CK3 lacking depth.

[TIm]

For many experienced players like me, CK3 is very frustrating: once you master the main mechanisms of the game, it is way too easy. In less than 300 years, and just 10 rulers, I managed to control Spain, France, and the German Empire, being twice emperor and 5 times king. I have virtually no internal opponent, no external enemy, will probably live some 15 more years, past 80 years old, all my vassals are Catholics. I’ll soon start to disinherit most of my children, to have just one heir, who will like me a Genius. All that in Ironman mode.
At this point, I don’t have much to do: the Iberian Struggle is still on, even if I control 100% of the peninsula. I could easily conquer Great Britain and Ireland, then Italy, but having 4 times more available soldiers than the king of England (my stronger neighbor), there’s little challenge to expect. Very boring, I didn’t have that feeling playing CK2…

[TIm]

https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198129127219/screenshot/2474241114678295221/

[Bishi]

Feudals are pretty weak if you start in 867. If you started in 1066, then the game is almost over after 300 years anyway. But yes, after a while the game is pretty easy if you beeline objectives without much thought. Blobbing just to blob will always get boring.

At this point in your game, with the HRE gone or never formed, you'll just have to wait for the mongols or heresies to pop up. What makes the ai so bad especially when starting in 867 (garbage time) is the ai's inability to consolidate land. If you don't let partition do its thing, that it will do to the ai, you will always come out ahead no matter if you were minmaxing in other areas or not.

As for "challenge", combat is just doomstacking in most pdx games and expansion is just a game of snake. Unless you seek hard starts like Aksum or purposely try to punch above your weight class, there will never be a tactical challenge when playing this game. You will need to put restrictions on yourself to enjoy the game. Embrace the rp aspect and expand/plot when it makes sense for a character to. Make mistakes, maybe even on purpose. Let your empire fall apart and settle for a bit, before one of your descendants wants to try to put it all together again. The game is a sandbox, just need to use your imagination a little bit.

[Wizard]

I agree with the OP on this. I started as England, 867, and by the end I was Emperor of Britania, Scandinavia, Spain, all of North Africa, Italy to Constantinople, all of Europe to almost Siberia.

After I had Britania and Germania, I never had any real opposition or challenge. Just wait for your neighbor to fall apart from internal fighting, then clean up the scraps.

My last four Emperor titles I didn't do anything for. I just created them after my minions had acquired the necessary land.

I guess in total about a dozen Emperor titles and 2 dozen Kings under me.

People will say that it's not about painting the map. Sure, I guess, but then it gets pretty boring just sitting around clicking the same RNG events over and over again.

The last hundred years couldn't go by fast enough.

It's a good game, but it is a little shallow.

[Rex is back, baby!]

It's a sandbox. Sandboxes aren't designed for depth.

To get max enjoyment out of this game, you sincerely have to role play or incorporate personal challenges.

Ck2 and CK3 are fundamentally designed differently and attract different interests. Ck3 is designed more for creative minds, whereas ck2 was designed more for logic strength minds.

I too have never finished a game to completion because when you become the biggest kid on the block It gets boring.

I still have had wonderful tales and games though. I've had horrible games that make me go wtf pdx!

My favorite game I've had was a feudal pirate kingdom in North Africa/Spain/Islands. Adoptionist religion event!

My least favorite game was barely a game but I triggered the serial killer event not even ten years into the game...and rage quit after my third wife died xD.

Ck3 is designed as a themed stage or park, and we're the actors who put on the costumes until our entertainment meters are fulfilled.

Most importantly take breaks! The more we do something in a larger block of time, the quicker we grow bored of it and our brains develop natural resistance to it.

Remember what Teddy Roosevelt once said. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Besifes, adding more depth to this game will destroy processing powers of our computers!

[JCourtney]

Try the Dark Ages mod.

[Electricbluebee]

Not being sarcastic but if you didn't have that feeling with CK2, then maybe re-download it and try it again? You might find after the frustration of CK3 that you fall in love with it again?

[Sträfe]

if youre bored get the HARDEST difficulty mod its that easy and put the mongols invasion to every 5 years im sure you wouldnt be bored of getting rekt'd

[Somethings Burnin]

Originally posted by Rex, the Mid-Level Bureaucrat:

It's a sandbox. Sandboxes aren't designed for depth.

To get max enjoyment out of this game, you sincerely have to role play or incorporate personal challenges.

Ck2 and CK3 are fundamentally designed differently and attract different interests. Ck3 is designed more for creative minds, whereas ck2 was designed more for logic strength minds.

I too have never finished a game to completion because when you become the biggest kid on the block It gets boring.

I still have had wonderful tales and games though. I've had horrible games that make me go wtf pdx!

My favorite game I've had was a feudal pirate kingdom in North Africa/Spain/Islands. Adoptionist religion event!

My least favorite game was barely a game but I triggered the serial killer event not even ten years into the game...and rage quit after my third wife died xD.

Ck3 is designed as a themed stage or park, and we're the actors who put on the costumes until our entertainment meters are fulfilled.

Most importantly take breaks! The more we do something in a larger block of time, the quicker we grow bored of it and our brains develop nstural resistance to it.

Remember what Teddy Roosevelt once said. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Adding more depth to this game will destroy processing powers of purchase computers!

If you have to "roleplay" while playing a VIDEO GAME, the video game does not do enough to IMMERSE you into the game, ie it has FAILED its one job and that is to entertain/immerse the player in a world. I would also argue its a real world so Paradox has millions of things it could do to make the world more interesting and alive with actual events or plausible scenarios... It shouldnt take me saying I have to play this way or cant react to a certain situation if these 5 criteria arent met or any other number of hamstringing myself to "roleplay" a better game... Its lazy game design and insulting to the consumer. A game called crusader kings that only BARELY touches on the crusades, MAGNIFICENT!

[instantgaming]

Try "vassals to war" and play with a count.

It is a good mod that combined with others (I play with around 40) make the game a little more difficult and challenging.

But yes, ck3 is not a challenging game, it is more of a "dealing with sheep" simulator.

[Neshamah]

Sometimes people post stuff to attempt to impress others with their strategic acumen. I'm not impressed.

I find quite a bit of depth in this game, which is reflected in the hours I've played the d*mn thing. Check it out.

I also enjoyed CK2 a lot as well.

[Abacus]

Originally posted by Rex, the Mid-Level Bureaucrat:

It's a sandbox. Sandboxes aren't designed for depth.

To get max enjoyment out of this game, you sincerely have to role play or incorporate personal challenges.

Ck2 and CK3 are fundamentally designed differently and attract different interests. Ck3 is designed more for creative minds, whereas ck2 was designed more for logic strength minds.

I too have never finished a game to completion because when you become the biggest kid on the block It gets boring.

I still have had wonderful tales and games though. I've had horrible games that make me go wtf pdx!

My favorite game I've had was a feudal pirate kingdom in North Africa/Spain/Islands. Adoptionist religion event!

My least favorite game was barely a game but I triggered the serial killer event not even ten years into the game...and rage quit after my third wife died xD.

Ck3 is designed as a themed stage or park, and we're the actors who put on the costumes until our entertainment meters are fulfilled.

Most importantly take breaks! The more we do something in a larger block of time, the quicker we grow bored of it and our brains develop natural resistance to it.

Remember what Teddy Roosevelt once said. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Besifes, adding more depth to this game will destroy processing powers of our computers!

well put.

[Wolfsun]

Role play CK3 and stop boosting your self esteem by beating the AI.

[Katiekooleyes]

Originally posted by Rex, the Mid-Level Bureaucrat:

It's a sandbox. Sandboxes aren't designed for depth.

To get max enjoyment out of this game, you sincerely have to role play or incorporate personal challenges.

Ck2 and CK3 are fundamentally designed differently and attract different interests. Ck3 is designed more for creative minds, whereas ck2 was designed more for logic strength minds.

I too have never finished a game to completion because when you become the biggest kid on the block It gets boring.

I still have had wonderful tales and games though. I've had horrible games that make me go wtf pdx!

My favorite game I've had was a feudal pirate kingdom in North Africa/Spain/Islands. Adoptionist religion event!

My least favorite game was barely a game but I triggered the serial killer event not even ten years into the game...and rage quit after my third wife died xD.

Ck3 is designed as a themed stage or park, and we're the actors who put on the costumes until our entertainment meters are fulfilled.

Most importantly take breaks! The more we do something in a larger block of time, the quicker we grow bored of it and our brains develop natural resistance to it.

Remember what Teddy Roosevelt once said. Comparison is the thief of joy.

Besifes, adding more depth to this game will destroy processing powers of our computers!

Absolutely this! I love roleplaying the characters traits in my decisions. Sure,. I could have my own goal like say "wiping out the HRE", but how I get there when roleplaying gives me a mix of my own strategies as well as adhering to that rulers personality.

If playing a ruler that is shy, don't fornicate your way across the map. If the ruler is ambitious and callous, it's time to murder that toddler who sank your succession at the last minute! If you're playing content, maybe it's time to hold back on invasions and build up alliances and go on tours etc. You get the idea.

By playing to the rulers characteristics, it pushes you to try things that you wouldn't usually do. By doing that, it keeps the game from going stale.

I've tried to explain to friends what CK3 is like. The best shorthand way I could think of is it's somewhere between the board game Risk, and The Sims.

[Poggers]

Originally posted by Wizard:

I agree with the OP on this. I started as England, 867, and by the end I was Emperor of Britania, Scandinavia, Spain, all of North Africa, Italy to Constantinople, all of Europe to almost Siberia.

After I had Britania and Germania, I never had any real opposition or challenge. Just wait for your neighbor to fall apart from internal fighting, then clean up the scraps.

My last four Emperor titles I didn't do anything for. I just created them after my minions had acquired the necessary land.

I guess in total about a dozen Emperor titles and 2 dozen Kings under me.

People will say that it's not about painting the map. Sure, I guess, but then it gets pretty boring just sitting around clicking the same RNG events over and over again.

The last hundred years couldn't go by fast enough.

It's a good game, but it is a little shallow.

In my frist run from 867 to 1453 i started as a small Duke in HRE and ended controlling the whole map around 1350. Formed new Kingdoms with my own ideas, had all skills and pearks...

[Wizard]

Originally posted by Poggers:

Originally posted by Wizard:

I agree with the OP on this. I started as England, 867, and by the end I was Emperor of Britania, Scandinavia, Spain, all of North Africa, Italy to Constantinople, all of Europe to almost Siberia.

After I had Britania and Germania, I never had any real opposition or challenge. Just wait for your neighbor to fall apart from internal fighting, then clean up the scraps.

My last four Emperor titles I didn't do anything for. I just created them after my minions had acquired the necessary land.

I guess in total about a dozen Emperor titles and 2 dozen Kings under me.

People will say that it's not about painting the map. Sure, I guess, but then it gets pretty boring just sitting around clicking the same RNG events over and over again.

The last hundred years couldn't go by fast enough.

It's a good game, but it is a little shallow.

In my frist run from 867 to 1453 i started as a small Duke in HRE and ended controlling the whole map around 1350. Formed new Kingdoms with my own ideas, had all skills and pearks...

This was my first real run through after learning the tutorial. In CK2 I felt like I could barely keep my head above water. In CK3 I was the dominant force on the map by my third heir. It just seems like there's a big difficulty fall off between the two games that I didn't expect.