Crusader Kings/Deus Volt
Yes, the game I was complaining about a couple of days ago in the EU: Rome thread.
Back in ye olde days there were quite a few of us playing this. AFAIK all of us gave up on it. Too simplistic, too many problems, too many gaping great holes.
It was always a wonderful idea for a game. Playing a medieval dynasty through hundreds of years of history? Characters with traits and personality? A more realistic take on aspects like warfare and politics? I wasn't along in shouting, "Yes please!" and preordering a copy.
Oh dear.
Several patches later and I'd had enough. Barely anything had changed in a positive way, and it was clear that many of the issues would never be addressed. Game over. The end. CK was filed amongst the most disappointing games in my collection. The only good memory was the way it inspired me to my first true work of fiction, a complex and huge story filled with characters a hell of a lot deeper than the paper-thin
Then came the completely unexpected expansion, Deus Volt. Unexpected because Paradox (then) didn’t do them. I ignored it. It fixed a lot but not enough for me to care.
Then, by chance, I heard about the existence of a mod which allowed proper, functional and historical female inheritance. That fixes a couple more issues in one fell swoop.Spoiler Alert, click show to read:
So, where does that leave us?
Diplomacy implemented and actually functional? Maybe check.
An end to the stupidity that enabled armies to march through the lands of their religious foes without challenge? Check, provided you don't install the latest beta patch because that flips the code switch and resurrects the nightmare.
Characters with actual character? Check. Lots of new traits added, and the system handling character growth is entirely redone.
Court intrigue? Check.
A crusade system which doesn't force endless, frantic, exhausting warfare as you scramble not to lose all your piety in the time it takes to sail from Ireland to Jerusalem? Check.
Ledger so you don't go insane trying to keep track of everything? Check.
Integrated bride finding program so hunting for high stat wives is no longer the main time sink? Check, and again the system has altered a bit so high stats are no longer vital as a child will gain stats independently of its parents.
Tweaked research so you don't spent 80 years waiting for someone to invent the road? Check, or so I hear.
Events that are interesting? Check, hundreds of new ones and most of the old ones are redone.
Heiresses to marry into your family so you can absorb their lands? Check.
A way to avoid having a country cousin (crap low-stat character) generated and dumped on you if your ruler died without an heir? Check, provided you have a daughter or granddaughter.
Other big gaps in the historical fabric filled? Sort of check. It's now possible to send your children out to other noble houses for fostering and to accept fosterlings yourself, for example.
A game which is actually a game, not a program where you click "ok" a lot, hunt for 16 year old girls with high stats, and then click "ok" on another 60 windows before repeating the process for your other 7 unmarried men? Very possibly.
A whole lot more I can’t be bothered to type? Yes.
Now I find I have been gone and brought the expansion, dug out the CD, and reinstalled the cursed game.
This will probably end in tears.
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Originally Posted by drone
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