What faction are you looking forward to playing most?

[Horseless Nomad]

Exactly what we've been trying to work out for three years lol!

Good question really, it's more just making it easier for the player to do some things than others. For instance, building certain buildings under certain conditions or in certain regions. Allowing certain transitions under specific conditions.

Victory conditions are also important, historically England didn't wipe Scotland out. So there will be no need to destroy them in the campaign, you will be happy if you have a strong alliance. If you break that at some point and attack- you might find it was more trouble than it was worth the land you gain. Catholics will suffer heavy penalties with the Pope for attacking other Catholics. We just made things more realistic in general, that way you'll feel comfortable that you are doing things in a historical type of way, when you go against that things will become pretty unpleasant for you- maybe not even fun anymore.

England didn't conquer Scotland but they certainly tried, France as well. The vanilla victory conditions were lame (hold 50 regions plus Jerusalem, how interesting!) but maybe letting the player follow the factions overall goals would be less strict.

Good news about the increase in popey harshness though! Be really hard to expand if you're surrounded by Catholics.

You're right about it being probably not worth England attacking Scotland. It would have been a major headache for not much cash I imagine.

[Hross]

Yepp, we considered what the factions tried to do, and added that to their goals.
As you say Europe was much more stable than most of the borders between cultures such as the Baltics, Anatolia, Iberia, Levant, the Balkans etc so Catholic neighbours is going to give you real claustrophobia. Poor Bohemia!

It appears I was lying about English vic conds. They are:
All of Britain and France, Cyprus, Jerusalem

[Horseless Nomad]

That's interesting! So if you want to win as England you have to take the Holy Land and keep it then? Cool.

Haha, shame about Bohemia. They can just bide their time, when the Hussites come knocking things will get very intersting for them!

[Hross]

Well Jerusalem is based on the Lionheart really. But we are open to changin it. I mean this aspect is pretty much open to interpretation of history. Plus we will have to go off testing, and we will have to listen to what you players want since if you all said 'this is a totally unrealistic goal, and pointless and ruins my game' we are hardly going to ignore that!

We thought Cyprus and Jerusalem would be good since England conquering in the west is not all that difficult in vanilla or other mods.

Anyway I was running the mod today and checking the campaign and stuff, and I have to say the Byz is looking really sexy! It's a big faction with a very nice placement of regions here and there, just in enough danger to be exciting and nicely placed as a foothold in different theatres of conflict. The cities are all pretty well-equipped and the tech tree is very unique and very atmospheric, all round a pretty fun faction actually. I think it's size will be its strength and its weakness though- but I suppose thats the way it should be.

[Horatius Flaccus]

Anyway I was running the mod today and checking the campaign and stuff, and I have to say the Byz is looking really sexy! It's a big faction with a very nice placement of regions here and there, just in enough danger to be exciting and nicely placed as a foothold in different theatres of conflict. The cities are all pretty well-equipped and the tech tree is very unique and very atmospheric, all round a pretty fun faction actually. I think it's size will be its strength and its weakness though- but I suppose thats the way it should be.

It has always been my favorite faction in mods (not in vanilla, obviously!), so it's great to hear that!

[Horseless Nomad]

That's cool about Byzantium. Can't wait to attempt a reboot of the Roman Empire!

I for one don't think it's unreasonable to have some Catholics want the Holy Land. Maybe not always 100% accurate but there is a precedent for it.

[Evelien]

Fatimid's !

[ALFAJI]

i'm going to the shami faction

[themoob]

Kiev or Novgorod, if they're done right that is

[mynameisowen]

Anyway I was running the mod today and checking the campaign and stuff, and I have to say the Byz is looking really sexy! It's a big faction with a very nice placement of regions here and there, just in enough danger to be exciting and nicely placed as a foothold in different theatres of conflict. The cities are all pretty well-equipped and the tech tree is very unique and very atmospheric, all round a pretty fun faction actually. I think it's size will be its strength and its weakness though- but I suppose thats the way it should be.

I was wondering how the Romans were gonna turn out, best news ever =P

[Dutch Blue Guard]

I think one of the pagan factions.

[stoogeofstooges]

Hungary, if Dome's new infantry units are going to be present. I think he's still working on calvary.

[NoDebate]

Seljuk Turks tied with Polskaaaa!!!

Constantinople shall be sacked and burned many a' time. No matter which faction I'm playing as!

[Diglytron]

ofcourse the roman empire (bizantine) they are just awsome..

[ErikBerg]

Looking forward to playing Sweden! Not that many mods add Sweden to the game, which is a shame, I think!

[Jaldithas]

Bohemia

[Dutch Blue Guard]

Lithuania or Scotland

[Bartolomeo XIII]

Merry England, thats for sure, i love its strategic position and main enemies

[NoDebate]

I'm adding Sicily between the Polacks and the Seljuk Turks. I think I'll try conquering Europe from the seas.

[RollingWave]

Well Jerusalem is based on the Lionheart really. But we are open to changin it. I mean this aspect is pretty much open to interpretation of history. Plus we will have to go off testing, and we will have to listen to what you players want since if you all said 'this is a totally unrealistic goal, and pointless and ruins my game' we are hardly going to ignore that!

We thought Cyprus and Jerusalem would be good since England conquering in the west is not all that difficult in vanilla or other mods.

Anyway I was running the mod today and checking the campaign and stuff, and I have to say the Byz is looking really sexy! It's a big faction with a very nice placement of regions here and there, just in enough danger to be exciting and nicely placed as a foothold in different theatres of conflict. The cities are all pretty well-equipped and the tech tree is very unique and very atmospheric, all round a pretty fun faction actually. I think it's size will be its strength and its weakness though- but I suppose thats the way it should be.

A good part of that is because of the general (way) over representation of English settlement vs French though.

the British Isle's population was puny compared to France during most of the Medieval period (today it's basically equal) it was at best at 1/4 of the population in France and possibly less than 1/6, yet in vanilla for example, there are 7 settlements in the Isles vs just 10 in France. so instead of something like 25% of the settlements they instead get 70% of the settlements.

If the Isles have just 4 settlements instead of 7, then the English probably have a much more problematic time.

Sure, political representation needs to be taken into account, so 4 is too few for the Isles ( 7-9 is a reasonable # ) but for France it needs to be upped dramatically. I gave them 17 province in what is present day France vs 8 on the isles (and generally higher population in theirs). which is a lot closer to reality but probably still helps the English too much.