Dev Diary #94 - Conquest and Reconquest

[IndigoRage]

I think it should be "Can prepare a reconquest war more cheaply" rather than "Can prepare a reconquest war cheaper." Or "Can prepare a cheaper reconquest war".

English isn't the first language of most of the staff at Paradox, so there's not much point in pointing this stuff out a lot of the time. At least this was understandable. If you read Groogy's Holy Fury AAR for instance it's very easy to become lost because there are about 5 major syntax errors per sentence. Usually the dev diaries themselves scarcely have these problems so I would leave it be unless it's something like have/has which are switched a lot for Swedish speakers for some reason.

 

[rus-chel]

In the end the end catholics are getting way more love compared with pagans.
I wish all paganisms could get more than 1 holy order per religion. Hell, it's only catholics getting multiple (5 now).
Empire-level pagans should get second holy order.
And about bloodlines - what if ONE character (say emperor of HRE) is getting involved in multiple versions crusders (helped childer crusade, shepards crusade, normal crusade and Northern crusade) will he get only one, change(?!), or is there "ultimate bloodline" if after 80 years of endless Deus Vult you managed to punish those infidels good?

 

[Almirante]

I love the attention Iberia is getting!

However, I must express my discontentment with your decision to make the Reconquista even easier, taking two duchies at a time. In reality, the Reconquista was a hard and very long process where small plots of land were taken at a time.

While it is true that the Portuguese soldiers had an astounding prowess in combat and Portuguese commanders had unparalleled strategic capability (not the Castilian ones, their share of the Reconquista went well into the 15th century and by then Portugal was already enacting vengeance, taking lands in North Africa), I still do not believe it to be enough to take all of Iberia by 1100 (1066 start date), as I predict will happen with these mechanics, and under special circumstances even happens in the current state of the game.

 

[Snow Crystal]

English isn't the first language of most of the staff at Paradox, so there's not much point in pointing this stuff out a lot of the time. At least this was understandable. If you read Groogy's Holy Fury AAR for instance it's very easy to become lost because there are about 5 major syntax errors per sentence. Usually the dev diaries themselves scarcely have these problems so I would leave it be unless it's something like have/has which are switched a lot for Swedish speakers for some reason.

The things that have been shown this week are pretty unfiltered, as QA hasn't checked it at all yet, so... Well... Stuff like this squeezes through. That is why I have been pretty consistent with the "Things aren't finalized" throughout all of summer.

 

[CatilinamSum]

The things that have been shown this week are pretty unfiltered, as QA hasn't checked it at all yet, so... Well... Stuff like this squeezes through. That is why I have been pretty consistent with the "Things aren't finalized" throughout all of summer.

Is there a job opening for Official Event Text Proofreader?

 

[klopkr]

This is really wonderful. I hope to see a similar ‘reconquista’ mechanic in Anatolia with turkish muslims.

Also maybe it would be cool for catholosism to have it in Italy and musilims in Arabia to help bolster the defences of those regions for the faith.

 

[CatilinamSum]

I love the attention Iberia is getting!

However, I must express my discontentment with your decision to make the Reconquista even easier, taking two duchies at a time. In reality, the Reconquista was a hard and very long process where small plots of land were taken at a time.

While it is true that the Portuguese soldiers had an astounding prowess in combat and Portuguese commanders had unparalleled strategic capability (not the Castilian ones, their share of the Reconquista went well into the 15th century and by then Portugal was already enacting vengeance, taking lands in North Africa), I still do not believe it to be enough to take all of Iberia by 1100 (1066 start date), as I predict will happen with these mechanics, and under special circumstances even happens in the current state of the game.

It sounds like the Prepare Reconquista Campaign decision will cost a good deal of resources, perhaps analogous to a Prepared Invasion that also involves an investment. As such, these wars probably won’t be that common.

 

[Woifee]

I’ll miss the rogue DDs. I felt like a bad boy reading them

 

[classicist]

Well, overall the DLC seems to be shaping into a really excellent package. Congratulations to PDX for yet another way of keeping a person hooked on the game after all these years.

I do hope, however, that the situation in Iberia is very carefully balanced. While Umayyad invasions of Francia and the rest of the West are still quite common in the two earliest start dates, it would be really preferable if playthroughs from the later dates would not result in the fast extinction of the taifas. Reconquista definitely sounds like an easier task at the moment, but one hopes that the Muslim powers really DO flock to defend the targets of such a CB.

 

[Jakalak]

Limited to a specific region which HIGHELY needed a Christian buff.

Maybe, maybe not, but I personally just don't feel that adventurers are a great way to fix it that imbalance because they're more or less totally abstracted out of the gameplay cycle without any way to anticipate or prepare for them other than saving enough treasury money for mercenaries at all times.

Also I personally just find them really annoying.

So I'm really glad to hear that we'll be able to choose whether or not to have them without risking going into achievement withdrawal.

 

[Thure]

Maybe, maybe not, but I personally just don't feel that adventurers are a great way to fix it that imbalance because they're more or less totally abstracted out of the gameplay cycle without any way to anticipate or prepare for them other than saving enough treasury money for mercenaries at all times.

Also I personally just find them really annoying.

So I'm really glad to hear that we'll be able to choose whether or not to have them without risking going into achievement withdrawal.

They are in, because people like El Cid did exist historically.

 

[ernst_earnest]

English isn't the first language of most of the staff at Paradox, so there's not much point in pointing this stuff out a lot of the time. At least this was understandable. If you read Groogy's Holy Fury AAR for instance it's very easy to become lost because there are about 5 major syntax errors per sentence. Usually the dev diaries themselves scarcely have these problems so I would leave it be unless it's something like have/has which are switched a lot for Swedish speakers for some reason.

Where can I find Groogys AAR?

 

[TinWiz]

They should get events telling them about the gathering christians as well. We haven't given them a lot of new events or the like in this specific case, but we often see the Christians failing at getting a foothold into the Baltics, as the Romuvans/Suomenuskos stick together in all Holy Wars against them.

You could send them Geralt of Rivia...

 

[SilverSquid1810]

Apologies if this has been answered previously in the thread, but how much of a "fighting chance" do the other sides in these Crusades get? It seems like it'd be really easy to just grab immense amounts of land via Reconquista, for example, unless the Muslim states get some help here and there?

I am glad that it looks like Asturias isn't just going to get steamrolled in earlier starts anymore.

 

[SilverSquid1810]

You could send them Geralt of Rivia...

Wind's howling.

 

[Captured Joe]

Hey, don't forget the Livonian Order too.

Hear, hear!

 

[Naughtius Maximus]

Limited to a specific region which HIGHELY needed a Christian buff.

Not really. It would be needed if Umayyads expanded out of control every game, but it already is not the case.

Barring player intervention (particularly raiding or compromising modern Germany,) Umayyads rarely make it out of Aquitane and/or Brittany before being piled on by Crusades. Since they don't get reciprocal Jihads, they often get pushed out over the years.

That's assuming they even form Hispania these days. Claimant faction buff did a number on Ummayyads, and will occasionally split Ilberia in two. Which completely stops any expansion into Aquitane/Britanny.

And that's not even including 1066 where Andalusia is fractured. France and whoever is in Italy usually complete the reconquest way ahead of schedule.

There is zero justification for this buff. If they wanted to make it "more historical" all they needed to do was make Asturias a vassal tributary.

In the end the end catholics are getting way more love compared with pagans.
I wish all paganisms could get more than 1 holy order per religion. Hell, it's only catholics getting multiple (5 now).
Empire-level pagans should get second holy order.
And about bloodlines - what if ONE character (say emperor of HRE) is getting involved in multiple versions crusders (helped childer crusade, shepards crusade, normal crusade and Northern crusade) will he get only one, change(?!), or is there "ultimate bloodline" if after 80 years of endless Deus Vult you managed to punish those infidels good?

I would argue against more merc troops (holy orders, really) and would just cut Catholic Holy Order troop count by 1/5. That way 5 Catholic Holy Orders = 1 normal order, but they keep their advantage in versatility. You can still hire a holy order if one is busy elsewhere, unlike other religions where they are almost never available as they are busy elsewhere.

 

[Woifee]

Apologies if this has been answered previously in the thread, but how much of a "fighting chance" do the other sides in these Crusades get? It seems like it'd be really easy to just grab immense amounts of land via Reconquista, for example, unless the Muslim states get some help here and there?

I am glad that it looks like Asturias isn't just going to get steamrolled in earlier starts anymore.

In 769 and 867 I assume almost none. Umayyads are just to strong.

 

[Jakalak]

They are in, because people like El Cid did exist historically.

I have no problem with that. My problem is the compete lack of gameplay mechanics to make them interesting or enjoyable. On that point, I'll grant that I actually really enjoy the addition to these Iberian adventurers that rulers can sponsor them (although, it's probably just a random event given to a random ruler, rather than something that can be initiated). This process helps to actually give some meaning and purpose to adventurers other than just random people showing up to declare war on you with random troops that they gained mysteriously.

To bring it back to the thread, although it's too late for suggestions probably, I'd really like if there was a way to sponsor these adventurers if they lose, or something along the lines of that. For instance, an opportunity to grant them a county and they get Loyal Servant modifier, at which point there's a timer for you to declare a war for his claim. If you fail to meet the timer he could potentially rebel. Or just invite them to your court and potentially press their claim and gain them as a vassal.

Additionally, although this is probably outside of the mechanics of the game, it would be neat if Iberian adventurers could function somewhat similarly to either mercenary bands, with different rulers being able to pool money together for troops/equipment, etc, unless they're already using the Childrens' Crusade events so that the adventurers can travel to the courts of multiple rulers to attempt to enlist more money/troops/support/etc.

I think it would really add to roleplay/immersion/etc.

 

[Aardvark Bellay]

Where can I find Groogys AAR?

After Action Reports subforum for CK2,..
which is linked in the top subforums list.
The thread is among the first ten or so. Rather obvious to find.

I don't link it to prevent it getting infested.