we could gather were popular fantasies, and added some extra for good measure!
[Several different options are available when selecting a random character] Some restrictions still apply - such as being of your Dynasty, and keeping the difficulty reasonable (anything above Extremely Hard is, essentially, a game-over situation.) Its still possible to add further categories, so if you feel like you think weve missed something feel free to give feedback! [hr][/hr] And that's everything for today! I sincerely thank you all for your time and attention; I hope youve found today's dev diary interesting, and that youre looking forward to Roads to Power as much as I am (and especially 1178, I say with a deep and profound personal and professional bias). We still have a few dev diaries to go ahead of the release of Roads to Power, but it'll be a bit longer until the next one - its now the start of the Swedish summer break, and so we'll be temporarily parting ways until the team returns in early August. We intend to make it well worth the wait, though! When we come back, we'll be showing off another major feature that I think you'll find very intriguing: Landless Adventurers. Until then, if you have any questions about todays topics, Ill be here and do my best to answer. Thanks again, and have a great summer! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-06-25 12:00:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Salutations! Welcome back as we take another look at all things Byzantium and how our new government, Administrative, works. If you havent already, I highly recommend that you first go and read up on our previous Dev Diary and Part 1, posted last week. As with last week, please keep in mind the following:

• All of the included screenshots show a work in progress and do not necessarily represent the final product, as we are still heavily at work on the expansion itself.
• This is especially true when it comes to several aspects of the UI, such as layouts and visuals. We believe that showing what we have right now, even if not final, gives you a much better idea of what you can expect.
• All values and numbers in these screenshots are subject to balancing and will likely change before release.

Discuss Dev Diary #149 on our forums!

Unfortunately, this DD exceeds the character limit for a Steam news post! Please follow the link to our forums to read this dev diary.

[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036

[ 2024-06-18 12:01:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Crusaders! My name is Emil, resident game designer here on Crusader Kings III. Today Im joined by Chad, my fellow game designer and comrade in arms when it concerns all things Byzantium, to invite all of you, from the most distant governors of our great empire to the esteemed nobles residing here in the capital, to our first in-depth dev diary for our upcoming Major Expansion Roads to Power. Discuss Dev Diary #148 on our forums!
More specifically, well be going over a brand-new government type: the Administrative Government. All of you who enjoy playing in Byzantium might wanna pay extra attention. Ill be going into a fair amount of detail in an attempt to give you a clear picture of what to expect, how the new government plays, and what it is not. Please keep in mind the following:

• All of the included screenshots show a work in progress and do not necessarily represent the final product, as we are still heavily at work on the expansion itself.
• This is especially true when it comes to several aspects of the UI, such as layouts and visuals. But that wont stop us from including screenshots anyway, since we believe that showing what we have right now, even if not final, gives you a much better idea of what you can expect.
• All values and numbers in these screenshots are subject to balancing and will likely change before release.
• This is only part 1 (of 2) for the dev diaries on Administrative Government. Some of the things you might be dying to learn about (e.g. how Appointment Succession works) will be covered in part 2!

With that out of the way, lets get to it!

What is Administrative?

First things first. Administrative (or Admin for short) is a new government type that draws a lot of inspiration specifically from the Byzantine Empire. While Byzantium isnt the only inspiration, it is by far the most significant. Just like the historical inspiration, an Administrative realm is all about the empire itself. You have the emperor situated neatly at the top, with the many governors and noble families serving underneath. They are all small cogs, part of one big machine. They need each other, just as much as they are competing against one another. Regardless of their motives or actions, they serve the empire first and foremost. For a prosperous realm is much more worthwhile to be in.
[The Byzantine Empire and its internal structure of Themes (or governorships).] The emperor is the ultimate authority of the realm. It is the emperor who creates new governorships and appoints the governor of a Theme. The pool of available candidates can be vast, and the emperor will have to consider if they want to appoint that troublesome nephew to keep as much power as possible within his own family, or if a member of another noble family would be a better choice. Having a more competent but docile governor might just be more useful, at least as far as the realm is concerned. Just as the emperor manages the overall structure of the empire, so too does he support and supervise his governors. He can lend them troops if needed, have them go to war on his behalf, and reward them when they are performing well to be in their good graces. The power of an Administrative realm is very much intended to ebb and flow. When the empire is well managed, it runs smoothly like a well-oiled machine, able to beat down its opponents with ease. When mismanaged, however, it becomes significantly weaker, unable to defend itself against opportunistic conquerors looming on its doorstep. Expect a playstyle where wars give way to schemes, intrigue, and good old-fashioned politics. Internal wars between vassals are practically non-existent, as your primary way of expanding within the realm will be to make efficient use of schemes and leverage your influence as you jockey for governorships and other influential positions. Governors are unable to create or join independence and dissolution factions, making Administrative realms excel as large and sprawling empires. While they are significantly less likely to collapse or break apart, succession is a much riskier business. Claimants wont sit idly by while the empires fate lies in the hands of an inept emperor. The Byzantine Empire will play significantly differently from how you are used to playing the game. You would normally gain titles through proven means, such as wars or marriage, but to gain lands and extend your own power in an Administrative realm, you will have to engage in politics. Youll scheme against your rivals, leverage hooks against your peers, and make use of your influence to sway the emperor to your side. To reinforce this new playstyle, schemes have been updated to be more engaging, and we have a new scheme type available only within Administrative realms Political schemes. There are several new schemes of this type, as well as a swath of new interactions, that will help you manage the realm, interact with your liege, your vassals, and your peers. Ultimately, these are all tools with which you can leverage your influence to shape the realm to your will. Well go more in depth into these throughout this dev diary. Byzantium is the main focus of the expansion and will be the only realm that will have Administrative on game start, trading a lot of conventional gameplay in exchange for new and powerful tools, at the cost of increased micromanagement and a less secure succession. Any feudal or clan ruler can strive to surpass Byzantium and attempt to adopt this new government type if they so choose, but more on that later.

Noble Families: The Heart of Admin Realms

Administrative Governments are unique in that they allow for the existence of Noble Families. Every House in an admin realm is a player in the vast political game, whether they hold land at a certain moment or not. All these families are jockeying for power, titles, and even control of the empire itself. As the head of a Noble Family, it is your prerogative to garner power in the form of securing appointments and positions for your house members, improving the family Estate, and undercutting any political rivals that would challenge your name. Directly owning landed titles on the map is not a requirement for rulers within Administrative realms. If you are appointed to a title and any corresponding counties, you are there to do a job. This is not your personal fiefdom to do as you please. Admin realms should feel like a sort of proto-nation state, as Byzantium can be described during our period. As an admin governor are meant to manage the land and act publicly on behalf of the realm and your liege. Thats not to say you cant set something aside for yourself, however It's a tough job managing the realm, after all. This means that you can quite easily also lose any land you hold, should you be forced to resign, unable to secure the succession, or you may even give it up willingly if you so choose (you might want to put yourself in line for a better Theme, for example). Owning land can, in other words, be seen as temporary. You can expect your House members to hold some land most of the time, but there will be times when you wont. If that happens, you can keep playing as a landless noble within the realm. Should the empire fall, however, you shall fall with it. While not holding land, you are still a powerful political force and can take a lot of actions to claw your way to power. Unlike the more mobile Adventurers you are still very much a part of your realm, as you cannot simply pick up your things and leave, and you will always retain access to your Estate (more on that later). Landless nobles are made playable with a new type of title, the Noble Family title. This new title is a duchy-tier title, typically held by the House Head. You can draw comparisons to how Mercenaries or Holy Orders are set up. They exist with a duchy-tier title held by their respective leaders. There is an important caveat to mention here. This means that if you dont have a Noble Family title, you will be unable to play as a landless noble. You will almost always be playing as the House Head. However, if you find yourself in the extremely rare case that you arent, weve made the decision to create a cadet-branch much easier for Admin. As the player, you can take this at essentially any time if you arent the House Head. Doing so will give you a new Noble Family title, allowing you to keep playing even if you lose your land.
[Each Administrative House Head has a new title associated with their position.]

Powerful and Dominant Families

Noble Families are sorted into Normal, Powerful, and Dominant families. These designations are based on something called Powerful Family Rating (discussed below) and indicate each familys level of power within an Admin realm. Think of Powerful Families as a whos who of the realm. If a Powerful Family manages to become Dominant, they have by-and-large subdued the political milieu of the realm to their will. Should you so desire, you can manipulate and control an admin realm as the head of a Dominant or Powerful Family without ever becoming the Top Liege. Rather than having individual vassals playing a big role within the realm, it is the different Houses; the most influential of which have a greater impact on the realm at large. Powerful Families remain so regardless of the position of the House Head, who may go from being a governor to landless and back again. With this, we aim to create a sense of stability among the many and frequent vicissitudes of Administrative realms. Becoming a Powerful Family entitles your House members to several benefits and tools. For example, only members of Powerful Families can use the new Depose and Subsume Governorship Schemes. They get a flat discount to Promoting candidates in the new Succession type (discussed in our next dev diary) and are generally better at Political Schemes. It is also easier for them to be made Co-Emperor, which well discuss in a later dev diary. Any Powerful Family that is able to also control a significant part of the realm will become a Dominant Family. This happens when they control enough governorships to cover 25% of the realms total realm size, so your family must control a fair amount of land in order to become Dominant. A Dominant Family enjoys all the benefits accorded a Powerful Family, but to a greater degree. They are much more of a problem, or nuisance, for the liege. Once reaching such a position of influence and power, they are difficult to dislodge. They have a much easier time becoming governors for one thing, by significantly reducing the cost of investing in candidates (covered in detail next week) and have a much easier time requesting support from lesser families. Additionally, all members of a dominant family are even better at political schemes than other powerful families. Every familys rating also affects how likely the members of a House are to inherit the top lieges title. E.g. becoming emperor of Byzantium, as a portion of the rating is added to a candidates score (discussed below). It will be much easier to compete for the title with a high rating, or to keep it within your family if you are already emperor. Its important to note that Administrative realms don't have the concept of powerful vassals like other governments do. You can still have powerful vassals, should you have vassals of other government types, as those will be able to become powerful vassals as per usual. Administrative vassals, however, cannot. This is only relevant in the case where a Feudal or Clan vassal becomes part of an Admin realm.

Powerful Family Rating

There can only be a handful of Powerful Families at any given time 5 to be exact. The top lieges House is always considered Powerful, and does not take up one of these 5 spots. Houses are then sorted and ranked according to their rating. In order to become a Powerful Family, a House needs to have a rating above a certain threshold. This prevents small and seemingly insignificant Houses from becoming Powerful, as they need a certain amount of sway within the realm before they can gain the benefits of being a Powerful Family. When above the minimum threshold, it is the 5 Houses with the highest rating that are considered Powerful.
[An example of what the rating of a powerful family may look like.] There are several factors that have an impact on a familys rating. We have smaller factors, such as the current number of living House Members, which exists as potential tie breakers if families have a similar rating. Your Estate and the buildings you construct in it also play a central role in your rating. If the Estate is located in the realm capital, you gain yet another small bonus. Other factors you can actively pursue is being a part of your lieges council, where every position counts. If you can get other family members onto the council, the rating increases for each councilor. Or you can pick up the Heart of the Family diplomacy perk, which grants a small, but not insignificant bonus. The most important factor, however, is the number of governorships your family holds. Each held governorship adds to a multiplier, increasing the value of all other factors. Which means that for each governorship your family controls, the family rating will increase quite significantly.

Family Attributes

To give each family some additional flavor, they have access to what we call a Family Attribute. Its a small set of bonuses that apply directly to all House Members, as well as a separate bonus that only applies to their liege. A familys attribute is only active if and when they are considered a powerful family. Since there is a limited number of powerful families, the liege wont be able to stack these modifiers indefinitely. Instead, we hope they serve as an incentive to keep certain families around, making sure they remain a powerful family so that you dont lose out on the bonus they provide. Dominant families are a bit special. Their House Members get to benefit from their attribute, but the liege will not. Theres a number of bonuses available, pertaining to different scheme types, improving troops, generating more Influence, and more.
[The window in which you can set your Family Attribute, showing the benefits of the Confident Schemers attribute.] The attributes exist to give the different families some added flavor, to give them some additional identity and character. Not all families are alike, and the attribute symbolizes what they are good at, or perhaps their origin. The AI wont change these on the fly, so when you are playing as the emperor, you know what bonuses each family provides at all times. As a House Head yourself, you are free to change the attribute at any time. Theres no cost attached. Youll activate a short cooldown before you can change it again, but thats it. All in all, Noble Families are at the heart of Administrative realms. Their members make up the body of ruling characters and they are constantly positioning themselves to grasp more power, station, and influence within the empire at large. [hr][/hr]

Spheres of Influence

Influence is a brand-new resource, which represents your political capital and the sway you hold within an Administrative realm such as Byzantium. It's about your ability to manipulate others and leverage your political standing in order to achieve a favorable outcome. In many ways, Influence is the tool that will make you successful, and gaining Influence will be key to achieving your goals. Unlike other resources, Influence is hard to come by in great quantities, and it has many varied uses. It is the lifeblood of an Administrative realm; while a powerful Emperor or high-ranking Governor might be allowed to do what he wishes in theory, the reality is much more complex than that. This resource symbolizes how gracefully someone navigates the politics of the realm, and a truly powerful Emperor will secure their rule and might through clever use of influence - for example, by securing army support or ousting troublesome governors.
[The new Influence resource as shown in the top bar.]
[Influence has Levels of Influence, just like Prestige and Piety.] Some Levels of Influence directly affect how well you perform Schemes within the new Political category, making a truly influential character assume the form of a masterful political manipulator.

Gaining Influence

Your monthly Influence gain very much depends on your position within the realm, your skills at manipulation, and your success with schemes. Here are a few examples of what you can gain influence from:

Governor Trait

To track just how much skill characters have after becoming a governor, weve implemented a new Governor trait (flavored Strategos here for Byzantium). This trait offers tiered bonuses to monthly influence gain, among other things.

Lieges Council

Having a seat on the emperors council is an easy way to secure some additional influence. Alongside some other bonuses pertaining specifically to the playstyle of an Administrative realm.
[Being on your lieges council grants some significant influence gain each month.]

Governor Duties

Governors in particular have some additional ways of acquiring influence. You are an administrator; first and foremost meant to oversee and manage the land you are appointed to. If you perform your duties well, youll be rewarded for it, primarily with influence, but more on this below.

Alliances

Alliances are important for every realm and government type and Administrative is no different. If you manage to secure an alliance with the head of another noble family within the realm, youll get influence every month. These stack, so the more alliances you have, the more influence youll get.
[You gain monthly influence from having alliances with your liege and the heads of other noble families. Do note that the values are currently not formatted correctly.]

Estate Upgrades

The primary building of your Estate offers compounding influence bonuses as it gets upgraded. There are additional internal and external buildings you can construct on your Estate to gain even more influence, like Guest Chambers, for example.
[The Mansion provides a flat +2 influence per month.]
[Guest Chambers provide a +4% bonus to monthly influence at level 2.]

Holding Upgrades

Constructing or holding certain buildings within your holdings also provides influence gains. For example, we have added a new Murex Fisheries building type which can be built around the Mediterranean. It provides additional monthly influence, which increases as you upgrade the building.
[Murex Fisheries Building.]

Spending Influence

Now that we know how to get Influence, the next question naturally becomes: what can we do with it? Plenty, in fact! First and foremost, Influence is a key factor in securing governorships both for yourself and your family members by investing in succession candidates (I'll come back to how this works later), but you will generally use it to climb the political ladder in different ways. For example:

Demand Council Position

Administrative vassals have the option to request a council position by spending influence. Itll cost you a fair bit of influence, but there are ways to reduce this amount. You also have the option to demand a council position with the use of a hook, which is significantly more cost effective since you will gain some influence once you are on the council.
[The interaction to request a council position costs influence and may be refused by your liege.]

Force to Join Faction

Not having to rely solely on hooks, you can force other vassals to join your factions by spending influence. A handy tool when you just need a tiny bit of additional support for your claimant faction, so that you can push your claim for the throne.
[Force to Join Faction allows influence to be spent instead of a hook.]

Propose Alliance

When proposing an alliance, you can spend your influence to make the target character more likely to accept.
[Propose Alliance allows you to spend influence as a means of increasing acceptance.]

Petition Liege

For characters in an Administrative government, the decision to petition your liege costs influence instead of the usual prestige.
[The Petition Liege decision from the perspective of a governor.]

Bolster Governance

You can put your influence to good use by aiding and improving your governors, while also granting you some opinion in the process.
[The Bolster Governance interaction costs influence to use and improves your governors.] [hr][/hr]

Estates

Weve shown you a preview of Estates in a previous dev diary, so you may already know what they look like. If you havent seen them though, here is an Estate, located in Constantinople no less, in all of its glory.
[An Estate with several buildings constructed and upgraded.] It took us a while until we settled on the final art style. We went over a few options before we decided upon what you see above, a style inspired by medieval manuscripts. Not only does it look great, but it has a lot of quirkiness to it. Perspectives are slightly off, or people may have odd postures, etc. More or less what youd expect from actual medieval illustrations.We opted for this art style over reusing the previous style found in the Tournament interface as it feels more flavorful and authentic to the time period, as well as being far more flexible for other locations. The buildings you construct all look different from each other, and there are different backgrounds that are dependent on the local terrain of where your Estate is located. The backgrounds provide a lot of visual variety, but we really wanted to give a better sense of location. If your Estate is placed in mountains, we want the game to reflect that. It gives a much stronger feeling of belonging and immersion. A shout out to the art team for a job well done! In an Administrative realm, its the families of the nobles that really matter, i.e. their Houses. Each House Head will have access to an Estate, which is a representation of the familys overall wealth and any small tracts of land they may own. While a noble family might not hold any governorships, they are still influential nobles that own a significant amount of real estate. The purpose of the Estate is twofold: It gives you a powerbase you can rely on at all times, acting as your home and the place where your character resides when you dont have any other titles. Secondly, it exists as a means of progression; one that you can tailor to suit your own needs and playstyle. Estates grants you access to a whole bunch of buildings and upgrades, providing you with various bonuses, unlocking new interactions or decisions, and improving your existing toolbox in various ways. It is, without a doubt, one of the primary sources of increasing your Influence.
[The Guard Lodging building and its tooltip, showing the effects.] Estates can become quite powerful on their own. So they are restricted to one per family, owned and controlled by the House Head. Its only the House Head that may construct new buildings and upgrade existing ones, similar to how only the Dynasty Head can pick and unlock Dynasty legacies. One of our primary goals is to provide you with plenty of options as to what you can build, but buildings should also have a certain degree of synergy with each other. As you consider your options and what to build, we want you to be on the lookout for how buildings and upgrades complement each other.

Buildings

There are two distinct types of improvements you can build within your Estate. The first is buildings. You have one building slot dedicated to your villa, or mansion, which is a bit special, as you will always start with this building on at least level one, and you can never demolish it. Aside from your mansion, you have six slots in total in which you can construct whichever available buildings you want. Two of these slots are available from the get go. Then youll unlock an additional slot with every level of your mansion. Youll have two slots on level one, three slots on level two, and so on until you reach the maximum of six slots at level five. There are plenty of more buildings available than you have slots, so youll be forced to choose what you want to build. Buildings can be easily replaced whenever you want though, so you wont be stuck with anything if you ever change your mind. It wont cost you anything to replace a building other than the gold it requires to construct the new building. Your choices wont end there, however. Some buildings (but not all) have multiple branches where you can choose to specialize your buildings further. Branches often share some effects from the base levels before it splits into separate branches, but will then go on to provide slightly different bonuses revolving around a similar theme.
[The Shrine building and its different branches and levels.]
[The Storehouse building and its different branches and levels.]

Upgrades

The second type of improvements for Estates are building upgrades. Unlike buildings themselves, these are built inside of existing buildings. For Estates, upgrades are available in the mansion. The mansion has a limited number of upgrade slots available: Youll have access to two slots from the get go, and you will gain more slots as you upgrade your mansion. When your mansion is brought up to level five, youll have no less than ten upgrade slots to fill as you please. Upgrades can also have branching building paths, but most of the upgrades do not. They also tend to have fewer levels in total compared to buildings. Buildings typically have six levels, but may have less in some cases, while upgrades tend to be closer to four levels. All of this variation should give you plenty of options throughout the many hundreds of years the game spans.
[The upgrades and upgrade slots for your mansion.]

Building Examples

Lets look at another few examples of what you can build, and what type of effects you can expect. Your mansion can be upgraded with a library, in which the primary focus is on Learning Lifestyle experience. This particular upgrade has two distinct branches available. One of which ties in nicely is dedicated to education, improving your Tutor Court Position and allowing your children to get a rank five education.
[The Education Hall upgrade provides a number of useful bonuses.] The mansion can also be upgraded with a Wine Room, which in turn is upgraded into a Wine Cellar. The upgrade unlocks a new activity option for feasts, allowing you to spend some gold to gain Influence for every guest attending your feast. Each level unlocks a corresponding level for the activity, allowing you to spend more gold for a larger amount of Influence gained. Feasts are no longer just a means of gaining prestige and opinion, but become a much more central tool as you attempt to gain more and more Influence.
[The Wine Room upgrade for the Estate serves as a potential source of generating Influence.] The Vineyard is another great example. The building provides you with a steady income of gold, which is quite useful already, but the true value comes from also having the Wine Room mentioned above, as it increases the amount of Influence gained when you use the unlocked activity option for feasts.
[The Vineyard building, an excellent choice for when you need both gold and additional Influence.]

Modding

As per usual, you can expect Estates to be highly moddable. Changing, removing, or adding buildings is easy to do directly in script. You can add as many levels or branching options as you want. Icon and graphics can easily be adjusted as well, as you set these per building. You can, for example, see how we use unique icons for each building branch in the screenshots above. Any character modifier works out of the box, and these are applied to the owner of the Estate. For anything more complicated, weve enabled the use of parameters, much like those we already have for cultures or faiths. You can even set up new types, completely separate from the Administrative Estate, to be used however youd like. We cant wait to see what all of you can come up with! [hr][/hr] Thats it for today! We are not nearly done just yet though, so well be back with Part II next week; well be going more into depth regarding governors, how they work and what they do on a daily basis, how an administrative realm manages its troops, and more! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036

[ 2024-06-11 10:00:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=PxamTWMq1M0;full][/previewyoutube] See the World, Seize the Purple! The glory and might of the Byzantine Empire take center stage in the latest Major Expansion for Crusader Kings III. Rule from Constantinople through the new Administrative Government type and experience a variety of new Byzantine-themed events and flavor, or be truly daring and live a life where your noble reputation is not tied to the land, roaming the map as an Adventurer for hire. Roads to Power releases on September 24th, but you can purchase Chapter III right now to get the free Instant Unlock Couture of the Capets and receive all of the Chapter content within it as it releases throughout the year. Want to know more about the artwork shown here? [url=https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/threads/behind-the-scenes-making-the-roads-to-power-artwork.1682636/]Check out the art featurette for Roads to Power on our official forums. Be sure to check back next Tuesday, June 11th, for our first Dev Diary detailing the new Administrative Government! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-06-03 16:04:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Experience the medieval era in Crusader Kings III for FREE this weekend on Steam! If youve been thinking about trying Crusader Kings III (or trying to talk your friends into it), nows the perfect time with our 1.12.5 Update. Take command of your house and grow your dynasty across nearly 600 years of history at no cost until Monday, May 13. Additionally, select Crusader Kings III content is on sale this weekend, so you can continue your journey with 60% off of the base game, or expand your collection further with discounts on additional content for the game.

Take the Quiz, Win Prizes

Discover which Legend of Crusader Kings III you are with our quiz, and until May 31st be entered for a chance to win a custom CK3-themed G502 X mouse and desk mat from Logitech!

Take the quiz here!

Tutorials & Tips

[previewyoutube=VbeGxt7wVBA;full][/previewyoutube] Want to try Crusader Kings III but dont know where to start? Update 1.12.5 brings an additional express tutorial to the game, introducing new mechanics and interface elements one-at-a-time to help you ease into the Middle Ages. For more detailed explanations of mechanics, check out these tutorial videos from content creators like Party Elite, HeyCara, and others covering each of the five major lifestyles in Crusader Kings III, or learn how to create your own dynasty from scratch with our custom Ruler Designer system.

Choose Your Own Adventure

[previewyoutube=ccq82Qy9FZo;full][/previewyoutube] Find out which lifestyle path suits you best and embark on a journey through the perils of medieval court with our Choose Your Own Adventure video series! Will you be a mighty warrior, a shrewd diplomat, or something else? Can you even survive long enough to find out?

On the Road to Power

Roads to Power, our third major expansion, is coming later this year and with it comes a massive free update! Get a sneak peek at an overhauled succession system, new start date, message settings, and more in our latest dev diary straight from our Game Director himself.

Read the dev diary here!

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-05-09 17:36:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! Today we're releasing Update 1.12.5 for PC. This update brings adjustments to plagues, event frequency (are there no sick houses?), and various balance changes. This update also includes new historic event chains for our Legends of Crusader Kings III characters, as well as an additional "express" version of the tutorial. Check the changelog below for precise update information! We hope this helps alleviate some of the pain points you've reported to us since the release of Legends of the Dead. As always, if you encounter any issues after today's update then please ensure you're running a fresh save with no mods enabled, and then report the problem to us if it persists!

1.12.5 Update Changelog

Game Content

• Added a few historically-inspired events for Matilda di Canossa, Robert the Fox, Yahya Dhunnunid, and Vratislav of Bohemia. Events include themes such as Matilda's marriage to Geoffrey the Hunchback, Vratislav's rivalry with his brother, and Robert's usage of Raiktor the Byzantine pretender-monk.
• Added a new, shorter, version of the Tutorial. The old longer tutorial is still available.

Bugfixes

• Added missing cooldown to physician_epidemic_events.1040 (Alms), set it to 20 years
• During the first 15 years after an epidemic has left a province, further outbreak chances now properly follow the harsher, 50-year epidemic specific, cooldown instead of lesser, 15 year epidemic type agnostic one.
• An empty Legitimacy Gain toast will no longer appear when winning wars against targets you shouldn't get legitimacy for defeating
• Fixed travel completion event so it fires normally, this will allow Traveler Trait XP to be gained again

Balance

• Plague events now only happen if they are present in your Domain, or within a certain distance of your Capital (roughly the length of one Ireland). This should drastically reduce the amount of insignificant plague events in large realms.
• Lowered the general occurrence of plague events by roughly ~30-50%
• The AI is now significantly more likely to enter seclusion when a plague appears in their domain, or in a county bordering their capital (unless brave or deeply irrational)
• The AI will now exit seclusion within 6 months of every plague having left their domain (though they will still not leave before 1 year has passed since they secluded)
• The Secluded modifier penalties have been changed, instead of reducing all stats, it reduces diplomacy, prestige gain, opinion with courtly/glory hound vassals, and increases legitimacy loss
• The Isolate Capital decision now comes with a small legitimacy loss
• The AI is now significantly more willing to isolate their capital, unless brave, greedy, or deeply irrational
• The AI will now unisolate their capital within 6 months of every plague having left their domain
• Reduced frequency of Minor plagues by roughly 20%
• Increased frequency of Major and Apocalyptic plagues by roughly 5%
• Added a new option the the Plague Frequency Game Rule: Disabled, which removes the spawn chance for all plagues (except the Black Death)
• The lower Plague Frequency Game Rule options no longer disable Achievements
• When a disease becomes endemic in a province, it will no longer fully override the recent epidemics cooldown for outbreaks
• Lowered the chance of epidemic outbreaks in provinces that have recently recovered from the specific epidemic on the 'often' and very often' game rule frequency
• The AI will now refrain from hosting hunts, feasts, and pilgrimages for the first three years of any new game (to give them more time to purchase buildings, maa, etc)
• Cut the amount of hunts hosted worldwide by roughly 2/3rds, as it was vastly more common than any other type of activity by far
• Activity guests will now refuse to come if there's an epidemic in your domain or their capital county, rather than if one exists anywhere in your realm
• The AI will now generally avoid hosting activities if there's a plague in their domain, rather than their sub-realm
• Reduced the Prestige rewards from Majesty Tours, both from the demand (medium -> minor demand) and the general prestige rewards (200/600/800/1000/1200 -> 100/300/500/700/1000)
• Reduced gold gained from taxation tours by reducing the gold gained from the various Activity Pulse Actions (Local Tax instituted, Rich Local Taxed, etc)
• Increased Intimidation Tour rewards, added dread on successful demands, and increased faction block from 5 -> 10 and 15 -> 20 years
• Pilgrimage Piety reward values have been lowered, but the Piousness mult has been increased to 10%/25%/75%/150%, this means that it'll be much harder to gain a lot of piety from pilgrimages unless you take a lot of pious options
• Pilgrimage events have had their piety rewards lowered by one step (medium piety -> minor piety, etc)
• Pilgrimage Event Pulse Action piety rewards have been significantly lowered (they now give 10-25 piety)
• Hospices, Monasteries, and Watchtowers now provide Plague Resistance to the Barony instead of the County, this makes it harder to stack Plague Resistance to the point of immunity
• Boosted the tax gained from Pastures from poor to normal
• The 'Pressed my Claim' modifier is now 100 opinion (up from 50) and lasts for 50 years (up from 20)
• Reduced the frequency of the 'Pharmaceutical book' event (physician_epidemic_events.1030)
• Increased the cooldown of epidemic_events.2001 (The Plague of War) to 30 years (from 10)
• Increased the cooldown of epidemic_events.1030 (Leeches!) to 15 years (from 5)
• Increased the cooldown of epidemic_events.1040 (Flagellants at Court) to 15 years (from 5)
• Increased the cooldown of epidemic_events.1040 (Doomsday) to 6 years (from 2)

Interface

• Each Legend now gets a unique map color to make sure different legends do not blend into each other

Localization

• Shortened the text of the 'A Shadow Over X'-event to focus more on what's important

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-05-08 08:06:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! This Dev Diary will be a mixed bag of various things - theres a lot going on, and therefore a lot to talk about. I want to take this opportunity to address feedback, talk design philosophy, shine some light on how were working, set some expectations for Roads to Power, tease some things coming in the future, and show off the 1.12.5 changelog for a free update happening on May 8th. In other words, this will be a big and a little bit all-over-the-place diary, but bear with me. Discuss Dev Diary #147 on our forums!
To start off, let's talk about Community Feedback! Theres a lot of feedback coming in for the features of Legends of the Dead, and were doing our best to collect it. We try to find as much feedback as we can from as many different sources (forums, Reddit, videos, reviews, etc, etc.) as we can - even if you feel like were not there, I promise that we read everything - or we try to - and have it in the back of our minds. That said, let's start off with Plagues.

Plagues

Plagues is the feature that has been the easiest to collect and action feedback for - even if various types of feedback are sometimes conflated and need to be untangled for us to know what we should change. Your sentiment is somewhat split between plagues either being too easy or too hard, but uniformly they are perceived as annoying by the sheer amount of events they can summon (especially in larger realms). For Plagues, were looking into having balance changes go out together with an update on the 8th of May. The full changelog can be found at the end of this post. The vast majority of the event spam was due to one seemingly-innocent bug in the Alms event; it didnt have a cooldown set. This means that regardless of our intentions, itd always be valid to fire, which is of course not as intended. In fact, a lot of the events were set up to simulate negative consequences of unchecked plagues - but as many of you have rightfully pointed out, the general negative modifiers to development and other things are more than enough to represent this. That said, increasing the cooldowns significantly for most of the events that either have easy-to-happen triggers or major negative effects should go a long way in making this feel better. The second part of making sure the events you get are relevant for you was to make it so they only happen if theyre near an area you care about: if youre the emperor of a world-spanning empire, you dont care about the goings-on of a distant backwater, or even if youre just the King of France you dont necessarily care whats going on in the very southernmost parts of Aquitaine - after all, the risk of the plague reaching your lands from there isnt that great. It seemed that the most common feedback here was to limit the events by distance, so thats exactly what we did - they can now only happen if the plague is in your domain or within a certain distance from your capital (roughly one Ireland, its less than you might think). Alongside this, weve reduced the overall frequency of plague events and shifted the ratio between minor/major/apocalyptic plagues away from minor and towards major/apocalyptic in an effort to make the content you receive more impactful - this should mean that you get fewer plagues overall, but the ones that happen are more significant. Weve also removed the block on achievements when you lower the frequency, and added an additional option where you can choose to disable plagues (minus the black death) entirely should you wish. Another recurring point of feedback is difficulty, or rather the lack of challenge - it is felt like the AI is much worse at handling plagues than the player, and this I agree with. While the AI will never be as responsive as the player when it comes to isolating or secluding, they should all treat it as a threat to be countered - choosing to defend themselves shouldnt be dependent on minor quirks of personality; only truly major ones. Currently, larger Counties (with more Baronies) are better at defending against plagues - and that was never our intention, as this is literally the opposite of what happened historically - therefore weve shifted the plague resistance granted by buildings from County-wide to Barony-wide. This should encourage an alternative playstyle of having fewer-barony Counties in your domain in order to protect development. This is also much more of a challenge for players than it will be for the AI, evening the playing field a bit. The full changelog for the 1.12.5 update can be found at the very end of this Dev Diary.

Legends

Legends are a completely different beast altogether, and are much harder to collect feedback for - opinions on what to do or change differ wildly at this point in time. Of course were aware of the general sentiment surrounding the feature, which is why were still looking at as much feedback as we can. The update we deployed close to the release targeted some of the widely agreed-upon points of feedback, such as adding a Legend Library where you can see completed legends forever, and more reactive variations in chapter texts to things your character does (such as winning battles, having children, etc.), among other things. For this update, weve mainly improved the Legends mapmode as we found it uninspiring and not pleasant to look at due to its limited color palette (and similar colors tended to blend together).
[Image - New legend colors] The feedback were collecting now is hard to act upon. As I mentioned, opinions vary greatly - from thinking that they are underpowered and useless, too overpowered and way too good, or that they should be something else altogether. Some of you are bringing up the example of CK2 Bloodlines (which is interesting to me, seeing as I designed them back in the day.) The Bloodlines of CK2 were designed to be more of a fantasy feature, where great, lasting reputations were built by people *actually doing* the great and/or implausible deeds the reputations spoke of - this would then be literally transferred in their blood to either a patrilineal or matrilineal lineage (with some convoluted breeding necessary to stack multiple lines on the same character). On the contrary, Legends in CK3 were designed to mimic what medieval rulers actually did; embellish otherwise mundane stories into epics of great renown - all in order to bolster their legitimacy in the eyes of their subjects or the renown of their dynasty. Which of the two approaches is the best can be debated, and I think theres merit to both. We wanted to go for the more true-to-history one for CK3 - if nothing else - because its something we hadnt done before. Truth be told though, I think the problem with Legends lies less in the feature itself and more in how we communicated them in Dev Diaries and similar - we werent clear enough what they were going to be. This is something we can act upon. Going forward, any Dev Diary were making on a feature will aim to be less open for interpretation. As with diaries of old, well try to describe features in as much detail as possible. We dont want any misconceptions about what the features are or how they work. You can expect the diaries for Roads to Power to be detail-filled behemoths when they start.

Bettering the Game

Next up, Id like to share some details on how we work to make the game better over time. No matter if were working on an expansion, free update, or other type of release, we always try to improve the game by doing various initiatives and looking at feedback.

How We Work

There are different ways were doing this, such as through the dedicated Balance Days we have every three weeks - for which we keep a big sheet of game balance areas that we review and add to. Currently, these days are focused on improving some of the older content weve released, as well as doing balance passes on resources such as Prestige and game components such as Cultural Traditions. The main philosophy were following when reviewing old content is to balance it for fun. If a piece of content isnt already engaging, flavorful, interesting, or fulfilling a specific purpose, then it needs to at least be made entertaining or useful. Right now, were working on updating Court Events from Royal Court - a set of events that are regarded to be fairly poor and inconsequential by many of you, and we do agree with that assessment in hindsight. Were ripping out and replacing much of the content within that pool, hopefully for the better. As for Prestige, weve also taken a look at what causes the AI to go into Prestige debt and thus be unable to declare war - all in order to make it more challenging and not feel as inert. Many Cultural Traditions presented very small or narrow trade-offs that players would rarely choose, so we decided to change our philosophy to work with larger buffs and more significant/interesting tradeoffs. Updating older content or doing large balance passes is always on our radar, and will often arrive together with larger updates - all of what I mentioned here, Court Events, AI Prestige debt, and Cultural Tradition balance, will arrive alongside Roads to Power.
[Image - One of the revised court events] We also work with Community Reports - our community team scours the various platforms where you have discussions, looking for trends and issues, and then they compile reports. These reports are very useful and show us if an issue or topic keeps being brought up. A lot of the changes were making to the plagues were measured using these reports. In addition to this, we also have Fix Weeks (every three weeks, we focus exclusively on fixing bugs), Improvement Days (where we look at a backlog of improvements weve gathered, including your wishes!), and more. Much of our time is spent on making the game better, and were constantly evaluating how were working to see how we can best improve the game as much as we can.

Event Frequency

A common topic that I see discussed in many places is the frequency of events, that they can feel spammy - not necessarily because theres always too many of them at once (although that certainly happens every now and then), but because you often see the same events often. The more insignificant or punishing a (random) event is, the less often you want to see it happen. Having a flavorful situation appear now-and-then is fine, but being blocked by a challenger on the road or hearing a duck quack several times per character feels off. Now, the method we have when creating pools of content is to have a generous amount of events that have easy-to-happen triggers and can happen in many situations. This we do in order to make sure youre always valid to see something. While making an event that triggers for a niche situation feels really good, the likelihood of it being seen at all drastically decreases the more complex the situation is, making it less and less valuable to spend time making - to the point where it might be half a percent or less of the playerbase who sees them. This means that we aim for way more general events as a rule of thumb, a ratio between general and niche (which varies depending on the pool were filling). Of course, a consequence of this is that youre going to see the events with easy-to-happen triggers way more often - sometimes with every character you play, and sometimes multiple times per character (depending on the event cooldown). Reading your feedback Im inclined to make some changes to our philosophy, and Id appreciate further feedback on this before we make any decisions. What we are looking at is a combination of more significant cooldowns and a new system to restrict certain events for some characters you play could have the following effects:

• Pro: You would see the same events way less often
• Pro: You would have more varied general event content between characters
• Pro: Rare events would become somewhat more visible, due to fewer general events being valid
• Con: Some event pools might give you less event content over time (which might be a Pro for some of you)

Id like to go into a bit more detail on how this would work. Generally, we use 5 or 10 years as the most common cooldown for events; they are the default go-to values. For events with easy-to-happen triggers, what we could do is simply increase this cooldown - this would make it so that theres a significantly lower chance of seeing the same event multiple times with the same character. This wouldnt hinder each of your successive rulers from seeing the events at least once though, which would limit its impact as a stand-alone measure. If we introduced a system where we could randomly make events valid or invalid for your character, say that an event would be valid for 50% of characters, then wed be able to ensure that not all characters see the same events. For some we could have lower values, for others higher - it could be a judgment call based on what the event is, and its purpose. Of course, these two measures would only be interesting to enable for certain types of events, and wouldnt work to introduce for all events (for example, you need all lifestyle events to be valid so that you have ways of gaining XP). That said, I believe that this could help drastically reduce the issue of excessively frequent events. Let me know what you think.

Message Settings

Another type of spam that is often (rightfully) brought up is that of messages, notifications (the bottom-right ones) and toasts (the top center ones that fade after a few seconds) have been accumulating for some time, and sometimes reach critical mass when playing - especially if youre further into a session. The solution to this has been clear for a while, and weve finally found the time to realize it. With the update releasing together with Roads to Power you will have access to Message Settings. This means that you can disable or change any feed or toast message stemming from a systemic source (in other words, anything that isnt the result of an event outcome such as a skill duel, etc.) This should allow you to tailor what you see and are notified with based on personal preference.
[Image - CK3 message settings, modified by me to fit my playstyle] As a bonus, this also allows you to automatically pause the game if something specific happens, and you can even set messages to be delivered in the form of a pop-up should you really want to not miss something! For example - I know that a lot of you who used to play CK2 set hostile sieges to pause the game so you wouldnt miss them, now you can do the same in CK3.
[Image - Popup and pause on enemy sieges]

The Philosophy of Free

When developing expansions you have to make many calls of what should be paid and what should be free. Back in the day (Ive worked at Paradox for 10 years now, time truly flies), we were not very good at determining what could be paid and what should be free. This had several unfortunate side effects; players who didnt have certain expansions would be alienated, us developers would have to spend extra time supporting multiple parallel systems within the same game (including all manner of permutations between different expansion combinations), and it sometimes made it harder to further develop popular systems. As a company we develop games that can live for a very, very long time - this implies a lot of work keeping the game healthy by updating features, fixing issues, doing balance work, and other things that arent just about making new expansions. Over the years, weve started to make more and more base systems free at their core, which is something that came from listening to you in the community. The reason why were doing this is because we want your experience to be better - for the game to be healthy, for systems to be more accessible to modders, and so that we can update areas of the game that we feel would simply make the experience better. This alleviates the unfortunate side effects I mentioned above. Speaking of modders; we love them, and we love the fact that so many people want to mod our game. This is why we spend extra time making new systems as flexible as possible, and why we take some of our time to do things that are pure support for mods (one of the latest examples here.) We appreciate the work they do and their creativity, but we don't want to rely on them to make the game for us - we only rely on them to share their passions about the game! It's important that the game is feature complete and enjoyable without mods. Now, we dont aim for a fixed ratio between free or paid - we aim to make the game better in as many different ways as we can. We dont want to lock systems away if theyd make more sense being free. Sometimes this means that well be making more free features than paid ones in an update, and sometimes more paid ones than free - it depends on what the update is about. It is important to note that we have limited time; the time to make free and paid features come out of the same pool. By choosing to make more paid features wed be making fewer free ones, and that could ultimately hurt the game. Which is why I want to reinforce that I dont want to change how we work. I believe that its important for the game and community that certain things are free, to avoid divides and splits, and keep the game in good shape. We, like you, are fans of the game, and we want to make it as good as it can be - paid features exist in order to fund continued development, they are not goals in and of themselves. Its together with you in the community that we decided to have this philosophy, and I strongly believe in it. That said, while Roads to Power is going to have plenty of free systems (more than this Dev Diary will cover), it will definitely lean more towards having paid features than Legends of the Dead did.

A Challenging Game

The difficulty of the game is a topic that is often brought up. The truth is that CK3 is not a particularly hard game when youve mastered it - and thats something weve always been fine with, seeing as, unlike other GSGs, were focusing more on stories and dynamically evolving narratives. That said, if the game is too easy, or systems are too trivial to overcome, then that impacts the quality of the stories. Therefore Id like to explain my philosophy regarding what difficulty in CK3 should be. I am not a fan of traditional Hard difficulties, where all AIs are simply given extra resources and bonuses the player cannot get - or alternatively the player is hit with a series of nerfs and inefficiencies that feel artificial and forced. I like when difficulty is immersive and opt-in. It shouldnt get in the way of you telling your stories (up to a certain degree) by the AI only doing objectively good things, such as stacking wars, spamming murder schemes, etc - it should help you create stories of triumph, or stories of overcoming hardship. The AI is there to immerse you in the game, and to provide an enjoyable challenge. Unlike the player, the AI cannot game over, and should therefore focus on immersion over pure survival (although it should obviously not feel suicidal - thats not immersive!). As we want the AI to play in an immersive way where they dont always take optimal decisions, we try to be wary of changing the overarching difficulty - making the game harder overall will always hit the AI harder than the player, as the player can more easily adapt. There are systems that are easier to change than others to introduce more challenges to the player without inadvertently making the game harder for the AI. For example, the AI will almost always marry for Alliances or Prestige - never for Genetics. This means that if we were to make it more of a challenge to reinforce good genetic traits (which is on our radar, but perhaps not for Roads to Power) it would barely harm the AI at all. Of course this isnt true for most systems, which is why we need to always be careful. When we change things, we try to think of what implications itll have for the AI so that we dont inadvertently make the game less challenging. Many things that relate to adding more challenges are present on the balance sheet I mentioned earlier in this diary (the How We Work section). Now, difficulty comes in different flavors; one of these flavors is to optimize your resources to overcome challenges. This is when you use your gold, prestige, lands, vassals, etc. to outcompete your rivals and neighbors - very common in all GSGs. The lack of mid-to-late game AI challengers makes this difficulty peter out quickly after youve formed a decently-sized realm. Another flavor of difficulty is to overcome specific challenges where the rules you play by are different and not controlled by you. This is when you guide a blind 4-year-old through a viper's nest of rivals in order to reach adulthood and subsequently thrive - this is a more uniquely CK3 thing. The fact that you have a lot of control over education, inheritance, and that youre restricted to a direct line of inheritance makes it so youre challenged less often. Both of these are connected to player fantasies that are very common to have when playing CK3 - and both are difficulties we want to improve. We work continually with general difficulty balance in our systems, but sometimes we decide to do things that are a lot larger in scope, such as these:

Conquerors

While I dont enjoy having all AIs cheat, I enjoy when certain characters stand out from the rest. When certain rulers, either because of historical reasons, or in-game suitability, are granted special bonuses and a new way of interacting with the world. The middle ages are full of these conquerors who forged large empires (which often later fell) like the Ghaznavids, Ayyubids, etc. I wanted something like this for CK - dynamic challengers, controlled in detail by game rules, who can rival players in efficiency while being immersive and appropriately flavorful.
[Image - Game Rules for Conquerors] Conquerors switch over to a hyper-aggressive version of the AI, which is much faster to declare wars, can declare multiple wars at once, and invests all of their resources into warfare, MaA, and means in which to declare more and better wars (such as hunt activities if theyre low on prestige and youve disabled their special bonuses via game rules, or taxation tours if theyre low on gold, etc.). They switch to the objectively best lifestyle focuses, use schemes in a very realpolitik way, etc.
[Image - Conqueror economical Archetype] By default, they get the Conqueror trait which provides a host of powerful boons, making them have an easier time fielding a large army and keeping their realms stable. If you prefer to not give the AI any handicap, you can turn this off in the game rules. I avoided certain types of bonuses, such as making their troops fight better, or them having an artificially high advantage in combat, because such bonuses can feel unfair - instead opting for areas in which the player often has an advantage (economy, realm stability, etc.).
[Image - Conqueror trait bonuses] Of course, if you fancy a truly unfair challenge you can set the game rule to extreme, where theyll get an additional scourge of god modifier. This is masochistic and not really recommended!
[Image - Scourge of God bonuses] With default game rules, rulers around the world have a very, very small chance to become Conquerors. The likelihood goes up the more suitable they are based on traits, government, available CBs, etc. A global pacing mechanic makes sure that there arent too many of these characters worldwide, and that they mostly appear in areas where youd expect large upheavals in the regional power structure (but there are never any guarantees - they could appear anywhere!). You can also control via game rules if you only want already-powerful rulers to have the chance. Everything good has to come to an end - if they are defeated repeatedly in wars, lose all of their prestige, or similar, they will stop being conquerors and lose all bonuses. On succession, being a conqueror is inherited by default - but if an AI is Cautious (in other words; a craven coward) they will also stop being a conqueror. This creates a dynamic ebb and flow of challenge.
[Image - Two conquerors, the Ghaznavids and the Somavamsi, splitting India between them] This feature will help the mid-to-late game feel less stale when youve forged a grand realm, and will be coming in the update alongside Roads To Power.

Choose a New Destiny

Those of you who followed what we did for the Black Forge Jam know about this feature; when you die, you now have the opportunity to switch to one of three carefully-selected dynasty members. These picks are chosen based on an interest score, where various subjective things are chosen to make a character more or less interesting. Feel free to suggest things that you consider interesting, such as various combinations of traits and/or skills. Having rare traits or being in peculiar situations (such as being the only one in your dynasty of a certain faith) will score a character higher, while being awfully rich will weigh them down (as that isnt as much fun as just trivializing the challenge.)
[Image - Updated death screen with the new Choose a New Destiny button] The point of this feature is to give you opportunities to take on challenges - perhaps you have an awfully interesting one-eyed albino uncle whos a count of a foreign faith within a distant realm? Now you will have the opportunity to change the course of your game and experience these much rarer situations. Situations that dont exist when you start the game within the bookmarks. When you feel accomplished and finished with what youre currently doing, you can treat it as a New Game+ within the same session.
[Image - example characters in a Choose a New Destiny] Currently theres no inherent bonus associated with making this switch - and Im in two minds if there should be any. Ive been considering adding a small renown boon for choosing to switch, perhaps based on their difficulty. I welcome feedback on this point.

On the Road to Power

As Ive seen a lot of discussions about how Adventurers will play, I thought I would give a brief overview of how were designing them. This will not be exhaustive (that will come in later Dev Diaries), but I think its interesting to share how we see the experience. Playing as an average Adventurer will be a zero-to-hero experience, a completely separate experience from how you play a landed character, where you work your way up in the world. You will travel a lot, and accumulate resources to improve your standing. It wont be easy to gain land depending on the goals you set for yourself - gaining a small plot of land will naturally not be as difficult as doing something epic like invading a kingdom (except if youre an Adventurer with the special Legitimists purpose, in which case its intended that you can amass a big army and lots of support quickly! This will be rare though). It will also definitely be possible to play as a multi-generational adventurer, should you want. Before ending this Dev Diary, Id like to leave you with some screenshots of upcoming features of Roads to Power and its accompanying update. Firstly, weve already hinted at this, but the free update coming alongside the expansion will introduce a new 1178 start date, alongside two bookmarks - one focusing on the Byzantine Empire and its surroundings, the Call of the Empire. 1178 provides a more built-up starting situation than the 867 or 1066 starts do, and also gives you access to a whole host of new historical characters and dynasties to play, such as Saladin of Egypt or the Plantagenets in England - not to mention that the centerpiece realm of Roads to Power, Byzantium, is in a challenging situation with the Sultanate of Rum on its doorstep.
[Image - Call of the Empire bookmark in 1178] Secondly, Id like to show off a screenshot of the Estate feature that Noble families inside of Byzantium (or other administrative empires) will have access to. As you can see, the estate has a location on the map from where it can be accessed (in this case Athens) and a whole host of building upgrade options - ranging from the mansion itself, external buildings (the Watchtower, Storehouse, and Hay Barracks in the picture), and internal upgrades (like the Granaries shown to the right), theres even branching upgrades where you have to choose what you want the most. The Estate is managed by the House Head, and theres one per family.
[Image - An estate in 1178, map location visible, with an external building slot upgrade tree shown] As I mentioned earlier in this diary, were committing to having more detailed Dev Diaries for Roads to Power. While there are some more teaser-like sections in this Dev Diary, that will not be the norm going forward - there should be no room for misinterpreting what were making, or how it will work!

1.12.5 Update Changelog

(Community Manager note: Including the changelog would push us over the character limit for a Steam announcement! Check our forum thread for the list of changes.) Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-04-30 12:00:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, everyone! We have an important update to share today for people looking to get into Crusader Kings III for the first time: we're retiring the old Royal Edition and replacing it with a new Starter Edition for our game. This new edition is designed to offer a comprehensive and value-packed entry point for new players, ensuring access to the best of what Crusader Kings III has to offer from the get-go. [hr][/hr]

Included with Crusader Kings III: Starter Edition

Crusader Kings III Base Game

• Whether you start as a lowly count or a mighty emperor, no throne is safe as you compete for power against thousands of other nobles for prestige and dominance. Write your own histories, with a wide range of personality types, ambitions, and cultural preferences. Play as a haughty duke, a pious prince, or a cunning queen, and then play as their heir as the wheel of time grinds on.

Tours and Tournaments

• Host thrilling tournaments, grand feasts and splendid weddings to bolster your prestige or win new honors for your dynasty. Travel to distant lands on pilgrimage or inspect your vassals on a grand tour of your realm - whether to extort taxes or bolster loyalty.

Friends and Foes

• Deepen your relationships with those around you, forming lasting friendships with childhood companions, bitter rivalries with distant foes or eternal love with a beauty of your choosing.

Garments of the Holy Roman Empire

• Immerse yourself in the Holy Roman Empire with a collection of outfits for both commoners, warriors and rulers of Central Europe.

Elegance of the Empire

• Based on the garments and regalia of Emperor Henry II and the Empress Cunigunde, this pack includes not only new robes and dresses, but historically appropriate crowns and other items.

Fashion of the Abbasid Court

• Give your court a dashing new look with a set of outfits and cosmetic clothing options for the Middle East and North Africa.

[hr][/hr] Crusader Kings III: Starter Edition is available now! Thank you for your support, and we look forward to welcoming new players into our community! Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-04-03 16:04:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Are you stepping into the vast and intricate world of Crusader Kings III for the first time? We understand that beginning your journey into the Middle Ages can be daunting; That's why we're excited to introduce Legends of Crusader Kings III, a specially crafted initiative to ease new players into the game's rich historical tapestry and complex gameplay mechanics. We've selected five legendary characters from the game's extensive roster, each offering a unique perspective on the medieval world and showcasing different aspects of gameplay. Whether it's military conquest, deft diplomacy, or intricate plotting, these legends serve as both a tutorial and a teaser of the possibilities that lie ahead. There's news for existing players as well: these characters are set to receive comprehensive overhauls as part of a free update in May, enhancing their stories and gameplay even further. The journey doesn't end with these legends, though. Crusader Kings III is about carving your own path through history, and with Legends of Crusader Kings III, we encourage you to start forging your own legacy. Create a character, build your dynasty, and make decisions that will echo through the ages. Will you be a benevolent ruler, or a tyrant feared by all? The choice is yours. Getting started with Legends of Crusader Kings III is simple. Visit the official website for guides on each legendary character and tips for creating your own. You'll also find links to our social media pages and various community platforms, where you can ask questions, share your journey, and connect with other players. Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-04-03 08:30:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.12.4 to address some outstanding issues, as well as implement several changes to Legends and the Legends UI. Most of these changes are the direct result of community feedback we've received here on Steam and elsewhere over the past weeks; your feedback remains an invaluable tool for helping us improve Crusader Kings III, so thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and suggestions with us since the release of Legends of the Dead! [hr][/hr]

Update 1.12.4 Changelog

Game Content

• Legend chapters will now change in response to the player's actions: winning a battle, a siege, being released from prison, taking the vows, a deceased spouse, a newborn child, etc.
• Added more variations to legend titles.
• You are now alerted when a new legend enters your realm.
• Winning a Great Holy War now offers a chance to get a Holy Warrior legend seed.
• Added a Legitimacy modifier to the "Writing History" perk.
• "Shy" and "Reclusive" characters now have a higher Plague Resistance.
• The capitals of rulers with high level Legends will now become Points of Interest to visit during travel.
• Added a player Legend Library, which contains completed legends.
  • Legends in player Libraries will never fade, even if their bonus-giving reach has decayed to zero provinces.
  • Legends you own or were actively promoting are automatically added.
  • Completed legends that reached your domain are automatically added.
  • You can remove legends from your Library at will (beware that you might not be able to get them back!)
  • You can add distant completed Legends to your library if you are traveling in lands that the legend has reached.
  • Your Legend Library persists on inheritance / character switching.

Interface

• Improved legend window interface - completed legends now take up less space.
• Legend headers are directly clickable.
• Legend list items now contain more information, such as the protagonist name, and start/completion date.
• Legend chronicle window has a clearer scrollbar, and a nameplate for the protagonist.
• Legend chronicle portrait animation is now based on chronicle type, and they are also animated - to remember them as they were in life.
• Added pan to legend button and right-click action for legend list items.
• In the Legend List, promotion costs for legends you cannot promote are no longer shown.

Bug Fix

• Fixed broken invalid obligations notification.
• The "Royal Touch" event doesn't give out permanent Measles anymore.
• Clarified the "Isolationist" cultural tradition to reflect its plague resistance.
• Legend protagonist portraits no longer show characters in their nightgown, if they had the misfortune of dying while ill (dead protagonists from old savegames might still be in their nighties)
• Fixed certain UI sounds to match levels from previous versions.
• Observers get a nicer legend listing.

[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-03-27 14:04:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.12.3 to address some issues reported to us by the community as well as deploy a couple of balance tweaks. Notably for our MacOS and Linux users, this update merges in the previously experimental fix for crashes related to tooltips and mousing over portraits. A huge thank you goes out to the community for providing their crash reports and insights on this issue! [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.12.3 Changelog

Balance

• Rebalanced the AI logic for asking characters to promote their legend.
• If you have taken gold in exchange to promote someone's legend and stop, then you're asked to give the gold back.

User Modding

• User Modding: Added on_legend_start_promote to legend types.
• User Modding: Added on_legend_stop_promote to legend types.

Bugfix

• Clearing the Grounds for a Legendary Hunting Lodge now correctly states the additional requirements.
• Reworded the description of the "Upward Mobility" achievement.
• Advanced Research icon has been updated to be more historically accurate.
• Clarified the description for Extol Domestic Legend.
• Changed the title of 4 similar legends.
• Added Cremation funerary tradition to Zunbil.
• Added happy reaction for when disliked spouse dies in death_management.1200
• Added 25% cultural fascination bonus for fifth level of learning trait.
• Fixed Horse Hastiluder XP not disbursing upon winning the horse racing event at tournaments.
• Fixed Sar-i Sang mine not scaling modifiers correctly into fourth level.
• Fixed Palace of Aachen not correctly displaying feast cost reduction.
• Ensured Your Highness event (host_dinner_events.1009) targets the correct characters.
• Ensured you cant save yourself in travel_events.2105
• Fixed multiple localisation typos.
• The Sons of Scota legend now lets you diverge your culture to Ancient Egyptian at Mythical level.
• The Sons of David legend now lets you diverge your culture to Hebrew at Mythical level.
• Fixed a bug where regional portrait accessories, for example cultural swords, would not properly display.
• Fixed rare crash to desktop when a character has an invalid instance of their character modifier.
• Fixed wrong header for cost breakdown when you are a legend promoter, rather than the legend owner.
• Reduced crashes related to tooltips and portrait clicking on Mac and Linux. Note: We might not have found all instances of this issue. Special thanks to all assistance from the Paradox Forums for helping us with this issue.
  • If you're using the experimental beta branch with this fix, then you will need to opt out of it to receive today's update.

Game Content

• Added explicit game concepts for owned legends and promoted legends.

[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-03-19 14:05:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Back in December of 2023, halls of Studio Black buzzed with an exciting flurry of activity for the teams inaugural Black Forge Jam: a three-day extravaganza of creativity and innovation, with just a dash of chaos. This wasn't your average development sprint. We threw the rulebook out the window (figuratively speaking, of course) to dive into the realms of "What if?" and "Why not?" for Crusader Kings III.

A Dive into Uncharted Waters

Imagine a space where time, budget, and the usual game plan constraints are sidelined, allowing for pure, unadulterated creativity. That's what the Black Forge Jam was all about. With 11 different projects on the table, different groups from the CK3 Dev team embarked on a journey to explore the unexplored and build the unbuilt, all fueled by a passion for innovation and perhaps a copious amount of caffeine. Take a look behind the scenes of the Black Forge Jam: [previewyoutube=vVBBUXCpysY;full][/previewyoutube]

What If?

While the team experimented with 11 different projects during the event, these 5 ideas stood out after the work was done. Medieval Menagerie: Envision a court where your royal advisors are joined by loyal pets, each bringing a unique flair and emotional depth to your reign. This project focused on incorporating pets into the game, understanding the emotional impact they have on players, and exploring how to enhance that aspect of gameplay. Immersive Barks: Picture interacting with your subjects and hearing their whispered allegiances and concerns, enriching the tapestry of your kingdom's story without a single voice actor. Inspired by real-time strategy games, this project aimed to add small textual feedback from characters when players interact with them, enhancing the immersion and interaction. Death and Succession Dynamics: Delve into the complexities of royal lineage where death and succession are more than mere formalities but pivotal moments that can shape the destiny of your dynasty. This project aimed at making the death and succession process more interesting and giving players more choice in who they continue as, addressing scenarios where a players favorite character is not their heir. Karnffel: Discover the joy and strategy of integrating Europes oldest known trick-taking card game, offering a new layer of historical immersion and leisure within your court. Intrigue Warfare: Imagine a realm where the dark art of intrigue directly influences the battlefield, allowing for more nuanced and strategic warfare decisions. This project aimed to better integrate the Intrigue system with warfare by creating new ways to use hooks on opposing commanders or knights and to interact with mercenaries. The above projects represent the broad spectrum of creativity and innovation that our team poured their hearts into. But it didnt stop there; ideas flowed, code was written, and the foundations for potential future expansions to Crusader Kings III were laid, so were just as excited as you to see what the future brings!

The Spirit of the Forge

What truly stood out wasn't just the projects themselves but the incredible energy and dedication of the CK3 team. There was laughter, challenges, and yes, the occasional cry of despair over a stubborn piece of code. But above all, there was an undeniable sense of camaraderie and shared purpose. The jam wasn't about delivering polished, finished products but about embracing the beauty of imperfection and the thrill of exploration.

Now Its Your Turn

This jam was a testament to our commitment not just to Crusader Kings III but to you, our amazing community. Your enthusiasm, feedback, and support fuel our creative fires and guide our ventures into new territories. So, we're turning the spotlight over to you now. We've shared a glimpse into our world of creation and innovationnow tell us, what captured your imagination? Which of these projects would you love to see come to life in the game? Your insights, dreams, and wishes are what help shape the future of Crusader Kings III, so drop your thoughts on the projects worked on during the Black Forge Jam in the comments here on Steam or on any of our other social platforms! [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-03-08 07:26:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today were releasing Update 1.12.2.1 to address some issues reported by the community after Mondays release of Legends of the Dead and the 1.12.1 Scythe Update. Most notably, this update resolves an issue that resulted in Legends disappearing too quickly after being completed. Please check the changelog below for more information! [hr][/hr]

Update 1.12.2.1 Changelog

Balance

• Raising a Runestone now increases your Legitimacy.
• Hooked in Legitimacy loss to some plague flavor events.

Game Content

• Added easter egg disease names.
• Added Hildegard von Blingin song to the game.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed a bug that made Legends disappear too quickly upon completion.
• Roaming, Raving event - Zealous option now uses the correct form of Faith name.
• Yearly Cultural Acceptance increase now happens yearly over time instead of bi-monthly.
• Death Management events for Spouses now reflect your opinion of them.
• Very Rare epidemics game rule now influences the spread of epidemics.
• Grand Rite activity now correctly states the reason for why you can't host the activity.
• The Mourn intent now has the correct animation.
• Tooltip for penalty information due to exceeding domain limit now has correct localization.
• Fixed bookmark characters clipping issues.
• Clearer toast for marrying a lowborn.
• Great Expectations Event can now trigger again.
• Can now hold funeral for recently dead spouse.
• Enter Seclusion and Isolate Capital Decisions now have more consistent localization for ending seclusion/isolation.
• There is now information about Initial Legitimacy change in Virtuous and Sinful traits.
• From Dust can no longer target your own capital.
• Pope no longer hosts tournaments.
• Some legend chapter update now properly gets pronouns and no longer ends abruptly.
• A Sinful Ancestor event can no longer trigger when you do not have any ancestors.
• Custom map table style and HUD style settings are now remembered.
• Legendary Building "Hunting Lodge" is now available to build when completing the appropriate legend.
• Conquering land as an Interloper now triggers the 'Lose a Title within the Struggle Region to an Interloper or Uninvolved Ruler' catalyst.
• Accolade Attribute "Reeve" now correctly gives control boost for Martial councilor task.
• Fixed a crash on going back during the Court Grandeur tutorial.
• Fixed a crash on Activity Intents.
• Increased the requirements for "The Most Pious Life" legend.

[hr][/hr]

Known Issues - 1.12.2.1

• "Sons of David" Legend does not let the player diverge their culture to any of the Israelite cultures.
• "Sons of Scota" Legend does not let the player diverge their culture to ancient Egyptian.
• Leisure palace modifier for feasts lacks localization.
• Player is not informed about the legitimacy loss from one of the options when faced with a Peasant Uprising.
• Iranian army lacks models of siege weapons while siege is in progress; all siege weapons are shown as trebuchets.
• "Form Portugal" decision incorrectly has Bengali culture.

Special note for MacOS and Linux users

Due to an issue with how Steam treats filename capitalization, you may need to completely uninstall and reinstall Crusader Kings III to avoid stability issues. We are aware of an unrelated crashing issue on these platforms. If you experience crashing, please try the fix above and submit a bug report if the issue persists afterward. [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-03-07 13:04:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! Today we're releasing our first Core Expansion for Crusader Kings III: Legends of the Dead and an accompanying free 1.12.1 "Scythe" Update. Check out the release trailer below, and then the changelog itself under that. [previewyoutube=_3KXin9Zuns;full][/previewyoutube]

Expansion Features

• Added Legends: a new system that allows you to create stories based on Legend Seeds (with events, decisions, court position tasks, and other ways to obtain them), a Legend Chronicler to visualize them, and special rewards.
  • 3 Legend Types: Heroic, Legitimizing, and Holy, with bespoke flavor, effects, and rewards, including special Legendary Buildings and decisions.
  • 3 Legend Quality Types: increasing the rewards upon completion and during its spread.
  • Legend Promoters: sponsor someone else's legend for a much smaller cost.
  • Added Historical Legends to characters in both start dates that would have a Legend Seed in history.
  • Added many events, decisions and interactions to spread Legends, affect the rewards, and change the Chronicle.
  • Added Legendary Buildings, with powerful rewards, unlocked after completing high quality legends and investing in the new Heroic Dynasty Legacy - all of them with special 3D models on the map, changing depending on the culture.
  • Added Legend Seeds to the old Major Decisions, allowing you to start legends based on previous content.
  • Added Legend Chronicler visual variations based on culture.
  • Added a new Dynasty Legacy: Heroic, focused on Legends and unlocking new rewards for completing one.
• Added a special Black Death event chain for when the Black Death spawns, with special art, music, content and effects.
• Added new Diseases: Holy Fire, Bloody Flux and Measles, all of them available as potential plagues.
• 28 new character assets to immerse you into the late medieval era and give ailing patients and skilled physicians a distinct look:
  • 3 variants of male late style western nobility clothes
  • 1 variant of male bedchamber clothes
  • 1 physician male clothes
  • 2 variants of male late style western nobility cloaks
  • 4 variants of male late style western nobility headgear
  • 2 variants late style western commoner headgear
  • 1 variant western royalty headgear
  • 1 hooded male headgear
  • 2 variants of female late style nobility clothes
  • 2 variants of female bedchamber clothes
  • 1 physician female clothes
  • 2 variants of female late style western nobility cloaks
  • 3 variants of female late style western nobility headgear
  • 2 variants of female late style western commoner headgear
  • 1 hooded female headgear
• Added a new Funeral activity: bury a close relative in a whole new activity, with new events, options, intents and rewards.
• Added a new Legendary Feast option to the Feast Activity focused on getting new promoters for your legend and increasing its spread.
• Added new Activity Intents: Extort Legitimacy and Spread Legend.
• Added a new building line to temple holdings: Scriptoria, which increases legend spread and county control.
• Added a new building line of Duchy buildings: Burial Sites. Build up your family mausoleum and obtain legend bonuses, plague resistance, piety, court grandeur, county control and popular opinion.
• Added a new Court Chronicler court position, focused on finding new legends and helping you spread yours both inside and outside of your realm using new Court Position Tasks.
• Added an exclusive Map Table, with unique assets that reflect both Plagues and Legends.
• Added map graphics VFX for the spread of legends.
• Added new legendary and fateful music tracks as well as new both Legend and Plague Mood Tracks.

Free Features

• Added Plagues: some diseases will now be treated as epidemics and spread through the map, causing Fatalities and infecting characters in that location.
  • Added many new plague events, both for when a plague is in your realm and when it's approaching, and decisions to protect yourself, your family, or your entire capital.
  • Added new events for the Court Physician, focused on plagues.
  • Reworked old health events, adding new flavor, animations and art.
  • Added new court position tasks for Court Physician - focused on helping with plagues, increasing piety and lifestyle experience - and for the Court Musician and Poet, focused on the spread of legends.
  • Added a new Hospice building line, available in all sorts of holdings, and providing Plague Resistance and Piety.
• Added Elderly and Child Health, affecting younger and older characters more with certain diseases.
• New Disease Game Rules and special Black Death rules, affecting its frequency, year and place of spawn, including historical settings.
• Added Legitimacy: a new system to measure the perception of your right to rule, including the Legitimacy Expectations from both Powerful and Regular Vassals.
  • Added Legitimacy rewards to old decisions, traits, and activities.
  • Added a new Dynasty Legacy: Legitimacy, focused on increasing Legitimacy, unlocking new intents and improving your dynasty's education.
  • Added Legitimacy penalties to some character interactions: Disinheriting a child, asking them to Take the Vows, or marrying a Lowborn.
  • Added Legitimacy modifiers to title creation: allowing you to create a title from less de jure counties if you have a high Legitimacy level.
• Added a new Faith Doctrine: Funerary Tradition, that affects the main event and rewards from Funerals.
• Added a new Cultural Tradition: Water Rituals, that helps with plague resistance.
• Added new disease graphics on the character models.
• Added new epidemic travel danger type for locations with plagues present
• Added map graphics VFX for the spread of disease
• Added option to hide the disease map graphics
• Added a default Map Table, with new assets and art, that improves immersion and offers a physical place for the map.
• Restructured and polished Event Window so that it can accommodate VFX.
• New Event VFX: Flies, Fog, Legend Glow, Rain, Smoke and Snow.
• New animations and instruments: hurdy-gurdy, flute, lute, qanun, and shawn.
• Remastered music and effects, bringing the map to life.
• Monthly county control is now split into two separate 'Growth' and 'Decline' figures, each with their own modifiers.
• Added new birds flying over the map, with seagulls in coastal provinces and crows flying over infected holdings.
• Added a coughing animation to armies passing through infected provinces.
• Added new map models like Healers' Camps, Burial Grounds, and Funeral Pyres spawning naturally in infected provinces.
• The Scarred Trait is now tiered, with gradually more drastic visuals and effects according to the level of the trait.
• Added balding hairstyles and a system for male pattern baldness. Characters have a baldness value in their DNA which affects the age at which (male) characters start losing their hair.

Balance

• All Plague Diseases are now more deadly, especially the Black Death.
• Rebalanced other Diseases to account for Elderly and Child Health.
• Made Brythonic heritage less likely to destroy the title of England.
• Removing a guardian will now only reduce unity once every three months rather than every time.
• The Ill trait is now more deadly to adult characters.
• Slightly reduced the legend spread rate from buildings, shared languages, and culture heritages.
• Inbred trait now reduces initial Legitimacy.
• AI now considers epidemics quite an important factor while thinking about hosting and joining activities.
• Completing Roman Heritage legend now gives claims in Italy, North Africa, Greece, Anatolia, Syria, Palestine and Egypt.
• Increased development gain from coastal provinces.

AI

• Fixed AI being unintentionally less aggressive immediately after save-game load.
• AI should now be able to choose the "Dominate the Caliph" struggle ending option successfully.
• Make the AI remember when it last finished an offensive war between save games.
• Fix issue where activity intents were not being set correctly for AI activity attendees (would take default intent).
• Fix AI rulers waiting very long to convert their betrothal into marriage, if they gained their first title while being betrothed.
• Characters from savegames that were players before, and are no longer, will now get an AI strategy (and not sit brainless in their castle until death takes them).
• Fixed issue where add_{budget}_gold triggers would not give extra gold, but only make the AI think they had more gold to spend, getting them to try and spend gold they do not have. Gold now actually gets created.

Interface

• Reworked interface for court positions:
  • Entries are smaller so as to show more court positions at the same time.
  • Court Positions can now have actions, similarly to Council Positions.
  • Each Court Position has their own icon.
  • Court Positions are color coded by their most important skill category.
  • Courtier aptitude is color coded and has an icon to be more distinguishable.
• Added monthly change descriptions of control and development to holding view so players can take action on it directly.
• Added max_height property to widgets. Works just like max_width.
• Added min_height property to widgets. Works just like min_width.
• Consistently use our tooltip-style throughout the game (fixes breakdown tooltips in county view, HUD budget list, tax slots, ruler designer, and more).
• Explain county absolute control in tooltips where possible.
• Fix text alignment of long texts in breakdown tooltips, and apply better bottom margins.
• Fixed various icon and text alignment issues in the tax jurisdictions interfaces.
• Highlight development loss or stagnation in holding view.
• Removes expiration information from timed character modifiers that do not have a set expiration.
• Fix Regent portrait to no longer push Lovers portraits out of the UI window.
• Court position UI now allows filtering by if they have tasks or not.
• Marriage UI now shows the specific chance of inbreeding happening.

Art

• Chaplains now use Fate of Iberia temple art in the council view when relevant.
• Character view for Theocratic rulers, Chaplains, and Physicians now uses temple and study backgrounds.
• Concubine interaction now uses the faith temple background instead of a generic corridor.
• New loading screen illustration for "Legends of the Dead" expansion.
• 4 new Trait icons: Measles, Dysentery, Ergotism, Legendary.
• 2 new Memory icons: Plague and Legend.
• Travel Danger icon for Epidemics.
• 2 new Map Mode icons: Plague and Legends.
• 6 new Decision images:
  • Archers
  • Legitimacy
  • Legend
  • Family Tree
  • Black Plague
  • Tale
• 4 new Artifact icons: Animal Figurine, Chronicle, Jar, Northern Mace.
• 5 new Story Event images:
  • Apocalyptic Disease
  • Black Death
  • Heroic Legend
  • Holy Legend
  • Legitimizing Legend.
• 2 new Legacy Track illustrations: Legitimacy and Heroic.
• 2 new Activity Intent icons: Legitimacy, Legends.
• 11 new achievement icons.
• Polished Council and Courtier Task icons.
• 7 new Courtier Task icons:
  • Neutral
  • Espouse Legend
  • Generate Seed
  • Promote Legend
  • Attend Poor
  • Guard Family
  • Treat Epidemic
• Polished all circular progress bars.
• 7 new Event Backgrounds:
  • Catacombs
  • Oasis
  • Pyre
  • MENA Physicians Study
  • Tribal Physicians Study
  • Indian Physicians Study
• Condemned Village
• 3 new full body disease decals
• 16 new Legendary Building models:
  • Christian Shrine
  • Norse Mead Hall
  • Norse Shrine
  • Desert Hunting Lodge
  • Dharmic Shrine
  • Indian Heroes PIllar
  • Hunting Lodge
  • Indian Palace
  • Islamic Palace
  • Islamic Shrine
  • Mediterranean Monument
  • Norse Runestone
  • Steppe Shrine
  • Western Hero Statue
  • Western Palace
  • Western Watchtower
• 7 new Building icons:
  • Graveyard
  • Hospice
  • Legendary Shrine
  • Legendary Hunting Lodge
  • Legendary Watchtower
  • Legendary Palace
  • Hero Statue
• 9 new props:
  • Alto Flute
  • Bronze Mortar
  • Bronze Pestle
  • Chifonie
  • Lute
  • Northern Mace
  • Book
  • Qanun
  • Shawn
• Ritual Washing Culture Tradition icon
• New Character Portrait shader. Gives characters a painterly look to them.

Localization

• Fixed a typo in the Find a new Faith for Persia decision.
• Fixed missing type when localizing HOSTAGE_OATH_OF_FRIENDSHIP.
• Fixed untranslated weapon type name in Exotic Arms event.
• Fixed a typo in City Walls of Toledo description.
• Fixed missing loc in Demand Conversion.
• Fixed AI acceptance tooltip to Request Incursion.
• Fixes trigger tooltips for options in Embellish Capital Decision.
• Fixes invalid tooltip for Take the Vows option in the Negotiate Release character interaction.
• Shortens event text in Travel: A Feast for Falcons to avoid a scrollbar.
• Fixed broken text in the House Feud rivalry reciprocation event.
• The tooltip in the event option for ending a house feud is now fully localized.
• Removed incorrect cannot march here text in tooltips for army units.
• Adds missing localization for modifier affecting faction join chance regarding Detractor trait.
• Fixed Wetlanders cultural tradition description.
• Propose Alliance interaction tooltip now correctly informs about existing hook on target character.
• Fixed a tooltip info about losing house unity when refusing the independence faction demands.
• The tooltip for the Wootz Steel innovation now lists the terrain requirement for the Wind Furnace building.

Game Content

• Added Situation Log entry if a Vassal is waging a war which would make them independent or change Liege upon victory.
• Removed regency option from Challenge House Head interaction.
• Vassals now receive a message if their liege or above starts or succeeds in converting a county in their sub-realm.
• Child rulers under 12 are now allowed to sponsor inspirations. (Kid: "Goo goo pretty", Inspired Courtier: "Sire has Spoken! Thy will be done.")

User Modding

• Add complex trigger support to morph_gene_value.
• Added NCamera::START_ZOOM_STEP define for more control over starting map view when selecting a character.
• Added new county triggers:
  • monthly_county_control_growth
  • monthly_county_control_decline
  • monthly_county_control_growth_factor
  • monthly_county_control_decline_factor
• Allow changing trait XP on dead characters
• County trigger 'county_control_rate' is now called 'monthly_county_control_change'.
• County trigger 'county_control_rate_modifier' gone, it is split into 'monthly_county_control_growth_factor' and 'monthly_county_control_decline_factor'.
• Tags set on portrait accessories can now influence decals and texture_overrides (Example: a hairstyle can trigger a head decal to be on/off now).
• Feed messages of the same type can now be auto-combined into one by using combine_into_one = yes.
• Text icons can be colorized by specifying a color definition in their configuration, such as `color = "color:red"`.
• Color of text icons can be overridden in localization strings by doing `@icon_name:color_name!` or inherit from the current formatting by doing `@icon_name:inherit_color!`.
• Deprecated is_widget_open trigger, preferred trigger for this functionality is new faster is_widgetid_open trigger, which works on widgetids instead of widget names.
• Added possibility to store script variables on dead characters.
• Added on_yearly effect to court positions.
• Renamed tooltip_enabled to tooltip_visible in gui script.

Databases

• Cleaned up naming for some Houses and Dynasties in India to be more consistent with how other house and dynasty names are represented.
• Marzoban Zahhak of Upper Ghur is now the uncle of Ghurshah Sri of Ghur in the 867 bookmark
• The Badami, Kalyani and Vengi Chalukyas are now considered branches of the same dynasty.
• Shazhou's culture is now Han rather than Sogdian in 867.

Bug Fixes

• Celibate trait no longer modifies opinion about characters with Eager Reveler trait.
• Event chain Great Expectations no longer can result in a potential game over due to heir gender.
• The Umayyad Strikes Back achievement now correctly requires Sunni Caliphate title.
• Non-clan rulers now get notifications about tax jurisdictions if they have Clan vassals.
• Raj'a tenet now is available for custom Zoroastrian faiths.
• Manage Royal Guards Martial Task decreases success chance for Enemy Hostile Scheme instead of increasing it.
• Skill bonuses from Confidants are now named correctly.
• The Tomb of Batsheba now increases close relative opinion of holder instead of increasing holder opinion of female rulers.
• Seljuks will no longer try to become your vassal if you are duke or below.
• House Feud ending event has now fully localized and truthful tooltips.
• Exaltation of Pain tenet no longer has a pink description. Sad.
• Fixed notification about a wrong artifact being stolen from you.
• Knight training from Mentor accolade now tells you the truth about the hastiluder track your knight is being trained on.
• Prevent the player from being able to deselect all radio buttons in the interaction window.
• Fixed Canterbury Cathedral not being a Point of Interest when upgraded to lvl 2 and 3.
• Fixed Castles not showing a 2D icon when upgrading them.
• Fixed OOS issue related to timed modifiers on travel plans.
• Fixed a bug in the Request Contract Assistance interaction so that it's finally usable.
• Fixed a multiplayer bug where players could generate different names for an accolade, leading to an OOS error.
• Fixed incorrect lighting setup in one of the Zoroastrian temple event backgrounds.
• Fixed issue where dead characters might both have both a 'former' and 'current' spouse that is the same.
• Fixed travel modifiers stacking when they should not (stacking quarreling entourage modifiers could escalate into a shouting match of epic proportions).
• Fixed you referring to yourself as your liege when changing stance during the Iranian Intermezzo.
• Fixed a graphical issue in the inventory with historical artifacts when their culture isn't set.
• Fixed House head succession if both the house head and heir die on the same day (house no longer cursed with a dead house head for eternity).
• Iranian rulers will now use Iranian clothes much more often.
• Off to play event will no longer trigger if the host of the event has died.
• Partially shaved hairstyles now have a proper 'clean' dome.
• Player will get correct notification & better GUI when "Abbasid Humiliation" struggle ending with "Dominate the Caliph" option is available.
• Positive county control change % modifiers now no longer make negative control changes bigger (they do not affect those anymore).
• Prevent you from becoming your own tax collector after succession.
• Raised armies now start with full supply instead of a fixed 100 (relevant if their supply capacity was increased by modifiers such as the Living off the Land perk).
• Reduced time on disrespected elders modifier.
• Replaced all instances of script values for aptitude expecting incorrectly a level distribution with the correct distribution of.
• The Denounced, Disinherited, Extolled by House, and Accused of Decadence traits will now be removed if a character becomes Dynasty Head/House Head respectively.
• When marrying a wandering character via a grand wedding, they will no longer run back to their previous location after the wedding.
• When title is revoked from a ruler they can steal counties from vassals if the ruler has any other non-titular non-head of faith title and has any vassals to steal from.
• You can now revoke all titles of a vassal that hold a HoF-title, causing the HoF-title to be destroyed.
• You can now revoke vassal-of-vassal Holy orders where appropriate (via decision or button-interaction on barony).
• Fixed an edge case where viziers would, under certain circumstances, reduce your tax gain from vassals rather than increase it.
• Fixed bug where part of the Tutorial button was unclickable.
• Yearly cultural acceptance changes will actually trigger roughly yearly instead of sort-of bi-monthly.
• Fixed that potential knights come knights immediately, instead of waiting a day (or longer for AI).
• Added safety check to travel_completion_event.1000 so it does not trigger if the current travel plan was aborted.
• Control Growth multiplier modifier no longer applies its modifier if the growth is negative.
• Court Scholar court position now correctly only requires Legacy of Persia DLC, and not Royal Court as well.
• Ethos is now correctly listed in the Cultural Pillar encyclopedia entry.
• Fixed Dismantle Byzantine/Holy Roman Pretenders decision being available more than once per lifetime, which broke the war declaration.
• Fixed a bug where a Hostage could remain a hostage after the Warden inherits the Home Court from a family member.
• Fixed a bug where the attacker's max troop count was always used as the losing side's max troop count when calculating war score from battles.
• Fixed a bug where winning a battle as the attacker would use the defender's scaling for calculating the war score.
• Fixed an issue where an aborted travel plan could progress travel days.
• Fixed an issue where an aborted travel plan could skip to the next destination.
• Fixed an out of sync where host and client disagree on who won a battle.
• Fixed bug where a recently landed, former court position employee could sometimes get the salary twice in a month.
• Fixed characters sometimes not being correctly added to entourage and court in travel events.
• Fixed issue where accepting demands when negotiating to Challenge House Head would not make you the House Head.
• Fixed issues with the Challenge House Head events when playing as House Head.
• Fixed OOS error on hotjoin where an unlanded court position employee becomes landed, loses their position and gets their salary later in the month due to changed rank.
• Fixed the Execute a Detractor/Supporter Iranian Intermezzo catalyst never firing.
• Fixed the Homeward Bound travel event breaking if your entourage was empty.
• Fixed war victory against same or higher tier ruler Iranian Intermezzo catalysts not firing.
• Fixed wiping the Seljuk's invasion not allowing you to end the war, added war target title to its name and disabled hostage peace options.
• Fixes issues with sexuality, tooltips, and pregnancy in the Adventurer Inspiration event Lady/Lord X's Lover.
• Holding Court will now always grant a small amount of Court Grandeur at a minimum.
• It is now only possible to share a Spouse with a family member in Polygamous faiths if all parties believe in Unrestricted Marriage.
• Prevented negative AI acceptance modifier being added to Offer Vassalization acceptance after having purchased a truce.
• Religious heads are no longer given the option to embrace Jesus in the Wanton Desires stress event.
• add_courtier and set_employer effects can no longer be used to return a hostage to their home court.
• Viziers (and Stewards) without titles now correctly receive a monthly gold income too, based on their liege. It shouldn't require a title to mooch off some funds.
• You should not be able to grant lessee temple holdings to other characters when your court chaplain position is empty
• The Dome of Soltaniyeh is now correctly considered to be a Wonder travel point of interest.
• Fixed "weight_multiplier" for events - multiplied value was used to filter out "0-weight" events, but not for actual weight picking.
• Fixed Coat-of-Arms graphics to update immediately when the new or old holder is a clan and overrides the default CoA.
• Fixed re-activating a dynasty house when a new member wondrously appears again (usually happens when the last member dies while their wife is pregnant - the baby being born will revive the house).
• Fixed crash that could happen when opening up the barbershop while playing an unplayable character (through observer mode for example).
• Couture of the Capets character assets are now properly available in the barbershop.
• Allow lieges to build in holdings they lease out.
• Fix court amenity expenses costing piety or prestige to actually use those resources and not gold.
• Character tooltips in Activity Window and Event Window have been adjusted to not block characters in certain resolutions.
• Added missing Faction triggers.
• Fixed broken Iranian Resurgence check.
• Disallowed courtiers being taken hostage by their own liege.
• Fixed a very unperformant Seljuk effect.
• Fixed event with two childhood Traits.
• Fixed Seljuk Invasion target.
• Fixed Zakat Tax Decree.
• Fixed an edge case where you were able to start planning a Grand Rite without a witch trait or witch secret.
• Fixed bug where the vizier position was invalidated due to us checking if our liege could have one, not us.
• Fixed Iqta description and effects are not at odds with each other anymore.
• Made it harder to steal parents from their children's court, and impossible to steal unlanded guardians, court position holders, and councilors.
• Fixed max limit on scaling House Unity modifiers.
• Fixed scrollbar in friendship letter.
• Fixed an error when a dog seller leaves your court.
• Fixed error log showing errors for decision items in observer mode.
• Fixed double notification when someone else "Renewed the Caliphate".
• Fixed removed stray modifiers if a Grand Wedding invalidates.
• Fixed the history of artifacts stolen during a siege.
• Fixed accusing servants of being the real father of someone else's heir when they are younger than the heir in question.
• Fixed Mozarabism appearing as a regional heresy outside of Iberia.

We hope you enjoy Legends of the Dead and the free 1.12.1 "Scythe" update as much as we enjoyed making them! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-03-04 17:14:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to the 146th Dev Diary for Crusader Kings III! Im Matthew, the Code Owner on Legends of the Dead. From the highly anticipated Epidemics feature to the Black Death itselfand what happens after your land is ravaged and your family taken to the gravetoday were going to be covering all things Death! Discuss Dev Diary #146 on our forums!
As stated in the Vision Dev Diary, weve wanted to include Epidemics for a long time nowdoing them bigger and better than CK2 ever did. Plagues should be an impactful part of the game, ranging from a mild illness in a localized area to the sweeping spread of diseases across continents. Not only should they cause death in their wake, but those who survive should have their trust in your rulership tested. Every barony with a holding is susceptible to an outbreak of disease, and many factors can influence the chance of an outbreak:

• The development of the county
• Terrain of the province
• Number of buildings
• Specific buildings such as trade posts and markets
• Cultural era
• If there is a nearby epidemic already
• Game rules

When an outbreak occurs, it will be one of three intensities: Minor, Major, and Apocalyptic. The intensity impacts how much the disease can spread, how likely it is to spread to an uninfected province, and how long an infection in a province lasts.
Each disease will leave the infected with a specific associated trait, and any character located in an infected province is at risk of getting sick. All outbreaks will get a dynamic name. Some will be named after the culture of the area, while others will claim the name of the regions rulersince if they were truly a legitimate ruler, the Gods would not punish them with such disease, right? Every ongoing epidemic can be seen on the map too, both as an effect in normal map modes or in its own dedicated map mode.

If you zoom in closer, then we hide the epidemic pulsing blood and instead show the desolate gray land now haunted by death
When there is an epidemic nearby or in your realm, you will be notified by the new HUD widget, which if you open (or switch to the map mode manually) will show you more info about ongoing epidemics.
If you click an epidemic on the map, or from the list, then youll be able to see an overview of the epidemic for every province in your domain it has infected, as well as the vassals in your realm and other independent rulers. This also shows you which provinces are at risk of being infected by the epidemic and what the chance of it spreading is.
The chance of spreading to a neighboring province, as well as across two sea provinces, is influenced by many factors, such as how developed the provinces are, their buildings, cultural traditions, if they have immunity from prior infection, and more! Speaking of province infection, you can see here that every province tracks how infected it is as a percentage. Different infection thresholds will cause different modifiers to be applied to the province and its holder.

The maximum infection rate is reduced by Plague Resistance, which can be increased through various means. You can preemptively increase it by constructing buildings that raise it, such as the new Hospices building chain or the Burial Site duchy building.
You can also increase it by having your Court Physician work to Control Plagues using the new Court Position Tasks, or by taking the decisions to isolate in your capital or close the gates.
Legends of the Dead also features three new illnesses that can take the form of Plagues. Measles, the Bloody Flux (Dysentery), and Holy Fire (Ergotism). As mentioned before, Measles is especially deadly to children, lowering their health even more than everyone elses. This uses two new modifiers weve added for child and elderly health respectively, most diseases are more deadly to the elderly by default.
Of course, it wouldnt be one of my dev diaries if I didnt also point out that all of these things are very moddable: you can create custom epidemics, change how they spread, outbreak, infect characters, even how their blood splatter looks on the map! Both Plagues and Legends come with a handful of game rules for controlling how they play, as well as specific rules for the Black Death.
Speaking of which, the Black Death holds a special place amongst the rest of the pantheon of epidemics, and as such, has some extra bells and whistles to go along with it. [hr][/hr]

The Black Death

Hello all, Noodle here to ask the old question: , s , ?
No history of the medieval world is complete without reference to the Black Death. Killing up to half of Europes population over the course of seven years, the Bubonic Plague that swept across Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East in the 14th century altered the very fabric of society. Everyone - man, woman, adult, child, noble, pauper - found themselves at the mercy of the merciless pestilence. From the outset of development, we knew the Black Death had to be done proper justice. This naturally involves a bit of a balancing act. On one hand, the Black Death should behave within the confines of the mechanics weve built, so that reaction to it is natural and swift. Presenting you, the player, with an unfamiliar new set of ways to deal with this unique event would be complicating matters for no real gain. After all, the plague itself is simply the scariest amongst a whole host of potential pandemics that could occur. On the other hand It's the Black Death. Anyone should feel the fear of God and be reaching for their rosaries when they see that seeping dark mass wend its way on to their screen.
As such, the tack we took involved a deeper look at how the plague rolled out across the land. Like any good movie monster, half the fear is in the anticipation of the reveal rather than the monster itself, after all. Its one thing to be dealing with the plague, but consider instead the stormy horizon: first come the missives of death and devastation, then the bedraggled and petrified refugees staggering to your borders, and then all of a sudden your armpit begins to swell That is the frame of mind we want the player to be in when the plague erupts. When the scythe starts swinging theres not a whole lot anyone can do, but the precious moments before that wicked blade reaps its harvest are the ones worth investigating.
To move on from setting such an overly-elaborate scene, then, the actual mechanics of the Black Death follow the pattern laid out by other very large epidemics in-game. The notable difference is that - unless youre incredibly unlucky (or have a truly massive empire, in which case I allow you no sympathy) and happen to have it take hold within your own realm - youll be getting fair warning of the coming storm. As the panic mounts, youll be able to at very least begin to make provisions for protecting your realm, aided or hindered by a set of unique Black Death events that will give you opportunities to stock up some counties beforehand. These vary from calming panicking crowds right through to instructing your physician to dissect infected bodies to try and glean some meager information. I wont spoil those events any further here, but between them and the advanced warning a player can get, the Black Death becomes less strictly about waiting for the inevitable and more about a race against time. You will have to utilize all your options to the fullest to even withstand it, let alone escape relatively unscathed. As with any Apocalyptic-level disease, the damage wrought by the plague can be mighty. More developed areas of your realm will suffer harder in comparison, and the sickness can wipe out entire branches of families. The issue with the Black Death in that case is its violent effects. Its modifiers are brutal, and its cocktail of lethality and infectiousness makes for the single greatest consistent threat to a realm in the entire game. This is already getting rather lengthy, so Ill leave it there. Hopefully you all have as much fun battling the Black Death as I did making it! [hr][/hr]

Funerals

Of course, with Plague comes Death, and with that comes a time to mourn your lost friends and family: And with all this desolation there also comes the opportunity to remember the dead. With Legends of the Dead, we're introducing a new type of Activity: Funerals.
[Image: Decision to host a Funeral] You can hold a Funeral for any deceased member of your family in the past 5 years, and a new specific intent "Mourn" is available as default, allowing you to lose some stress after going through the process of grief.
[Image: Funeral planning] The Activity Planner will suggest the best place in your realm to host a Funeral, prioritizing baronies with a temple, and high-level temples within that; if you choose one of them you will get extra Piety as a reward.
[Image: Selecting a place for your Funeral] The different levels of the "Ceremonials" Activity Option also offer better final rewards for a higher gold cost, focused on Piety, Legitimacy and Stress loss. The first phase of the Funeral is the Wake, the wait until the Burial, and it features all guests reminiscing about the life of the deceased, their memories together and their more characteristic traits. They may also interact with each other and even in these distressed times there will be someone waiting patiently just to get a hook or increase the funeral numbers.
The "Burial" phase has different descriptions and general flavor depending on your faith's tenets, and will reflect your religious traditions, not always being a burial per se. All throughout the celebration, Active Pulse Actions (or APAs) will also inform you of what the other guests are doing meanwhile, bringing the activity to life (pun not intended).
Funerals mainly reward your Piety and Legitimacy, as a moment to reflect on both the brevity of life and the legacy that we leave behind. [hr][/hr]

Disease Decals & How to Prevent Them

As part of this Core Expansion, weve also decided to implement more ways of showing the declining health of your ruler & their kin. Now, most of you might know the plague was already grotesquely displayed in the game prior to Legends of the Dead - and hopefully youll be excited to welcome two new diseases to the visual roster: Smallpox and Measles.
[Image: Now might be a good time to remind the good player that this box can be un-ticked in the settings]
And while well mostly leave it up to you to figure out what to do with those diseases, as far as prevention and treatment is concerned, I think its safe to say youll definitely want to employ a court-physician. Fortunately, us from the character art team have been hard at work making that option as lucrative as possible - by adding some new sick physician clothes (along with a bunch of other new garments as well of course). [hr][/hr]

Achievements

And last but not least we have the new achievements! As always, they are listed in order of difficulty.

Very Easy

Legendary! - Complete a Legend
You'll Never Take Me Alive! - Travel to a safe holding while your Capital is infected by an Epidemic

Easy

Pay Respects - Host a Funeral for your Legend Protagonist
Neverending Story - Complete your ancestor's Legend after their death

Medium

Divine Right - Reach the maximum level of Legitimacy
Canonized - Manage to make your Legend Protagonist a Saint
Upward Mobility - Successfully claim your Liege's title while having a higher Legitimacy Level than them
Local Legend - As a Count, complete a Mythical Legend

Hard

Not Today - Contract, and recover from, the Bubonic Plague
The Pharaoh Islands - As a Scottish character, complete a Legend claiming your descent from Ancient Egypt

Very Hard

Can't Touch This - Have an infected Barony at the maximum Epidemic Resistance Thank you all for reading! We hope youre as excited as we are for the release of Legends of the Dead next Monday to kick off Chapter 3! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-27 13:00:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to the first of our feature breakdown Development Diaries! I'm a game designer on Crusader Kings 3 and I surely hope that you have a nice cup of coffee next to you and the will to read for a while, as today's entry is on the chonkier side! Today we will talk about Legends, Legitimacy, and the Art behind Legends of the Dead. So, let's get right into it! Legends! Discuss Dev Diary #145 on our forums!

Legends

We've already covered the original reasoning behind legends in our previous Vision Dev Diary, but to go over it quickly (and in a very oversimplified manner) again: medieval people really loved legends, and above all of them, rulers really loved legends. One of the first times we ever hear of King Arthur is in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, which is, as the name says, a list of the kings of Britain. The Plantagenet kings of England quickly latched onto the figure of Arthur as a legitimizing tool. This was partly a reaction to the German and French (specially the Capetians), that exalted their connection to Charlemagne in this "race for historic-mythical sponsorship" as the medieval historian Jacques Le Goff writes. All across Europe, medieval monarchs scrambled to find an older, more heroic figure, that would secure the throne for their dynasty. And now, so can you! Legends have a Type and Quality level. Because no legend can be entirely mundane, they start at Famed, then Illustrious and finally Mythical, each of them giving out progressively more powerful rewards; you can increase the quality of the legend when it has spread far enough, including having to extend outside of your realm.
[Image: Rewards for completing a Famed Legitimizing legend]
[Image: Rewards for completing a Mythical Legitimizing legend] As for the Types, Legends can be Heroic, Holy or Legitimizing. Heroic legends give additional Prestige modifiers and other thematic rewards that reflect your heroism, like the decision of launching a Legendary Adventure, or Demand Local Submission.
[Image showing one of the special Heroic Legend rewards] Holy legends are focused around Piety and are greatly inspired by medieval hagiographies, specifically the Golden Legend, allowing the Protagonist to even gain the Saint at the highest levels, if the appropriate Dynasty Perk has been unlocked.
[Image showing one of the Dynasty Perks for the new Heroic Bloodline Dynasty Legacy, focused on Legends] Lastly, Legitimizing legends will give you double the amount of Legitimacy and allow you to get new, powerful claims to expand your realm, as shown in the rewards above. You also can, of course, choose the Legend Protagonist, the author of these heroic deeds. Among the possible options are your relatives (even if dead) and choosing someone other than yourself will also grant you extra Legitimacy, so you can dedicate your legend to your dragon-hunting grandpa. But how can you start a legend? Well, every legend is born from a Legend Seed. Some characters start with historical seeds on game start, like the Capetians Heirs of Charlegmane, or the Hunnic Heritage, available for Nomadic cultures that claim to be descended from Attila himself.
[Image: The Heirs of Charlemagne legend seed]
[Image: Hunnic Heritage legend seed] However, this is not the only way to get legend seeds, as winning important wars, hunting a legendary animal, and taking major decisions are also some of the most common ways of getting one. Even hiring a capable Court Chronicler and paying them enough gold can manage to make an ancient document appear mentioning your long-lasting dynasty.
[Image: Mending the Great Schism will grant you a Holy Legend seed] But supporting a legend is not only beneficial for its owner, as becoming a promoter (a much cheaper alternative) will also grant you special bonuses, as well as helping the legend spread on your lands - the higher quality the legend, the bigger the rewards for you too.
[Image: Promoter bonuses] While you spread your legend, you'll get flavor events of both people reacting to your legend in different manners along with your Chronicler and courtiers fervently asking you to recount the story just once more, my liege, making it possible to introduce ehem minor alterations to the text. Use the new Court Position Tasks to make your Musicians and Poets sing your legend to make it easier to spread inside your realm, or get them to try and convince supporters abroad!
[Image: Court Musician performing the new Extol Domestic Legend task] Turn your legend into an artifact, celebrate a feast in its honor, or simply enjoy the control boosts from having it spread over people that now believe you a hero. Legends were a core part of the medieval world, a powerful tool to root your power in something greater than you. "Lineage and geste are synonymous, as the epic cycle constitutes itself according to a pattern of affiliation between families of heroes and families of poems." (R. Howard Bloch, 1983: 94).
[And here it was written, Paradox Forum, 20th of February, 2024 AD.]

Legitimacy

For Legitimacy, our aim was to put together a measurement of different systems that already existed in the game, but were not directly connected to each other: Short Reign penalties, Popular Opinion, Vassalization and Marriage acceptance, etc. The game was already trying to reflect how legitimate of a ruler you were, but was trying to do so with Prestige and Renown in non-consistent ways. Prestige is a reflection of the social influence of the character, not an indication of them being the "right" person to the throne - you can be a highly prestigious king of the Capetian dynasty, but should you be the emperor of Byzantium? Legitimacy and its effects scale with title tier. It's not the same being a level 5 Emperor - where everyone expects you to be the right person for the job - than a level 5 Duke, where everyone is impressed with your overachieving.

[Images: Count with Legitimacy level 0 and 5]

[Images: Emperor with Legitimacy level 0 and 5] It's also easier to go up and down levels the lower your tier, as it's harder to convince people once they've formed an idea of who their king is. Legitimacy also scales with the in the game era, and the levels are smaller in the Tribal and Early Medieval eras. Legitimacy is calculated through a series of factors, mainly attached to who you are in relation to your title: the level of splendor of your dynasty, how long you've been on the throne, who your parents were (are you the child of kings or just random lowborns?), your traits, being a bastard, etc. When you die, a part of your legitimacy will be passed down to your heir, but they will get a calculation of their own based on who they are - it's not the same to have your firstborn inherit than a third cousin.
[Image: The Sayyid traits increases your Legitimacy] Legitimacy can be gained through various means that will reassure the public opinion that you have the right to be in the throne: legends, for one, are one of the main ways to gain it. Holding activities, holding court, and doing what's expected of a ruler will also help increase it, as well as winning wars - but this will also be relative, as it's not the same to win a war against a Duke as an Emperor than be the Duke beating up the Emperor. Legitimacy can also be lost. Losing battles, especially to factions (and especially to Claimant factions) will make you look pretty bad, or even managing to have a Peasant Rebellion appear will signify that you're not taking good care of your subjects. Rulers were also blamed for plagues, as the representatives of God on earth, so allowing them to hit your capital will also make you appear less legitimate in the eyes of your vassals. Disinheriting or forcing kids to take the vows also exposes a ruler that doesn't take good care of their dynasty and will also make you lose Legitimacy.
[Image: Disinheriting your heir will cost you more Legitimacy] Your vassals, of course, have Expectations of you. This is calculated based on your tier, era, and how long your family has ruled over theirs, besides their opinion and relationship to you. Not meeting your vassal expectations will make them discontent and more likely to join factions against you.
[Image: King with Legitimacy level 3] As we've already seen in the tooltips, Legitimacy levels affect all sorts of things in the game: Casus Belli cost, Marriage and Alliance acceptance, Faction formation and even the counties necessary to create a title.
[Image: The art for the new Legitimacy Dynasty Legacy] [hr][/hr]

The Lady of Shalott

Hello! My name is Pavel Golovii and I am a senior illustrator at Paradox. I have been working on a number of illustrations for this expansion and today I am going to talk about processes behind the scenes of illustration work. As an example, I will take arguably the most challenging kind of illustrations we have in game - the loading screen. This illustration is the player's first introduction to the expansion and bears the responsibility of giving them a feeling of anticipation.

Ideation

Every picture starts with an idea. With the introduction of epidemics in Legends of the Dead I regarded the opportunity to feature a physician, a healer as very fresh and appealing. It would be a positive, reassuring subject matter when compared to the intrigue, war and power struggles that dominate the themes of our other illustrations. Truth be told, a lot of inspiration was coming from The Physician movie and some orientalists paintings.
[Image: A couple of the initial ideas featuring an eastern theme with a physician.] Another idea that was suggested and actively supported by game designers is the legend of The Lady of Shalott. This medieval themed story is a beautiful blend of tropes for both legend and death and provides a very suitable metaphor for the new expansion. At the same time this theme was depicted in many paintings by a number of renowned artists. It was especially popular in the Pre-Raphaelite era with a series of paintings by John Waterhouse featuring the legend. This potentially added to the challenge of making it relatively unique and unwittingly could bring up an unfavorable comparison with a masters work. Somewhat reluctantly I took a stab at it and did some sketches.
[Image: Composition sketches for The Lady of Shalott theme.] After discussing all of the above ideas with the team and the art director we decided to further develop the last (bottom one) variant as the most original and also well-fitting to present the Legends of the Dead DLC. Yet the physician theme was not trashed and made its way to become one of the story event illustrations. The composition of the chosen variant underwent a few changes afterwards following art-directors feedback. We decided to get rid of the straight top-down view in favor of a more traditional perspective and closer look at the character yet retaining dynamic shapes of the water weeds and flowing dress.
[Image: Final composition that was approved.] In many ways decisions made at this early stage affect the overall success of the final image. A good outcome is not guaranteed of course, but if properly made it creates a firm foundation for further work. On the contrary, skipping crucial steps assuming these can be tackled at a later stage can turn the painting process into a struggle, even though digital medium allows to change things easily at any moment.

Color Explorations

I rarely do color explorations before final shapes and values for the composition are established. But this time I started experimenting with colors a bit earlier using AI which gave me an extra bit of flexibility and an abundance of variations. A locally installed Stable Diffusion with Control Net was used for generating rough color thumbnails based on my composition sketches. Black & white composition images were used to restrict image generation to shapes defined in them. Another color image that just contained the color palette of my preference was fed to Control net to roughly define color to be applied. Text prompt was of little importance, and I kept it very simple and basic. The results are pretty far from highly detailed crisp digital pictures that are usually expected from AI generated images. They are quite inconsistent and rough and have a great deal of randomness. But this is actually what I appreciate in these. I like that level of abstraction. Accidental interpretations of my composition ideas by AI provided me with extra inspiration. Not only the colors, but also values, shapes, edges and textures that start to loom in these thumbnails can give a new hint regarding a certain aspect of the artwork.
[Image: There was a sheer number of AI interpretations of my composition sketches.] The major caveat with these AI generations is that you can do so many of them in a relatively short amount of time that you need to be quite decisive to stop that dopamine trap and move on. Otherwise they just pile up as photos on a mobile phone that you never return to. Now the chosen AI generated color samples need to be applied to composition with proper distribution of size, shapes and accent placement (here AI is not of much help, not yet at least).
[Image: AI generated color blobs and sketches painted after them.] [previewyoutube=UOXTeFFxbyc;full][/previewyoutube] [Video: Creation of a color sketch based on an AI generated thumbnail.] The animation above shows the process of turning a generated color thumbnail into a color sketch that is submitted for the art team review. The greenish-violet palette was acknowledged as the most appropriate for the theme, with a flavor of mystery and slight surreal feel of goldish light reflections in the water.

Painting

After major decisions have been made it is time to make that final leap to the finished painting. Here the biggest challenge for me is to keep the overall image balance while adding details. Even when painting over a well-defined sketch, the image inevitably changes during the process. Defining a hand gesture or dress design may change the flow of the shapes and force readjustments in other places. It is very easy to get carried away by a certain area of the picture and then realize that the detail you have just painted does not work when viewed from a distance or pops out too much and breaks the general balance of tonal values. Some elements of the image require more attention than the others. Character face is obviously a detail number one in that specific images hierarchy, and it took me a while to paint it and find the proper expression. At the same time a number of secondary parts of the image I may have left untouched since the color sketch creation. A crucial role in that process of image balancing plays feedback from the art director and the team. Over time while working on an illustration I get less perceptive of it. And during the regular art reviews I can get a fresh view from my team that helps to notice mistakes and flaws or even to recognize the moment when it is time to stop and call the image done.
[Image: Art directors feedback suggesting perspective and tonal corrections.] [CMs Note: Tastefully censored.] Here at Paradox, we have regular drawing sessions where our artists can draw either live models or from references. While the primary purpose of this is to train general drawing skills (a kind of an art gym), this can also be used for more specific tasks. I can ask a model to take a specific pose or gesture that I am working on in my current assignment. This can be quite helpful to make characters in an illustration look more convincing, find a better gesture or just simply avoid crude drawing mistakes.
[Image: A few examples of sketches and studies done with ongoing illustration assignments in mind.] [CMs Note: Also censored.]

Conclusion

On a final note, I have to confess that romanticized stories like the one about the Lady of Shalott are not that inspiring for me in general. The drama of these stories often seems too quixotic and naive to me. Yet one can find in their symbols and metaphors some true inspiring moments. For me in the case of the Lady of Shalott it was the contrast of young and flourishing life and premature death it was doomed for. I hope I managed to convey a bit of my sensations in the illustration.

Map Tables

Hello! My name is Joacim Carlberg and Im the 3D Environment Lead on CKIII. Im going to introduce our new visual map tables, a feature weve wanted to add for a long time. With the new chapter a table scene will now appear as you lift your gaze higher from the map for an overview of the world. With the release of Legends of the Dead we have added two new map tables, the tables are chosen dynamically or if you have a preference you can also change the active one in the settings menu.
[Image: The map table as it appears in Legends of the Dead.] If you do not have Legends of the Dead a base table will still be included with the accompanying patch, which can be seen below.
[Image: The map table as it appears without Legends of the Dead enabled.] We think this will give a more immersive experience when overlooking the extent of your kingdom, the tendrils of plagues spreading the lands, and your legends spreading across the realms. For those that love visual mods or total conversion mods for the game will find that this framing is also quite moddable.

Legendary Buildings

As you finish your legends you will find opportunities to add a new site in your kingdom that commemorates or relates to the legend youve sown and grown. These legendary locations provide bonuses, but also show up in the landscape of your realm.
[Image: Legendary Statue, MENA Legendary Palace, India Legendary Palace, Legendary Runestone] Theres more of these, but well let you discover them in your own playthrough.

Instruments

[Image: Lute, Flute, Shawm, Hurdy Gurdy, Qanun in back] While working with El Tyranos with the recent content creator pack the environment team also collaborated with him to bring a set of new instruments into the game for courtiers and rulers to bring some music and levity, and for minstrels to spread legends and great deeds.

Flute/Recorder

A ubiquitous instrument in many musical traditions, the flute has been a part of human history for millennia. While many of us first encounter music through the recorder, a flute variant, the broader family of flutes offers a diverse range of sounds. The flute's origins can be traced globally, with evidence of similar instruments found across various cultures. Its simple yet elegant design and versatility make it a staple in both classical and contemporary music.

Hurdy-Gurdy

The hurdy-gurdy, popular until the 19th century and experiencing a resurgence, is recognized for its distinctive drone. Its mechanism involves a rotating wheel running along the strings, making it a precursor to modern violins and influencing the design of the nyckelharpa.

Lute

A stringed instrument associated with minstrel songs of the Middle Ages, evolved from the medieval Islamic oud. It has a versatile range, transcending time and leaving a mark on musical history. The lute is synonymous with troubadours and courtly melodies.

Shawm

A woodwind instrument and precursor to the modern oboe, gained popularity from the later Middle Ages to the Renaissance. Its distinctive double reed and conical bore contributed to the development of subsequent woodwind instruments. The shawm's vibrant tones were integral to courtly festivities and religious ceremonies during its heyday.

Qanun

The qanun is an Arabic harp-like instrument with origins dating back to antiquity. It holds a significant place in the musical traditions of the middle east and has influenced a diverse array of musical instruments globally. The qanun's intricate design and delicate strings produce a sound that echoes with the rich history of ancient musical craftsmanship. All of these instruments will also be found as animation options in the barber shop.
[...Anyway, heres wonderwall] And with that it's time for us to wrap up todays Dev Diary, more interesting things will be coming next week when well be talking more about Plagues, the Black Death, Funerals, Mod support and showcasing new Character Art (thatd make Papa Nurgle proud). [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-20 13:01:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! Welcome to this Developer Diary explaining the creative vision behind Crusader Kings IIIs first Core Expansion: Legends of the Dead, courtesy of one of our talented game designers (and resident historian on medieval plagues!) Discuss Dev Diary #144 on our forums!
In the year of the lord 1346 the Crimean port of Caffa was being besieged by the Golden Horde. The contemporary Italian notary de Mussis writes down that diseased corpses were thrown over its walls and thus, the Black Plague entered Europe. That same year, Edward III of England defeated the forces of king Philip VI of France in Crecy. Two years later, Edward would try to create the Order of the Round Table, inspired by the heroic deeds of King Arthur, and later transformed into the Order of the Garter. As our Game Director already mentioned in last week's Chapter III overview, we're exploring a new type of expansion focusing on systems that affect the whole map, rather than just adding flavor to a specific region. We didnt have a name for it at the beginning, but we knew we wanted to do something bigger with the time we had, while planning the next Major Expansion. We've been wanting to cover Plagues since approximately the 12th of January 2021. We still have the early designs stored somewhere, but we put that aside for a while in order to develop the huge endeavor that was Tours & Tournaments. However, the team stayed highly passionate about plagues throughout the entire time (as many of us have fond memories of The Reaper's Due), and we knew it was something that we wanted to tackle again. Soon after the release of Tours & Tournaments it became apparent that it was the moment to pick up plagues again, but that presented its own challenges, among them a very important one - how to make this distinct from its Crusader Kings II version? We were also very aware of the circumstances of the world, so we decided it was important to have some hope spreading across the map as well.
When researching the way medieval people saw plagues, we noticed that on many occasions they moved towards blaming the monarchs; If they're a representative of divine power on earth, and God is punishing us, then it must be because the representative is doing a bad job, right? That made us think of the impact that would have on a ruler's Legitimacy... and then we started thinking about Legitimacy itself. Sure, we already had Prestige in the game, but that felt like a representation of what you've done and how you present yourself, rather than "are you fit to rule?", "do people believe in you?", "are you really the right person for this?" Legitimacy was born as a way to represent these questions within the game, which raised the question: how do you prove your rule is legitimate? Soon, we thought of the medieval royal genealogies, tracing back the lineages to Trojan heroes, Charlemagne, mythological kings and even gods. Proving that you're the descendant of Aeneas is the easiest way to say, "I am the right person to rule." "To be noble," the medieval historian George Duby notes, "is to be able to refer to a genealogy." This, obviously, led us to Legends, and legends certainly did spread during the Middle Ages. King Arthur and his knights became so popular that they soon received translations and new material in French, German, Spanish and Italian. Legends got out of control, changed and expanded through the centuries, creating new stories that had little to do with their original purpose. In Legends of the Dead, we unite the brightest and darkest moments of humanity - tales of greatness illuminating a devastated land. Desolation and despair, but also the hope that comes after. Plagues will ravage your realm, causing development to plummet, and kill characters indiscriminately, for Death knows no master. In addition to our existing diseases, you'll be able to suffer from Holy Fire, Bloody Flux, and Measles. Holy Fire was the medieval name for ergotism, while outbreaks of dysentery (frequently occurring in the wake of passing armies) were known as Bloody Flux. Measles in particular is a danger to infants, and could be a dynasty killer if players aren't careful. Well cover these in more detail when we talk about Plagues in a later Dev Diary, however.

[Image: A Consumption outbreak follows the coast of the English Channel]
[Image: New (and full body!) graphics for measles] Legends will allow you to write down the heroic deeds of your ancestors or sing about your own glory. Cover the map in the stories that you create, gaining powerful control and skill boosts, among other effects. Its not just the likes of Hercules who get their own legends, however; being a faithful devotee can also spawn legendary tales of martyrdom and sacrifice. And, of course, you'll be able to trace your Legend back to the most legitimate monarchs of the past. Spreading a Legend (and increasing its quality) will give you unique rewards, such as special Decisions or new Buildings. In such a highly systemic expansion with both Plagues and Legitimacy, Legends also allow for some nice historical flavor and roleplay elements.
[Image: The Custody of the Holy Site legend spreads over Galicia]
[Image: A Legendary Statue built to commemorate a hero's legend]
[Image: A legend turned into an artifact] We will touch more on Legends and Legitimacy and how they work in-game next week, in addition to a deep dive into the heroic (and sometimes grimy) art created for this expansion! And worry not, Plagues - the most famous of them all in particular - will receive some more attention soon after. [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-13 13:01:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=vWUlPnbXUW4;full][/previewyoutube] What good are grand accomplishments and heroic deeds if no one sings of them after you have gone? Crusader Kings III: Legends of the Dead adds new heroic gameplay, letting you stoke the flames of your legends into a towering bonfire, as the greatest scourge of the Middle Ages strikes down noble and commoner alike. Prepare your realm and your soul to face the Final Enemy, and live a life worth singing about! Legends of the Dead releases on March 4th, but you can purchase Chapter III right now to receive all of the content within it as it releases throughout the year. [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-06 18:31:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Note from Community Management: If you missed the premiere video for Chapter III, you can see it below! [previewyoutube=ClkhKHePN4U;full][/previewyoutube] [hr][/hr] Greetings! Im Rageair, the Game Director for Crusader Kings III, and today Im excited to present to you Chapter III - in this Dev Diary well briefly go over the themes of each of the expansions that will make up the full package and take sneak a peek at their features! Chapter III is definitely our most ambitious chapter yet, with a Core Expansion, Major Expansion, and an Event Pack (as well as an instant chapter unlock!) New ways of playing the game, and big, sweeping systems is the name of the game this year. Let's have a look, shall we! Discuss Dev Diary #143 on our forums!

Core Expansion - Legends of the Dead

Legends of the Dead is all about the map - specifically that which spreads throughout it! Core Expansions will, as mentioned in previous Dev Diaries, focus on broad systemic changes to the core gameplay loop, or high-impact systems that affect large parts of the game world. As this is our first Core Expansion, we wanted systems that were big and all-encompassing, affecting all rulers on the map in one way or another! With that said, heres a high-level list of what you will see in the Expansion and its accompanying update:

Legends

Tales of your or your ancestors' epic deeds will travel across the map, spreading news of your glory across borders into foreign realms. Embellished tales of heroism or piety were a massive and common part of medieval life, and here were allowing you to write your own saga - quite literally! As your legend spreads, a book will be updated with your story - and events you get along the way may allow you to alter certain aspects to suit you better, after all perhaps it was a dragon that your grandfather slew rather than a bear! The more your legend spreads across the map, and the more rulers that propagate it, the more famed it will become.

Plagues

Plagues are the second thing that spreads across the map, but unlike legends they are destructive and nefarious - with a promise to shake up the game! Deadly diseases can sweep across your lands, spawned by either random chance or the activity of armies, and they will destroy development and kill characters with a vengeance. All plagues are different, with varying effects - such as consumption ending the lives of elders with haste, measles shortening the lives of children, and Holy Fire (aka the Dancing Plague) making rulers move erratically. Of course, there will be ways to combat and recover your lands from these terrible maladies!
[Image - One of the ways plagues are visualized]

The Black Death

A looming threat that appears towards the later eras - there is no escape from the Black Death, no matter how much you prepare, the end is nigh!

Legitimacy

This is a new measurement of your right to rule and affects a whole host of other systems from factions, vassalization, and even title creation. Of course, this new value will heavily tie into both Legends and Plagues, but also a myriad of other systems. A legitimate ruler will have a much easier time running a realm but some very tempting actions, such as unrightful title revocation, will decrease legitimacy - making it a precarious balancing act!

Major Expansion - Roads to Power

Climbing your way up from Count to Emperor is a challenge - but to claw your way up the treacherous political ladder of the Byzantine bureaucracy or claiming a new realm as a destitute Adventurer are more challenging yet! This Major Expansion introduces two brand new ways of playing the game, one focused on the Administrative governance of Eastern Rome, and the other on traveling the map in search of fame and fortune. These features have been oft-requested since the early days of Crusader Kings, and we thought it high time to do them - we're pulling out all the stops!

Imperial Administration

Take the reins of a powerful Noble Family within Byzantium and lobby for powerful governorships. Use your influence to improve your standing, improve your estate, and ultimately convince the other families that you should rule as emperor!

Adventurers

Set out across the world as a historical adventurer, one of your own making, or keep playing your beloved character after being unfortunately deposed from your lands! Travel to distant realms, take on contracts, gather friends, wealth, and fame - do mercenary work, or settle in new lands.

Everything Byzantium

Im not exaggerating when I say that this expansion will be dripping with Byzantine flavor. From imperial fashion to new buildings, historical flavor, beautiful mosaics, and much more - the game will immerse you in the setting with a passion.
[Image - Everyone likes grapes]

Event Pack - Wandering Nobles

Travel is a mechanic that really connects your characters to the map, and in this Event Pack we want to flesh the mechanic out with even more reasons to travel, and things that can happen on the road - new sights to see, new paths to take, and new stories to weave together into an immersive narrative! Is it about the journey, or the destination? Your characters can decide for themselves as they engage with a new Traveler Lifestyle!

Instant Unlock - Couture of the Capets

The French were a fancy lot, and with this Instant Unlock you can admire their splendor during the high medieval period. As always weve put a lot of effort into research to make sure that the clothes are not only glorious, but as historical as we can make them! Thats it for now! Next week well begin posting Dev Diaries for Legends of the Dead, so keep your eyes out! Also, a reminder that Chapter III is available right now, and if you purchase it now you will immediately get access to the Couture of the Capets (as well as the expansions as soon as they are released, of course!) Were very excited to show off the work weve done, this really is the biggest chapter weve ever done! Until next time! [hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-06 17:31:31 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! With Chapter III now available, we're releasing the instant unlock for the expansion pass, Couture of the Capets. We're also adding some models from our Content Creator Pack, North African Attire, as personal and court artifacts for Berber Cultures. Existing save games should be fully compatible with this update, but any mods that add or alter clothing may need compatibility patches to function properly on this version of the game. [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.11.5 Changelog

• Couture of the Capets - Added several new clothing items based on the fashions of High Medieval France.
• North African Attire - Made some props available as personal/court artifacts for Berber cultures.

[hr][/hr] Write glorious new sagas of military conquest and romantic adventures with Chapter III. This Chapter includes two expansions, one event pack, and one cosmetic enhancement. Enjoy new mechanics, new events, and new historical flavor to add greater depth to Crusader Kings III! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/38036 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-06 17:11:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Interested in seeing what 2024 will bring to Crusader Kings III? Then be sure to check our YouTube channel on February 6 at 18:00 CET, where our Game Director will be giving a full breakdown of the next content drop for the game as well as an overview of all of the content releasing throughout the year. [previewyoutube=ClkhKHePN4U;full][/previewyoutube] Be sure to check out our social media accounts as well, where we're counting down to the reveal with a series of teasers. Join the rest of our community in deciphering the clues and see if you can discover what's coming up next! Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-02-02 17:02:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing version 1.11.4 of Crusader Kings III. This update brings in new cosmetics as part of our first Content Creator Pack, North African Attire. See the full changelog below. As there are no script, code, or database changes, this version should be fully compatible with existing mods and save files.

PC Update 1.11.4 Changelog

Content Creator Pack: North African Attire

Added new cosmetics focusing on North African culture.

• 10 new clothing items
• 16 new headgear items
• New sword and dagger models
• New cloaks, legwear, and patterns

A huge thank you goes out to Pierre "El Tyranos" Azuelos for this content pack; we're grateful for the opportunity to work with such a talented 3D artist and we hope we get to collaborate again in the future! [previewyoutube=j6rMzg9sKyk;full][/previewyoutube] [hr][/hr] In the first cosmetic content pack made in co-operation with a member of the Crusader Kings III community, Paradox Interactive joins modder El Tyranos in a Content Creator Pack to add even more style for the games characters. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2671030/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_North_African_Attire/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-01-23 14:37:12 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to this developer diary introducing the Crusader Kings III Content Creator Pack: North African Attire, Im Pierre El Tyranos Azuelos and you might already play with some of my work in the Community Flavor Pack mod. I have been playing Crusader Kings franchise since 2012 and mod my favorite games since 2004. I naturally switched to CK modding as soon as 3D characters were announced. Since then, I have made over 260 models for my mod: headgear, clothes, artifacts, royal courts, ships, props, etc. I also broadcasted several video tutorials to help beginner artists to make their way inside the 3D engine. Today, Paradox Interactive gives me the opportunity and immense privilege to release an official cosmetic pack for our favorite game, so lets jump into it in detail! Discuss Dev Diary #142 on our forums!

Introducing the Content Creator Pack

The Content Creator Pack is an initiative that started at PDXCON 2022 when I submitted the idea directly to the Game Director for CKIII, Rageair. The decision to make North African Attire came after a process where I pitched different concepts for a Content Creator Pack, developing the philosophy, expectations, interests, risks and scope for 4 options. We then had a meeting diving deeper into what a cultural clothing pack would look like, this time with regional suggestions, and North Africa stood out from the rest. I documented for a few weeks until the project was finally ready to enter production. The key objective of the project was to create something that added value to the game compared to a mod and blend in seamlessly with the rest of the content. Over the last 4 years, Community Flavor Pack received about 6 original clothings, the remaining ones are vanilla model retextures. Over the 260-ish models from the mod, clothing only represents a dozen. Why? The time and energy investments are barely worth it when youre doing this for fun and for free. For example, I submitted 8 turbans in this Content Creator Pack that I never did before, because of their complexity. I dedicated more than 2 weeks just to manage to make the first one, see illustration below.
[From left to right: first trial, understanding the workflow, final sculpt of one of the models] The Content Creator Pack, which becomes officially part of Crusader Kings III, comes with a higher quality standard: more attention to visuals, better optimization, models have all their blendshapes, there is a lot more time spent per asset. Paradox provides Quality Assurance and will offer official support for the content as well. Why am I saying this? Paradox Interactive trusted me with an ambitious project when I submitted something I still had to prove I could do. Our collaboration was honest and benevolent, my creativity was respected and I tried to do my best in return, they guided me to achieve better visuals all while supporting my initiatives. I've done my best to push the sliders as far as possible, with the weight of not disappointing the community that has always supported my work and within the inherent limit to a commercial project.

Character Art

The first thing to note is that documentation is woefully lacking, there is, to my knowledge, no surviving artifact but a pair of 11th century shoes. Another terrible fact is that medieval art shows almost no women and no other Berber than Andalusians used in Fate of Iberias documentation! Fortunately, Berber culture is very unique as it kept its own decorations and fashions all the way up from high antiquity all while being permeable to other cultures it met. This is the concept of Berber permanence (Gabriel Camps, 1987) and it helped a lot in the outlining of this DLC. Some simple examples: the traditional woman dress is a Greek peplum, the filigree silver work is Phoenician, the enamel techniques are Roman. Some geometric symbols can even be traced up to the Neolithic! There is obviously a deeper blending after Islamic conquests but no replacement, it is even considered that the Islamic art built upon the Berber abstracted symbols in its early stages. What you will see below is only an abstract of the content pack, not everything is presented. As a matter of numbers, the production took 6 months - on top of my work and family life - and there are 33 new models added to the game. I have done my best to represent an authentic version of the Berbers in the Middle Ages, with obvious biases due to the lack of sources. I hope you'll be able to get past my misinterpretations.
[Photos: Berber Arts Museum of Marrakech; Berber memories: women and jewelry in Morocco, Michel Draguet, 2020.] This is a typical North African attire from the Atlas: the loubane amber necklace is prominent and the massive silver fibulas are holding the elhaf together, striking the eye with beautiful abstract engravings. The elhaf is a Dorian-style peplum and the appearance of this type of fibula dates back to the Bronze Age in the Maghreb (Camps-Fabrer, 1964). The tamizart cloak is stripped, similar to a 4-6th century BC artwork found in the Tumulus of Djorf Torba in Algeria (illustration).
[Photos by Michel Draguet, 2020; Illustration by Emile Galois, 1946] At the royalty tier, the look is largely different. She wears a shirt under her elhaf, the fibulas are featuring enamel and complex silver filigree, representative of the Souss valley. The circlet is a talgamout with three hinged silver plates and glass cabochons, representative of the Tagmout tribe located in the central anti-atlas. Anti-atlas has always been a refuge against persecutions. Its considered as a conservatory of the Berber culture as the weather is harsh and access is difficult, allowing vernacular forms of dress and ornamentation to survive. The top right image is a high-definition sculpture I made from the reference.
[Photos: Michel Draguet, 2020] Imperial headwear (left) is a Taounza, again from the Souss valley while high nobilitys coin diadem is from Dads valley in the High Atlas. As you can see the styles are completely different. Actually, there are so many styles with their own uniqueness and beauty that it was a nightmare to decide which one should make it into the project and at what tier.
Knights outfit was way more straight forward. It is based on a wall painting of Muslim knights during the conquest of Majorca, created around 1285 and conserved in Barcelona. The sword is a Tuareg takouba. Current learned opinion is that these swords are a distinct and entirely indigenous African type, although speculations of possible influence from Spain via the Almoravides in the 11th Century (Nicolaisen, 1997).
[Illustrations: Arab bearded scribe. He wears a turban tied around a conical cap. Cappella Palatina, Palermo, Sicily (1131-1140) and Drawing of Man with Lamp, Fustat, Fatimid Egypt, 11th Century. Keir Collection No. 75781] Commoners wear a pointy hat with a tassel, held in place by a turban. Conical hats are widespread across North Africa, as seen on those paintings.
[Illustrations: Spanish Codices, 11th and 12th century; Men-at-Arms N348, Osprey editions, 2001; Costumes of Morocco, Jean Besancenot, 1990] Low nobles wear two kinds of wicker hats called tarazas. One is Algerian and the other one featured here is Moroccan. The hat is carried above the turban. This is a unisex fashion, and the oldest representations are in Andalusian art (Weiditz, 1530). The tunic is a jillaba, a long, loose-fitting unisex outer robe with full sleeves. Almost all djellabas of both styles (men or women) include a baggy hood called a qob. The hood has a different color and the cut is one of a city dweller, the most widespread.
[Illustrations: Sala de Los Reyes, Alhambra, 14th century] This sultan carries a Tuareg tagelmust or litham with a golden plate showing his wealth, the litham became a distinctive sign of the Almoravids, meaning its wearer should be treated with honor and respect. He also wears a kaftan based on the surviving marlota of Boabdil (Nasrid Dynasty). Interestingly, the modern style of Rabat kaftan looks a lot like it. In Morocco, the kaftan is a very old tradition, deeply rooted in the country's clothing habits. It is a unisex clothing that soon became a symbol of power and wealth among the moors, worn by royals, even up to the queen Isabella as she conquered Granada in 1492. However, the evolution and adaptation as a ceremonial dress for women has made it a very different garment from the Persian and Ottoman ones.
The pack finally includes a new feature (special_genes) which allows headgears to deform when a character has a long beard. It allows for models to get out of the way, reduces the amount of clipping and gives them a more organic look. While I can only invite you to read and learn about this extremely rich culture, I hope you enjoy looking at characters garments during your next playthrough in North Africa. Finally, Id like to thank Paradox Interactive for the trust they put in this project as well as for the opportunity to bring my work to the next level. I extend all my gratitude to the members of the community, your support over the last few years helped me to continue working and honing my skills. --Pierre [hr][/hr] In the first cosmetic content pack made in co-operation with a member of the Crusader Kings III community, Paradox Interactive joins modder El Tyranos in a Content Creator Pack to add even more style for the games characters. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2671030/Crusader_Kings_III_Content_Creator_Pack_North_African_Attire/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2024-01-16 13:15:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! For those of you who do not know - I am Rageair, the Game Director of Crusader Kings III, and as were coming up to the end of 2023 it's time to look at this year in review - and take a quick glance toward the year to come! I will share our reflections, learnings, and opinions on the content weve made this year, and - while this diary will not be a roadmap/floor plan per se - Ill make sure to share as much as I can about 2024. Discuss Dev Diary #141 on our forums!

2023 in Review

So, what have we done in 2023? Quite a few things, it turns out!

The Community Choice Poll

We started out the year by having a Community Choice Poll for the theme of the upcoming Event Pack, where among the three themes (Wards & Wardens, Love & Lust, and Villains & Vagabonds) the winning theme was Wards & Wardens, which gained 41.5% of the over 10,000 votes. While it was fantastic to see all the engagement, we won't be doing another poll for this year's event pack - mainly because we want something that will improve and expand upon existing content as well as content we're introducing next year, and we already have the perfect event pack for that in mind! We will instead continue reading your discussions, thoughts, and suggestions and focus on making content for areas that you would like to see expanded - its a more indirect way, but remember that you still have plenty of opportunity to affect what we do by simply discussing themes, ideas, or mechanics as you do normally. That said, its not impossible that well have another poll in the future, especially if theres demand for it!

Tours & Tournaments

The highlight of the year was definitely Tours & Tournaments, our second Major Expansion. It made strides to connect the characters to the map, with travel, activities, and much more - and its obvious that the efforts were appreciated! While the expansion and its update leaned more towards roleplaying with its centerpiece Grand Activities, it also contained plenty of systems that enhanced the game overall, such as travel, regencies, MaA Stationing, etc. This combination made it a quintessential CK3 expansion that appealed to most (if not all) of you in the community, and well definitely take a lot of learnings from the things we did right when looking into what to do for the future. All in all, we consider T&T a huge success! Of all the features we developed, travel is the one that we didnt necessarily expect to be as fun as it turned out to actually be - we knew that it would be good, and fill a void that has existed since the early days of CK, but it turned into a very versatile system that were very likely to keep developing and progressively weave into as many other systems that we can. Travel also provides a great and versatile foundation for all sorts of features that may or may not appear in future updates The expansion itself took a lot of time and effort to develop, over 10,000 days of work from various disciplines. During, and especially towards the end of the project, we started doing parallel development in order to up our cadence of releases, something which were successfully carrying with us into 2024. For those of you who might not be familiar with the concept, it means that we worked on several different expansions & updates with smaller teams-in-teams, all at the same time. During 2023 we have been working on roughly three different things at once, and at certain points as many as five! With the learnings weve gained from T&T, were keeping up the momentum as we want you to have a steady stream of content to look forward to - and we always want to make sure that we can make one Major Expansion per year!

Legacy of Persia

Persia is the first region weve expanded that is situated outside of Europe, which was an interesting and very fun challenge! At the start of the project, we sought out anyone at Paradox who was well-versed in Iranian history (it turns out there were quite a few individuals!) and started formulating plans for what content we would focus on making. Our goal was to make the content grounded and historical, while still enabling powerful player fantasies such as reviving Zoroastrianism. We knew that we wanted a central core system to connect flavor to, which is how the Iranian Intermezzo struggle came to be. Unlike the Iberian struggle, we wanted this one to have a much wider spread of plausible alt-history paths to pursue, as the history of the region could have gone in many different ways - and this is something that were sure youre experiencing when you play. You never know who will be a powerful actor, which faith will dominate, etc. While the historical ending is the Concession timed ending, were very pleased with the other ways in which you can conclude the struggle - from the community-favorite Iranian Resurgence where the Persian cultural identity and ideals dominate (be it as Zoroastrian or not!) to essentially breaking the very thought of Persian independence and empowering the Caliph to create another Dar-al-Islam with the Renewed Caliphate ending. The Intermezzo really sets the scene for how the rest of the game will play with large and sweeping effects on the region and beyond. This quicker style of struggle is something weve noticed that you in the community seem to like, so its something well definitely keep in mind!

General Improvements

As some of you may remember, we have an ambition to continually update and change parts of the game to make them better over time - and in 2023 we managed to do a lot. While we did an absolute ton of stuff, such as adding a nickname system, rebalancing domain limits, changing how building slots are gained, added vassal stances, etc, etc, etc - we also got to some of the general areas that we outlined in the floorplan, so let's take an extra look at those!

Clans

In Legacy of Persia we got around to making Clans unique; previously they worked almost identically to how the Feudal government worked in CK2 - heavily opinion based, with angry vassals paying you nothing and happy ones giving you a lot. Now the economy of clans is heavily inspired by the Iqta system, with Tax Collectors assigned to Tax Jurisdictions, taxing them based on various Tax Decrees. Managing a Clan realm well gives you very clear advantages, and with the addition of House Unity you can also draw significant benefits from good old-fashioned nepotism! House Unity, fundamentally a part of Clans, brings a chaotic and character-driven element to the stability of clans. If your family is Harmonious you will enjoy a period of peace and stability, while an Antagonistic family is driven to expand and compete. This makes Clans ebb and flow in power, with the potential to rise quickly, and fall as quickly - simulating how many of the areas dominated by Clans in-game behaved historically. With these changes we feel like Clans are truly distinct from their Feudal counterparts, and playing them is an entirely different type of challenge. Feudal realms are generally more stable, while Clan realms have a much higher maximum potential.

Modifier Stacking

With the building slot rework followed Men-at-Arms Stationing, which aimed to curb the mono-unit type armies that dominated previously because buildings gave global bonuses to MaA types. This caused battles to be completely trivialized as long as the player started optimizing their buildings even a little bit - and this is obviously not fun. You want to be able to defeat the AI by putting in time and effort, you dont want them to just roll over. With these changes the AI can now also field incredibly powerful units, and they will also tend to buy significantly more MaA overall than they used to - especially if they are Warmongers. For next year we will aim to continually improve the game. In fact, weve set up a massive sheet internally where we detail areas of the game that are in need of balancing or reworking. Exactly what well be tackling is still up in the air, but know that we still aim to continually improve the game!

Whats happening in 2024?

And now for the perhaps extra interesting bit of the Dev Diary - what have we got cooking for 2024? Also quite a bit, it turns out!

A New Experiment

At the beginning of next year, weve got another small experiment lined up. While I cannot go into detail about what it is, I can say that it has something to do with the game directly and that involves something weve never done before. We are very excited about it, and we hope you will be too - the idea for it actually came directly from the community itself, during a PDXCon where the Crusader Kings III team got to interact with some of you! You will be able to get your hands on this experiment very early next year, before the release of the new chapter! Speaking of:

Chapter III

We will indeed be having another Chapter next year! Similar to this year the chapter will include four items, including one Major Expansion. One difference from Chapter II is that we have swapped out the Flavor Pack in favor of a larger type of expansion that we call a Core Expansion - I will clear up what this means in just a bit! Other than that, there will be an instant unlock to start Chapter III off, and an event pack to close the package. So what is the difference between a Major Expansion and a Core Expansion? The new Core Expansion format refers to the core gameplay loop: it focuses on adding, changing, or updating mechanics that are applicable for most rulers and/or high-impact systems that affect large parts of the game world, unlike Flavor Packs which are strictly regional in nature. Major Expansions are wider, and will either apply sweeping updates to the world, give you new ways of playing the game (such as new playstyles), or both! This means that Core Expansions are scoped in between Flavor Packs and Major Expansions. They are bigger and more impactful than Flavor Packs, but smaller with fewer sweeping changes than Major Expansions. Seeing how we want to shift towards more high-impact content that appeals to a majority of the community, we decided to up our pace and make a Core Expansion instead of a Flavor pack next year. That said, I want to emphasize how excited we are for next year, and though I really want to tell you what were working on I must limit myself to obscure hints and extremely non-telling images for now

Instant Unlock

The instant unlock will be similar to Elegance of the Empire, the one we had for Chapter II. This time were also aiming to make clothes that embody the very essence of royalty. Inspired by the couture of the French, they will be gilded and lavish - and as with all assets we make - they are real, well-researched, and historical! Heres a little peek of a crown:
The gilded angel is a personal highlight.

Core Expansion

The Core Expansion will, among other features, introduce something that has been frequently requested by you in the community. Without saying too much, it will definitely make the game more challenging - and weve spent a lot of time making sure that its as dynamic and immersive as possible, while also presenting you with new ways to strategize. Were also going to introduce a feature dripping with medieval flavor, a system that can be used by clever players to really make their mark on the world. All in all, this expansion will lean more towards the systemic side of the game.

Major Expansion

As with the Core Expansion, the Major Expansion will focus on several things that have been requested by you in the community for ages - some of what were choosing to do has been asked for since the early days of Crusader Kings as a game series. One of the feature sets comes up very frequently when we see you discuss what youd like to see in expansions - and another is brought up now-and-again as a powerful player fantasy. No matter what, we promise that this expansion will provide several new and fresh perspectives, and should please you regardless of which style of expansion you prefer, systemic or roleplay-focused. We can barely wait until you get your hands on this one, and personally, I can say that its one of the expansions Ive been wanting to make since my early days working on CK2 - its time will soon come!

Event Pack

As mentioned above, this time there will be no poll about the theme. Instead, weve been seeing an overwhelming amount of discussions about a certain well-liked feature for months. Weve chosen to expand that feature with more things to do and experience, and this time well be focusing on highly visible content!

Thats it for this year! Well be back in early 2024 with more updates, but until then we wish you all a fantastic winter holiday season, and a God Jul! [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-12-12 13:01:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everybody! We've got one more update before the holidays releasing today. It's a small one reenabling the OpenGL renderer for MacOS users. Please note that this renderer is still unsupported, we're just restoring the option to use it anyway. [hr][/hr]

PC Update 1.11.3 Changelog

• Reenabled OpenGL renderer for MacOS users. Please note that this renderer remains unsupported; were just restoring the ability to use it anyway for users who choose to do so.

[hr][/hr] This update should be fully compatible with 1.11.2. Save files from this version and mods marked as 1.11.2 compatible should retain full functionality after this update.

[ 2023-12-11 15:20:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.11.2 for Crusader Kings III; With this update, we've focused on resolving several issues that have emerged since the release of Legacy of Persia to help ensure a smoother and more enjoyable experience. This update also includes a couple of experimental fixes specifically for our Linux and MacOS players to improve stability and performance on these platforms. If you continue to encounter stability issues on these platforms after today's update, then please perform a clean reinstall of the game. Thank you to everyone who submitted crash reports from these platforms! As always, we appreciate your feedback, support, and reports. Your feedback is crucial to helping us shape the future of Crusader Kings III, so don't hesitate to reach out with any thoughts or issues you have after today's update.

1.11.2 Changelog

Bug Fixes

• Fixed issues with upper-case filenames causing stalls and crashes on certain platforms.
• Added missing localization for locked "Rich in Diversity" achievement.
• Added missing localization for not having specific combinations of culture ethos.
• At least one Zoroastrian faith has to complete the Magi restoration decision for them to be able to create HoF titles.
• Characters from Heresy outbreaks will keep the Heresiarch trait.
• Converting a county resulting in Iberian Struggle catalyst will display the holder's name in catalyst history.
• The Research Project event chain will now correctly add the Mural Sextant innovation as a reward if its path was chosen.
• Event where you find a competent Quadi\Magistrate will properly check if they don't have any relations with you or are not an already picked competent Tax Collector.
• Fixed a doubled "by" inside a tooltip when someone resigns from a tournament.
• Fixed a typo in the Traveling Thinkers travel event causing a missing scope.
• Fixed a typo in the names of cued music for East Europe events.
• Fixed incorrect names of music cues in tax rivalry story cycle events.
• Fixed missing custom tooltip text in an option for a tournament duel event.
• Varangian Adventurers now correctly receive additional MaA if they have a culture of North Germanic heritage or are Estonian/Estonian heritage.
• Removed unnecessary blockers from Communal Possession and Exaltation of Pain tenets, making them now possible to be picked during faith creation.
• Sar-i Sang mines are now an economic point of interest.
• Seljuk invasion will always spawn with an army and will be more aggressive as a vassal.
• The Saoshyant nickname description uses the correct name of a god that could devour the light.
• When trying to push your secret faith on someone, the game will now correctly look for any sad memory they have for you to exploit.
• Winning an Independence war will now always result in getting a title revocation reason on all losing vassals.
• Zoroastrians can bypass the decision to restore the Magi.
• Fixed Seljuks trying to become your vassal if you have the same title tier in the opening Seljuk story cycle event.
• Fixed a number of additional issues with the Seljuk invasion story cycle.

Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-11-30 13:06:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Were releasing Update 1.11.1 today to address a variety of issues reported to us by the community since the release of Legacy of Persia, as well as a few outstanding issues. Please check the changelog below for specific fixes and adjustments.

Update 1.11.1 Changelog

Balance

• Removing a guardian will now only reduce unity once every three months, rather than every time.
• Slightly increased the prestige reward for beating the Seljuk invasion.
• Holding Court will now always grant a small amount of Court Grandeur at a minimum.
• Fixed the Execute a Detractor/Supporter Iranian Intermezzo catalyst never firing.
• It is now only possible to share a Spouse with a family member in Polygamous faiths if all parties believe in Unrestricted Marriage.

AI

• Reduced the chance for Counts to declare war to levels similar to those before the Legacy of Persia update, both for immersion reasons (this gives Dukes+ more opportunities) and performance reasons (fewer wars)

Interface

• Removes expiration information from timed character modifiers that do not have a set expiration.
• Blocked the player from being able to deselect radio buttons in the interaction window.
• Fixed invalid tooltip for Take the Vows option in the Negotiate Release character interaction.
• Fixed you referring to yourself as your liege when changing stance during the Iranian Intermezzo.
• Ethos is now correctly listed in the Cultural Pillar encyclopedia entry.
• Character tooltips in Activity Window and Event Window have been adjusted to not block characters in certain resolutions.
• Fixed trigger tooltips for options in Embellish Capital Decision.
• The history of artifacts stolen during a siege is now correct.
• Fixed AI acceptance tooltip to Request Incursion.

Art

• Iranian rulers will now use Iranian clothes much more often.
• Fixed Castles not showing a 2D icon when upgrading them.
• Fixed incorrect lighting setup in one of the Zoroastrian temple event backgrounds.
• Fixed an issue where Iberian Goatees were missing from the barbershop.
• Fixed a graphical issue in the inventory with historical artifacts when their culture isn't set.

Localization

• Fixed a typo in the Find a new Faith for Persia decision.
• Fixed untranslated weapon type name in Exotic Arms event.
• Shortened overly long event text in Travel: A Feast for Falcons.
• Forming the Persian Empire should no longer mess up the names of the titles of all characters in Iran.
• Adds missing localization for modifier affecting faction join chance regarding Detractor trait.

Game Content

• Vassals now receive a message if their liege or above starts or succeeds in converting a county in their sub-realm.
• Fixed a range of issues with the Seljuk Invasion, which should now behave more as expected.
• Fixed an issue where landed vassals could sometimes become Viziers, which in turn resulted in a number of other issues.
• You can now revoke all titles of a vassal that hold a Head of Faith-title, causing the Head of Faith-title to be destroyed.
• Fixed an edge case where viziers would, under certain circumstances, reduce your tax gain from vassals rather than increase it.
• Reverted logic for auto filling the Court Chaplain position to the one before the Legacy of Persia update, fixing a number of unintended issues related to the Court Chaplain position being empty for now.
• Fixed broken text in the House Feud rivalry reciprocation event.
• Fixed issues with sexuality, tooltips, and pregnancy in the Adventurer Inspiration event Lady/Lord X's Lover.
• You won't be able to accuse servants of being the real father of someone else's heir when they are younger than the heir in question.
• Made it harder to steal parents from their children's court, and impossible to steal unlanded guardians, court position holders, and councilors.
• Fixed a bug in the Request Contract Assistance interaction so that it's finally usable.
• Fixed all newly created faiths having the Full Tolerance doctrine set.
• Prevented you from becoming your own tax collector after succession.
• Fixed Dismantle Byzantine/Holy Roman Pretenders decision being available more than once per lifetime, which broke the war declaration.
• Fixed war victory against same or higher tier ruler Iranian Intermezzo catalysts not firing.
• Fixed wiping the Seljuk's invasion not allowing you to end the war, added war target title to its name, and disabled hostage peace options.
• Religious heads are no longer given the option to embrace Jesus in the Wanton Desires stress event.
• Fixed Canterbury Cathedral not being a Point of Interest when upgraded to level 2 and 3.
• Fixed characters sometimes not being correctly added to entourage and court in travel events.
• Fixed issue where accepting demands when negotiating to Challenge House Head would not make you the House Head.
• Fixed inconsistencies in Iqta description.
• Fixed an error when a dog seller leaves your court.
• Removed stray modifiers if a Grand Wedding invalidates.

Databases

• Marzoban Zahhak of Upper Ghur is now the uncle of Ghurshah Sri of Ghur in the 867 bookmark.
• Shazhou's culture is now Han rather than Sogdian in 867.
• East Bantu Culture now properly has starting innovations.

General Bug Fixes

• Fixed imperformant Casus Belli for the Azariqa rebellion.
• Clarified that the Support/Detractor is killed Iranian Intermezzo catalyst only applies to rulers.
• Critical failure in the Age of Knowing event will now correctly expose your secret faith to the world.
• Fixed rare as hen's teeth crash where a ruler-at-war's yearly update coincided with their monthly. update with immaculate timing, where it would try to update knights on two separate threads at the same time.
• Fixed rare out of sync where an invalid law could make it into a landed character's list of laws.
• Fixed rare out of sync where an invalid law could make it into a title's list of laws.
• Made sure that auto assigning taxpayers option is persisted properly.
• Added missing names in credits.

While we dont anticipate this update will cause compatibility issues with mods or existing save files, we do ask that you start a fresh campaign without mods enabled before reporting any issues to us. A list of known issues as of Update 1.11.1 can be found here; if you encounter any issues not on this list, then please report them to us via the Bug Report board on our official forums. Thank you for your continued support, and we hope that todays update improves your experience in Crusader Kings III! Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-11-23 13:06:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Save an extra 10% and experience the full spectrum of medieval life, from the struggles of a commoner to the triumphs of a king in this exclusive bundle from Toplitz Productions and Paradox Interactive! Forge your dynasty's reputation in Medieval Dynasty's unique blend of survival and colony-building gameplay, then ascend to nobility and decide the course of history itself in Crusader Kings III. Grab the bundle while it lasts to master your medieval destiny! https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/36404/For_the_King/

[ 2023-11-22 17:28:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a hotfix today to address some issues reported to us in the aftermath of yesterday's 1.11.0 release. Please check the changelog below for specific fixes! [hr][/hr]

1.11.0.1 Changelog

• The AI will no longer try to claim your throne if it is not at least a count and has the appropriate personality
• Only Powerful AI vassals will now try to claim your throne using the Iranian struggle rules
• Iranian culture castles will now properly display the new Iranian Graphics
• Fixed that Court Scholars were locked to owners of both the Royal Court DLC and Legacy of Persia. Just Legacy of Persia is now enough.

[hr][/hr] We hope this improves your experience with Legacy of Persia and the 1.11 "Peacock" Update released alongside it. If you encounter any issues after today's update, please let us know on our official bug report board here!

[ 2023-11-10 13:39:47 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to the final development diary for Legacy of Persia! With the release now upon us, what I have to share today, apart from general excitement, is the list of new achievements with Legacy of Persia and the update notes for the free 1.11 Peacock update! As with previous achievements our aim has been to have a good mix of achievements with a focus on new features, the new struggle, and the focus region of the flavor pack itself. Discuss Dev Diary #140 on our forums!

Legacy of Persia Achievements

Easy Achievements

Rich in Diversity

As a character of a faith with the Jizya or Tax Nonbelievers doctrines, have ten vassals of other faiths.

Abbasid Might

Take the Renewed Caliphate ending in the Iranian Intermezzo Struggle.

Royal Flush

As a character of a faith with the Fedayeen doctrine, dispose of a lowborn, a king, and an emperor.

Hard Achievements

Iranian Revival

Take the Iranian Resurgence ending in the Iranian Intermezzo Struggle.

All Your Caliphate Are Belong To Us

Take the Dominate the Caliph foundation as part of the Abbasid Humiliation ending in the Iranian Intermezzo Struggle.

Shia Reborn

Take the 'Found a New Caliphate' foundation as part of the Abbasid Humiliation ending in the Iranian Intermezzo Struggle.

Mulct Them Dry

Loot four Illustrious-tier Vizier Extravagance modifiers from your Vizier.

Fiscal Responsibility

Fill five Tax Collector slots with excellent aptitude characters.

Very Hard

The Umayyad Strikes Back

Starting as a member of the Umayyad dynasty, hold the Empire of Arabia and the Sunni Caliphate.

Darius Revenge

As a character of Iranian heritage, hold the Empire of Persia, Kingdom of Thessalonika, and Kingdom of Hellas. [hr][/hr]

1.11 Peacock Changelog

Legacy of Persia Features

• Added the Iranian Intermezzo Struggle covering the conflict in Iran between the Caliphate and resurgent Iranian dynasties. The struggle can be ended by fulfilling one of three decisions or by triggering the Concession ending phase. During the struggle supporters and detractors of the Caliph will have access to new rules, decisions, interactions and events.
• Added a new Dynasty Legacy: Brilliance, focusing on reclaiming the glory of the old dynasties of Persia.
• Added a new UI Skin for Iranian Heritage cultures and characters living in the region.
• New Portrait Assets: added new hairstyles, clothes, and beards in the Greater Iranian region.
• Added many new events, decisions and interactions when playing in the Greater Iranian area relating to the new Struggle, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Clan realms, characters traveling in the Iranian Region, Tax Collectors, and more.
• Added a number of new Cultural Traditions to Iranian culture: Fierce Independence, Pragmatic Creed, Jirga, Enlightened Magnates, Beacon of Learning, Irrigation Experts, and Frontier Warriors.
• Added new types of Men at Arms: Asawira (unlocks within the Brilliance dynasty legacy), Tarkhan (unlocks from Frontier Warriors), Zupin (unlocks from Pragmatic Creed), and Tawashi (unlocks from Fierce Independence).
• Added two Extra Tax Decrees when playing inside the Iranian region. Dehqan and Maguh. For more about tax decrees see Clan Vassals under Free Features.
• Added a new Court Scholar court position for cultures with the Beacon of Learning cultural tradition. When employed, court scholars will over time increase in skill and good or excellent Court Scholars can be sponsored to create a Research Project inspiration, resulting in new innovations for your culture or new modifiers for your clan. Court Scholars also have an increased chance of gaining the book or alchemy inspirations.
• Added a new Master Assassin court position which boosts murder schemes. Rulers with a faith that belongs to a faith with the Fedayeen tenet can recruit Master Assassins.
• Added 3 new struggle music tracks as well as 3 new Persian Region Mood Tracks.

Free Features

• Added a new bookmark page for Iran in 867, with recommended playable characters and biographies.
• House Unity is a new measure of the internal stability in the ruling house of a Clan realm. Unity comes in 5 levels, from Antagonistic to Harmonious and is shaped by the actions taken by clan members towards each other. Clans with high unity levels will enjoy a high level of internal stability while making conquest harder while those with a low unity level will be better at conquering new lands but be internally unstable. Each level unlocks special rules, decisions, interactions and abilities.
• Clan Vassals can now be assigned to Tax Jurisdictions, handled by a Tax Collector. Depending on the aptitude of the Tax Collector and what Tax Decree is assigned to the Jurisdiction the associated Vassals will provide and enjoy different benefits and penalties. The existing Vassal obligations, Ghazi, Iqta and Jizya, are now Tax Decrees in the new system.
• Viziers: Clan realms of duchy tier or above can now assign a landless character to be their Vizier. Viziers provide extra tax jurisdictions and their aptitude helps all tax collectors in the realm. The more empowered they are the bigger the benefits, though Viziers may also try to embezzle your funds. Vizier excesses can be fined via the Mulct interaction. A Vizier can also substitute your spouse in the confidant counselor position, if you desire.
• When starting in 867 the Turkic Seljuk dynasty will now invade Iran in the late 10th century, an associated game rule can regulate when the invasion happens.
• Added event chain for the Zanj Rebellion in lower Mesopotamia shortly after the start of the 867 campaign.
• Added a number of new special buildings in the Iranian region: The Minaret of Jam, the Walls of Gorgan, Alamut Castle, Falak-ol-Aflak Citadel, the Dome of Soltaniyeh, The Rainbow Mountains, the Imam Reza Shrine, the Sar-i Sang mines, the Ark of Bukhara, the Tomb of Batsheba, and Maharloo Lake Necropolis of Rostam, Tomb of Cyrus the Great, Palace of Ctesiphon, and the ancient Mines of Sar-i Sang.

Balance

• Cost for disinheriting bastard children or children with disputed heritage is lowered. If the illegitimacy is a secret and the father knows the secret, the cost is lowered and the secret is revealed.
• Certain Wars will now resolve quicker, as the warscore from battles and attacker occupations have been increased by 150%: conquests (county & duchy), holy war (county & duchy), subjugation, vassalization, struggle clash, border raid, expel interloper, and excommunication war.
• Conquest & Invasion CBs now have a dynamic cost scaling with realm size, this should make the CB's cheaper for smaller realms and more expensive for very large ones.
• Chthonic Redoubts are no longer impossible to convert in Mountains (-75% instead of -100%).
• De Jure CBs are now available one era earlier than before.
• Forming the HRE is now possible using any core Carolingian kingdom, not just East Francia, and the De Jure can now include the Empire of Francia if West Francia or enough Francian kingdoms are part of the realm of the one forming the HRE.
• Rebalanced the Piety & Prestige costs for Conquests and Invasions to make them more accessible for smaller realms.
• Reduced prestige gain from Amenities and exceeding your Grandeur level.
• Reduced prestige gain from the Marauder Accolade.
• Removed all sources of prestige % gain bonus from innovations to reduce inflation (total 20%).
• Significantly reduced Prestige gain from Artifacts (monthly gains, prestige per dread/knight, etc).
• Slightly reduced prestige % bonuses from Diplomacy lifestyle perks.
• Slightly reduced prestige from the Bodyguard position.
• Switched some innovations around for Arabic Heritage cultures so that the Caliph can revoke titles on game start.
• The AI should now have a much easier time forming the HRE from an 867 start.
• The AI no longer pays Prestige to revoke Court Positions, as they would never abuse court positions in the first place - and the prestige loss would cause them to fairly often be unable to declare wars.
• The Mongols now get better Siege Engineer characters.
• The Mongols now have a bonus to cavalry damage and toughness, to offset their lack of Stationing Bonuses.
• The Mongols now spawn with trebuchets instead of mangonels.
• Harm events will no longer target the player by default, only the AI.
• Increased the odds of successfully getting through harm events unscathed from 80:20/50:50/60:40 for poor/average/good options to 40:60/60:40/70:30.
• Reduced the overall likelihood of harm events of all kinds by an order of magnitude (except for the general incapability due to age chainlet), and of incapability foreboding events specifically by a further half again.
• Camel cavalry accolade only gives bonuses to camel cavalry.
• The Create Cadet Branch is now available for Clan Members only if they are in another realm than their House Head.
• Some common activity pulse actions now grant mystic lifestyle experience for pilgrimages and witch rites.
• If you have an epiphany about the sanctity of nature during a hunt you will also get some mystic lifestyle experience (this is another activity pulse action, though somewhat rarer than the very common one for pilgrimages).
• You will get Mystic Lifestyle experience for visiting points of interest in religious sites and wonders while traveling. This is not restricted to religious sites of your own religion, and it also means it's easier to get mystic XP once more grand cathedrals are built up later in the game.
• Added Mystic Lifestyle experience to some events, mainly travel ones that already had to do with mystics.
• Holding a mystical communion will grant some mystic xp.

AI

• Lowered the value of higher tier alliances and increased the penalty for Female above 30 years.

Interface

• Character modifiers can be now clicked and display an expanded view of all existing modifiers. Players can now see all modifiers on the character, and not only the first 10 items.
• Show a difficulty warning in the lobby for rulers in regency.
• Remove decision_custom_widget_container option from decision configuration window.
• Remove decision_has_second_step for decisions. Now if a decision needs to use the custom step, the decision must specify decision_to_second_step_button.
• The MaA stats shown in their tooltip in the military view now properly adds bonuses from being stationed, like they already do in the separate MaA window.
• Added steam rich presence for Iberian Struggle.
• Added steam rich presence for Persian Struggle.
• Clan Rulers now display their house crest instead of their main title coat of arms in the bookmark screen.
• Significantly reduced the amount of suggestions for hostages.

Art

• Added Managed Forest to the Barbershop backgrounds.
• Added Coat of Arms: 26 new coats of arms, between muslim and Iranian imagery and writing.
• Added 6 Event backgrounds (Bathhouse, Cave, Zoroastrian Temple, Iranian Courtyard, Iranian Docks and Iranian Throneroom).
• Added 3 Male Iranian Nobility Clothes (with low and high nobility variations).
• Added 3 Female Iranian Nobility Clothes (with low and high nobility variations).
• Added 1 Iranian Armor (male and female).
• Added 1 Iranian War Helmet (male and female).
• Added 2 Turkic-heritage headgear (Count and Duke level, male).
• Added 8 Iranian-Heritage headgear (Count, Duke, King and Emperor levels, both male and female).
• Added Disfigured Mask for Iranian and Turkic characters.
• Added 3 Iranian Beard Styles.
• Added 6 Iranian Hairstyles (3 male and 3 female).
• Added 8 patterns for Iranian clothes (with 8 trim variations).
• Added new Iranian Military Unit Models (3 levels).
• Added Iranian-Heritage holding 3D Meshes and Illustrations (Castles and Cities).
• Added Zoroastrian holding 3D Meshes and Illustrations (Temples).
• Added unique art for 6 Court artifacts (Sassanian Sword, Peacock Throne, Oxus Bracelet, Turkic Casket, Achaemenid Drinking Vessel, Incense Burner Cat Sculpture).
• Added 14 new Special Building Meshes (Minaret of Jam, Alamut Castle, Ark of Bukhara, Falak-ol-Aflak Citadel, Great Mosque of Samarra, Great Wall of Gorgan, House of Wisdom, Imam-Reza Shrine, Maharloo Lake, Mount Damavand, Palace of Ctesiphon, Rainbow Mountain, Soltaniyeh, Tomb of Cyrus).
• Trait Icons for Extolled by House, Accused of Decadence, Supporter and Detractor of the Caliphate.
• Added 6 Men-at-Arms icons and illustrations (Asawira, Mubarizun, Tarkhan, Tawashi, Zupin Spearmen, Ayyar).
• Added 11 Decision (and Story Event) Illustrations.
• Added New Loading Screen.
• Added 5 Icons for House Unity levels.
• Added Iranian Skin for the HUD.
• Added 8 Tax Decree Icons.
• Added Tax Collection alerts and icons.
• Added 2 Religious Tenet Illustrations (Communal Possessions and Fedayeen).
• Added 7 Cultural Tradition Illustrations (Frontier Warriors, Jirga, Beacon of Learning, Pragmatic Creed, Fierce Independence, Garden Architects, Irrigation Experts).
• Added Legacy Track Illustration (Brilliance).
• Art Script: Split up the portrait modifiers to different files with groups based on priority. Higher priority value means it will override any modifiers with lower priority. This way we don't have to weigh everything against everything else; instead, we can know with certainty that armors, for example, will always override regular clothes. Scripted characters are now found in the priority just above base modifiers, with priority 2.
• Art Script: Changed the old way of assigning accessories to scripted characters. Instead of per-accessory we now do per-character. So, each character has a single entry in a single file where all their accessories are added. This goes for developer characters as well.
• Fixed an issue where many western women wouldn't wear any headgear after the year 1300.
• For players with Northern Lords, those cloaks will now be used by more culture groups than just the Norse.
• Fixed certain millennials refusing to wear anything but filthy rags.
• Enforce Divorce interaction now has an icon.

Audio

• 3 new struggle music tracks.
• 3 new Persian region mood tracks.
• 1 new declare war music track for the Struggle.
• 2 new struggle ending effects for positive and negative outcomes.
• 3 new special building sound effects for the Persian special buildings.
• 2 new bookmark sound effects for the involved Struggle characters.

Localization

• Fixed Dutch patronymic surnames not being possessive for daughters.
• Fixed broken localization in some Right-Hand Man feed messages.
• Added localization when Influence Ward's Personality interaction is blocked by the Ward having too many traits already.
• Fixed missing text when accused of violating sumptuary law by your liege.
• Fixed row break issue for Simplified Chinese letter event.
• Various other minor localization fixes.

Game Content

• Added a new set of unique succession laws for Clan, activated by the Unity level.
• Jizya is now a Special Doctrine for most of the Islamic faith except: Alhomadism, Druze, Alevism, Alawite and Qarmatians. The former tenet still exists for custom faiths.
• Ashari now has Legalism instead of Jizya.
• Ismailism now has Mendicant Preachers instead of Jizya.
• Muladism now has Communal Identity instead of Jizya.
• Maturidi now has Legalism instead of Literalism and Adaptive instead of Struggle and Submission.
• Adjusted for community feedback about Life in Color event background, plus adjusted text to compensate.
• Added mother/father and bastard variations for child born memories.

User Modding

• Add on_action when realm capital is changed.
• Smug Kid is now judging you .
• Enable ignoring interaction recipient cooldowns.
• Added set_house_head effect.
• Added on_building_cancelled effect to the province on actions when construction of a building in the province is canceled.
• Added on_building_started effect to the province on actions when construction of a building begins in the province.
• Added on_canceled effect to building types to execute when construction of a building type is canceled.
• Added on_start effect to building types to execute when construction of a building type starts.
• Added paying character to building effect and on_actions.
• Renamed 'ai_war_chest' to 'war_chest_gold' for consistency.
• Renamed 'war_chest_gold', 'war_chest_prestige', 'war_chest_gold' to 'ghw_'+previous name for consistency.
• Inline values in comparison triggers using = only are now not valid, this is to prevent syntax ambiguity between a scope comparison and a scope change. You must use == for an inline comparison to be explicit.
• Added set_character_secret_faith to set a secret faith on a character.
• Added remove_character_secret_faith to remove the secret faith on a character.
• Added a simpler has_any_artifact_claim trigger and set it to be used by the artifact_war cb to lessen its performance impact.
• Changed bookmark field from default = yes/no to weight = scriptablevalue, used to determine default bookmark.

Databases

• Updated databases for landholders throughout Iran, ensuring that there are more historical characters to play as, and that all rulers have a suitable amount of vassals on start.
• Updated the 867 start date to better reflect the ongoing conflicts as part of implementing the Iranian Intermezzo struggle.
• Updated the cultural and faith setup of the Greater Iranian region, including adding the new Brahui culture.
• Armenian rulers in 867 and 1066 now start religiously protected, to avoid their faith disappearing much too quickly every game.
• Added Nestorian community to Suyab in Zhetysu in 867, representing their metropolitan see.
• Made the Karenids a cadet house of the ancient Arsacids, from which they descend.
• Merged Abbasids back into the Hashimid dynasty.
• Nizam al-Mulk now starts as Alp Arslan's vizier, and the two have a good working relationship.
• Made Upper/Lower Lotharingia the default duchy titles, with Lorraine a French variant, and added Krain as a German variant of Kranj.
• Added the Sayyid trait to some characters from the Hammudid house who were missing it.

Bug Fixes

• Temporal, for life doctrine does not allow for the unlimited firing of court chaplains anymore. Except for the first time after starting the game. That one is a freebee. Under the Temporal Clerical Appointment doctrine, the Realm Priest or Court Chaplain seat will not get auto-filled the moment the previous holder dies.
• Event Extracurricular Learning shall never clone or lose a herbalist
• Fixed an Out of Sync that can happen when joining a game where a character who was involved in a struggle has become the leader of a mercenary group.
• Fixed a crash related to expanding weight and prisoner modifiers.
• Fixed toast messages sometimes not showing up.
• Made sure Tournament environment backgrounds show up as they should (jungle was unused).
• You can no longer demand the conversion of someone you're at war with.
• Added missing nickname desc for "the Crownless", which an unnamed cheese-loving designer hid in a secret file away from the rest of the nicknames.
• Changed Tocharian color to differentiate them from the surrounding heritages a bit.
• Unlocked a load of struggle parameters that were previously hardlocked to the Iberian struggle in script, making them a bit more mod-friendly.
• Added a temporary fortification when trying to depose a Diarch with no fort level.
• County modifiers were never recalculated when a struggle ends, so they could keep positive or negative modifiers for a long time after the struggle has completed.
• Denouncing a dynasty member will now always apply the associated trait correctly.
• Fixed war declared overview window pausing observer mode.
• Fixed all instances of incorrect max level of aptitude.
• Fixed an issue where modifiers from vassal contracts were not fully applied correctly.
• Fixed the AI never considering giving gifts to a bankrupt liege in the Send Gift interaction.
• Fixed the filter window in the character list of the struggle involvement window not being clickable if it was sticking out of the main involvement window.
• Hostages will no longer appear as someone you can marry when using Find Spouse interaction.
• The Disrespected Elders modifier from getting yelled at by an old man during Meet Peers activity will now disappear much sooner.
• Adds clarifying text to Succession Law selection window explaining that special title succession laws always take precedence over realm succession laws.
• Children will no longer gain more than 1 childhood trait after turning 3 years old or when generated through templates.
• Fixed any ruler who had their capital as Mecca gaining the Hajjaj trait, instead of only Muslim rulers.
• Fixed incorrect values and loc in Invite to Activity rank difference modifiers.
• Invasion wars will highlight the correct counties in war overview.
• Invasion wars will highlight the correct counties that the attacker is going to win when victorious
• Temporary bride and groom modifiers are now removed if the Wedding is invalidated before completion.
• Reduced amount of AI wearing glasses.
• Fixed Educate Child message not containing any text.
• Fixed all cases where playable starting ruler's governments did not match their holding type.
• Fixed issues with avalanche in county letter event.
• Fixed it being possible to request wards or guardians from other courts if another is already traveling to the target.
• Fixed missing loc for hostile scheme reluctance modifier for own Head of Faith.
• Fixed stated kinswoman/man relations between lowborns with no shared family.
• Fixed traveling wards, guardians, and hostages who were invalidated not returning home.
• Mades some decision titles more stylistically consistent.
• Not returning a hostage upon reaching adulthood will now reduce your Prestige income from hostages, and the chance of other ruler's sending child hostages to you, for 10 years.
• Ensure random_list weights cannot get negative weights.
• Court event "Basileusophile" no longer displays an unlocalized line in the purple undergarment creation option.
• Fixed unavailable option tooltip in Under the Weather travel event.
• Ghazi Status CB piety reduction now only applies to holy wars.
• Removed a minor character from Austria, as their associated barony does not exist.
• Fixed an issue where calling a baron to an offensive war would deduct 700+ prestige.
• Infants will no longer get Wet Nurse events about child development.
• Incapable Clan Vassals will no longer demand your children.

[hr][/hr] Join the struggle for medieval dominance in Legacy of Persia, the new Flavor Pack for Crusader Kings III, available now! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313540/Crusader_Kings_III_Legacy_of_Persia/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-11-09 17:02:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to the Developer Diary focusing on 3D Art for Crusader Kings III: Legacy of Persia. Im Lucas Ribeiro, the Art Lead for the project. Before we move on to looking at some of the amazing 3D artwork the team has created for the Flavor Pack, I would like to give an overview of our decision-making process. Discuss Dev Diary #139 on our forums!
When creating art for Legacy of Persia, we were looking for ways to represent the resurgence of the Iranian identity in the Iranian Intermezzo after two centuries of intermingling and struggling with the Arab and Turkic peoples. This meant we needed to give Persian characters their own new look and at the same time reinforce the visual identities of the Turks and Arabs. We focused on 8th - 11th century references, basing our work on the art produced by Iranians that were inspired by Sassanian and-or Zoroastrian sources while at the same time not looking anachronistic. The clothes we see in Legacy of Persia should be as close as possible to what we might see a 10th century Samanid Amir wear. To this end we created loads of new artifacts, buildings, military units, beards, hairstyles, clothes and of course HATS aimed mostly at the Iranian culture, while creating a few new key recognizable extra assets for the Turkic and Arab cultures. Now, onto the art! [hr][/hr]

Environment Art

Stina Arvidsson Rdestig was our main 3D Environment Artist for the project, and shell give us some nice insights into the process of creating Monuments, Holdings and Artifacts for Legacy of Persia We had the honor of researching the artifacts, ruined structures, natural wonders, and special monuments of ancient Persia and providing a list of candidates to serve as the basis for court artifacts and special buildings for this flavor pack. Given the rich history of this region, and the large body of interesting and beautiful monuments; geographical variety; and the surviving works of art from this time period, it was a very difficult task to narrow the list down to the ones we would want to make it into the game. Our aim was to achieve variety - both from an aesthetic and game mechanical perspective - in order to create a balanced gameplay experience.

Court Artifacts

Court artifacts are amazing to work on, because they are based on real world historical artifacts - special items, works of art, or trinkets that have survived through the ages, impressing historians and laymen alike either with backstory, craftsmanship, or beauty. (Or, as in the case with the complaint letter to Ea-Nasir - just for being plain silly!). As 3D artists, apart from the technical constraints set by our game engine and triangle count, there are few things limiting our freedom to portray these beautiful and interesting artifacts as accurately as possible. We strive to do these items justice - while still keeping the assets practical and optimized - , so we make sure to gather a large body of verified references, including photographs, illustrations, and descriptive texts. We want the players to feel as if they are looking at the real thing - not just a bleak, filtered interpretation - thats why our approach is to capture the form, the details, the ornamental patterns as accurately as possible, only omitting tiny details or making changes if necessary for practical reasons. Typically, we sculpt ornamental detail in Zbrush using either curve brushes, traditional sculpting brushes, or modeling tools. Sometimes taking a node-based approach in Substance Designer, or using image-based techniques. Each method has its own pros and cons - sometimes we even combine multiple methods for one asset.
[The image on the left shows a photograph of the Oxus Treasure Bracelet artifact. The middle and right images show the finalized 3D asset.]
[Photograph of the Il-Khanid brass casket artifact]
[Wireframe and final 3D asset]
[A few other court artifacts that can be found throughout Persia: A Sassanian Sword, an Incense Burner Cat Sculpture, and an ancient drinking vessel.]

Special Buildings

Making the special buildings present an entirely different challenge compared to court artifacts. Monuments are very small, and they use a premade texture atlas. Each time a new flavor pack is made, the texture atlas is changed to better fit with the building materials, and color scheme of the region. Details are minimalistic - but it works really well in game! This atlas is made using a texture-making software called Substance Designer. The challenge is to create a symbolic representation of the real-world counterpart - yet to stay true to historical references! Much like with court artifacts, we look closely at references to find the answer to questions like: What did the entrance gate of this castle really look like? Did this fortress have a moat? What is the plan layout of this temple? And from there, we work to exaggerate the most visually distinct parts, whereas more redundant, less noteable details may be toned down. Another thing that we like to do is look for signs of old ruins and structures, and try to restore them in our models. Take a look at the comparisons below, to see the differences between some real-world locations and our monuments:
[Real-world Soltaniyeh Monument, and our interpretation of it in-game]
[Current days Ark of Bukhara and our interpretation]
[Ctesiphon ruins and our interpretation of what it mightve looked like if restored.]
[The texture atlas used when texturing all holding models and Special Buildings in Legacy of Persia.] We like to take a modular approach whenever possible - this saves a lot of time! It means that we will make simple structures like a piece of a wall, a tower, a door, for example and model and texture them to completion, only to duplicate them later. Sometimes, we make use of symmetry and mirroring functions within my 3D software (usually Autodesk Maya), to model only a quarter of a model, and then instantly turn it into a whole model.

Holdings

Holdings are the fortresses, walls, temples, and cities of Crusader Kings III. Their visual design follows a specific formula and is usually based not on any one single existing building, but rather the general architectural style of the era. Zoroastrian temples are especially unique as they have smoke billowing out of them to represent the holy fires they mightve had going inside.

Natural Wonders

We also had the chance to include a few unique natural wonders of the region. Such as the seasonally magenta Maharloo Lake, the breathtaking Rainbow Mountains and the sacred Mount Damavand, steeped in myth and legend.
[hr][/hr]

Character Art

Lets look through some of the many new assets that the team has created to make this region even more flavorful, with Elena Zenko as the main character artist on the project The first step of making character assets is to collect references and gather information of how these assets should look like. And it was an extremely tricky though fun part of the FP3. Not that many historical depictions of how people dressed have survived until this day. That influenced us to be even more thorough in our attempt to be as accurate as possible. (Sharbush) Hats off to our Principal Character Artist Nils for helping out with research and concept work on these. It was definitely not easy to collect, contextualize and ascertain the validity and quality of our references. As inspiration we were using different sources like The Book of Fixed Stars, and plenty of surviving murals from different parts of ancient Persia, that nowadays are Iran, Tajikistan, Syria, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and even China. Sometimes we had just written descriptions from Encyclopaedia Iranica. We used these many sources as evidence to some of the new assets that would otherwise look like they were straight out of high fantasy! Lets take a look at the new clothes:
The images show the process of creating the asset from reference to concept to finished asset in the game. As a main reference we used wall paintings from one of the Ghaznavid palaces at Lakar Bzr in central Afghanistan. The men are wearing qab, a mid calf-length coat that opens up in front with one side of the coat hanging on the chest. On the sleeves you can see irz in the form of armbands - those are Persian embroidery that are inscribed in the coat. One cool feature of the asset is many belts, and a humble artist cannot resist making them for the game. It brought some pain later on with testing animations, but we sacrifice ourselves for beautiful clothes.
Another cool asset that is primarily based on kitb suwar al-kawkib or The Book of Fixed Stars. The illustrations there are quite unique, and we had some moments of concern if these clothes existed in real life and how we recreate something like this in the game. Eventually, the temptation to make unique and sophisticated cloth was higher than common sense and time restriction, so we ended up making this. The asset contains the outer rich styled robe khaftn, that is made from silver or gold brocade or silk. The most interesting part of the asset is elaborately cut sleeves and the skirt decorated with irz that you may see present on the illustrations from The Book of Fixed Stars.
This picture represents male and female cloth assets that are based on the real Seljuk robe of the 11-12th century. Another reference was a 10th century bowl with a Figure and Bird. Both of these assets have belts with ornamental discs that weve found present on the pictures of painted terracotta sarcophagus cover in the Monastery in Fondukistan.
These pictures represent a female cloth asset based on stucco relief from the book Negar-e Zan that shows a, presumably, female attendant at the court of Kalhana. We also used a reference of the Seljuq Standing Figure that might depict a sultan or one of his vassals. Interestingly, female attendants at the court were supposed to wear mens dress, which sometimes makes it hard to tell who is in the picture. As for the belt we returned back to The Book of Fixed Stars and found some interesting rectangular belt fittings that we sure added in our collection of Absolutely Historically Accurate belts.

Headgears

Its a small, flattened cap with a diadem and a bow that is based on our favorite Book of Fixed Stars. This time we spent a significant amount of time making concepts and contemplating if the headgear had a cap or if it was some sort of the strap holding the diadem and pushing the hair.
Another asset that we made was a Seljuk stiff cap edged with fur, with a metal plate over the forehead. Turkic characters of duke rank will be seen wearing this very recognizable asset!
And here are new Persian crowns that sometimes seem out of fantasy, though they are indeed based on late Sasanian coins and 7-8th century murals. The most common type of royal headgear we found from the period was the winged crown. Additionally, the shape of the wings on the male crown resembles hands that we found fascinating. The depiction of these wings was found on the wall paintings of the Afrasiab murals, a rare example of Sogdian art.
Here is another set of the new Imperial crowns that were based on our beloved Book of Fixed Stars. You can see another version of the winged crown, though this time the wings are bigger as fits an imperial figure. A well-known fact - with the big power comes big wings (and strong neck).

We thankfully still have many surviving patterns on fabrics from the time period. Common motifs were mythological Iranian creatures such as the Simurgh or the Huma. Pheasants and ducks were also very popular imagery. Diving deep into the aesthetics of this twilight period in Iran was incredibly rewarding. We discovered beautiful imagery and pieces of craftsmanship that we were honored to interpret and combine into these 3D assets that gave Persia and its inhabitants their own unique look and feel. [hr][/hr] Join the struggle for medieval dominance in Legacy of Persia, the new Flavor Pack for Crusader Kings III, releasing on November 9. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313540/Crusader_Kings_III_Legacy_of_Persia/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-10-31 13:01:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to this development diary about flavor additions to the greater Iran area. That means in this diary you will get a test of many things that, while individually small, aim to increase the overall authenticity and uniqueness in this part of the world. I will also begin with a shout out to Vaniljkaka who worked on the first draft of this DD and did a lot of the event and research work for Legacy of Persia. Discuss Dev Diary #138 on our forums!

Historical Flavor

One way to significantly improve the state of the game in a given start date is to look into what unresolved issues were ongoing in a specific location at the time. To a large degree that is the thinking behind the struggle system itself but and as already described in a previous development diary there is now both a new 867 bookmark start, and a struggle called the Iranian Intermezzo to achieve this. But the struggle alone cannot cover everything that was important for a ruler in medieval Iran in 867 or 1066. We have therefore taken the opportunity to more thoroughly research the starting situation for both starts, adding new rulers, dynasties, rivalries, as well as less politically influential characters such as scholars or artists active in our time period. Existing family trees have also been significantly expanded in many cases and should also now make use of a new set of coat-of-arms using Iranian or Islamic elements. Additionally, there has been a general go over of the cultural and religious setup of the entire region, with adjustments here and there aiming to better reflect the political realities of the time.
The biggest changes are to certain religious groups or sects that were important in 9th century Iran - the Mutazila, the Khurramites, the Azariqa. The rebellious, egalitarian Khurramites would be particularly suited for underdog playthroughs though none are landed at the start, whereas the fanatic Azariqa stand ready to unleash a terrifying wave of assassinations, to avenge the Battle of Nahrawan and the many slights they believe that theyve suffered since. Both these faiths have been given new tenets to portray their unique worldviews. At game start in 867 there is also an ongoing Azariqa rebellion, which you can partake in if you want to attempt to form an Azariqan Caliphate.
[The Fedayeen tenet is shared by the Azariqa and the Nizari, and allows you to recruit and utilize fearsome assassins - fanatics devoted to slaying the unbelievers.]
[The rural, rebellious Khurramites are present in pockets all over Iran, though their great rebellions of the mid-9th century have long since been suppressed. Also featured in the screenshot is the new geographic special location of Mount Damavand. One of multiple new special buildings in the update.]
[The cultural map should be largely familiar, with some notable exceptions like 1066 and 867 now having differing setups in the region of Balochistan.] When it comes to cultures, we have added a number of new cultural traditions, some of which add new gameplay elements such as the Qanat building line (from the Irrigation Experts cultural tradition which replaces Dryland Dwellers) or the new Court Scholar court position (from the new Beacon of Learning tradition) which can be sponsored to unlock new innovations.
[The Persians in particular have been given three new traditions to reflect all the refinement and enlightenment that made them so admired by Arabs and Turks alike.] For the greater region covered by the update we now also have Jirga (for the Afghan, Baloch and Brahui cultures) which among other things unlock the Tribal Elective Succession form as well as new regional traditions that unlock unique Man-at-Arms types such as the Zupin (Pragmatic Creed) Spearmen or the Tarkhans (Frontier Warriors).
We are also adding historically inspired decisions and events to the region, with the aim of opening up the same possibilities to rulers in our game that historical rulers of the era would have had. This also means that some previously unlikely historical scenarios are now encouraged, for instance Turkic conquerors in general and the Seljuks in particular are more likely to show up and make a new home for themselves in the Iranian plateau, and as a rising ruler in Iran you have new ways of promoting alternate Islamic faiths in the region that are not as present yet at game start (such as the Maturidi denomination of Sunni Islam or Shia Imamism). For the Seljuk arrival in the late 900s there is also a game rule to make their entrance more random or to turn it off entirely. Last but not least the chaotic setup in 867 is now further improved by an early event chain about the Zanj rebellion which should add even more uncertainty and dynamism to an already quite open starting situation.
[hr][/hr]

Viziers

A new type of diarchy coming in Legacy of Persia, viziers were historically many things. They were powerful private landholders, vital linchpins of the civil service, some of the most corrupt people in the world, and extravagantly dramatic party-hosts.
Mechanically, Viziers may be appointed by duke-tier or higher clan-government characters. Whilst incumbent, they grant you extra tax jurisdictions (scaled to their stewardship) and add a portion of their own tax collector aptitude directly to all of your tax collectors aptitudes, providing a powerful direct modifier on how much gold you get per month. How large a portion of aptitude they grant scales with how heavily the Scales of Power are swung towards them, so a more empowered vizier offers both benefits and drawbacks to their liege.
Unlike regents, being a vizier isnt a prestigious position for a noble you are, after all, merely a civil servant, and whats worse one with actual work youre expected to do instead, landless courtiers and minor barons from your faiths dominant gender compete for the post. Having the vizier in your pocket is still desirable, though, so prospective viziers at court will politick behind the scenes, gaining friendships and rivals with other prospective candidates, their lieges spouses, and their lieges stay-at-home adult children. These relations in turn directly contribute to vizier succession score, so a candidate whos friends with the current vizier will see themselves climb the ranking, whereas one whos made an enemy of their lieges spouse will see their score fall. For the same reason, prospective viziers will often learn their lieges language, seeking to further their prospects for promotion. As civil servants, viziers dont have access to quite as many powers as regents. Predominantly theyll embezzle and try to give negative county modifiers to vassals in exchange for gold, though a complacent liege who lets the Scales creep too far towards their supposedly-loyal vizier will find that theyre still capable of launching coups. Viziers are also usable in the new-ish confidant council position, which allows you to substitute them in instead of your spouse for spousal council tasks (your choice of which, naturally). Though such functionaries can be fired at any time, removing the vizierate regardless of the status of the Scales of Power, a vizier with high swing is one whos enmeshed themselves thoroughly, and who cannot be removed completely without consequence. Above a certain Scale swing threshold, firing your vizier will give you a severe negative economic modifier that harms your monthly income. This scales to how much swing the vizier had so sure, you can fire them at 80+ swing if you like, but dont think they wont have arranged a little job security for just such an occasion.
An easier way to remove civil servants is to kick them upstairs: giving your vizier a county (or, if the Scales are really swung in their favor, a duchy) will also end the vizierate, this time without any economic fallout. Everyone loves a promotion, after all. Finally, you may recall that I mentioned viziers were legendarily corrupt: though not always strictly true, this was generally the case, and actually a feature of the position rather than a bug. The role of a corrupt vizier was to run the realms finances, and it was generally understood that theyd enrich themselves in the process. It was fairly common for viziers to pay significant bribes straight to the liege to get the position that and to capture and audit the last vizier for undeclared revenue. The advantage to this for the liege was that, when they needed money in a pinch, rather than have to collect a special tax from the realm as a whole, force powerful vassals and governors to cough up more cash, or individually audit every petty tax collector, there was one person in the realm they could generally guarantee not only had money but had more money than they should have. Minimal overhead, maximum convenience. At least, for the liege.
In-game, we represent this through your viziers income and extravagance modifiers. They receive an income from positional corruption proportional to your own income (this doesnt count towards the embezzlement secret, as its technically part of their official remuneration). Every so often, theyll spend this money on character modifiers for treasure, activities, properties, or charity. Once they have one modifier of each type, theyll begin again, spending more money on more expensive extra types of each modifier, up to four tiers.
Lieges can then mulct their viziers via interaction, fining them for their excesses. This deletes a rank of the viziers extravagance modifiers, liquidating them and transferring gold to the ruler that increases with the tier (and number!) of modifiers liquidated. Naturally, viziers arent generally too happy with this, even if the process further enmeshes them as the most important state official, but theres not much they can do about it other than rebuild their losses. Which, naturally, makes them more attractive to mulct again down the line
Weve included about ~160 different modifier descriptions for what viziers are spending their money on, of which about half are explicitly historically attested (comments in the script file for anyone particularly interested in which), and another quarter reasonably probable. The remaining quarter is us trying to keep up with the lavish standards for extravagances set by historys actual vizierates. These do vary vizier by vizier, so you should see your viziers purchasing extravagance modifiers relevant to their traits and interests. That was all for this diary! I hope it has given a general idea of the type of flavor content that you can expect in Legacy of Persia, without spoiling all of what there is to discover. [hr][/hr] Join the struggle for medieval dominance in Legacy of Persia, the new Flavor Pack for Crusader Kings III, releasing on November 9. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313540/Crusader_Kings_III_Legacy_of_Persia/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-10-24 12:00:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Salutations! Its been a while since I last wrote a DD, so a quick (re)introduction might be in order. Im Emil, aka Servancour, one of your resident CK3 game designers. Ive been on the project since way before release, and tend to mostly focus a lot on game mechanics and systemic features. Which, in fact, brings me to why Im here today. When we settled on Persia as the focus for our upcoming Flavor Pack, we soon came to realize that this would be an excellent opportunity to revisit the Clan Government and give it a much-needed update. Discuss Dev Diary #137 on our forums!
Clans, as you currently know them, are very similar to Feudal. There are only two real points of difference between them. Opinion is a major factor in their obligations, meaning that a vassals opinion of their liege affects how much taxes and levies they will give to their liege. Secondly, they have access to and utilize vassal contracts, albeit in a slightly stripped-down version, with less available options than their Feudal counterparts. This begs the question; How can we make Clan Government stand out? Weve already identified one aspect above, so our first action and problem to solve is this - How do (or should) Clans manage their vassals? Secondly, and perhaps much more important, is what does a Clan actually represent? What does the name mean for gameplay? But Im getting ahead of myself. Lets start with the first question, shall we? And have a look at Clan obligations. [hr][/hr]

Tax Jurisdictions and Tax Collectors

While we knew we wanted to add something new to Clan obligations, we had to ask ourselves how we wanted to make it different. As with all things Crusader Kings, adding a new element that makes use of characters felt like a natural fit, to give obligations some personality if you will. Meet the Tax Collector.
Youll have access to a limited number of Tax Jurisdictions. To which you assign your Clan vassals as Taxpayers, allowing you to gain both taxes and levies from your subjects. A Jurisdiction requires a Tax Collector to function, however. So, before you can collect any taxes, you need to appoint one of your courtiers as a Tax Collector for each Jurisdiction.
With Tax Collectors, you wont manage the obligations of your vassals directly. Instead, you manage them through your Tax Collector. Similar to a Court Position, a Tax Collector uses their aptitude to set the obligations of the vassals assigned to them. Higher levels of aptitude means that youll get more taxes and levies. Aptitude is primarily based on their skills, with Learning being the more important one, but their opinion of you also plays a significant part. To maximize the use of your Tax Collectors, youll want to find and appoint a skilled character, and then put the sway scheme to good use in order to squeeze as much gold from your subjects as possible.
While your Tax Collectors act as your intermediaries, you are still able to exact a certain degree of control of how they should manage your vassals. This is where Tax Decrees come into play. A Tax Decree is essentially how you want your vassals to be taxed, changing the obligations and providing an assortment of additional benefits.
With the introduction of Tax Decrees, it made perfect sense to move over some aspects of vassal contracts to this new system instead. For example, this is where youll find Iqta, Ghazi, and Jizya to use as you see fit. While you wont have to bother with decrees if you dont want to, they do give you opportunities to min-max in different ways. Decrees change the obligations of your vassals, either increasing or reducing them, in exchange for other boons. Take Iqta as an example. Iqta is a great option if you find yourself with vassals who are slightly upset, just enough for you to start taking notice, and if you also find yourself being at war frequently, as Iqta provides you with increased Men-at-Arms Damage based on the number of assigned vassals alongside an opinion bonus.
One thing to consider is that the modifiers applied to the obligations occur on the level as set by your Tax Collector. Which makes Decrees more or less powerful depending on the Tax Collector in question. Again, looking at the effects of Iqta, -20% to both taxes and levies wont be very noticeable if your Tax Collector has a terrible aptitude. This makes Iqta very rewarding for the price you pay, since the gained benefit is pretty good. If your Tax Collector is excellent on the other hand, youll feel the impact of those 20%. That about sums it up for how Tax Jurisdictions, Collectors, and Decrees work. With obligations out of the way, lets go back and answer our second question! [hr][/hr]

House Unity

As the name suggests, Clans should be all about the clan itself and its members. Something that we really dont represent at the moment. Nor does it have any real impact on how you play the game. To solve this and put a significantly larger emphasis on your House when you are playing as a Clan, we are introducing House Unity. Unity represents the overall state of a House. Essentially the internal relationships between its members and the attitude they have towards each other. In many ways, Unity is the result of how you choose to interact with your fellow House members. We show everything regarding Unity in each Clans House view, allowing you to easily inspect your own Unity, and the Unity of other Houses.
We measure Unity on a scale between 0 and 200, divided up into five distinct ranges, or levels. Each level comes with a set of impactful rules and tradeoffs that may have a noticeable impact on how you play the game. By default, most Houses start in the middle. Essentially a neutral level. From there, theyll be able to actively increase or decrease their Unity. The levels are as following, listed from lowest to highest level of Unity:

• Antagonistic
• Competitive
• Impassive
• Friendly
• Harmonious

Thematically, having a high level of Unity means that youll enjoy internal stability and have House members that (generally speaking) adopt a friendly attitude towards each other. But youll pay for it with a reduced capability to wage wars as efficiently. CBs become more expensive to use, and you can no longer use the Invasion CB. A low level of Unity provides you with the opposite. Youll gain a great deal of military might, allowing you to more easily conquer large swathes of land, but pay the price of reduced internal stability. Depending on your playstyle, you might enjoy a particular direction more than the other. Regardless of your own preference, having either low or high levels of Unity is meant to be equally viable. Instead of having me ramble about the effects of each level, here are some nifty screenshots showing you what they look like:




Other than the passive effects, you also gain access to a set of unique decisions. Most of which are available only to the House Head, as they provide powerful boons for the entirety of a House. The primary currency for these decisions is Piety. Since most Clans belong to an Islamic faith, this felt like a natural fit. Besides, Piety is generally more difficult to get than Prestige, making you consider where and how to spend that hard earned Piety. Some of these decisions make use of a completely new type of modifier; a modifier that scales on the number of landed House members. If you are like me, and like to utilize nepotism to the fullest, these modifiers can become incredibly powerful. Be mindful that the Piety cost will increase accordingly. For all you modders out there, you can use scaling modifiers in every place you use regular modifiers. You simply feed it a value for how you want it to scale. Lets look at an example. If your House is Antagonistic, you can use the decision Reinforce Army with Loyal Officers:

Last, but certainly not least, Unity directly affects the outcome of your succession. Each level has an impact on the outcome of how titles are inherited, and the succession changes automatically as your Houses Unity changes. They all maintain a variant of Partition, meaning that titles will always be split to some extent. When you are Antagonistic, all eligible children inherit equal shares. If you are Harmonious, the primary heir inherits the majority of the titles (at least two thirds). With varying degrees in-between. At worst, this means that you dont have to deal with Confederate Partition, and at best, you have an easier time accessing a superior version of High Partition. The drawback? While you can try to get a single heir succession law, such as Primogeniture, it will be more difficult and expensive to do so.
Now that we know what Unity does, lets explore how its impacted by gameplay. As mentioned previously, Unity is all about the members of a House and how they interact. This will become apparent as you start interacting with your family members. A lot of existing interactions have been updated to also have an impact on your Unity in different ways. Whenever you are playing as Clan that is. Taking what we call divisive actions, such as Revoke Title or Imprison, against fellow House members will naturally reduce your Houses Unity. Meanwhile, unifying actions, such as Negotiate Alliance or Offer Ward, will increase Unity. Unity is therefore really a byproduct of how you and your fellow House members interact with each other. With that said, the House Head enjoys a number of additional actions, giving them a greater degree of control in how they want to direct the Unity of their own House. The foremost of these is a decision in which the Head actively takes a stance and chooses a direction to steer their Unity. Then we also have two new interactions the Head can use on members of their House, both of which act as a double-edged sword and have some clear advantages and drawbacks.


There are of course many more interactions, far too many to list all of them here, which will have an impact on your Unity. Worth mentioning is that the immediate impact of these interactions is fairly small, but they stack up over time, especially when you are not the only one within your House who will be using them. Rest assured that youll have plenty to explore as you get your hands on the updated Clan Government later this year, which will be included with the free update launching alongside Legacy of Persia! [hr][/hr] Join the struggle for medieval dominance in Legacy of Persia, the new Flavor Pack for Crusader Kings III, releasing on November 9. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313540/Crusader_Kings_III_Legacy_of_Persia/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-10-17 12:00:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! It is time to dive into the upcoming Flavor Pack - Legacy of Persia - giving a brief overview of the why and the what! The region has a rich and vibrant history making it both exciting and interesting to work with, not the least because it differs significantly from the regions we've chosen to cover in the past - Persia lies at the crossroads of the world, with a multitude of external influences combined with strong local traditions. Naturally while our focus has been on the Persian region itself, we've also aimed to shake up a portion of the world at large by revising how the Clan government works, so even if you're not playing in the Persian region there's something new and exciting to experience. Co-writing this Dev Diary with me is Lucas Ribeiro - our skilled and multitalented 2D Art Lead at PDX Studio Black, who has been deeply involved with many of the features of this pack! Discuss Dev Diary #136 on our forums!

So, why Persia?

For starters, our data pointed out that Persia is already a very popular starting location for our players. The region is within the top ten most picked starting locations and the most popular one outside of Europe. Despite originally not having much flavor dedicated to the area and no bookmark characters attached to it, our players were still going for Persia playthroughs. Theres no better endorsement of the interest in the region than that! But, player data aside, all history enthusiasts know how rich and interesting Persia is, even more so during Crusader Kings IIIs time period. We saw this as a chance to create very interesting gameplay opportunities. At the 867 game start, the Abbasid Caliphate is reeling from the Anarchy at Samarra. A moment in history when many Caliphs fell victim to a deadly struggle for power while insurrectionists raged up and down the Tigris and the Euphrates, such as the Kharijite and the Zanj Rebellions. Meanwhile in the east, Iranian rulers rose to challenge the Abbasid Authority. This time period, known as the Iranian Intermezzo saw a partial revival of Iranian culture with the ascension of the Saffarid and Samanid dynasties. About a century after the start date of 867, the Iranian Daylamite Buyids came to power, subjugating the Abassid Caliphate. This Iranian comeback is then cut short by the Seljuk Invasion. A dynasty of turkic warrior nomads take over Persia and the Levant, submitting both Arabs and Iranians to their rule. Further on the east the Ghaznavids defeat the Samanids, cementing the end of the Iranian Intermezzo and leading into the state of Persia as we see in the 1066 start. The Buyids are not playable on the 867 start, as their founder, a warrior from the mountains of Daylam had yet to leap into history. But a last holdout of the dynasty can be found in Shiraz at the 1066 start.

Clan Government Rework

Since the area of the flavor pack is almost entirely made up of Clan Rulers, for Legacy of Persia, we have decided to reimagine how the Clan government works. Our aim is to more closely represent the familial struggles of the powerful clans of the time and the bureaucratic apparatus that backed their interests. The Clan government is now directly tied to how your house members interact with each other. Each house will have a Unity Level that can be changed by intervention of the house head and by its members treating each other kindly or badly. A harmonious clan will have a consolidated succession, while an antagonistic one, not so much! Clan rulers employ an office of bureaucrats, their Tax Collectors, to levy troops and coin from their vassals. The competence of a Tax Collector will dictate how much they manage to extract from the vassals assigned to them. Each Tax Collector manages a Jurisdiction with an associated Tax Decree. For example: You might want to place all your non-muslim vassals in a Jurisdiction with the Jizya Decree and maximize your gold income. More details on the Clan Government design on a future dev diary.

Iranian-Heritage Cultures

Persia and its surrounding areas are populated by a variety of different iranian-heritage cultures. We strived to give each one of them an original combination of cultural traditions that allow for a variety of new playstyles. The Kurds with their hard-to-convert culture and mountain cavalry, the Daylamites with their two-pronged spear wielding mercenaries and so on. Persian culture, of course, received special attention. With new traditions about their famous scholarly pursuits and elaborate systems of water cooling and irrigation. Iranian cultures have also received new clothes, headgears, hairstyles, beards and unit models, making them more appropriately distinct from the Arabic cultures. Also, due to their importance in the region, Turkic cultures have also received some sorely-missed assets, such as the Sharbush hat and the very recognizable Seljuk braids.

Islam and Zoroastrianism

In Crusader Kings 3 starting date of 867, Islam has been the dominant religion of the upper classes in Persia for over a century. Still, Zoroastrian practices are still very much alive and widespread in the peasantry. Weve done a general pass on religion in the region, adjusting provinces and characters to a more accurate historical representation. Tenets and doctrines for both Islam and Zoroastrianism have also received lots of adjustments and tweaks. Jizya, for example, has been moved to a tax jurisdiction type unlocked for muslim clan rulers. Both religions have received new decisions and events to flesh them out some more. Theyre also strongly tied to the Struggle system in the region, speaking of which

A New Struggle, the Iranian Intermezzo

With Legacy of Persia, we are bringing a new Struggle, the Iranian Intermezzo. This struggle seeks to represent the historical dissolution of the Caliphal authority over Persia and the ascension of new, powerful, Iranian Rulers In the 9th and 10th centuries. It also reflects a shorter historical period when compared to Fate of Iberias Struggle, so it is likely to be resolved more briefly and intensely. Unlike Fate of Iberia, participant characters are clearly divided into factions. The Caliphal Supporters against the Detractors. A lot of new interactions are unlocked by this dynamic, such as convincing a character to switch sides, sponsoring turkic invasions against supporters, or waging war to install Caliphal Supporters. The struggle has three phases, Unrest, Stabilization and Concession. The Concession phase is of a new type, a so-called Ending Phase. If a struggle gets to an Ending Phase, it will instantly trigger an ending. So, unlike Struggle Ending Decisions, where there is a dominant character that pushes the button to trigger it, every involved character can contribute to an Ending Phase by triggering relevant catalysts. We have designed four struggle endings (three as decisions, one as an ending phase), which can be pursued in different ways, depending on the personal perspective of your character. Will the Caliph be able to reestablish their power over the region? Will a powerful Shia ruler overtake the Sunni, creating a new Caliphate? Maybe an Iranian ruler will usher in an era of Persian dominance, forever boosting cultures of Iranian-heritage? Or, a Sunni Caliphal Detractor might oust the Caliph and take their place as head of faith? In the Iranian Intermezzo Struggle we went for a more nuanced, granular approach, where the endings are subdivided into options that have different effects, according to your characters culture, religion and whether they are part of the Supporter or Detractor faction.

New 867 Bookmark

With Legacy of Persia we are adding a new bookmark, the Persian Revival, with five Iranian-heritage characters to choose from. These were picked both for their historical importance and to provide for a wide variety of gameplay styles. In the mountains of Daylam we see a fan favorite, Rostam Bavandid, one of the last Sassanids in the game and a secret Zoroastrian. A great character if you are going for a Sassanian Restoration style playthrough. In the southern reaches of Persia, Muhammad of the Tahirids is a loyal vassal and supporter of the Caliphate. His nephew, though, rules an independent emirate in Khorasan and is desperate for help against the invading Saffarids. This character was a great pick for us, since hes split between internal and external conflicts in the Caliphate. Since we mentioned Saffarids, we have Yaqub, the coppersmith. This lowly peasant rose to power through extraordinary military prowess. In one of his many battles, he was swordstruck and horribly disfigured. But, despite all these difficulties, this upstart is pushing back against the might of the Abbasids. He was an obvious choice for us, since he is an interesting historical figure and a sort of folk hero of the Iranian traditions, having restored Persian as the official dialect of the region (after it was supplanted by Arabic). Next, we have one that will be familiar to the achievement hunters, Suri of the Ghurids. Although historically Suri is mostly known for running away from the Saffarids and hiding at his buddy Abdullah Habbaris court, his dynasty eventually grew into a huge Empire. Being Tajik and Mahayana, hes stuck between the Muslim and the Buddhist world, creating opportunities for interesting gameplay. Theres also a lot of juicy mines in the region that Suri can go claim and fuel his future conquests. Good luck to all players out there going for the Rise of the Ghurids achievement! Lastly, we have Ismail of the Samanids. Despite being distant in the line of succession, historically Ismail came to supplant all of his relatives and assume control of his brothers Emirate. The Samanids under Ismail grew into a true empire, only to be overtaken later by the Ghaznavids and the Seljuks. An interpretation of Ismails likeness can now be seen stamped on the Tajikistani currency, the Somoni, which is named after his dynasty. That's it for this time! More details will follow soon! [hr][/hr] Join the struggle for medieval dominance in Legacy of Persia, the new Flavor Pack for Crusader Kings III, releasing on November 9. https://youtu.be/kwKbVALjXpE https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313540/Crusader_Kings_III_Legacy_of_Persia/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-10-11 15:19:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.10.2 for Crusader Kings III. This update is aimed primarily at addressing balance issues with the University activities introduced in 1.10, but we also took the opportunity to knock out some outstanding issues elsewhere. As always, if you run into issues after this update, please let us know on our bug report board on the official Paradox Plaza forums, or on our Community Support board here on Steam! [hr][/hr]

Update 1.10.2 Changelog

Balance

• Rebalanced costs of the University interaction.
  • While remaining one of the most expensive Activities, the cost has now primarily moved onto the options; the lowest option reduces the base cost, the normal option costs significantly more, and the good option almost doubles the cost of the activity. This should lower the barrier of entry, while letting the activity remain an effective gold sink.
• Removed the extra cost for having a higher tier title from the University Activity.
• The books gained from the highest University Activity books option are now better.
• The skill point gained from the University Activity books option is no longer random, but is instead based on your education. This should make it easier to improve a skill you care about.

Interface

• The Player must now have promised a Grand Wedding in order to plan one.

Bugfixes

• Added warning about potential hostage execution when offering to join another characters war.
• Fixed University costs accidentally scaling up by almost an order of magnitude in later eras.
• Betrothals will no longer stop you from promising a new Grand Wedding if the old promise was related to someone who is now dead.
• Hostages departing toast message will no longer be doubled when Defender wins a war.
• Activities can now be planned even if you have insufficient funds to start them.

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-09-12 11:08:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! September 1st marks the third anniversary of the release of Crusader Kings III, and we're excited to share this day with our loyal players! You've all helped make this game what it is today through your comments, feedback, and suggestions over the last three years, and we can't thank you enough for the support you've given us and the time you've put into our game. To help celebrate this milestone, we've prepared a special anniversary video for you, featuring some highlights and statistics of the game, as well as a teaser for what you can expect from us later this year. [previewyoutube=ZTsxaZpYmXk;full][/previewyoutube] We've also prepared a set of high-resolution wallpapers from our wonderful art team, and for those who want to see even more there's a full Art Blast article available on Artstation! Finally, we want to hear from you! What are your favorite moments of Crusader Kings III? Share your stories (in-game or real life!), screenshots, memes, or whatever else you'd prefer with us here in the comments or on our social media channels (linked below). We'll feature some of our favorite submissions next week! Thank you again for playing our game, and for being part of our community. We hope you enjoy the anniversary video, and continue being a dedicated player of Crusader Kings III. The last three years have been an incredible journey for us at Paradox, and we can't wait to show you what we have in store for the next three years of Crusader Kings III. [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-09-01 12:02:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.10.1 for Crusader Kings III. This update focuses primarily on resolving issues reported since the release of Wards & Wardens and the associated 1.10.0 "Quill" Update, but also targets some older outstanding issues. We hope this makes your experience playing CKIII smoother and more enjoyable! As always, if you run into issues after this update, please let us know on our bug report board on the official Paradox Plaza forums, or on our Community Support board here on Steam!

Update 1.10.1 Changelog

Localization

• Fixed some problems with translated localization entries for Spanish and Korean
• Fixed problems with some English text being unintentionally displayed under some circumstances for localized text strings

Databases

• There is now a playable Saura-faith vassal ruler in 867, Sussala of Multan
• Vaticano now starts with a Grand Cathedral already built, representing the Old St. Peter's Basilica

Bugfixes

• Added letter event when your request to Recall a Hostage is declined.
• Added missing description text for receiving a recall hostage request.
• Added missing description text for the notification message when the parent fails to influence a childs personality.
• Added notification feedback of the outcomes of skill changes for the child in the event "A Rulers Path"
• Adopted children will no longer immediately send a congratulatory letter to themselves.
• Adopting a hostage will no longer immediately result in them leaving your court.
• Character Memories are now created when a character becomes an acclaimed knight.
• The Childhood event "A Blow, Returned" now properly notifies involved parties of the outcome.
• The Childhood event "A Potential Crush" will now properly use an adverb and not a definite article when referring to your love interest.
• Events for being neglected in prison will now properly look for if there is actual neglect going on.
• Petra, the Iron Pillar of Dhar, and the Doge's Palace should now properly count as Points of Interest during travel.
• Fixed problem in the prisoner relation text, where it erroneously tried to make claims about a prisoner's origin.
• Fixed the "Daring Scout" modifier having no icon.
• Fixed the Activity Pulse Action for Sight-Seeing (used in Pilgrimages as well as University Visits) having broken text.
• Fixed the Eccentric trait improperly subtracting customization points in the Ruler Designer.
• Fixed the Garuda court position having a lower modifier at highest aptitude than it did at the level below.
• Fixed the Rock story cycle not properly referring to the named rock in some cases.
• Fixed the text in the Wards & Wardens event "An Encouraging Friend" calling your bully by your name instead of bully's own name
• Fixed unnecessarily large effect lists in wars using the Invasion Casus Belli.
• Fixed various issues with the travel plans of wards and hostages.
• Grand tour orgy event "A Chance Meeting" will now display the right participants in the event window.
• Guardians will now once again be able to influence the religion and culture of their Wards.
• Horse Archer attribute for Accolades will now properly affect Horse Archers instead of Light Cavalry.
• Hostage event "Who Am I?" now properly refers to the name of the host's culture
• Hostage execution events will now display better information when you have multiple possible hostages to execute at the same time.
• Hostage transfers should now be available as an option in most peace resolutions.
• Hostages can no longer acquire the Marshal council position.
• If a regent has a promise for a Grand Wedding, they are now allowed to leave the court to attend their wedding in order to avoid diplomatic consequences.
• Infertile wedded couples are now properly described as such in game when shown in effect tooltips during Grand Weddings.
• It is no longer possible to kidnap your hostages.
• Landed rulers can now once again be Guardians for landed Wards.
• Resolved an out-of-sync error in Multiplayer that could occur if the player canceled travel to Pay Homage or Petition Liege.
• Reduced effect of reinforcement rate for same faith from artifacts since these were 10 times too high
• Reforging an artifact now properly depends on remaining relative durability instead of absolute durability
• Refusing to return a hostage upon them reaching the age of majority now damages their home court's opinion of you.
• The acceptance entry for hostage-related interactions is now properly colored in the interface.
• Children will now correctly gain the ill-trait as an outcome of the "A Sick Leave" event.
• The Childhood event "Lasting Heartbreak" now properly displays its negative modifier as red instead of green.
• The event "A Sick Leave" and its follow-up events now properly describe the court chaplains relation to you.
• The guard in the Throne room of African Royal Courts will no longer stab the character next to the throne when no-one is looking.
• Level 5 educations will now correctly state their bonus percentages in the Lifestyle screen.
• Level 5 Learning education now significantly improves Physician aptitude.
• Level 5 Intrigue education now gives all of its bonuses.
• Vassalization acceptance from the Level 5 Diplomacy education is now applied correctly.
• Tooltips for University locations when planning a University Visit should now be more consistent with other activities.
• Upon being adopted, the adoptee will now make their way to their new parents' court.
• When imprisoning a hostage, they will no longer take a hike back home.
• You no longer get two identical penalties when trying to murder a Head of Faith.
• Fixed a crash related to army movements.
• Fixed a rare situation where the event "A Murder Delayed" could end up in a loop and soft-lock the game from progressing.
• Fixed a text issue with the "First Words" event.
• Fixed an issue related to Varangians which could result in female eunuchs.
• Fixed an issue where children born by a hostage could, under certain circumstances, escape the court.
• Fixed an option that could be empty in the Child/Regent event "A Tool for the Wielding" when the regent demands access to a child ruler.
• Fixed bad reference to the Gregarious trait in the Influence Ward's Personality interaction.
• Fixed broken tooltip in "The Apple Falls" event.
• Fixed Cave Hermits not looking suitably destitute.
• Fixed confusing text in the "A Dream of Glass" trait event.
• Fixed Hapless Knight not being kicked out of tournament contests.
• Fixed issues with the decision to Unite the Spanish throne, including not including the kingdom of Toledo.
• Fixed Legendary hunts and Falconry having inverted difficulty modifiers.
• Fixed multiple issues with scopes and animations in cultural festival events.
• Fixed minor visual issues with the Rites of Passage event chain.
• Fixed miscommunicated education trait rewards at end of University Visit activity (the traits were given out correctly, but the tooltip would sometimes lie).
• Fixed missing icon for "Thuggish Recruiting" modifier.
• Fixed more issues with hostages failing to return home.
• Fixed multiple issues related to dying while your heir was a hostage in a foreign court.
• Fixed multiple misleading relationship reason tooltips.
• Fixed multiple presentation issues with Wet Nurse events.
• Fixed multiple problems with AI logic for recalling hostages.
• Fixed multiple text issues in the "Bully For You?" travel event.
• Fixed multiple text issues with the "Killer Charm" travel danger event.
• Fixed petition liege sometimes calling the wrong court position when trying to ascertain a suitable one.

Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-08-31 11:10:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We're releasing a hotfix today to address some of the issues with yesterday's 1.10.0 update. While we have fixes for other reported/known issues coming up shortly, we felt the ones listed below were severe enough to warrant an immediate update.

1.10.0.1 'Quill' Hotfix Changelog

• Fixed an issue where AI rulers do not marry as much as intended.
• Fixed an issue that removed the two buttons under the Wards tab in the character interface.
• Fixed an issue resulting in crashes for resumed games from older versions.

As always, if you encounter any problems not listed in our known issues thread, then please let us know about it either in the Community Support board here on our Steam hub or through the bug report board on our official forums. We hope this hotfix makes for a more stable and enjoyable experience playing Wards & Wardens and the 1.10.0 'Quill' Update. [hr][/hr] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313541 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-08-24 11:07:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Today marks the release of Wards & Wardens, and we hope you'll have plenty of fun wrangling unruly young rulers-to-be, managing your royal hostages, and visiting scholarly universities in the pursuit of knowledge! As always, we want to keep updating and improving the game alongside each release - this time we've especially honed in on multiplayer stability, something that was unfortunately lacking after the last update. We've spent a lot of time hunting down annoying out-of-syncs, and we've managed to squash all of them that we could find - bar one that'll be fixed in an upcoming update (but it's fortunately avoidable; don't select Pay Homage/Petition Liege and cancel it before setting out on travel!) Another change of note is that the AI will now purchase and manage Men-at-Arms more dynamically, especially later in the game - instead of all AIs wanting the exact same ratio of income-to-MaA. Warmonger Archetypes, powerful rulers, and strong mid-to-late-game economies will want to spend significantly more on having a powerful army, while Builder Archetypes make for excellent targets for conquests as they tend to favor buildings! Without further ado, here is the full changelog:

Expansion Features

• Over one hundred new events and event chains expanding upon childhood, guardianship, education, and more - both for young lords, parents, and knowledge-hungry rulers! Many game systems, both new and old, now have unique events and content to really strike home how it actually was to grow up during the middle ages!
  • Enjoy a more lively Childhood with a host of new events for both young rulers and parents, and see the choices made early in life echo far into adulthood!
  • New events for Courtly Education let you both educate and be educated in new and interesting ways, where young rulers can be led down a path of eccentricity!
  • Hostages at court will mingle with your own children, be homesick, get into trouble, or even give you opportunities for both lasting friendships and gaining a new type of Perpetual Hook!
  • Employing a Wet Nurse will aid the development of your heirs and increase the well-being of children at court, alongside a healthy dose of courtly drama!
  • slew of new events for Childhood Regencies sees a benevolent regent aid you as a young ruler by teaching you skills, giving you gifts, or stabilizing your realm - just beware less-than-scrupulous regents!
  • New events for the Meet Peers activity; play ball with your fellow children, hone your skills, or get up to hijinx!
  • Experience several rare story cycles which can see your young ruler aspire to become one of the greatest builders of all time, pursue a nebulous but enticing destiny, meet new friends of esoteric provenance, reform your realm in the image of former wardens, and more!
• New interactions and decisions allow you to take a more hands-on approach to the task of child-rearing!
  • Attempt to directly influence the Personality Traits of your Wards via a new interaction
  • Have your children pass through Coming of Age-trials in Tribal realms.
• As a ruler with a less-than-ideal education you will now want to visit Universities! This new Activity sees you travel to any holding with a University or Cathedral in search of higher studies.
  • Spend gold on books, mingle with students and teachers, and either study hard or live like a Goliard!
  • Being studious will reward you with lifestyle perk points and the potential for upgrading your education - and if youve studied REALLY hard you could even reach the new fifth-tier education!
• New mood music to enhance your game regardless of where you play.

Free Features

• A new system for rulers giving or trading Hostages brings a new side of historical medieval politics to life - Hostages are powerful tools for ensuring peace, as they can be executed during wars to make your enemy suffer a great blow to their morale and stability. Hostages can be identified by a new portrait icon.
  • They can be demanded, exchanged, or even used to bargain beneficial peace deals during wars!
  • Having Hostages of notable status will reward you with both prestige and renown.
  • While hostages are most often children, theres no guarantee that their warden will send them back as they come of age after all, they are great bargaining chips!
• The new Perpetual Hook type lies in-between Weak and Strong Hooks, acting like a Weak hook that can be re-used every few years.
• A new Adoption interaction allows certain rulers to bring in new members to their family and dynasty. Characters with the Compassionate trait or of a culture. with certain Traditions can Adopt, but the restrictions can also be tightened or removed via a new Game Rule!
• A new Eccentric personality trait allows characters with it to develop their Lifestyles with ease at the cost of public perception, as their methods might be seen as erratic and odd! Several new event options have been added for the trait, and some of the more out there events have been updated to require this trait to fire.
• Added 6 new events to the Pet Cat story Cycle.

Balance

• Builder AI's are now less concerned with buying MaA than before, and are slower to purchase up to their ideal amount
• Cautious AI's want to spend slightly more on MaA and are very inclined to purchase up to their comfortable minimum level
• Genghis Khan now starts as an Exalted Warlord rather than a Brilliant Strategist
• Spouse-Regents can now do both jobs at the same time
• The later into the game, and the more gold the AI earns, the more they will want to spend on MaA (previously AI's would always aim for spending 40% of their income on MaA maintenance, they can now go as high as 90% with the correct circumstances fulfilled)
• Warlike AI's will now want to spend more on MaA in general, and are much more inclined to purchase MaA over buildings than other archetypes
• You can now get more than three events per Meet Peers, especially if you are the Host (up to 6)
• playdate.3008, the event where another child drowns in Meet Peers, is now only available to the players/the host, and is now on a 3-year cooldown rather than 3 months.
• The hook gained in the playdate.3008 event is now also a strong 'saved my life'-hook.
• All Abrahamic faiths are now able to restore Rome, not just Christians.
• Either Italia, HRE, or Byzantium will become the "real" Rome depending on which one is your primary title upon reforming Rome.
• The Sultanate of Rum can now be formed by either Muslims or Turkic heritage characters, but not Christians.

Interface

• Events unlocked by Friends & Foes and Wards & Wardens are now decorated with special visuals that show from which Event Pack they originate; this feature can be disabled in the settings.

Art

• Several new Animations have been added:
  • Happy Teacher
  • Stressed Teacher
  • Eccentric
  • Manic
  • Go to your room!
  • Playing Peekaboo
  • Crying (children only)
  • Clutching Ball
  • Clutching Doll
  • Stick Horse
  • 6x Weapon Animation Variants with Wooden Swords
• Added several new Event Background Illustrations:
  • Nursery
  • Western University
  • Arabic University
  • Western Inner Courtyard
  • An Indian Garden Variant
  • An Indian Study Variant
  • An Arabic Tavern Variant
• Added possible longsword artifact icon and model variation to swords of Late Medieval Western cultures.
• Added Toy sword, Training sword, Toy Doll, Stick Horse.
• Added Carolingian commoner clothes variants to the barbershop.
• Cloaks in general are now a bit more common for Western and Northern European characters.
• Cloaks will now sometimes be used together with armor.
• Elegance of the Empire cloaks will now be used roughly as much as the regular western royalty cloak.
• Fixed a bug where some consorts would use clothing far below their status, for example the Byzantine Basilissa in the 867 start date.
• For players with Northern Lords, Norse cloaks will now be used by more culture groups than just the Norse.
• Made it so that western royalty always wear cloaks.
• Northern Lords crowns are now also used by other Northern cultures.
• Improved skinning and blendshapes on male wrestling pants.

Game Content

• Wards and Guardians will now use the Travel system to go to their respective courts to receive tutelage.
• Most Meet Peers events have been rebalanced and updated to use new backgrounds and animations.
• Activity log entries have been added to the Meet Peers activity.
• Memories have been added for Accolades.
• Added the Saura faith, a sun-worshipping branch of Hinduism, and added the faith to some characters and counties in both start dates.
• Added new outcomes to the Sun Trial event chain, in order to facilitate its deaths if you manage to end up worshipping the sun in an area without much sun.
• Developing a Crush in childhood now creates a memory.

User Modding

• Weak hooks can now be perpetual and used multiple times
• Add can_embrace_tradition trigger
• Add data binding macro CalculateScriptValue to calculate the named script value with designated character as root scope.
• Add data binding macro GetScriptValueBreakdown to break down the named script value with designated character as root scope.
• Add x_lifestyle_xp_gain_mult modifier that stacks with monthly xp modifiers.
• Adds new trigger for checking if a culture has more discovered innovations than another culture in a specified era.
• All trait triggers and effects can now use a trait scope as well as a database key.
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_CHANCE_EXPENSE_BELOW_IDEAL with script value ai_men_at_arms_chance_expense_below_ideal
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_CHANCE_EXPENSE_BELOW_MIN with script value ai_men_at_arms_chance_expense_below_min
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_EXPENSE_IDEAL with script value ai_men_at_arms_expense_gold_ideal
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_EXPENSE_MAX with script value ai_men_at_arms_expense_gold_max
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_EXPENSE_MIN with script value ai_men_at_arms_expense_gold_min
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_PRESTIGE_EXPENSE_IDEAL with script value ai_men_at_arms_expense_prestige_ideal
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_PRESTIGE_EXPENSE_MAX with script value ai_men_at_arms_expense_prestige_max
• Replaced define MEN_AT_ARMS_PRESTIGE_EXPENSE_MIN with script value ai_men_at_arms_expense_prestige_min
• Add any/random/every_tradition scripted list for cultures.
• Add has_tradition_category trigger that works on culture traditions.
• Has_cultural_tradition trigger, add_culture_tradition, and remove_culture_tradition effects now can take tradition as scope.
• Add free_tradition_slot trigger to test if culture can have more traditions.
• Casus belli now has an option to allow or forbid hostage exchange.
• The chance to assign specific personality, education or childhood traits for generated characters can now be set by random_creation percent value.

Bugfixes

• Fixed an Out of Sync caused by expiring Memories
• Fixed an Out-of-Sync caused by players setting Decisions to notify me
• Fixed an Out-of-Sync relating to Accolade History
• Fixed an Out-of-Sync relating to Diarchs being updated out of order
• Fixed several rare Out-of-Syncs
• Fixed crash on succession with a landed character without any titles
• Fixed a crash that could happen when opening the war overview in certain large-scale wars
• Fixed the Character Search not remembering the selected Sort by filter between being closed/opened
• Fixed Accolade History being lost when loading the save
• Fixed Tournament event Hapless Knight option not removing jouster from contest
• Fixed animals captured on hunts not being saved properly
• Fixed crime for escaping from prison not being an imprisonable crime
• Fixed feuding house AI members being not aggressive enough
• Fixed issue with desc of war won memory
• Fixed issues with relation loc for fellow attendees of activities
• Fixed missing localization for memories of peasant and populist revolts
• Fixed missing scope loc in "lay with" effects for other characters
• Fixed relation loc for deceased spouses
• Improved presentation of Restore Carolingian Borders decision's effects
• Fix a rare case when childhood focus is invalidated
• Fix a rare case when childhood focus is invalidated and wrong education trait is given when coming of age
• Fixed "A vassal between friends" not accounting for the two involved friends being at war
• Fixed childhood personality events being largely blocked for traveling children, which resulted in some childhood personality events being way too common
• Fixed garrisons not refilling correctly after sieges
• Fixed many instances of Regents traveling with their lieges, especially during Hunts and Tournaments
• Improved tooltip why sometimes you cannot change intent during activities
• Increased maximum allowed years in activity passive phase (travel time) from 3 years to 10
• May now plan activities regardless of insufficient funds to start them
• Memory descriptions expect character memory as root scope
• Show correct regent when designated regent has been deposed by a scheme
• Characters are no longer intimidated by 0 dread
• Mercenaries and holy orders can now use MaA from culture traditions
• Swinging the scales of power will now tell you in which direction & towards whom they've swung
• Fixed unnecessarily large effect lists in Invasion casus belli wars
• Fixed bastards being born in faiths which had none
• The HRE title holder no longer needs to exist to establish the Carolingian Empire
• Champion the Faith of Country Basques decision now includes the new provinces added for Fate of Iberia
• Can now use "Grant to..." action in county view even if there's a leased out barony

Additionally, please check the Known Issues thread on our official forums for a list of prominent issues in the 1.10.0 update; we're aware of the issues listed here and have fixes for them in the pipeline already. We hope you enjoy Wards & Wardens and the accompanying free "Quill" Update! [hr][/hr] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313541 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-08-22 15:12:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

As the release date of Wards & Wardens draws near, we're taking a moment to reflect on the artistic endeavors that have brought it to life. This time our focus is on animations and some of the 2D icons and illustrations. Discuss Dev Diary #134 on our forums!

Icons

Hey there! I'm Nicolas, 2D artist working on this royal game CK3. I'm pretty sure many of you checking out this dev diary must get pretty stoked about game designers writing about numbers going up and down, but as cool as it is to dive into the game's new meta, my piece of this dev diary is all about the art! Let me tell you a bit about creating game icons - in particular, how I went about creating the new icon for the eccentric personality trait! Alright, let's break it down in a kinda rough step-by-step. First things first, the game designers sent me a short brief describing what they needed, as well as ideas of what the icon might look like. Luckily for me, I was given the idea that the icon could depict a bag of marbles of various colors. I think its a pretty fitting metaphor for an eccentric individual, embodying their propensity for collecting unconventional ideas and perspectives, much like the colorful assortment of marbles within the bag. A guideline we try to adhere to when creating icons is to not necessarily create an image that literally depicts what the function/meaning of the icon will be. Instead, we want to be more figurative in our approach. For example, the icon for craven doesn't show a person being cowardly, but instead shows a frantic chicken, a symbol of cowardice.
Starting off, I create a handful of initial sketches outlining the basic composition and values. These sketches don't require fine detailing; their purpose is solely for experimentation and estimating the best read of the image.
When I have decided (When my art director decides which one he likes the most), I move on to making a more refined value render of the image. Paying close attention to the values and how they aid in the composition. For example, how the image goes from brighter in the focal point in the middle of the icon out to a much darker value on the edges, forming a vignette of sorts.
Quite a straightforward step, adding colors to the image. Going over color theory is beyond my paygrade, so let's just say that these colors of warm red/yellow and cool blue look good together!
Now it is time for my favorite part of the process - the refining stage! Now, I fine-tune the image, adding those last touches of light, textures, intricate details, and any minor adjustments to give the icon that final polished look. Make it feel like candy, like an old art director of mine used to say.
And there you have it: resize it to the appropriate size and slap a border on it and we have anew, fresh personality icon! Hopefully the trait is good according to the meta, so people will actually see and appreciate it sometimes! Here are also a few interesting images of game concepts that depict the same thing, but in various styles - depending on the context in the UI.

Illustrations

Naturally, we are also adding some new scene illustrations. With the option to pursue education as an adult, we've incorporated a University setting tailored for your scholarly characters. Additionally, we've added a Nursery and several scenes that enrich the cultural diversity of some existing locations.
[University]
[Courtyard]
[Nursery]
[Tavern - MENA variation]
[Study - Indian variation]

Animations

For this Event Pack we have added child-related animations, such as playing with toys. Among our new props we have a ball, a doll, stickhorses, and wooden swords, which all get used in the animations.

Nothing more comforting when running a kingdom than your favorite toy! Thats it for this time. Stay tuned for next week's update as we gear up for the release of "Wards & Wardens" on August 22nd! [hr][/hr] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313541/Crusader_Kings_III_Wards__Wardens/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-08-15 12:01:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! This is my first time writing a dev diary and I want to share with you almost everything I worked on for Wards and Wardens. Lets set the stage first: you are a ruler and your seed is stronger than ever, flourishing with your many offspring. Children play and run around all over your court, but you have more pressing matters to attend to! Perhaps the mother of your children has become incapable, unable to provide milk for your infants. Who are you gonna call? Wet nurses, of course! Discuss Dev Diary #133 on our forums!

Wet Nurse

Historically, a Wet Nurse was a woman of the court charged with the care of infants in need of breastfeeding, for whatever reason there might be. However, the position evolved over time and, in some circles, the wet nurse became an integral part of the family. She might care for older children and become an influential advisor, or even a second mother. Strong bonds were created not only between wet nurse and child, but also between children that were nurtured by the same nurse. Such children were called suckling siblings and were treated on the same level as blood siblings.
[Decision to search for a suitable candidate for Wet Nurse Court Position] In the game, the Wet Nurse is represented as a Court Position. A child ruler, a ruler with children or one holding children hostage can hire a suitable woman as a Wet Nurse. In return, she provides illness resistance to children of the court and will inform her employer about significant milestones in childhood development, like a wee ones first spoken words or first fallen teeth.
[Example of childhood development event: first fallen teeth] Who can become a Wet Nurse, you may ask? Any able woman that has no particular noble roots. In history, these were commoners from the court: widowed mothers or just those in need of another source of income.
[Wet Nurse Court Position tooltip]
[Wet Nurse aptitude tooltip]

Rites of Passage

As part of our focus on children in this Event Pack, we pay some attention to the moment they become adults. Changing your societal status in such a way is a big deal even today, as seen in school graduations, specific birthdays and religious thresholds. Usually, this transition is signified by a ceremony or a ritual. I decided to look into tribal rites of passage and ended up with a decision, an amalgamation of different rituals from all over the world, with the most common or interesting rituals selected to represent the practice.
[Rites of Passage decision window] Possible rites:

• Duel: using the existing duel combat system, the child has to fight against an adult from the same culture
• Scarification: a facial ravaging that may result in the Scarred trait
• Seclusion: using the travel system, the child ventures into the wild on their own and comes back wiser and more worldly
• Hair-shaving: similar to the halq in Islam, the child sacrifices their fair hair for adulthood
• Elemental Cleansing: a baptism by either water or fire

[Rites of Passage: fire cleansing ritual] This decision is available for any landed tribal teenager or any landed tribal parent/warden of a teenager. So it is possible to welcome your feudal hostages into your tribe and make them go through the rites. Three of the rite types will be available, the selection determined by the rulers cultural ethos. Each has a different effect on a child's personality, their skills, and more.
[Rites of Passage setup event: choosing a ritual]

A Guardians Influence on their Wards Personality

Have you ever felt that being a guardian offers little impact on the personality traits of your ward? Well, not anymore! The guardian now has access to an interaction which allows them to choose one of their own personality traits and try to push it onto the ward. The interaction is available for the player as well as an AI guardian, so choose them wisely! Otherwise, your sadistic, shy or paranoid guardian might just pass on their vile traits to your precious genius heir. This interaction is even available for wardens, letting them influence their child-age hostages.
[Example of a successful Influence Wards Personality interaction for the shy trait]
[Example of a failed Influence Wards Personality interaction for the callous trait] The outcome is decided by the child, so the bulk of it is left to whatever RNG gods you believe in. However, the more alike the ward is to the guardian, the more likely the brainwashing is to succeed.
[Influence Wards Personality interaction window and acceptance tooltip] All features mentioned above are part of the Event Pack Wards & Wardens. Next week will be the last DD before the release! In it, we will cover our new, beautiful art and animations. [hr][/hr] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313541/Crusader_Kings_III_Wards__Wardens/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-08-08 12:02:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Summer break is now wrapping up in Sweden and everyone's coming back into the office, so now's the time to start diving into our dev diaries for our upcoming event pack, Wards & Wardens! Today's DD comes from one of our Game Designers working on Crusader Kings III, and covers what you can expect to see with the new Eccentric trait and Adoption systems coming to the game with W&W later this August. Discuss Dev Diary #132 on our forums!

Eccentric

Hello hello hello, welcome to another Wards and Wardens dev diary! Today I'm going to be talking you through two new features: adoption and the Eccentric trait! We'll start off with the simpler of the two features: Eccentricity.

Why add a new trait in Wards and Wardens?

Friends and Foes added the Loyal and Disloyal traits, but unfortunately these came quite late in development and as a consequence they were quite under-utilized, so we decided to have the discussion around new traits quite early this time around and we went over a few different ideas including Superstitious, Silly vs Serious, but we kind of knew all along that what we really wanted was something analogous to the Wild Wasteland trait in Fallout or CK2 Lunatic. For those unfamiliar, Lunacy in CK2 was usually where we made our more out there content. There are still echoes of this here and there in CK3, but for the most part, Lunacy isn't really the same as it was.
The decision was made quite early in CK3's development that the lunatic trait would be analogous to real-world mental illness so this kind of content was typically deemed inappropriate. As a result of that decision, we've not really had an easy way to gate the sillier side of things when it comes to the player character. This has been a bit of a divisive subject on the forums, so we felt we needed some way to gate the content without resorting to game rules.

What is Eccentric? Who is Eccentric?

Eccentric is a personality trait meaning it is an essential part of a character's personality. Eccentrics are erratic and irrational, but there is a method to the madness so they may be able to see things that other characters dont.
Numbers are subject to balancing Wards and Wardens being all about children and childhood made it the perfect fit for a new Personality trait, and as with all other Personality traits in the game, Eccentric can be acquired during childhood.

People have been known to lose their marbles later in life, so a particularly stressed character may have a mental break which causes them to start seeing things in a more Eccentric way.
As you can see in the below screenshot, a non-Eccentric child would just guess at the options presented to them, but an eccentric may think of something a bit more creative.

There has also been an audit of some existing content to add checks for the Eccentric trait where sensible. The now-infamous Cat-apult event, for example, has now been made into an Eccentric event. Something I'd like to nip in the bud quite early is that the Eccentric trait is not intended to reflect any real-world disabilities, illnesses, or neurodivergence. I think it's wonderful if you are able to project some of your own experiences onto the trait, but making a direct and conscious effort to make the Lunatic trait analogous to real-world mental illnesses is the reason why we ended up making Eccentric to begin with and we'd rather not have to come up with another trait for our silly content. Eccentric is a free feature and will be available to everyone, but some unique content related to the trait will be exclusive for DLC-owners.

Adoption

Now onto the next feature of this diary and one that's quite exciting to me personally is the Adoption interaction! Now many many patches ago we introduced the Same-Sex marriage rule and ever since then it's just kind of been there and we've yet to introduce a way to actually make same-sex play well, playable.

Who can adopt?

Under the default game rules, Adoption is available to characters who are in a same-sex marriage, the childless and elderly/infertile, and Compassionate characters. Compassionate has long been a bit of a weak trait to have, so it's nice to give them a powerful way to secure succession and bring talented orphans into the family.

Who can be adopted?

Children can be adopted as long as: they're not a ruler, they're not in prison or otherwise unavailable, nobody in their family is a ruler, they're not already part of your house, and they're not in the realm of someone of their dynasty. This does mean you're technically allowed to adopt noble children, and children whose parents are still alive, but they are highly reluctant to accept adoption in those circumstances.

Noble Adoption

If you want to role-play a culture where adoption is commonplace (as it was in some off-map and out-of-period cultures), you can take up the Noble Adoption cultural tradition!

Hold on a minute, isn't this anachronistic?

Sort of! While adoption amongst nobility was exceptionally rare, it wasn't completely unheard of. As such, we've restricted access to adoption quite a lot as described and the AI is quite reluctant to do it.

Can the restrictions be loosened?

Absolutely! Adoption comes with three new game rules that can forbid it or make it easier!


Just like the Eccentric trait, Adoption is part of the free update releasing with Wards & Wardens on August 22nd. Next week we will talk about the new Court position and share more details on what to expect from this event pack. See you then! [hr][/hr] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313541/Crusader_Kings_III_Wards__Wardens/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-08-01 12:00:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! We hope you're all enjoying Tours & Tournaments and the accompanying 1.9 feature update. Today we're releasing a small hotfix to address an issue that could prevent characters from hosting more than one Grand Wedding. Thank you to everyone for submitting your feedback, suggestions, and bug reports! [hr][/hr]

1.9.2.1 Changelog

• Fixed an issue that prevented characters from hosting more than one Grand Wedding.

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-06-21 11:04:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good afternoon, and welcome to your first class of the semester! My name is Dr. Areysak, and Ill be your CKIII University 101 lecturer. I already see some raised hands. You, in the first row, ask away. Why a University Activity? What does it have to do with Wards and Wardens? Discuss Dev Diary #131 on our forums!
This is a very interesting question. During the early development of Wards and Wardens, talks of hostages education led us to a realization: everything that could influence a characters education trait happens during childhood. Once a character reaches 16 years of age, they are locked out of any further improvement! And if the player character isnt directly responsible for the education of their heir, a player can find themselves inheriting an already adult heir character with an education trait they have had no way to influence. The University Visit activity is the solution we have chosen to open up new possibilities to the player to influence their characters personal growth. Therefore, as a first aim, it fulfills a gameplay need; secondly, it allows us to expand upon one of the Middle Ages many successful inventions, Universities; thirdly, we got to add a new activity! When we talk of Medieval Universities, we are immediately led to think of the famous names of Western Europe, such as Oxford, Cambridge, and Bologna. The name University, in fact, comes from Latin and was born to describe specifically the communities (= universitates) of Latin-speaking teachers and students that congregated in these European cities. However, similar institutions existed all over the Old World. Particularly famous are the Indian universities, such as Takshashila and Nalanda; the House of Wisdom in Baghdad was one of the most renowned centers of studies of its age, and Madrasas schools were widespread throughout the Islamic world. In this period, its also often difficult to separate, as we would do today, between lay and religious centers of studies, since Christian cathedrals, Muslim mosques and, in particular, Buddhist temples were themselves libraries, scriptoria (i.e., where manuscripts were copied), and educational institutions, or had these institutions develop in their immediate vicinity.

The Activity

Lets now have a look at the activity itself, though! The University Visit is a minor activity that adult landed rulers can always initiate, as long as they have the gold! To keep it in line with the pre-existing decision to Go to University, it is quite expensive. To keep the challenge balanced, the final cost is dynamic (like with all activities) and changes with your tier and era.
(Activity selection interface showing the University Visit) The activity takes 6 months, and can only be started once every 20 years, and only once per location. In order to Visit a University, you have to select a valid location in your diplomatic range and travel there.
(Activity destination selection interface) You might have noticed, however, that not all valid locations are University seats. As discussed above, large religious centers were often centers of study too, and have been included as potential destinations.
(The tooltip of a large religious center) Being a minor activity, the choice of intents and options is limited but flavorful. There are only two intents available, but they represent two contrasting approaches to your university experience, and will significantly change both your approach to your studies and the results you can achieve. In fact, every activity event will have at least one special option unlocked by each intent! Study Hard is quite self-explanatory: you went there to study, and study hard you will, no matter the stress cost youll have to pay! You try to make the most of your time at University, in order to maximize your chances of success at the end of the activity and increase your rewards. In fact, the results (and rewards) you obtain at the end of your studies are measured by a value called Studiousness, which is a success chance similar, e.g., to a Pilgrimages Piousness. The activity cant fail per se, but the entity of your rewards will depend on this value. Goliardic Lifestyle is a completely different approach, inspired by the European Goliards, wandering students and clerics famous for their satirical poetry (for instance the Carmina Burana) exalting the art of drinking and carnal pleasures. With this intent, your aim is to gain as much first-hand experience of life, both inside and outside the walls of the University, indulging in so-called Goliardic Shenanigans. Ill leave you the pleasure of discovering exactly what your character can get up to; the general idea of the intent, however, is to gain less success chance (and therefore less rewards at the conclusion of the activity), but more immediate bonuses such as lifestyle traits, lifestyle xp, and skill points.
(Intents view) On the other hand, we only have one option with 3 levels, which represent how much money you plan to invest in study materials. The option chosen will influence your success chance and final rewards, including an Illustrious artifact! (cost values are still wip)
(Options view)
(Arrival event) As you can see, your level of Studiousness is easily traceable from the activity view. To make the interactions more impactful, we have limited the number of guests, which are only a handful of students and teachers, which will be among the wisest minds on the map!
(Activity view and teachers character view)
(Event with Study Hard option)
(Event with Goliardic Lifestyle options) Be ready to gain a whole bunch of stress! Nobody said that getting a degree was easy I did mention that your teachers will be among the most brilliant minds around, and Id like to stress it again because if you manage to make a very good impression on them
(Conclusion event) You will be able to invite one of them to move back to your court with you! But hold on, there is something weird with this teacher What is that?!
(Teachers character view with education trait tooltip) Is that A fifth level of the Education Trait?! YES! Concurrently with the University Visit activity, we have added a new level to all education traits. This final level will be super rare, and mostly reserved for University teachers and University graduates who already started with the fourth-tier trait.

Rewards

As you might have guessed from what has been discussed so far, the main reward for the activity is increasing your education trait one level up. However, there is only a chance to succeed in this endeavor! This chance is higher the lower you current level is (i.e., its easier to get from tier 1 to 2 than it is from 2 to 3) and the higher your Studiousness level is.
(Tooltip of Tier 4 of Studiousness with the rewards) However, even if you were to fail at improving your education, you are ensured to gain a number of Perk points that increases with your achieved Studiousness, an assortment of xp and skill points depending on your event choices, and even an Illustrious book if you chose the most expensive option during the activity setup (and therefore went splurging on rare manuscripts)!
(A randomly generated Illustrious book)

Conclusions

This concludes todays lecture. I hear some buzzing from the end rows, are there any questions? But thats not how Universities worked! No ruler would go to University like a commoner!! You are, of course, correct. We are perfectly aware of it. However, we believe that the combined bonuses offered by new gameplay possibilities (i.e., improving your characters education and skills) and the historical flavor of showing a slice of the life at Medieval Universities more than warranted the exception! I hope you are excited to Visit a University soon! This is the last Dev Diary before the July break, so it seems fitting to just say: Schools out! Have a nice summer! And see you all back in August! [hr][/hr] https://store.steampowered.com/app/2313541/Crusader_Kings_III_Wards__Wardens/ Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-06-20 12:32:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello all! It's been a few weeks since we spoke but it feels like longer, what with all of you having been busy traveling, touring, tournamenting and the rest! It is time for us, nonetheless, to leave behind that world for now and take a look ahead at what we have coming up next.

Vision

Our first Event Pack, Friends & Foes, gave us something of a chance to experiment. Since then, weve had the chance to take a look at exactly what direction we want to start moving in with these packs, and build on what worked. One area that we hit upon was diversity of content and how the player experienced the game. Events are the ink that we daub on to the fabric of the narrative, but its how, what and why these events happen that govern their efficacy. Introducing new avenues for that content to reach the player is a great thing, provided its done in an unobtrusive way. With that in mind, were going to outline a few of the new features that youll find in Wards & Wardens (the event-pack that you voted for last January) and its accompanying patch - both available on August 22nd. Some of them well talk about more in the future, so dont expect anything too exhaustive here, but lets start off with

Captivating features

Hostages arent quite what youd think of when you hear the term. Rather than forced holding of a person to ransom, hostageship in the Middle Ages was a political and legal status that was absolutely widespread. Put simply, hostages were generally given, not taken. They were, essentially, transactional guarantees. In this case, weve zeroed in on the most common reason for hostages to be exchanged: as a means to guarantee a peace treaty. In Wards & Wardens, hostages are a new type of relation somewhere between a prisoner and a foreign court guest. They reside at your court as a guest would, but cannot leave of their own accord, nor can they become knights. They are generally - though not always - children, and have found themselves in such a predicament due to their liege exchanging them away as a guarantee of non-hostility following a war, or exchanged via interaction during peacetime. Such an arrangement not only eases the mediation process, but also gives both sides some peace of mind.
Hostages are essentially living non-aggression pacts. Harming a hostage is a significant diplomatic incident, but its also a way to deter your former enemies from getting any more bright ideas about exactly to whom that border county belongs. Any ruler that you have a hostage from will suffer significant debuffs and penalties should they try and attack you - and any wardens attacking home courts also suffer similar debuffs - so hostages present one of the strongest forms of deterrent possible. The hostages themselves are kept in line via something else new and shiny:

In Perpetuity

We have two types of Hook extant in the game already: Strong and Weak. The latter are the type of hooks youd get if you were to, for example, manipulate a person in some way. They are single-use, and can be refused at cost. Strong hooks, on the other hand, can be used multiple times and in a range of scenarios, but are also much rarer. Perpetual Hooks are a new sort of hook, which wardens can get on hostages who they treat well, and represent something of a middle ground. They are refuseable like Weak hooks, but also permanent like a Strong hook. At the moment hostages (and those that have previously been hostages) are the only characters youd expect to see with a Perpetual hook, but just as Memories were built with expansion in mind for Friends & Foes, so too should you not be surprised if in the future you find more and wider examples of Perpetual hook usage.

What An Odd Fellow!

One of the spots that weve been somewhat hamstrung by in CKIII is in mediating the existence of characters that dont quite fit the mould, as it were.
In CKII, youd have insane and possessed characters who did all kinds of wacky things - immortal horse chancellors and such; you know how it goes. CKIIIs takes a more grounded approach to how traits are represented: Lunatic, for example, was used increasingly loosely in CKII, ending up as an umbrella for anything ranging from slightly kooky to genuine mental illness, but CKIII sticks much more rigidly to the latter. This is where the Eccentric trait comes in, as a trait dedicated to the slightly odd. This allows us to group some of the more unusual situations youd find under this new personality trait, giving them both more reason to happen for a certain character but, critically, also barring those characters who wouldnt engage in such strange distractions from doing so. Well talk about this more in the coming weeks!

A Midwife Crisis

As you might expect given how hostageship skews very much towards the young, a fair percentage of what weve been working on has been filling out the experience of non-adult existence in Crusader Kings III. Weve come some way in this regard since release, with Friends & Foes adding a swathe of new events and a revamp of childhood personality traits, as well as of course the Regency mechanic giving a whole new layer of intrigue to a child navigating the dangerous Medieval world. In Wards & Wardens, weve added to this with another fresh layer of childhood content - in no small part focused on hostages and their experiences - but also the addition of a Wet Nurse court position. Wet nurses held an interesting status amongst the medieval court, and adding this court position adds another layer of intricacy to the trials and tribulations of raising a child.

Mature Students

We have been delighted to read just how much you all have been enjoying all the new - and the old! - activities in CKIII since the release of Tours & Tournaments. With this in mind, weve attempted to utilize it to approach something thats previously been static in Crusader Kings: education as an adult.
Previously, once you had come of age, an education type and rank was assigned to you and that was that. You, aged 16, were as educated as youd ever become! Now, whilst properly reflecting the rate at which humans grow as people as they age is something of an impossible task for a game, the current system felt a little too rigid for our liking. As such, the Adult Education activity now gives players a chance to tickle their brains at a center of learning, in hope that they can actually upgrade their education trait to a higher level! But what of those of us who enter adulthood with the finest education life has to offer? What steps can those people take to better themselves in adulthood? Worry not. We have a plan for that, too, but it will have to wait!

Goodbye For Now

Thankfully, however, you wont have to wait all too long. Whilst were saying bye for now, next week we'll cover the Adult Education Activity in CKIII from top to bottom. Hope to see you all then! [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-06-15 15:04:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.9.2 for Crusader Kings III. This update primarily resolves a number of issues reported by the community, as well as adjusting the Accolades interface based on player feedback. A full list of changes in this update can be found below. We hope you're all enjoying Tours & Tournaments and the 1.9 'Lance' Update! [hr][/hr]

Balance

• Reduced aggressiveness of House Feud AI family members starting schemes against rival house

Interface

• Accolade Attribute tooltip now shows first & last rank for better insight
• Accolade Rank progress bar now splits out modifiers by attribute name
• Accolade attributes now shows which Men-at-Arms type it will (eventually) unlock
• Accolade creation now shows which un-knighted court members, or visiting guests are available, and allows you to hire them on the spot
• Added Accolade Attribute list when hiring for an accolade
• Characters with long names will no longer push the Accolade 'Reinstate' or 'Destroy' buttons away. No Jimmy Drop Tables-ing.
• Activity Intent selection now offers a standard selection of search / sorting filters
• Fixed a bug where the current situation button would disappear after closing the barbershop
• The interface now jumps to the newly created Accolade after creation
• Warning added for using Men-At-Arms Accolade attribute as a secondary attribute
• You can now swap Accolade attributes in-place when creating an accolade
• Added tournament backgrounds to character view of characters attending tournaments

User Modding

• You can now choose to ignore interaction recipient cooldowns for players.

Bugfixes

• AI marriage suggestions no longer block players from matchmaking between their own courtiers.
• Changed Coat of Arms will now properly get their new texture applied
• Characters will no longer inherit the cooldown for designating diarchs
• Display achievement availability correctly in the ruler designer.
• Empire sub-kingdom capital point of interest tooltip now shows the appropriate kingdom name in the tooltip
• Fix OOS where macOS (and possibly Linux) clients AI were missing the white peace interaction.
• Fix crash that sometimes occurs when viewing activity intent success GUI
• Fixed Harm event target rules not applying as expected
• Fixed Hunt event A Beautiful Specimen not creating a hare artifact if you don't have the Royal Court DLC
• Fixed a crash that can happen when expanding the dynasty tree
• Fixed an issue that could break certain interfaces after the player dies
• Fixed being blocked from starting activities forever if you joined a war while meditating
• Fixed crash when characters with no current valid location try to travel out of their locational limbo.
• Fixed droves of occult botanists using Playdates as recruitment centers for witches
• Fixed event pools for Swell Armies and Promote Authority regent mandates being swapped
• Fixed events which added Contest score even if you weren't competing, and removed general health requirements for Contests in favor of explicit trait checks based on type
• Fixed hunt murder event firing when you don't have the murder intent
• Fixed loc and portrait issues in Premature Death hunt invalidation event
• Fixed option for withdrawing from contests in For Family event not actually withdrawing you from the contests
• Fixed options for not competing allowing you to still compete in tournaments
• Fixed rare crash when loading into title screen if a particularly large coat of arms exists in one or more save games
• Fixed the name of the PLAYER_ACTIVITY_INVITE_GRACE_TIME define so that the game properly utilizes it
• Fixed your gamekeepers refusing to let you set out to hunt the Legendary animals you have heard rumours of
• Imprisoned, landed characters who get their last title revoked will no longer change their location away from their place of imprisonment
• Made Accolade bonuses from Marshal council tasks much less rare
• Mass ransom button will no longer generously not demand Hooks if prisoners have no money
• Physicians brought forward by the Search decision should now generally have more Aptitude
• You can no longer assign any guest as a special guest when going through the Other Guests button when planning an activitiy
• Fixed "Tent Camp: Stealing a Moment" event that could not trigger during a tournament
• Fixed African Swords being used for african sword in the court but not in duels
• Fixed Court Physician not being able to help you in "Travel Danger: Under the weather" even though they were travelling with you
• Fixed cannibal feast being possible without any cannibal guests
• Fixed missing descriptions of effects in activity log entries for French, German, Korean, Russian, Simplified Chinese and Spanish versions of the game
• The Body Guard court position selection will no longer display safety and speed since it affects neither
• The activity pulse action for donating gold at a pilgrimage site will no longer give you more gold instead of taking it away
• Travel Danger event "Flawed Fare" will now correctly account for if you have good traits for surviving in the terrain you are trying to forage food from. These checks existed but did not modify the actual outcome prior
• Tweaked Travel Danger event "Flawed Fare" to have a lower risk for a catastrophic outcome and to use the highest learning character in the entourage for the learning challenge. The overall danger in this event is now also more dependent on what terrain you are in
• Befriending people during a hunt event makes them friends not lovers
• Fixed opinion gains in A Foreign Treat
• Fixed broken loc in A Memorable Performance
• The Feral Child won't be hanging around instead of going back to nature anymore
• Fixed the bug that prevented custom faiths from getting a Head of Faith
• Fixed a pilgrimage event potentially giving adult wards
• Only Muslims can now make use of the Mosque of Imam Ali
• Catharism can now be reformed to keep Reincarnation
• Characters who joined your travel through Travel Options now leave your court when the travel is done
• Fully localized Sorcerous Metallurgy
• Coastal Warriors are finally safer in Coastal Sea travel
• Suspicion Opinion now stacks
• No more double dread for A Chance to Start Over
• Fixed certain millennials refusing to wear anything but filthy rags

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-06-15 11:10:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing Update 1.9.1 for Crusader Kings III. A non-exhaustive list of changes introduced in this Update are listed below; please visit our forum for a complete list of changes, as the full changelog is too large to share via Steam. Discuss Update 1.9.1 on our forums!

Update 1.9.1 Changelog

Expansion Features

• Tours and Tournaments: Added a new set of clothing for Western High Nobility (male & female)

Free Features

• Added "Points of Interest" to the travel system, which rewards you for going out of your way to visit interesting places around the world. Examples include Special Buildings, Kingdom/Empire Capitals, and Natural Wonders.
• Added foreboding events, which make characters eligible to receive awful harm or death down the line
• Added incapability harm events, which risk characters being forcibly made incapable after receiving a suitable foreboding event
• Added death harm events, which risk characters dying before their time after receiving a suitable foreboding event
• Added commander harm events, which puts characters commanding armies at risk of dying for reasons outside of combat (especially if they don't have a suitable commander trait for the terrain they're in, or are unhealthy
• with how much health they need to be "healthy" going up as they age)
• Added game rule for controlling the frequency of harm events: turn them down, turn them off, turn them up, turn them up but specifically at interesting characters, or turn them up and turn them up extra specifically at interesting characters
• Added game rule for controlling targeting of harm events: just the AI, just the player, or both
• Added a decision for Jewish cultural heads to adopt Hebrew as their culture's language
• Converted the Kuzarite random event for faith reformation into a full "Break with the Old Ways" decision
• Jewish faiths now have a Halakha authority main doctrine with 4 types: Rabbinic, Toraic, Kohenimic, Samaritan

Balance

• Contemplative Pilgrimages now give 25% bonus Piety instead of 50%
• Dynamic Gold Values used in Events, Decisions, and other content now have Max Caps based on Era. This means that, for example, the 'major gold value' will not cap out at 500 gold in the mid-late game where such a sum of gold could be trivial. This makes rulers with very high incomes both pay and receive relevant sums of gold in the mid-late game. The new values are: 25% less in Tribal era, unchanged in Early Medieval, 50% higher in High Medieval, and 300% in Late Medieval.
• Grand Wedding Activity Option Prestige Rewards have been reduced by 25%
• If a vassal acceptance of Tour demands now consider more factors, such as loyal/disloyal traits, opinion, honor, greed, etc.
• Characters involved in the Iberian Struggle are now allowed to take the Hostility Ending if they completely control Iberia, and their primary title is at least a Kingdom they held for 5 years or more. This can be done regardless of the current phase.
• Increased tyranny incurred from refusing Pay Homage by 1 to 2, and thus Vassal Opinion lost to 1
• It's now valid to petition your liege for a fellow vassals capital title
• Lowered Reward Prestige from Tours by 50%
• Taxation Tours now give 50% less Reward Prestige, on top of the new 50% reduction
• Lowered average Renown gain from Tours
• Lowered the chance of becoming a drunkard in ep2_wedding.3400 significantly
• Lowered the frequency of the 'Feral Child' event and made the cooldown on getting it again much higher
• Made certain events where you get to recruit knights appear in more Locales during Tournaments
• Players with the trusting trait will no longer give out hooks via feast APA's, as there is no way of avoiding them
• Rebalanced the modifiers gained in tour_travel.3010 so that you don't get fooled by the green/red colors
• Reduced the Vassal opinion gain from Number of Courses in Feasts (roughly -5 on each level)
• Reduced the frequency of the 'A-pope-riate Clothing' Event and made the cooldown longer
• Slashed Siege % Modifiers from Buildings in half, to reduce the speed of late-game sieges somewhat
• Slightly reduced the Prestige gain from Dish complexity in Feasts (25%)
• The Era cost increase for activity costs is now much sharper; unchanged in Tribal & Early Feudal, 50% higher in High Medieval, and 300% higher in Late Medieval
• The Pilgrimage Piety bonus from the Humble or Ceremonial Options is now 100 instead of 250
• The Pilgrimage Piety bonus from the Throng Option is now 250 instead of 500
• There are now five Tournament Prize options; simple, decent, fine, good, and splendid, which control the rarity of artifacts given out by the tournament. The higher settings now cost a significant amount of gold, and Illustrious artifacts can only be gotten if one of the latter two options are chosen.
• Tour Stop costs are now scaled in cost per era, as all other Activity costs
• Tribal rulers can no longer go on Taxation Tours (other Tour Types are fine)
• Windmills, Watermills, and Caravanserai Buildings can now only be constructed in County Capitals to avoid insane Development growth stacking
• Windmills, Watermills, and Carvanserai can now be built in Counties where any County Province matches their terrain requirements
• Workshops now give slightly less Siege Speed %
• You can now petition your liege for claims held by subvassals
• Reduced the general opinion thresholds required for characters to consider cheating to low positives or early negatives for somewhat honorable characters, added a second tier of honor checks for dishonorable characters so that they'll consider cheating at close to (but still a little reduced from) the old higher opinion thresholds, drastically lowered the threshold for any character to cheat regardless of honor in the high minuses
• Reduced the health penalty on the incapable trait so that we can all spend a little longer enjoying the care of our regents :)

AI

• The AI will no longer send children to university unless they're very rich
• The AI will now very often revoke titles from traitorous vassals with less than 0 opinion of them that they have in their prison, unless they are very compassionate, non-greedy, and honorable
• Vengeful rulers now more often revoke titles from vassal prisoners

Interface

• The Activity Log will now properly display effects and modifiers associated with the entry
• Activity Intent Target Selection Window will no longer show targets that will not accept the activity invitation, and will warn if they don't think they will get there in time.
• Activity invitation confirmation has gotten updated visuals.
• Add a setting to turn off realms being named after dynasties.
• Added more appropriate memory icons for Tournament, Grand Wedding, and Tour memories
• Added more portraits to culture conversion notifications to make them more informative
• Besieging accolades will now properly show the source name in the tooltip
• Caravan Master speed/safety contributions now show a breakdown when hiring
• Court positions interface has been updated.
• Current Caravan Master speed/safety contributions shown when hiring
• Fate of Iberia Struggle Events now correctly send toasts instead of Feed messages
• Fixed grand wedding activity backgrounds/animations resetting to use the travel graphics under certain circumstances
• Fixed the Agent entry in Invite Agent not being clickable everywhere
• Fixed tooltip inside the End Regency button
• Hide and expand button in contestant leader board doesn't disappear when clicked in a contest anymore.
• Holdings will no longer claim that there are a Tribal holding when trying to construct a new holding while not having enough Gold (it was only a UI bug)
• If the activity invite details view tries to open an invalid activity, it will no longer display the estimated travel time as an arbitrarily large number.
• Improved activity and danger map icon stacking and re-use to prevent flickering
• Interface improvements to activity log.
• Layout of acceptance has been updated.
• Locale Activity Window Conclusion now looks more like the regular activity window conclusion screen.
• Locale Activity Window now uses the same Activity Log Window as the regular Activity Window
• Marriage proposal interface has been updated.
• More traits gained through childhood will now be shown in the education finished event (such as Organizer or Forest Fighter)
• Moved the Activity Log Window into the top layer
• Names have been added below small character portraits in activity events.
• The Appoint Court Position UI now shows personality, so it's easier to choose for example a loyal Bodyguard
• The Host in Grand Weddings now use the Admiration default animation, rather than the Idle animation
• The Locale Window now explicitly sets the background based on locale_background instead of background.
• The War ended popup will no longer use white text on a light background, and not show a sigil when theres no signature
• Tournament invites will now state, in flavorful terms, what kind of prizes you can come to expect if you win
• Travel Safety and Travel Danger aptitude for the Caravan Master no longer displays negative numbers. This had no effect on the gameplay.
• We now show your designated diarch as the diarch-to-be in the interface
• When planning a Tour, we now show vassal opinion and portraits on the map for easier decision-making
• You can now hover the Aptitude value in the Appoint window
• Fixed some cases where Glory would show up with a lot of decimals

Art

• Added eyes to many animals on coat of arms
• Added simpler variants of early era clothing for commoners and unlanded characters.
• Made it possible to combine crowns with certain other headgear. For now only veils for female western characters. This will now happen dynamically in the game as well so that duchesses and queens will wear a veil combined with their crown
• Made the Iberian helmets a bit more common, also made the HRE armor show up a bit earlier and the chainmail coif should now show up as well
• Updated all bookmark characters to match better between the bookmark screen and the game. Improved the appearance of some of them and added DNA for most of the secondary characters, so that their appearance will not change between game versions.
• Updated Boleslaw II the Bold with historically accurate beard with mustache.
• Major update to Bookmark characters to use a bigger selection of accessories.
• Multiple clothing, headgear, hairstyle, and cloak improvements to alleviate clipping issues.
• Improved Zealous animation pose to alleviate clipping issues.
• Added late era western war nobility legwear to Barbershop.
• Added a new version of Female Western Era 3 clothes

Localization

• Corrected two broken keys in african godname localization
• Fixed a few broken death reason texts
• Fixed loc issue in fp1_other_decisions.0022

Game Content

• Added contest pivotal moment outcome tooltips, as these were not telegraphed before
• Added The Heroes of Our Time, a feast event about acclaimed knights

User Modding

• Activity Types now define triggered backgrounds explicitly for locale backgrounds as locale_background.
• Added 'special_building_province' effect for faster special building lookups
• Added activity 'special_guest' script list
• All trait triggers and effects can now use a trait scope as well as a database key.
• Allow portrait 'scripted_animation' being used in most places where 'animation' is allowed, including within scripted animations themselves
• Fix all scope types reporting they can store variables.
• Fix attending_character not obeying the specified activity state.
• Fix toggle-all-AI console button & command
• Prop genes are now specified for handedness: props_right, props_left, and animated_props.

Databases

• Assigned Huesca, Sobrarbe, and Pallas to the Old Vasconia region
• Correctly made Beatrice di Canossa a woman
• Made Sancha Baio into Galician culture as Portuguese doesn't exist when she lives
• Made several of the Zirid dynasty members Sayiids
• Updated the Tournament Background image
• Israelite cultures have had their languages updated: Ashkenazi
• High German, Sephardi
• Iberian Vulgar, Radhanite
• Shaz Turkic, Kochinim
• Tamil
• Added the Bavlim culture to represent Israelite people in the Middle East
• Kuzarite now begins the game as an Unreformed faith, and can become organized via the "Break with the Old Ways" decision
• The Communal Identity doctrine is now given the unique "Chosen People" name and description when used by a Jewish faith
• Esotericism is now named "Kabbalah" when used by a Jewish faith
• All Jewish faiths except Samaritanism now begin the game with the Prophecy of Malichi special doctrine which prevents the Head of Faith title from being created through any means other than the Restore Head of Faith decision
• All Jewish faiths now begin in 867 with Polygamy, with an event in the year 1000 to make Rabbinic faiths become Monogamous. Rabbinic faiths begin in 1066 with Monogamy
• Removed the holy site in Ethiopia for all Jewish faiths except Haymanot
• Rabbinic Judaism now has a holy site in Al-Hila to represent Babylon
• Karaite Judaism now has a holy site in Hamadan to represent what is believed to be the tomb of Esther and Modechai
• Samaritanism now has a holy site in Al-Hila
• Added the new Merkabah faith to the Judaism religion
• The Samaritan High Priesthood now exists in both start dates as a vassal of whoever owns Jerusalem
• The Samaritan High Priesthood will become a vassal of anyone who conquers Jerusalem of above Duke rank, unless the Priesthood is a vassal of a Samaritan character or independent

Bugfixes

• Many, MANY fixes for reported issues. Check the forum link here for a comprehensive list.

[hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-05-30 11:12:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

This Dev Diary will talk about some of the extra content coming with our next post-release update, 1.9.1! The update will of course also include a ton of fixes and tweaks, as weve been monitoring all the ways youve been playing with the big 1.9.0 update and the Tours and Tournaments DLC. Discuss Dev Diary #129 on our forums!

Points of Interest

Hi everyone! I am Daan, also known as Joror, and I am a programmer on the CK3 team.

It is I, le Joror

First off a little background info about me so were no longer strangers: I have worked at Paradox for over five years, and in a couple of different roles. First in our online department (DevOps) as a software engineer and Developer Relations specialist, then as a Clausewitz Engine programmer and tech lead, and finally I have been working in the CK3 team as a programmer! Before joining Paradox I also dabbled in making mods and modding tools for Paradox games - which has helped me a lot in understanding how the games work from the outside, before moving to the inside. I am Dutch, like cats, fancy beers, the occasional Goth party, game-jamming, and in general games of all varieties!

Resurrecting Darlings

Making games is hard - it is a space where ideas are easy, but time is short, and success is measured by a graspable but fickle thing called fun. So when developing, we design, build, evaluate, and cut. Many ideas fall by the wayside during each of those steps, including some personal darlings. Often not because the ideas are bad, but because there is not enough time, or they would be too risky, or one of many other reasons. Luckily, we also bake various ways into our process that give us space for personal agency and creativity! And one such way is PDT - Personal Development Time. This is dedicated time in our busy schedule where every developer can work on improving their skills in an area of their choice. And (after checking with leads) we can also work towards adding darling features or pet peeve fixes that can make it into the game. The Points of Interest travel system is such a feature! Its also the reason why it is in a post-release update. Of course, it is not just a one person effort. Lovely icons and GUI elements were added by a crafty Artist, code was reviewed by discerning Programmers, the user experience checked for consistency and purpose by a UX Designer, its rewards evaluated for balance by a Game Designer, the end product tested by perceptive QA, while being supported by a whole range of other disciplines that make the work environment organized and smooth.

A Travel Carrot: Points of Interest

While working on Tours and Tournaments, one of the main systems I was involved in was the Travel system. For a little dev-insight, this is what route planning looked like early on in the process:
A screenshot of an early state of development of travel route planning, with different colors and icons. We added Danger as one of the main friction mechanics of travel, where players get to make planning decisions and have reasons to change their route. But Danger is mostly a Stick - a punishment if you will - and it would be nice to have a Carrot as well - a positive reason to change your route! Enter: Points of Interest - a small system that rewards you for visiting interesting places. These points of interest will give a reward the first time you visit them during your lifetime. The same also applies to your entourage, so bringing people along will also help them improve.
An adjusted travel plan which travels through Pisa, a province that contains a Point of Interest.

Types and Rewards

These Points of Interest are not static locations - but grabbed from the living world of CK3. All Special Buildings (if they are built) give a Point of Interest based on their type, and give different rewards depending on the Special Building type:
Visiting the Pyramids is something to boast about. Special building type rewards:

• Walls and Forts: +100 Martial Lifestyle Experience
• A part of a multi-province defensive structure (Hadrians Wall, etc): +25 Martial Lifestyle Experience
• Universities & Places of Learning: +100 Lifestyle Experience in your currently selected Lifestyle
• Religious Sites & Buildings: +100 Learning Lifestyle Experience, and +100 Piety if they are of your Faith
• Palaces and Political Buildings: +100 Diplomacy Lifestyle Experience
• Ancient Wonders & Natural Wonders: +100 Stewardship Lifestyle Experience, and +150 Prestige
• Economic Buildings (mines, ports): +100 Stewardship Lifestyle Experience

Visiting Capitals of independent Kingdoms and Empires also gives Lifestyle experience, based on their Court Type (if you have the Royal Court DLC) or Diplomacy Lifestyle experience when they do not have a Court Type. Empire Capitals are more rare, and give +300 lifestyle experience points, where Kingdom rank Capitals give +100 points. The capital Points of Interest are updated monthly, so sometimes your information might be slightly out of date.
The Byzantine Empire has an Intrigue Court - and will give Intrigue Lifestyle Experience when visited Giving out these Lifestyle rewards is very narratively fitting for expanding the horizons of your character, but also substitutes nicely for the normal Lifestyle events you are not getting while traveling. Some locations can also trigger a Great City sight-seeing event chain, which is actually hooking in a PDT project of another CK3 developer, TrinTragula!
When you visit, you get a message and the Point of Interest is marked as visited. To seek similar rewards, you will have to visit different places in the future!
A point of interest has been visited, and the rewards given. Once you have picked up the Traveler Trait, you also start getting a bit of experience towards the different tracks within that Trait. (Martial and Economic building Points of Interest give Seasoned track experience, where the rest give Wanderer track experience.)
Getting Seasoned travel track experience. To conclude, here is a snapshot of the Points of Interest that exist in 1066:
A zoomed out map showing Points of Interest in 1066 To note, this system is part of the Free Update - so no specific DLC required. Happy sight-seeing in Update 1.9.1.0~! [hr][/hr]

Whats the Harm?

Welcome comrades, to the Wokeg section of the DD! Im afraid I dont have anything quite as meaty for you as Joror. Instead of lovely new player carrots, well be talking about the oldest and wackiest of all sticks with which to whack the player: death. Something weve generally been a bit reluctant to do in CK3 is to just kill you. Luck plays a decent roll in the events you get and guiding your own luck is an element of many core mechanics, but weve been really reticent to have you just die unexpectedly. This was a stylistic design choice. It doesnt really feel great when a random event pops and just kills you mid-run with no set-up or warning it can be impactful every now and then, especially if it happens at a narratively dramatic time, but its just such a quit moment for so many people, and in wanting to provide an experience that felt fair, we over-corrected somewhat and scrubbed a vital element of friction from much of the title. Whether youre building your realm, planning marriage alliances, or carefully organizing your succession, these little shake-ups are needed to keep you course-correcting. Theyre the firm, unexpected kick to the back of the knee that keeps you guessing and makes you react on the fly. Not just that, of course, because random death and dismemberment were absolutely staple features of the medieval world too: you might be struck down by a virulent camp disease whilst marching, you might fall from the window of a tall tower, you might die in a house fire, you might be thrown from your horse whilst riding, you might be playing too roughly with another child, you might be old and just fall down the stairs, the list goes on. Paupers, kings, and clergy alike all have to walk the danse macabre eventually, and not everyone gets to go from the traditional big three of honorable combat, succumbing to wasting disease, or expiring from the ravages of age. Sometimes you just die. The challenge we set ourselves, then, was adding in more ways for death to happen unpredictably without making for an irritatingly frustrating experience. Enter, the harm event.
Harm events are out to do one of two things: if youre unlucky, they want to kill you, and if youre lucky, they want to render you incapable. There generally isnt a direct gameplay benefit to surviving them, and theres always a stress cost. Their odds are generally pretty harshly against you, though depending on the event, high skill levels might give you a much better chance of success, and some traits will let you trade stress for negating a specific harm event entirely. With these, theres a whole variety of new ways to unexpectedly expire or be reduced to a bed-ridden shell! Fun stuff, ylove to see it. I did also say, though, that we were trying to avoid frustrating rocks-fall-PC-dies situations, and thats still true. To avoid that, almost all harm events are partnered with a foreboding event something that fires first and alerts you that hey, you are now eligible to [spins tombola] unexpectedly choke to death! Rather than spring immediate death/incapability on you out of the blue, we alert you that you are now at risk of it. It can now just happen, at any time. In fact, just _getting_ a foreboding event gives you a 50% chance of getting the follow-up harm event within the next 4-8 years, though youre also eligible to fire it forever after. For example, heres a foreboding event:
And its follow-up harm event:
The goal is to warn you that a new type of random harm is on the table, so that the notion is playing around at the back of your mind. Maybe itll come to nothing, maybe youll forget about it, maybe youve got just a few short years left to live. Do you want to make rapid preparations for succession? What if it never happens at all? What if you just pushed to do things a little bit faster so the realmll be ready for your heir? What if it happens sooner than expected? Lots of little questions to ask yourself. Or, if youre one of the coworkers testing or playing on internal builds since we added these, lots of questions to menacingly direct to me when Im making tea, demanding to know when they can stop being worried about impending doom. WAD, I whisper back to them, WAD. Theres sixteen new harm-foreboding pairs for becoming incapable (well, fifteen pairs and one triplet: becoming incapable due to the march of time vs. your declining health sees your mind weaken, your body start to fade a little, then you risk becoming incapable), twelve new harm-foreboding pairs for dying unexpectedly, and six new events for dying/becoming incapable whilst on campaign.

Those last six arent paired with a foreboding event. Like I said, almost all harm events are, and the exceptions to this are the ones that fire for army commanders. Warfare could kill you quickly and unexpectedly without you ever donning your armor, and history is replete with examples of even fairly hale and hearty warriors succumbing to sudden unexpected disease, poor luck, or taxing environmental conditions, from John Lackland to Richard the Lionheart to Frederick Barbarossa. Instead, opting to put yourself in charge of an army is your warning that youre in a dangerous, taxing position, where poor luck might cost you dearly at any moment. High health will protect you from many of the potential ravages of campaigning (with the amount needed going up more the more you age), but the best way to stave off the risk of death outside of battle is to campaign in terrain you have the correct commander trait for.

Maybe youre not too big a fan of this change - perhaps you prefer a more predictable world, or you want to have the occasional sudden death but mostly skate on by just fine. For you, we have the Safe & Illusion of Safety settings for the new Random Harm game rule, so you dont have to deal with this stuff if you dont want to. Maybe, though, youve been waiting for something like this. Maybe you want more uncertainty in the world, or for life to be just that little bit more mean-spirited than most. For you, weve got the Tragic setting, making harm events much more likely generally. If youd prefer that the tallest blade of grass be the first under the scythe, then weve also got the Spiteful setting, which specifically weights up the likelihood for harm events to target proportionally better or more interesting characters. And if you want both, welp, Tragically Spiteful, the single edgiest game rule weve added to date, has got you covered. As long as youve got harm events set to anything but Safe, they do run on a cooldown. Players cant be subject to a harm event more than once every fifty years, and the AI not more than once every thirty per house. These cooldowns help to reduce frustration whilst keeping the threat present, and mean that even playing on Tragically Spiteful, you can still thrive and survive. Just, with the occasional setback.

and thats it from me! Hope you like the harm events, I tried to cover a variety of types from historic references and common causes of death or severe injury either still present in the modern day or mitigated only in the last few centuries, and Im very happy to be able to resurrect this particular darling for 1.9.1. Have fun with the update! [hr][/hr] Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-05-23 12:38:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone! In lieu of a dev diary today, we're releasing Update 1.9.0.4 to resolve some issues reported to us by the community.

1.9.0.4 Changelog

[hr][/hr]

• Fixed some crashing issues
• Fixed an issue that allowed a regent to accompany a ruler on their travels
• Fixed an issue that prevented players from planning activities after they canceled travel plans for "Petition Liege" and "Pay Homage" decisions
• Fixed an issue that got tournaments stuck in the "Waiting for Tournament to start" phase
• Fixed alliances gained through the Diplomacy Intent in Grand Weddings invalidating on the next day
• Fixed the AI inviting players to Playdates, Witch Rituals, and Blots, no matter where in the world they are
• Grand Wedding promises are now inherited by the player heir
• Fixed an issue that caused players to be blocked permanently from planning activities due to them waiting for the Tour of their Liege
• Fixed buildings increasing activity costs rather than reducing them

[hr][/hr] Our team is continuing to work on addressing your reports, so keep the feedback coming! We hope you've been enjoying Tours & Tournaments and the 1.9 'Lance' Update! Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-05-16 12:00:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Attention Rulers, To celebrate the release of our latest expansion, Tours & Tournaments, Crusader Kings III will be free to play until Monday, May 15th at 10:00 PST! We're also discounting the base game and previous DLCs until Thursday, May 18th at 10:00 PST, so if you've been waiting to pick up some of our older content, now's the time!

Current Discounts

• Crusader Kings III -50%
• Fate of Iberia -20%
• Royal Court -20%
• Northern Lords -20%

Additionally, we're happy to announce that you can now adorn your Steam profile with some regal flair through our new points shop. Animated avatars, profile backgrounds, and a full CK3 themed profile bundle can be yours right now; check it out here!
Thanks to all of you for your continued support; it means the world to us to have such a passionate and dedicated community. Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-05-12 14:35:01 CET ] [ Original post ]

We're releasing hotfix 1.9.0.3 today to address an issue that could be caused by failing a hunt. Thank you to all of you for sharing your feedback and reportsour team is working to address all reported issues. For updates, please check our Known Issues post.

1.9.0.3 Changelog

• Players will no longer get soft-locked from progressing further into the game after failing to hunt the animal in the "Hunt: Softly, softly" event

We hope you've been enjoying Tours & Tournaments and the 1.9 'Lance' Update!

[ 2023-05-12 12:07:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=sD5GsZaF39k;full][/previewyoutube] Tours & Tournaments is now available! Check out the full list of changes introduced with our latest expansion and the accompanying free 1.9 'Lance' Update here.
Let wanderlust overtake your rulers desires during a monumental Tour, and seek out your subjects in a realm that can be both dangerous and richly entertaining. Prove yourself in one of the many forms of gallant Tournaments, either abroad or at home, or use the festivities to murder a quarrelsome rival. Be the host of new Grand Activities, be it grand weddings or stirring falconry hunts. But beware! Many celebrations are the perfect cover for the dastardly scheme against foes or family.

Features

• Handpick your Entourage and customize your Route carefully. The road ahead might be long, but is filled with colorful characters, exotic cultures, and life-changing events.
• Pay your vassals a visit and interact with them closely. Inspect their holdings, and get to know how your subjects live their lives in the most distant corners of your realm.
• Manifest your benevolence and bestow gifts and rewards. Or, bring a horde of tax collectors and finally get your due from those conveniently hard-to-reach vassals.
• Join Contests to win extraordinary Prizes and gain valuable experience in new skills.
• Host a magnificent Tournament with all its splendor and festivities. Prepare yourself well by paying a visit to the blacksmith or gain some liquid courage in the local tavern.
• Beguile your opponent with setting Intents, then bash their heads in or win the heart of your quarries with your excellent jousting skills.
• Gain an edge in backroom diplomacy by organizing a Grand Wedding. Negotiate beneficial prenuptial Pacts, please your Courtly vassals, and gain favors at these new intricate ceremonies.
• Bestow your knights with honors, allowing your warrior nobles to specialize, whether in politics or on the battlefield. Train them up, sending them to tournaments or war for even more experience.
• Admire the new museum-worthy character art, showcasing in detail the evolution of armor and dazzling changes in western medieval clothing, from the early to late Middle Ages.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2311920 Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-05-11 16:06:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings! Today is the day when Tours and Tournaments and the accompanying 1.9.0 Lance Update will be released! To tide you over until then wed like to share the full update log. Read Dev Diary #128 on our forums!

1.9.0 Lance Update

• Added regencies, so that characters unable to rule for a short time (e.g., because they're traveling) have someone to watch their realm whilst they're gone
• Added entrenched regencies, so that characters unable to rule for a long time (e.g., children) can be bullied by regents gone mad with power or sedately supported by regents who just want to do right by them
• Added a baker's dozen new mechanical interactions around characters becoming regents or thoroughly abusing their power whilst they are regents
• Added diarchies system, allowing mod-scriptable power sharing arrangements between two characters at a time (for the sake of sanity, you're restricted to only _one_ diarch at a time, so you can't have a regent and a Custom Modded Evil Prime Minister at the same time, but you could have either or contextually)
• Added the Coups feature, allowing regents to, with some effort, overthrow their liege and steal all their shinies at the low, low price of extreme risk of death or imprisonment and an unpleasant nickname
• Added trilateral interactions where intermediary can veto or allow the interaction before the recipient can accept or decline. This way liege can have a say if diarch wants to (ab)use their powers
• Added the Travel System so characters now actually move across the map and through individual provinces when traveling to Activities, optionally with an entourage of other characters
• Added 130+ events that occur while traveling, both dangerous and non-dangerous in nature
• Added the Caravan Master court position that affects travel stats and organizes the logistics of their lieges travel
• Added several Travel Options which allow for customization of travel plans (e.g. hiring specialists to counteract terrain danger)
• Added travel route editor so that you can place waypoints on the map to adjust your travel route
• Every character now has a bonafide location on the map
• Characters Paying Homage, Petitioning their Liege, and going to Meditate in Seclusion now travel to their destination
• Added Vassal Stances, every vassal now has a stance based on their personality, various opinion modifiers that previously impacted any vassal/feudal vassal now impact only vassals of a given stance
• Vassal Stances have a preferred heir, when succession happens they get a temporary opinion boost with the new ruler if it was their preferred heir, or an opinion penalty if not.
• Men-at-Arms can now be stationed in a specific holding, most building modifiers that previously impacted all men-at-arms now only impact the one stationed at that province.
• Revised the rewards and balance of practically all buildings in the game to account for Men-at-Arms Stationing and other new changes, more details in the Balance section.
• Significantly refined the game's economy; Building Slots now increase with time, many new Buildings have been added, Building Costs have been completely revised, Domain Limits have been lowered, etc. More details can be found in the Balance section.
• Adult Count+ Rulers (excluding Mercenaries) now have a chance to passively gain nicknames such as 'the Able', 'the Fat', or 'the Terrible'. The chance to gain a nickname goes up with rank, age, and prestige/piety, and the types of nicknames you can get are based in large part on traits, skills, and circumstances. For example, 'the Careless' can be gained while in a civil war of your making, if you have low diplomacy and some tyranny. When you get a nickname, an event will tell you which one you got, accompanied by a small reward or penalty.
• Added 75+ new Nicknames, most of which can be gained passively.
• Nicknames can now have descriptions, visible when moused over, finally allowing the use of ironic nicknames without an immense amount of explaining.
• Added descriptions for most historic nicknames and all in-game given nicknames.
• Added a Game Rule to control the frequency of random passive nicknames appearing on rulers
• Added a Game Rule to tweak the Domain Limit of all rulers; +1, +2, +3, -1, -2, -3
• You can now offer to Pay Ransom for your courtiers, vassals, close family members, dynasty members, lovers, friends, or anyone who is married to a member of your close family or dynasty
• Added the Economy Mapmode, accessible from the Additional Modes menu or by pressing Ctrl-S. It shows income on a per-County basis, allowing you to plan your conquests properly. It also reveals the location of all Special Buildings in the game, whether they are constructed yet or not.
• Added the Control Mapmode, accessible from the Additional Modes menu or by pressing Ctrl-F. It reveals the Control levels of all Counties in the world and also shows where Absolute Control is in effect.
• Added a Destroy Artifact button, which allows you to destroy any Common or Masterwork artifact you no longer want in order to recuperate some of the gold cost. If you are Iconoclast you can destroy Artifacts of any Rarity, and will get Piety for doing so.
• Significantly updated the Current Situation widget to be more user-friendly and useful for both new and experienced players; weve updated several entries with more information, added several new situations, added icons to all entries, etc. More info can be found in the Interface section.
• When hiring a Physician you can now see what Aptitude they will have directly in the Event Option
• Weve added a HUD Skin Selector which allows you to switch between any of the existing HUD skins, overriding the default. This means that you can, for example, use the Norse skin from Northern Lords when playing outside of Pagan Scandinavia.
• The Outliner has been significantly updated to be more useful: Pinned characters show more info (health, powerful vassal status, if theyre in a faction), Armies now have icons that show what theyre doing (moving, fighting, embarking, etc.), Armies show more general info (quality, supply status, attrition), and finally the Outliner will remember your last settings (it will start open if you had it open last game, etc.)
• Canterbury Cathedral has been added as a special building with a set of modifiers, three levels of upgrades, and new on-map 3D models for each stage
• Traits can now have Tiers with individual xp bars; this is in effect for the new Traveler and Hastiluder traits, but has also been added to all of the older tiered traits such as Reveler, Hunter, and Pilgrim.
• The Barbershop has been updated to be Fullscreen with a host of new tools and settings: you can select which Background you want (which comes with appropriate lighting by default), which characters should be in the shot, which animations they should use, and at which zoom level all characters should be displayed. Characters can be moved around the scene with drag-and-drop, and can be rotated 360 degrees. Weve added quick-access character presets (self-portrait, council, family), a screenshot button, and a Hide UI button. You can also pin characters and bring them into the scene. All drop-down lists can be searched with fuzzy text input. Several characters can be edited without closing the barbershop or resetting your scene in between. You can add dynasty/title shields and names to the scene, as well as character names, should you want to create a family portrait or similar.
• Legwear is now accessible as a customization option in the barbershop
• You can now pick your hair color using a color wheel in the barbershop
• The rules for who you can edit in the Barbershop are now consistent with who you can edit the title/dynasty of, which means that you can now customize your vassals and subjects.
• Added an event where your Realm Priest riles up your Zealot vassals against you
• Added 5 Martial lifestyle events
• Added 1 Wealth lifestyle event
• And much, much more

The full changelog is significantly longer than we can fit into a Steam announcement, so please head to the changelog thread on our forums to read the whole thing! Join the conversation and connect with other Paradox fans on our social media channels! Official Forums Official Discord Steam Discussions Twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

[ 2023-05-11 12:38:10 CET ] [ Original post ]

Welcome to this Dev Diary, just ahead of the release of Tours and Tournaments! Today, we will take a dive into the senses: the music and the visual art youll spot throughout your travels and activities. And, at the end, well reveal the achievements yearning for the completionist to try them out. Read Dev Diary #127 on our forums!
Once again, we have a Dev Diary too large to fit practically into a Steam announcement, so head over to our forums via the link above to read today's post!

[ 2023-05-09 12:36:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello, Crusaders! Less than a week to the release of Tours & Tournaments! On May 11, you will be able to travel through your realm to check on your vassals. Attend royal weddings to demonstrate your loyalty to a distant lord. Or, if you are brave enough, enter competitions of body or mind in tournaments. As always, there are no guarantees, and danger still lurks around every corner. But with great risk, comes great renown... Take a look at the video below presenting the feature breakdown for Tours and Tournaments! [previewyoutube=0Q_5-nj0M5k;full][/previewyoutube] Alexander Oltner breaks down features included in Tours & Tournaments, as well as the Free Update 1.9.0 'Lance!' Travel

• Plan and plot your route to Grand Tournaments & Weddings
• Assemble your Caravan & select a Caravan Master
• Customise your route to avoid danger
• New trait 'Traveller'

Tours

• Visit up to 10 subjects
• Go on a Majesty Tour, Intimidation Tour, or a Taxation Tour
• A Regent will rule in your place as you embark on your Tour, select a Regent to rule in your stead

Tournaments

• Locale screen to visit the Village, Tavern, Temple, Tent Camp, Artisan Quarters, and Tournament Grounds
• Train for upcoming contests
• Decide to compete in Recitals, Duels, Melee, and Jousts. These will improve your skills
• Knights can gain an Accolade and provide you with special bonuses
• Using intrigue you can sabotage events and win by alternative means
• Bet on contests

Grand Weddings

• Preform Diplomacy and Intrigue
• Impress neighbouring rulers and gain them as vassals
• Eliminate the other family in a Bloody Wedding

Reworked Activities

• Activities have been massively reworked, from Hunts to Tournaments
• Plan travel to get there and partake
• Go on a normal Beast Hunt, Falconry Hunt, or a Legendary Hunt
• Travel on a Pious Pilgrimage or a Worldly Pilgrimage
• Choose an intent for each activity, if you succeed or fail you can select a new one whenever you like
• Grand Weddings allow you to marry above your station

Armour

• All Armour has been improved
• Coat of arms appear on armour
• Armour will evolve over the era, from early Armour to full Plate Armour

Free Update 1.9.0 'Lance'

• Several new systems
• Updated how buildings work
• Updated how Vassals view your rulership
• Improved Barbershop
• And much, much more!

Pre-order Tours & Tournaments here!

[ 2023-05-05 14:01:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello and welcome to the 126th CK3 Dev Diary. Im Matthew, one of the programmers on the team, and today were going to be covering changes to modding support coming alongside Tours and Tournaments as well as how modding activities themselves can work. Discuss Dev Diary #126 on our forums!

Activity Modding

Activities are fully moddable, and as I mentioned in prior dev diaries they are composed of a variety of options and phases, where a phase is made up of a type and a location. There are a lot of scripting options in activities so Im going to also attach our info file on them for a more detailed overview. For this dev diary Im just going to cover a handful of the bigger things.

Options

Options are one of the more simple things, they are grouped into categories with different options which can be shown and picked and it is scripted which is default. This default picking is a trigger so that different defaults can be set for different people, in vanilla we use this to make Hajj the default for Muslims so they go on that first.
Additionally every option can forcefully add characters to the entourage of the host and invited guests, it will pick from their court characters and allows a weight for selecting them and a maximum to pick from for player and AI. These invited characters also get an invite order, which Ill cover in more depth shortly.
Lastly one option category can be set as the special category, this option will be picked first when planning an activity. In vanilla we use this for the special activity types like which type of Tour you are going on. It is fed into many triggers and scripted values in the activity setup for checking.

Phases

Setting up phases can be quite complicated, mainly centering around how the location of them should be picked. You can think of there being two types of phases: Predefined and Pickable. Predefined phases are always present and not removable, they can be selected either by the script picking a location or automatically set to the first or last phase. For example, in a Tour the final phase is Journey Home is predefined and has a scripted selection of always taking you to your capital province so you return home.
For pickable phases the player instead selects a province themselves, phases can be repeatedly picked and have a max limit so you cannot go on a Tour to visit every vassal. Every phase also has an order in which it happens, for a simple activity like a feast where all phases are predefined this just controls the order they happen. In more complicated activities where the player can pick things the order becomes more complicated, it will respect the order you script but also if the order is matching it will be the last one the player picked. To take Tours as an example again in the above image you can see order is set to 2, and for the pickable phases where you visit different vassals the order is set to 1. So that means the Journey Home is always at the very end of everything, and for the vassal stops whichever you the player picked last will be towards the end of your journey.

Special Guests

Special guests can be selected in two ways, either a trigger which you then pick from all invited characters who match it or they can be automatically filled by an effect. This allows weddings to automatically set the bride and groom whereas in a feast you can pick your honorary guest.

Additionally, as you may have spotted special guests can be required or not, if required then the activity will not be plannable without them and if they decline then it will be invalidated.

Invite Rules

Every activity has multiple invite rules which control who can be invited, these rules are reusable and can be shared among different activities and are defined in their own files. On its own an invite rule is just an effect which adds character to a list, how you get those characters from the host is up to you really.
When an activity decides to use those invite rules it can decide if the rule should be enabled by default and more importantly what order the invite rule should be applied. This comes into play when the invite rules are adding more characters then your activity can support, it will try to invite characters based on the order and later less important characters will be skipped.
Special guests are always invited first since the activity to some degree revolves around them. Equally those you manually invite via interaction will be put to the front of the invite list.

Intents

Like invite rules our intents are defined in their own files and can be reused by different activities. The default intent for hosts and guests is defined per activity, the player and AI will pick their own specific one from there. Every intent can optionally have a target character and they are scripted similarly to interaction targets. One thing to keep in mind when modding intents is the AI target usage, since every invited character is a target you should make liberal use of the AI target filtering we provide and put maximus on potentially very large groups of people.

Plugin Widgets

Due to the nature of activities wanting to display special information, and in the case of Tournaments basically showing its entire own window, we came up with a system of allowing the activity script to define what plugin widgets it would like inserted into the main window.
The format of these is that the left-hand side refers to the name of the plugin widget and the name of the file it will be in, similar to the event window widgets, all of which are found under the gui/activity_window_widgets directory. The right hand side refers to the name of the widget in the main activity window they should be inserted under. Weve got a few that we use already in vanilla but mods can expand and add more places they insert widgets and use custom widgets for their own activity information.

Leveled Traits

As shown off in some earlier dev diaries we now have leveled traits built into the game instead of needing to be handled purely in script. Script wise they are very simple; any trait can define one or more tracks and what XP thresholds needs to be met for modifiers to apply. The modifiers are stacking so you always get the rewards of previous levels on top of them. Any trait can be made into a leveled trait, for now weve done it to lifestyle traits where you can level them up. But we may apply this in the future to other things!
Currently unused in vanilla weve also added it so the trait XP can degrade over time which I am sure mods will be able to put to good use. The below will make the XP degrade by 5 every month, but only to a minimum of 20 so you dont lose all your hard-earned XP.
Alongside this rework we also went through and added more documentation to traits and combined some properties that could never coexist and now give better errors.

Database Scopes

One larger rework that will be a work in progress over the next few patches is that now database types can be registered as scope types. Ive reworked our backend to support this better now and still keep things safe, mainly by disallowing effects to be run on these database scopes since they are not modifiable. So now for example traits and activity types are scopes which can be saved and used in script. Currently the support is mostly in its bare minimum state, but in future patches I plan to make a variety of database types into scopes. This should hopefully improve mod compatibility and reduce down script duplication of manually checking over every single trait by hand. Coming in the next release after Tours and Tournaments Ive made traits fully integrated into this for both triggers and effects, so you could look for a random opposite trait of someone and then add it to your character for example. For Tours and Tournaments weve mostly used this in the activity system to support alerts better, so instead of having a hard coded alert about activities you can host we can just check them like normal script.
So modders reading this Id love to know what types youd like added as scopes and what triggers and effects that take database keys youd like to see take scopes. Ive already got traits done for a future patch, so I am interested in others I can do!

Data Models

Ive reworked the backend of how data models work, which now allows us to in gui script dynamically get sub-sections of a datamodel as well as set a datacontext to a specific item in the data model. For example you can now limit a datamodel to the first three people: datamodel = "[DataModelFirst( ActivityWindow.GetCharacters, '(int32)3' )]" Or you can get the skip the first few of them: datamodel = "[DataModelSkipFirst( ActivityWindow.GetCharacters, '(int32)3' )]" There also exists a Last version of these which gets/skips the end and DataModelSubSpan which lets you do both an offset and desired size. Using datacontext_from_model you can also get a specific item, oftentimes this will be the very first one so you can show the top scoring character, or first completed intent etc.
The index can also be dynamic so you can save a value in script and then get that character out of your data model.

Conditional Scope Change

As some of you eagle eyed people might have spotted, or if youve modded Vicky and see they released with our change first, is the new conditional scope change operator ?=. Normally when you change to a scope you will get errors if it does not exist, but in many cases you know that the thing may not be set in which case you dont want an error but to fail the trigger. The previous way of doing that is to add an exists trigger on the line above every time as that then returns false if they are not around, but that could be quite cumbersome. Now you can combine that together so instead of loads of extra typing it's just one convenient ? being involved!
This also works for scope comparisons where it will return false if the left-hand side does not exist. When used in effects it will just skip running the effects in that scope change if the scope doesnt exist. And lastly as a little sneak peek of the patch notes here is the user modding section! ################### # User Modding ###################

• Added character modifier, Men-at-arms Counter Resistance
• Rename hidden_effect_new_artifact to hidden_effect_new_object
• Add GetBaronyNameExplicitly and GetBaronyNameExplicitlyNoTooltip to provinces to get the barony even if it's the capital.
• Add building_slot_add modifier for holdings.
• Add prowess_no_portrait trigger.
• Add trait modifiers based on faith doctrine parameters, analogous to culture
• Added defines for simple text glow formats
• Adds the hostile_county_attrition_raiding to modify the hostile county attrition of raiding armies. Will apply from both commanders and owners of armies. This IGNORES the regular lower limit of 10%, such that hostile county attrition for raiding armies can be reduced to 0. Go forth, land vikings! Pillage! Rule!
• Adds the movement_speed_land_raiding to modify the speed of raiding armies moving over land. Will apply from both commanders and owners of armies.
• Consistently use reference for triggered background/textures instead of sometimes duplicating with event_background.
• Custom loc can now have the "all" type which lets it match to any scope type.
• Interactions can now also set a cooldown on all other interactions in the same category via the 'category_cooldown' and 'category_cooldown_against_recipient' properties
• Make province GetName and GetNameNoTooltip both return the county if capital.
• Remove 'goto' field from 'send_interface_message' and 'send_interface_toast'
• Remove GUI support for 'PlayerMessageItem' members 'GetGotoProvince', 'HasGotoProvince', and 'OnGoto'
• Remove the add_building_slot effect, only use the new building_slot_add modifier.
• Rework how open_view and open_view_data handle additional script provided data, the view_message field has been renamed to data and can be used in either of those effects it will now pass the additional data to the specific interface it is opening which will use it as appropriate.
• The 'duel' script effect can now use multiple skills at once, averaging their value. Up to six skills can be compared.
• Add diarchy_succession_character script list builder
• Add effect change_diarchy_type
• Add effect set_diarch
• add trigger is_diarchy_successor
• Per modder request, added some instructions (and a small correction) to on_actions.info to help newbie modders just getting started
• Per modder request, added standardised cultural parameters for raiding overland and overseas to increase mod interoperability. Also made it easier to add dynasty modifiers, house modifiers, & cultural innovations that unlock raiding (either according to standard restrictions for non-tribals or, optionally, without restrictions)
• Per modder request, replaced almost all instances of has_government with government_has_flag (and added relevant flags to each government type) to allow for easy hooking in of additional government types to vanilla content & systems, as well as better mod interoperability
• Add function [Army.GetArmyStatusTooltip]
• Introduce [Army.GetArmyStatusOutlinerIcon]
• Renamed [Army.GetArmyStatusIcon] to [Army.GetArmyStatusIllustration].
• add change_diarchy_power_level effect
• add diarchy_has_parameter trigger
• add diarchy_power_level trigger
• add set_diarchy_power_level effect
• Converted tribal imprisonment block to use a government flag for marginally higher mod compatibility
• Added 'memory_creation_date', 'memory_end_date' and 'memory_age_years' triggers for Character Memories.
• Add HasCharacterFlag datafunction for characters
• Added IsDateAfter promote that takes a date and a target date.
• Added IsDateBefore promote that takes a date and a target date.
• Added IsDateBetween promote that takes a target date, a start time and an end time.
• Added IsDateToday promote that takes a date.
• Added GetDateAsTotalDays promote for Dates
• Added promote HasFlag to the (Player) MessageType in order to allow specializations for message appearances.
• Added effect start_travel_plan, which opens the travel planning window for the player and can take multiple (optional) input parameters like destination(s), companion(s), events/on_actions, et al.
• New `*_neighboring_province` list can be used to efficiently get adjacent provinces in script
• New `*_army_in_location` list can be used to quickly find armies in a province
• The "Settings" window doesn't pop up anymore when reloading localization data
• New expand auto-complete mode for console: Toggle via `settings` -> Tools -> Console auto-complete mode
• Can kick out existing councillor "nicely" by using `remove_existing_councillor = yes` in `assign_councillor_type` effect
• Interactions targetting artifacts can now directly open up a specific artifact
• You can now actually generate a 'lowborn' character from character templates (`dynasty = none` is now correctly honored)
• The PdxData data_binding 'macro' system now supported for mods too
• You can attach character portrait assets to the root of a 3D entities via `at_root_of_entity` (same config location as `shared_pose_entity` / `node`)
• New 'scope exists' script operator "?=" added, so we don't have to write "exist = bla bla = { stuff }" thousands of times and can just do bla ?= { stuff }
• Scope exists operator `bla ?= {}` in effects will not execute effects inside scope if the scope `bla` does not exist
• Added new 'ransomed' artifact history state
• `set_location` effect now has `stick_to_location = yes` if you want to pin down someones default location to be different from their capital or court

[ 2023-05-02 12:30:13 CET ] [ Original post ]