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CK2 Dev Diary #17: Crusader Cats

Hello everyone! I’m Virvatuli, one of the Content Designers on The Reaper’s Due, which also happens to be my very first project here at Paradox. It’s been so much fun working on this DLC and I hope you’ll have even more fun playing it! In this week’s DD (another first for me), I will reveal one of Reaper’s most important features. Oh, okay, it might not be that important, but at least it’s my personal favourite and pet project. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you cats.

For the longest time, there’s been a issue regarding the representation of pets in Crusader Kings 2. In the realm of companion animals, there has been a worrisome lack of diversity. Most of you who play Way of Life have probably had a loyal hunting dog, there have been some events regarding birds of prey, and a lucky few Conclave players might have encountered a tiny rodent friend. Sadly, that has been pretty much it on the pet front. To rectify this serious problem we’ve added some additional furry and feathered friends in The Reaper’s Due. As we did, of course we couldn’t leave out the best animal of them all: our Feline Overlords, Befurred Ninjas, Gods of the Internet.

In the new DLC you can befriend a cat in a number of ways. However, as any Dwarf Fortress player or real-life cat lover knows, you do not adopt a cat. A cat adopts you. Once your feline friend has decided that you’re the one and only slave for it, you will receive a fancy “Pet Cat” character modifier (unless you scare it away, you horrible person). It will give your character +1 health, as the cat brings you so much happiness, and +1 intrigue, because we all know that cat owners are a bit more clever than everyone else (hey, it’s science!).

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However, most things can become troublesome in excess, even your love for felines. In every cat owner’s life there comes a time when you ask yourself if you shouldn’t get just one more. At some point, the answer is probably no, at least if you don’t want to scare off all of your friends and repulse the courtiers.

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Unless you want to become even sneakier, that is. Then go ahead and become a Crazy Cat Lady, or a Crazy Cat Lord, if that’s how you identify.

At first thought, one might think that cats would be a very insignificant aspect of a medieval ruler’s life, however, when the Plague comes around to visit this changes drastically. Most of you probably know that the Black Death was likely spread by fleas on rats. Sadly this fact is unknown to ye olde peasant, and when people start to die, some of them might point fingers to our furry protectors. Believe it or not, there are some people who do not like cats. It’s crazy, I know, but trust me on this. How will you deal with their growing fears? Do remember, if you don’t have cats, you’ll have plenty of rats…

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This sneak peak of cats is all you’ll get for now. Don’t worry though, The Reaper’s Due is out on the 25th of August and then you can experience cats for yourself in all their whiskered glory. Next week Darkrenown will talk about more assorted features. Now I need to get back to scripting, there’re still some cat-related subjects which need further exploration… Adieu!
 
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Empress Zoe (1028-1050) had a pet cat named Mechlempe.

"However, in the course of many years Mechlempe ate a lot of food (εἴδη μυρία τῶν τροφῶν) from golden plates. A crew of servants was at his disposition, caterers, cooks, waiters, who cut the food into pieces, and basket-carriers"

"after a lot of polemic remarks Mechlempe finally, on the last page, enters the stage. His part is a marginal one, he is tired and exhausted from the discussions in the senatorial meeting, where he took part together with the empress, and therefore he starts yawning"
 
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I'm fairly sure someone has said it by now, but I don't have the patience to read through 18 pages of responses, but peasant's reactions to cats in the time of the black death is historically (at least anecdotally so) accurate.

Remember THIS IS AN ANECDOTE; I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS TRUE OR NOT, BUT IT IS WHAT I HAVE HEARD AND READ, THOUGH I CANNOT SOURCE IT: Cats were seen as the devil's familiars, and consequently, the cause of the plague, so they were killed by the thousands. Ironically, it was the cats who killed the rats that actually spread the plague, and so the killing of the cats only made things worse.
 
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I'm fairly sure someone has said it by now, but I don't have the patience to read through 18 pages of responses, but peasant's reactions to cats in the time of the black death is historically (at least anecdotally so) accurate.

Remember THIS IS AN ANECDOTE; I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS TRUE OR NOT, BUT IT IS WHAT I HAVE HEARD AND READ, THOUGH I CANNOT SOURCE IT: Cats were seen as the devil's familiars, and consequently, the cause of the plague, so they were killed by the thousands. Ironically, it was the cats who killed the rats that actually spread the plague, and so the killing of the cats only made things worse.

At first thought, one might think that cats would be a very insignificant aspect of a medieval ruler’s life, however, when the Plague comes around to visit this changes drastically. Most of you probably know that the Black Death was likely spread by fleas on rats. Sadly this fact is unknown to ye olde peasant, and when people start to die, some of them might point fingers to our furry protectors. Believe it or not, there are some people who do not like cats. It’s crazy, I know, but trust me on this. How will you deal with their growing fears? Do remember, if you don’t have cats, you’ll have plenty of rats…

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@JermanTK: Yes, I was saying that it was historically accurate to have cat killings. I read the initial post. But what is included in the game is not by definition always historically accurate.
 
This is an atrocity. Adding cats and not making them NPCs is quite literally the worst design decision in CK history.

I mean, is the game even worth playing if you can't grant your cat a bishopric and get him elected Pope? Well, no. No it isn't.

I sincerely hope this will be fixed asap.
 
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This is an atrocity. Adding cats and not making them NPCs is quite literally the worst design decision in CK history.

I mean, is the game even worth playing if you can't grant your cat a bishopric and get him elected Pope? Well, no. No it isn't.

I sincerely hope this will be fixed asap.

If I can do it with my horse, why can't I do it with my cat?

Paradox is Catcist.
 
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If I can do it with my horse, why can't I do it with my cat?

Paradox is Catcist.
I just read that without context and though it's one of those: marry my sister and/or daughter kind of thing.

After all, you can marry a horse, once you successfuly create more.
 
Dogs are better though.

FINALLY!!!

Someone states the truth!

Come, brother, let us play fetch with our superior four-legged friends!
 
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Why argue over cats and dogs though?
Everyone knows that there is no better animal than a wild marten living at your attic, hunting mice and making you pull your hair out at night because it's running as wildly as if it's being hunted by Satan.
Or maybe that's just what the one living at my house does, dunno about other people's...
 
Is this a joke?
Were there even cats in Europe during the Middle ages?

There were... although (at least in Christendom - the Islamic world had a more favorably opinion) cats were generally regarded as harbingers of madness, and cities frequently had festivals where the slaughter of all the cats of the city were the subject of the festivities. I do not mind the trending of CK2 towards more of an RPG-style game (I myself have enjoyed being lost from time to time in the stories of my characters), but this exaltation of the animals that spread T. Gondii in the name of contemporary pop-culture humor is a little bothersome.
 
There were... although (at least in Christendom - the Islamic world had a more favorably opinion) cats were generally regarded as harbingers of madness, and cities frequently had festivals where the slaughter of all the cats of the city were the subject of the festivities. I do not mind the trending of CK2 towards more of an RPG-style game (I myself have enjoyed being lost from time to time in the stories of my characters), but this exaltation of the animals that spread T. Gondii in the name of contemporary pop-culture humor is a little bothersome.

Meh, T. Gondii is overhyped. Not to mention most people get it from unwashed fruit or milk or raw meat and not directly from their cats.

And the vibe I get is that cats were fine in the medieval ages until someone needed a scapecat.
 
Jokes aside, if a character is insane and owns a pet(dog or cat, doesn't matter) s/he should have the ability to appoint them councillor instead of a horse. It would make somewhat more sense.
 
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Jokes aside, if a character is insane and owns a pet(dog or cat, doesn't matter) s/he should have the ability to appoint them councillor instead of a horse. It would make somewhat more sense.
How would it make "more" sense? I know of at least one horse that was made Senator and Consul, I don't recall any cats or dogs being given official positions. Some did get medals in wars thoug, maybe naming them commanders? ;)
 
How would it make "more" sense? I know of at least one horse that was made Senator and Consul, I don't recall any cats or dogs being given official positions. Some did get medals in wars thoug, maybe naming them commanders? ;)

I used the word "sense" very loosely. But I mean, I would rather entrust the affairs of the realm to the paws of a cat than hoves of a horse. You know? Maybe it's just my modern thinking, or because I have owned cats and dogs but never horses, but if I imagine myself as a king, sitting in council, and I don't trust my human councillors...I would ask advice from my cat or dog. Never a horse. That would be rather silly, even for a lunatic.
 
I used the word "sense" very loosely. But I mean, I would rather entrust the affairs of the realm to the paws of a cat than hoves of a horse. You know? Maybe it's just my modern thinking, or because I have owned cats and dogs but never horses, but if I imagine myself as a king, sitting in council, and I don't trust my human councillors...I would ask advice from my cat or dog. Never a horse. That would be rather silly, even for a lunatic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incitatus
 
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Jokes aside, if a character is insane and owns a pet(dog or cat, doesn't matter) s/he should have the ability to appoint them councillor instead of a horse. It would make somewhat more sense.

Nah, even an insane character would realize that cats really aren't councilor material.