Sep 26, 2016
Man vs Machine
Crusader Kings II - BjornB


What’s this, a dev diary on a Monday?! Yes, it’s true, we’ve moved them to Mondays so they’ll coincide with CK2 streams. The Reaper’s Due has been out for a while now, and I am very pleased with how both it and the free update were received (I wasn’t sure the focus on Death would be so universally appreciated!) As Game Director, I rarely have time to do much coding and scripting anymore, but I did help out with the optimizations and several of the Game Rules. The game is in safe hands though; the current CK2-team has done an amazing job so far!

Work has now commenced on the next expansion and I can already reveal it’s going to be something a bit similar to Way of Life, which I believe I actually mentioned in my previous dev diary. I also promised optimizations, AI improvements and quality of life stuff. Well, the optimizations are done for now, so the next major free update will feature AI and GUI improvements, which brings me to today’s topic; usability.

Now, we are aiming to tweak several interfaces and while I cannot go into much detail yet, I can say that I’d especially like to address the following main areas:
  • Plotting (quality of life)
  • Prisoner management
  • Guardian vs Educator (clarity)
  • More space for Traits and Character Modifiers
There are other things in the works too, but when you’ve worked on a game for so many years you tend to get blind to many usability issues and simply accept them as they are. That is why I’d like to hear from you, our faithful fans, what you find most annoying and clunky about the CK2 interfaces. Are there any actions you find hard to do, or useful information you cannot easily find (or not at all)? All feedback is welcome!


That is all for now; please post your suggestions on our official forum...

Don't miss today's livestream - Medieval Monday with Emil and Doomdark - 16:00CEST on https://www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive

Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive
Sep 26, 2016
Man vs Machine
Crusader Kings II - BjornB


What’s this, a dev diary on a Monday?! Yes, it’s true, we’ve moved them to Mondays so they’ll coincide with CK2 streams. The Reaper’s Due has been out for a while now, and I am very pleased with how both it and the free update were received (I wasn’t sure the focus on Death would be so universally appreciated!) As Game Director, I rarely have time to do much coding and scripting anymore, but I did help out with the optimizations and several of the Game Rules. The game is in safe hands though; the current CK2-team has done an amazing job so far!

Work has now commenced on the next expansion and I can already reveal it’s going to be something a bit similar to Way of Life, which I believe I actually mentioned in my previous dev diary. I also promised optimizations, AI improvements and quality of life stuff. Well, the optimizations are done for now, so the next major free update will feature AI and GUI improvements, which brings me to today’s topic; usability.

Now, we are aiming to tweak several interfaces and while I cannot go into much detail yet, I can say that I’d especially like to address the following main areas:
  • Plotting (quality of life)
  • Prisoner management
  • Guardian vs Educator (clarity)
  • More space for Traits and Character Modifiers
There are other things in the works too, but when you’ve worked on a game for so many years you tend to get blind to many usability issues and simply accept them as they are. That is why I’d like to hear from you, our faithful fans, what you find most annoying and clunky about the CK2 interfaces. Are there any actions you find hard to do, or useful information you cannot easily find (or not at all)? All feedback is welcome!


That is all for now; please post your suggestions on our official forum...

Don't miss today's livestream - Medieval Monday with Emil and Doomdark - 16:00CEST on https://www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive

Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive
Sep 20, 2016
CK2 Dev Diary#24: The 2.6.2 patch
Crusader Kings II - TheLetterZ
Hello and welcome back to another CK2 Development Diary. The 2.6.2 update looms rather near now, and if everything goes to plan it should be released on Thursday. I’ll start out with the bad news; due to some unforeseen problems one of the game rules I mentioned last week will not be included with this patch: The Multiplayer Assassination rule. However, we do have two other game rules for you which you may find interesting:

  1. De jure Requirement: Default/Required. On default, nothing changes, but with “Required” characters who hold titles which have de jure land will eventually lose the title if they don’t hold any of the de jure land.
  2. Horse Lords:Nomad Stability: Unstable/Stable. Now when a Khagan dies, his vassals have the possibility to break away and form their own realms -with the new Khagan getting a CB on them. Setting “Stable” keeps the old behaviour.

There was some outcry last week because Jews and Zoroastrians didn’t also get a crusader style trait, so I’ve managed to sneak both in with the Shaddai and Gond-i Shahanshah traits. While we were in a trait-adding mood, both Cannibal and Lover’s Pox were changed from character modifiers to traits (although we have left the old modifier checks in place so ongoing games aren’t broken).


The Gender Equality gamerule and laws revealed a few problems with Muslim events always assuming Muslim rulers would be male, so we’re spend a bit of time adding the appropriate checks which should result in a more flavourful Muslim experience.

As well as this, there are plenty of small fixes and additions to many other things, but I’ll let you explore the game and/or the patchnotes to discover them for yourselves.


Full patch notes in original thread
(These are works in progress, when the patch is released we’ll post a final version)

And, last of all, from next week onwards we’ll be posting CK2 DDs on Mondays instead of Tuesdays.
Sep 20, 2016
CK2 Dev Diary#24: The 2.6.2 patch
Crusader Kings II - TheLetterZ
Hello and welcome back to another CK2 Development Diary. The 2.6.2 update looms rather near now, and if everything goes to plan it should be released on Thursday. I’ll start out with the bad news; due to some unforeseen problems one of the game rules I mentioned last week will not be included with this patch: The Multiplayer Assassination rule. However, we do have two other game rules for you which you may find interesting:

  1. De jure Requirement: Default/Required. On default, nothing changes, but with “Required” characters who hold titles which have de jure land will eventually lose the title if they don’t hold any of the de jure land.
  2. Horse Lords:Nomad Stability: Unstable/Stable. Now when a Khagan dies, his vassals have the possibility to break away and form their own realms -with the new Khagan getting a CB on them. Setting “Stable” keeps the old behaviour.

There was some outcry last week because Jews and Zoroastrians didn’t also get a crusader style trait, so I’ve managed to sneak both in with the Shaddai and Gond-i Shahanshah traits. While we were in a trait-adding mood, both Cannibal and Lover’s Pox were changed from character modifiers to traits (although we have left the old modifier checks in place so ongoing games aren’t broken).


The Gender Equality gamerule and laws revealed a few problems with Muslim events always assuming Muslim rulers would be male, so we’re spend a bit of time adding the appropriate checks which should result in a more flavourful Muslim experience.

As well as this, there are plenty of small fixes and additions to many other things, but I’ll let you explore the game and/or the patchnotes to discover them for yourselves.


Full patch notes in original thread
(These are works in progress, when the patch is released we’ll post a final version)

And, last of all, from next week onwards we’ll be posting CK2 DDs on Mondays instead of Tuesdays.
Sep 13, 2016
More rules, less lunatics
Crusader Kings II - BjornB


Hello all, it’s time for a CK2 DD once again. Now before I get into the meat of this one, I want to let you know that DDs between DLCs are going to be shorter than the big feature-explainers I could write during Reaper’s, so don’t be surprised if some are brief.

Moving on, work on 2.6.2 continues well, and I’ll post the patch notes when it’s closer to being done, but some fixes that may interest people include:
  • AI Characters are much less likely to take Experimental treatments for minor illnesses, which means you should see less maimed or insane character about in the world.
  • Patricians can now properly Go into Seclusion and Search for Court Physicians.
  • Characters under 16 no longer get gout.

We have added more Game Rules:
  • Supernatural events can be set to Unrestricted, allowing the AI to have fun with them too.
  • Both Mongol and Aztec invasions can be set to “Delayed Random” where they will show up at random but not before the year 1000 and not before the game has been played for 50 years.
  • Turkic Conquerors can be set to Historical/Random/Off.
  • Way of Life users can set Dueling to Normal/RestrictedUnrestricted.
  • Both Vassal and Demesne limits can be set to Normal/Unlimited/50%/25%
  • Grant Independence can be set to Normal/Unrestricted.
  • Assassinate plots in MP can be set to Normal/No Players/No Players + Heirs/No Player Dynasty.

We have also continued to add more Content, including:

The various Defensive Pagan faiths now allow you to pick a Patron Deity granting a bonus to certain stats, and allowing access to certain new events:





Plus, all Pagan religion now have their own Valhalla-bound equivalent:



Characters in Seclusion may find they have an uninvited guest:



Immortal characters are now a lot more likely to wake up from Incapacitating head wounds, and there is no longer an age limit on said event for Immortals.
Even non-depressed Immortals who find that life Eternal isn’t all that great may now attempt to end their life.
Not only that, it’s also possible that Immortal characters may find they are not the only people to have found Eternal life, and that their brethren are not the most welcoming types:


say one thing for Rurik Rurikid, say he's lucky
And that's it for now, see you next week!

Read the original post


Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive
Sep 13, 2016
More rules, less lunatics
Crusader Kings II - BjornB


Hello all, it’s time for a CK2 DD once again. Now before I get into the meat of this one, I want to let you know that DDs between DLCs are going to be shorter than the big feature-explainers I could write during Reaper’s, so don’t be surprised if some are brief.

Moving on, work on 2.6.2 continues well, and I’ll post the patch notes when it’s closer to being done, but some fixes that may interest people include:
  • AI Characters are much less likely to take Experimental treatments for minor illnesses, which means you should see less maimed or insane character about in the world.
  • Patricians can now properly Go into Seclusion and Search for Court Physicians.
  • Characters under 16 no longer get gout.

We have added more Game Rules:
  • Supernatural events can be set to Unrestricted, allowing the AI to have fun with them too.
  • Both Mongol and Aztec invasions can be set to “Delayed Random” where they will show up at random but not before the year 1000 and not before the game has been played for 50 years.
  • Turkic Conquerors can be set to Historical/Random/Off.
  • Way of Life users can set Dueling to Normal/RestrictedUnrestricted.
  • Both Vassal and Demesne limits can be set to Normal/Unlimited/50%/25%
  • Grant Independence can be set to Normal/Unrestricted.
  • Assassinate plots in MP can be set to Normal/No Players/No Players + Heirs/No Player Dynasty.

We have also continued to add more Content, including:

The various Defensive Pagan faiths now allow you to pick a Patron Deity granting a bonus to certain stats, and allowing access to certain new events:





Plus, all Pagan religion now have their own Valhalla-bound equivalent:



Characters in Seclusion may find they have an uninvited guest:



Immortal characters are now a lot more likely to wake up from Incapacitating head wounds, and there is no longer an age limit on said event for Immortals.
Even non-depressed Immortals who find that life Eternal isn’t all that great may now attempt to end their life.
Not only that, it’s also possible that Immortal characters may find they are not the only people to have found Eternal life, and that their brethren are not the most welcoming types:


say one thing for Rurik Rurikid, say he's lucky
And that's it for now, see you next week!

Read the original post


Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive
Sep 12, 2016
New Worlds: Crusader Kings II Map & History Generator
Crusader Kings II - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Adam Smith)

When you start a new game of Dwarf Fortress, a world is generated. Not just a map, but a world, with its own legends, characters, factions and historical wars. It’s one of my favourite openings to any game and gets me far more hyped than any fancy cinematic intro.

Wouldn’t it be great if Crusader Kings II [official site] could do something similar, rather than sticking to actual historical beginnings? Thanks to a modder who goes by the name Yemmlie, it can. The CK2 Generator can create alternate histories, simulating the appearance and development of cultures, religions, languages, characters and all the rest. It defaults to the vanilla map but if you want a random world to play on as well, that’s supported.

… [visit site to read more]

Sep 7, 2016
Development Diary - Quarantining the bugs
Crusader Kings II - BjornB
Hello all, it’s time for another CK2 development diary. We’re still working on making 2.6.2, and while of course there’s some bugfixing going on, for the most part we’re just adding bonus content. Which is fun!

We are working in a strict priority order, so naturally the first thing to be added was more pet events:


With the vital stuff out of the way, we moved on to more of The Reaper’s Due’s core focus, mortality and death:


We’ve also added some new game rules, such as making regular illnesses less common if desired, keeping prisoners in jail after torture, or disabling titles being named after dynasties or changing due to the culture of the holder.

There’s not much else to show at the moment, but there’ll be more next week. For something else to talk about now, I can reveal some of the new statistics data we’ve been getting about RD and the gamerules.

Of the 50,000 players in the last 24 hours:
90-95% of RD players are using the new Death sounds and have ingame sound on.
96% of players allow the AI to use the Intrigue focus.
92.6% of players allow the AI to use the Seduction focus.
93% of players have kept assassination plot only.
84% of players have Defensive pacts on.
76.3% of players have Shattered Retreat on.

Right now I can only see the numbers for default settings or not, but that will change as our stats people make newer and fancier graphs, and these seem like the most interesting stats for now. Next week, more new 2.6.2 content news!
Sep 7, 2016
Development Diary - Quarantining the bugs
Crusader Kings II - BjornB
Hello all, it’s time for another CK2 development diary. We’re still working on making 2.6.2, and while of course there’s some bugfixing going on, for the most part we’re just adding bonus content. Which is fun!

We are working in a strict priority order, so naturally the first thing to be added was more pet events:


With the vital stuff out of the way, we moved on to more of The Reaper’s Due’s core focus, mortality and death:


We’ve also added some new game rules, such as making regular illnesses less common if desired, keeping prisoners in jail after torture, or disabling titles being named after dynasties or changing due to the culture of the holder.

There’s not much else to show at the moment, but there’ll be more next week. For something else to talk about now, I can reveal some of the new statistics data we’ve been getting about RD and the gamerules.

Of the 50,000 players in the last 24 hours:
90-95% of RD players are using the new Death sounds and have ingame sound on.
96% of players allow the AI to use the Intrigue focus.
92.6% of players allow the AI to use the Seduction focus.
93% of players have kept assassination plot only.
84% of players have Defensive pacts on.
76.3% of players have Shattered Retreat on.

Right now I can only see the numbers for default settings or not, but that will change as our stats people make newer and fancier graphs, and these seem like the most interesting stats for now. Next week, more new 2.6.2 content news!
Aug 30, 2016
Dev Diary - Hotfix Patch 2.6.1.1 [SKBW]
Crusader Kings II - BjornB


Greetings! If you are reading this you have survived the [S]outbreak[/s] launch of The Reaper’s Due. Perhaps you now feel a stirring of hope; can society rebuild? But no, the DLC was too virulent and has spread too far, it is now endemic to CK2 and cannot be cured, there is no hope.

Certain death aside, we are very happy with the reception of Reaper’s Due and the reactions it’s getting. We have had a few problems, but our Code Physicians have been working hard on a cure and if all goes well we’ll be releasing a hotfix today. It’ll cover the education bug non-Conclave owners have, the lack of music when the Context sensitive option is used, and various other things:

########################################################## ########## 2.6.1.1 The Reaper's Due ########### ########################################################## ################### # Bugfixes ################### - Fixes songs from the base game being disabled in contextual songs - If the contextual song doesn't find a song to play, a song will now be chosen by ignoring the contextual song system - Fixed children not getting their education trait upon becoming adults when you don't have Conclave - Can no longer call ally into war against their own liege - You can now get the achievement 'Papal Mache' by killing a Caliph, as implied by the description - Epidemic diseases no longer stall if you are infected while you have a non-serious symptom - The "desires a matrilineal marriage" AI modifier no longer happens when matrilineal marriages are disabled - Horse doctors got a little better - Incapable people no longer steal your food in seclusion - characters will not accuse their liege during witch hunts since they have to approve them - Vassals will no longer refuse their liege's marriage or betrothal offers to get a "better alliance" - No longer will you get upset about your spouse/parent's grave getting robbed if you were the robber - Removed the possibility to search for partial titles for performance reasons - Eunuchs may only select the Groom an Heir ambition if they have a living child - Fixed several cases of when a Christian Holy Order built a new castle, you would be notified that Beit Dejan was built, instead of the actual castle - Court physicians now always ask their own liege for money. - Generic reincarnation event requires your heir to be your child - Added some more ai factors for when head of religion wants to blame Jews for the plague - Fixed some broken text in reincarnation event - The priest generated by event 3021 now has an education - Murderers are now immune to prune (prevents the red skull from leading nowhere) - Characters who are marked as special interest by the player, or immune to pruning are no longer killed by the court cleanser - Fixed in issue with prisoners being able to complain to their liege that the chancellor was looking inappropriately at his wife - Added the sayyid trait to al-Hadi (id 188648), son of Al-Mansur - Crash fix that occurred in some mods using custom maps. - Fixed an issue were you would be notified of eating your own close dynasty members - Fixed 867 Sápmi setup - Event WoL.6120 will now only trigger for adult characters - Further reduced odds of under 16s getting cancer - Rulers are now willing to negotiate non-aggression pacts with their vassals - Fixed so infidel penalty is applied properly for betrothal/marriage - Modded game rules should now be loaded properly. - Fixed so call ally alert no longer shows if it's a war against your ally's liege - Fixed a crash when using custom maps

After this, we’ll be working on the 2.6.2 patch which will, as well as general fixing, add some more events and content we thought up too late to do for the release or that have been suggested on this and other forums post-release -and on that note, please continue to suggest new Game Rules. But 2.6.2 details are for future DDs, that’s all for now!

Read the original post


Useful links
Official Website
Crusader Kings II Wiki
Crusader Kings II Development Diary Archive
...