Crusader Kings II Spirit-all

I just tried to play as the Byzantine Empire.

I had no problem uniting the Britinna Empire starting as a minor Irish duke but I lost a couple times in short succession as Byzantine.

The factions are pretty interesting and make it much harder.

My latest game - I've united Ireland (well, as Monty Python put it, I AM King), but as usual, items of interest occur elsewhere...the King of England has decided that the climate is too poor, and thus a summer retreat is needed. Italy.

IMAGE(http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/542941821029973587/CC8C883B1C1A2CDEA4786B39DB9D25151DA70705/)

A British Boot, fantastic.

In other news, Three Moves Ahead pitted this against XCOM (in an offhand comment) for possible strategy game of the year.

It took me by surprise, but it reminded me how much CK2 made me think about some aspects of game design, win conditons, goals in games, storytelling in games, video games as entertainment, and plenty of other things. It shared a lot with FTL in those aspects actually.

I think XCOM is a better video game, but CK2 had a huge impact on my year.

Squee9 wrote:

A British Boot, fantastic.

In other news, Three Moves Ahead pitted this against XCOM (in an offhand comment) for possible strategy game of the year.

It took me by surprise, but it reminded me how much CK2 made me think about some aspects of game design, win conditons, goals in games, storytelling in games, video games as entertainment, and plenty of other things. It shared a lot with FTL in those aspects actually.

I think XCOM is a better video game, but CK2 had a huge impact on my year.

Troy Goodfellow has been making no secret on twitter that CK2 was his top game for most of the year. XCOM apparently is giving it a run for its money. I don't disagree with either of those; for me they are so far easily my top two games of the year, period.

I'd personally say that Crusader Kings did a far better job than FTL in both humanizing the characters and in giving the player agency to control the fate of those characters: you're still likely to die a horrible death in medieval Europe, but you full well know why you ended up there, versus getting your crewmembers randomly eaten by spiders in FTL.

Troy wanted CK2 to be his top game of the year, as did I, so in all honesty our views don't count for all that much.

Gremlin wrote:
Squee9 wrote:

A British Boot, fantastic.

In other news, Three Moves Ahead pitted this against XCOM (in an offhand comment) for possible strategy game of the year.

It took me by surprise, but it reminded me how much CK2 made me think about some aspects of game design, win conditons, goals in games, storytelling in games, video games as entertainment, and plenty of other things. It shared a lot with FTL in those aspects actually.

I think XCOM is a better video game, but CK2 had a huge impact on my year.

...

I'd personally say that Crusader Kings did a far better job than FTL in both humanizing the characters and in giving the player agency to control the fate of those characters: you're still likely to die a horrible death in medieval Europe, but you full well know why you ended up there, versus getting your crewmembers randomly eaten by spiders in FTL.

I agree with you on CK2 > FTL as far as humanizing and player agency. It was interesting that both of these games came ut in the same year, relatively close to each other. Both caused me to think about win conditons, player agency, and stroytelling throuhg gameplay in simlar ways. Ways that were far different from games I'd played up until these two.

un FORTUNATELY XCOM had such strong gameplay it'll most likley end up above those two games on my end of the year list. It was great finding out how much competition great games had this year though.

Somehow, I don't think the FTL guys had CK2 in mind as competition while they were storyboarding the game...

I agree that CK2 and XCOM are up there this year. But then, this is a year where Orcs Must Die 2 is an average game. We've really had it good this year.

Complex, occluded systems and capricious fate as themes for 2012 strategy? I like it.

wordsmythe wrote:

Complex, occluded systems and capricious fate as themes for 2012 strategy? I like it.

Add in dubious lineage systems too!

Also, we got two fantastic stealth games and at least two great rogue likes. This year has been great for under appreciated genres.

Gods and Kings could also be in the strategy mix.

davet010 wrote:

My latest game - I've united Ireland (well, as Monty Python put it, I AM King), but as usual, items of interest occur elsewhere...the King of England has decided that the climate is too poor, and thus a summer retreat is needed. Italy.

Do you know that when you save a game, it locks in the results of the game play, but not your ruler choice? I'd save that game where it is, then later come back and load it and play as King of England, just for the hell of it.

I think you can. I know you can in other Paradox games.

I think I have found the secret to keep CK2 games short:

IMAGE(http://www.huckaby.us/Files/girlsgirlsgirls.jpg)

One wife died. One divorced. Two nubile young wives now -- still no heir.

I even survived slow fever AND some other plague.

sigh

Ouch!

Feegle wrote:
davet010 wrote:

My latest game - I've united Ireland (well, as Monty Python put it, I AM King), but as usual, items of interest occur elsewhere...the King of England has decided that the climate is too poor, and thus a summer retreat is needed. Italy.

Do you know that when you save a game, it locks in the results of the game play, but not your ruler choice? I'd save that game where it is, then later come back and load it and play as King of England, just for the hell of it. :)

Ooo, I never knew that. Unfortunately, I've continued somewhat since then. The English Boot has fallen apart, been totally resurrected and fallen apart again. In other news, the Byzantine Empire has lost almost all of Anatolia by 1140, and I think I've committed a grievous error - I made my infant son Duke of Munster to reduce my own ducal holdings, and the thrice-damned Earl of Desmond has decided to invade...and I can't even intervene with my standing army. Looks like a revokation is in order, followed by a nice relaxing few months in the An Claith Horrific Dunge...err, 'Executive Spa and Retreat'.

Oh, and I'm King Mael-Morda 'the Cruel', my wife has wroth, cruel and arbitrary traits and my Court Chaplain has the trait 'Impaler'. I think that means he does the massages.

LilCodger wrote:

I think I have found the secret to keep CK2 games short:
One wife died. One divorced. Two nubile young wives now -- still no heir.

I even survived slow fever AND some other plague.

sigh

It's your own testicular fault, really. Still, you might try killing multiple wives while breaking away from your religion. If nothing else, it'll make for a good TV series on premium cable in a few hundred years.

Looks like the next DLC, coming on Nov. 15, will have the Aztecs invading Europe in the 13th century... 8-0 I was hoping for the Amerinds as playable nations, but I guess they will be barbarian invaders instead.

Not totally sure about this one...

Robear wrote:

Looks like the next DLC, coming on Nov. 15, will have the Aztecs invading Europe in the 13th century... 8-0 I was hoping for the Amerinds as playable nations, but I guess they will be barbarian invaders instead.

Not totally sure about this one...

NOBODY EXPECTS THE AZTEC INQUISITION!

(Well, I certainly didn't.)

Robear wrote:

Looks like the next DLC, coming on Nov. 15, will have the Aztecs invading Europe in the 13th century... 8-0 I was hoping for the Amerinds as playable nations, but I guess they will be barbarian invaders instead.

Not totally sure about this one...

Meant to post about this yesterday then work got crazy.

So on the one hand: wtf? Really?

On the other hand: it's $5, is optional, and sounds insane.

On the gripping hand, though: wtf? For serious?

Part of me hopes that Paradox branches out a little from historical simulation into some crazy fantastical sim games using the Clausewitz engine. Fantasy CK2 seems like it could be pretty awesome. Or Universe Universalis? Get chills just thinking about the possibilities.

Yeah, I'd buy a fantasy version of CK2 in a heartbeat. Not sure about how I feel about Aztecs, but I've been too busy to do a Byzantine game these past few weeks, so it's not like I need to make an immediate decision on it anyway. For those players who wanted more challenge, well, it sounds like you're getting it.

I think it is a good idea. Especially since if you wanted you could just turn them off for a historical game.

Besides I am sure there will be a bunch of little improvements that will filter into the rest of the game anyway.

The whole Aztec thing kind of baffles me considering how crap they are in EU.

garion333 wrote:

The whole Aztec thing kind of baffles me considering how crap they are in EU.

I'm sure they are uber buffed for this expansion.

Well, they are crossing the ocean before Columbus, so you *know* they are badass. I'm just looking forward to the status updates - "King Phillip III of France has died in a sacrifice to Xipe-Totec".

I'm a sucker for alternative history scenarios. I'll probably picking this up on the release date.

See, all this talk about alternate history and fantasy just makes me want to check in on how the Westeros total conversion mod is coming along. Last I heard it was playable but still pretty janky and not quite ready for prime time.

Dev Diary on Sunset Invasion.

As you know, we are quickly approaching the end of times, as a cycle of the Mayan calendar is about to end on December 21. Not to be outdone by the Mayans, we are doing our part to hasten the coming apocalypse by releasing a totally unhistorical DLC for Crusader Kings II called Sunset Invasion. The forum response to this minor and completely optional DLC was interesting to say the least. We expected a mixed response, but certainly not the degree of passion we've been witnessing.

No doubt.

I wish they had a scenario editor.

garion333 wrote:

Dev Diary on Sunset Invasion.

As you know, we are quickly approaching the end of times, as a cycle of the Mayan calendar is about to end on December 21. Not to be outdone by the Mayans, we are doing our part to hasten the coming apocalypse by releasing a totally unhistorical DLC for Crusader Kings II called Sunset Invasion. The forum response to this minor and completely optional DLC was interesting to say the least. We expected a mixed response, but certainly not the degree of passion we've been witnessing.

No doubt.

I wish they had a scenario editor.

They do! Pull out yer fave text editor and have at it!

Aztec DLC is out, as well as patch 1.08. Not read the patch notes yet, but have noticed one new addition - a button which prevents your council members leading armies (and hence being away for ages). Oh, and retinues now start without assigned leaders, well...mine did.

Game is also out for £10 (with some of the DLC) at Gamersgate, for those who have yet to get it.

davet010 wrote:

Aztec DLC is out, as well as patch 1.08. Not read the patch notes yet, but have noticed one new addition - a button which prevents your council members leading armies (and hence being away for ages). Oh, and retinues now start without assigned leaders, well...mine did.

Game is also out for £10 (with some of the DLC) at Gamersgate, for those who have yet to get it.

Important question: does that include the ruler?

Yay! Aztec insanity!