How worthwhile would it be to play CK2 today?

[MadGenuis]

Honestly I have been wondering about CK2 for a few years, ever since someone on here suggested the game with mods as an adult experience, but never actually got the game for myself. I played it once on a friend's account (with at least some expansions), but the brief time I played only really left me endlessly confused and overwhelmed, to the point where I felt like I did not actually get to experience any of the enjoyable parts of it.

I went and looked at the mods category here, only to find a ton of mods... which made me even more confused. After all, the experience I had with the game, albeit brief, did not seem as though they would lend itself well to adult modding. I felt like asking, but given that the description of this section reads "Downloads, technical support, development, & discussion of mods for Crusader Kings II," along with the fact that practically all topics on here seemed to be people posting (or posting about) mods, I was unsure whether asking here would be appropriate. I am sorry if it isn't, but I figure the worst that can happen is that the topic needs to be removed or moved, so here we go.

 

What finally tipped the scales and prompted me to address the knowledgeable people here was realizing that CK2 is free on Steam (I would have preferred GOG, but oh well), but the DLC still needs to be bought. On one hand it feels as though there's no reason not to try a free game, but on the other I quite clearly recall how clueless I felt the first time I tried back in the day and realize that it will probably take an actual time-investment before actually getting to the point where I'd be able to enjoy the game. This is true for most things, of course, but it seems like this might take longer than most games to learn.

 

And so we arrive at my questions:

How important is the DLC for CK2 content-wise? In reviews I see people complaining bout the high price of the DLC and saying that main features are locked behind the paywall still. Will it feel as though a big chunk of the game is missing if one just played the base game?

How well does CK2 actually do as an adult game? I'm not talking about extravagant animations or erotic graphical artwork, necessarily, but... yeah, looking at mods here I'm slightly confused. My impression and expectation would be for adult content to be primarily text-based, which I am frankly fine with. I enjoy adult writing. I'm just curious what people think (though given the sheer quantity of mods here, I can only presume there's some justification of the interest people are showing).

Is CK2 adult content all rape, domination, humiliation and the like? A lot of mods seem to center around "dark" themes, and not just in name; looking at the images attached to some of the top mods in here not only feels like they focus on dark adult content, but do so in an oddly indirect way. Is this the case?

Would you recommend getting the DLC for CK2 or skipping it and getting CK3? In case CK2 is just much worse without all of its prohibitively expensive DLC, do you think going for CK3 instead would net better results for a smaller price?

Any recommendations for a first, relaxed adult playthrough? As I mentioned I'm quite unfamiliar with the game and could use any tips you might have, particularly for how to get an enjoyable adult playthrough based on consensual content. Recommended mods? Strategies? One of the ideas I have for a playthrough would be to play a mostly incestuous dynasty. Is this doable?

 

I think that's all the questions I can get away with without it seeming incredibly helpless. I deeply apologize if this is not the place for this, but I thought I might as well try.

[DualSpiral]

1.)       Religions with consorts/concubines or multiple wives require dlc, as do retinues. Modded societies can be joined without dlc, and you can interact with offmap powers added by mods without dlc. You can also seduce without dlc, provided that a mod gives you a decision to do so. Most mods don't put checks for dlc in decisions or events, and as far as i'm aware only the previously mentioned religions, retinues, and some governments are hardcoded to need dlc. Even then, some of it can be gotten around. There are mods that use honorary titles to give you multiple wives/consorts/concubines, but I don't know of any that get around the dlc req. for retinues.

 

2.)      CK2 behaves well as an adult game.

 

3.)      For consensual content, DWR(Dark World Reborn) and LF(Luxuria Fantasia) both have toggles for noncon, and LF allows you to make a custom religion if you play a nonhuman. LF also has seduction decisions that doesn't need the relevant dlc, but instead check for if you are demon or seduction society for one, and if you are a kitsune or can use the first decision for the other. LF also allows you to disable a lot of the added races if you don't want a lot of them.

 

4.)      It's better to get CK3 than to buy a bunch of DLC for CK2. Custom religions are handled much better, as are custom relationships and character creation.

 

5.)      For your first modded playthrough, I recommend LF and staying away from larger realms, so you can win wars instead of being steamrolled.

[MadGenuis]

Ah, I see. Thank you for your input. It's hard for me to gauge the impact of missing those things from the game, but it sounds as though you think it isn't a deal-breaker not to have the DLC.

[razorcs8]

Depends on what you are looking for. CK2 while expensive with all the DLCs offers alot of different content both here and on other sites for mods, as for CK3 its bugged and requires more Dev time to work out the kinks, It is a great game as far as the char creator and it offers a more graphicly advanced play given the char models and the overall polish, however like I said, you have to change it to debug mode for console commands... something you dont have to do in CK2 and you have mods here that are requiring constant updates as they are flagged in the launcher in CK3 as incompatible with the current game version..... so overall owning both and having over 500+ hrs in CK2 versus the 12 hrs in CK3 ... i like CK2 overall, but its your choice. If you're looking for a better adult play then I'd say CK2 until CK3 has its kinks worked out... given time and the community it has the potential to be a fantastic game, but its still new and the modding community is trying to figure it out still so your choices on mods are limited versus CK2 which is already established and has been around for a hot minute. get both and see for yourself ... also keep an eye on paradox as they will have sales that you can get the dlc for half price, but paradox is known for being a pay to play company as it is with EU4 and Stellaris.... 

[Yukinohki]

You should only buy CK2 when it is heavily discounted. Even then with all the important DLC it will be more expensive than CK3 but in my eyes, CK2 with all the mods that are existing is way bigger than CK3 at the moment (not the map but the content).

CK3 will need a few more years to reach that point and there will be loads of DLC for CK3, that is the way Paradox works.

 

I (in your position) would probably wait to get a complete CK2 package with all DLC for something like 70-80 (whatever is your currency) so something like a 75% discount and play that and then buy CK3 with the first few DLC when it gets its first discounts.
CK2 without DLC is not really an option in my eyes. There is to much content in the DLC that you would miss.

 

Adult mods: not everything is dark but a good part of the mod content is.

The middle ages were not really a nice time.

You can avoid most of the darker content, either through game rules of the mods or by not installing the mods that are specifically about rape and so on.

 

When it comes to incest, you can play zoroastrian (religion) which is part of the official game where marrying your relatives is fine (no daughters i think) or you can use mods that allow that for other religions. Zoroastrian is not for nice, relaxed games because that religion is rare, you will get into holy wars often.

But there are thousands of mods out there, some of which can make your game easier if you want, maybe a good idea when you start with the game as a new player to give you a chance to learn the basics.

CK2 can be very frustrating in the beginning so a little bit of unbalanced mod help is fine if you want to enjoy the adult experience without getting crushed in constant holy wars by evil islamic empires as a zoroastrian duke. (My own dark memories)

[Sielgaudys]

I like it more than 3.

[MadGenuis]

I tried it out with just the base game and Luxuria Fantasia, since it was recommended for starters, but... yeah, the devs really want you to buy the DLC, and they make no secret of that fact. Everywhere you look there's a few options, and then a bunch of little notifications that you can do so much more with this or that DLC. I actually read about the Zoroastrian religion in my own research into the game, only to realize that it, too, is locked behind DLC.

I read about Luxuria Fantasia, saw it featured futa and thought "oh cool, maybe I can start an all-woman dynasty," went to create a ruler... only, the ruler designer is DLC. And after finding a female ruler with a small domain (though in hindsight I should have expected this, considering - as Yukinohki correctly pointed out - it is the middle ages) realized that marrying another female wasn't even an option in the first place.

Tried messing around with it a little bit anyway, despite my misgivings, but generally it's just kind of difficult to figure out how to do... well, anything. Even more so the modded stuff. Don't get me wrong, on a surface level I think I understand the game and I feel like I could probably play it and at least not lose, but it feels like a lot of the finesse is lost on me. Maybe it would be less confusing if I didn't keep reading about things, going to try them and then run into a paywall preventing me from doing what I set out to do. It may be possible to play CK2 on a very basic level with mods and without DLC, but Paradox has clearly made an actual effort to ensure that doing so is a cause of continuous frustration.

[o5850028@nwytg.net]

is CK2 worth buying? no, it's free on steam and a lot of mods both normal and adult require lots of DLCs. personally i pirated it, i'm not spending 300+ dollars on a game for DLCs that should be part of the game from the beginning...

 

as for how good the adult mods are, they're pretty damn good, it's been out for years so it's had time to have lots of mods be made and thanks to it just being texts and images it gives the mod makers a lot of freedom, everything from beasts to tentacle monsters to futas to fantasy races and so on. there's something there for you whatever you're into.

[genericlogin]

On 2/4/2021 at 5:12 AM, MadGenuis said:

Is CK2 adult content all rape, domination, humiliation and the like?

 

You might like Christianity Mod, which doesn't really go in this direction: https://christianitymod.wordpress.com

[MadGenuis]

1 hour ago, genericlogin said:

 

You might like Christianity Mod, which doesn't really go in this direction: https://christianitymod.wordpress.com

It does indeed seem to have a lot of the qualities I'd ideally like to see in my adult games... except maybe the "adult" part? Arguably it's still for adults given its themes and focus (as is the game itself), but from its description it doesn't really sound as though it contains explicit sexual content the way mods on here do. I would be very interested as to whether it could coexist with one of the more sexual mods from here.

 

Of course, there is the one bit under its "compatibility"-section that caught my eye:

Quote

This mod requires version 3.0.1.1 and the expansions other than Sunset Invasion.

I'm almost inclined to agree with o5850028@nwytg.net that it may be worth looking for alternative means to get the full game rather than just a framework where you have to buy the pieces to complete it piecemeal (I still can't believe that the ruler designer is DLC; that is an incredibly greedy exclusion), though I was under the impression that it wasn't allowed to discuss such things here. Regardless I'll wait a little bit, see if an amazing sale comes up.

[mancerayder]

It's a bit late to throw this in but the price of Crusader Kings III is $50.

 

Crusader Kings II with all it's DLC is $300+, however if you want to put your balls in G2A's hands you can actually grab an Imperial Edition Key (That's all the DLC) for under $100 which is actually a pretty damn excellent deal. People talk about getting scammed but I've actually gone through support with G2A in the past for deceiptful marketing, I literally got what the description claimed but managed to get a refund because the title of the product was inaccurate to what the product on Steam's description offered.

Really it's about how much you want to support the devs/publisher at that point and I think Paradox is doing pretty well off if I'm being honest.

 

If we're talking about a Steam purchase no grey market involved probably stay the hell away from CK2.

[tservo101]

In my case my computer will not run CK3.  Too old

 

Also CK2 will not be buggy and all the mods have been tested.

 

IMO yes it is still playable

[emes]

In my case, I picked up the game through a Humble Bundle (did the same with Stellaris fairly recently). For $15, it had most of the major expansions, and the only time I've ever felt like I was missing anything was when I attempted to use a portrait overhaul mod only to discover it wants all of the portrait DLC.

 

I've enjoyed what I've played of the game, even if I don't really understand 90% of what's going on (still don't get how to use marriages to get anywhere). Really, it seems more like a story-generator than a game.

 

 

[noplsjk]

On 2/4/2021 at 2:50 PM, DualSpiral said:

4.)      It's better to get CK3 than to buy a bunch of DLC for CK2. Custom religions are handled much better, as are custom relationships and character creation.

 

On 2/4/2021 at 10:02 PM, MadGenuis said:

 

This is true but you can always just pirate the dlc