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CK2 Dev Diary #81 - Cleaning up the Map

Greetings!

The last few Dev Diaries have had you visit the Cartographer’s office to look at several reworked areas of the map - while there are more, we don’t want to show them all in a row, lest we risk you getting bored of them!

Today we will instead take a look at a minor free feature, an optional new Game Rule that might just help those of us that really can’t stand irregular borders! Like the map changes, this change will arrive in the free update that will accompany the next expansion. This feature is a pet project of mine, and an attempt to cure situations such as these:
Bordergore_example.png

As you can see in this example, Scotland holds a province in mainland Anatolia. There’s no logical way for them to control this territory - there’s no land connection, it’s not connected via ports, and it’s not part of their De Jure area.

The Game Rule is called ‘Exclave Independence', and aims to do just that - set exclaves independent. Being an optional Game Rule, it’s very modular, and is mainly intended as a tool for increasing immersion.
Exclave_GR.png


The Scotland example pictured previously is really the worst case scenario, and would be covered by any of the settings. As the ruler of Scotland dies, the game will try to identify any ‘exclaves’ and take appropriate action. If there are rulers whose land is completely situated in an exclave, they will be set independent, otherwise a peasant leader will seize control of the land. In this case the result will look like this:
Bordergore_cured.png


I can tell you that, if you’re like me, the difference playing with this Game Rule is like night and day. After a few hundred years you’ll no longer have a map that makes you want to claw your eyes out! As I mentioned earlier there are many different settings, and here is a full list of them:
Added the ‘Exclave Independence’ Game Rule, with the purpose of eliminating disconnected land on succession. As long as the new ruler during a succession isn’t at war, their exclaves should be set independent according to the setting. If the AI is at war during succession, they will try to remove exclaves once every year until such a time they are no longer at war (does not apply to Players). Settings:
  • Off - The default option, no removal.
  • Limited - Exclaves of Independent Rulers at peace will be removed on succession unless they are connected to the Capital area with gaps no larger than one County, via a naval path or part of the characters primary De Jure territory.
  • Limited (Naval) - Exclaves of Independent Rulers at peace will be removed on succession unless they are connected to the Capital area with gaps no larger than one County, via a limited naval path (1000 distance units) or part of the characters primary De Jure territory.
  • Significant - Exclaves of Independent Rulers at peace will be removed on succession unless they are connected via a naval path or part of the characters primary De Jure territory.
  • Harsh - Exclaves of Independent Rulers at peace will be removed on succession unless as they are connected via a limited naval path (1000 distance units) or part of the characters primary De Jure.
  • Total - Exclaves of Independent Rulers at peace will be removed on succession unless as they are connected via a limited naval path (1000 distance units). Disables Achievements.

To show a more tangible example, I loaded up an old save and added the Game Rule to it. It looked like this:
Exclave_ex2.png


After the death of the ruler of the Mongol Empire (the light blue spots) the result produced this:
Exclave_cure_mongol.png


And after the death of the King of Bengal:
Exclave_cure2.png

As you can see, the two Mongol provinces were overtaken by Peasant Leaders as they were much too far away from their steppe overlords. Bengals land, on the other hand, simply had the vassals declare independence, as they held no land in non-exclave land.

I hope this small feature will be of interest to some of you, in the next DD we will return to the cartographer's office with another exciting update!

Please note that the time between Dev Diaries will be irregular, as we’re still early in the development cycle.
 
Instead of peasant rebel, can we instead have some relative or something inherit the land? Like if the count of nowhere becomes King of Jerusalem by Crusade then dies. I can't imagine some peasant back home going, oh he's gone I'll take over, then all the neighbors just accept it.
 
Instead of peasant rebel, can we instead have some relative or something inherit the land? Like if the count of nowhere becomes King of Jerusalem by Crusade then dies. I can't imagine some peasant back home going, oh he's gone I'll take over, then all the neighbors just accept it.


Yes. Unlanded with claims, preferably close relatives should be asked first to take over these titles.

Edit: fixed vocabulary
 
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I feel quite sad about this announcement. To think that we now know such a great feature is coming but we still have to wait ages for it. The update looks like it will be amazing so far!
I have the same feeling about this.

I'm was actually wondering when this feature will come. Will we have to wait for the next expansion? Or might there be some patch within a month to implement this as fast as possible? Because that would make me really happy.
 
Looks good, but I highly recommend that after winning a GHW/jihad/crusade, all baronies automatically go to full levies, to prevent instantaneous reconquests.
I don't see the logic behind that. Newly conquered territory is harder to keep control of.
 
The new anti-border-gore rule will be one of those things future generations of CK2 players will never understand how we lived without.

Still bordergore is a symptom, not the real problem. The real problem is that the game can’t handle multiple lieges. Bordergore IMHO only is an issue with too distant territories. For instance Scotland might hold a county in Bavaria (which is pushing it), but not a county in way more distant Asia Minor.
I accept bordergore from the former, due to engine limitations, but I too find bordergore from the latter problematic.
 
Does it honestly matter?

Honestly, no. I posted link, because why wait, since there is a mod that does exactly the same. Literally 1:1.
+People in the topic seem to be waiting quite impatiently.


That was part of my concern. That would there be problems if the Norse say conquered coasal areas near Turkey ect.

Change culture to Norman and its fine? The perfect example will be Normandy / Sicily in OTL.There was no way that Oslo / Copenhagen would keep central control in the Mediterranean. Even England caused problems.
 
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Change culture to Norman and its fine? The perfect example will be Normandy / Sicily in OTL.There was no way that Oslo / Copenhagen would keep central control in the Mediterranean. Even England caused problems.

Normany and Sicily was conquered by landless Vikings. There was nothing they could keep in Scandinavia.
 
Normany and Sicily was conquered by landless Vikings. There was nothing they could keep in Scandinavia.

If:
liege culture:norse
character culture: norman/norse
Then:
become tributary state

If:
Crown laws below:
Medium crown authority
Medium tribal organisation
Then:
Release "naval exclave" tributaries

People in the topic might also want to play with achievements.
Fair enough. I forgot about that. I've never been a fan of colorued, jpeg, ribbons.
 
...and give priority to barontier vassals that shares religion and culture with the county. Even if that would mean making an inland county- tier republic. There are so few ways that can switch county types, making the game short of other than feudal-ish governments after a few decades.
 
...and give priority to barontier vassals that shares religion and culture with the county. Even if that would mean making an inland county- tier republic. There are so few ways that can switch county types, making the game short of other than feudal-ish governments after a few decades.
Those should really have some rebel options that would create other types of governments. Such as powerful local merchants or religious zealots establishing small republics or theocracies in appropriate areas/religions.