Hello hello! Lachek here to talk about a feature that will be coming to the whole world with All Under Heaven, but which will have a special impact on China - Natural Disasters.

When considering the success rate of medieval rulers, we often consider how cleverly they played important factions against each other, how they picked the right time and place to lead their armies to victory, and in Crusader Kings terms, how they managed their dynasty's blood through setting up capable successors and arranging the right marriages. But another important factor is how they respond when disaster strikes. When the unthinkable happens, will you be prepared or caught short? Will you be able to look after your people with the selfless care your crown demands, or will someone else swoop in and seize the opportunity to demonstrate their own benevolence? Will you stand tall, or will you have to cash in all your goodwill and sell your soul to restore control over your provinces?

These are the signs of a skillful ruler we're challenging you to display with the Natural Disasters feature.

\[An illustration of the impact of a Natural Disaster on the people of the realm]

Famously, the devastating Huang He (Yellow River) floods in the 11th-12th centuries not only inflicted casualties to the tune of hundreds of thousands lives lost, but also undermined the Song dynasty's ability to fund defenses against the Jurchens and Mongols. And the Huang He was not content with contributing only to the fall of the Song dynasty - in the 14th century, when China had fallen to the Mongols and was ruled by the Yuan dynasty, it flooded again, precipitating the famine and revolts that eventually gave rise to the Red Turban rebellion and the subsequent rise of the Ming dynasty. The scope of devastation inflicted by floods and earthquakes upon China was enormous, and directly tied to the people's view of how suited they were to hold the Mandate of Heaven.

But calamity is indiscriminate - it can happen to anyone, anywhere. The Rhine flooded frequently, causing difficulty for local princes and townships in the Holy Roman Empire. The Aleppo earthquake of 1138, which may have claimed over 200,000 lives, weakened Muslim states in the Levant and served as a temporary boon for the Crusader states in the area - until the power vacuum paved the way for leaders like Nur ad-Din to emerge, who later became a central figure in resisting the same European invaders.

In designing this feature, we had to be careful to ensure that natural disasters shake up the political landscape of the region appropriately while not punishing players caught up in it through no fault of their own. True, natural disasters are by their very nature random, and there's not much even the wisest ruler - particularly in medieval times - can do to stop an earthquake or flood from happening. To address this we leaned into the governance aspect of natural disasters - how do you respond to a calamity occurring in your realm?

To illustrate this, let me take you on a bit of a journey.

The year is 1081, and Caliph al-Majid "The Trickster" rules the Fatimid Sultanate, freshly crowned at a mere 34 years of age after the untimely death of his father, claimed before his time by a mild tickle in his throat. All is well in the realm, were it not for my unceasing war against Emir Hussain "the Priest-Hater" of the Hashimid Emirate and his godless supporters, and the 627 issues Errorhoof is screaming about on this debug build. Life is pretty good in Egypt, under the circumstances.

\[Screenshot of the Fatimid Sultanate and its ruler shortly after the Coronation]

The Nile is revered for its frequent flooding, but this year is different. The water won't stop rising. Something is amiss.

\[Event signaling the imminent flood of the Nile River]

The river expands even beyond the floodplains, engulfing everything in its path. We know what's coming, but the (as yet) unwashed masses by and large do not yet.

A Natural Disaster is a type of Situation, like The Great Steppe from Khans of the Steppe, and the Dynastic Cycle and Silk Road also from All Under Heaven. Situations have participating characters, geographic regions, and can go through phases, each with their own effects and modifiers. I see that we're now in the Warning phase of the disaster, which has no effects. This will soon change.

As the first warning signs appear, we get a choice of waiting to see what happens or immediately devoting ourselves to addressing this calamity. If the disaster had affected our court, we'd also have an option to go into isolation - though this would cost us dearly in the court of public opinion in the short term, it's better the ruler survives to see the disaster through to its conclusion than perish alongside his people, right? Right?

\[Screenshot of the Natural Disaster panel in the Warning phase and the future Disaster Relief Great Project, alongside an event where the ruler has to choose what approach to take to it]

Soon thereafter, the disaster reaches its Impact phase. People at large now understand the terrible danger they're in, and who do they blame? You, of course!

When Impact hits, you lose Legitimacy. Usually the amount is bearable if you're a well-established ruler with a good track record and the trust of the people, but me, a recently crowned Caliph who can't seem to wrap up a war against the Priest-Hater? It hurts.

Note that this Legitimacy loss will be substantially higher if you are the Emperor of China, due to the entanglement between the welfare of the realm and the Mandate of Heaven. A flood or earthquake in China could be spun as proof of the ruling dynasty's corruption, and if the disaster strikes during a period of instability in the Dynastic Cycle, it hits even harder.

\[Screenshot of the Natural Disaster panel in the Impact phase with negative consequences, alongside an event where the ruler loses Legitimacy, affected counties are struck by a negative modifier, and Control decreases in the disaster region]

People will die. My half-brother, Prince Muammar, is among them. One less claimant to the throne, perhaps.

\[An event showing a roster of dozens of characters who died in the latest flooding event. Players may also die this way if they're not careful, but are given more of a chance to react in their final moments.]

Not only people, but the land itself will be affected. Hopefully the Priest-Hater isn't in a position to take advantage of this…

\[An event showing how fortifications were damaged across the affected provinces as a result of the latest flooding event]

Your counties can be afflicted by many different consequences of the disaster.

\[An event showing holding taxes being greatly reduced, along with a continuous loss of development, across the affected provinces. Modifiers are cleared after the Recovery Great Project is completed.]

Finally, the worst is over. We now enter a Recovery phase, where we can try to rebuild what was lost and restore the people's faith in your rule. But even this phase is not harmless. For every month we remain in disrepair, we lose more Legitimacy.

\[Screenshot showing the Disaster Situation panel in the Recovery phase, with a -0.25 monthly loss of Legitimacy applying to all affected rulers until the situation is resolved. In addition, governorships in the affected area are cheaper to revoke during the Recovery phase, letting an administrative ruler more readily manage their roster of governors to eliminate dead weight and elevate more promising ones.]

The road to people's hearts is paved with gold, of course - the more the better. But it's not all doom and gloom - once this Great Project[forum.paradoxplaza.com] is complete, not only will you remove most or all of the negative modifiers you suffered due to the disaster, but you will also gain rewards for every contribution you made. In addition, for Floods specifically, the affected provinces gain bonuses from the silt and moisture left behind.

\[Screenshot showing the Flood Recovery Great Project, with three mandatory contributions required to construct alongside three optional ones. Each costs Gold (or Treasury, if you have it) and provides a number of possible benefits or rewards to the ruler who contributes to the project.]

The cost of each component of the restoration can be sizable, and depend primarily on the number of counties affected, their development, and the severity of the disaster. No two disasters will play out the same in this regard, so you might want to carefully consider which is best to do first given the expense.

Land Drainage, for example, will tie up much of your army for 10 years but give you a permanent +10 Direct Vassal Opinion boost as soon as you fund it. The primary rewards, in terms of Legitimacy and Learning Experience in this case, aren't gained until the whole project is completed. Meanwhile, Survivor Recovery will give you a Popular Opinion boost upon taking it, but also a tax burden to carry through the recovery efforts until the project is completed.

Optional contributions are not necessary to complete the project, but if you can afford them, they can give you much greater rewards. Resettling refugees requires you to give up some land until the project is complete - resulting in a reduced domain limit for characters of most cultures - but yields twice the Legitimacy and a Levy Reinforcement boost.

All of these rewards and costs are scaled by innovations - Elephants make it easier to remove debris, for example. But of course, as time passes, so does Development, and recovering from late-game natural disasters can be much more expensive, especially if you haven't kept up with your technological progress. China starts with many relevant innovations to help it control disasters even in 1066, while others will need time to catch up.

\[Screenshot showing the effects of the Land Drainage mandatory contribution, which costs 300 Gold in this instance and imposes a 10 year long Levy Reinforcement penalty on contribution, but also yields a positive Vassal Opinion modifier. When the project is completed, the ruler gains Legitimacy and Learning Lifestyle experience. Note that if the contributing character is not an independent ruler, they still benefit - governors gain Governor Effectiveness experience, and characters in realms that use Merit gain Merit.]

If you cannot pay yourself, perhaps there are others who can? The Natural Disaster Recovery project screen gives you insight into who else might be willing to foot the bill for a part of this project, and it also lets you try to convince them to do so. My vassal Emir Hisn al-Dawla, for example, is on decent terms with me and might be willing to help with the Land Drainage while I deal with Housing Reconstruction…

\[Screenshot showing a list of two vassals who are potential contributors to the project on account of being able to afford it. One can be convinced to contribute by the player while the other refuses.]

…only in exchange for a Strong Hook, but that will do. At least he will suffer a -75% Levy Reinforcement rate for a while, so in the event he rises up against me…

\[Character Interaction where the player is trying to convince the vassal to contribute. They will only do so in exchange for a Strong Hook currently. Other options are a regular Hook for a smaller Opinion modifier, or using a Hook you have on them.]

(deep breath) Grand. This is doable. It'll be fine. Teamwork makes the dream work! Maybe in a few years I'll get another wealthy vassal who I could convince to handle the last part, since this war against the Priest-Hater is really taxing me…or maybe I could fabricate a hook on that wealthy nephew of mine who refuses to play ball. Though if I could only raise the cash myself somehow, I sure could use the Legitimacy to cement my rule once and for all…

\[Screenshot of the Disaster Recovery Great Project, showing two dynastic seals stamped over two of the three mandatory contributions, and a remaining total cost of 376 Gold for the final one]

Natural Disasters will be displayed on-map in two different ways:

• A map pin will appear on disaster epicenters, at quite generous zoom levels to let you easily spot them even when they don't occur in your realm. Selecting the map pin will open the Situation panel for the disaster, and will also display which counties are affected with a border

• Terrain shaders will be applied when zoomed in, so you can really feel the devastation! Here's where I would show you an epic screenshot, but these are currently getting their final touches applied after the recent map graphics upgrades[forum.paradoxplaza.com], so you'll have to wait to see them in-game

Natural Disasters obviously do not care about realm borders. A flood will affect all counties adjacent to the river, and an earthquake can span counties in multiple realms. Where a single disaster overlaps many realms, a recovery project will be constructed in each. You only pay for the provinces in your realm, but it's also only those provinces that reap the benefits of your contributions. The disaster situation will disappear once the final recovery has been completed.

Finally, let's talk about frequency - and about China. Natural Disasters are rare occurrences. You might play a full campaign and not be directly affected by one at all, even across centuries. To some degree this also depends on the terrain in your realm and what part of the world you're playing in. Regions that historically suffered earthquakes or floods during this era have a higher probability of being afflicted by one. When a region is afflicted, it is more likely to be centered in terrain suitable for that disaster. Mountainous regions will be more prone to suffer earthquakes, and provinces far from major rivers won't get flooded.

However - quite naturally - the larger the realm, the larger the risk one part of it will be struck by disaster at any given time. For a realm the size of China, the likelihood of having to deal with them is high. Thankfully, the Emperor has access to two tools to deal with this problem that most rulers don't: the Imperial Treasury, which can be used in place of Gold to pay for Great Projects, and a great many Governors whose fat salaries should really be put to better use than improving their Estates when the future of the realm is at risk. With the increased impact on Legitimacy, due to the unceasing turning of the Dynastic Cycle and the people's perception of how disasters are a sign from the Heavens that change is needed, natural disasters could possibly break - or make - a Chinese dynasty.

We hope you will enjoy this opportunity to prove your benevolence as a ruler, or for the more cunning among you, use the upheaval to your advantage!

Hello again, my good players, modders, friends, enemies, mum and dad! I am (yet again) Jason, and I’m here to give you more details about Coronations, the central feature of our similarly named event pack.

I think we should just run through a particular character's Coronation experience from beginning to end. Afterwards, perhaps have a quick discussion of the possible choices our protagonist didn't make, and get into a Coronation guest's perspective and possibilities.

Please note that everything shown in this dev diary is a work in progress, and the numbers you see here today are liable to change before the release of Coronations

Please meet our hero: young King Ailill of Scotland. He’s just taken the throne and he’s facing some rather tough circumstances. Not exactly hated throughout the realm, but certainly not liked by all. A strong faction stands in opposition to our sweet boy Ailill, and his little two-county demesne leaves him little strength with which to dissuade them.

\[But hey… he’s a nice guy.] 

Notice his head is a little bare? As a king yet to hold a Coronation, the Uncrowned law has been set on King Ailill upon his succession: he’s losing vassal opinion, and his Legitimacy is being both drained and its gain neutered. This needs to be sorted.

\[The principal reminder to hold a Coronation, but there are a few others in suitable places]

Fortunately (or because a certain guardian angel interfered on his behalf), King Ailill has enough gold to hold a Coronation right away. This is a doubly good choice because it’ll keep the mighty Liberty Faction off his back temporarily… although whether the Coronation will weaken or swell that Faction remains to be seen.

Ailill may only hold a regular Coronation; as a Catholic king, he cannot hold a papal Anointment, which is a rite reserved for emperors alone. He will be crowned in his capital, St. Johnston. As the site of other coronations of the past, this barony boosts his activity’s chance of success. The middling options for ceremony and celebrations are all he can afford, but they should serve well enough.

The Intent our boy selects will have a significant impact on the outcome of this pricey endeavor. Some suit his precarious situation well, while others represent a bit of a strategic miscalculation.

Exalt the Crown is great for when you’re in a safe situation. Rather than striving to please attendees, you’ll strive towards bonuses for your Dynasty and Coronation artifacts, as well as tack additional rewards onto the Oath you will hopefully manage to complete.

\[Note that all these Intents let you gain Opinion with a certain subset of your vassals]

Weaken Detractors could help Ailill against the Faction opposing him: he may get opportunities to peel off its members or lower its discontent. Sadly, Ailill is a compassionate feller and he’s not interested in bullying his attendees or entrenching the hatred of his enemies.

Embrace Supporters could be a useful Intent, as King Ailill has some important friendly vassals whom he could further strengthen and please.

Impress Attendees is a reliable fallback, particularly for those facing unpopularity. It will give Ailill the most opportunities to boost his general image and counteract losses to Magnificence (the Coronation’s success metric). He’s going to go with this Intent.

The Activity is announced, and invitations go out. The king’s guests choose their own Intents: some are helpful to their host, some are hostile, and others - pure self-interest.

And so, it begins! Note, on the right, that the most powerful of Ailill’s supporters and detractors - those who can affect the course of his Coronation - are shown, with their Activity Intents. The Coronation’s Magnificence is currently extremely low, and likely to spawn negative events or effects for King Ailill. It was damaged by the existence of the strong Liberty Faction, and wasn’t particularly high to begin with.

If you’re a member of a culture or faith that practiced Coronations involving a priest placing the crown, you get the event below - and a choice between having the crown put on you and crowning yourself. The latter practice was surprisingly common in, say, medieval Iberia. This event obviously does not trigger if your Coronation is an Anointment, and is all about being recognized by the Pope.

Ailill will crown himself king without the church’s intercession… because I showed off the “you are crowned by a priest” event in last week’s dev diary[forum.paradoxplaza.com].

The Prelude phase of the Coronation has begun: in its random events, the host and guests begin to meet, to engage in politics, and discuss the ceremony to come.

\[An opportunity to unleash supporters against detractors; a faction leader, no less!]

Throughout the Coronation, its host will receive Petition events from groups of guests who all hold the same Intent. Most of these are largely beneficial, and the Host may choose between accepting the petition (to increase Cultural Acceptance, etc.) and disappointing the petitioners in exchange for some Magnificence.

King Ailill’s guests do not all have friendly Intents, and those intending to Disrupt Loyalists confront him in order to strengthen their faction. They are only able to do so because the unfriendly Detractors at the Coronation outnumber, or outmatch, Ailill’s present Supporters.

With his focus on impressing everyone during the Prelude (at the expense of gaining pretty much anything else), Ailill has increased Magnificence up to an appreciable 63/100 for the beginning of the Ceremony. The people of St. Johnston are pleased with the regal spectacle!

The ceremony proceeds, with Ailill gaining or losing some currency based on his popularity among each of the Three Estates: the nobility, the clergy, and the common people.

\[The common people get a say about their king… sort of]

The time comes for Ailill to crown himself! If he had any zealous vassals, they would now be displeased along with his realm priest.

When all the ceremonial events are complete and an Oath is chosen, or all possible Oaths are turned down (more on this below), it’s time for the celebratory feast!

This final phase of the Coronation can still play host to politics, but now also presents chances to lose accumulated stress, and more opportunities to gain positive relations.

\[This is actually an Exalt the Crown option - but I couldn’t resist showing it off]

If the host is true to the Intent they began the Coronation with (that is, if they never switch it out) they may claim an additional reward at the activity’s end. Our guy Ailill was utterly focused on Impressing his Attendees.

And, well, you’ve all seen Activity Conclusions before! So I think this wraps up Ailill’s Coronation.

To summarize how it went: as I mentioned earlier, Ailill incurred significant opportunity cost to choose options that improved Magnificence, but it furnished him with more Prestige and Legitimacy at the close of his Coronation. He achieved those ends pretty well; he made his most powerful vassal into a new friend/best bro, swayed most attendees into liking him more, made it to the next level of legitimacy, and gained a good chunk of prestige. But he spent a bunch of gold on this, and he’s still likely to face a civil war now that festivities are over. What’s more, Ailill’s realm has been sort of torn by the divide between his supporters and detractors… who, at the Coronation’s end, lose opinion of one another and get closer to becoming rivals.

So yeah, this new Coronation activity is a hive of drama, wherein I’d say we got acquainted with young King Ailill ( #1 goodestboy of Alba) and his particular crop of vassals and contemporaries pretty well.

Now, let’s take a look at how the activity plays out for a guest.

Attending Coronations as a guest is highly encouraged, particularly if it happens to be your liege’s Coronation! AI vassals are basically required to attend. And if you disinvite them for being haters - they send you a snarky letter inviting themselves back.

Guests come not to murder and seduce and all those usual things: they come to figure out where they stand with this new ruler, to find opportunities for personal gain… or just to be nice and have a good time. We really wanted to allow guests agency through Intents, and thereby lend attending Coronations a tangible purpose, expanding your expected outcomes beyond the usual stress loss and opinion gains with random attendees.

Here are the Guest Intents, some of which are available only to vassals:

Bear Witness, the default Intent, is for those simply into having a good time… or maybe those specifically interested in cultural acceptance with attendee cultures, piety, or legitimacy. The latter is a pretty juicy gain from just attending someone else’s activity!

\[The default Guest Intent]

Offer Support is a great choice when you favor the crowned sovereign, want their goodwill, and intend to help secure their position. This is a particularly handy Intent when you’re setting up your dynasty in other realms, and looking for opportunities to help them succeed.

Advocate Domain is a vassal-only Intent, and pretty nifty for those intensely interested in their little corner of the realm. In their time of fresh uncertainty, a new liege might prove quite generous in inducements and concessions towards your lands’ prosperity.

Vassals interested in getting their contracts changed may pick Profess Rights and hope for a major boon from their liege. With such a narrow focus, you may see fewer rewards… but we all know how big it is if you do get the treasure of all treasures: reduced vassal taxes.

The Seize Advantages Intent yields prestige, gold, or claims on titles in or near the host’s realm; expect opinion hits though, as it’s not the friendliest Intent.

Definitely not the friendliest of Intents, Disrupt Loyalists is your path to reducing the Magnificence of the Coronation, and thereby costing the host Prestige, Legitimacy, and Opinion. It’s particularly useful for faction members, and those with rivalries against the host and their supporters. A terrible foe with Disrupt Loyalists may even critically succeed… and get the chance to coup their despised host.

But be warned: this Intent will create ill will with the sovereign being crowned, and with those who love them.

As you can see, there is a good selection of Intents for guests - Intents that should prove relevant to your gameplay interests.

Some answers to potential questions: you can attend the Coronation of your spouse, and you will be recognized as consort. You can’t be the officiant at a Coronation. You can only attend as a full-grown adult (although the ruler getting crowned has a minimum age of 12. We want waiting for adulthood to be a little punishing… not too punishing).

Below is a guest-facing petition event, the culmination of their Intent. In this instance, the guest has the Advocate Domain Intent and is the only attending vassal who has selected it. Nice guy Ailill chooses to accept.

As the Coronation progresses, the guests get random flavor events in the Prelude and Feast phase. They receive some events in the Ceremony phase where they bear witness to the host becoming a proper sovereign.

For instance, if you’re a vassal and receive the event below, this is a big opportunity to speak out and either voice contempt or total support (or do neither of these things). Being a sufficiently devoted detractor can lead to rivalries, be warned.

There are plenty more random and systemic events I could include in this, but I think y’all get the idea.

Hello there, this is Joachim, better known around these parts as \[USER=1280952]@Snow Crystal\[/user], with a small section on Oaths. Oaths are a new mini-feature we added to the Coronations as a part of the middle phase of the activity. You will be able to choose an Oath to open up a special decision and set yourself a long-term goal for the crowned ruler in question.

Our aim in making these Oaths is to give the player some tangible goals to choose from, to give their rule a more substantial focus, in addition to your regular decisions.

We have changed the event screen for the occasion to show you more options at once and give you more alternatives. Hopefully, this will enable the player to find something that fits their interests for their next ruler. Of course, if none do, you can refrain from taking an Oath if you are uninterested.

Now, let’s have a look at some of the options here, so we can take a better look at exactly what the Oaths are like.

Each Oath comes with a time restriction, some requirements, and rewards. Some of the Oaths are a tad more simplistic and more likely to be available, as they are almost always relevant, like the conquest Oath we have a picture of here, whereas others will be a bit more involved.

The exact rewards you get will be affected by the Coronation Magnificence, so a higher Magnificence will provide a higher amount of legitimacy and prestige.

The Oath decision will be available at the top of the decision screen in a new special Oath category, as well as in the Current Situation screen, both of them showing the amount of time remaining. Those who fail to uphold their Oath in time will lose legitimacy and prestige as they lose face among peers, vassals, and peasants.

After that, it functionally works like most decisions do. You fulfill some requirements, and you get some (occasionally spicy) rewards for your actions. With all that said, let’s take a look at a handful of the Oaths we have added.

So these come in many different forms, really. They are still a work in progress, but hopefully some of these have piqued your interest.

Jason again. Thanks for reading! It’s been a personal pleasure to explore the long-awaited possibilities of coronations in Crusader Kings III, to expand on what our in-game Activities can be, and to write y’all some of my most fanciest events yet.

I truly hope you enjoy our event pack. If there’s anything you’re exceptionally interested in or hopeful for with this new Activity, then please let us know below!

Hello everyone! Studio Black is working at full capacity after the traditional Swedish Summer Break, so today’s dev diary is going to cover a broad range of topics from a few different members of our development team. We’ll be talking primarily about Celestial Government mechanics, but we’re also providing a bit more detail about Border Warfare and the new Wanua government’s unique mechanics.

Goeiedag iedereen, Daan here! One of the new features we’ve been iterating on since the “Mechanics of China” Dev Diary is the Imperial Treasury (or just “Treasury” for short).

A key thing we wanted to improve is how Treasury flows to parts of the Empire that don’t have their own tax income, such as Ministries. How much should a Ministry receive from the Emperor in Treasury? Well that would depend on the economy of the Empire, which is related to the size of the realm, its development, etc. Absolute numbers like “they get 10 Treasury per month” do not scale well, if at all.

Other centralized numbers like Salaries suffered from similar issues - what makes a high salary in 876, is a paltry sum in 1178.

To provide a more scalable number instead of a “fixed” modifier number, we have implemented a new set of laws that distribute the Treasury excess (called “Budget Capacity”) over a number of recipients.

\[A window showing the Treasury Budgets before budget Enactment, with changes to Ministry and Salary Budget percentages, costs and effects WIP]

We have added three categories for this centralized Treasury Budget:

• Salary Budget - Treasury which goes to all vassals and sub-vassals that should receive Salaries. It is given as Gold income

• Ministry Budget - Each of the Ministries will receive a slice of this budget as Treasury income

• Military Budget - Each of the holders of Military Province Types (circuit type) will get a slice from this budget as Treasury income (in addition to their regular Treasury income that is based on Taxes sent)

Any unallocated budget will be income for the general Treasury, to be spent by the Emperor as they please.

You can run a budget Deficit too if you desire, but it will draw from your collected Treasury. Running a Deficit could prove potent, if you want to keep your Government happy and powerful. Don’t run out of Treasury though, as being in Treasury Debt will impact you similarly to being in Gold Debt.

\[Part of the Budgeting Window showing what running a deficit looks like - WIP]

\[Game concept for the Budget Base Rate]

How this budget is distributed among the recipients is calculated via the Base Rate. It represents what one “standard” recipient of this type would receive. Each recipient can get more or less of this Base Rate, depending on things like their Title Rank and Merit Rank (in the case of Salaries), but also potentially any individual modifiers.

\[Breakdown of a Governor’s Salary, based on the Base Rate, the Tier of their Primary Title, and their Merit Rank]

Calculation example: Say that you have a Budget Category that would get 100 Treasury allocated to it, and it has 8 recipients, of which 6 have a “Base Rate” of 100% and 2 have a “Base Rate” of 150%.

6 * 1.0 = 6 base rate units

2 * 1.5 = 3 base rate units

Total: 9 base rate units (distributed over 8 recipients)

100 / 9 = a Base Rate of 11.1

Each of the normal 6 recipients would receive 11.1 Treasury per month, and the two higher-rate recipients would receive 16.6.

Now if this Base Rate was calculated continuously, your Treasury Budget would always be “perfectly balanced”. But that is not how Budget-setting usually works in the real world, and kind of boring.

So instead Budgets get Enacted, which sets the Base Rate to a fixed number until a new Budget is Enacted in the future.

Is the per-recipient payout (aka the Base Rate) significantly less than the previous Budget? People will get angry - an opinion malus. If they get more, they are happier!

Lower and Higher levels of Budget allocation for each category will also provide additional effects. For example, setting your Salary Budget very low might encourage local corruption.

How frequently you can and should Enact a budget is still something we’re balancing.

Example: You have expanded your realm, and have more vassals without a corresponding increase in tax income? You might have to give more allocation to Salaries to keep everyone at the same level, but that comes out of someone else’s slice. Piss off all the Military Governors? Or the Ministers? A rough choice. Maybe running a small Deficit for a while can’t hurt?

In Imperial China, many would come with suggestions for the Emperor on how the budget should be distributed. Political Movements will push their agenda, and a wise Emperor should heed their advice.

Of course you can also increase the relative budget of your own Ministry / Circuit / Salary by manipulating your Vassal Contract.

PDS_Arky back with more news about everything China and one extra tidbit about a new feature that will affect the whole map.

Let’s start with the Son of Heaven, His Grace, The Chinese Emperor. As a Player you will have access to 2 decisions that allow you to signal what Era and which Movement you Favor. Being in the Favored Movement has an impact on the Catalysts and increases the effectiveness of influencing others (through schemes or interactions). Similarly, the Favored Era also triggers Catalysts, while also affecting the pro-dynasty movement's members' behaviour and which Era will be established when getting out of Unstable Eras. The AI doesn’t use the decisions because the AI Emperor is more malleable and follows the most powerful Movement’s wishes. Only if the pro-dynasty movement is in power does the Emperor choose based on personality: civilian- or economy-oriented will choose Advancement, while militant rulers choose Expansion. For the Favored Movement, the AI Emperor decides based on the Debate activity outcomes; more about them and Player impact in the Debates section of this developer diary.

\[Decisions to choose Favored Era and Movement]

Based on external and internal feedback we decided to change some names of the Eras, to avoid confusion with Era Types and to better convey the state of the Cycle. Thus the names of Eras and their Types are as follows:

• Advancement - Stable

• Expansion - Stable

• Tension - Unstable

• Conquest - Unstable

• Division - Chaotic

The Elder-Disciple relationship is an integral part of climbing the meritorious career ladder in China, and since Merit is currently used only in Governments with Domiciles an overview tab was added to the Estates. There you can manage your Disciples and your Elder. If the Elder has other Disciples besides you, you will see them there too. In order to kickstart it, the game will assign the relationships at game start randomly (based on merit and being in the same Movement or just realm proximity). In the next step we’ve added a few shorthand interactions to more easily break existing relations or establish new ones. If you didn’t like the starting bunch or were still under the limit, you can change them. Yes, now there is a limit to how many people you can mentor at once. One of the reasons for the limit is that Disciples always follow the Elder to be part of the same Movement, thus bringing your flock would significantly swing power and make the power struggle either trivial or volatile. However, the limit can be increased, mainly by domicile upgrades.

\[Elder/Disciple view in Domicile window]

\[Find Elder interaction accessible in the new view]

\[Disciples following Elder if he is convinced to join another Movement]

The career path wouldn’t be complete with an ultimate goal. You would like to become the new dynasty on the Heavenly Seat. How to achieve this without breaking the Cycle? We turned to existing mechanics to represent it. Creating a new variant of the Prime Ministership Diarchy (the existing one is Vizier), called the Grand Secretariat. The regent is called the Secretary Director and will be responsible for the administrative work of the Son of Heaven, keeping the Ministers busy throughout new Mandates. The Scales of Power will provide them a way to stage a coup, just as for the Vizier.

What’s unique about this type of regency is that it is tied to the Grand Chancellor Minister by a new realm law, available only for the Celestial Government. The law makes it flexible and allows it to be changed to follow other ministers instead.

\[Grand Secretariat, the new Diarchy for Celestial Government]

\[New way to swing the scales of power by using Movement Power]

Leaving China for a moment, I can share more details about Border Warfare.

Imagine two scenarios:

• A conqueror is rampaging nearby and swallowing lands that you have claims on, so you are left with three options: murder them, fight head-on, or roll over and die.

• You restored Rome, again. And didn’t choose the hard option, again. Now you are out of challenges and can either get to tediously conquer the world or start a new Rome restoration run.

We wanted to make both scenarios more interesting, so that living next to a powerful realm is not miserable while playing as it is still challenging.

Let me introduce Border Policy Realm Law, which will simulate that the Top Liege is busy with courtly matters in the capital, and won’t pay attention to insignificant wars over backwater counties far away. This allows characters to declare wars on vassals of that Liege and forbids the top liege from intervening for 3 years. This will make larger realms less safe and stable. Keeping peripheral, weak vassals will make them easy targets for neighbouring rulers to attack and defeat them before their Top Liege can respond. Your vassals should manage this long without your help, right? Or you can win a war yourself, before the Emperor of China realizes what you are doing in his backyard.

The law is toggled automatically based on set triggers. At least one of these has to be true for the law to toggle:

• Top Liege is Hegemony Tier,

• Realm Size is larger than 160 (for context this means that the Holy Roman Empire is the only other realm, besides China, that starts the game in 1066 with the law enacted),

• Top Liege’s House unity is antagonistic,

• Top Liege is in a civil war.

\[Border Policy Realm Law]

\[Warnings in Declare War interface when targeting a vassal]

Hi, I’m PinkAxelotl (or your examiner if you fancy). I’ve written about the Examinations in previous diaries. Now, I want to introduce you to a new activity intended for the Dynastic Cycle: Debates.

\[Debate Event]

Debates allow you, a member of a movement in the dynastic cycle, to either seize leadership of your movement or duke it out scholar-style with another member to become the Dynastic Cycle’s favored movement. The events in this activity are all about the interplay existing between movements, as well as about gaining disciples or an elder to support you in your meritorious journey.

\[Examination Event]

Speaking of Merit, the Examinations are your be-all and end-all for accumulating this resource. This is most true for landless administrators. With the latest rework to the activity, you can now attend an exam while landed, for the purpose of helping your family and disciples to take their exams. The different exam levels have been further fleshed out, with the Provincial Examination now being its own activity as well. This is available to host for all governments that utilize Merit. The naming convention has been changed from Imperial Examinations to Civil Service Examinations, which is how they will be referenced henceforth.

Since we have created a lot of character art for China and Japan, we have been asked what we are doing for Southeast Asia. I'm pleased to share that we are adding a set of clothes and headgear for both men and women within the present scope.

We have decided to base it primarily on the Khmer Empire’s attire.

We are adding outfits and headgear based on some amazing preserved examples, as well as sculptural and relief depictions from the ruins of Angkor in present-day Cambodia.

\[Reference for male and female outfits]

Below is an example of a WIP female crown. The abundance of detail makes working with these a dream come true for 3D artists. (or nightmare if you’re on a tight deadline!)

\[Female crown]

On top of the overall improvements to East Asian ethnicities and the addition of Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans, we are including new ethnicities for mainland Southeast Asia as well as the islands.

Some work has also been done on base head textures and render settings which should help to improve character appearances all over the map. 

Heyo! Chaddling here. You might have seen me writing about design choices previously, but I’m here now to talk about a new coded system we’re implementing for Wanua government: Bartering. Before you get ahead of yourselves, let’s be clear–this isn’t a trade system. Rather, it’s a unique mechanic we’ve made for Wanua characters to reflect the historical merchants of the region. All values in the subsequent screenshots will change as we balance the feature.

\[A window showing a Bartering Army]

Wanua characters will be able to raise a Bartering Army that can go Barter with other characters on the map. When arriving in a Barony that has Loot, Bartering Armies exchange their Barter Goods (a new currency for Wanua characters) for that Barony’s Loot.

The Barony then gets a nice timed modifier reducing its Loot to 0, but increasing things such as Development. Upon returning home, the Bartering Army exchanges their Loot for Gold.

\[A WIP representation of detailed icons in the new Bartering map mode]

\[A WIP window showing Bartering action progress]

\[An interface notification showing player-facing information available when a Bartering army returns home and exchanges their Loot for Gold]

This is the primary way for Wanua characters to earn Gold. Most of their Buildings, Vassals, and Tributaries will not provide Gold income, but Barter Goods. Men-at-Arms will cost Gold to recruit, but Barter Goods to maintain.

\[A tooltip showing the monthly income breakdown for Barter Goods]

\[Men-at-Arms detailed tooltip showing maintenance paid in Barter Goods]

Raiders are hostile to Bartering Armies outside the latter’s home realm and can engage them in combat to seize their Loot.

\[A debug tooltip for showing how Bartering Armies are considered hostile for Raiding Armies and vice-versa]

This whole system is unlocked by a new government rule, which can be added to any government should modders wish to do so. In tandem with that there are a slew of new defines and script support, including triggers, effects, and on-actions that are available to customize the system.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this quick look at our unique mechanic for Wanua characters in Southeast Asia! Chad out.

Hello, Jens here. Even though we’re mainly working on the Eastern parts of the world this time around, this UI update will change all of our Administrative realms, including Byzantium.

\[A window for administrative governments displaying a list of all titles in the realm and what actions you can take in its subwindow as you select one of them]

Here we’ve reduced the size of the Coat of Arms to make space for additional details, and we’ve added a couple of shortcut buttons, such as changing the vassal directive. Opening a title’s details here now lets you control its Thematic Army directly, which was previously possible only through the Military View.

The Noble Families tab looks fairly similar, with the addition of displaying the % of counties the house is ruling over within the realm.

\[A tab in the administrative government window displaying a list of all noble families in the realm with the most important characters featured at the top]

Additionally, we’ve added the “Your Family” tab! This will be the window’s primary tab when opened. Here you gain a quick overview of your family members and can easily plan and manage their title appointments from each character’s perspective. Previously the only way was to first select a title and then scroll to your preferred candidate.

\[A tab in the administrative government window displaying a list of all your family members where you can manage their title appointments]

\[A tab in the administrative government window displaying a list of all titles in the realm your selected family member could be appointed to. Clicking a title opens up a subwindow where you can influence their candidate score.]

And that’s all we have for today! We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief look at some of the things we’re currently working on for All Under Heaven. We’ll be back on Thursday to discuss more about our other DLC coming out soon, Coronations, so be sure to check back then for a detailed breakdown.

Crown-wearing kings and regalia-bearing queens,

As you read these very words, you might - by claim of blood or right of conquest - be happily nesting in a Crusader Kings III throne. Perhaps you’re just about to become king, just about to plop one of our lovingly rendered crowns on your most worthy head. Congratulations! That’s one heck of a moment to celebrate.

Enter: the Coronation Activity. This first, and very likely most iconic, sacral moment of kingship is the centerpiece of our laser-focused new event pack. Our fans have long yearned to see this ceremony realized in digital cathedrals and in virtual flesh. I, humble Brother Jason of the design scriptorium, am here to give you a sense of the kingly activity to come.

\[Spoilers, I guess?]

With this event pack, we tried something a little different from the formula employed in Wandering Nobles, Wards & Wardens and Friends & Foes: where these prior event packs scattered little tasty flavor treats throughout the game, Coronations is instead one single, discrete bundle of highly visible and mechanically impactful content. You will not have to search it out. This DLC presents itself to you, in fanfare and anticipation, the moment… you die. Or, well, the moment you graduate to kingship. Either one is good.

So, yes, this DLC is focused squarely on the beginning of a new reign, on your initial years as a sovereign. They’re often dramatic years, aren’t they? With factions, claimants, new friends, councillors and rivals, new goals to set, and new boundaries to gaze upon. Your ruler’s Coronation won’t take place in isolation from these fresh horrors and newfound delights, no: our intent is that the Activity helps them situate themselves in their new position. It should highlight your new foes and help you identify the sources of your new character’s strength. By holding a Coronation, you might hope to - without the strain of war - address the teething problems of new rule that we all know well (factions, claimants, etc). This might end, however, in your coronation being a venue for your humiliation and, even, deposition. Don’t fear, though. Such a debacle would require a few significant political miscalculations on your part.

\[These vassals don’t seem to like me very much]

Conversely, if your succession is smooth as butter on warm toast, then Coronations become a fine exercise in patting yourself on the back. A beloved, highly capable ruler has every right to pull through with fresh modifiers, currencies and incentives in hand!

A soon-to-come developer diary will dig deeper into the mechanics of the Coronation Activity and the Oaths on offer. What I present to you now is a top-level overview.

Coronations are a new Activity type available to Kings and Emperors. They are accompanied by a new Realm Law, which states whether your ruler is Crowned or Uncrowned. While Uncrowned, you suffer Opinion and Legitimacy maluses; the only way to become Crowned is to host a Coronation. Both the Activity and the new laws are DLC-only content, and will not affect players who don’t own this event pack.

\[Soon, soon you will be crowned and these modifiers will be history…]

You may only host a Coronation when first becoming a King or Emperor: thus, a Coronation host must either be a new heir succeeding to the throne, or a ruler who has just increased their title tier. The majority of CK sovereigns will only ever hold one Coronation, but this DLC strongly incentivizes everyone king-tier and above to host a Coronation.

The Coronation Activity brings together courtiers, vassals and neighboring rulers to witness the creation of a new sovereign, to socialize, and to politic frenetically in the shadows. Equipped with an array of Intents for hosts and attending characters, and with a wide range of events, Coronation is a relatively reliable source of Legitimacy, Opinion and Prestige (for the host), but can be employed towards many other ends as well.

\[Why thank you, pointy hat man]

Mechanically, the Coronation Activity focuses on replayability, on reactivity to your current situation, and on agency for both the attendees and host. Through time and across space, coronation ceremonies tended to hit many of the same beats, to use many of the same ideas and phrases, but the context of their words were ever-changing, and we designed with that mutability in mind. These moments were never merely ceremonial. They were always also political.

\[Plenty of opportunities for the new sovereign to get to know their vassals]

Our guiding principle for Coronation flavor was to create content that feels truly regal, truly historic, worthy of Charlemagne, Chinggis, and mighty Baldwin of the great and righteous Latin Empire (is it Splintered Crusade o’clock?). Indeed, because Coronations can only be held by king and emperor-tier rulers… if someone’s disrespecting a host at their own Coronation, that someone is going to have a damn good reason, and is very likely going to pay dearly for their poor manners.

The main regional flavor focuses of this DLC are Christian and Western European. Therein are found the most widely-recognized symbols of medieval coronation, and furthermore - the rites of coronation across Christendom, though varied in order and form, were honestly quite surprising to me in their relative uniformity. That’s not to say there aren't triggered events and flavor for different faiths and government types! These are just a little harder to spot than our orbus cruciger activity icon.

As I mentioned, Coronations can either be an absolute cakewalk or a rough ride, based on the competence of your ruler, the wealth at your disposal, and the opinion of your attendees. Magnificence, the measure of a Coronation’s success, is the main metric we use to determine how troubled and unflattering your Coronation is becoming - or how majestic and glorious! It’s drawn from the Coronation’s setup, from the actions of the host, and the maneuvering of the most significant friendly and hostile attendees.

All I’ll say right now is… you probably don’t want to skimp on the Activity Options, unless you really have to.

\[Keep things feeling magnificent and you won’t be disappointed]

A King is made by the assent of the church, of his nobles, and I guess the common people. Coronations aim to highlight all these relationships, and give both host and guest the means to explore them. To aid in this, we have added a widget to the Coronation Activity interface to help you track the most powerful Supporters (characters who like you, the Host) and Detractors (jerks) at your Coronation. These groupings don’t mean anything beyond the Activity, but have a significant impact on its outcomes.

\[Major Supporters and Detractors are shown on the right. These are the attendees best able to affect a Coronation’s successfulness]

Attendees may use their Intents to support the new sovereign, to undermine the Coronation, or - most often - to push forward their own interests. Hosts, meanwhile, use Intents mainly to focus on one group of attendees over another, and manage the members of that group.

The Coronation Activity can be held as a regular old Coronation, or a more special type: Anointment.

Only available to emperor-tier rulers of appropriate faiths, Anointment is a grander ceremony that features your Head of Faith as crowning officiant. It must be held at a Holy Site, and has some additional requirements which weed out sinners and illegitimate sovereigns. Anointment offers additional bonuses, particularly where Legitimacy and the Opinion of others are concerned.

\[Behold: the Pope oiling you up]

Though, as I’ve said earlier, the body of this DLC is firmly rooted in the early reign, its arms reach out across your ruler’s years on the throne. During Coronations, you will be called upon to select an Oath, a timed Decision that is in essence an objective for your rule. Sometimes, the transition from one PC to another can dull a player’s sense of purpose and stagger the momentum of their game. Committing your new ruler to an Oath sets you on a new path, and may serve to get things rolling again!

More info to come on Oaths soon.

I bid you farewell, friends, kings, queens, and gamers. Until next I may write of crowns and royal heads and downwards, placing-type motions of the hands.

If you have any thoughts or ideas about Coronations in Crusader Kings III, do sound off in the comments!

Welcome to another summer Dev Diary! As the Swedes are lazily shuffling in the door after vacations, we’ll be discussing the map visuals. My name is Petter Lundh. I’m the Art Director for Crusader Kings III for the last two years, previously 2D Lead (my work might be most familiar in the form of the Iberia, Tours, and Persia loading screens)

For All Under Heaven, we're undertaking our most ambitious expansion yet: extending the map to encompass all of Asia. This represents a big undertaking that goes beyond just extending the geography.

While the map has seen new assets trickle in since release, the overall look remains unchanged. During those five years we’ve filled a big bucket of visual ideas we’re eager to implement though, and this expansion proved the perfect opportunity to give the entire map a facelift.

This is mainly an artistic reimagining and a modernizing of our workflow. It doesn’t involve fancy new engine tech—we’re using the same features that have been available to the modding community already. This means you’ll be able to put your own spin on these changes, provided you’re up for tinkering with shader code (or coerce ChatGPT to do it for you).

We also plan to add additional documentation that will make it easier for new modders to get started, though this may come later. Moreover, we're adding optional settings for some of the larger changes that impact performance.

In the olden days (CK3 release), we painted heightmaps and terrain masks by hand. This took our team months to complete, and any increase in detail would exponentially increase the workload. This process leaves little room for iteration and course correction underway.

The old mountains were created mostly from a tiling normal map. This technique results in visual noise in dense mountain regions—something especially apparent when extending the Himalayas eastward. We would rather have a more realistic appearance that mimics real erosion patterns. Mountains should feel more like real mountains.

We adopted the terrain generation software Gaea to solve this problem. It’s a tool that creates realistic heightmaps and material masks through simulating real erosion patterns. We can generate complex terrain far more efficiently than with manual painting, and we no longer have to start from scratch when iterating on the general look.

The scale of terrain features remains largely the same. There’s a few reasons for this:

• We used the old heightmap as a base since the shape of the map also has gameplay implications.

• We find that the stylized scale of mountains look best when zoomed in, even though a more realistic scale can feel better zoomed out. If we adopted a real world scaling, most mountains would appear as noise when zoomed in (at the level where you can actually inspect the terrain).

Here’s what the process looks like:

1. We divide the input heightmap ocean masks into tiles.

2. Each tile gets processed through Gaea, which outputs a final heightmap, overlay colormap and masks for the individual tiling materials.

3. All the output tiles are then stitched together, leaving us with large texture files that cover the entire map

As an extra complication we have divided the world into 7 biomes that each have their own set of tiling textures and material masks that define its character. The above steps are run individually for each biome, and stitched together at the very end to create the final map.

For each biome, we’ll gather references and attempt to extract some unique color palette that makes it look different from other places.

When we are iterating on the look, we work with a single tile. We'll pick a prototype tile that is representative of a particular biome and refine that particular tile - when we are happy with the result, we do a full build of the entire world, which can take up to 3 hours.

Here is an anatomical diagram of sorts of the CK3 map:

The improvements go beyond the heightmap and terrain textures. We have taken a careful look at the lighting and shaders for all map elements. Subtle tweaks are added to most elements to improve readability and make them aesthetically blend together in a nicer way.

• Map text now has a subtle texture and softer appearance - it should feel less digital and easier on the eyes.

• The Political Map has a higher res texture with less apparent tiling.

• The water now has more varied detail and color in different parts of the world. There are improved wave patterns along the shore, and overall the scale and wave texture has been balanced for a more realistic feel.

• Effects blend more naturally between zoom levels, removing some long-standing pop-in and glitches that were noticeable in the transition between paper map, political and terrain map modes. Speaking of zoom, you can now zoom in closer than before!

Lastly, we have reworked the terrain lighting. Terrain and map objects now have separately adjustable parameters that let us tweak their values individually, allowing us an easier time making them both look great. The map is generally brighter and important interactable objects should pop more.

We've added cloud shadows that creep across the landscape. To top it all off, we're adding a Terrain Map Mode that lets you view the entire world in this enhanced visual style.

We hope you’ll like it!

(If you don’t, you can disable cloud shadows and some of the other shader-based changes in the game settings)

\[Iceland before-and-after]

\[Spain before-and-after]

\[Arabia before-and-after]

\[Britannia before-and-after]

\[India before-and-after]

\[Italy before-and-after]

\[Japan in All Under Heaven]

Hey, this is Lucas Ribeiro, 2D Art Lead. As some might’ve noticed from our previous dev diaries, we have a new illustrated paper map for All Under Heaven. This asian-folklore inspired map covers the entirety of the game world and will be used by default by most east asian cultures. Our original paper map has also been extended all the way to the east. Besides cultural triggers, players will also be able to pick which paper map style they’d rather use in the graphics tab of the settings menu.

Let’s have a look at some snapshots from the new illustrated map:

Around Japan we can observe the Kappa, the Ushi-oni and the Baku (Or… is that the Bulgasari by the east coast of the Korean peninsula?).

Between Korea and China, Cholima streaks across the sky. Surrounding China we can observe the Fenghuang bird and the first of our cardinal direction beasts, the Azure Dragon of the East. More of these beasties are appropriately positioned in the map…

…Such as the Vermillion Bird of the South, under India…

…the White Tiger of the West by the Iberian Peninsula …

…and finally, the Black Turtle of the North by Scandinavia.…

We have endeavored to represent the terrain features of the world in a style more reminiscent of Chinese paintings and Shan Shui, with bold paint strokes and intricate natural patterns. The leafy steep mountains should reflect this very clearly.

For the original map extension, we kept the style inspired in the Olaus Magnus Carta Marina. The familiar mountain, forest, desert, etc. patterns have been extended all the way to the East as well.

Hello, Cordelion here, one of the Game Designers currently working on All Under Heaven! The look of the map isn't the only thing that has been getting an update: borders and names have been, as well! The de jure structure of China has changed and evolved significantly over the summer as we've processed the tremendous outpouring of incredibly valuable feedback that we've received since the reveal, both internally (with many thanks to our fantastic beta testers) and externally (with many thanks to all of you!). So let's dive in!

At the empire tier, the main change you may notice now is that the names were previously inspired by dynasties that once ruled these lands in ancient times, but are now significantly more regional than dynastic in flavor. Liang is now Zhongyuan, Wu has become Jingyang, Yue changed to Lingnan, Shu transformed into Liangyi, and Qin evolved into Yongliang.

These names are, to be clear, more for general reference and suitability as labels for unformed de jure empire tier: anyone who comes to rule one of these as an independent entity still may adopt one among a range of proper venerable dynastic names!

The kingdom structure has undergone some changes, also - you may note the replacement of the phonetically repetitive Jingdongdong with Qingxu, while the previous northern de jure kingdom of Yanyun has been divided into Raole, Daibei, and Youji, allowing for more historical assignments and more piecemeal northern reclamation - or southward expansion, if you happen to be a nomadic dynasty!

As the terrain map has been refined, so too has the distribution of impassable terrain - the Sichuan basin is ringed with strategically challenging peaks and ranges, reflecting its historically significant natural geographic barriers, while coastal Fujian also exhibits a significant mountain presence - eight parts mountain, one part water, one part fields, as at least one book I consulted put it.

I’m also here with something else new: the county-tier map of China, which wasn’t quite ready to show off the last time we talked about this new part of the game world, but that I’m more than happy to give you a better look at today. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the obvious preponderance of -zhou, it’s a standard administrative suffix for this level of jurisdiction throughout Chinese history - one that remains an element of many major cities, such as Hangzhou and Suzhou, even up to the present day!

That’s all that I have for you today - hopefully you’ve enjoyed this brief look at how this part of the map is coming along. I’d love to share even more of what I’ve been working on with you, but that information is reserved for dev diaries to come and I’ll not be the one to spoil them ahead of time: next week we’ll be back with something a bit more sizable for you to dig into! Thanks for stopping by, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing you explore and experience everything that All Under Heaven has to offer yourselves soon enough!

Hello and welcome! I am @Trin Tragula[forum.paradoxplaza.com], one of the design leads at Studio Black. In this third regional feature diary for All Under Heaven, we will be covering Southeast Asia, with a special focus on the new Mandala and Wanua government types and how we will use them to highlight the unique aspects of the region itself. We will also cover the new Great Project feature, as well as how we deal with Tributaries in this expansion; while tributaries were introduced in Khans of the Steppe, they don’t work in quite the same way for these sedentary states.

In our timeline, this region was quite different compared to China in the north. It's extremely diverse, with a wide range of faiths and cultures within it.

\[Screenshot of Southeast Asia in the 867 start]In large parts, Southeast Asia is home to a wide range of tribal polities. These are spread over a geographic area that is just as varied, featuring deep river valleys, jungles, and high mountain ranges. In such a place, waterways (seas as well as rivers) are what links peoples to each other, but despite skilled boat builders and sailors, the region presents many challenges in keeping a larger state together.

Realms in this region have, up until recently, tended to be much more transitory in nature than China, Europe, or even India. The norm here is a looser network of city-states bound together by personal loyalties to popular and powerful rulers; these then break apart after the death of the personality that brought them together.

\[Screenshot of Borobudur]In the Dharmic faiths of India (Buddhism and Hinduism), rulers have found the authority and unifying ideology needed to unite larger realms. They are still centered around great leaders, but with Brahman priests as their allies, they aspire to become living gods: Devarajas.

The Devaraja concept is built upon the Indian idea of an ideal ruler, someone who rules with the gods' favor. In Southeast Asia, this morphs into the idea that a popular king is actually a god personified himself. Religious ritual and kingship blend in enormous temple cities, where subjects and remote tributaries alike all come together to fund and construct great public works. Monuments can be both religious and expressions of royal power, as giant statues of Dharmic gods carry the face of the very ruler walking among his subjects. The capital temple complex becomes the center of a Mandala, with subservient villages, cities, and tributary kings surrounding it.

Nonetheless, even the Devaraja realms have a fleeting element. Smaller states may pay tribute to the god-king, but after one dies or a more persuasive one makes themselves known, they can reconsider their allegiance; on the periphery of the Mandala realm, loyalties change quickly.

Southeast Asia is, as mentioned, a diverse region. Alongside the states like the ones I have described here, there is also the Viet and the Kingdom of Nanzhao (later Dali) that operate quite differently. We covered these in a previous dev diary by @PDX_Chop[forum.paradoxplaza.com] so we will not talk about those again today, but this introduction would be incomplete without mentioning them.

I will now hand over to @Distantaziq[forum.paradoxplaza.com], who will discuss how we have endeavored to portray the region. They’ll detail the mechanics we’ve developed to represent the Mandala realms and the surrounding non-Dharmic tribal realms in All Under Heaven.

Greetings! I'm Distantaziq, one of the designers working on All Under Heaven!

Today, we will be exploring the God-Kings and Queens of Southeast Asia -- Mandala! Historically, these governments heavily rely on religion and faith, revolving around the one Mandala ruler who stepped up with the claim to be a divine being.

\[Map of the Kingdom of Angkor in 1066 with tributaries and vassals]From a balancing perspective, the design intent with Mandalas is to present the player with a new challenge. As we will discuss below, Mandalas start out weaker, especially compared to being consistently powerful Feudal or Clan government rulers of comparable size. However, if you overcome the initial difficulties, you work over generations to reach unseen heights of power – as long as you take care not to lose your divinity, and prepare your heir accordingly…

As mentioned, Mandala revolves around faith, and in line with this, Piety will be the Mandala’s main resource.

Building your first Mandala Capital Temple Complex? Use (mainly) Piety.
Designating your divine heir? Use Piety.
Convincing your immediate surroundings that you indeed are a divine being that they should devote their life and kingdoms to? …well. Accumulate Piety.

And Piety levels!

\[The tooltip for Level of Devotion, featuring additional Piety levels]The Mandala government, being so thoroughly intertwined with faith, religion, and divinity, has unique access to three additional Levels of Devotion: Divine, Demigod and Godlike.

Now, how do you become Godlike, you might ask? Well, it's simple: It is divinity proven over generations.

\[A truly Godlike Ruler of Angkor]Or more practically put: if your character reaches one of the new Levels of Devotion, your successor gains a buff that allows them to progress to the next Level of Devotion, and so on. This can continue until you establish a lineage of godlike characters.

Oh, and make sure not to die the wrong way in relation to your Aspect. Did you ever hear about that Serenity-Aspect God king who died from a local epidemic? No? I didn't think so.

\[9 levels of devotion in a grid, ranking from Sinner to Godlike]And yes, we do need to showcase some truly decadent art icon renders for this specific feature!

So, what more might a mighty God-King Devaraja possibly need in this world, you might ask? Well, how about temples?

In All Under Heaven, we’re introducing an additional holding type: the Temple Citadel. This will be the main holding for Mandala rulers, and will also be valid as a capital for most other landed governments (alongside the Castle Holding) in order to ensure it remains viable if the area is conquered by a non-Mandala ruler.

The Temple Citadel of your capital is the main location for your Capital Temple Complex; a temple with additional defences and a fierce focus on Levels of Devotion, and the foundation for any self-respecting God-King. These Great Buildings are built using the new Great Projects feature, which are collaborative efforts between yourself and your subjects. More on them in a future dev diary!

The resulting Great Building, or Capital Temple Complex, supports your realm in expanding your domain limit and vassal limit within your Mandala realm, and by increasing your Radiance as a God-King (your ability to attract tributaries and vassals).

\[The building breakdown for the Capital Temple Complex Great Building, complete with 5 levels]Of course, only a Mandala may enjoy the effects of such a building. Should you stop being a Mandala or if the building should come under control of a feudal or tribal heathen, it won’t have much use other than possibly as a tourist attraction.

\[One of the effects of completing the base tier Capital Temple Complex Great Project]Did you just start off as a new Mandala and didn't get the Temple Citadel memo? Well, no Temple Citadel, no problem!

Before even starting the construction of a Capital Temple Complex, the Mandala ruler needs to pick one of four Mandala Aspects. Loosely based on the Hindu god aspects, these Aspects should heavily impact the way you choose to approach your Mandala playthrough.

• Creation

  • Unlocks bonuses to chaining construction and gains piety from child rearing

  • Should primarily pass on through peaceful means

• Serenity

  • Unlocks bonuses to Befriending, as well as including Allies in the Request Contribution interaction

  • Should primarily pass on through peaceful means

• Destruction

  • Unlocks additional Casus Belli and bonuses to Military Power

  • May also pass on through combat or certain violent deaths

• Trickery

  • Unlocks additional schemes like Disbelieve Mandala and provided bonuses to certain Schemes (like using Coerce Tributary against someone of a higher tier)

  • May also pass on through being murdered

As one may note in the breakdown, as well as mentioned in a previous paragraph, you don't just get to die in any way to have your heir be able to level up to the next level of devotion -- a God of Destruction may die on the battlefield and have their existence be canonized, but a God of Trickery dying from being a drunkard? Maybe not so venerable.

Each of the Aspects also come with their own set of requirements in order to achieve the next level of the aspect. This system, together with your Level of Devotion and Capital Temple Complex Tier feeds into…

Multiple rulers in Southeast Asia claim to be the next Devaraja, asserting their own divinity? Well, how impressive is your Temple Complex?
Mandala Radiance, which indicates your attractiveness and helps you gauge your competition, is unlocked as soon as you have orchestrated the construction of your first tier Temple Complex.

\[Work in Progress mapmode for Mandala, denoting who might accept a Tributarization offer]This Radiance should heavily impact who the minor rulers of the area should want to pledge themselves to. They might even leave their current Suzerain if that ruler is perceived as impious to join a more attractive Devaraja.

Compared to Aspects, Decrees offer a more flexible way of ruling your realm. So, what do you decree, oh Divine Ruler?

\[Image of the Mandala Laws window, depicting the Decrees]Choose your Decree to primarily affect the current focus of your devotees (or subjects, however you want to call them). Is your current focus Prosperity, Expansion, or Reverence right now? What do you aim to do next?

A Mandala's main subject will be the tributary. With faith being more relevant than cemented relations via vassalization, this system is intended to give a fairly loose realm setup.

Mandalas hold less land directly, instead relying mainly on their tributaries. While vassals still exist in a Mandala realm, they are more limited here than in other governments. You can also integrate more tributaries as vassals as you expand your Capital Temple Complex. A tributary is unable to engage in factions, has less opinions about what you get up to, and can engage in Tribute Missions to their Devaraja. On the other hand, they also might break away if you turn out not to be as divine as you say or if you treat them badly.

\[A grossly overstepped domain limit]All of this is reflected in lower domain as well as vassal limit, and more tributaries on game start.

The emphasis in the Mandala realms is offering alternatives to simply going to war to claim new tributaries or expand your realm and divinity. Subjugation wars, for instance, will generate regular Tributaries instead of piety-granting Mandala Tributaries unless you go heavily into the Destruction Aspect.

One of these alternatives-to-war is the new scheme Coerce Tributary, which is one of the cornerstones for Mandala play. It is a Political Scheme that looks at your chosen Mandala Aspect and associated skill, then allows you to attempt coercing another ruler to become your Tributary -- that you're the divine ruler they've been waiting for.

\[The Mandala Ruler is anticipating the outcome of the successful Coerce Tributary scheme - events are still Work in Progress!]Beware though; if the Tributary you're chatting up is already a Tributary, then their current Suzerain might incentivize them to stay, or you might even have to fight in order to defend that Tributary as they break away and join your fold.

\[The Suzerain of the targeted Tributary gets the option to intervene in the Coerce Tributary scheme - events are still Work in Progress!]Or you don't help them, which severs their Tributary status and burns your bridge with that particular Tributary.

\[The target of Coerce Tributary was incentivized to stick around, costing the Suzerain a bunch of resources - events are still Work in Progress!]Regardless, you may have gained a new Tributary, but you definitely meddled with their Suzerain's (presumably a competing Mandala ruler) plans.

The islands are a virtual petri dish of faiths and cultures. We have very few sources of documentation from the time before larger faiths and realms significantly influenced the cultures and beliefs of the islanders.

\[Screenshot of Maritime Southeast Asia in 1066]In light of this, we have aimed to add the most prominent ones.

\[Screenshots of the Philippines in 1066]Including small bits of Papua, the lion's share of the maritime Southeast Asian archipelago is featured on the map.

This is a heavily sea-based government form, which historically (as mentioned) came under the subject of larger realms and religions. They are still a tribal government type, however, and as such, live under its constraints. If you want to progress further and become more advanced in terms of innovations and development, then you will want to eventually adopt a different style of government.

As the Wanuas are in the islands of Southeast Asia, a couple of Mandala upstart kingdoms are already available (some which later morphed into more powerful historical kingdoms like Srivijaya or Majapahit after our end date). However, if one desires to embark on the journey from Wanua to a powerful Mandala God-King, then that is entirely possible.

As long as you either have adopted a Dharmic faith (or worked hard enough to reform your own faith), it is but a simple button press away, granting you access to islands that are ripe for the picking…

\[A screenshot of the Adopt Mandala Rule Decision for the Wanua Rulers]In addition to the cultural flavor, Wanua will be able to traverse the sea and raid, naturally. We are also looking into more ways of making the Wanua feel special and fun to play; for example, being more dependent on Legitimacy (which they would receive from being Mandala Tributaries).

Another addition with All Under Heaven is the Great Projects feature! This allows several rulers to come together and fund various parts of projects that would be very expensive or take ages to fund individually.

For Mandala, the Capital Temple Complex is such a project; a physical manifestation of your spiritual might where your followers may come to pay tribute or simply worship you. The temple comes in 5 tiers, and once you have completed the first tier you have officially started your path towards godhood (should you manage to defend it, of course).

Each tier requires a specific set of contributions that you or any of your subjects may fund; depending on who funds it, that specific ruler gains the spoils of such a benevolent act, as well as the appreciation of the founder (in this case you).

\[Work In Progress Great Project window featuring the Contributions of a Mandala Capital Upgrade]

There are also optional contributions, for those who absolutely must have that golden dome, that yield additional rewards for the contributor.

If you are just starting off on your Mandala journey or your subjects for one reason or the other needs an additional nudge in order to actually contribute those archways to your project, there's also the Request Contribution button.
Inside, you may be able to incentivize their request via hooks, bribes, forcing them with your oppressive pious spirit - whatever might convince them to make the right call.
Once you have completed the final tier -- an achievement likely spanning generations -- you will have proven yourself an established Devaraja ruler and will receive huge bonuses to your Mandala way of life.

In China, the great projects are more focused on large-scale infrastructure and other improvements that require several contributors; examples include building sections of the Great Wall or improving the Grand Canals.

These projects allow the Emperor to either contribute significantly on his own, displaying his might and benevolence as the Son of Heaven, or they present an opportunity for ambitious subjects vying for the imperial graces…

Another opportunity for benevolent actions that improve your own standing is provided by the Great Projects that spawn from Natural Disasters. While Natural Disasters may spawn in geographically turbulent areas all over the map, only those in China will affect the Dynastic Cycle and potentially impact the Emperor’s standing, depending on how they deal with it. More on Natural Disasters and their implications for the Dynastic Cycle will be covered in a future Dev Diary.
Needless to say, this feature opens up significant opportunities for modding and new additions; not only grand buildings, but great feats of humanity which can be showcased for generations to come!

Both Mandala and Hegemonic tributaries may go on Tribute Missions to their Suzerain, primarily to strengthen their own Legitimacy, but also to partake in the wealth and grandeur typically associated with their Suzerain.

Historically, the act of paying tribute was often both a matter for states and a very direct personal action, with one ruler acknowledging another as their better and bringing them a gift to prove this. The fact that one party considers the other their suzerain does not mean that there cannot be reciprocity however; in return for paying tribute, the tributary might gain benefits at home (they appear as a more rightful King due to being acknowledged by a more powerful Suzerain) or even receive gifts to bring back home (essentially a form of trade).

Since the passive payment of a resource over time does not quite cover the interpersonal aspects of a relationship like this, we have added what we call Tribute Missions to be used for tributaries of the more voluntary types that you see in East Asia. To preserve these relationships, at least one such tribute needs to be undertaken per Suzerain's lifetime.

The Pay Tribute missions start off with a Decision which allows you to determine what tribute you want to bring, and types vary depending on the Suzerain. For example, if they utilize Eunuchs (like the Chinese Admin government) you may gift a Eunuch. If they have concubines (again, like the Chinese Admin government) you may gift a concubine. Standard tributes of Gold or Herd (if you're a Nomad tributary) are always available.

\[Image of the Select Tribute character interaction for a Hegemonic Tributary]Once you’ve decided what kind of tribute you’re offering, you set off on a journey towards your Suzerain's capital! Upon arrival, you are greeted by the Suzerain (if they have a Royal Court, you are received at the Court), where you exchange gifts. First, the Suzerain receives your gift, and you may attempt to influence what the reward will be - or you leave it up to the discretion of the Suzerain.

Similar to the type of tribute being offered, the type of reward the Suzerain may choose between vary depending on if you're a Mandala or the Emperor - a handful of options might be to:

• Award them with additional Trade Posts that increases the development of the Tributary's capital

• Award them with an artifact for them to bring back and display to their people

• Award them with a monk, to mend their heathen ways (for Mandalas to give to their tribal tributaries who are still unreformed)

You start traveling back home once you’ve received your reward, eager to showcase the gift and enjoy the legitimacy you received from your tribute. Now I will hand the word over to @lachek[forum.paradoxplaza.com], who implemented the Hegemonic / Celestial Tributary types.

Hello again! @lachek[forum.paradoxplaza.com] here, and I'm excited to once more discuss Tributaries with you! As mentioned above, tributaries were first introduced into Crusader Kings III to support nomadic gameplay with Khans of the Steppe, where they modeled the unique subject-overlord relationship between a tributary and their suzerain. On the vast expanse of Northern Asia, nomadic tributary relationships were mostly held together through military domination, either implied or by actual display of force. Nomadic rulers can demand that neighboring realms fall in line under them by building up a sizable horde, or simply go out and enforce it through warfare. Through a cascade of such relationships, enormous swathes of the plains can be held together under a single suzerain. However, they can collapse just as quickly due to migratory patterns or a foreign conqueror cutting off a key part of the chain.

We also implemented a Subjugated Tributary type available outside the steppe to represent rulers dominated by more powerful neighbors and made to pay tax to their overlord.

However, none of those types adequately represent how tributary relationships functioned in either Southeast Asia or China. Therefore, we are introducing both Mandala tributaries and the Hegemonic/Celestial types (more on the distinction later), where the relationship is more contingent on one-sided respect and a gift economy.

These are realms within China's sphere of influence that recognize the Emperor as the Son of Heaven and pay him a great deal of personal respect (not to speak of material wealth). In return, they are granted recognition and sovereignty by China. Unlike tributaries on the steppe, this is not primarily a military arrangement but rather a one-sided show of deference, ultimately serving both parties in the end.

This relationship can be established by either party through character interaction, but is typically initiated by the prospective tributary themselves. Once established, the tributary has few immediate obligations: a little bit of Prestige and perhaps some Gold, in exchange for which some of China's Legitimacy is conferred upon them. It's usually a beneficial arrangement for both parties, especially since any taxes paid by the tributary goes directly into the Emperor's personal coffers rather than into the treasury. This makes it one of the few sources of direct income the Emperor has available for his own discretionary projects. Over time, the Emperor may decide to impose further standing obligations on some of their tributaries. Any increase in taxation or prestige transfer also comes with closer ties to China, however, thereby increasing legitimacy for the subject.

However, Celestial Tributaries are also expected to Kowtow to the Son of Heaven on a regular basis, bringing immense riches and gifts with them to reaffirm their deference and respect. This is fundamentally the same kind of Tribute Mission as in Mandala realms, with a few modifications. Unlike in Mandala realms, the Chinese Emperor always has some minimum expectation regarding the size of tribute, depending on the esteem in which the tributary is already held. This is tracked by a metric we call Imperial Grace, which serves several purposes:

• It acts as a timer on how frequently you are expected to pay tribute; if you're only able to bring the bare necessities and wait until the last moment to reaffirm your respect, the Emperor might start to demand more frequent visits. Highly successful missions give you a longer grace period until your presence is once again expected.

• It gives you an opportunity to adjust your relationship depending on what kind of tributary you want to be. Do you pay only nominal respect when absolutely required, just so China will overlook you when assessing their borders? Or are you a devoted subject looking for a closer relationship?

• The decay rate of Imperial Grace increases during unstable periods of the Dynastic Cycle, reflecting the uncertainty of these times. Will you contribute to sustaining the ruling dynasty of China's legitimacy during troubles times, or seize on this moment to break the agreement and try to claim a piece of the pie for yourself?

• As a Celestial Tributary you can quite readily adjust your own tributary contract's obligations, but changing it in your favor costs an amount of Imperial Grace.

Finally, at very high levels of Imperial Grace, the Emperor might decide to make China's relationship with its subject more permanent through the granting of a Seal of Investiture. This is an enduring artifact (regalia type, which can be reforged into a court artifact if you wish) that gives access to special privileges not usually available to subjects of China.

Trade Access: This privilege grants the tributary access to the domestic markets of the Chinese capital, resulting in a gradual closing of the development gap between the two realms' capital provinces. A low-development tributary enjoying this privilege could potentially propel itself to wealth and power compared to their less privileged neighbors within a few generations.

Family Access: This privilege negates the usual high acceptance maluses for marrying into the Chinese imperial dynasty, and even grants a small bonus to such dynastic intermingling.

Palace Access: This privilege lets the tributary's representatives roam the palace grounds, rubbing shoulders with ministers, governors, and sages in the seat of power. Tributaries with this privilege become active participants in the Dynastic Cycle and can join political movements to shape the future of China.

Once you have gained a Seal of Investiture, these become available as new contract privileges that you can activate in exchange for a one-time cost of Imperial Grace. This doesn't make the tribute missions redundant, however. The size of the bonuses you get from these scales with the degree of Imperial Grace you currently possess, so sustained tribute will only make your relationship with China more powerful.

It is important to note that a Celestial Tributary contract is a formal agreement between a realm and the Chinese Emperor. The contract is inherited upon death of either the tributary or the suzerain, but if the Hegemony title is lost then the contract will break -- even if another claimant dynasty later restores it. As long as the dynastic line is unbroken, however, accumulated Imperial Grace and the privileges that the contract yields can be maintained for centuries.

You may have noted I’ve made a distinction between Hegemonic and Celestial Tributaries above. A Celestial Tributary is a type of Hegemonic Tributary, specific to China. However, other hegemony titles (e.g. India or restored Rome) can also maintain Hegemonic Tributaries that share many similarities with Celestial ones. Instead of Imperial Grace these contracts have Subject Standing. They do not use the Seal of Investiture mechanic with its tie-ins to China-specific mechanics like difficult dynastic intermarriage or the Dynastic Cycle situation, but most other aspects of the contract work in similar ways with the same dynamics. This allows Hegemony-tier titles to use the tributary mechanic not only to expand their own de facto tracts of land, but also to accept recognition and deference from select surrounding realms they find useful to their larger strategy.

I'll conclude this with a final note to modders. The Hegemonic/Celestial variants of tributary types now marks five distinct types I've implemented in Crusader Kings II (with Mandala tributaries being a sixth variant in All Under Heaven's release). I'm continually amazed at how flexible this system truly is in allowing you to model different types of relationships between realms that look nothing like a feudal liege/vassal system.

Anything from simple non-aggression between two specific rulers to long-standing extractive domination is possible, with the one caveat that it must always have an implied power imbalance. With the addition of Subject Standing, which tracks relationship strength over time and can theoretically be applied to any subject contract (including your typical vassal contracts, if so desired), there's a lot of fertile ground to represent entirely novel types in your own mods, be they focused on more granular historical accuracy or total conversions. So go wild!

And here we are handing the microphone back to @Trin Tragula[forum.paradoxplaza.com], who will have another look at the map.

As we did last time, we will conclude with a short overview of the map area relevant to this diary. Southeast Asia looks rather different in 867, 1066, and 1178, so for this I will be using a mix. If you are curious about anything in particular that I have not shown off feel free to ask us in the comments.
Like everything else shown in this diary, this is a work in progress, but we would love to hear your feedback on the things we’ve covered so far.

\[Faiths 867]As was mentioned in the introduction, Southeast Asia has quite a complex mix of faiths and religions. We have tried to represent a reasonable amount of this variety, while also generalizing to avoid having overly small micro-faiths at the start.

Already by 867, Hinduism and Buddhism in various forms are dominant in large parts of this map, but older indigenous faiths are also present both on the mainland and the islands.

When it comes to cultures, the region is even more diverse in many ways. Notably, the Tai peoples are still found mostly in its northern parts. Historically, offshoots from this group would come to be politically dominant in many parts of the mainland, from modern Laos and Thailand, to Assam in northern India (the area labeled “Kamrupi” on this map).
Striking a balance between having too many or too few cultures from a gameplay point of view is never easy, but in this part of the world it is perhaps particularly hard. What we show here is both more simplified and more balkanized than we usually aim for.

This is a screenshot of the political situation in 1066, with the Song empire looming over the region in the north. The Srivijaya Empire (which was alive and well in the initial screenshot at the beginning of this diary) has been shattered by a relatively recent Chola invasion from India.

A quick overview of the Duchy mapmode. Many of these are not yet created on game start, as small realms prevail in Southeast Asia. Where other regions have a number of powerful dukes under their Kings, this region often sees duchies divided up between individual tributaries instead.

\[De jure kingdoms in 867.]

Last but not least, these are our de jure empires for the region! Nusantara may look big, but in terms of counties, it is not actually as enormous as it might seem. Not all parts of these islands are places with established states (i.e., counties) and the inland can often be impassable in places like Borneo or Papua.

That was all we had this time! This diary is also the last one before our summer break, but dev diaries will resume in early August. Until then we will of course still be attentive to the feedback you have provided to our diaries so far (including this one).

[pdxint.at]

Studio Black is exploring concepts for what comes after Chapter IV, and we want your input to help guide the way forward! Shape the future of the game by taking a short survey about your preferences, expectations, and concerns around potential new mechanics for Crusader Kings III.
Player feedback plays a key role in what comes next for Crusader Kings III; by sharing your thoughts, we can identify which features resonate most with our players and what kinds of experiences players are seeking in our game. Your responses to this survey will have a direct impact on our design decisions by ensuring that the content we're making meets your expectations, so please fill out the survey via this link.[pdxint.at]

Hey, I’m Chop, a designer working on the upcoming All Under Heaven expansion, particularly Japan and Korea. Speaking of which, in today’s development diary we will be exploring the Japanese archipelago and Korean peninsula! Let’s take a closer look at the gameplay mechanics of three new government types: Ritsuryō, Sōryō, and Meritocratic.

The Japanese islands occupy an interesting position, being near enough to China to have been heavily influenced by its culture, but remote enough to have largely escaped direct interference from its Hegemons. Expanding to eventually cover the southern islands of Kyūshū and Shikoku, and most of the main island of Honshū, the Yamato people occupy most of the archipelago united under a single emperor, and with no real external threats.

However, the northern reaches of Honshū are populated by the Emishi tribes, further north the Ainu tribes reside on the island of Hokkaidō, and far to the south the island chains of Okinawa and Amami are home to the Ryukyuan tribes. Famed horse archers, the Emishi have long struggled against encroachment from their southern neighbors, who have launched incremental campaigns of conquest for centuries.

\[The Japanese political map, note coats of arms are work in progress]

Eagle-eyed diary readers will notice that Japan is no longer red, instead taking the Murasaki purple of the wisteria flower, to add some visual distinction from Chinese Hegemons of the crimson variety.

During our period, Japan transitioned from a peaceful bureaucratic realm headed by aristocratic families, to a military shogunate dominated by more pragmatic samurai families, but is still a largely unwarlike place, far from the more militarized Japan of the later Sengoku era.

Amidst all this, there is also a ruling emperor, or Ten’nō, who is nominally the head of state, but whose power varies considerably depending on the circumstances. The Yamato dynasty has held this position in an unbroken line from ancient times, even up to the present day.

\[The government split inside Japan at the 1066 bookmark.]

We strived to represent both of these styles of governments, as well the transition between them, along with the ever-present imperial family.

In our earlier start dates, the Heian (Peace) era is in full-swing, following Emperor Kanmu’s establishment of the aptly named capital of Heian-kyō (now Kyōto) in 794. This bustling city’s palace is the center of the government bureaucracy and home of the imperial family, with the Manors of the aristocratic families close at hand.

Taking inspiration from China, Ritsuryō is the Japanese legal framework, and as in China, the many provinces of Japan are assigned to governors, or kokushi. Along with the many branches of the Fujiwara family, the other aristocratic families of note compete for appointments and recognition.

Unlike China, the government is de facto directed by a regent ruling on behalf of the sitting emperor. For gameplay purposes, we have simplified the naming distinction between regents of underage emperors, Sesshō, and those of adult emperors, under the unified name Kampaku. Though nominally a regent, the Kampaku is not in a Diarch relationship with the emperor, and both characters may have their own Diarch when relevant.

Historically the position of regent was totally dominated by the main line of the Fujiwara family, who tried to minimize the influence of the imperial family beyond their ceremonial roles and maintain their pre-eminence among nobility. The Fujiwaras were an extremely prolific family, whose influence and sheer size essentially dwarfed those of any other family, with almost 500 living members in 1178. Playing as another bureaucratic family attempting to unseat the Fujiwaras is a great challenge in itself, though not impossible.

\[Example of Kampaku succession score]

Becoming Kampaku works similarly to the Acclamation succession of Byzantium, and can be directly raised or lowered by spending Influence, but also has a unique system of specific weights related to the imperial family, and Blocs (which we will discuss more below).

\[The Japanese province map]

Also unlike China or other administrative government types in the game, provinces are largely county tier appointments, and generally a governor cannot hold more than one at the same time. This represents the historic Ritsuryō provinces, or kuni, of Japan, and the fragmented power of any one official. Almost all historical kuni are represented as counties in-game, except for a few exceptions which were deemed too small and incorporated into a neighbour, such as Iga, Shima, and Awa (in Chiba).

By default, Ritsuryō rulers cannot create duchies or kingdoms in Japan, even the Kampaku. Shrewd Houses may instead fill many appointments with their own members, leveraging their power as a united family rather than as individuals, a theme common in our Japanese features.

\[The Japanese Manor domicile, art is work in progress]

The Manor is a new type of domicile, unique to Japanese governments, with its own buildings, art, and bonuses. Sōryō (more on that shortly) is our only non-administrative government type that grants an estate-style domicile, retaining any upgrades when switching between the Japanese government types. Some building chains are only unlocked by certain House Aspirations, which will be discussed more later.

Though historically the emperor was largely sidelined, the Yamato family was still an influential political force. Over time, it became common for emperors to become monks, abdicating the throne to their heir to escape the direct responsibilities of the throne, while still influencing politics as a so-called cloistered emperor, or Hōō.

In All Under Heaven, the emperor is a playable character, a member of the Yamato family who holds a Noble Family and Manor like other Ritsuryō rulers, and has their own Royal Court. The emperor is only a valid candidate for the regency of Japan itself, while other members of the Yamato family are valid candidates only for governorships.

\[The Emperor of Japan, note art is still WIP]

If an emperor does manage to take the top title by Influence, they will receive an event where they are given the option to abdicate and rule Japan as a powerful cloistered emperor, or attempt to hold on to both titles, representing the historical possibility of renewed direct rule, though doing so will not be well received by the chattering classes.

Historically, many branches of the Yamato family were eventually disinherited to prune the royal ranks, taking new names, the most famous being the various Taira and Minamoto houses, identified by which emperor they descend from. In our game, Yamato governors can form or join these houses, organically creating new branch families.

The sitting top liege of Japan, be they Kampaku, Shōgun, or Ten’no, always has access to a unique law category, Imperial Policies, issued in the name of the emperor. Despite the relative political stability, the policies of the Japanese government varied substantially throughout our era, as the bureaucracy was replaced and external politics changed. Like Crown Authority, Imperial Policies can be changed freely besides a cooldown.

There are a variety of available policies, suited to different objectives and situations, some with wide-reaching edicts which can substantially change the gameplay in the Japanese islands. For example, rulers in the empire of Japan are not able to freely declare external wars, representing the general lack of ambition for conquest besides extending the northern frontier for most of our period. However, by implementing the Imperial Expansion policy, the usual inter-realm casus bellis available elsewhere may be unlocked, along with a reduction to the cost of Mercenaries and Men-at-Arms.

\[The Imperial Policies law window, art and vassal approval requirements are work in progress!]

Other Policies change the balance between government types in Japan, or provide simple situational benefits at an opportunity cost.

Conversely, if Japan finds itself under true threat from an external invasion, the Defence Mobilization policy will become available, providing an extra edge in Advantage and allowing Ritusryo rulers access to the usually Sōryō-limited Mounted Samurai horse archer Men-at-Arms.

Each House in Japan has an Aspiration, similar to the House Powers of Byzantium, representing the character and goals of the family as a whole. Each Aspiration has several Levels, each granting new boons. The House Head may spend Prestige to increase the Level of their current Aspiration or change its Type, starting from the lowest Level once again when changing Type.

\[The House Aspiration window, art very much work in progress!]

Each type of Aspiration is focused on a different area, with some more suited to certain government types than other; Service grants bonuses to Governor Efficiency and Candidate Score, and is a good pick for those who wish to climb the bureaucratic ranks and serve emperor; Ceremony grants bonuses to Prestige and Renown generation, a sure choice for the noblest of families; Strength improves Men-at-Arms and martial skill, ensuring dominance on the battlefield.

Beyond the bonuses granted, the Aspiration a House chooses will also determine their political goals to a certain extent, and is a driving force in another new feature, House Blocs, which I will touch on a little later.

Our free patch accompanying All Under Heaven includes another family-oriented mechanic, the House Relation. These work similar to character relations like Rivals and Friends, but are between two Houses rather than two Characters.

Now, whenever a friendly or hostile action is taken between Houses within the same Realm or similar rank, such as declaring wars or arranging marriages, the Relation between the two Houses will increase or decrease.

\[Example of a House Relation and the levels, art work in progress!]

There is a spectrum of 7 levels, from Feud to Amity, with each rank towards the extremes modifying the Opinion of all House members to members of the other House. In addition, each level grants other bonuses or modifiers to standard gameplay when interacting with the other House, such as allowing the free negotiation of Alliances, or reducing the costs of all Wars.

\[Work-in-progress image of the work-in-progress House Relation history window. It's a work in progress.]

This change allows inter-generational disputes and collaborations between families to persist more organically, adding another layer of reactivity to the world. Like Character Memories, the reasons for changes over time are tracked, and can be similarly browsed to get a picture of how a relationship has developed over time.

With the fragmented political map inside Japan, we wanted a better way to depict the various political groups, and a way to allow them to defend each other without traditional Alliances, maintaining the fragile peace that so often prevailed.

House Blocs are our solution, and work similarly to the Confederations added in Khans of the Steppe, but with Houses as members rather than Characters. A Leading House acts as the main decision-maker of the Bloc, with other Houses considered to be their willing cooperators.  The House Head of the Leading House gets to decide which Houses are allowed entry to the Bloc, and may also expel other member Houses at will.

\[The House Bloc window, still very work in progress]

Each House Bloc has a Cohesion value, with additional bonuses for all members unlocked for keeping this value high. Cohesion is based on the number and governments of member Houses, whether their House Aspiration matches that of the Leading House, and the Relations between its member Houses.

The Aspiration of the Leading House acts as a sort of defining principle of the Bloc; a Service orientated Bloc will naturally represent Ritsuryō interests, while a Strength focused Bloc seeks to expand military power. The Aspiration of a House is not generally limited by their government type, and various combinations are possible. Generally multiple Blocs led by Houses of the same Aspiration type are not common, with interests coalescing around the most able leadership.

Crucially, Bloc members will automatically join the Factions of the House Head of their Bloc’s Leading House, increase their succession score for Kampaku (if they are Ritsuryō), and also join in their defensive wars, including Tyranny wars started by attempts at Imprisonment or Revocation. This makes challenging a Bloc something to consider carefully, and any wars that do occur are far more impactful than they would be if Japanese vassals were merely isolated county-tier rulers with scattered alliances.

In addition, acquiring governorships for members of Houses within your Bloc, be they your own or others, can directly aid in strengthening your Factions and succession score or preventing attacks to your position, while being without a Bloc leaves you worryingly exposed to your enemies.

As the Heian era wore on, many noble families, frustrated by the fierce competition for appointments with the Fujiwara, despaired of ever climbing the bureaucratic ranks, and instead left the capital, establishing manors in the provinces. Far from the disinterested aristocrats of the capital, the power of these families eventually grew to the point they ruled de facto as a hereditary local nobility.

We represent this by allowing Ritsuryō rulers to establish a held appointment as a fief, switching their government type to Sōryō. This is considered a crime by the Kampaku, and all Ritsuryō governors are able to use a casus belli which returns the title. However, Sōryō rulers pack more of a punch than the bureaucrats, with access to the Mounted Samurai horse archer Men-at-Arms type. In addition, Sōryō rulers will generally band together to defend themselves, making resisting their spread a less simple proposition.

By our last start date almost all of Japan was effectively beyond the reach of the Ritsuryō apparatus, instead now dominated by the rising bushi families, most notably the Taira and Minamoto houses.

\[The political situation of Japan in 1178]

By 1178, the head of the Kanmu Taira, Kiyomori, had effectively supplanted the power of the Fujiwara, ruling as a de facto dictator in a manner which would ultimately come to be known as a Shōgun. Just two years after our last bookmark, the Minamoto houses resisted the overwhelming Taira domination in the Genpei, or Minamoto-Taira, war, with their leader Yoritomo ultimately wiping out the Taira and establishing the first true shogunate in Kamakura.

Like Japan, the Korean peninsula occupies an interesting position as a heavily Chinese-influenced region, with its own deep cultural and political history. Though it is at greater exposure to invasion from the various states and tribes which lay to its north, it is a fairly developed mountainous region, and any threats will struggle to gain a foothold as long as Korea remains united.

\[Kingdom of Goryeo in 1066, character art, coats of arms, and map are work in progress]

By our earliest start date, the Gim dynasty of the Unified Kingdom of Silla in the east had long-subdued its main rivals, the kingdoms of Baekje in the south and Goguryeo in the north-west. The struggle between these three states, known as the Later Three Kingdoms or Husamguk, had raged for centuries, with Silla ultimately emerging victorious. Further north, the kingdom of Balhae, or Bóhǎi, straddles the hinterland between China, Korea, and the Jurchen tribes.

However, this status quo would not last long; a resurgent Goguryeo aristocracy under the Wang dynasty would ultimately overthrow Silla, establishing the Unified Kingdom of Goryeo based in Gaeseong, ruling the entire peninsula until the establishment of the Joseon dynasty in the late 14th century. Meanwhile, soon after Silla fell, Balhae was conquered by Khitan nomads, who would later establish the Chinese-influenced state of Great Liao.

\[Unified Silla in 867 and the Unite the Husamguk decision, art is work in progress]

We represent the unification of the Later Three Kingdoms via a special decision, Unify the Husamguk, which can be taken by any ruler who holds at least one of the kingdoms and has taken over the entire peninsula in a dominant position. This decision destroys the old kingdom titles and creates an empire-tier Unified Kingdom title, which may be named Samhan or Goryeo based on the culture of the unifier. This is the only way for a Korean culture ruler to form the Korean empire-tier title.

This decision also creates the Yongsun Throne, a special Primogeniture kingdom-tier titular title similar to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan. The name of this title may also vary based on the culture of the decision taker, with Yongsun, or Dragon, deriving from the legend of King Taejo the Great’s draconic heritage, the historical founder of Goryeo. In addition, the decision increases cultural acceptance between your culture and the other Korean cultures, making it easier to create a new Hybridized Korean culture, uniting the Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo peoples.

\[Screenshot of the Unified Kingdom of Goryeo in 1178, art and map are work in progress]

The new Unified Kingdom title also gains a unique Acclamation-style succession law, which is weighted towards the ruling Yongsun Throne dynasty. This leaves open the historical possibility of a powerful family taking control of the state from the royalty, as happened by our latest start date with the rise of the military dictators, or Banju, beginning with Yi Ui-bang and Jeong Jung-bu, leaving the royal Wang dynasty in a ceremonial position similar to the Yamato family.

Along with the Korean kingdoms, the kingdoms of Dai Viet, Balhae, and the Liao and Jin states will use a form of government similar to the Chinese Celestial Government, known as Meritocratic. This government type represents the largely administrative states heavily influenced by China due to proximity, interference, or their aspiration to claim the Mandate of Heaven as a conqueror.

\[Map of governments in East Asia in 1178]

Meritocratic governments retain the Noble Families, Estates, Merit, and Examinations of the Celestial government type, promoting their bureaucrats to governorships via a similar system, but may not hold Imperial Examinations of the highest tier. When other forms of government transition into administrative via decision, if they are near to Celestial China they tend to adopt Meritocratic rather than the standard Administrative type.

Let’s conclude with a little look at the current map, all of which is of course subject to change based on feedback and should be taken with a pinch of salt. Let’s start with the de jure title structures of the far east.

\[De jure Empire mapmode]

As you can see, Japan does not have de jure rights to the north of Honshū at game start, given the ongoing campaigns against the Emishi tribes and that part of Japan being the least integrated into the bureaucracy. Instead the kingdom of Hitakami, or Michinoku if ruled by Japan, is a de jure part of the empire of Amur, along with the islands of Sahaliyan and Hokkaidō in the kingdom of Aynumosir. On the mainland, the empire of Samhan, or Goryeo, is bordered by the empire of Andong, composed of Balhae and its environs.

\[De jure Kingdom mapmode]

Here we can see the internal kingdoms of Japan, made up of Tsukushi covering the island of Kyūshū, Yamato covering western Honshū and Shikoku, and Azuma covering most of eastern Honshū. On the mainland, Samhan is divided between its three constituent kingdoms of Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla.

\[De jure Duchy mapmode]

As for duchies, Japan is split into regional administrative divisions based on the Gokishichidō circuits. As Ritsuryō rulers cannot create duchies, they will mostly be formed by powerful Sōryō lords, who will use their House names. The duchies of Samhan are based on the Mok administrative divisions of the kingdom of Goryeo. To the north, Balhae is split into its administrative divisions, while other areas are based on the dominant tribes of those areas.

\[Culture mapmode in 867]

Our cultures are still a work in progress, but broadly Japan is mostly united under the Yamato culture, while the cultures of Korea’s Later Three Kingdoms are yet to be united in the Goryeo culture present by 1066. To the north, the Balhae culture is a hybrid of Goguryeo and Mohe.

Our faith map is about to undergo a large overhaul, so I will hold off on that one this week!

That wraps up our topics for today, I hope you enjoyed this early look at Japan and Korea. Your thoughts and feedback are most welcome and I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Uber, modder and co-organizer for ModCon. Paradox has kindly granted us the use of their heralds to spread the word about our great festival!

PDX ModCon is the community owned and organised three-day showcase and celebration of Paradox mods; specifically those of Crusader Kings III, Imperator: Rome and Victoria 3. Over several live streams on YouTube we'll be presenting new trailers and showcases for over 40 mods. We have everything from updates to established mods like After the End and Princes of Darkness, to the introduction of new projects small and large.

Besides that we will have live interviews with several mod teams, giveaways, and discussions with some of our community about mod-adjacent subjects. And throughout the event we will be gathering money for the cause that all of our games owe to: the monuments of the world. The World Monuments Fund[www.wmf.org] has been working for sixty years to preserve, protect and rebuild the physical cultural heritage that we all benefit from. Whether that be rebuilding a Yazidi shrine destroyed by conflicts, guiding sustainable tourism to Khmer temples, or setting up an authentic garden in the Palace of Versailles.

Join us, starting this Friday the 13th! For more information, visit the official ModCon website[www.modcon.xyz] and join the Discord server[discord.gg].