14 DAY TRIAL // The team at the Paradox Development Studios has been criticized by some fans for aiming too low with the new Charlemagne expansion for Crusader Kings II, and the company is now delivering updates on the new content that will be offered both via the free associated patch and in the actual release.
On the official forums, Tobias Bodlund, a scripter on the team, explains that one of the major changes to the game is the addition of a limit for the number of vassals a ruler can have without getting some penalties.
He explains, “The vassal limit will be higher for rulers of higher tiers, and for rulers with higher diplomacy skill. Another factor that increases the limit is your dynasty's prestige. You can also affect your vassal limit by changing your Centralization Law (this touches on an important new law mechanic - more on this later in this dev diary).”
Taxes and levies will be limited for those who cross the new threshold, and the penalties increase exponentially, making it hard to rule a large realm without some creative chains of command.
Even worse is that over-the-limit vassals have a tendency to aim for independence once the ruler dies, especially if they are far from the center of the realm, which means that it will be harder to keep together big empires.
Laws, tech and viceroys in Charlemagne
Paradox also says that the Legalism tech now opens up new laws that can be enacted and that Centralization now has five levels and asks the gamer to choose whether he wants to have a faction where vassal limits are high or whether he wants to control more land by himself.
Charlemagne for Crusader Kings II will also introduce viceroys.
The team explains, “This is effectively a lifetime governorship, where the viceroy becomes a vassal of the empire. Any landed vassal of count tier or above can be granted a viceroyalty. However, the viceroy does not own the title, but rather rules in his liege's name. When he dies, the title goes back to the liege. For all other purposes, the viceroy functions as a normal vassal. One character can hold several viceroyalties.”
The studio is also changing how regencies work, with the personality of the person who has the title better able to influence the course of the game, and the player can choose who has the honor of ruling when the king is underage.
Charlemagne for Crusader Kings II should be out on PC on October 14.
