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From these 4, we picked the one with the charging band of warriors against the stormy sky. We felt that this composition had a lot of dynamism and looked unique compared to the other loading screens we’ve created so far. The juxtaposition of the riding band of warriors against the stormy skies suggests the strong connection between nature and the lifestyle of the steppe nomads.
As a second step, we created a few different color sketches. We opted for the one where we could see a stormy sky against a calmer golden haze. This served two purposes: To correlate the riders with the encroaching tempest and to show the gameplay feature of the changing seasons.
For our nomad dynastic legacy we thought we could use the opportunity of a horizontal layout to display a big migrating wave, stretching towards the horizon.
We also have new holding illustrations for nomadic and herder governments:
As with every expansion, we dedicated a significant amount of time to collect references, preferably accounts or representations closer to our time period. When references are a bit fuzzy on the details or a bit too abstract, we take to the drawing board and come up with some concepts that help solidify these ideas. Here are a few examples:
[Mongol imperial Clothes]
[Steppe Feathered Hat]
[Yuan Style Mongol Armor]
[Chasing enemies]
[Celebrating victory]
[Rearing up]
[Galloping]
On the easternmost part of the map, we have added the Burkhan Khaldun, a magnificent mountain group that carries much significance to the local steppe people.
We have also, for the first time, created a skinned version of the paper-like interfaces in the game (for example, contracts or letters). The wax seal is substituted for an ink stamp, and instead of the western ornament on the edges of the letter, a delicate eastern style of plant arrangement decorates the character portrait. We are hoping to introduce more and more thematic UI elements as we move towards All Under Heaven.
As it is done for other government types, nomad and herder governments also get a unique coat-of-arms banner shape. We found a striking design amongst those that the steppe people have flown, with a triangular layout and organic dents along the edges.
We have created a new pattern variation for COA’s that work better with this new layout, giving the dented edges a different color from the rest of the COA.
As for the Herders, their COA shape is somewhat inspired by the Nomad one, as it is triangular as well. But, it is a bit smaller, frayed, and doesn’t have the dented design or the secondary color on the edge.
I will now hand the Dev Diary over to Ernesto Lopez, our Audio Director to tell us more on the audio work for Khans of the Steppe.
[An example of a subject contract group for a type of tributary]
[Starting new tributary contracts is easy!]
Put simply, if the calculated Obedience value is greater than the threshold, that character will be Obedient. The Obedience target is set in Code with the following priority:
Confederations invalidate on a daily tick if they have fewer than two members, so after a confederation has been created another member must be added using “add_confederation_member”
Members of the confederation will skew their map color towards the color of the confederation creator based on the define “CONFEDERATION_REALM_COLOR_FACTOR”.
As you can see from the documentation file above, we’re using this system in both Khans of the Steppe, as well as All Under Heaven. It is part of the base game, and thus available for all modders regardless of DLC ownership.
Dynamic Sub-region Creation - When you have defined a situation type, it can be added to the world via a history definition, or via a script effect. But you can also define a new set of sub-regions while starting a situation! This allows us to instantiate the same situation type in multiple locations.
Ending - A Situation ends automatically when a phase (in any sub-region) ends without a new phase starting. Additionally, they can be ended in script via an ‘end_situation’ effect.
[Regular terrain north of the Aral sea]
[Summer province effect at full intensity]
[Snow province effect at full intensity - this effect is hooked into our existing winter shader, so it will fade in/out neatly]
[Drought province at full intensity]
[Government Rules for Nomadic Government]
[County Fertility Growth Equation and Graph]
[County Fertility Decline Equation and Graph]
[County Fertility Pusher Equation]
[County Fertility Equilibrium Approximation Equation]
[Example of a Fertility Monthly Change breakdown]
[Defines for affecting how County Fertility Change behaves]
[Yurt Domicile script showing the herd parameter]
[herd and max_herd triggers available for domiciles]
[Defines affecting Herd Capacity, Herd Conversion, and Monthly Gold Income from Herd]
[Herd Gain from County Fertility Multiplier Define]
Here we see the raze intent which will add prestige and dread when your raiding army returns with loot, but gives a -60% modifier to raiding speed.
[Script syntax for specifying a generated character template]
[Scripted character template for a Herder]
Additionally we have added some new script effects which will allow more control over combat outcomes:
[It’s quite the trait.]
[The triggers you must fulfil to begin the path to world conquest.]
[The decision’s failure effects]
[The Attackers’ true strength is always at least double what’s immediately shown here.]
Or… in absolute triumph.
And there it is. You - or your fearsome foe - get the Greatest of Khans trait, a slew of big ol’ nomadic armies, and the mission to conquer a big chunk of the world and establish your lasting reign within 75 years. This is done through the Reform the Great Khanate decision.
[The Greatest of Khans can demand armies of special troops, if they’re not feeling particularly lenient]
[It is soooo on.]
[Example of the fully upgraded yurts]
[First level yurt that county-level Nomads start with]
[Third-level yurt upgrade preview]
[Example of main yurt upgrade. Those seats are very comfy, we swear!]
[Fully upgraded Square of the Tumen yurt]
[Square of the Tumen internal yurt example]
[Another Square of the Tumen internal yurt example]
[Fully upgraded Court Yurt]
[Example of Court yurt upgrade]
[Millet Storage yurt upgrade]
Demand Obedience costs prestige, but only those with 45 Dread or more will be able to intimidate their targets.
Impose Obedience is a new intent available for all types of Hunts. With it, events are more likely to give out obedience as a reward, especially if the hunt is successful.
The first is the chief law overseer, who, in many ways, takes the role of the Seneschal for a Feudal ruler. They ensure capital control, legitimacy, and obedience. They have access to the Seneschal tasks, ‘Organize Court’ (Aptitude) and ‘Manage Domain’ (Control), but also have access to a new task called ‘Blend Cultures,’ which will increase culture acceptance with cultures in the realm.
The second is the Boyan, one of your leading generals. It improves your military and gives you access to two new tasks: 'Cow Vassals’ (Increased Vassal Contribution) and ‘Prepare Raids’ (Increased Raid Speed and Movement).
The third is the Yurtchi, a position similar to a quartermaster that oversees both your camp and your troops. It has access to two tasks, either decreasing everyone’s opinion of you and costing a lot of prestige but gaining more gold, or spending gold to increase everyone’s opinions of you and popular opinion.
The Keeper of the Horses ensures your steeds are well-equipped for war and travel. They also have access to the two tasks that Master of the Horses usually have access to.
The siege engineer is instrumental if you want to start sieging areas outside the Steppes. It has access to the task to increase fort level in your lands, but also a new task that gives a chance to get access to Siege Weapon MAAs (which is usually harder for Nomads to get access to). This position can only be held by someone with the Military Engineer trait, so you will likely have to look outside the Steppes to find a fitting candidate.
As the chief of the bodyguards, the Cherbi will improve other bodyguards, give access to more knights, and increase some of your Men-at-Arms. They can access the regular bodyguard task and a new task that improves your scheme defenses.
Finally, we have a position for those with many tributaries. It has access to the task ‘Entertain Courtiers’ from the Court Jester and a new task to increase culture acceptance and gain opinion with your tributary cultures.
Each of the four Kurultai members has access to the same eight tasks:
It is a simple Diplomacy task that they can always fall back on to improve Herd Gain and Capacity for their liege.
For the Nomads who are growing larger and more settled down, they should consider utilizing the Manage Fertility task to ensure that their lands are as well taken care of as possible.
Whereas for a smaller Nomad planning to migrate more often, maybe you just want to squeeze the land before moving on. Then, it might be good to see if you can get as much out of it as possible before moving on.
If you are interested in… being a tourist in foreign lands, let’s say, this will enable you to maximize the number of souvenirs you can bring home again.
If you want to maximize the potential of your Stargazer and their predictions, having a well-taught Kurultai member who can help them out will be key to improving their Aptitude.
If you are more interested in hybridizing your culture or changing something around, you should look to the final new task for the Kurultai. This will mesh well with the two new Court Position Tasks we have added to improve cultural acceptance in your or tributary lands.
Since it was pretty noisy to have eight tasks shown for all 4 Kurultai members at all times, we added a new little window you can open and close to choose the tasks you want.
[Nomad-specific host Hunt effects]
[Two simple hunt sighting events]
[Some seasons have special hunt events, like Everlasting Summer]
[Dread and Prowess gain from hunting a wolf]
Moving onto a more flavorful (literally) topic, the nomad feast – the Tsagaan Sar! Observed in the coldest months of the year (December to March), the Tsagaan Sar ensured the new year started with a bout of revelry, and many would exchange gifts.
[Choosing a preferred gift for the Feast]
[A Throatsinger at the Tsagaan Sar]
[Receiving a boon for the Year of the Pig]
Building on the Hunt changes mentioned before, Nomads have access to a new hunt type - the Nerge. Known as the Great Hunt, dozens of hunters would gather in the steppe to slay hundreds of animals. Along with being an opportunity to gain prestige, this new hunt type offers a unique Intent - Dreadful. The Nerge was not only an opportunity to slaughter beasts for the next feast, but is a great way to flex on your tributaries and vassals.
[Showcasing the Dreadful Intent]
[You’ll get to decide the best tactic as the Nerge host.]
[Nerge outcome event]
[Devise Pleasure Dome Decision]
[Pleasure Dome Special Building]
[Summon Fair Courtiers Decision]
The Burkhan Khaldun is one of the Khentii Mountains in northeastern Mongolia. This mountain had a special religious significance to the peoples of the steppe, as it was the mythical birthplace of the historical Genghis Khan.
Completely control, through vassals or tributaries, specific regions that neighbor the existing Steppes, and with enough prestige and pizzazz you can add your conquered region to the Steppe, giving these lands some much-needed fertility and making it much easier to migrate around in as a good nomadic leader. Even more regions can be added as the Steppe grows — the only limit is the endurance of your horde, and how far they're willing to ride.
If you move your camp to a county held by a Herder you'll be able to take over their lands and hybridize with the local culture, becoming a proper Nomad. A Percentage of your Provisions will be transformed into Herd, and you will join the Great Steppe situation.
The Retaliation CB becomes available when a character migrates into one of your tributaries' lands and decides to not pay tribute to you.
If you win a Retaliation War you will force the character to become your Tributary regardless, and make them pay some Herd and Prestige to you in addition to that.
[Recruitment decision]
[Steal herd scheme window]
[Steal herd scheme sidebar]
[Steal herd scheme giga outcome]
[Wolves of the Deep Steppe cultural tradition]
[Iron Cavalry cultural tradition]
[Tribes of the North cultural tradition]
[Siberian Permafrost modifier breakdown. Its effects change if the owner does not have the Tribes of the North modifier]
[Stalwart Defenders Cultural Tradition unlocks a special Yurt and gives a Toughness bonus to your Nomadic Horde]
[Pastoralist Cultural Tradition provides a fertility boost in certain terrains and increases the fertility growth of Herders]
[The MaA units available to the Khan of Great Liao in 1066.]
All nomads have access to classic, basic Horse Archers. They’re largely unchanged.
Steppe Raiders are nomadic light cavalry which are better-suited to dry and rough terrain than other nomadic cavalry units, receiving only mild penalties in hills, mountains and wetlands. They’re also available to all nomads.
Nomadic rulers won’t have direct access to real, substantially effective siege weapons. Until they can get a sweet tributary connection to hook them up, they make do with Torch-Bearers. Even worse than onagers, at least this standard nomad siege unit gets a siege bonus against nomadic holdings.
Only unlocked by building the Square of the Tumen domicile building, Heavy Horse Archers are a more costly alternative with more fighting punch, and a very handy counter against light cavalry (also, elephants). To counterbalance this, they suffer more penalties in harsh terrains.
The second level of Dominance allows Nomad Lancers to be recruited. What this means is nomadic rulers of means have access to heavy cavalry, even right at the 867 game start.
The Mongol tradition ‘Wolves of the Deep Steppe’ gives them access to the Mangudai. These vainglorious warriors have very high attack and pursuit, but low defence, meaning that they devastate defeated armies and leave few survivors. Their reckless attack and repeated retreats excel at breaking up formations, allowing armies with Mangudai to counter heavy infantry and spearmen.
Inspired by the Tangut Iron Harriers and the Mamelukes, this unit is available to a spread of cultures that were known for their employment of heavily armored horse archers. Note, however, that the unit's type is Heavy Cavalry and not Archer Cavalry: this allows Cataphract Archers to counter Archer Cavalry, and be one of the best ways to fight back against steppe conquerors.
That’s not a panini press on his chest. That’s armor. The Maturkan Warriors represent foot archers from all along the northern Siberian frontier, drawing particular inspiration from the noble Khanty warriors which lent the unit its name.
The glorious guard of Genghis himself can be yours, should you make it far enough down the new nomadic Dynasty Legacy. You’re limited to hiring just one regiment of this special unlock, but increase that regiment in size and you’ll see it packs quite the punch.
As we have mentioned in previous Development Diaries, Nomads have their own mechanics and, when it comes to how they rule, one of the most important is their Dominance level.
Rulers of Dominance 3 are typically Kings. This is the level that the khans of Cumania, for instance, have on game start. Vassal and Domain limits have grown significantly and now migration can target entire de jure kingdoms.
Rulers of Dominance 4 are akin to emperors. At this level, migration can target empires. However, rulers of this high Dominance level don't tend to migrate at all. They get most of their Herd through Tributaries, and their Fertility has reached a comfortable level where their herd can steadily grow through holding their vast territory. It is at this point that a Paiza System can be established, and access to the ‘Overrun Kingdom’ Casus Belli is granted.
The Overrun Kingdom Casus Belli is the second path that nomads can follow to stop being nomadic. This CB can target any settled kingdom title and, if the war is won, will grant the target title to the attacker, who also converts to Feudalism, Clan or Tribal.
But coming back to Dominance. Dominance 5 is the highest level of them all and can only be obtained by the Gurkhan – that is, the ruler who possesses the largest Herd of the entire Great Steppe.
Dominance also affects migration range, with higher Dominance rulers being able to travel further while migrating.
Dominating a title replaces regular title creation for nomads. In the steppe, no amount of document fabrication will prove that a title belongs to you: only fighting everyone in the area will.
[The "Current County Fertility Modifier" represents the tendency of the county towards reaching Equilibrium.]
After migrating, either peacefully or not, nomads will be greeted with some contracts regarding the problems presented by moving to a new area. These contracts will usually help increase the County Control, which allows for a better Fertility extraction and a much calmer life.
These contracts have 3 possible tiers, as usual, and some extra rewards.
Abundant Grazing offers 25% fertility growth to any county in the region. It's a calm time, and rulers are generally happier, with increased Vassal Opinion and more Herd given out using the Demand Herd character interaction. Men-at-Arms are also 20% cheaper to maintain, as food supplies are well stocked, and Hunts are 50% cheaper to host.
[A Drought reflected on the map.]
Characters are also slightly more likely to gain the Ill trait.
The other special season is the Blessing of the Blue Sky, which is much nicer to everyone involved. During a Blessing, Fertility grows with a 300% increase. The Supply Limit within the Great Steppe is also 100% higher, Tributaries and Vassals have a better opinion of their overlords, and characters have 25% less Stress gain.
We have nudged these seasons so they're more likely to happen after the Mongol invasion of China, and the Mongol invasion of Europe, as climate change was one of the factors that drove them out of the steppe. They can only happen once in the entire game, and their chances also grow each 100 years after each game start date.
However, if the Stargazer’s aptitude is poor, there's a chance that they will predict two entirely wrong seasons, or one right and one wrong. Their reasoning is unpredictable.
The Guide Shepherds task helps Herder subjects gain the Seasoned Pastoralist trait, which increases the rate at which they replenish fertility of their held counties.
If one or more members of your Kurultai are not obedient, you will be facing a Chaotic Succession instead. The consequences are unpredictable, but they go from losing some Legitimacy or Prestige, to one of your vassals stealing part of your herd, to even facing a realm fractioning disaster like the splitting of the great Mongol Empire.
The consequences are not completely arbitrary, though, and they scale with your title tier, realm size and the number of your disobedient Kurultai members. So if you are a Duke with only one disobedient member, you will not be punished as severely as a hated Emperor.
If the season is a Havsarsan Zud, the realm stability is shaken and the succession will always be chaotic!
[Example of some medium consequences.]
[Example of some harsher consequences.]
Martial:
Stewardship:
Intrigue:
Learning:
Wandering:
However, we have made the way of obtaining and losing it be also in accordance with the nomadic way of life. Nomadic rulers gain double Legitimacy from winning wars, but they also lose double on defeat. They will also gain Legitimacy from Duels and marrying noble-born Courtiers of someone of equal or Higher Dominance.
[Marzoban Tokku and his weak backbone stands little chance against the persuasive might of the Cumanian horde]
[If some scary nomadic realm is on your border and you'd like to remain as independent as possible, you can proactively choose to pay them tribute to avoid outright conquest]
[Existing vassals can be released as tributaries, and in some cases you can even vassalize an existing tributary]
[Your subject view will display if any of your tributaries are likely to stop paying you and why. Obedience plays a strong role in keeping your subjects in line, but even disobedient ones will be reluctant to stop paying off much stronger suzerains. More factors will be added before launch, such as losing a war or having chaotic Kurultai successions.]
[Even feudal realms can subjugate neighboring kingdoms to make them pay tribute, if their Crown Authority is high enough]
[Even the tributary can try to renegotiate the terms, but without a good relationship with (or a hook on) your suzerain this might be met with limited success]
[If you don’t have any subjects with access to some of the basic Men-at-Arms types, you get a little hint suggesting who might give you access to them…]
[In 867, the Khazars dominate the Western Steppe while the Kirghiz control the Eastern parts. The Karluks and Ohguz are powerful nomadic realms in the central steppe region and have a lot of opportunity to compete for the smaller nomadic and tribal realms towards the northern parts.]
[In 1066 the western and central steppe regions are dominated by the Cumans in the south, with a considerable tributary network maintaining their control of the center and maintaining their power against the Karluks and Khitans. The Pechenegs have migrated west and act as a buffer zone between the steppe and the Byzantine Empire - will they manage to become their own nomadic powerhouse, or fall to either of their titanic neighbors?]
[In 1178, the Cumans remain the most powerful nomadic realm on the steppe, but for how long? The Khitans are migrating south into East Asia, leaving their old lands to the fractured Mongols to thrive.]
[12th c. Estonia mightn’t have looked quite like this, but hopefully this captures some of its spirit]
[The Decision that lays the path to Confederation]
[The requirements for starting a Confederation; you have to be something of a small fish]
[Additional Confederation triggers. Most of the time, you’ll need a big, scary common foe]
[You’re ready for Confederation… you just need a buddy to join you]
[The interaction used to create a Confederation, and also to add new members]
[Weights are pretty comprehensive and pretty make-or-break]
[Well isn’t that nice - he accepts!]
[Note the Confederation icon and breakdown]
[A handful of Kimeks have joined the Confederation (squint, it’s on the left)]
[The Confederation is attacked!]
[The Decision for when a Confederate decides it’s time to go…]
[BROTRAYAL]
Here is the new raid intent screen (for nomads), after a small art pass and after we added some proper names. Now, let’s look at the default raid intent for nomadic rulers, Pillage.
[Note that none of the numbers are final, so they might change before the release]
Nomads were known for raiding far and wide, with the Hungarian raiders, for example, bringing home loot from all across Europe. With the Adventure raid intent, it will take a bit longer to raid each settlement, but you can carry a significantly larger amount of loot with you, and you will take no hostile county attrition.
Plunder symbolizes that you aren’t necessarily just taking anything but trying to find the most valuable things to take. It will take significantly longer to raid every single settlement. Still, the loot conversion as you get home is considerably better, and you have a chance to learn innovations of a culture as you raid a settlement if they know about something you do not (though the chances are quite low).
For those less interested in the loot itself but rather other side effects, you might want to take the capture raid intent to significantly increase the chance of capturing someone as you raid a settlement. It’s great if you are looking to ransom someone.
And last but not least, you have the opportunity to destroy. It’s an opportunity for nomads to increase their prestige (as they don’t get any prestige from other raid intents) and their dread (which is more important for nomads). It also destroys buildings and development in settlements they raid.
Like current functionality, you simply change your loot to gold and prestige. And for Vikings, they have access to a slightly modified version of the Adventure intent.
If you want to raid your way down to Constantinople and then home again, feel free to take this to bring all that loot back home.
We have increased the hostile raid time reduction in the building, so you have more time to respond to incoming threats. It now also reduces the chances of special raid intents. In other words, it reduces the improvements from the Capture raid intent, minimizes the chance of Terrorize ruining your lands, and for Plunder to find any innovation.
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