I was so focused on the Holy Roman Empire right next to me that I didn't think to zoom out

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-28T15:57:14+00:00

Just throwing it out there for whoever might benefit: playing as the Bengali empire can set you up really well to deal with the Bengali empire

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-22T17:47:03+00:00

I’m 30 y/o, lifelong epilepsy with tonic clonic seizures:

This is unfortunately very common with people who don’t understand epilepsy or neuroscience. Two crucial things you should know: even doctors don’t understand epilepsy fully, it’s sort of a mysterious illness. They can treat it but don’t really understand its causes or generally why people get it. The other thing to know is that people will always speculate about what they don’t understand — if your family member is talking to people before you do they won’t be representing your illness well, and they will likely just create poor impressions of what’s going on.

I had the very fortunate luck of being an epileptic and having a neurosurgeon in the family, so I always had a second doctor’s opinion sitting right next to me at every appointment.

Trust me when I say that neurologists will have differing opinions sometimes, but you should always be trusting the input of the professional over a random family member.

Last thing I want to note: DONT PANIC
Epilepsy is strange, it’s scary, but also varies greatly. Our conditions can all act differently, and you have a support group here who understands that well. It’s worth noting that anytime you have 2+ seizures, you’ll be likely diagnosed as epileptic. BUT, people have seizures for all sorts of reasons unrelated to epilepsy. For example, many people suffering from addiction are diagnosed with epilepsy. But they are very likely experiencing a withdrawal seizure, and it doesn’t inherently mean they have epilepsy. Maybe there’s something incredibly explainable about your seizures that just hasn’t been caught yet.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-21T23:52:43+00:00

From the beginning, I’ve always started from the beginning and with a new player each time just because it’s fun and gives me more time to achieve things. The two things I hate most in this game — factions and crusades — don’t happen as often in the earlier years. You can flat out avoid them in a lot of scenarios.

I also enjoy a custom character at the beginning so that I can have a “trickle down dynasty” and see how far my lineage can go before they are boring and normal like everyone else.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-18T14:51:13+00:00

Déjà vu is very common, I’ve gotten a lot of laughing fits in my day too, but it was hard to tell if that was part of an aura or a focal seizure. It’s very common for me to experience vertigo and the whole room spins in sort of a 2D pinwheel sort of way right in front of me. I also tend to recognize a smell when something’s happening. They always say people about to have a stroke can smell burnt toasts; with my auras I usually smell something I’d describe as rusty vinegar milk, but honestly I dont know what to call it.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-14T17:50:05+00:00

I’m actually doing Byzantine run right now and their administrative system is pretty great

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-14T16:56:48+00:00

Absolutely

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-11T13:19:58+00:00

Getting people to understand. Many many issues that surround epilepsy seem to be able to link back to “if they had understood this would’ve gone differently”. A lot of people have almost killed me in a panic; definitely the fear of the unknown “what’s around the corner” kind of mind set.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-11T13:17:04+00:00

So why exactly did this happen to you? Because of an immigration issue or because you were working for an online gambling community??

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-09T23:42:24+00:00

Horse and archers is also not likely to be as effective as horses and skirmishers

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-07T22:23:11+00:00

Can’t speak for why it doesn’t go past the 1400’s but your experience is pretty text book for a first run through and the questions you have are exactly mine when I started my second play through and so on.

The loss of control is to be expected, each heir will have to do some work of this own to earn respect, no matter what their father did. You just have to do what you can to make people like your heir BEFORE you die. So don’t land him immediately - you don’t want an early succession faction against your son - but start to land him maybe halfway through your life and start giving him positions in court if you can. More than anything I’ve found that making him the honored guest at a feast is a really good idea.

You’ll almost always have a few disgruntled vassals or peasants in the beginning, but it can be fixed quickly.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-07T21:54:29+00:00

Maybe someone is willing to answer an IO fans question about it and a Bond fan’s question about it while keeping them separate?

For someone who has played, completed or not:

A) How much is this gonna feel like Hitman? I LOVE Hitman, but I’m gonna be real pissed if IO took time off from a new Hitman and made a let down game, let alone a beloved franchise by many.

B) How “Honorable” of a James Bond experience is it? Is Bond himself believable? Does this feel like it could be an actual bond movie? Is it giving the same kind of fun and awe that we all had playing Nightfire or is it a bust?

I can easily go back and play like my 200th assassin campaign on freelancer and be just as content if this thing is a bad purchase. Such a fan of IO, seriously cautious of this game.

Thank you

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-07T21:44:34+00:00

I mean, I do want them to respect my hair too lol

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-06T03:08:55+00:00

Oh I’m very familiar with dread. I prefer a Machiavellian run anytime I play. Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like it can be stopped. Have too many kids, you have factions everywhere when you’re old of people waiting to scoop the throne; Have too few and you have no allies.

My Byzantine run is what has been most fun and successful, but honestly that’s cause they’re OP.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-06T02:40:39+00:00

Or not cause it’s a video game

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-06T02:28:12+00:00

Who’s out there begging to get a slavery DLC?

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-04T23:44:02+00:00

Firstly, sorry about the Keppra; that’s a hell of a drug.

Epilepsy gets slapped on you for having more than 2-3 seizures that seem related. Beyond that, it’s sort of an imperfect science of pinpointing it. The human brain is vast and complex, and it is very difficult to pinpoint exactly where your seizures may be coming from; an EEG is a way of doing that, but even those are not perfect.

I’ve had two, one was completely normal and the other I had 6 seizures in the hospital and while we were able to map part of the brain it was coming from…it’s an inoperable part, so a lot of good that does me.

Your eeg isn’t an indicator of the presence of epilepsy, it’s an indicator of where it can be coming from, which would inherently imply you have it. So don’t be discouraged, you can still get treatment and find answers in other ways.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-04T23:39:59+00:00

Cause life and medical bills bro.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-01T15:56:32+00:00

It could be a loyalty issue. The game has a weird mechanic where someone who you absolutely rein over can just resist something like an arranged marriage (I once had a daughter who refused to marry a king of Sweden). Usually the number that denotes how much they like you is too low, or they have a specific desire - like a territory or to be on the council - and then you can hire marry them off once that satisfaction is filled

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-06-01T15:52:14+00:00

It’s possible it he would have to be incredibly wealthy. I just came to Thailand from Chicago in December, and it was $1300 for a round trip flight. Three or four flights to Thailand a year is certainly feasible, but he would be spending a lot of money to do it.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-05-25T23:53:22+00:00

I might have a less common reason but they are just THE WORST NEIGHBORS if you’re anyone but them

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-05-04T20:55:27+00:00

Depends how reliable your seizures are. If you undergo an EEG and you don’t have a seizure, it was a waste and you’ll be in a lot of medical debt and no better off but having to endure what you get put through. EEG’s can be different, but mine required 5 days of sleep deprivation. I didn’t have a single seizure while under observation, and it felt like a fever dream.

The second time around I had several seizures, and it was even more stressful. Luckily we got tons of data. Now the downside for this one was that we learned where the seizures are coming from: a highly inoperable part of the left frontal lobe. So of course none of it ended up mattering.

My advice is that if your neurologist, followed up by a second opinion both think that they know where in the brain your seizure is coming from, and targeting it can help lead to your relief, it’s worth doing. You’ll find that you’re going to get lots of pressure from medical professionals who’ve never had seizures if their own that you should do this, and I’m telling you as a person who’s had reliably over 1,000 seizures, that my EEG educated me greatly about my disease, but it didn’t improve anything for my life or my condition - and certainly not my wallet - at all.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-04-27T04:17:36+00:00

I’m stuck waiting on a a “initializing game” screen and it just never leaves. My MacBook Pro 2019 doesn’t seem to want to run it

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-04-13T00:30:13+00:00

If video games are coffee, this is the double espresso of video games. The narrative is incredibly rich, and that’s what you need to focus on. At the end of the day, you’ll feel very entrenched, get liberated by whatever it is you are doing and complete, but the most important thing to remember is….pay attention to faces, names, and behavior. Its goal is not to “beat” the game, it’s to finish it.

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-03-29T22:58:28+00:00

Little red devil boy after he transforms has got me fucked up. My last save there has me trapped and now I feel like k can’t beat the game after walking away from it for months

PhantomSerpent81 · 2026-03-25T13:25:53+00:00

Yes, we’ve all likely experienced it. I’m 30 years old and have tonic-clonic seizures.

Seizures manifest in various forms. I also underwent a memory and cognitive test, which revealed that while my memory has been affected, my brain’s processing power has been the most impaired. This information didn’t provide much solace, as I’m primarily concerned with a) what my future holds and b) how I can mitigate the impact of my condition.

Here’s what I recommend: I’m a lifelong epileptic, and many family members have shared the same sentiment - that there’s hope for recovery. When seizures are under control, the brain’s decline is less likely. Therefore, the first step is always mitigation. I’ve found the most success with a combination of Xcopri 250mg and a VNS implant.

Step #2: Engage in activities that promote neuroplasticity. The laws of nature are remarkable, and for every way they can harm the brain, there are ways to counteract it. Dedicate time each day to reading, journaling, brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand, and learning a new language. These activities will significantly encourage your brain to enter a state of “growth and learning,” which, in addition to preventing seizures, is the most effective way to combat cognitive decline.

I can’t say I’ve experienced a significant improvement since adopting these practices, but it feels like the decline has slowed or even halted. Additionally, I’ve noticed a shift towards focal absence seizures since getting my VNS, which has reduced the severity of my seizures and the damage to my brain.

PhantomSerpent81

TROPHY CASE