It's hard to know everything happening in the world

Dec 22, 2014 15:56 GMT  ·  By

When I started playing grand strategy titles I was in love with Hearts of Iron II and I spent tens of hours with it and its associated mods, trying to win the war as a variety of countries, always looking for new ways to tweak history and create alternate paths.

The game focused on World War II and one of the most important things I needed to keep an eye on were the various messages which informed me about the way other countries responded to diplomatic offers and other events.

When I started off my long-term relationship with Crusader Kings II, I was tempted to try and do the same, playing the game on the second lowest speed setting in order to follow the info flowing at the bottom of the screen, trying to keep up with what the most important families in Europe were doing.

I soon gave up on that idea because there’s simply too much info included in the Paradox Interactive title and a lot of it had no impact on my actual decisions.

It’s almost impossible to keep up with everything the feudal families are doing and I accepted the fact that I needed to focus on my own dynasty.

With Way of Life, the developers have made it easier to interact with characters, with a simple right click on their portraits anywhere in the interface, and that, coupled with the ability to bookmark special NPCs, has changed the way I approach the game.

More options when using Focus

It’s now easier to see who is important and how I can interact with the characters, especially using the new options which are opened up by the Focus I have chosen for my ruler.

As time goes by, there are areas of the world that suffer big transformations and I often know nothing about them because I lack the time to pay attention to everything, but I also have a solid grip on the families around me and what they are trying to do.

The volume of info that Crusader Kings II can throw at a player is still bewildering at times, especially for someone who is seeing the game in action for the first time.

But by choosing a good Focus and by paying attention to those characters that matter, gamers can gain a measure of control and then choose which plans they want to put into motion.

Crusader Kings II – Way of Life Diary Images (6 Images)

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