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CK2 Dev Diary #86 - Character View Redux

Greetings!

Today I’d like to show off the new Character View, which we affectionately refer to as the ‘Redux’ version. The old Character View, despite having been redone several times already, was still plagued by not having enough space for the various elements (traits, in particular) and having random buttons floating all over the interface (Leading Troops Toggle, Artifacts, Barber Shop, etc). Our primary goal has been to free up space and facilitate the addition of new buttons, and here’s the result:

DDCharView_YourCharacter.png


This is how the Character View for your own character will look. As you can see, a lot of things have been reshuffled to create more space. We’ve kept in mind that certain habits are hard to break, so some of the more commonly used things are still in their original place, e.g. the ‘Arrange Marriage’ button, and the information you need at a glance is in the same general area as it used to be, e.g. the Levy Size number. We’ve replaced the text with icons, and all icons now also have tooltips - this means that, unlike before, we actually explain the concepts of the various lists you see, such as what the difference between a Trait and a Modifier is.

Some elements have been removed, such as the ‘Dynasty Tree’ button, as clicking the Dynasty Shield itself fulfilled the exact same function.

The old ‘Combat modifiers’ icon (the two crossed swords) have been replaced by a new icon (orange with a sword and chess piece) in order to make it more clear that you can hover it to see useful information. We’ve also added a similar button that shows the total effects of any Artifacts a character has (yellow with a goblet and helmet). This icon is also visible in character lists, making it useful for tracking down characters which hold artifacts on their persona.

We’ve also exposed the Personal Combat Skill value of characters in the list of skills. More on this in a future DD, but rest assured that it’ll have an enhanced impact on your gameplay experience!

To preserve some sense of mystery I’ve censored some of the buttons pertaining to expansion features using pictures of confused ducks, I’ll go into more detail on what the buttons entail in later DD’s.

This is how it looks when viewing another character:
DDCharView_OtherChar.png

As you can see, it’s similar to the other view although with more censored buttons. The main difference, which may take some time to adjust to, is the new location of the Plot button - though it is now in a way more convenient location overall.

We’ve tried to shuffle as much information as possible to the right of the view, in order to make it easier to get the information you need at a glance - Active diplomacy (such as wars), levy numbers and stats are all lined up and easy to view.

While we don’t expect everyone to instantly embrace the new layout, we did it out of necessity and managed to use the space we had available in a very effective way - and after having spent months using it internally, I don’t believe there’s a single one of us in the Dev Team that could go back to the old layout. :)
 
I also agree with the filters suggestion.

I probably won't ever filter out bastards, but removing the countless number of people shipped to China, or dead would be great.
 
Did anybody noticed blood on his helmlet bellow the left eye? I am betting it has something to do with the new "Sword and Shield" trait, the after-battle effect, the "combat modifier" or after-sacking/looting effect.
Other then that, it looks nice.



DDCharView_OtherChar.png
 
Did anybody noticed blood on his helmlet bellow the left eye? I am betting it has something to do with the new "Sword and Shield" trait, the after-battle effect, the "combat modifier" or after-sacking/looting effect.
Other then that, it looks nice.



DDCharView_OtherChar.png
I think we covered that not too long again this thread actually.

I remember they said on stream that they added a visualization for injuries to the character portrait, as well as more, tiered scars.

I'm guessing that that particular character has the "beaten up" modifier caused by a wroth carouser.
 
I think we covered that not too long again this thread actually.

I remember they said on stream that they added a visualization for injuries to the character portrait, as well as more, tiered scars.

I'm guessing that that particular character has the "beaten up" modifier caused by a wroth carouser.

Who said it had to be his blood? :D
 
I am liking most of the changes.

However I do agree with some of the suggestion that there are still room for improvement on this GUI.

Such as putting realm-related info on the top right and character info below that. If I am looking at someone for conquest the first thing I want to know is how much ducat they have, hiring merc, and how big their levies are.

I don't need to know if he has 30 or 0 marital first.
 
Since you guys basically took the CPRPlus mechanic of having characters wear helmets while leading troops, can you add the other features of that mod, like Red Galeros for Cardinals and special helmets for high martial/crusader characters?

Edit: You can't disagree with facts, CPRPlus created this feature first. And from the looks of it, Paradox borrowed a lot from that mod.
 
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I'm liking this redesign. But I definitely second the suggestion to add filters for things like dead relatives or bastards.

Having thought about this proposal some more, I've come up with a list of some filters for the character screen that might be helpful if they are actually implemented:
- Show only living/dead
- Show only bastards
- Show only single/married
- Show only same religion/culture
- Show only title claimants
- Show only in-court
Does anyone have any others suggestions?
 
Having thought about this proposal some more, I've come up with a list of some filters for the character screen that might be helpful if they are actually implemented:
- Show only living/dead
- Show only bastards
- Show only single/married
- Show only same religion/culture
- Show only title claimants
- Show only in-court
Does anyone have any others suggestions?
The single one would be A LOT helpful
So i may marry my characters
 
Is there going to be a dev diary on the new portraits as well as the new scars and wounds?
 
If only we would have the technology to make boxes with a dynamic size...
Unfortunately, such technology doesn't exist.

(There was an arbitrary reason the GUI is what it is, but I forgot what exactly. Something about 720 res monitors.)
 
It would be nice to have a "send to court" option. Overbloated courts could have courtiers be sent to other courts, of course the liege has to improve. Then these people could help you out plot against the liege as a side bonus.