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Khans of the Steppe & Free 1.16.0 "Chamfron" Update - Available Now

Hello everyone! Today we're releasing our second Core Expansion and first piece of major content in Chapter IV: Khans of the Steppe. We're also releasing Update 1.16.0 "Chamfron" alongside this core expansion.

Check out the release trailer below, and then the changelog under that.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]



Update 1.16.0 "Chamfron" Changelog


[h2]Expansion Features (Paid)[/h2]
  • Added the new Nomadic Government Type, heavily inspired by the nomads of the Eurasian Steppe, introducing a new playstyle around Herd and Migration.
    • Migration allows nomadic rulers to move around the Great Steppe in search of better pasture lands. Negotiate with the locals or subjugate them by force.
    • Herd is a new currency only available for Nomads that can be converted into Horde Riders and upgraded into better Men-at-Arms.
    • Nomadic Vassal Contracts: focused on Herd instead of Levies.
    • The Nomadic Capital Domicile – It represents the collection of yurts nomads have during migration. They include 8 new domicile buildings with 80+ new internal upgrades and a Domicile Culture/Faith mechanic with unique Decisions and Character Interactions.
    • 5 Dominance levels for Nomads that govern their Domain and Vassal limit, which Decisions they can take and what titles they can target during migration.
    • Nomads have a new Dread cap: 150.
    • Nomadic Subjects and Courtiers have Obedience towards their overlord, measuring how likely they are to form factions, perform hostile plots and respect their decision of heir during succession.
      • Gain someone's Obedience by demanding it, negotiating it or just impressing them through new Character Interactions and Activity Intents.
    • Added new Schemes for Nomads, such as Steal Herd.
    • Added 4 Vassal Directives just for nomadic vassals.
    • New Council Positions for Nomads – the Kurultai Members.
      • Kurultai Members may perform some familiar tasks like Increase County Control and Domestic Affairs, but they will also have 6 new tasks focused on Herd gain, Fertility management, Piety, Raiding, Culture Hybridization and Reformation and even Exploiting their own lands to gain some extra income but reduce the Fertility.
    • A new Succession Type for nomads: the Kurultai Succession with different outcomes based on how Stable or Chaotic it is. Chaotic successions have effects such as herd loss, realm splits, or even realm dissolution (depending on realm size and number of disobedient kurultai members)
    • Settlement Issues: new contracts available for nomadic rulers after migration, focusing on increasing the county control of their new area.
    • The Way of the Nomad trait ensures that the nomadic lifestyle stays with their children for one generation after leaving the steppe, focusing on Cultural and Religious tolerance and opening up the possibility of becoming an adventurer.
  • Added the Great Steppe Situation: a new regional mechanic for the Eurasian Steppe, divided in three geographical regions.
    • Every county within the Great Steppe has County Fertility, regulating the Herd gained by the nomads holding them. With appropriate alerts for when the fertility is low, or when its time to migrate.
    • The Steppe Seasons affect the County Fertility of their region, as well as the behavior of the nomadic rulers within, including Vassalization and Tributarization acceptance, bonuses to raiding and even free CBs. The seasons are visualized on the map.
    • Gather the largest Herd of the steppe and become the Gurkhan, a formidable warrior marked for greatness, en route to become the Greatest of Khans.
  • Added another new, unplayable government Type: Herders, which inhabit the Steppe and replenish Fertility, but lack any military strength.
  • A new 1178 bookmark for Nomads: The Endless Sky.
  • A new 1066 bookmark for Nomads: At the Gates.
  • New game rules to make other areas Nomadic: Sápmi and Karelia, Arabia, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
  • Changed the map table to be adjusted based on situation, e.g. the Byzantine map table is only for Byzantines, and the plague one only happens during significant plagues
  • Added a ‘Bring under Tribute’ CB for non-nomads to force an independent ruler into becoming your tributary
  • Added a "become tributary" interaction, that lets you pledge yourself as tributary to an independent ruler of a government type that can have tributaries
  • Added a "demand tributary" interaction, that lets nomad rulers demand tribute from independent neighbors
  • Added two new non-nomadic tributary types and their obligation levels
  • New Nomadic Court Positions: Stargazer, General, Chief Law Overseer, Siege Engineer, Quartermaster, Keeper of Horses and Chief Bodyguard, with new tasks that heavily interact with the Nomadic government and the Great Steppe.
  • Added new Men-at-Arms for Nomads and Nomadic cultures
    • Steppe Raiders
    • Nomad Lancers
    • Heavy Horse-Archers
    • Torch-Bearers
    • Mangudai
    • Cataphract Archers
    • Maturkan Warriors
  • Added new Cultural Traditions to Cultures in the Great Steppe
    • Iron Cavalry
    • Wolves of the Deep Steppe
    • Tribes of the North
    • Devoted Horsemanship
  • Added Siberian Permafrost county modifier to lands on the northeastern border of the map that highly synergizes with the Tribes of the North Cultural Tradition
  • Added a new Blood Brother relationship type, hooked in as a variant of the friend relation
    • Only available through the Swear Blood Brotherhood interaction
    • Provides positive modifiers for useful blood brothers, and alliances between ruler blood brothers
  • Added the new Tsaagaan Tsar Feast type, only available in the winter months, to celebrate the coming of a new year and obtain gifts from your guests.
  • Added the new Nerge Hunt type – an activity focused on obtaining Martial and Prowess skillpoints, Commander Traits and trait experience.
  • Added more than 70 new flavour events for nomads, including events related to the seasons, blood brotherhood and migration.
  • Added severed head content to the execution interaction, allowing you to keep the heads of those you behead, or send the head to their successor
  • Adds flavor events for Temujin and Jamukha, as well as a conqueror event to propel player Temujin to becoming Greatest of Khans
  • Created a Greatest of Khans storyline, beginning with the Become Greatest of Khans decision
    • A Great War of Defiance CB that neighbors launch to prevent the Gurkhan from becoming Greatest of Khans
    • Revamped effects for the Greatest of Khans trait, and other bonuses
    • The Offer Submission or Ruin interaction for the Greatest of Khans, and the related GoK Onslaught CB
    • New Turkic, Mongolic and Iranian cultural nicknames for the Greatest of Khans
    • Reform the Great Khaganate Decision, a capstone to the GoK’s success, allowing them to establish a huge de jure empire and choose a government type of their choice (gaining significant bonuses towards that form of rule)
  • Added 25 new special Decisions for Nomads, including
    • Decisions to switch government types
    • Decisions to expand your realm
    • Expand the Steppe region
    • Introduce your heir to potential friends and blood brothers
    • Manage fertility in your domain
    • Hire courtiers and candidates for new court positions
  • Added new Casus Bellis for nomad rulers, including Overrun Kingdom, Expand Dominance, Sovereignty, Humiliation, Retaliation, and Nomadic County/Duchy Quarrels
  • Added a Paiza system with unique decisions and character interactions:
    • Establish Paiza System
    • Summon Wealthy Visitors: Paiza
    • Abuse Gurkhan’s Authority
    • Leverage Khan’s Authority
  • Added a new Nomadic Dynasty Legacy focusing on Herd management, Fertility, Raiding and military might
  • Revamped the old Mongol Invasion event chain, integrating new features and elements of the Greatest of Khans story
  • Added the Burkhan Khaldun special building in Khentii.
  • Added new ambience sounds and music tracks for nomads.


[h2]Game Content[/h2]
  • Added 5 new Raid Intents, available for Nomadic and Tribal armies
    • Pillage
    • Terrorize
    • Capture
    • Plunder
    • Adventure
  • Added Confederations: an agreement between tribal or nomadic rulers that commits them to joining one another's defensive wars
    • Decision to Call for a Confederation
    • The Offer Confederation interaction, which adds rulers to the confederation
    • An Abandon Confederation decision for leaving your confederation
    • A decision which allows you to turn your confederation into a kingdom-tier realm, with you as its monarch, and Confederation Elective succession for the created title
    • Added new icon for Confederations
  • Added a "Bring Under Tribute" CB for non-nomadic rulers
  • Added potential friends, potential lovers, tributaries, and suzerains to the default activity guest invite rules
  • Made it possible for domicile buildings to trigger specific map graphics for holdings
  • Added character interaction for guardians to teach a commander trait to a ward
  • Added memory for all participants of a successful hunt
  • Added mercenary_hire_time_mult modifier affecting how long mercenary contracts last
  • Added capital_fort_level and capital_additional_fort_level modifiers
  • Updated councilor related events to include kurultai if they fit the context
  • Subject contracts can now have prestige transfers as obligations
  • Added new interaction category "tribute"
  • Added a new Vassal Stance, Belligerent


[h2]Databases[/h2]
  • Renamed the kingdom of Mongolia to the kingdom of Ötuken
  • Rearranged the starting Cultural Traditions for cultures in the Steppe
  • St Wenceslaus Cathedral changes: the building now has 3 upgradable levels, renamed to Archcollegiate Church of St. Mary and St. Alexius, and moved to Łęczyca barony. The University special building has been returned to Kraków.


[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]
  • Removed duplicate raid icon in diplomatic_icons texture
  • Fix to subject directive icons not being aligned properly
  • The ai will actually check if they can feudalize holdings now–they’ve never done so.
  • Fix to maximum amount of horizontal slots for terrain effects
  • Fix to men at arms illustrations being stretched and cut too much at the top
  • Fixed crash when calculating tax collector aptitude due to recursive call of script value
  • Fixed sometimes misleading tooltips for rewards and wounds in hunts
  • Fixed message when liege grants you a pardon
  • Fixed reversed reason when rival gained from losing realm
  • Fixed erroneous liege converting county notifications
  • Fixed fellow vassal faction join event referring to you as the liege
  • Fixed visuals for the soldier of the cross crusader trait event
  • Fixed dangerous beast slain modifier sometimes being applied after hunting non-dangerous animals
  • Characters will now use more correct cultural weapons in animations
  • Improved readability of messages from tutor educate child task
  • Non-Christian characters will no longer use the crucifix scepter prop in admin realms
  • Made effect tooltip for pleasure dome more generic in case you don't have a barony selected
  • Fixed missing councilor tooltip erroneously referencing councilor instead of kurultai member when playing as a nomad
  • Revealed the actual gold cost behind Pay Homage
  • Changed court position tooltip concept to be player contextual, and display officer instead, or in addition to, court position when appropriate
  • Removed old holder of court position being oddly grateful that you replaced them
  • Added missing capitalization to county titles
  • Fixed appearance of monk in the necromancer event
  • Players will now only be informed of faith creation when nearby or otherwise relevant to them
  • Made it impossible to relocate your capital to a province with a disabled holding
  • Fixed ai adventurers sometimes getting a hook on you because they completed a contract for your councilor
  • Fixed bloody weddings and grand wedding events having incorrect scopes when disbursing rewards
  • Fixed peasant faction war being not inherited on death of the primary defender
  • When your charioteer loses, the corresponding team color illustration will show up
  • The event treacherous slopes will now tell you of the outcome of the stewardship options
  • The adventurer landed message will now only be shown for rulers within the same realm
  • The event night attack will no longer wound the same poor follower multiple times
  • Event “Nursing a Suspicion” can no longer make spouses suspicious about themselves
  • 1178 start date: Sancho of Teruel, Tello Pedrez of Calatrava, Pedro II Manriquez of Molina, Fernando Rodrigez of Merida, now have feudal government
  • Fixed a faulty trigger for managing courtiers
  • Fixed a crash when removing a character from a great holy war
  • Fixed the inverted descriptions of mozarabic_break_with_rome_decision of righteous and fundamentalist
  • Fixed a few instances of incorrect usage of title tier as honorific
  • Fixed a typo having an additional comma in the description of grand wedding in the wedding ceremony
  • Fixed a bug where empire-tier title holders did not get the offer fealty malus for king-tier (or higher) titles
  • Blocked armless people from doing actions which require using two hands
  • Fixed an issue where newly landed Muslim rulers would get Male Preference instead of Male Only succession



[h2]Balance[/h2]
  • Dissolution factions now also destroy any kingdoms an emperor might hold, avoiding border gore/impotent dissolution faction outcomes where everyone's still in one realm
  • Increased and standardized speed of adventurer contracts
  • Added a decaying opinion malus for your former suzerain if you break the tributary relationship by pledging fealty to someone else
  • Flat MaA bonuses from cultural traditions have been converted to percentage bonuses.


[h2]Art[/h2]
  • Turkic cultures of the west steppes now use The Legacy of Persia clothing assets as they are a better fit historically
  • Added nomadic UI skin, inspired by Mongolian patterns, architecture and relief art. You can see elements from their yurts like the interior, fabrics with different patterns and symbols like the falcon.
  • New Interfaces
    • Migration
    • Great Steppe Situation
  • Added new event themes with associated icons
    • Raid
    • Migration
    • Settlement
  • Added Coat-of-Arms Shapes and Headers
    • Confederation Header
    • Nomad and Herder CoA Shapes
  • Added situation modifier icons
  • Some improvements to the bp3 portrait environments
  • Added icons and illustrations for new nomadic Men-At-Arms unit types
    • Mangudai
    • Nomad Lancers
    • Steppe Raiders
    • Torch-Bearers
    • Maturkan
    • Keshig
    • Heavy Cavalry Archers
    • Cataphract Archers
  • Added new icons for Levies and Nomadic Riders which are the nomadic counterparts of feudal levies.
  • Succession
    • Added new icons for Peaceful and Chaotic succession, both in a rendered and flat style.
    • Added new headers and patterns for Peaceful & Chaotic Succession shown in the Succession tab in the Realm view
  • New icons added for nomadic dominance levels with a frame for the active level and a special frame for the highest level, both active and inactive.
  • Added new Kurultai task icons and adjusted frame shape to fit the nomadic theme better
    • Support Herders
    • Domestic Affairs
    • Manage Fertility
    • Exploit Lands
    • Increase Control
    • Organize Raiders
    • Aid Stargazer
    • Explore Cultures
  • Added siberian permafrost modifier icon
  • Added new court position icons
    • Yurtchi
    • Yeke Jarguchi
    • Foreign Emissary
    • Boyan
    • Cherbi
    • Court Astrologer
  • Added a new icon for the Gurkhan
  • Added Ovoo as temple mesh and illustration for settled Tengri rulers
  • Added new Casus Belli icons
  • Make Tributary
  • Migration
  • Retaliation
  • Humiliations
  • Added new icons for the new Tributary interactions
    • Become Tributary
    • Release Tributary
    • Demand Tributary
    • Cease Paying Tributary
  • Fixed levitating cross-legged characters mena and indian thrones
  • Added “Confederation” decision image.
  • Adjusted decision illustrations so that they do not stretch when made into a button or when non-decision images are used as decisions
  • Added northern tribes, wolves of the deep steppe and iron cavalry cultural tradition images
  • Added new assets to the Event window:
  • Added new orange Event Window header background for nomadic related events
  • Added new Event type icons for nomadic and migration related events
  • Burkhan Khaldun mesh and icon positioned in the map with the necessary terrain adjustments
  • Added steppe royal court in 3 grandeur variants
  • Added steppe royal court props : table, chests, panels, tugs, fireplaces, carpets, tapestry, banners, lectern, pedestals, main throne, spouse throne
  • Added Nomadic Lifestyle trait icon.
  • Added a new icon for the the Situations Map Mode
  • New nomadic and herder settlement building icon added
  • Added 6 steppe season illustrations
  • Added Activity Type Illustrations
    • Nerge
    • Tsagaan Sar
  • Added Holding Type Illustrations
    • Herder Camp
    • Nomad Camp
  • Added Story Event Illustrations
    • Great Khan
    • The Great Steppe
  • New loading screen
  • Added new Raid Loot icon
  • Added a new Artifact Icon for nomadic Paizas
  • Added a new icon for Paiza Character Interactions
  • Added mongol level 1 to 5 holding models
  • Added herder holding model
  • Added level 1 to 4 mongol wall models
  • New illustration for nomadic horde added
  • Added new ethnicities for the Steppe: Tibetan, Turkic, West Turkic and Mongol
  • Nomadic Domicile
    • Added new icons in both a rendered and flat style for the Nomadic Domicile depicting a yurt to better fit the nomadic theme.
    • Added new Domicile map pin background texture that fits better with the nomadic theme
    • Added new Domicile window assets
      • Frame
      • Header
      • Paper texture
    • Added new Domicile background that fits the steppe and nomadic Domicile layout
    • Added new Nomadic Domicile buildings
      • Main Yurt tier 1, 2 & 3
      • Millet Storage
      • Khan’s Champions Yurt
      • Square of the Tumen
      • Court Yurt
      • Family Yurt
      • Ovoo
      • Barter Stalls
      • Empty slots
  • Added new smaller versions of the Nomadic Authority level icons to better fit in texts and use cases outside the Realm tab or nomadic HuD widget.
  • Added nomad Legacy Track illustration and icon
  • Added new icons for the Nomadic and Herder Government Types
  • Added 10 clothes for steppe cultures
    • Male commoner - Nomad's Deel
    • Male low nobility - Cross-Over Coat with Fur Lining
    • Male high nobility - Fine Cross-Over Coat with Fur Lining
    • Male royalty - Khan's Embroidered Robe
    • Male imperial - Khagan's Deel with Fur Coat
    • Female commoner - Steppe Woman's Deel
    • Female low nobility - Nomad Woman's Robe
    • Female high nobility - Nomad Woman's Fine Robe
    • Female royalty - Khanum's Coat with Embroidery
    • Female imperial - Khatun's Splendid Robes
  • Added 8 Headgear for steppe cultures
    • Male/Female commoner - Fur-Brimmed Shepherd Hat
    • Male nobility - Feathered Hat of the Steppe
    • Male royalty - Golden Flower Crown
    • Male imperial - Decorated Jonon Hat
    • Female nobility 01 - Nomadic Pearl Headband
    • Female nobility 02 - Khalkha Headdress with Pearl Bands
    • Female royalty - Khanum's Embellished Gugu Hat
  • Added 6 Hairstyles for steppe cultures
    • Male hair 01 - Khitan Warrior Style
    • Male hair 02 - Behind the Ear Braids
    • Male hair 03 - Steppe Rider's Fine Braids
    • Female hair 01 - Turkic Kirk Belik Braids
    • Female hair 02 - Steppe Style with Cloth Covers
    • Female hair 03 - Center-Parted with Decorated Covers
  • Added 6 Beards for steppe cultures
    • Mongol Style Mustache and Soul Patch
    • Nomadic Warrior's Beard
    • Nomad's Goatee
    • Mongol Style Mustache
    • Nomadic Warrior's Mustache
    • Nomad's Mustache
  • New event background illustrations
    • Steppe Temple
    • Steppe Evening
    • Steppe Hunt
    • Steppe City (Karakorum)
    • Nomad Throne Room (and main menu version)
    • Steppe camp day
    • Steppe camp night
    • Steppe Tent Interior
    • Asian Rural Village
    • Asian Rural Village Raid
  • Added military horse units for nomads
  • Added traveling horse units for nomads
  • Added grazing sheep to the map
  • Added horses to the map
  • New character animations
    • Standing next to horse
    • Shepherd (with sheep!)
    • Galloping with sword and shield
    • Conversing while mounted
    • Exhausted on horse animation
    • Surveying while mounted
    • Aggressive horse archer
    • Idle horse archer
  • New props
    • 6 bows that can be drawn, both with and without arrows
    • Characters will now drink from culturally relevant cups
    • Sheep with variants representing ewes and rams, single color and spotted breeds


[h2]User modding[/h2]
  • Vassal contracts lists on governments have been replaced with separate “subject contract groups” that can be reused between governments and used to start tributaries.
  • Most things “vassal contract” has been renamed “subject contract”.
  • Triggers related to vassals now often have tributary counterparts.
  • Triggers related to lieges now often have suzerain counterparts. Also overlord counterparts exist which acts on either liege or suzerain, depending on what the scoped character has.
  • Add debug info in portrait tooltip for played animation
  • Created a new raze_county script effect
  • Added new graphical 'defeated' unit state for units that have just lost a combat
  • Add holder_council_members and holder_tributaries as new elective succession candidate set types
  • Added deny_powerful_vassal government rule, which disallows a ruler from becoming a powerful vassal if they have a government with this rule (no uppity Herders allowed)
  • set_definitive_form now sets a default definite article for a title if the title does not already have a definite article set
  • Added support for setting the definite article of a dynamically generated title
  • Added on_actions for when a mercenary company is hired and dismissed
  • Added an on_action for when a character changes government type
  • Neighboring/_and_across_water_top_liege_realm/_owner script list variants now have suzerain variants as well
  • Adds modifiers character_opinion_from_high_prowess_add and character_opinion_from_low_prowess_add, altering the character's opinion based on their prowess delta from define average_prowess_value
  • Military_power compare trigger changes the ai_military_threat_modifier to use military_power instead of current/max_military_strength
  • Adds land_neighboring_realm_with_tributaries and land_neighboring_realm_with_tributaries_owner script lists
  • Added is_tributary_of_suzerain_or_above character trigger
  • Added an ai.interaction_values console command to determine an ai character's willingness to take an interaction on available targets
  • Localization used in the GUI for passing realm laws can now be customized per law
  • Added new character interaction target list, neighboring_rulers_including_tributary_borders
  • Added an ai_military_threat_modifier to be used in interactions that relate to the military threat value between two characters
  • Added a parameter for government types to allow tributaries
  • Added a parameter for government types for setting a scripted character template to be used when automatically generating characters for that type
  • Amended the vassal_contract_set_obligation_level effect with a version for tributaries called tributary_contract_set_obligation_level
  • Added a "hidden" animation in the default A-pose for testing purposes called bind_pose. It can be accessed in the portrait editor and is useful for checking clothing and body changes.
  • Domiciles are now owned by special landless titles instead of characters. The Domicile owner will be the special title holder.
  • Made it possible to set a scripted camera per triggered animation everywhere animations are used. This makes it possible to have horse and non-horse related triggered animations for one character position in the same event, for example.
  • The hard-coded limit of the amount of Legitimacy types that can exist has been removed
  • Each Legitimacy type can now have their own icon instead of sharing one
  • Added 'on_combat_start' and 'on_combat_unit_join_side' on actions
  • Added new script effects which allow more control over combat outcomes: ‘set_winner’, ‘force_win’, ‘set_disallowed_retreat’, ‘set_allow_early_retreat’, ‘set_skip_pursuit’
  • New ‘Situation’ system added to which can be used to create dynamic region-based gameplay systems. (see Modding dev diary #168 for more details)


[h2]Interface[/h2]
  • Reworked the Realm window interface. Being one of our oldest panels, it was getting harder to work with and append new functionality to. While rewriting the code we also took the opportunity to improve its presentation coming on par with other modern windows while balancing the information load in each tab.
  • Added an expanded interface of the Kurultai tasks since all members have access to eight tasks each, which caused the portraits to be covered by icons.
  • Made paper styled UI skinnable, for example on contracts or letters. For now, mongolic cultures will have a more Eastern styled look to their paper interfaces.
  • Court position type tooltip now show requirements instead of showing a courtier's fulfillment of the requirements
  • Added contextual map icons for when raiders are raised and selected. Will show province loot within a range of selected raider armies owned by the player.
  • Added new ‘Diplomatic Relations’ map mode which shows what current diplomatic relations the selected ruler has
  • Exposed ‘File Transfer Speed’ setting to also be configurable in the multiplayer lobby settings


[h2]Multiplayer[/h2]
  • Improved default transfer speed for MP save games, which should reduce time to start MP games significantly. The default (High) is now about four times faster than before. New file transfer setting options ‘Very high’ and ‘Ultra’ added, for very fast connections. The previous default transfer speed configuration is still available as the ‘Medium’ setting.


[hr][/hr]

We're excited to finally release Khans of the Steppe, and we hope you have fun playing it! If you encounter any issues after today’s update, please disable all mods and ensure you’re playing on a fresh save file. If the issue persists, then please submit a bug report either via our Community Support board here on Steam or via the Bug Report board on our official forums.

New Crusader Kings 3 DLC Khans of the Steppe is all about ruling on the move

Paradox Interactive has finally launched Crusader Kings 3's newest DLC, Khans of the Steppe, and it offers you entirely new ways to rule and conquer. Casting you as a leader of the Eurasian steppe during a time of great upheaval, you can utilize an array of brand-new nomadic-inspired mechanics to take over the medieval world. If you're tired of CK3's typical loop and instead want to accumulate herds, butcher your enemies, and migrate across the land, now you can.


Read the rest of the story...


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Crusader Kings 3 DLC Khans of the Steppe introduces new ways to rule

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Dev Diary #170 - Changelog & Achievements

Hello everyone! Everyone at Studio Black is busy putting the finishing touches on Khans of the Steppe ahead of its release next week, so this week’s dev diary is going to be a relatively short one. Without any further chatter, here are the achievements coming with Khans of the Steppe, and the changelog for the associated 1.16 “Chamfron” Update.

[hr][/hr]

Achievements

[h3]Very Easy[/h3]


[h3]Easy[/h3]


[h3]Medium[/h3]


[h3]Hard[/h3]


[h3]Very Hard[/h3]



[hr][/hr]

Update 1.16.0 "Chamfron" Changelog
Reminder: This update is not live yet!

[h2]Expansion Features (Paid)[/h2]
  • Added the new Nomadic Government Type, heavily inspired by the nomads of the Eurasian Steppe, introducing a new playstyle around Herd and Migration.
    • Migration allows nomadic rulers to move around the Great Steppe in search of better pasture lands. Negotiate with the locals or subjugate them by force.
    • Herd is a new currency only available for Nomads that can be converted into Horde Riders and upgraded into better Men-at-Arms.
    • Nomadic Vassal Contracts: focused on Herd instead of Levies.
    • The Nomadic Capital Domicile – It represents the collection of yurts nomads have during migration. They include 8 new domicile buildings with 80+ new internal upgrades and a Domicile Culture/Faith mechanic with unique Decisions and Character Interactions.
    • 5 Dominance levels for Nomads that govern their Domain and Vassal limit, which Decisions they can take and what titles they can target during migration.
    • Nomads have a new Dread cap: 150.
    • Nomadic Subjects and Courtiers have Obedience towards their overlord, measuring how likely they are to form factions, perform hostile plots and respect their decision of heir during succession.
      • Gain someone's Obedience by demanding it, negotiating it or just impressing them through new Character Interactions and Activity Intents.
    • Added new Schemes for Nomads, such as Steal Herd.
    • Added 4 Vassal Directives just for nomadic vassals.
    • New Council Positions for Nomads – the Kurultai Members.
      • Kurultai Members may perform some familiar tasks like Increase County Control and Domestic Affairs, but they will also have 6 new tasks focused on Herd gain, Fertility management, Piety, Raiding, Culture Hybridization and Reformation and even Exploiting their own lands to gain some extra income but reduce the Fertility.
    • A new Succession Type for nomads: the Kurultai Succession with different outcomes based on how Stable or Chaotic it is. Chaotic successions have effects such as herd loss, realm splits, or even realm dissolution (depending on realm size and number of disobedient kurultai members)
    • Settlement Issues: new contracts available for nomadic rulers after migration, focusing on increasing the county control of their new area.
    • The Way of the Nomad trait ensures that the nomadic lifestyle stays with their children for one generation after leaving the steppe, focusing on Cultural and Religious tolerance and opening up the possibility of becoming an adventurer.
  • Added the Great Steppe Situation: a new regional mechanic for the Eurasian Steppe, divided in three geographical regions.
    • Every county within the Great Steppe has County Fertility, regulating the Herd gained by the nomads holding them. With appropriate alerts for when the fertility is low, or when its time to migrate.
    • The Steppe Seasons affect the County Fertility of their region, as well as the behavior of the nomadic rulers within, including Vassalization and Tributarization acceptance, bonuses to raiding and even free CBs. The seasons are visualized on the map.
    • Gather the largest Herd of the steppe and become the Gurkhan, a formidable warrior marked for greatness, en route to become the Greatest of Khans.
  • Added another new, unplayable government Type: Herders, which inhabit the Steppe and replenish Fertility, but lack any military strength.
  • A new 1178 bookmark for Nomads: The Endless Sky.
  • A new 1066 bookmark for Nomads: At the Gates.
  • New game rules to make other areas Nomadic: Sápmi and Karelia, Arabia, the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.
  • Changed the map table to be adjusted based on situation, e.g. the Byzantine map table is only for Byzantines, and the plague one only happens during significant plagues
  • Added a ‘Bring under Tribute’ CB for non-nomads to force an independent ruler into becoming your tributary
  • Added a "become tributary" interaction, that lets you pledge yourself as tributary to an independent ruler of a government type that can have tributaries
  • Added a "demand tributary" interaction, that lets nomad rulers demand tribute from independent neighbors
  • Added two new non-nomadic tributary types and their obligation levels
  • New Nomadic Court Positions: Stargazer, General, Chief Law Overseer, Siege Engineer, Quartermaster, Keeper of Horses and Chief Bodyguard, with new tasks that heavily interact with the Nomadic government and the Great Steppe.
  • Added new Men-at-Arms for Nomads and Nomadic cultures
    • Steppe Raiders
    • Nomad Lancers
    • Heavy Horse-Archers
    • Torch-Bearers
    • Mangudai
    • Cataphract Archers
    • Maturkan Warriors
  • Added new Cultural Traditions to Cultures in the Great Steppe
    • Iron Cavalry
    • Wolves of the Deep Steppe
    • Tribes of the North
    • Devoted Horsemanship
  • Added Siberian Permafrost county modifier to lands on the northeastern border of the map that highly synergizes with the Tribes of the North Cultural Tradition
  • Added a new Blood Brother relationship type, hooked in as a variant of the friend relation
    • Only available through the Swear Blood Brotherhood interaction
    • Provides positive modifiers for useful blood brothers, and alliances between ruler blood brothers
  • Added the new Tsaagaan Tsar Feast type, only available in the winter months, to celebrate the coming of a new year and obtain gifts from your guests.
  • Added the new Nerge Hunt type – an activity focused on obtaining Martial and Prowess skillpoints, Commander Traits and trait experience.
  • Added more than 70 new flavour events for nomads, including events related to the seasons, blood brotherhood and migration.
  • Added severed head content to the execution interaction, allowing you to keep the heads of those you behead, or send the head to their successor
  • Adds flavor events for Temujin and Jamukha, as well as a conqueror event to propel player Temujin to becoming Greatest of Khans
  • Created a Greatest of Khans storyline, beginning with the Become Greatest of Khans decision
    • A Great War of Defiance CB that neighbors launch to prevent the Gurkhan from becoming Greatest of Khans
    • Revamped effects for the Greatest of Khans trait, and other bonuses
    • The Offer Submission or Ruin interaction for the Greatest of Khans, and the related GoK Onslaught CB
    • New Turkic, Mongolic and Iranian cultural nicknames for the Greatest of Khans
    • Reform the Great Khaganate Decision, a capstone to the GoK’s success, allowing them to establish a huge de jure empire and choose a government type of their choice (gaining significant bonuses towards that form of rule)
  • Added 25 new special Decisions for Nomads, including
    • Decisions to switch government types
    • Decisions to expand your realm
    • Expand the Steppe region
    • Introduce your heir to potential friends and blood brothers
    • Manage fertility in your domain
    • Hire courtiers and candidates for new court positions
  • Added new Casus Bellis for nomad rulers, including Overrun Kingdom, Expand Dominance, Sovereignty, Humiliation, Retaliation, and Nomadic County/Duchy Quarrels
  • Added a Paiza system with unique decisions and character interactions:
    • Establish Paiza System
    • Summon Wealthy Visitors: Paiza
    • Abuse Gurkhan’s Authority
    • Leverage Khan’s Authority
  • Added a new Nomadic Dynasty Legacy focusing on Herd management, Fertility, Raiding and military might
  • Revamped the old Mongol Invasion event chain, integrating new features and elements of the Greatest of Khans story
  • Added the Burkhan Khaldun special building in Khentii.
  • Added new ambience sounds and music tracks for nomads.


[h2]Game Content[/h2]
  • Added 5 new Raid Intents, available for Nomadic and Tribal armies
    • Pillage
    • Terrorize
    • Capture
    • Plunder
    • Adventure
  • Added Confederations: an agreement between tribal or nomadic rulers that commits them to joining one another's defensive wars
    • Decision to Call for a Confederation
    • The Offer Confederation interaction, which adds rulers to the confederation
    • An Abandon Confederation decision for leaving your confederation
    • A decision which allows you to turn your confederation into a kingdom-tier realm, with you as its monarch, and Confederation Elective succession for the created title
    • Added new icon for Confederations
  • Added a "Bring Under Tribute" CB for non-nomadic rulers
  • Added potential friends, potential lovers, tributaries, and suzerains to the default activity guest invite rules
  • Made it possible for domicile buildings to trigger specific map graphics for holdings
  • Added character interaction for guardians to teach a commander trait to a ward
  • Added memory for all participants of a successful hunt
  • Added mercenary_hire_time_mult modifier affecting how long mercenary contracts last
  • Added capital_fort_level and capital_additional_fort_level modifiers
  • Updated councilor related events to include kurultai if they fit the context
  • Subject contracts can now have prestige transfers as obligations
  • Added new interaction category "tribute"
  • Added a new Vassal Stance, Belligerent


[h2]Databases[/h2]
  • Renamed the kingdom of Mongolia to the kingdom of Ötuken
  • Rearranged the starting Cultural Traditions for cultures in the Steppe
  • St Wenceslaus Cathedral changes: the building now has 3 upgradable levels, renamed to Archcollegiate Church of St. Mary and St. Alexius, and moved to Łęczyca barony. The University special building has been returned to Kraków.


[h2]Bugfixes[/h2]
  • Removed duplicate raid icon in diplomatic_icons texture
  • Fix to subject directive icons not being aligned properly
  • The ai will actually check if they can feudalize holdings now–they’ve never done so.
  • Fix to maximum amount of horizontal slots for terrain effects
  • Fix to men at arms illustrations being stretched and cut too much at the top
  • Fixed crash when calculating tax collector aptitude due to recursive call of script value
  • Fixed sometimes misleading tooltips for rewards and wounds in hunts
  • Fixed message when liege grants you a pardon
  • Fixed reversed reason when rival gained from losing realm
  • Fixed erroneous liege converting county notifications
  • Fixed fellow vassal faction join event referring to you as the liege
  • Fixed visuals for the soldier of the cross crusader trait event
  • Fixed dangerous beast slain modifier sometimes being applied after hunting non-dangerous animals
  • Characters will now use more correct cultural weapons in animations
  • Improved readability of messages from tutor educate child task
  • Non-Christian characters will no longer use the crucifix scepter prop in admin realms
  • Made effect tooltip for pleasure dome more generic in case you don't have a barony selected
  • Fixed missing councilor tooltip erroneously referencing councilor instead of kurultai member when playing as a nomad
  • Revealed the actual gold cost behind Pay Homage
  • Changed court position tooltip concept to be player contextual, and display officer instead, or in addition to, court position when appropriate
  • Removed old holder of court position being oddly grateful that you replaced them
  • Added missing capitalization to county titles
  • Fixed appearance of monk in the necromancer event
  • Players will now only be informed of faith creation when nearby or otherwise relevant to them
  • Made it impossible to relocate your capital to a province with a disabled holding
  • Fixed ai adventurers sometimes getting a hook on you because they completed a contract for your councilor
  • Fixed bloody weddings and grand wedding events having incorrect scopes when disbursing rewards
  • Fixed peasant faction war being not inherited on death of the primary defender
  • When your charioteer loses, the corresponding team color illustration will show up
  • The event treacherous slopes will now tell you of the outcome of the stewardship options
  • The adventurer landed message will now only be shown for rulers within the same realm
  • The event night attack will no longer wound the same poor follower multiple times
  • Event “Nursing a Suspicion” can no longer make spouses suspicious about themselves
  • 1178 start date: Sancho of Teruel, Tello Pedrez of Calatrava, Pedro II Manriquez of Molina, Fernando Rodrigez of Merida, now have feudal government
  • Fixed a faulty trigger for managing courtiers
  • Fixed a crash when removing a character from a great holy war
  • Fixed the inverted descriptions of mozarabic_break_with_rome_decision of righteous and fundamentalist
  • Fixed a few instances of incorrect usage of title tier as honorific
  • Fixed a typo having an additional comma in the description of grand wedding in the wedding ceremony
  • Fixed a bug where empire-tier title holders did not get the offer fealty malus for king-tier (or higher) titles
  • Blocked armless people from doing actions which require using two hands
  • Fixed an issue where newly landed Muslim rulers would get Male Preference instead of Male Only succession



[h2]Balance[/h2]
  • Dissolution factions now also destroy any kingdoms an emperor might hold, avoiding border gore/impotent dissolution faction outcomes where everyone's still in one realm
  • Increased and standardized speed of adventurer contracts
  • Added a decaying opinion malus for your former suzerain if you break the tributary relationship by pledging fealty to someone else
  • Flat MaA bonuses from cultural traditions have been converted to percentage bonuses.


[h2]Art[/h2]
  • Turkic cultures of the west steppes now use The Legacy of Persia clothing assets as they are a better fit historically
  • Added nomadic UI skin, inspired by Mongolian patterns, architecture and relief art. You can see elements from their yurts like the interior, fabrics with different patterns and symbols like the falcon.
  • New Interfaces
    • Migration
    • Great Steppe Situation
  • Added new event themes with associated icons
    • Raid
    • Migration
    • Settlement
  • Added Coat-of-Arms Shapes and Headers
    • Confederation Header
    • Nomad and Herder CoA Shapes
  • Added situation modifier icons
  • Some improvements to the bp3 portrait environments
  • Added icons and illustrations for new nomadic Men-At-Arms unit types
    • Mangudai
    • Nomad Lancers
    • Steppe Raiders
    • Torch-Bearers
    • Maturkan
    • Keshig
    • Heavy Cavalry Archers
    • Cataphract Archers
  • Added new icons for Levies and Nomadic Riders which are the nomadic counterparts of feudal levies.
  • Succession
    • Added new icons for Peaceful and Chaotic succession, both in a rendered and flat style.
    • Added new headers and patterns for Peaceful & Chaotic Succession shown in the Succession tab in the Realm view
  • New icons added for nomadic dominance levels with a frame for the active level and a special frame for the highest level, both active and inactive.
  • Added new Kurultai task icons and adjusted frame shape to fit the nomadic theme better
    • Support Herders
    • Domestic Affairs
    • Manage Fertility
    • Exploit Lands
    • Increase Control
    • Organize Raiders
    • Aid Stargazer
    • Explore Cultures
  • Added siberian permafrost modifier icon
  • Added new court position icons
    • Yurtchi
    • Yeke Jarguchi
    • Foreign Emissary
    • Boyan
    • Cherbi
    • Court Astrologer
  • Added a new icon for the Gurkhan
  • Added Ovoo as temple mesh and illustration for settled Tengri rulers
  • Added new Casus Belli icons
  • Make Tributary
  • Migration
  • Retaliation
  • Humiliations
  • Added new icons for the new Tributary interactions
    • Become Tributary
    • Release Tributary
    • Demand Tributary
    • Cease Paying Tributary
  • Fixed levitating cross-legged characters mena and indian thrones
  • Added “Confederation” decision image.
  • Adjusted decision illustrations so that they do not stretch when made into a button or when non-decision images are used as decisions
  • Added northern tribes, wolves of the deep steppe and iron cavalry cultural tradition images
  • Added new assets to the Event window:
  • Added new orange Event Window header background for nomadic related events
  • Added new Event type icons for nomadic and migration related events
  • Burkhan Khaldun mesh and icon positioned in the map with the necessary terrain adjustments
  • Added steppe royal court in 3 grandeur variants
  • Added steppe royal court props : table, chests, panels, tugs, fireplaces, carpets, tapestry, banners, lectern, pedestals, main throne, spouse throne
  • Added Nomadic Lifestyle trait icon.
  • Added a new icon for the the Situations Map Mode
  • New nomadic and herder settlement building icon added
  • Added 6 steppe season illustrations
  • Added Activity Type Illustrations
    • Nerge
    • Tsagaan Sar
  • Added Holding Type Illustrations
    • Herder Camp
    • Nomad Camp
  • Added Story Event Illustrations
    • Great Khan
    • The Great Steppe
  • New loading screen
  • Added new Raid Loot icon
  • Added a new Artifact Icon for nomadic Paizas
  • Added a new icon for Paiza Character Interactions
  • Added mongol level 1 to 5 holding models
  • Added herder holding model
  • Added level 1 to 4 mongol wall models
  • New illustration for nomadic horde added
  • Added new ethnicities for the Steppe: Tibetan, Turkic, West Turkic and Mongol
  • Nomadic Domicile
    • Added new icons in both a rendered and flat style for the Nomadic Domicile depicting a yurt to better fit the nomadic theme.
    • Added new Domicile map pin background texture that fits better with the nomadic theme
    • Added new Domicile window assets
      • Frame
      • Header
      • Paper texture
    • Added new Domicile background that fits the steppe and nomadic Domicile layout
    • Added new Nomadic Domicile buildings
      • Main Yurt tier 1, 2 & 3
      • Millet Storage
      • Khan’s Champions Yurt
      • Square of the Tumen
      • Court Yurt
      • Family Yurt
      • Ovoo
      • Barter Stalls
      • Empty slots
  • Added new smaller versions of the Nomadic Authority level icons to better fit in texts and use cases outside the Realm tab or nomadic HuD widget.
  • Added nomad Legacy Track illustration and icon
  • Added new icons for the Nomadic and Herder Government Types
  • Added 10 clothes for steppe cultures
    • Male commoner - Nomad's Deel
    • Male low nobility - Cross-Over Coat with Fur Lining
    • Male high nobility - Fine Cross-Over Coat with Fur Lining
    • Male royalty - Khan's Embroidered Robe
    • Male imperial - Khagan's Deel with Fur Coat
    • Female commoner - Steppe Woman's Deel
    • Female low nobility - Nomad Woman's Robe
    • Female high nobility - Nomad Woman's Fine Robe
    • Female royalty - Khanum's Coat with Embroidery
    • Female imperial - Khatun's Splendid Robes
  • Added 8 Headgear for steppe cultures
    • Male/Female commoner - Fur-Brimmed Shepherd Hat
    • Male nobility - Feathered Hat of the Steppe
    • Male royalty - Golden Flower Crown
    • Male imperial - Decorated Jonon Hat
    • Female nobility 01 - Nomadic Pearl Headband
    • Female nobility 02 - Khalkha Headdress with Pearl Bands
    • Female royalty - Khanum's Embellished Gugu Hat
  • Added 6 Hairstyles for steppe cultures
    • Male hair 01 - Khitan Warrior Style
    • Male hair 02 - Behind the Ear Braids
    • Male hair 03 - Steppe Rider's Fine Braids
    • Female hair 01 - Turkic Kirk Belik Braids
    • Female hair 02 - Steppe Style with Cloth Covers
    • Female hair 03 - Center-Parted with Decorated Covers
  • Added 6 Beards for steppe cultures
    • Mongol Style Mustache and Soul Patch
    • Nomadic Warrior's Beard
    • Nomad's Goatee
    • Mongol Style Mustache
    • Nomadic Warrior's Mustache
    • Nomad's Mustache
  • New event background illustrations
    • Steppe Temple
    • Steppe Evening
    • Steppe Hunt
    • Steppe City (Karakorum)
    • Nomad Throne Room (and main menu version)
    • Steppe camp day
    • Steppe camp night
    • Steppe Tent Interior
    • Asian Rural Village
    • Asian Rural Village Raid
  • Added military horse units for nomads
  • Added traveling horse units for nomads
  • Added grazing sheep to the map
  • Added horses to the map
  • New character animations
    • Standing next to horse
    • Shepherd (with sheep!)
    • Galloping with sword and shield
    • Conversing while mounted
    • Exhausted on horse animation
    • Surveying while mounted
    • Aggressive horse archer
    • Idle horse archer
  • New props
    • 6 bows that can be drawn, both with and without arrows
    • Characters will now drink from culturally relevant cups
    • Sheep with variants representing ewes and rams, single color and spotted breeds


[h2]User modding[/h2]
  • Vassal contracts lists on governments have been replaced with separate “subject contract groups” that can be reused between governments and used to start tributaries.
  • Most things “vassal contract” has been renamed “subject contract”.
  • Triggers related to vassals now often have tributary counterparts.
  • Triggers related to lieges now often have suzerain counterparts. Also overlord counterparts exist which acts on either liege or suzerain, depending on what the scoped character has.
  • Add debug info in portrait tooltip for played animation
  • Created a new raze_county script effect
  • Added new graphical 'defeated' unit state for units that have just lost a combat
  • Add holder_council_members and holder_tributaries as new elective succession candidate set types
  • Added deny_powerful_vassal government rule, which disallows a ruler from becoming a powerful vassal if they have a government with this rule (no uppity Herders allowed)
  • set_definitive_form now sets a default definite article for a title if the title does not already have a definite article set
  • Added support for setting the definite article of a dynamically generated title
  • Added on_actions for when a mercenary company is hired and dismissed
  • Added an on_action for when a character changes government type
  • Neighboring/_and_across_water_top_liege_realm/_owner script list variants now have suzerain variants as well
  • Adds modifiers character_opinion_from_high_prowess_add and character_opinion_from_low_prowess_add, altering the character's opinion based on their prowess delta from define average_prowess_value
  • Military_power compare trigger changes the ai_military_threat_modifier to use military_power instead of current/max_military_strength
  • Adds land_neighboring_realm_with_tributaries and land_neighboring_realm_with_tributaries_owner script lists
  • Added is_tributary_of_suzerain_or_above character trigger
  • Added an ai.interaction_values console command to determine an ai character's willingness to take an interaction on available targets
  • Localization used in the GUI for passing realm laws can now be customized per law
  • Added new character interaction target list, neighboring_rulers_including_tributary_borders
  • Added an ai_military_threat_modifier to be used in interactions that relate to the military threat value between two characters
  • Added a parameter for government types to allow tributaries
  • Added a parameter for government types for setting a scripted character template to be used when automatically generating characters for that type
  • Amended the vassal_contract_set_obligation_level effect with a version for tributaries called tributary_contract_set_obligation_level
  • Added a "hidden" animation in the default A-pose for testing purposes called bind_pose. It can be accessed in the portrait editor and is useful for checking clothing and body changes.
  • Domiciles are now owned by special landless titles instead of characters. The Domicile owner will be the special title holder.
  • Made it possible to set a scripted camera per triggered animation everywhere animations are used. This makes it possible to have horse and non-horse related triggered animations for one character position in the same event, for example.
  • The hard-coded limit of the amount of Legitimacy types that can exist has been removed
  • Each Legitimacy type can now have their own icon instead of sharing one
  • Added 'on_combat_start' and 'on_combat_unit_join_side' on actions
  • Added new script effects which allow more control over combat outcomes: ‘set_winner’, ‘force_win’, ‘set_disallowed_retreat’, ‘set_allow_early_retreat’, ‘set_skip_pursuit’
  • New ‘Situation’ system added to which can be used to create dynamic region-based gameplay systems. (see Modding dev diary #168 for more details)


[h2]Interface[/h2]
  • Reworked the Realm window interface. Being one of our oldest panels, it was getting harder to work with and append new functionality to. While rewriting the code we also took the opportunity to improve its presentation coming on par with other modern windows while balancing the information load in each tab.
  • Added an expanded interface of the Kurultai tasks since all members have access to eight tasks each, which caused the portraits to be covered by icons.
  • Made paper styled UI skinnable, for example on contracts or letters. For now, mongolic cultures will have a more Eastern styled look to their paper interfaces.
  • Court position type tooltip now show requirements instead of showing a courtier's fulfillment of the requirements
  • Added contextual map icons for when raiders are raised and selected. Will show province loot within a range of selected raider armies owned by the player.
  • Added new ‘Diplomatic Relations’ map mode which shows what current diplomatic relations the selected ruler has
  • Exposed ‘File Transfer Speed’ setting to also be configurable in the multiplayer lobby settings


[h2]Multiplayer[/h2]
  • Improved default transfer speed for MP save games, which should reduce time to start MP games significantly. The default (High) is now about four times faster than before. New file transfer setting options ‘Very high’ and ‘Ultra’ added, for very fast connections. The previous default transfer speed configuration is still available as the ‘Medium’ setting.


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And that’s all we have for today! There will be a short break in our dev diary schedule as we focus on the release and aftermath of Khans of the Steppe, but we’ll be back in a couple weeks to discuss how the release went, the feedback we’ve received from it, and how we’re responding to said feedback.



We hope you're as excited for Khans of the Steppe as we are!

Dev Diary #169 - Echoes of the Steppe

Hello everyone! Today's dev diary is written by two separate authors, and covers the art and music of Khans of the Steppe. There's a good bit to cover, so let's dive right into it.

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Art & References


Salve,

Lucas Ribeiro here, 2D Art Lead at CKIII. I’m here to share with you our efforts to bring to life the beautiful open splendor of the steppes and the blood-stained battlefields of the east through our humble artwork.


[h2]Loading Screen[/h2]

To start off, let’s talk about our new loading screen. We began by sketching out some ideas and running them through the team to get impressions. There was not much debate on what the theme was here, mostly how to represent it.



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.




[h2]Event Backgrounds[/h2]

While we had a few steppe themed event backgrounds, we made sure to cover every sort of event theme with new and appropriate steppe backgrounds. Amongst these are Oovos, A camp at night and day, the inside of a nomadic tent, Karakorum, Hunt, Throne Room, An eastern village (and their burning version), different versions of a steppe background and many more.



We also have new holding illustrations for nomadic and herder governments:




[h2]Activity Types[/h2]

We have added 2 unique activity types for Mongols. A new type of feast, the Tsagaan Sar. And a new type of hunt, the Nerge.

For the Tsagaan Sar, we wanted to show the participants wearing white, as is customary. The plentifulness of food is represented by the bowls and baskets of treats. And the tradition of bringing the Khan gifts is also present in the image.

In the Nerge hunt, riders would work together to round up animals from all across the region for their ultimate slaughter once surrounded by a veritable army of hunters. We tried to represent this encirclement by how the characters occupy the composition. The animals are seen in desperate flight, while the men are positioned on both sides of them.




[h2]Men-at-Arms[/h2]

The nomad experience is closely associated with warfare, as such, we knew we had to give them a significant variety of men-at-arms. We also have many different steppe cultures and the men-at-arms gave us the opportunity to make them a bit more unique.




[h2]Character Art[/h2]

While we fortunately had some Mongol culture clothes and headgear in the game, the variety was quite small. With Khans of the Steppe we had the chance to greatly expand this repertoire.



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]




[h2]Animation[/h2]

Our original animations for travelling characters and marching armies felt quite insufficient when depicting peoples that spent so much of their time on the saddle. To remedy this we have given nomadic travelling characters and military units a horse and animations to go with it. Your armies will now siege enemy holdings while still astride their steeds.

[Chasing enemies]

[Celebrating victory]

[Rearing up]

[Galloping]

We also have a unique model for when you migrate your nomadic camp. Your people are represented by a wheeled yurt being pulled by oxen.




[h2]The Map[/h2]

As might’ve been touched on in previous development diaries, the steppe regions include seasons, a mechanic with significant gameplay implications. We felt that it was necessary to clearly reflect these changes on the map, so that the player could tell something has changed. So, whenever a White Zud hits, you will see the landscape covered in thick white snow. When a season has an Everlasting Summer, vivid green patches will creep even amongst formerly dry terrain.

Steppe nomads now have their own holding graphics. Yurts with colorful roofs surround the magnificent tent of the Khan. On Tengri temple holdings, ovoos are decorated with colorful flags. We came to a dilemma, though, regarding holding walls. While it would make sense to not display any walls, specially beyond the level of palisades, on most nomad holdings, this would conflict with the necessity to show the player that they still need to siege a nomad holding (even though, they’re normally easier to siege than a fortified castle). To try and thread this ludonarrative dissonance, we have opted to have yurts both inside and outside the protective walls, this way, it shows the player that a siege must happen, but the nomadic holding doesn’t have a appear as constrained as other holdings types.



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.




[h2]Throne Room[/h2]

The grandiose yurt of a leader of the steppe people is also present in Khans of the Steppe. With the diligent and precise work of El Tyranos, we have constructed a throne room worthy of Genghis Khan. The throne has different versions depending on your grandeur level. Uniquely, your Coat-of-Arms is present as a huge banner draped over yourself and behind your throne.




[h2]Hud Skin[/h2]

When you play the game as a nomadic character, your HUD will adopt a style inspired by Mongol patterns, carvings and art. Nomadic government characters also have a unique widget that concentrates all the most important functions that their unique playstyle requires.



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.


[h2]Bookmarks[/h2]

For our new bookmarks, we have decided to utilize a new paper map style, the eastern Asian one. This already reflects the new map theme you can switch between that will be arriving with the All Under Heaven expansion.




[h2]Domicile Screen[/h2]

Much like the adventurer camps and administrative estates in Roads to Power, nomads have their own domiciles. With the prospect of All Under Heaven coming up, we decided that it’d be better to take this opportunity and make this domicile art in a somewhat new style. Instead of using western artwork as inspiration, we went for an asian inspired style, with more fluid and loose ink strokes.



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.

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Audio & Music


In Khans of the Steppe, our goal was to authentically capture the vastness and spirit of the Mongol Empire through sound. To achieve this, we collaborated with esteemed composer Philip Wareborn, known for his work on Stellaris and Crusader Kings III, and the talented Tuvergen Band, a Chicago-based folk-fusion trio specializing in Mongolian and Tuvan musical traditions.

Central to Tuvergen Band’s unique sound is Tamir Hargana, an award-winning throat singer from Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia. Tamir brings mastery of the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) and traditional throat singing techniques, enriching the game’s musical landscape.

This collaboration has resulted in six evocative tracks that immerse players in the Mongolian steppes. Compositions such as Call of Gobi, Nomad’s Journey, and The Khan’s Glory not only accompany your conquests but also embody the essence of Mongol culture and landscapes.

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Beyond music, we’ve enhanced the game’s ambient audio to reflect life on the steppe. Mongol-themed events now feature unique atmospheric sounds, and units are accompanied by realistic horse animations and animal noises, bringing the environment to life. Whether it’s the distant call of an eagle or the rhythmic gallop of hooves, these details ensure that the Mongol experience is both seen and heard.

Through these auditory enhancements, Khans of the Steppe offers a deeply immersive journey into the heart of the Mongol Empire.

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That's all we have for this week! Join us next Tuesday for the final dev diary for Khans of the Steppe: The changelog itself.

Dev Diary #168 - Code of Khans

Hi! This expansion is adding quite a few new systems, and today we’re here to talk about the modability and underlying tech of some of them.

Tributaries

One of the more impactful features we’re adding is tributaries. So we’re on the same page when it comes to terminology: a suzerain is to a tributary what a liege is to a vassal.

Previously, a vassal had a collection of individual contracts defined on their government type which made up their complete “vassal contract”. This included things such as “feudal_government_taxes” added on the “feudal_government”, which determined how much a vassal with the feudal government would pay to their liege.

However, with the addition of tributaries this has changed slightly. Firstly, pretty much everything related to “vassal contracts” have been renamed to “subject contracts”. To enable re-use of these contract lists and usage outside of governments, we’ve added a new database called “subject contract groups” which includes the typical list of individual contracts, but can also include extra parameters such as how they should be inherited on succession and how they should appear on the map. These are documented in the info file for subject contracts groups.

[An example of a subject contract group for a type of tributary]

Tributaries basically work the same way as vassals, with the same system for contracts. But instead of being applied automatically based on your government when you become someone’s vassal, tributaries need to be started manually through script.

[Starting new tributary contracts is easy!]

This effect will only work if both the tributary and the suzerain are independent rulers, and that the resulting tributary relation won’t result in a circular loop of people being tributaries to each other. This can easily be checked with the “can_be_tributary_of” trigger. They can also be broken with “scope:some_tributary_character = { end_tributary = yes }”

Tributary contract groups are also marked with “is_tributary = yes” so that we can differentiate them from regular vassal relationships, as characters with tributary contracts are still considered “independent rulers”.

To get a character’s suzerain you can use the new “character.suzerain” link, or “character.overlord” which will get either the liege if the character’s a vassal, or the suzerain if they’re a tributary. “top_suzerain” and “top_overlord” also exist. The latter will first find your top liege and then keep going to your top liege’s top suzerain, if they have one.

The AI has a chance to break free from their suzerain each year based on the “ai_will_do” in the “cease_paying_tribute_interaction”, which is what’s displayed here:



Obedience

Any character who has a government type that uses the “obedience” government rule, or has a liege/suzerain/employer who does, will use obedience. The threshold needed to become obedient and the obedience value are both calculated in script:



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:

  • De Facto Liege
  • Suzerain
  • Employer
  • De Jure Liege
  • None


Obedience is checked in many places using the “is_obedient” and “is_obedient_to” triggers.

Confederations

Confederations are a group of smaller independent rulers coming together, acting as allies in defense against greater threats. Creating one is simple using the “create_confederation” effect.



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”.

Situations

We have implemented a new general system for supporting dynamic region-based gameplay, which we call the Situation system. Its purpose is to provide a fundamental building block for various types of systems, from Struggle-like socio-political systems, to environment systems like the Great Steppe, or smaller temporary effects like a Natural Disaster. (All Under Heaven mentioned!)

In this sense you can consider Situations to be an evolution of the Struggle system, where we took the learnings of that system, and made it more dynamic and flexible. Extendable in our C++ code base (example: Migrations), but also flexible in our GUI system, and more moddable.

To note: we have not converted existing Struggles to be Situations, because Struggles contain specific functionality and bespoke interfaces that we do not have in exactly the same way as in the new Situation system.



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.

Now how is this system structured? I will try to explain in a succinct manner. The terms might be a bit dry, but that is because it is a core system - each implementation can rename things in the interface as they like!

Sub-regions - A Situation type consists of one or more geographical sub-regions. These subregions are fixed in number, but each can grow and contract their geographical area while the game is running. Example: the three sub-regions of the Great Steppe - west, central, and east.

Phases - Each Situation type has a set of phases which can transition from one to another via various mechanics. We grabbed some functionality from the Struggle system and extended it.

An active phase can transition to another phase in these ways:

  • Max Duration Reached - If a maximum phase duration is defined, and it is reached, a new phase is picked from the possible future phases, according to a rule, either a weighted pick of the future phases based on the points they have accumulated, or entirely random.
    • Example: The Great Steppe seasons progress in this manner.
  • Points Takeover - One of the future phases has accumulated enough points to reach its “takeover” target. Similar to Struggles, you can use catalysts to add points to specific future phases. It will stop the current phase, and put itself as the active phase.
    • Example: Some of the special seasons of The Great Steppe work this way
  • Duration Takeover - One of the future phases has reached a specific duration. It will stop the current phase, and put itself as the active phase. This can be used to provide a more predictable version of the points takeover phase.
  • Changed via Script - Our script system is powerful - and we can switch phases directly, skipping the automatic systems. It can also change to a phase that isn’t an official ‘future phase’ of the active phase.


Each sub-region has its own active phase, and its own phase progression, but the possible phases are defined on a situation level. Nothing would prevent us (or a modder) from implementing multiple phase ‘cycles’ within a situation though!

Of course a situation phase definition also contains modifiers and parameters that will apply to the region (county_modifiers), or the characters participating in the situation (character_modifiers), filtered by their Participant Group, which segues nicely into…

Participant Groups - Who is impacted by the situation? Well we can define a set of participant groups within the situation. Similarly to sub-regions, the groups themselves are pre-defined in the situation type, but are dynamic while the game is running - characters can join and leave groups.

Each sub-region has their own set of these pre-defines participant groups, and within each sub-region a character can only belong to one participant group (or none).

So what determines which group you would belong to? This is determined by potential candidates, and settings on the groups. By default the candidates are all the rulers within the geographical area of the relevant sub-region. But you can also add and remove candidates manually via script. (for example you could add the Pope to the Great Steppe even though they are nowhere near)

For each sub-region, we go through all the candidates, and the first group that is valid for them is where they are added. It is possible to not be valid for any group! Then they’re not part of the Situation.



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.

Graphical Features - Bundled with the Situation system we also have some additional graphical features. Simple ones include the ability to define the map-color of specific sub-regions or participant groups. But more notably we have also added Map Province Effects - a way to apply an effect on the map based on the current Situation phase of a sub-region.

These effects can be applied with a specific effect type and intensity (0.0 - 1.0), we bundle some effects out of the box in Khans of the Steppe: Drought, Summer, Snow - but mods could add more of course!

[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]

All-in-all the Situation system is a building block which allows a game-play feature to use what they need, and tweak what they want, often without requiring new C++ code.

Migration

Nomadic migration is an extension of the situations system - situation type can set that it supports migrations. This will enable additional mechanics for the player and the AI in the map area covered by the specific situation. Migration process and AI decision-making in regards to migration is a complex task, largely controlled by code. We do that every time when there’s high overall complexity and performance risks. Here are the customization points that can be used to tweak how and what happens during migration.

Migration always happens within some situations. A game rule allows you to enable additional situations in different parts of the world, and migrations will happen independently inside those areas. When you mod your own situations that support migration, please do note that such situations shouldn’t overlap.

Both player and AI start migration via special interaction called “migration_interaction” in script. Initiation of migration travel or war is handled in code, but the rest can be adjusted. For example, actual transfer of land after migration is up to script. The property of the interaction “ai_accept” controls if the recipient allows you to migrate into their lands peacefully, or will it lead to war. “ai_will_do” on the other hand is used to score the best migration target when AI makes its decision where to migrate. Unlike other interactions, this one gets lots of additional data provided by code to script, so scoring can be more nuanced. Additional scopes are migration target, all potential enemies in case of hostile migration, target land fertility, total military power of all defenders and their allies - all this allows you to prioritise for different targets, balancing risks and benefits.

When migration is hostile, it uses a special casus belli - “migration_cb”.

Migration range is limited by migration distance (MAX_MIGRATION_SQUARED_DISTANCE), and there are modifiers (max_migration_distance_mult) that extend or shrink it. It allows you to control different AI behaviors, setting some rulers to be more free-roaming, and putting harsher restrictions on others.

Domiciles

It is our second expansion that uses domiciles, and it introduces a new domicile type - nomadic camp. With more hand-on experience with this system some previous technical decisions proved to be error-prone and hard to work with. So we decided to change how domiciles are connected to playable landless rulers. Domiciles are now owned not by a person, but by a special landless title. Adventurers always have their camp title, landless noble families have noble family title, and nomads have a nomadic camp title. This solves several problems at once - domicile inheritance is now completely controlled by inheritance of special titles. No more cases when code has to decide for a ruler which of the 2 domiciles they should keep - their own or the one they inherited from someone else. Title can have no holder for some time, and when it gets a new holder at some point, domicile is returned back into the game - no risk of accidentally destroying a rich and build-up domicile due to an unfortunate succession. Nothing changes in script or UI - there’s still a direct connection between a ruler and active domicile they have. When a ruler holds several special titles with domiciles, only one of those domiciles will be active - the one that matches the ruler's government type. This shouldn’t normally happen in the base game though.

Fertility

Fertility is a value calculated at the County level. Every County that is in Situation with Migration or whose Holder has a Government Type with the Government Rule uses_county_fertility has County Fertility calculated and shown in the UI.

[Government Rules for Nomadic Government]

If you want to mod in a Situation that uses Fertility without Migration, just add migration = yes to the Situation setup, but disable the migration interaction (migration_interaction) and make sure you add the uses_county_fertility government rule where necessary.

Herders are a bit special in that they also replenish County Fertility, which is another Government Rule called replensishes_county_fertility. They contribute a base monthly Fertility gain per county, governed by the define BASE_HERDER_GAIN_PER_COUNTY.

Monthly Fertility change is a bit more complex than our usual systems. We adjust both Growth and Decline to better simulate how nomadic herds would reduce local pastureland, with the overall change often settling at some lower number (though this depends on your domain size and some other factors).

County Fertility Growth is changed according to this function:

[County Fertility Growth Equation and Graph]

County Fertility Decline is changed according to this function:

[County Fertility Decline Equation and Graph]

Where these two curves intersect is theoretically the Equilibrium point of a given County in the game. A County’s Fertility will always trend toward the Equilibrium point. There is, however, a “pusher” which determines how sensitive Equilibrium is to the difference between Growth and Decline.

[County Fertility Pusher Equation]

Given the complexity of these equations, we opted for a simpler way to calculate the Equilibrium point to display in the UI, using the small angle approximation sin(x) ≈ x :

[County Fertility Equilibrium Approximation Equation]

Put together with Character, Holding, and County modifiers, these functions contribute what you see in the game as Monthly County Fertility Change.

It is important to note that the math behind all this is largely contained in what we’ve called “Current County Fertility Modifier” in the monthly change breakdown. This number is the result of these calculations and what directs the Fertility in a County to trend toward its Equilibrium point.

[Example of a Fertility Monthly Change breakdown]

For anyone that hasn’t taken a math class recently, this may all seem like gobbledygook, so here’s the main takeaway for modders: The central way to affect how County Fertility grows and declines, and where it will hit Equilibrium, is by adjusting the following defines which hook into the functions above:

[Defines for affecting how County Fertility Change behaves]


Herd

Herd is a new currency stored by a Character’s Domicile.

[Yurt Domicile script showing the herd parameter]

Every Domicile has Current Herd and Max Herd values, accessible by the following triggers:

[herd and max_herd triggers available for domiciles]

A Domicile’s Herd Limit (Max Herd) is determined by their tier plus any relevant modifiers. There is a new define listing base Herd Limit values by tier

[Defines affecting Herd Capacity, Herd Conversion, and Monthly Gold Income from Herd]

Along with that comes a Base Herd Conversion rate, which determines how many of your Herd get turned into Horde Riders when you raise your armies. And additionally a define to control how much Gold income a Character gets based on their Herd.

Every month, your Herd will increase based on the Herd Gain from your domain as well as contributions from Vassals and Tributaries. The Herd you gain from your Domain is equal to the current County Fertility of that County multiplied by the define HERD_GAIN_FROM_COUNTY_MULTIPLIER

[Herd Gain from County Fertility Multiplier Define]

Raid Intents

With raid intents we’re adding some customizability to raiding. It can change what you receive when you return with loot, and modify the raiding army in some way.



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.

We also use the “on_raid_action_completion” on-action to have different effects happen after each successful raid on a holding depending on the active raid intent of the raiding army. You can check a scoped army’s raid intent using “raid_intent = NAME_OF_INTENT” trigger.

Generated Character Templates

It is now possible to specify a scripted character template per Government Type. This template will be used when a new character is automatically generated for that government type in code, for example, when granting a title to an automatically generated character.

[Script syntax for specifying a generated character template]

[Scripted character template for a Herder]

We use this pretty frequently in the Steppe when you start Migration and leave behind your lands to Herders. So whenever you begin migrating, the Herders that appear to oversee your previous Domain are generated according to the template above.

The aim here is to give script and modders more control over the characters that are created for titles that already have government types specified.

Skeleton Update

With this release comes an updated skeleton for the characters. We’ve added new sleeve, skirt, and cloak joints, to help increase the animation fidelity for clothing. The adding of joints to the male_body.mesh and female_body.mesh also means that any item modders may have created that uses these skeletons will have to have those joints added, or the item will look very weird (sort of “exploding”), as the joint count array now places joints in a different order and has a larger amount of them. To help modders out, we’ve decided to publish our skeleton files, both our own Maya files as well as in the more universal FBX format. You can find these files over here.

To expedite fixing old clothes, cloaks, and legwear, modders can use these files to copy over the skinning from the various types of clothes in the files to their own items. Some manual reskinning is generally necessary, but hopefully this should make it much faster than doing it all manually. In general, legwear (pants) get the skinweights copied from the regular body (skinned to the legs), cloaks have a specific cloak item in the files to copy from (skinned to the cloak joints as well as the upper arms/neck/upper back), and regular clothes can copy from a “body and skirt” item (skinning the upper body to the body's joints, and the lower body to the skirt joints). Pick whatever item seems to suit the one needing reskinning.

Our previously made clothing should look and act pretty much the same as before, while new animations and clothes will be able to have more movement independent of the body. This will allow us to simulate better movement based on weird poses or fast movement.

Combat

For the combat-loving modders out there, we have added some commonly requested on-actions you can use to apply effects when combat starts, or when an army joins a combat.



Additionally we have added some new script effects which will allow more control over combat outcomes:
  • set_winner = yes - effect you can apply to a combat side to force a winner in combat without reducing soldiers to 0. (on the next tick, more clean)
  • force_win = yes - effect you can apply to a combat side to force a winner in combat without reducing soldiers to 0. (instantly)
  • set_disallowed_retreat = yes - effect to disallow retreat on a combat side (they will wipe on defeat)
  • set_allow_early_retreat = yes - effect to allow retreat when battle just started (prevents wipes)
  • set_skip_pursuit = yes - effect to skip the pursuit phase after a combat win (so soft casualties are not converted to hard casualties)



We have also added a new ‘defeated’ map military unit animation state, which is set when a unit is defeated after combat, allowing for some cool extra animations.

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That's all for now! We'll be back next week to talk about some of the art and music coming in Khans of the Steppe, so be sure to check that out next Tuesday.