Crusader Kings III - Interview and Preview

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Crusader Kings III is a grand strategy game with RPG elements that will release 1st September.

RockPaperShotgun gave its impression of how the game plays.


As it stands, CK3 is one of the few RPGs I've played that genuinely compelled me to try thinking like my character would, rather than just pushing for optimal outcomes. And it swiftly achieved what CK2 only managed at its best, in making me feel more invested in my pretend family of medieval gits, than I did in the nation they were ruling. And on top of all that, CK3 simply does a much better job of explaining itself than most of Paradox's historical titles do. I think it'll succeed in bringing previously reticent newcomers into the subgenre, but not by sacrificing complexity or depth. It is, quite straightforwardly, a well-designed game.

Before we get going, I should warn you: this post will not explain CK3's features in exhaustive detail, or conduct a meticulous compare-and-contrast with CK2. For a start, it would take all day, and for seconds, we've already done loads of that, as have Paradox themselves. Instead, I want to give you a straightforward impression of what it's like to play, that doesn't rely on you already knowing CK2 back to front. Because if you've always been interested by so-called Grand Strategy games, but found them too inscrutable to really get into, Crusader Kings 3 could well be your Rosetta Stone.

[...]
Twinfinite interviewed Paradox about the game and focused on how they plan to followup on Crusader Kings II.

Giuseppe: Crusader Kings 2 has eight years of updates and expansions under its belt. How did you approach balancing between realistically finishing the game and including many of those features out of the box so that the new game doesn't feel like two steps ahead and three back?

Max Weltz: As you say, CK2 is a game that has a long tail of content and updates post-launch, both paid and free, with tons of features that have been added. We really wanted to make sure that you get as much of that as possible when CK3 comes live.

We know that not all the features that we have put in CK2 during its lifetime were as good as we wanted them to be, so it's not all the features that have ever been in CK2 DLC that make it at launch in CK3. we have been very clear on that since the reveal of the game.

We really try to bring all the good stuff and iterate and improve on that, of course. Some of the things we think could have been done better in CK2, we kind of mostly pinned them for later content and later updates, that's the approach we had.

[...]
Thanks Farflame!

More information.
 
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All these big games being released at the end of summer. If one of them could have been released at the beginning of summer I think they would have seen big numbers. Now they will all be competing with each other. People have extra time on their hands right now.
 
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Yep, missed chance everybody.
 
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Of course, it is an RPG, it has combat, it has graphics, it has sounds. More than anything, it has no roleplaying in it, any vid product without roleplaying is potentially a RPG.

After all the expansions given to CK2, going to be instructive to see how they manage to repeat the whole process with CK3, how CK3 stands apart from CK2.

A point though, it will allow players who never played CK2 an easy point of access, it will be easier to learn how to play CK3 than CK2 and its addons.
 
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All I know about CK3 is that you can choose to, or not to, seduce pope. Doing that or not has consequences on stuff happening in the world.
Well, that's RPG in my book.

The game is probably a hybrid of several genres though. Never heard about it's predecessors, but this one I'm buying.
 
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Never heard about it's predecessors, but this one I'm buying.
What? CK2 should actually be your arch-enemy when it comes to DLC. :D
 
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DLC: The Game.
 
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Is Crusader Kings III Kings an RPG? Well that's a loaded question. As genre definitions have lowered over the last ten years. I'd say no but it has sandbox RPG elements.

Anyway the series has always been a blend of different genres as Joxer said. As for DLC I expect the usual Paradox DLC scheme where you end up paying over $300 again.

Unless you wait and buy the complete edition on a Steam sales.

Edit: Mount and Blade is another game like CK but focuses on other aspects.
 
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A point though, it will allow players who never played CK2 an easy point of access, it will be easier to learn how to play CK3 than CK2 and its addons.

That is the key appeal to me. Even after watching several hours of YouTube videos and playing for dozens of hours I feel like I am still stumbling around, not even completely understanding the base mechanics, much less the inner workings.
 
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As for DLC I expect the usual Paradox DLC scheme where you end up paying over $300 again.

I've read a fair few of the development diaries for CK3, and based on everything I've seen, they're incorporating a good chunk of what CK2 eventually had in it only after 15 DLC releases. So the starting point is much further along. It's also my understanding that Paradox aims to reduce the frequency and increase the size of their DLC for the game (something we see evidence of with the about to release "Emperor" DLC for EU4, which is very expansive and comes after about a year and a half without a release for that game)

I like my strategy games to have ongoing support/expansion, but the Paradox model sometimes is pretty excessive, especially when some DLC don't have much in them. Hopefully the above all means a better balance will be struck with CK3.
 
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I really never worry if it meets the strict version of what someone believes is an rpg...you can ask any of us and it will be slightly different....really, I worry if it will be fun or interesting to me....
 
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I'm always anxious when a new iteration of one of my favorite strategy games comes out…the general trend is to simplify things to reach a wider audience…

The thing is, I can't even get mad, as they are not really doing anything wrong. I'm just a masochist, and I LIKE games that have too many systems running simultaneously. I enjoy making spreadsheets to figure it all out…..lol

It's just that ck2 was pretty simple by paradox standards to begin with.

Although I did enjoy all the little things they added to the game over time. Like, it's not a real rpg until there are blacksmiths! I have played so many rpg games in my lifetime that I picked up blacksmithing for real. I recently made a pair of tongs, it was a difficult project but oh boy was it satisfying...too bad it doesn't give me +x martial like in game!
 
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I'm always anxious when a new iteration of one of my favorite strategy games comes out…the general trend is to simplify things to reach a wider audience…

The thing is, I can't even get mad, as they are not really doing anything wrong. I'm just a masochist, and I LIKE games that have too many systems running simultaneously. I enjoy making spreadsheets to figure it all out…..lol

It's just that CK2 was pretty simple by paradox standards to begin with.

If you have spreadsheets for Paradox's game can we see them lol?
 
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they're incorporating a good chunk of what CK2 eventually had in it only after 15 DLC releases. So the starting point is much further along. It's also my understanding that Paradox aims to reduce the frequency and increase the size of their DLC for the game

CK2 +DLCs is huge and goes in many directions. They might have a clearer view on where they are going to with CK3 and therefore pushing placeholders and stuff but for them to include a good chunk of CK2 and dlcs.

Already if they manage to include worthy mechanics for crusades, that would add.
 
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