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Dev Diary #114 - And the Winner is…

Greetings!

The polls are closed, and the winner is…

Wards and Wardens

Which I’m very excited about! Not only because it was the theme I personally liked the best, but because there’s a lot of interesting history to explore! We’ll definitely aim to make both rearing and playing as children more historically immersive, while also adding timeless content such as the (sometimes tenuous, sometimes wholesome) relations between parent and child.

As mentioned in the previous Dev Diary, this event pack will be worked on later this year, after the next expansion is finished. For now, we will slowly start drawing out plans of content we’d like to make, and areas that’d be fun to explore - and here you can help!

If you have a specific topic you’d like to see made into an event, or a situation you’d like to see expanded upon, please reply in this thread!

For example, a specific topic might be ‘I’d like to see an event about one of my foreign wards missing their home’ or ‘I’d like an event where I as a child can become best friends with a vassal child’.

Examples of situations you’d like to see improved could be ‘I’d like to have the ability to impose a specific personality trait on a ward’, or ‘I’d like if educating another ruler’s child would have more diplomatic benefits/complications’.

Finally, I’d like to leave you with another small teaser for the expansion. Last time some of you came extremely close to the truth, to the point where we had the artist of the image giggling with excitement… we’re hoping this one will throw you off a bit.

teaser2.png

[Image - Teaser2]
 
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Given the teaser, and the previous hint that the next expansion will be to do with roleplaying and increase the connection between the map and character, I'm assuming these are locations that you can visit? And the expansion is going to be to do with moving around the map, going to various places etc?
 
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To bo honest what is really missing from the experience of being a child ruler is regencies, but we're not going to get that here. But your tutor getting somexwhat involved ? Encouraging you to take some decisions ? If they're of a different culture maybe making you meet people of his culture etc ?
 
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I'd like to see an expansion on Rulers adopting a child who may eventually become the heir to throne, especially childless ones.

The child might be a local peasant or a neighboring orphaned prince(ss). The child should ideally be on the way to have at least one good stat.

Related to that, I'd like to see events in which, upon ascending to the throne, their legitimacy is being challenged by a powerful vassal in which the they could duel with through their diplomacy or intrigue.

I'd also like to see your ward coming of age to be "offered a position in court" which matches their education, ESPECIALLY if they're not an heir to any title.
 
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My biggest hope is for a rework to the personality trait-event events and the need for them to be so rigid and never having any sort of moderate response.
 
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Maybe is wishful thinking by my part, but Wards and Wardens could be the right occasion to touch the topic of regencies.

(don't know if an event pack has that kind of scope but as I said, wishful thinking! lol)
 
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I think something that's really defining in childhood is developing one's sexuality. Maybe we could get a series of events where we can have influence on the type of sexuality we develop? As far as I know, currently we only get an event saying "Oh, by the way, you're into girls now!" whereas that would've been an ongoing process over several years. One would have to be careful to keep it tasteful, of course.

Also, with child rulers there have been many instances where other people at court used the youth of their ruler to concentrate power in their own hands (advisors, close relatives etc., a process that we could maybe fall prey to or have to battle against in order to prevent its happening.
 
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Given the teaser, and the previous hint that the next expansion will be to do with roleplaying and increase the connection between the map and character, I'm assuming these are locations that you can visit? And the expansion is going to be to do with moving around the map, going to various places etc?
I was under the same impression. I hope militaries become more autonomous and we get regencies though so we can leave our kingdoms in "safe" hands whilst adventuring around the map
 
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If you have a specific topic you’d like to see made into an event, or a situation you’d like to see expanded upon, please reply in this thread!

Also, I'd be remiss not to mention ideas I made into mods, because they'd be better if they were proper features with code support ;)

- hide genetic traits on birth, and unveil them through childhood events
No more genius babies, please!

- make an ironman compatible gamerule for playing a random heir that inherits something, and not necessarily the primary heir
Give some incentive to players to actually care for their offspring besides the one they'll get to play as next!
 
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Also, I'd be remiss not to mention ideas I made into mods, because they'd be better if they were proper features with code support ;)

- hide genetic traits on birth, and unveil them through childhood events
No more genius babies, please!

- make an ironman compatible gamerule for playing a random heir that inherits something, and not necessarily the primary heir
Give some incentive to players to actually care for their offspring besides the one they'll get to play as next!
are there suggestion on the forum for these already that we can upvote?
 
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Regency is the big one, but I feel like more events to make you feel a connection with your kids is a good idea. Especially ways to differentiate them from each other is something that I feel would very much improve things. And then those relations continuing to develop once the children are grown up, both with other kids the same generation and with parents, wardens and other adults.

Some ideas for events:
-Adopting children. For example an older couple that hasn't had any children could adopt a child (either from close family (e.g. a nephew/niece or something), from nobility in general (perhaps there is one ruler with too many children) or just a random lowborn child). This could have reputation effects on the family, but also establish connections to your holdings/other families.

-Favouring children. Perhaps the King has a favourite child that he adore more than the other children. This could play out in many ways, for example that child becoming an arrogant and spoiled person. The other children could potentially hate you and the favoured child, and if they're leaning towards the more sadistic side of things perhaps "accidents could occur"...

-Raising children in other courts. Sending your heir to your neighbor could have a bunch of positive effects, strengthening the bond between you and them. Maybe the child falls in love with your neighbor's daughter, causing drama and a crisis if you intended for them to marry someone else. And if the neighbor is of the more sinister kind, perhaps they could use this as an opportunity to weaken your own position. This could of course play out from the other side of things too, with you receiving wards to raise with your own children.
 
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Feeling like the expansion is gonna be around adventure like stuff, akin to hunts/pilgrimages, and will revamp those too. A bridge clearly based on an irl bridge that's on a pilgrimage route, and now a cave in the wilderness? Can't wait to do some questing as a regal, Middle Ages Indiana Jones.
 
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I really would like to see Regencies. They are really a major thing that's missing from CKIII. Maybe even with a bit of a power struggle as your child ruler enters puberty and starts to try to get involved in and take charge in government.

Someone also mentioned adopting children and raising them. I am not so sure about just adopting random children, but in a situation where you have no kids that can be heirs and you already know that your nephew or grand-nephew will succeed you (or an even more remote member of your dynasty), it would be nice to expand events and gameplay that have you bring the kid to court and how you raise them.
 
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Maybe is wishful thinking by my part, but Wards and Wardens could be the right occasion to touch the topic of regencies.

(don't know if an event pack has that kind of scope but as I said, wishful thinking! lol)
A thread you might be interested in [ here ].
The topic came up a lot in regards to Wards and Wardens and so i started a discussion thread on how regency should look like - general consensus seems to be that most people would probably want a system that is more in-depth and tied to a council expansion rather than a small system that would be in scope of an event pack.
If you have any ideas, feel free to drop them in the discussion :)
 
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Hm. Some ideas:



1. If a child and their guardian don't share a language, add miscommunication events.



2. Something about crushes, currently they basically annihilate at 16.



3. More generally, make 16 less of a quantum jump, have some events that make early teens involved in the realm's adult life (before someone starts crying wolf: I do not mean sexual or anything, the regular adult worries) and/or lower the minimum age for some currently-restricted-to-adults-but-not-romantic-or-sexual events.



4. Allow children to Sway and Befriend others, that's definitely a thing that shouldn't be limited!
 
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I don't think this game should include more role playing events. This game needs more mechanics. Everyone was negative. But this is the case. Yes, this game is a role-playing game, more role-playing elements may come. But I think the places that should be given critical attention are the mechanics. :/
 
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A-HA! I know what this teaser picture is doing! It's making us focus on the dark cave and the forest, but that's just background noise to what's actually important:

1674828070084.png


So obvious. The next expansion is going to be the (honestly, long overdue) Pet Rock expansion. We'll be able to put it on the council, appoint it as our heir, grant titles to it and its descendants, etc. And, to go with the theme, the map will be expanded as well, to encompass the rest of the northern steppe, where the Pet Rock's de jure kingdom - The Great Wall - will become playable.
 
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