Travel and Location Mechanics: Huge Potentials if used right

[Tschobo]

While I see some points of the future Major Pack as rather critical (espescially the Red Wedding stuff. Why? Paradox why? No funerals and coronations but a Red wedding addition?) I also want to highlight one mechanic that can bring huge potential for CK3. And that is the Travel Mechanic.

But it needs to be used and implemented in a good manner. While the first screenshots has only shown interrealm travel and pilgrimages it can also be used for other functions. Like to Kings visiting the Pope to clear up a conflict between Catholic Kings were it is also in the interest of the faith. Or a Khazar Ruler visiting the Byzantine Emperor in Kerch to discuss a Peace Treaty between realms that are originally having a hostile faith with each other. Or a foreign Duke capturing a Bumbling King on the way back from a Crusade and handing him over to the Holy Roman Emperor.

Here the potential is limitless and it could also be interesting for future mechanics as adventurers and landless Hordes, as well as Mercenaries that should have a region or county where they have their base (Similar to Imperator: Rome). But I really hope the mechanic will be used right and there is no sudden teleportation of characters or troops. For Role Playing this is a more valuable thing, but it should be also mechanically a sound system.

But what is your take on the travel mechanic? Do you like its potential and do you believe that Paradox will use it right compared to the Royal Court.

 

[Truenorth14]

I think it has great potential and I personally hope they use it for some sanity checks for events as well. If the ruler of France, my friend the Ruler of Italy should not show up for events unless we are actively in the same spot. Same thing if I am on Crusade if my wife gets pregnant while she is my regent I should be very suspicious.

 

[ZéMalta]

These mechanics are all looking very good! The risk is being repetitive, so better to be modular and variable than way too detailed. But I'm excited to walk the map, find new ways to relate with other characters, rulers or courtiers. New diplomacies and negotiation avenues.

And yeah, I wanted (as OPB putted in Youtube) Coronations and travels for penitence (to Rome). As well as Funerals. When your character has seen so many people die in their life, it would be nice to be able to revisit the graves and relive memories when you had really nice burials (or burnings). Who knows, maybe they will make a Pack about disease and death (and penitence).

One interesting thing is how much of the new systems will be used in future content. That can mean really good things for the future of CK3.

 

[Haze88]

I explained it here but I'm hoping this can spice up intrigue more than anything as someone who leans on it heavily

 

[Bisonmask]

One of the things I hope for is a reduction in travel times across the board and a need to slow down the gamespeed. Having a genuine campaign season would be a great way to make winter/storm seasons matter and allow for the kinds of lower-scale war the game currently just doesn't model.

And all of this is one step closer to the dream of playable barons

 

[Torngasuk]

Here the potential is limitless and it could also be interesting for future mechanics as adventurers and landless Hordes, as well as Mercenaries that should have a region or county where they have their base (Similar to Imperator: Rome). But I really hope the mechanic will be used right and there is no sudden teleportation of characters or troops. For Role Playing this is a more valuable thing, but it should be also mechanically a sound system.

But what is your take on the travel mechanic? Do you like its potential and do you believe that Paradox will use it right compared to the Royal Court.

I use this word a lot lately, but the travel system seems fairly foundational to me, significantly more so than Royal Court. There's just so much that could be built on top of this just at a glance. Some of which it seems we're getting already, with revised pilgrimages, but that still leaves a clear road to migratory steppe and desert nomads, merchant caravans and trade routes (can't really have a proper trade route in a character-centric game without people using it, after all), or even wandering Sufi mystics (mere words cannot properly express my enthusiasm for eventually getting Sufism in-game). It has immense potential, but not just potential, because it sounds like we're already going to get some interesting and solid uses for it in Tours & Tournaments. Almost everything that's been described is something that I wanted, and we're getting a system that looks like a fantastic springboard to even more things I want. Sounds good to me.

 

[comsnt]

I was thinking about that earlier, and I completely agree. Fundamentally, the game and everything that happens in it comes from two things: characters and the stuff they do;, and the map, the place where everything happens. Therefore, tying those two things togheter it's the most mechanically impactfull addition possible to the game. Every single future change o addition to the game could be significantly better if this two things, the map and characters, interact well with each other. Let me give a few examples:

- Imperial/Beurecratic mechanics would imensely benefit from it, since it can now be modeled the reality that is hard to seize power or grow your influence if are not close to the seat of power. In Byzatium, for instance, if you are a strategos far of Constatinople you first have to get there to be a threat to the Basileus power.

- Nomads could now be really impacted by their specifc location and the conditions of the place. If the region is super populated and low on resources, they have no choice but to invade some place where they could survive, like Persia. Makes sense, right?

- And of course, like us in the real life, you could only be in one place at a time, so lets say someone are invading a Duchy in you kingdom, you can stay in the capital, potentially losing that Duchy, or you can go yourself to lead the defense, leaving a regent in the capital... and losing your entire Kingdom. The choice of where you are, and where you go would matter a lot.

T&T can be a huge foundation that will support a lot of other great mechanics thet everyone wants. Of course, as the OP said, it has do be done right. We'll know in the next week's DDs. I am very confident in the Dev's work, and very excited to see whats we'll have.

 

[Twentyfists]

These mechanics are all looking very good! The risk is being repetitive, so better to be modular and variable than way too detailed. But I'm excited to walk the map, find new ways to relate with other characters, rulers or courtiers. New diplomacies and negotiation avenues.

And yeah, I wanted (as OPB putted in Youtube) Coronations and travels for penitence (to Rome). As well as Funerals. When your character has seen so many people die in their life, it would be nice to be able to revisit the graves and relive memories when you had really nice burials (or burnings). Who knows, maybe they will make a Pack about disease and death (and penitence).

One interesting thing is how much of the new systems will be used in future content. That can mean really good things for the future of CK3.

To me, the implementation of those other events becomes both much easier and much more fulfilling with a travel mechanic already implemented. You're no longer teleporting, your character is actually traveling to Rome for their penance, at some personal expense.

 

[Tschobo]

I use this word a lot lately, but the travel system seems fairly foundational to me, significantly more so than Royal Court. There's just so much that could be built on top of this just at a glance. Some of which it seems we're getting already, with revised pilgrimages, but that still leaves a clear road to migratory steppe and desert nomads, merchant caravans and trade routes (can't really have a proper trade route in a character-centric game without people using it, after all), or even wandering Sufi mystics (mere words cannot properly express my enthusiasm for eventually getting Sufism in-game). It has immense potential, but not just potential, because it sounds like we're already going to get some interesting and solid uses for it in Tours & Tournaments. Almost everything that's been described is something that I wanted, and we're getting a system that looks like a fantastic springboard to even more things I want. Sounds good to me.

Unlike the RC the Travel mechanic would bring Back travel events that we already had in CK2. But with a much more grounded basis as they were also pretty unclear where and when they happened but here we can See the location on the map. We can have a more realistic approach to that and this is always a win.

I was thinking about that earlier, and I completely agree. Fundamentally, the game and everything that happens in it comes from two things: characters and the stuff they do;, and the map, the place where everything happens. Therefore, tying those two things togheter it's the most mechanically impactfull addition possible to the game. Every single future change o addition to the game could be significantly better if this two things, the map and characters, interact well with each other. Let me give a few examples:

- Imperial/Beurecratic mechanics would imensely benefit from it, since it can now be modeled the reality that is hard to seize power or grow your influence if are not close to the seat of power. In Byzatium, for instance, if you are a strategos far of Constatinople you first have to get there to be a threat to the Basileus power.

- Nomads could now be really impacted by their specifc location and the conditions of the place. If the region is super populated and low on resources, they have no choice but to invade some place where they could survive, like Persia. Makes sense, right?

- And of course, like us in the real life, you could only be in one place at a time, so lets say someone are invading a Duchy in you kingdom, you can stay in the capital, potentially losing that Duchy, or you can go yourself to lead the defense, leaving a regent in the capital... and losing your entire Kingdom. The choice of where you are, and where you go would matter a lot.

T&T can be a huge foundation that will support a lot of other great mechanics thet everyone wants. Of course, as the OP said, it has do be done right. We'll know in the next week's DDs. I am very confident in the Dev's work, and very excited to see whats we'll have.

Yes, for these mechanics are important. And it could also work for other things.

They could make Usurping realms more realistic as the usurped pretty much lost everything and not just the Capital. Imagine being the King of Bavaria and losing your realm to your Cousin. You we're able to escape with some troops and money but lost the land. But with the Help of your Father-in-law, the King of Croatia and your Friend, the Current Pope you are forcing your Cousin from the realm.

Same for potential nomads and tribes. If they they want to risk it more they could sacrifice their landed holdings to get more Special units to try to take over a new duchy.

It could make play sessions where you could end up landless for short amounts of time feasible and that would be great.

 

[ZéMalta]

Makes me think, with all the teasers (before the official announcement for the DLC), we knew there would be travels and regents. But... I also thought there would be more nomadic life stuff, like itinerant courts that spend most of their out of the "capital". I understand they would've had to revamp the entire thing and it would be a tough design to make work and be satisfactory.

But Tours and Tournaments is really Europe based. So no nomadic stuff yet. I'm not a giant fan of nomadic government, but I've wanted to experiment and get into them since I played CK2 back in the day. But in a way is better to have a pack dedicated only for that, rather than gluing it partially done into another themed pack.

Either way, I hope it does lay some framework for such contents. Landless and wandering characters could have some more organicity too, besides having some really interesting cases of being visited by an emperor, foreigner ruler, holy man (or even the pope), during their journeys.

 

[MAju]

Tour system has very huge potentials. The problem is the Royal Court did so too but we got a random event generator separated from other parts of gameplay instead of internal politics and palace intrigue.

I'm so worrying 'go on a tour' and 'hold a tournament' will be new 'hold court', neglectable action which improvises repetitive random events for fake roleplay.

 

[Pepper13900]

I am really hyped with the travel mechanic, and hope that the implementation will be good.

I do have a concern, though : will this travel mechanic itself (excluding tours, tournaments and stuff) be locked behind the DLC, or will it be "free" (i.e. included in the base game) so that it can be expanded upon in future DLCs ?

Has this point been answered somewhere ?

 

[comsnt]

I am really hyped with the travel mechanic, and hope that the implementation will be good.

I do have a concern, though : will this travel mechanic itself (excluding tours, tournaments and stuff) be locked behind the DLC, or will it be "free" (i.e. included in the base game) so that it can be expanded upon in future DLCs ?

Has this point been answered somewhere ?

Good question. My guess, and hope, is that the travel mechanic will be in the free patch, but the activities that use it will be paid in the DLC. That way mods and future DLCs can add new activities that require travel.

 

[The Shacks]

Travel will be free along some of the more bread and butter travel events, the high profile ones like great weddings and tournies will be locked behind the paywall.

 

[Pepper13900]

Travel will be free along some of the more bread and butter travel events, the high profile ones like great weddings and tournies will be locked behind the paywall.

That's what we are all hoping for, and assuming is true (at least in this thread).

But has it been confirmed by the Devs ?

I can't find any confirmation on this matter in the forum or on the Steam page for T&T.

 

[PDXOxycoon]

But has it been confirmed by the Devs ?

The travel system itself is baseline. I believe there is still some teleporting, but we are doing a pass to eliminate as much as possible of it that we can easily do without needing to do big overhauls of existing systems. I cannot remember what still teleports, but there will likely be some teleporting left due to some limitations and implementation details that we haven't gotten sorted for Tours and Tournaments.

Note I haven't really been involved in the Travel system, so this is just what I remember from the top of my head, so take it with a grain of salt.

Stay tuned for the Dev Diary on the specifics of it.

 

[ToraktheNord]

The travel system itself is baseline. I believe there is still some teleporting, but we are doing a pass to eliminate as much as possible of it that we can easily do without needing to do big overhauls of existing systems. I cannot remember what still teleports, but there will likely be some teleporting left due to some limitations and implementation details that we haven't gotten sorted for Tours and Tournaments.

Note I haven't really been involved in the Travel system, so this is just what I remember from the top of my head, so take it with a grain of salt.

Stay tuned for the Dev Diary on the specifics of it.

I would guess some of the left teleportation will be generals being dismissed/changing from an army? Thank you for answering though, that clears up a lot of concerns for me! Can't wait for the DD that goes into detail of it.

 

[WestuHal]

Great news from PDXOxycoon, which gives me hope that the new travel system will be subsequently built upon and will ultimately prove to be one that revolutionises the game.

 

[Torngasuk]

The travel system itself is baseline. I believe there is still some teleporting, but we are doing a pass to eliminate as much as possible of it that we can easily do without needing to do big overhauls of existing systems. I cannot remember what still teleports, but there will likely be some teleporting left due to some limitations and implementation details that we haven't gotten sorted for Tours and Tournaments.

That sounds entirely reasonable. This is a massive game with an incredible number of moving parts, and I can definitely see some things posing a challenge to eliminate teleportation for without an even more radical overhaul of other mechanics. Appreciate the confirmation, and looking forward to seeing more!

 

[PDXOxycoon]

Great news from PDXOxycoon, which gives me hope that the new travel system will be subsequently built upon and will ultimately prove to be one that revolutionises the game.

I have ideas! LOTS of ideas! We'll see where it takes us. I need to take time to whisper words into the designers and game director's ears after ToTo.