Crusader Kings II Demo Out

Started by Grim.Reaper, February 04, 2012, 07:04:40 AM

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Grim.Reaper

#15
Wow SOM...thanks for all the detail, you sure know your stuff!  Soon as I get time, I will give demo a whirl again.

Also, for those interested, pre-order now available on Steam.  CK1 completes comes with it for free.

TheCommandTent

All this talk about he game has me curious.  And being one to never pass up free things I think I'll get the demo.  I never played the first one so I have no idea what to expect.  This should be interesting. :)
"No wants, no needs, we weren't meant for that, none of us.  Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is."

son_of_montfort

Quote from: SCDJ on February 06, 2012, 08:19:40 PM
All this talk about he game has me curious.  And being one to never pass up free things I think I'll get the demo.  I never played the first one so I have no idea what to expect.  This should be interesting. :)

Be wary, there is a learning curve on these types of games. Have you played the Europa Universalis games or Victoria II?

Grim, medieval is what I do for a living... so there is that. And gaming is a lifelong hobby. So I'm doubly prepared for CKII!
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert

TheCommandTent

Quote from: son_of_montfort on February 06, 2012, 08:44:40 PM
Quote from: SCDJ on February 06, 2012, 08:19:40 PM
All this talk about he game has me curious.  And being one to never pass up free things I think I'll get the demo.  I never played the first one so I have no idea what to expect.  This should be interesting. :)

Be wary, there is a learning curve on these types of games. Have you played the Europa Universalis games or Victoria II?

Grim, medieval is what I do for a living... so there is that. And gaming is a lifelong hobby. So I'm doubly prepared for CKII!

I was warned about the learning curve but thanks for the heads up.  I've never played either of those games.

That being said after dld the game I fired it up and went through all the tutorials, which were very nice by the way.  I like the medieval period so so far the game seems like it could be alot of fun.  Everything seems laid out well and thankfully have lots of tool tips.  But the amount of data and screens is a bit overwhelming for someone not use to these type games.  (It did remind me a bit of HOI2 which I've played before, but with alot more polish)  But I like what I see so far and am willing to put in the time to learn so I think I might just test the water with one of the characters in the demo.

Two questions:

Is there a manual available yet that I could read through?

Second, any basic tips for a noob. :)
"No wants, no needs, we weren't meant for that, none of us.  Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is."

Greybriar

Regardless of how good a PC game may be it will always have its detractors and no matter how bad a PC game may be it will always have its fans.

Martok

Thanks, Greybriar!  That'll help. 

"Like we need an excuse to drink to anything..." - Banzai_Cat
"I like to think of it not as an excuse but more like Pavlovian Response." - Sir Slash

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TheCommandTent

+1 Thanks


Still trying to figure out what I want to or should be doing in the demo.  Lots of fun buttons to click though :)
"No wants, no needs, we weren't meant for that, none of us.  Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is."

Arctic Blast

Dammit! Pre-ordered. The games are really starting to pile up...

Bison

Well the Paradox fanboys are already giving votes over on Metacritic.  Is the game a 10 or 9?  I don't know.  However given the last few PI releases I think most folks are wary at best about the long term condition of the game.  VIC 2 I remember came screaming out of the gate with how great it was and only later did the PI normal issues start to crop up.  I hope that is not the case for CK2, but that would be completely going against the normal PI release pattern.

son_of_montfort

Quote from: Bison on February 08, 2012, 08:16:27 AM
Well the Paradox fanboys are already giving votes over on Metacritic.  Is the game a 10 or 9?  I don't know.  However given the last few PI releases I think most folks are wary at best about the long term condition of the game.  VIC 2 I remember came screaming out of the gate with how great it was and only later did the PI normal issues start to crop up.  I hope that is not the case for CK2, but that would be completely going against the normal PI release pattern.

James Allen has been playing the beta more than I have and he thinks it is really solid. Sengoku was pretty solid as well (the last major Paradox release) in comparison. James was a pretty vocal critic of Victoria II out of the gate, so take that into consideration.
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert

Bison

I agree that Sengoku was released in good shape.  Not very fun IMO, but at least it wasn't a bug ridden mess. 

The issue is I want a Grand Strategy game covering the medieval period and this seems to be about the only thing going right now.  I should just stop pretending that I'm not going to get it and just preorder the dang game.  I see at Steam you get CK complete as an added bonus, so I guess I could go back to that and spend more time learning the mechanics again.

son_of_montfort

Now that you are in Civilization, can you watch James's videos on CKII? That should help you decide.
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert

W.S. Hancock

Hey  SoM, I know you are the resident expert on this time period.

Any recommendations on period histories, more of a generalist nature, that would be good background reading in anticipation of the game?

My previous reading on the topic has included God's War, A New History of the Crusades, by Christopher Tyerman, but not much more than that.

TheCommandTent

Quote from: son_of_montfort on February 08, 2012, 12:21:25 PM
Now that you are in Civilization, can you watch James's videos on CKII? That should help you decide.

What videos would you be referring to?
"No wants, no needs, we weren't meant for that, none of us.  Man stagnates if he has no ambition, no desire to be more than he is."

son_of_montfort

Quote from: W.S. Hancock on February 08, 2012, 05:04:12 PM
Hey  SoM, I know you are the resident expert on this time period.

Any recommendations on period histories, more of a generalist nature, that would be good background reading in anticipation of the game?

My previous reading on the topic has included God's War, A New History of the Crusades, by Christopher Tyerman, but not much more than that.

Whew... well, I'm not overly good on stuff that isn't probably a bit deep, given my stuff tends to be on a level not palatable by lay historians and too specialized for generalists.

I haven't had a chance to read it, but David Abulafia just released a new book that is both for the academic and general public. It is called The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. It isn't strictly Medieval, but it has some components that are. His other book that I found really good is The Western Mediterranean Kingdoms 1200-1500: The Struggle for Dominion. It is an expensive book to own, but you probably can find it in a decent size library.

If you can handle something a bit drier and want something about the Crusades, I suggest James Powell's Anatomy of a Crusade. It is a book covering the logistic aspects of Crusading and is very interesting.

If the Hundred Years War is more your game, I suggest C.T. Allmand's The Hundred Years War: England and France at War c. 1300-1450.

If you want some of the classics, look at:
Georges Duby's The Three Orders: Feudal Society Imagined
Joseph Strayer's On the Medieval Origins of the Modern State (note: his Modern is about 30+ years ago)
R.I. Moore's The Formation of a Persecuting Society
Malcom Barbar's The Trial of the Templars
Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie's Montaillou: The Promised Land of Error (about the Inquisition)

I'm a huge advocate of reading primary source texts, and they are often cheaper anyway. Some of the greats are:

Chronicles of the Crusades written by Jean de Joinville and Geoffroy de Villehardouin.

The Chronicles of Froissart

Two Memoirs of Renaissance Florence by Gregorio Pitti and Francesco Dati

I'll try to think of more, but that is a start!
"Now it is no accident all these conservatives are using time travel to teach our kids. It is the best way to fight back against the liberal version of history, or as it is sometimes known... history."

- Stephen Colbert

"The purpose of religion is to answer the ultimate question, are we in control or is there some greater force pulling the strings? And if the courts rule that corporations have the same religious rights that we humans do, I think we'll have our answer."

- Stephen Colbert