Making AARs:Keeping track of your campaign - how?

[Spong]

Hi everyone.

apologies for the length of this post.

Before medieval 2 was released I discovered, whilst playing Rome, how much fun it was to make a log of my campaigns to give a bit of history and purpose, I found this out after reading someone elses AAR and thought how well written it was and how much it sounded like actual historical accounts (being a history enthusiast myself).

Before i got really involved in that though, medieval 2 came out and i started playing that instead, at first i was too excited to play the game so didn't make a log but I recently found myself wanting to, at first I used the same method I had in my initial experiments with Rome; using a pen and paper to make notes on a year-by-year, turn-by-turn basis, but having done this for a while with M2 it became very laborious and I eventually lost interest as my notes became more and more vague. So that method wasn't good enough.

I then realised perhaps it would be better to simply record my campaign with Fraps and make notes in a word processor later, but I recieved a rude shock when my hard disk got full of 155gig of recordings by the mid to late 1100s. Another failed method.

I then had the idea of using dual-screen display to be able to switch between a word procesor and playing medieval at the flick of a mouse, but realised that even with specific software that medieval 2 doesn't allow for you to switch screens without minimizing the game, rendering dual-screening pointless as alt+tabbing can be done on a single screen but is hardly a fluid and seamless way to log the events of a campaign.

You're probably seeing a pattern here.

It seems from my attempts that there just isn't a convenient way to log your campaign in medieval 2 - how does everyone else do it?
Do you go through the monotony of hand-written notes detailing every event - then also what do you do for the accounts of important battles?
Fraps was perfect as it even recorded the battles for later but the space it used was insane - i didn't realise my hard drive was full until i tried to save a spreadsheet for work and it said no space on drive C!
I think the most convenient method would be being able to have another screen with a notepad document that can be switched to quickly but this only seems plausible if you have the luxury of a second computer - which I do not - dual screening doesn't allow you to switch when you have medieval 2 running and even special software designed to facilitate complex multi-screening procedures can't override medievals restriction.

How do you/would you keep a log of your campaign? does anyone have any suggestions?

[d. Agrippa]

Here's my secret.

Imagination.

I've played many turns into my AAR's game, approximately 45. However, my AAR is only on turn 7 or 8 of those played turns. What you need can be broken down into two categories. One: the standard AAR recounting of your turns and showing your audience pictures of your armies, battles and expanding empire. This approach allows for a more rapid AAR experience and allows you to complete said AAR rather quickly (unless you're using PS, then heaven help you).

Now, the other way is more strenuous. This way is my approach, and it is an approach I have seen in a couple of fantastically done AARs on this forum and others. Using your imagination to create a list of characters with detailed lives and adventures can add to the overall experience of your AAR. Some AARs are simply written records, but your audience is going to want visualization of the account your giving. In the Siege of Vienna AAR, the writer has given an incredible amount of time and dedication to one magnificent story of a battle that mimics to perfection that one actual battle. He was able to successfully use graphically enhanced pictures and a rich storyline to create his widely acclaimed AAR... but it took time. You need to want to get into your characters and storyline and decide what you want to do before writing your own account of your M2:TW experience. Do you like the general overview of empire building, or does expanding upon your conquests and going more indepth and more realistic satisfy you? These are the questions you have to answer first before even attempting an AAR.

[Spong]

d. Agrippa - I appreciate what your saying and I do intend to make my aar a good piece of writing, however, I feel you've kind of missed the point of my post. I was not asking 'how do you write an AAR?' but more - 'what practical method do you use to make a log of events in your campaign, that you can then use to write your AAR?'.

When it comes to writing the actual prose I largely agree with your comments on what to consider when writing, though I myself prefer a different approach that styles itself on historical accounts that do not center on particular characters but rather the events and movements within an empire or region on a broader scale, for example; "by the summer of 1280 Prince Gunnar's forces had taken such heavy casualties during the bitter fighting in Northern Germany, that he decided it would be safer to withdraw and reinforce in the nearby city of Hamburg rather than attempt to hold the Imperial army in the open field" ... something like that - i feel it should be more of an account than a story in the traditional sense of characters and plot - to me its about chronicling events as they happen and their relevance to previous and subsequent events that shape the empire - thats not to say i just want to make a list, but i like reading history books more than historical-based novels if that makes sense.

[d. Agrippa]

I did paritally answer your question... since each AAR style has a different method of keeping track of your progress. For me, I simply write down any major character events (storyline births, marriages, battles and deaths) and keep them on a piece of paper. Doing this each turn provide a massive amount of information, like you've mentioned, but the least important bits can be taken out or events can be merged into a single update. Writing on notepad is easiest for me... and it seems it would be best for your method, too. Either way, good luck and happy writing.

[Spong]

Can anyone else suggest a solution? Its annoying because its stopping me from playing right now, knowing that i will forget everything that happens in the campaign (that and the patch delay)

[therussian]

I use a notebook and write down the going ons year by year. That's your best bet

[Samuel Adams]

Here's my solution; Don't write down EVERYTHING year by year. It sucks. You lose interest, and in a 20 year span of relative peace you get bored writing down "Constantinople-built docks; The sultan moved with a small army to contest rebel control of Rhodes." Rhodes is held by what, three second rate units at beginning of game? Comon. It DOES get boring after a while.

I usually wait it out. I will write an AAR beginning at the onset of a Jihad Crusade or other military campaign. Usually one I've been planning for a while. I put alot of though into several factors; Who's gonna lead my campaign? What will be the makeup of my army? Will there be a support base for this operation (say, taking Rhodes to support your crusade against the holy land)? Will there be a reserve force following the main army? Is it a long term operation (Say, the conquest of the British Isles or Palestine, destroying an entire faction) or a short term operation (taking a single settlement, staging a battle to kill a member of an enemy faction, etc...)?

If I think it's gonna be a great undertaking that others are going to enjoy, then I write it down and make an AAR out of it. If not, then I just play it out and use it to plan out my next move, thinking maybe it will be AAR material.

You'll notice alot of successful AAR's on here don't start right at 1080 AD. they start at a certain place and time; i.e. they follow the HR Emperor (not all the other family members) in one campaign at say, 1350 AD until he finishes his campaign.

So good luck; I'll be hitting up your AAR's as soon as you post one. I love em, and personally I think they're the most under used part of this forum. I'd love to see more!