[MOD] Regional Immersion and Cultural Enrichment - a cultural flavor pack collection, sequel to Cybrxkhan’s Immersion Packs

[cybrxkhan]

I thought y’all might enjoy this!:

Lost Silk Road cities unearthed in Uzbekistan's high mountains

The discoveries of these high-altitude medieval cities challenge long-held assumptions of the trade network.

www.bbc.com

Whoa that's cool! Thanks for sharing. I've added it to my notes for whenever I get to a Sogdian flavor pack, in case there's some good research that comes out of that I might make use of.

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.13.1 PREVIEW #6​

As another example of where gloss tooltips will be useful in RICE, the next update will add some for various Native American cultures originally added with the North Atlantic flavor pack, such as the Wolastoqiyik (called the Maliseet by the colonial English).

Although I generally stick to established English names for cultures in RICE like in vanilla, I used endonyms where possible for RICE's Native American cultures, as European exonyms can be considered offensive or disrespectful in this situation. However, since many people might not know these endonyms or encounter them as frequently, I thought it would be useful to have gloss tooltips to explain these names, as well as provide a little more information and context about these off-map cultures you might encounter or even play as.

 

[Orinsul]

Having Amerindians use a slightly different format to eurasians helps with the unknown beyond the mapness of them too. Fantastic work making the mod educational!

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.13.1 PREVIEW #7​

This will be the last preview for 1.13.1. After deliberating on what to do after the announcement of Wandering Nobles' release date of Nov. 4, I've decided to release 1.13.1 hopefully in the next few days; it has been much reduced in scope compared to my original plans in order to get it out ASAP. As discussed previously, I'll be very busy IRL when Wandering Nobles is released, so it may take at least 2-3 weeks for RICE to update to the new DLC/patch.

This preview concerns one of a couple new playable landless nobles added to the Kara-Khitai Empire in 1178, as it was made into an Admin realm in RICE 1.13.0: Mahmud Yalavach, a Turkic official and governor under Genghis Khan and his successor Ogedei Khan. He is theorized to have been the same person as a certain Mahmud Tai, a high-ranking Kara-Khitai minister and merchant. If the two Mahmuds are the same man, one can only imagine the very interesting life this guy must've had!

 

[Tensar]

Wandering noble seem to be small, maybe it will not break your mod?

I doubt it's the same Mahmud he would have been very very old to assist Ogedei.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Wandering noble seem to be small, maybe it will not break your mod?

I don't think it will take much to update since it is just an Event Pack, but to be safe I will not recommend anyone use the mods until they're officially up to date as I likely simply won't have time to check if it's safe to run much of that week.

I doubt it's the same Mahmud he would have been very very old to assist Ogedei.

I'm stretching it a bit to make sure Mahmud is actually a playable adult in 1178, i.e. so he's born in the early 1160s - I think realistically if Mahmud Yalavach and Mahmud Tai were the same person, it's likelier he was born in the 1170s or maybe even 1180s so that he isn't that old when he was working under Ogedei, as the earliest date I could find Mahmud Tai being attested is in the 1200s, but him being born in the 1160s wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility.

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.13.1 "Alexiad" is now out!
Steam Workshop Download | Github Manual Download | Paradox Mods Download
Discord Server | Twitter | Official Website
​

“The tale of history forms a very strong bulwark against the stream of time, and to some extent checks its irresistible flow...and does not allow [events] to slip away into the abyss of oblivion.”
– Anna Komnene (1083-1153), Byzantine princess and historian, in the Alexiad

I'm happy to announce RICE's next update, in commemoration of the 4th anniversary of RICE's release on 10/31/20. It's hard to believe that 4 years have flown by so fast – nearly half a decade! Thank you everyone for your support since then.

Anyhow, RICE 1.13.1 "Alexiad" includes content that didn't make it to the initial release of RICE 1.13.0, among other things. Features include:

• Story content for Hafsa al-Rukuniyya in 1178 revolving around processing her grief over her dead lover, Abu Ja'far
• More historical landless adventurers in every start date
• Reenge on Pirate Collaboration via a new decision
• Gloss tooltips for some cultures
• And other miscellaneous content, tweaks, and fixes!

Remember you may need to unsubscribe and resubscribe for mods to update properly (multiple times if necessary). The patch should be savegame compatible with games that were started with RICE 1.13.0/the Lesbos Flavor Pack.

Barring any major issues, this will be the last update before Wandering Nobles comes out. As previously discussed, I'll be very busy IRL in early November, so even though I don't anticipate it'll take a lot of work, it may take several weeks for me to update RICE and VIET regardless. In addition, the results and analysis of the VIET/RICE 2024 Survey will hopefully be out sometime in November. Thank you for your understanding!

Changelog

Spoiler: Changelog

• Added a lot of French and Spanish translations
• Added Embed Yourself Into Sicilian Society decision for landless adventurers in Sicily to get the Sicilian Signore trait, as it is no longer automatically given to adventurers passing through Sicily
• Added new aspirations for Hafsa al-Rukuniyya and Andreas the Ex-Archbishop of Bari
• Added new Heartbroken Grief trait for Hafsa al-Rukuniyya to replace her modifier, that can be leveled up for different bonuses or maluses and upgraded to a better trait through the Process Grief decision
• Added decisions to Renege on Pirate Collaboration in the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean which will remove Pirate Dens from your territory (except for the Bawarij Den on Socotra)
• Added a few gloss tooltips in various parts of RICE, particularly Native American cultures to explain their endonyms/exonyms
• Added Palapala as a remnant Pala ruler in 1178
• Added new landless adventurers:
  • al-Tabari (867)
  • Ishaq ibn Kundaj (867)
  • Ahmad ibn Rusta Isfahani (867)
  • Al-Yaqubi (867)
  • Andreas, (Ex-)Archbishop of Bari (1066)
  • Geoffrey Burel (1066)
  • Symeon Seth (1066)
  • Audun of the Westfjords (1066)
  • Margaret of Beverly (1178)
  • Ali al-Harawi (1178)
  • Bappa Beary (1178)
  • Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi (1178)
• Added new landless nobles to Kara-Khitan in the 1178 bookmark:
  • Mahmud Yalavach (later a minister for Genghis Khan and his son Ogodei)
  • Mansur ibn Masud al-Uzgandi
• Significantly toned down the likelihood AI will take the decisions to Collaborate with Pirates to reduce the amount of Pirate Den buildings that go around
• Hafsa al-Rukuniyya will no longer be seduced or romanced by AI (unless she resolves her grief through the Recovery path)
• Decision to become involved in the Greenland struggle now counts counties you and your vassals own, rather than just your directly owned counties
• Albanian heritage now counts as the Byzantine/Greek world for the Sicilian struggle
• Nerfed the renown bonus from the Beadmaker Guilds from the Niger Delta by changing it to a legitimacy bonus
• Nerfed development bonus from building monasteries from the decision to Build a Local Christian Religious Building
• Disabled certain pilgrimage activities for landless adventurers if your camp is not on the pilgrimage location as a temporary workaround to issues where the activity would get canceled in the middle of the event chain
• Changed event backgrounds for the Life Release activity
• Fixed certain religious activities getting canceled partway through to nonexistent conversions while playing as landless adventurers (through a temporary workaround to disable this cancelation if you’re playing as non-landed)
• Fixed al-Kashgari’s aspiration not completing when he is landless
• Fixed Manual Angelos bookmark admin not showing him as feudal
• Fixed missing localization for the Wangara game concept
• Fixed missing localization for the requirements for the activity to Visit the Crypta Neapolitana
• Fixed missing localization when using a hook on a Sicilian grain interaction
• Fixed landless adventurer Norman characters (such as Hrolfr/Rollo) and their followers not getting the Adventurer and Camp Follower traits when they settle in Normandy
• Fixed Arctic Adaptations tooltip not working properly when adding it as a tradition
• Fixed loc error with the Kola Nut game concept
• Miscellaneous bugfixes and tweaks

 

[Alratan]

This looks great, thank you. Hope you have a good November.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Forgot to post this yesterday since I was busy, but just wanted to let you know that now that the new CK3 DLC, Wandering Nobles, just came out, as previously discussed I cannot guarantee when my mods will be officially updated. I'm extremely busy this week IRL, so even if the mods require almost no patching, it might take me 1-2 weeks for the VIET update and 2-3 weeks for the RICE update.

I strongly advise you do not use VIET/RICE for new games with Wandering Nobles and the new patch until the official updates are out. If you know what you're doing, feel free to try VIET/RICE with the new patch/DLC at your own risk. For those of you who still want to continue games by rolling back to old patches, you can use the manual install versions of VIET/RICE from GitHub.

Thanks all for your patience and understanding!

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.14.0 PREVIEW #1​

The RICE update for patch 1.14, which will hopefully be out next week, will introduce a small amount of miscellaneous content across various RICE flavor packs that I've had on the backburner for some time now. A few of these are the addition of new special buildings in regions previously visited by RICE.

Take for instance Dafo Temple or Great Buddha Temple in Ganzhou (modern-day Zhangye), which is home to one of the largest reclining Buddha statues in China. There is a (highly unlikely) legend that the great Kublai Khan, grandson of Genghis Khan and founder of the Yuan Dynasty, was born at this temple while Bing, the last Emperor of the Song Dynasty, was a monk there. The legend, at the least, reflects the temple's prominence and fame.

 

[Kapitalisti]

Been putting off trying the newest DLC/patch unti RICE and EPE are updated just because I want to play in that area.

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.14.0 PREVIEW #2​

This upcoming update has also been an opportunity for me to add in a few new innovations I've had on the backburner for a while. I generally avoid adding them as adding new ones sometimes cause issues save game compatibility issues, but this is less a concern since this is an update to a major patch, so a new save will be advised anyhow.

One of the new innovations, Yakhchals, can be accessed by cultures in the Persian region. It unlocks a new decision to Purchase Ice from Local Yakhchals, which has different effects depending on if you're an adventurer or not. I thought it'd be nice to have flavor unique to adventurers.

Yakhchals were a type of structure from the Iranian world engineered to store ice for long periods of time. These feats of engineering were still in use as late as the 20th century, and the ice stored in these buildings were frequently sold at markets or directly from the yakhchals themselves.

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.14.0 PREVIEW #3​

Another new innovation coming with RICE 1.14.0 is Skiing, available in parts of Northern Europe and Central Asia where skiing was attested before the modern period. As such, some cultures like the Norse and Sami start with it by default. The innovation has several bonuses, one of which is that it unlocks a new travel option, Quality Skis, which will help with traveling in certain terrain.

Before the modern era, skiing was typically done for pragmatic reasons like travel. Interestingly, people used to ski with only one pole, rather than two.

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE has been officially updated to Patch 1.14/Wandering Nobles!
Steam Workshop Download | Github Manual Download | Paradox Mods Download
Discord Server | Twitter | Official Website
​

Hyecho was an 8th century Korean Buddhist monk who traveled through much of Asia to go on pilgrimage to India, similar to the more famous Xuanzang a century before him. His travelogue, Memoir of a Pilgrimage to the Five Kingdoms of India, is a valuable source of information on various Asian and Middle Eastern cultures and polities during the early medieval period.

RICE is officially updated to Wandering Nobles! Thanks all for your patience while I was very busy IRL these past few weeks. RICE 1.14.0 "Hyecho" adds content I've had on the backburner, and includes:

• Official update to patch 1.14
• New innovations and decisions like skiing and yakhchals
• 5 new special buildings
• 3 new historical landless adventurers
• Game rule to disable RICE's landless adventurers at game start
• ... and much more!

Remember you may need to unsubscribe and resubscribe for mods to update properly (multiple times if necessary). Please start a new game with this version of RICE. Though a lot of people could run RICE 1.13.0 with patch 1.13, a new game is advised due to this update's many changes.

The West Slavic attire DLC by El Tyranos is coming out next week, but I anticipate VIET/RICE should work fine without an update like with the North African DLC. I may put out a small hotfix regardless. RICE's next major update, the Zhangzhung Flavor Pack, is still planned for December of this year.



Changelog

Spoiler: Changelog

• Updated to 1.14/Wandering Nobles
• Added new playable landless adventurers: Ishaq bin Yahuda (867), Yusuf Balasanguni (1066), Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi (1178)
• Added new buildings: Dafo Temple (Ganzhou), Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove (Ajase Ipo), Mount Hekla (Skálaholt), Orkhon Inscriptions (Karabalgasun), Tiya Megaliths (Gurage)
• Added new decision to Purchase Ice from Yakhchals
• Added new innovations: Skiing, Nsibidi Pictograms, Yakhchals
• Added new travel options: Quality Skis
• Added game rule to disable RICE’s historical landless adventurers at game start (in case it helps with performance and/or if you don’t like them), with three options: Default, Disable Fictitious (Except Player), Disable All (Except Player)
• Gave brewing culture tradition to the Czech, Polish, Slovak, Bavarian, and Ancient Egyptian cultures
• Changed most book artifacts like the Lusty [Culture] Maid from the miscellaneous to the journal category newly added in vanilla
• Removed different culture and faith bonus from the Ubiquity of Poetry tradition
• Top bar alert suggesting you establish a Greenland estate will no longer show up if you’re an adventurer, since the relevant decision can’t be taken as an adventurer
• Amazigh paganism renamed to Yakushism, to be consistent with Fallen Eagle
• Slightly nerfed the chances of getting gold events when doing the Trans-Saharan and Silk Road merchant options
• Activities now have appropriate “a/an” preceding them like in vanilla
• Fixed a LOT of typos, credits to klorpa for searching for and fixing them
• Fixed Hafsa not taking grief decisions frequently enough
• Fixed RICE’s MAA’s being unrecruitable as an adventurer if you have the Take the Custom Where it Comes perk
• Fixed RICE’s Heavy Infantry and Heavy Cavalry MAA being recruitable if you have the Strength in Numbers tradition
• Miscellaneous bugfixes and tweaks

 

[tribnia]

Though it may not help much, a 2023 paper by Daniel Baben from Nazarbayev University talked about several historical rulers in Badakhshan and Balkh from 7th century to 19th century, including a non-muslim beg in 891.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Though it may not help much, a 2023 paper by Daniel Baben from Nazarbayev University talked about several historical rulers in Badakhshan and Balkh from 7th century to 19th century, including a non-muslim beg in 891.

This is extremely helpful, thank you so much! I just quickly searched and found a copy of it on academia.edu as well. As you probably know I've been relying on placeholders in a lot of places in the region so this is useful for patching up the gaps there, especially since this paper had not been published yet when I was working on the Pamir content years ago.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Zhangzhung Flavor Pack Preview #1​

It's time for our first official preview of the Zhangzhung flavor pack! We'll start with the culture at the center of it all: the Zhangzhung, who previously only had two traditions, will receive a much needed facelift with some tweaks and a new tradition.

You might wonder - who are the Zhangzhung? The Zhangzhung were a powerful kingdom in Tibetan legend, and modern archaeology has confirmed the existence of a civilization flourishing in what otherwise seems like the unforgiving highlands of Upper Tibet. Though conquered by Tibet in the 7th century, elements of Zhangzhung culture survived into the CK3 era, and in the modern Bon religion.

Zhangzhung archaeological sites reveal a civilization that differed from what we consider Tibetan. For instance, they had a distinct architectural style dominated by all-stone buildings that were often into the sides of caves and mountains; and, oddly, stone pillars are a prevalent sight at their ceremonial sites.

 

[cybrxkhan]

RICE 1.14.0.a hotfix for "Hyecho" is out!
Steam Workshop Download | Github Manual Download | Paradox Mods Download
Discord Server | Twitter | Official Website
​

In honor of El Tyranos' newest offering with the West Slavic Attire DLC, I'm uploading a RICE hotfix. Remember you may need to unsubscribe and resubscribe (multiple times if necessary) for mods to update properly. A new game is not required.

The RICE 1.14.0.a Hotfix includes English placeholders for the Polish translation, so those who play in Polish can play VIET without seeing gibberish, as well as an update to the RICE+EPE Compatch and various bugfixes, such as fixing Rollo being unplayable if you don't own the Roads to Power DLC.

Changelog:

Spoiler

• Added English placeholder for the Polish language version of CK3 (i.e. if you play in Polish, RICE content will display in English instead of gibberish)
• Applied West Slavic DLC clothes to Sorbian culture if the DLC is active
• Updated RICE+EPE compatch to new EPE version
• Updated bookmark art, especially for landless bookmarks (courtesy of Nezaros, creator of Rajas of Asia)
• Fixed Rollo being unplayable if you don’t own or enable the Roads to Power DLC
• Fixed a few minor non-critical discrepancies between the RICE and RICE+EPE compatch culture code
• Fixed Asian-American easter egg culture not making use of EPE’s ethnicities and clothing if playing with EPE
• Miscellaneous bugfixes and tweaks

 

[cybrxkhan]

Zhangzhung Flavor Pack Preview #2​

Today's preview is of another new tradition for the Tibetan region: Changthang Nomads, which will be given to the Zhangzhung and Sumpa cultures. In Tibet, nomads, who still make up significant chunks of the population, are called drokpas. The highlands of Upper Tibet, known as the Changthang region, is particularly rugged and harsh even by Tibetan standards, and the drokpas who live there are famous for being especially hardy and tough, even during the CK3 timeframe.

In the future, I might do an update focused more on the Sumpa, because they are a fascinatingly mysterious and even lesser known part of the region's history compared to the Zhangzhung, but for now, they'll just get some flavor indirectly through the Zhangzhung flavor pack.

 

[cybrxkhan]

Zhangzhung Flavor Pack Preview #3​

A major decision in the upcoming update is to Find a New Faith for Tibet. Based on a similar decision for Iranian Muslims in the Legacy of Persia DLC, this decision is available if you are in Tibet and follow the Khyarwé Bön faith, which vanilla uses to represent Tibet's indigenous, pre-Buddhist religion.

Followers of Bon believe the Zhangzhung kingdom to be the origin of Bon teachings, though there is little consensus amongst scholars about the relationship between modern Bon and the ancient religion of Zhangzhung. Some scholars believe there is little or no direct connection between the two, while others believe there is.

Either way, the CK3 timeframe saw the growth of Tibetan Buddhism (called Nangchos in-game) and modern Bon (called Gyur Bön in-game) in Tibet, as these two influenced and interacted with each other. This decision is your way to take part in that historical process. While the AI is coded to strongly prefer Nangchos or Gyur Bon, you can take an alternate route with a different spiritual path if you meet certain requirements.