Crusader Kings 2 Title Theme Animatic (2012, Paradox Interactive)
2"Crusader Kings II Main Title" as composed by Andreas Waldetoft.
Make no mistake, this game is HARD! I have never "won" in it ever. I also don't have a large amount of time to spend on it so I never get to micromanage it like it really needs. Going full Macro just gets me killed faster I think.
Crusader Kings II is a grand strategy game set in the Middle Ages developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to Crusader Kings. It was released for Microsoft Windows on February 14, 2012, to positive reviews. A Mac OS X version, Paradox Interactive's first in-house development for Mac OS X, was released on May 24, 2012. A Linux version was released on January 14, 2013. The game has been Paradox's second most successful release to date, after Cities: Skylines, with over 1 million copies sold.
The game is a dynasty simulator where the player controls a Medieval dynasty from 1066 to 1453, though the DLC The Old Gods and Charlemagne allow for a start date of 867 and 769, respectively. Through the strategic use of war, marriages and assassinations among many other things, the player works to achieve success for his or her dynasty. The game contains numerous historical figures such as William the Conqueror, Charlemagne, Harold Godwinson, Robert Guiscard, Harald Hardrada, El Cid, Constantine X Doukas, Harun al-Rashid, Alexios I Komnenos, Alfred the Great, and Saladin, but allows for the development of fictional characters as well.
The simulation is open-ended so the definition of 'success' is completely defined by the player. The only in-game objective is to obtain as many prestige points as possible in order to surpass the various historically relevant European dynasties in a fictional prestige ranking (the three most prestigious ones being the Capetian, the Rurikovich and the Habsburg dynasties). The game ends when the player's current character dies without an heir of the same dynasty to succeed him/her, or when the in-game year changes to 1453.
A total conversion mod based on George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy novels was released in May 2012. On 17 December 2013, a massive expansion adding the eastern continent of Essos was released.
A total conversion mod based on Bethesda Softworks's The Elder Scrolls video game series was in development since early July 2012 and received its first release on April 1, 2013. Entitled "Elder Kings", the mod recreates the majority of known landmasses of Nirn. Tamriel includes all 9 provinces (Including the Orcs homeland Orsinium, though not as its own province.) Akavir, Atmora, Cathnoquey, Esroniet, Pyrandonea and Yokuda are also included in the modification. All major races from the Elder Scrolls games are playable.
A demo was released on February 4, 2012, which featured four playable characters over a 20-year span. A marketing campaign for the game featured light comedy videos on the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins.
The game was met with generally positive reviews and has attained a metascore of 82 at Metacritic. The Digital Fix said that "the experience is immersive and stunning" and was impressed with the complexity of the underlying mechanics. A representative from Paradox confirmed that the game has sold "really well". GameSpot reviewer Shaun McInnis stated "Through a complex system of diplomacy and backstabbing, Crusader Kings II makes every power struggle an engrossing one" and he lauded the gameplay while noting the "lackluster tutorials". IGN summed up their review by saying "An intense learning curve, but a unique strategy experience". IGN rated the gameplay and "lasting appeal" a 9/10. A reviewer for Rock, Paper, Shotgun stated that Crusader Kings II was "probably the most human strategy game" he ever played. Rob Zacny of PC PowerPlay, who gave the game a 7/10 score, called it a "brilliant treatment of feudalism in terms of strategy and story" but also stated it "requires major investment to overcome information overload". Kotaku named the game as one of their game of the year nominees.
As of February 13, 2015, the base game has sold over 1.1 million copies, with the expansion packs sales totaling over 2.5 million units sold and the cosmetic DLCs 5.5 million. According to Paradox Interactive, the game is played by an average of 12,500 players every day, 104,000 per month, with an average playtime of 99 hours per player