Grand Strategy Crusader Kings III

[AgentFransis]

For those of you interested in Byzantium, I offer this most excellent podcast & website:
https://thehistoryofbyzantium.com/

I have listened to every episode, learned much, and say it is most fine. Tour time wont be wasted if you partake.

Been listening to this for the past month or so, now at the 800's. Wonderful narration and detail but it's just so to listen to. Poor Romans can't catch a break.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

Poor Romans can't catch a break.

I like to think they were immensely badass and literally went through a gauntlet of dangerous, badass opponents.

Meanwhile, other lesser empires pretty much fell down with some casual civil wars, revolts and the odd band of barbarians goin' looting.

I think its a testment to their robust polity that even through they were being invaded and fighting civil wars like every year, the Eastern Empire lasted over a millenium and outlived its own Western equivalent by a similar amount.

 

[Heroic Liberator]

I think its a testment to their robust polity that even through they were being invaded and fighting civil wars like every year, the Eastern Empire lasted over a millenium and outlived its own Western equivalent by a similar amount.

A shame that Orthodox Rome and Zoroastrian Persia, the two classical civilizations still surviving (and thriving) in our corner of the world, fought and weakened each other through petty territorial squabbles, thus allowing the barbarians to swoop in and destroy them both.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

I think its a testment to their robust polity that even through they were being invaded and fighting civil wars like every year, the Eastern Empire lasted over a millenium and outlived its own Western equivalent by a similar amount.

A shame that Orthodox Rome and Zoroastrian Persia, the two classical civilizations still surviving (and thriving) in our corner of the world, fought and weakened each other through petty territorial squabbles, thus allowing the barbarians to swoop in and destroy them both.

Ain't truth? And look what replaced them:

Absolute Crap and Barbarism.

Then again, perhaps I should just be thankful. Would't exist if Egypt had not fallen and the Muslim invaders not conquered almost all of Iberia until Pelajo stopped them at Covadonga.

 

[fantadomat]

I think its a testment to their robust polity that even through they were being invaded and fighting civil wars like every year, the Eastern Empire lasted over a millenium and outlived its own Western equivalent by a similar amount.

A shame that Orthodox Rome and Zoroastrian Persia, the two classical civilizations still surviving (and thriving) in our corner of the world, fought and weakened each other through petty territorial squabbles, thus allowing the barbarians to swoop in and destroy them both.

Because civilization is not a good thing. Also those two collapsed because of inner squabbles and laziness.

 

[AgentFransis]

Oh absolutely it's a great testament to Roman resilience that they survived for as long as they did. Though frankly a big chunk of the credit has to go to Constantine and other early emperors for having the foresight to make Constantinople an impregnable fortress. There were so many times when the city was besieged and if it had fallen the empire would likely have collapsed.

Still, reading the history you can't help but feel that the hand of fate is out to get them. Justinian reforms the state so he could retake the west and then barely survives the nika riots. Then he retakes Africa and most of Italy but then the plague cripples the empire. Justinian makes peace with the Sassanids but then Justinian II breaks it for no good reason and plunges them back into war. Herakleus heroically retakes the east from the Sassanids but then the Arabs come (poor guy, imagine working so hard only to see your life's work destroyed just like that). Nikephoros starts reforming the empire and retaking the Balkans but then retardedly gets himself killed by the Bulgars.

So no friends, no allies, constantly under siege from all sides and whenever a good emperor comes and starts to turn things around he's usually smacked back down.

 

[fantadomat]

Oh absolutely it's a great testament to Roman resilience that they survived for as long as they did. Though frankly a big chunk of the credit has to go to Constantine and other early emperors for having the foresight to make Constantinople an impregnable fortress. There were so many times when the city was besieged and if it had fallen the empire would likely have collapsed.

Still, reading the history you can't help but feel that the hand of fate is out to get them. Justinian reforms the state so he could retake the west and then barely survives the nika riots. Then he retakes Africa and most of Italy but then the plague cripples the empire. Justinian makes peace with the Sassanids but then Justinian II breaks it for no good reason and plunges them back into war. Herakleus heroically retakes the east from the Sassanids but then the Arabs come (poor guy, imagine working so hard only to see your life's work destroyed just like that). Nikephoros starts reforming the empire and retaking the Balkans but then retardedly gets himself killed by the Bulgars.

So no friends, no allies, constantly under siege from all sides and whenever a good emperor comes and starts to turn things around he's usually smacked back down.

A bunch of incompetent retards that thought themself better yet failed miserably every time. You can't expect men raised in luxury and culture to lead your country well in a world of barbarism and savagery. Their leaders at this point weren't warriors and conquerors but philosophers and fat nobles. Their whole existence was about surviving and loosing land slower.

 

[vonAchdorf]

This month's video version of the recent dev diaries:

 

[SecondAmendment]

A bunch of incompetent retards that thought themself better yet failed miserably every time. You can't expect men raised in luxury and culture to lead your country well in a world of barbarism and savagery. Their leaders at this point weren't warriors and conquerors but philosophers and fat nobles. Their whole existence was about surviving and loosing land slower.

Location:
Bulgaria

Wait, why are we listening to one of the barbarians? I'm going to make it a point to crush the Bulgarians day 1 when I pirate CK III.

 

[Beastro]

A bunch of incompetent retards that thought themself better yet failed miserably every time.

Wait, are you talking about the Byzantines or the Bulgarians here?

Cus it sounds like the Bulgarians to me~

 

[Commissar Draco]

Oh absolutely it's a great testament to Roman resilience that they survived for as long as they did. Though frankly a big chunk of the credit has to go to Constantine and other early emperors for having the foresight to make Constantinople an impregnable fortress. There were so many times when the city was besieged and if it had fallen the empire would likely have collapsed.

Still, reading the history you can't help but feel that the hand of fate is out to get them. Justinian reforms the state so he could retake the west and then barely survives the nika riots. Then he retakes Africa and most of Italy but then the plague cripples the empire. Justinian makes peace with the Sassanids but then Justinian II breaks it for no good reason and plunges them back into war. Herakleus heroically retakes the east from the Sassanids but then the Arabs come (poor guy, imagine working so hard only to see your life's work destroyed just like that). Nikephoros starts reforming the empire and retaking the Balkans but then retardedly gets himself killed by the Bulgars.

So no friends, no allies, constantly under siege from all sides and whenever a good emperor comes and starts to turn things around he's usually smacked back down.

A bunch of incompetent retards that thought themself better yet failed miserably every time. You can't expect men raised in luxury and culture to lead your country well in a world of barbarism and savagery. Their leaders at this point weren't warriors and conquerors but philosophers and fat nobles. Their whole existence was about surviving and loosing land slower.

Empire needed more men like Nikephoros II and Basil II the Bulgar-Slayer Comrade... or Slav Tzar to reinvigorate the Empire.

 

[AwesomeButton]

If it wasn't for Basil II, the Kievan Rus' would have probably remained pagan for a much longer period. He transferred church literature translated from Greek to Bulgarian, so the Russians lrn2read.

This whole transition to 3D is Massive Decline (tm). Only proves the principle that game developers usually do good things by accident, and when they do them, they can't recognize them.

Why not transfer from memorable faces and timeless 2D art to unmemorable faces with less defined features in a 3D that already looks dated. PDX have no idea what they are messing with - the association of a player with his characters was one of the main draws of CKII.

Next high-level thing that made a bad impression was that they are sticking with a "mana points" system. One of the numales in the video actually gave an example of breaking a truce being a dishonorable thing that makes people hate you. Boo hoo, what if PDX had actually put some more effort and made it so the same action affects different people in a different way, instead of sticking to a good-bad meter? What if some feudal lord wanted to ally with mine and me breaking that alliance is actually percieved as a good thing? Obsidian already did a similar system with their companion relations in Deadfire. But PDX are choosing the easy way.

 

[TheEntitledOne]

In any case game will be worthless until 3-4 DLC after release.

 

[Norfleet]

One of the numales in the video actually gave an example of breaking a truce being a dishonorable thing that makes people hate you.

That was the same thing as in CK2, all characters react in generally the same way to a given action...even if they were the ones who wanted it. They've always been cardboard cutouts with canned reactions, not individuals with their own agendas and opinions.

 

[vonAchdorf]

This whole transition to 3D is Massive Decline (tm). Only proves the principle that game developers usually do good things by accident, and when they do them, they can't recognize them.

Why not transfer from memorable faces and timeless 2D art to unmemorable faces with less defined features in a 3D that already looks dated. PDX have no idea what they are messing with - the association of a player with his characters was one of the main draws of CKII.

I think it's an improvement over the CK2, character art, where I barely could identify the characters and tell them apart or recognize inherited features.

 

[fantadomat]

one of the barbarians

I am here and i see no Byzantines here! Do you,mister civilized person?

 

[J_C]

This month's video version of the recent dev diaries:

Those men with rainbow colored hair.

 

[AgentFransis]

Modern Swedes. The blood of Numenor is all but spent.

 

[Citizen]

 

[CaffeineConquistador]

This month's video version of the recent dev diaries:

Gaaaaah, that dude’s just asking to receive constant titty twisters.

 

[Alienman]

Modern Swedes. The blood of Numenor is all but spent.

The ones with space hair was an englishman and an american.

 

[Space Satan]

DD Lifestyles.

Spoiler

Greetings! Today we’ll be taking a look at a new and exciting feature in CK3 - the Lifestyle system!

Now, to start off, the lifestyles of CK3 have very little in common with those in CK2. The system has been changed and is vastly improved and much more interactive than CK2’s system. In fact, we have proper skill trees now, much like those you would find in an RPG. You will gather experience and unlock perks, which conveys all kinds of bonuses to your character! This allows you to tailor your character to your needs, immerse yourself in their story, and provides a lot of replayability, as it’s not only about what perks you get, but also when you get them.

There are five Lifestyle categories, with each category containing three full skill trees. You first choose the Lifestyle you want, and then you select a focus within it.

The focuses convey immediate bonuses, much like they did in CK2 - you usually pick the Focus that provides the modifier you most need at the moment. For example, if you desperately need piety you can pick the Theology Focus, while if you have just conquered a large amount of land the Authority Focus might be more appropriate. You can pick any Focus within a Lifestyle to gain experience within it, the Focuses do not correspond to specific trees.

Each Focus also comes with its own unique set of events, connected to the theme of the Focus. If you have the Temptation focus selected you might get events about subtly manipulating your vassals and guests, finding out their secrets or gaining hooks, while if you have the Wealth focus selected it might see you levy extra taxes upon your peasants, among other things. More on this in the next weeks DD.

After you’ve picked a Focus, you will start gaining experience and can start unlocking perks!

Now, characters will not usually live long enough to unlock every perk. You will have to choose which path to go down, and you will unlock a new perk every few years. Perks are unlocked by spending experience, which is gained both passively (symbolizing that your character dabbles in subjects pertaining to their lifestyle during their free time) and actively (through choices in Lifestyle events, etc).

Perks are wonderful things that unlock all manner of possibilities and opportunities. Going down the right paths will unlock special modifiers, decisions, casus bellis, and even schemes. Some perks will modify existing systems to work differently for your character - for example, going down the Avarice path makes Stress (more on this in a later DD) have some positive effects. There are perks that make your troops fight better, that make factions stay in line, or that fortify your health. Really, you’ll be spoilt for choice - and we’ll go into more detail on what each Lifestyle is capable of in the coming weeks!

The final Perk in each tree always gives you a trait, which is very powerful (think the Master Seducer trait in CK2), nicely rounding them off. If you live long enough, you’ll see yourself accumulate a few of these.

Can you guess the traits? 15 of these traits are tied to the Lifestyle trees, the remaining can be gained through special events and activities.

While you won’t start using Lifestyles and unlocking perks before you’re an adult, it really begins during childhood. Depending on the education you get, you will have an affinity for a certain Lifestyle - now this doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with that Lifestyle, of course, you can choose any lifestyle regardless of your education. The education ranks directly correspond to a percentage increase in experience gained, a rank one education will give a 10% bonus, and a rank four one a 40% bonus, and so on.

When a character becomes landed they will select a focus and unlock perks based on their age - the older they are, the more perks they will have unlocked. They will select an appropriate Lifestyle based on their education (making it even more important to manage your children’s education carefully), and perks based on their personality and traits. Do not worry though, if you’re not satisfied with the hand you’re dealt you can choose to reset all perks (within that Lifestyle) once per lifetime - though this will incur a massive amount of Stress (again, more on this in a later DD). Sometimes it’s worth playing the hand you’re dealt - perhaps going along with your lustful heir's seductive tendencies could open up a venue you hadn’t even considered?

In the next few weeks we’ll dive deeper into the various aspects of the Lifestyle system, so stay tuned!

 

[Dux]

Wow, news of that perk system just drained the life out of me. Don't know why but it sounds like they've removed much of the random and unpredictable nature of the CK gameplay. Trying to control chaos was always the most interesting part of CK2.

There are perks that make your troops fight better, that make factions stay in line, or that fortify your health

Sounds artificial and popamole.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

Not a fan either, seems too controlled. I liked how it worked in CKII.

I think it would be neat if some lifestyle could lead you to something else - like say, enough love-life dissapointments leading you to Religion instead.

 

[lophiaspis]

And that whole shitty Perk Tree will be mandatory for every character under optimal play. Sounds more and more like RTW2. I guess this game will be 3/5 or so, not as awful as Imperator but to think it can ever compare to CK2 is absurd. A pointless exercise from an increasingly clueless company.