Welcome Freedmen and Serfs to another Under The Yoke Devlog, number 20 if you can believe it. Living in such historic times, it seems apt to cover how we'll be handling historical events in Under The Yoke.
Now regular followers of the Under The Yoke devlog (and especially email subscribers using the box at the bottom of the page) will know that we usually split the blog into two parts, one part covering the history behind the subject of the day and the second part covering how the subject has been implemented in the game, usually they mirror each other pretty closely but for this particular subject it seems impossible to discuss one without the other so we shall ditch the format for today.
In Under The Yoke
Under The Yoke starts in medieval England shortly after William the Conqueror did his conquering. From there we will be following the historical record as it happens, essentially giving players the opportunity to relive history through the eyes of their would be ancestors.
In games where you get to play as a character in history such as Crusader Kings it is usually impossible to follow history nearly as closely as the record changes the second the player starts the game but since in Under The Yoke you play as the common man the chance of affecting the historical record as a farmer is close to nil.
Instead, players will get to experience the real history of Medieval England and be pulled by events rather than drive them. Maybe being a passenger doesn't sound as interesting as being a driver to you but by sticking to the historical record players will instead get to influence how their characters react to historical events, or perhaps the characters will react for you. Characters may or may not be appalled by the execution of Thomas Becket but if you're playing a zealous character you may go even further than being appalled. Or a hotheaded character may get caught up in the peasants revolt of 1381.
When a historical event occurs the player will be presented with an event, in a similar vein to the random events that players are normally presented with, the event will give some historical context and provide the player with options on how they wish to react to the news. Though your character's ability to change said event may be muted, we will draw from real historical records to accurately present the reactions of people of that age, giving players an unprecedented chance to walk in the shoes of their ancestors.
From wars to famines to succession crises, Under The Yoke will let you live through hundreds of years of real history, if you can survive.
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