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CK2 Dev Diary #99 - Do you like me yet?


Greetings.

Today we will be focusing on a couple of new actions made available by Holy Fury: Sway and Antagonize.

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This feature will allow players to have a more personal relation with other characters within diplomatic reach, giving them the chance to choose one person to Sway and one to Antagonize.
Once a target has been selected through the new buttons - which will be accessible both through the character’s window as well as by right-clicking on the character’s portrait - the player will regularly receive events giving him the opportunity to either increase or reduce the target’s Opinion of him.
Success chances when trying to Sway another character are influenced both by the player’s Diplomacy as well as by the target’s “compatibility” with your character. Trying to Sway a character with traits opposite to your own (such as Deceitful vs Honest) might prove to be a harder task than befriending somebody with whom you share some interests. On the other hand, some of the events triggered through the Sway action will give you the chance to influence the targeted character’s traits as well, thus increasing your degree of compatibility.

Additionally, you will find that different rulers have different ideas on how to best Sway their target, based on their own personality and lifestyle traits. After all, an Impaler’s idea of a good time is not the same as an Hedonist’s, and a Cruel character trying to be charming might end up presenting some questionable gifts to his target...


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Some offenses are more serious than others, and if you have committed a terrible act against the target character in the past (such as, for example, torturing him), you will have a harder time Swaying him, as you’ll first need to obtain forgiveness for your past misdeeds. This can be accomplished through special events fired while Swaying a character that truly hates you. If successful, rather than gaining a positive opinion modifier, you will see the target character lose the negative opinion modifier caused by your past crime.


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Antagonize works in the opposite way: its chances of success are based on Intrigue rather than Diplomacy, and the action will push your targeted character into hating you more and more, all the way to becoming your Rival.
This is not all, of course: Antagonizing a character will give you the opportunity to hurt him indirectly, destabilizing either his realm or his mind. Additionally, if your ruler is Cruel, Deceitful, or has any other wicked trait, Antagonizing will be a good way to refine his skills and maintain a good mental state.

Both Sway and Antagonize come with a large set of flavor events, providing new and varied ways to either befriend or hinder your ruler’s most and least favorite acquaintances.
 
Can you sway neighbor rulers to help you against a bigger foe? also does this mean people will be more willing to sign a nonaggression act? Swaying rulers is something i always hoped would be in the game.
 
Can we use the Sway and Antagonize mechanics on one person, simultaneously? I want to have a love-hate relationship with some people.

If you're playing someone with split personalities....I could see that happening.
 
This seems like a neat option. Will there be special Sway options for siblings and dynasty members? It's annoying when a close relative is more concerned with his claim on one of my titles than helping me against an existential threat to the dynasty.
 
No, being in China, he is always well beyond range. You can Sway/Antagonize the Western Protectorate General though, if you are within his diplomatic range.
You also cannot Sway your religious head, though you can Antagonize it, if you so desire.


Yes.

I believe the pope is already quite open about excommunicating me.. At least now I have a counter antagonize choice against his antagonizing :D
 
Two ideas -

1 - Get married to someone with lots of similar traits to you and huge respect for your dynasty, realm history (eg Long Reign) and general modifiers (eg Crusader). Give them a gift and a fistful of honorary titles. Take the Seduction Focus and make them your Lover, then switch to Carousing and make them your Friend. Land them first with a Barony, then a County, then a Duchy, then set your Chancellor to Improve Relations with them. Make them a Councilor. Start Swaying them until their opinion of you goes over +1000, then watch it roll over back to -1000 or their brain explodes !

2 - Adopt a Christian heresy and immediately get to work Swaying the Pope. Wait until he is at +100 opinion of you then switch back to Catholic.

Profit !

:D
 
Two ideas -

1 - Get married to someone with lots of similar traits to you and huge respect for your dynasty, realm history (eg Long Reign) and general modifiers (eg Crusader). Give them a gift and a fistful of honorary titles. Take the Seduction Focus and make them your Lover, then switch to Carousing and make them your Friend. Land them first with a Barony, then a County, then a Duchy, then set your Chancellor to Improve Relations with them. Make them a Councilor. Start Swaying them until their opinion of you goes over +1000, then watch it roll over back to -1000 or their brain explodes !

2 - Adopt a Christian heresy and immediately get to work Swaying the Pope. Wait until he is at +100 opinion of you then switch back to Catholic.

Profit !

:D
Too bad it's only temporary...

How long do the effects of "swaying" last btw?
 
Two ideas -

1 - Get married to someone with lots of similar traits to you and huge respect for your dynasty, realm history (eg Long Reign) and general modifiers (eg Crusader). Give them a gift and a fistful of honorary titles. Take the Seduction Focus and make them your Lover, then switch to Carousing and make them your Friend. Land them first with a Barony, then a County, then a Duchy, then set your Chancellor to Improve Relations with them. Make them a Councilor. Start Swaying them until their opinion of you goes over +1000, then watch it roll over back to -1000 or their brain explodes !

2 - Adopt a Christian heresy and immediately get to work Swaying the Pope. Wait until he is at +100 opinion of you then switch back to Catholic.

Profit !

:D
srry whats the point of #2?
 
I hope for more actions that can be performed. Like tricking people to revolt or imprison other, or go on some adventures, visit towns, monastery, hunt for relics, hunt heretics, visit... er... brothel, etc,...

It would be neat if you can plot against someone then put the blames on your enemy instead
 
Two ideas -
:
2 - Adopt a Christian heresy and immediately get to work Swaying the Pope. Wait until he is at +100 opinion of you then switch back to Catholic.

Profit !

:D
srry whats the point of #2?

Apparently you won't be able to Sway the Head of your own religion as it would be too powerful, but if you convert Sway and then convert back again you could get to +100 opinion and then use that to ask the Pope for cash, a sanctioned invasion or a divorce.
 
This is a very exciting dev diary for what was already a very exciting expansion.

I hope you reconsider not being able to Sway non-theocratic religious heads though. If you are the Fylkir it would be frustrating if your vassals can only target you with Antagonize (or does the AI have somewhat looser restrictions if the player is the religious head?). If you are playing the vassal of your religious head, having that option locked out towards your lord also seems unfortunate. With the reform mechanics, perhaps only lock it out if the religious head can grant particular favors that seem too strong? With the opinion system is it possible to have the AI ignore certain modifiers when considering specific decisions?
 
This is a very exciting dev diary for what was already a very exciting expansion.

I hope you reconsider not being able to Sway non-theocratic religious heads though. If you are the Fylkir it would be frustrating if your vassals can only target you with Antagonize (or does the AI have somewhat looser restrictions if the player is the religious head?). If you are playing the vassal of your religious head, having that option locked out towards your lord also seems unfortunate. With the reform mechanics, perhaps only lock it out if the religious head can grant particular favors that seem too strong? With the opinion system is it possible to have the AI ignore certain modifiers when considering specific decisions?
Maybe only allow characters to Sway a religious head if they are landed and the religious head is their immediate liege?

That would mean it would apply to the Pope only in a handful of cases, but temporal heads like the Caliph or Fylkir (or in the Faerun mod - plug, plug - the Pharaoh of Mulhorand or the Grand Lama of Ra-Khati) would still be approachable by their leading vassals.

nd
 
I am always for making the game more "personal". However, I am afraid it may imbalance the game a bit, making realms more stable (since it's technically 1 more vassal who likes you and even without the carousing focus).