Howdy all! Another week, another Developer Diary
One of the most engaging features of the Crusader Kings franchise is the path of discovery that the user is taken on as they immerse themselves in the unique CK3 gameplay. This is a grand strategy game with an RPG twist as the underlying sandbox nature of the game allows gamers to define their own goals and objectives rather than following a linear path. It’s all about the success of your Dynasty rather than a specific ruler. Dying is not failure... nor is losing wars... the most important aspect is the continuation of a Dynasty through the ages. This can be achieved in many ways, allowing you to carve their own path to power over generations through the use of military expansion, strengthening bloodlines and alliances through marriage, or through the dark arts of subterfuge.
Exercising power during the Medieval period was a complex business and this is reflected in the core gameplay of CK3. Many actions within CK3 require experimentation in order to discover the most successful strategies that suit the user defined goals. For example – starting a war against a perceived enemy requires a number of steps to be completed before war can be declared. This may often involve the acquisition of a Casus Belli (Legal Cause for War), which may require the fabrication of a claim through your head of faith. These steps and other methods of political maneuvering towards are part of the rich gameplay tapestry of Crusader Kings and the route to discovery is a core component of gameplay that should be celebrated and enjoyed when playing the game.
Onboarding for a game with CK3’s level of complexity and depth is a challenge. The PC tutorial has been integrated into the console game with adjustments for the target platform, which will help if you are new to console gameplay coming into the game. The balance is always between giving the community enough information to allow them to play the game vs overloading the user with too much detail. The nature of this title demands that there will need to be some experimentation and discovery along the way, and that’s one of the features of the game that should be celebrated. After all, as stated earlier, having a ruler die or losing a war is not the end of the game... it’s the beginning. Securing your Dynasty over time is the main objective, but there is also the flexibility for the user to define their own objectives and paths through gameplay.
One of the most engaging features of the Crusader Kings franchise is the path of discovery that the user is taken on as they immerse themselves in the unique CK3 gameplay. This is a grand strategy game with an RPG twist as the underlying sandbox nature of the game allows gamers to define their own goals and objectives rather than following a linear path. It’s all about the success of your Dynasty rather than a specific ruler. Dying is not failure... nor is losing wars... the most important aspect is the continuation of a Dynasty through the ages. This can be achieved in many ways, allowing you to carve their own path to power over generations through the use of military expansion, strengthening bloodlines and alliances through marriage, or through the dark arts of subterfuge.
Exercising power during the Medieval period was a complex business and this is reflected in the core gameplay of CK3. Many actions within CK3 require experimentation in order to discover the most successful strategies that suit the user defined goals. For example – starting a war against a perceived enemy requires a number of steps to be completed before war can be declared. This may often involve the acquisition of a Casus Belli (Legal Cause for War), which may require the fabrication of a claim through your head of faith. These steps and other methods of political maneuvering towards are part of the rich gameplay tapestry of Crusader Kings and the route to discovery is a core component of gameplay that should be celebrated and enjoyed when playing the game.
Onboarding for a game with CK3’s level of complexity and depth is a challenge. The PC tutorial has been integrated into the console game with adjustments for the target platform, which will help if you are new to console gameplay coming into the game. The balance is always between giving the community enough information to allow them to play the game vs overloading the user with too much detail. The nature of this title demands that there will need to be some experimentation and discovery along the way, and that’s one of the features of the game that should be celebrated. After all, as stated earlier, having a ruler die or losing a war is not the end of the game... it’s the beginning. Securing your Dynasty over time is the main objective, but there is also the flexibility for the user to define their own objectives and paths through gameplay.
