Time Period (1080-1530)

[ShadesWolf]

Are the Swiss or Burgundy in the game ?

[ShadesWolf]

As I percieve the system CA intends to use , units of time rather than months will be the base of game length , historical event ocurance , character lifespans and /recruitmentconstruction time for units and buildings with turns being of variable number depending on which scales of month/turn {or days/turn etc} you choose throuout the game .
You might start with one season per turn {3 months} and never change it for the whole game and have a game lasting 1350 turns , or you might get bored in many points and speed things up with each turn being 5 years of game time and have a game of only a few hundred turns {both still covering exactly the same gametime with events happening on que , lifespans as should be etc .

It seems to be simply that we will be able to fast-forward or slow-motion the game as we see fit {within some sort of limit of course} .

I like this idea

[Tamur]

Wow, that would be positively brilliant if that were the case, Mr. Frost. This would allow anyone -- those who want to fly through the game, and those who want to go in detail -- to play how they wish.

Design-wise, the only difficulty I can see is that the speedy version would leave faction members with about a twelve turn lifespan, so the player would not really have the possiblity of "grooming" a leader up to be faction leader via traits & ancillaries. Then again, someone on speed-mode will probably worry less about such details.

I guess we will see, but I can't think of any real negatives to a system like that.

[Orb]

That would be a great system.

I'd prefer a start at 1100, with the Crusaders established already (controlled by France etc.). That would give a better start game to the Egyptians, the Turkish, the French, and others. Or possibly even a 1098/1099 start with the Crusaders as a 'horde' (mini-faction: Crusading Kingdoms) moving down from the Byzantine empire, causing chaos, etc., giving a Fatimid or Seljuk start a more defensive quality.

[caravel]

I was of the understanding that the game will play out optimally over a period of 225 turns non representative of years, seasons or months. Generals were supposed to be aging 1 year every 2 turns. Strange.

[Ph34rb0t]

The idea of adjustable turns is a REALLY good one! I havent seen anything that supports it working like that... Imagine the depth of a 1000 turn game!

I think it would be really hard for them to impliment the sheer number of different short-lived factions of the period... if you start with burgundy, castille, aragon.. the swiss.. etc. etc. it will just spiral until you have hundreds of different factions to represent... cool: yes... doable? no.

Unfortunately most of these things will have to be simplified methinks.. also Historical events become difficult to create, as the situations in the game are unlikely to be anywhere near the historical periods of the same time, especially in the late game.. I guess if you want to have a hundred years war... have a period of fighting and random ceasefires with France? I'm sure they could somehow script certain events... emergence of people like Luther for example... but things that involve faction interaction would be difficult.