Crusder Kings Question Thread

[GoldenEagle]

Alright, I bought this game not too long ago and I now have some time to play it. The only problem is I keep crashing to the desktop. It might happen on a certain date but I know it happens in 1070. Anyway, I have the June 3rd beta. I thought read somewhere that this patch was buggy. Should I downgrade to the patch that came out before?

By the way playing as the Count of Carsscone (or something like that) in south France. I am doing good as I have a solid economy going. However, the province in Germany next to mine has trrops mobliziled. Does that mean I will get attacked soon?

[Lonnie]

I always get CTDs with it, original or patched. Sometimes I can make it for a while, but eventually it crashes. I just set it to autosave every 5 months and usually don't lose too much.

I usually don't worry about my neighbors having troops mobilized. They might be getting ready to defend after pissing off some other territory. If they do attack, you can quickly mobilize your troops. If they don't have any claims on your titles they will usually leave you alone.

[GoldenEagle]

I do not have the option to autosave every five months. The least amount I could save is one year. I would do it every month if I could. Anyone got any other suggestions?

[Neon_Chaos]

Go grab the newest patches.

1.05 is coming out soon.

[Izulde]

I echo grabbing the newest patches, though I'm still back on May 13th beta.

[ThunderingHERD]

Echo: getting the latest patches. Haven't played it in 6 months or so but i used to have a major problem with crashing to destop also.

I doubt you'll get attacked. Even on the ghighest aggresiveness level I never had a problem with that unless I was holding muslim lands or starting out as a county in great britain and trying to conquor my neighbors.

[GoldenEagle]

Alright, I got the game patched up and everything is working well. Any tips on making money? What about going to war? I never could get any legiate claims on land. I consideried going to war against my Duke but figured that would not be too smart.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Are the battles simulated (and shows the results on a screen) or does it have a battle engine ?

[GoldenEagle]

Are the battles simulated (and shows the results on a screen) or does it have a battle engine ?
The battles are just simulated.

[Neon_Chaos]

Alright, I got the game patched up and everything is working well. Any tips on making money? What about going to war? I never could get any legiate claims on land. I consideried going to war against my Duke but figured that would not be too smart.
My tip would be to start off playing a Duchy or a Kingdom. I've always thought that playing a County is somewhat on the harder side of things.

[WussGawd]

I've been a Crusader Kings junkie since not long after it came out.

I'd suggest also snagging the latest beta patch. You can find it off the forums, and it has significantly reworked the Crusade system, which was one of the biggest flaw with the games in its early versions (your armies usually got attrited to ribbons long before they got to the Middle East or Muslim-held Spain. It's about as stable as patched to 1.04c.

Unlike in EU or Victoria, it's actually hard to progress very far with a small duchy early on. It's actually easier to play a larger kingdom or empire. England is a good place to start. You start with William the Conqueror who is a good monarch to ease you into things, and the country is at peace to start with to start with. Avoid playing in the Spanish peninsula until you get used to things, as the Muslims are a beast to fight straight up early on (better technology, better developed provinces).

As someone else said, battles are simulated. If you're familiar with Europa Universalis, you'll pick up the economic system pretty quickly, though the dynastic aspects are a challenge of their own at times.

[WussGawd]

I usually don't worry about my neighbors having troops mobilized. They might be getting ready to defend after pissing off some other territory. If they do attack, you can quickly mobilize your troops. If they don't have any claims on your titles they will usually leave you alone.

This is correct.

Something you'll learn very quickly, and it's a big difference between CK and the other games using Paradox's EU engine. There is absolutely no advantage to mobilizing armies until you need them. The costs of keeping them mobilized are expensive, attrition becomes a beast, and unlike EU, rebuilding regiments decimated by attrition or battle is a slow and laborious process.

Do as was done historically. Mobilize only when you have a specific need (you are at war), and demobilize as quick as you can once the battle is won. Don't hesitate to bring a war to a less than optimal close if things look like they're settling into a war of attrition. Your supply of troops is finite at any particular time, far more finite than in EU, Victoria, or Heatrs of Iron, and keeping them in the field for any length of time is prohibitively expensive.

[ThunderingHERD]

I always started as a county. It might take a hundred years or so to work your way up, but if you marry right it's not too tough. I would highly recommend getting a bride finder program.

[sachmo71]

Any luck with the new patches and the CTDs?
Also, what's the cheapest anyone has seen this game, and where? Thanks!

[Runtheball]

I'm playing the 1.05 version, and having a blast! Once you have a little bit of success with this game, it becomes entirely too addictive. I always start as a county, and usually get wiped pretty early. But not this time!

One question that I'm hoping to get some help with: what should I do when the pope calls to arms? I'm a Duke now, and have 3 vassals and about 8 counties. I've got a fair amount of strength, but not enough to mount a major crusade. The pope has asked that we fight the heathens in Antiochia (around modern Syria) and I'm in Lithuania and Poland. Can I really be expected to march my armies that far and fight an Islamic power that has 10x my power? How can I tell if anyone else is crusading along with me (short of going to the target area and looking to see who else is there?) I'd hate to be the only one to show up for the crusade. I've done that once before when I was playing a county in France, and soon found my army massacred and Muslim forces marching across Europe to conquer my French counties. They march right through other Christian territories and no one stops them!

There must be a way to know who is responding to the call to Crusade prior to making my own decision to respond...isn't there?

[Izulde]

I'm playing the 1.05 version, and having a blast! Once you have a little bit of success with this game, it becomes entirely too addictive. I always start as a county, and usually get wiped pretty early. But not this time!

One question that I'm hoping to get some help with: what should I do when the pope calls to arms? I'm a Duke now, and have 3 vassals and about 8 counties. I've got a fair amount of strength, but not enough to mount a major crusade. The pope has asked that we fight the heathens in Antiochia (around modern Syria) and I'm in Lithuania and Poland. Can I really be expected to march my armies that far and fight an Islamic power that has 10x my power? How can I tell if anyone else is crusading along with me (short of going to the target area and looking to see who else is there?) I'd hate to be the only one to show up for the crusade. I've done that once before when I was playing a county in France, and soon found my army massacred and Muslim forces marching across Europe to conquer my French counties. They march right through other Christian territories and no one stops them!

There must be a way to know who is responding to the call to Crusade prior to making my own decision to respond...isn't there?

Run your mouse over the big Crusade flag on the right hand part of the screen. It'll tell you if you're losing any piety points for not fulfilling Crusade expectations. If you're small enough, you'll either lose none or you'll lose so little that you'll still be gaining bonus piety because of church donations.

If that's the case, then don't bother crusading unless you really want to.

[WussGawd]

Run your mouse over the big Crusade flag on the right hand part of the screen. It'll tell you if you're losing any piety points for not fulfilling Crusade expectations. If you're small enough, you'll either lose none or you'll lose so little that you'll still be gaining bonus piety because of church donations.

If that's the case, then don't bother crusading unless you really want to.

This is good advice.

I'd also add the suggestion that you can tinker with the church donations in the treasury screen and erase a small piety penalty, if one is created.

FWIW, Crusades in Iberia are a lot easier than those in the Middle East. Generally, I avoid the Middle Eastern ones like a plague, unless the piety penalties get too severe.

[Runtheball]

I'm not having any piety penalties, and piety always seems to accumulate for me and I see no use for it in the game.

But the main part of my question is if you've ever done a crusade, did you do it alone or did other nations join and fight alongside you when you arrived?

I've seen the Muslims turn around and conquer countries like Norway and Denmark, and even central european powers have lost provinces to their counter-attacks. It amazes me that Muslim armies could travel across Christian lands unopposed to retaliate against crusading kingdoms. That's why I've never done a crusade. Starting as a county, and sometimes even reaching Duchy status, I've never been strong enough to fight the Muslim powers.

Awesome game though. Totally captivating once you start having a little success.:)

[WussGawd]

I'm not having any piety penalties, and piety always seems to accumulate for me and I see no use for it in the game.

But the main part of my question is if you've ever done a crusade, did you do it alone or did other nations join and fight alongside you when you arrived?

In the Middle East crusades I've engaged in (mostly under v1.04B with the beta patches, haven't fiddled with v1.05 as much as I'd have liked), I was always on my own.

I have seen some of the Spanish duchies pile on during my conquering forays into the Iberian peninsula though, so it appears possible you'll get some help.

Being part of an alliance hasn't changed much either in my experience.

[GoldenEagle]

Bump...

My duke asked me to mobalize my army to for the purposes of a crusade. I did so, but I can not for the life of me figure out how to move my troops around. Somehow a group of infields got to the middle of Frnace and attacked a providence there. I am not sure how they go there, but all the French armies (except mine) came and kicked the crap out of them.

Is there anywhere I can tell where a kingdom is? The Kingdom of Fatticus (sp?) declared war on me but no clue where they are.

I am going to have to kill my wife because the woman only pumps out daughters and is now severly depressed.

[klayman]

Bump...

My duke asked me to mobalize my army to for the purposes of a crusade. I did so, but I can not for the life of me figure out how to move my troops around. Somehow a group of infields got to the middle of Frnace and attacked a providence there. I am not sure how they go there, but all the French armies (except mine) came and kicked the crap out of them.

Is there anywhere I can tell where a kingdom is? The Kingdom of Fatticus (sp?) declared war on me but no clue where they are.

I am going to have to kill my wife because the woman only pumps out daughters and is now severly depressed.

It's been awhile since I played, but I think if you mobilize for your liege, he gets control of your armies. I could be wrong.

For the war, you should be able to change to a diplomacy display on the map, and click on your county. The red should be the Kingdom you are at war with (providing you are not at war with anybody else).

[Runtheball]

Bump...

Is there anywhere I can tell where a kingdom is? The Kingdom of Fatticus (sp?) declared war on me but no clue where they are.

Klayman's answers are exactly right. And yeah, the Fatimids are always pretty nasty. I've seen them in Norway, so there's no limit to how far they'll go to attack. That's the one problem I have with this otherwise excellent game, is that a Muslim army can march all the way across Europe, through one Christian country after another, unopposed, to attack someone in northern Germany, Netherlands, etc.

[GoldenEagle]

So I need to keep them mobilized and just chill untily my liedge gives them orders?

My wife is severly depressed. Is that going to affect her chances of getting pregnant? I have no heirs at all, so if it does I need to kill her off.

It really is a fun game.

[Izulde]

You can, if you wanted to be gamey, set your army upkeep to 0, thus forcing your liege le Duke to pay for your troops.

In a way that's not as horribe as it sounds, because the AI never goes below 0 in gold.

[Blade6119]

So I need to keep them mobilized and just chill untily my liedge gives them orders?

My wife is severly depressed. Is that going to affect her chances of getting pregnant? I have no heirs at all, so if it does I need to kill her off.

It really is a fun game.
If you are playing 1.15, the current version(though 1.16 is close from what i read), if you mouse over the severely depressed trait below the description it tells you what effects it has on the character. In 1.15, it does this with every trait. Im pretty sure depressed does lower her fertility though, to answer your question

[GoldenEagle]

I am playing 1.05. I had no clue there was a 1.15 out.

[Blade6119]

I am playing 1.05. I had no clue there was a 1.15 out.
I meant 1.05, my fault...1.06 in en route soon, according to the official forums. 1.04 didnt have the trait's effects, so if you can see them then your up to date. Sorry bout that mate :(

[Izulde]

I think depressed has a -2 effect on fertility.