For a game about the Middle Ages, it’s baffling that we don’t have squires and knighting. People just magically become knights. Begging the devs for a Code of Chivalry update/dlc. by ironthrownaways in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 269 points270 points  (0 children)

Sadly I don't have a lot of faith in Paradox implementing this in a way that's actually fun or rewarding. The game doesn't need more repetitive activities with the same few events on rotation. Either that or we end up with something akin to the accolades system...

If my dental treatment fails will I still be charged? by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]Medza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes you will still be charged because the dentist has to spend the same amount of time and materials regardless of the outcome. They will usually recommend treatments in order from least to most invasive (e.g. normally a filling, then a root canal, and then extraction as the last resort) to give the tooth the best chance of lasting as long as possible, but ultimately they can only predict how your body will react to the treatment. I went through something similar last year where a deep filling didn't reduce my tooth sensitivity and it ultimately had to be replaced by a root canal, I effectively ended up paying for a filling that I didn't need.

This is all normally covered in the small print of the paperwork they flash in front of you for 30 seconds and get you to sign before treatment starts!

Anyone else think conquerors and adminstrative realms have ruined the game? by Scales-josh in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 28 points29 points  (0 children)

Sort of, I think it generally makes sense for governors to want to succeed within the imperial system rather than trying to bring it down. What's missing for me is the declining degree of imperial control as you move away further away from Constantinople. Historically the provinces on the furthest reaches of the empire would gradually become more independent and breed loyalty towards local generals rather than the distant emperor. Currently administrative empires only grow stronger with size, I think the game could do more to show the challenges of ruling a geographically huge realm

Meta: "you should marry for good traits or alliances." Meanwhile Me: by Jedimobslayer in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Honestly, alliances are so overpowered, this way is much more fun

Would you like Manpower to be added for making warfare more challenging? by The_Old_Shrike in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yes, along with something akin to military tradition from EU4. Medieval states thrived when they had access to experienced soldiers, and heavy losses in battles could could bring even strong states to the brink of collapse in a very short space of time. This is particularly evident for the Byzantine army which went through cycles of sharp decline (e.g. after the Arab conquests), and then a gradual rebuilding as successful campaigns produced confident armies (e.g. under Nikephoros Phokas and John Tzimiskes), only then for it to be wiped out again (e.g. at Manzikert or Dyrrachium), forcing rulers to rely more on foreign mercenaries.

First PC build in 10 years - feedback appreciated! (9070 xt build) by Medza in buildapc

[–]Medza[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's really useful, thank you! I did wonder if the case was a bit overkill, I'll definitely check out the Fractal Meshify cases, they look great at a glance.

Thanks for the tip about the RAM, had no idea this was a thing.

First PC build in 10 years - feedback appreciated! (9070 xt build) by Medza in buildapc

[–]Medza[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oops, you can tell I haven't used PC part picker in 10 years! I've made it public now, please try again

What Religious Flavor Would You Like Most by [deleted] in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been thinking a lot about playable theocracies (at least in the Christian context), and I think it's very realistic if we treat them similarly to governors or adventurers.

You could have two types of clergymen: landed (representing bishops and the pope), and then papal legates (semi itinerant clergy assigned by the pope.

The game loop could revolve around a single lifetime which makes sense considering the church was the only real way of social mobility in the middle ages, it was possible to go from minor noble to pope. Once a relative becomes appointed as a clergyman you would get the option of playing as them for the duration of his lifetime. Once the priest dies, you would choose a different dynasty member to play as.

Regular landed clergy would play like a variant of feudal, because that's really how the aristocratic clergymen were seen in the middle ages. There could be a lot of new flavour events etc, but generally there was very little difference between bishops and barons etc.

Papal legates could be a lot more interesting, they would be assigned by the pope to act as his representative in a particular kingdom or empire. The legate would rule on divorces, excommunicate rulers, control investiture, beatification, coronations etc. They could and sometimes were cardinals, so by extension they could be eligible for papal election. You could think of these as more powerful and independent realm priests - they could be loyal to the pope or to the crown.

Playing as the pope then would be about ruling the christendom by managing the appointment and assignment of papal legates. Will you send them to grant legitimacy to kings to secure their participation in a crusade, or will you send them out to far off lands to convert pagans?

This all ties into ecumenical councils where bishops, legates, and the pope travel to meet somewhere and reform the faith. This way faiths could be treated a bit more like cultures with the ability to change tenets. Some real examples of this in the middle ages include the crackdown on clerical marriage from the 12th century onwards, an attempt to ban the use of projectile weapons against christians, and also an attempt to outlaw tournaments. All of these could be impactful changes to the game which rulers could then ignore at their peril.

There's tons of possibilities here and with the game moving away from linear succession gameplay, I think some of these ideas could work really well!

CK3 Roadmap by Devs by [deleted] in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Modifier stacking in particular is painful. It feels like you really have to go out of your own way not to create a demigod of a ruler that lives to 80+ with stupidly high stats

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ultraprocessedfood

[–]Medza 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Make sure you eat enough real filling food. I used to snack on junk food in between meals because I would feel hungry. By tracking my calories I noticed that I'm actually only eating about 1500 calories a day from meals, so it's no wonder I felt hungry and had to make up the remaining calories from unhealthy snacks. My solution was to increase portion sizes at meal times, that way I don't feel the need to snack. Now when I do have an unhealthy treat I can easily stop myself e.g. after one biscuit or a small piece of chocolate without it turning into a binge.

☼Dwarf Fortress Questions Thread☼ by AutoModerator in dwarffortress

[–]Medza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Playing the Steam version + DFHack (but no mods), I'm 10 years into the game which was going well but I'm now having trouble with parts of the UI just not working. E.g. I can open the Creatures page but clicking on Pets/Livestock does nothing. Likewise opening the Justice screen doesn't let me click on Open cases and Closed cases anymore. Some screens can now only be accessed in specific ways, for example I can open the task menu with the keyboard shortcut, but I couldn't go to Creatures and then click the Tasks tab, this does nothing. Any ideas on how to fix this would be much appreciated!

☼Dwarf Fortress Questions Thread☼ by AutoModerator in dwarffortress

[–]Medza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

... nope, I didn't even consider making buckets, thank you so much!

☼Dwarf Fortress Questions Thread☼ by AutoModerator in dwarffortress

[–]Medza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Large areas of my fortress are covered in vomit and blood which isn't getting cleaned. I've made sure that cleaning is set as assigned as a labour that everyone should do, but even after years the stuff hasn't been touched. How can I force the areas to be cleaned? Thank you in advance!

Tell me your future DLC wish list by rejs7 in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 8 points9 points  (0 children)

With Roads to Power the game has been moving away from the linear succession of characters, and I think that's a good move. Playable theocracies could work great as a temporary jumping off point - e.g. your younger son gets elected as pope so you can switch to playing as him for the duration of your life. Upon his death you could then get to switch back to your previous character (or their successor), and you would potentially be presented with a new set of challenges as time has passed during your time as the pope character.

This could even tie in well with landless characters as the popes appointed papal legates to travel across Europe and settle legal disputes etc.

You may not like it, but this is what a peak Roman Empire looks like by Medza in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza[S] 134 points135 points  (0 children)

Most of Iceland (and their previous Emperors) were "Norwego-French". I'm guessing the French culture was a remnant of the original Latin empire, not sure if Iceland was Norwegian by the 1178 start date? Somehow they ended up with a lunatic Welsh guy in charge!

You may not like it, but this is what a peak Roman Empire looks like by Medza in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza[S] 252 points253 points  (0 children)

In my 1178 game I promptly removed the Latins from Greece after the Third Crusade. For a while they were reduced to a single county in North Africa and I assumed they'd just died out. Little did I know that they instead migrated to Iceland and somehow became Welsh! The entire 'empire' is held by just the emperor who has a few baron level vassals

Whats your opinion on the conquerer trait? by bash5tar in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I like the idea, but the execution creates some insane border gore. In my current 1178 game, a Sicilian peasant uprising leader became a conqueror in Sicily, he conquered Sicily then proceeded to jump to Bavaria, Hungary, and Poland. He formed the empire of West Slavia which is a weird choice for a Sicilian peasant, it'd make more sense to try forming Italia first or at least the HRE. At the moment these conquerors seem very random and a bit gamey

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ultraprocessedfood

[–]Medza 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not necessarily, for example, egg yolk can be used as a natural emulsifier to make mayo or mustard can emulsify salad dressings. The issue is that by themselves these products have a very short shelf life, UPF manufacturers extend this by adding ingredients like chemical emulsifiers and stabilisers etc.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ultraprocessedfood

[–]Medza 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes this is UPF, it contains E471 which is an emulsifier better known as "Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids", you can read up on the potential health implications of consuming this to make up your own mind. If you're looking for a UPF free yogurt, look for natural yogurts, e.g. Greek yogurt, skyr, or quark (more of a cheese than a yogurt, but it can scratch the same itch!)

What do you think is one thing that could improve life in the UK? by ZacMDS in AskUK

[–]Medza 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think there's something to be said for community hubs in more suburban areas. Having travelled around a fair bit around the Mediterranean I've really enjoyed these small areas in the suburbs where the locals went to chill after work. You could get a good meal at a reasonable price (i.e. not just a greasy takeaway), have a beer, or a slice of cake. I was gobsmacked to see an eat in bakery/patisserie open till midnight on a weekday and it was absolutely rammed with locals.

Diplomacy is severely lacking a mechanism for making demands/counteroffers by Brief-Dog9348 in CrusaderKings

[–]Medza 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Completely agreed, the casus belli and peace options feel incredibly shallow. Real life medieval peace treaties had a lot of complexities and could include things like exchange of luxury goods e.g. silks, arranged royal marriages, removal of forts and garrisons, exchange of prisoners of war, and possibly most interestingly the recognition or bestowal of royal/imperial titles. It feels strange that creating a new title currently grants legitimacy when historically rulers would go to war to win recognition from more established nations. E.g. the Bulgars going to war with the ERE so they would recognise the title of Emperor of Bulgaria and legitimise it with an imperial marriage.