DaniAngione
Recruit
Greetings, everyone!
As I'm entering the late game phase of my first 1.9.0 (now 1.0) campaign, I've decided to register in the forums to suggest a few essential cutscenes that I think are missing + some ideas for some extra cutscenes that would be cool to have. Personally I feel like cutscenes are great and added a ton of life and character to the game... However, at the same time, they've resulted in some really awkward moments and here I'll explain what could - in my opinion - be done to improve them!
So let's begin.
ESSENTIAL CUTSCENES THAT ARE MISSING
Childbirth (Twins) - So, I was fortunate enough to get twins when I got married! Well, not sure if lucky considering how crazy succession would work in this case
but let's ignore that. Anyway, I didn't know twins were possible and took me a while to realize... Because the game doesn't say anything at all. 
I just realized they are twins because I got TWO "childbirth" cutscenes and they had different names 
So I think the first "essential" cutscene that is missing is a special one for twins. Could be the same, but with two babies! (and different text)
Childbirth (Death) - Unluckily for my brother, his first childbirth resulted in the death of his wife...
It is very underwhelming that her death is basically a tiny bit of text that you can easily miss, however, while clicking the childbirth message will show you the cute cutscene with the mom holding the baby... I mean... what?
So, I think we need a cutscene for these situations... If I may suggest how it could go:
Father walks in like on other cutscenes, however the mother is surrounded by the servants; One of the servant puts the baby on the father arms but says something in a "worried" way. They open way for the "camera view" and we see the mother is still in bed. Father drops to his knees before the bed, in a cry, still holding the baby.
Childbirth (Stillborn) - That has not happened to me, but I've heard it's possible? So I don't know if it already has a special scene for it... But if it doesn't, I leave the suggestion here!
Death (Battle) - So, apparently there is a "Death by natural causes" cutscene, which I didn't get to see yet but saw it on YouTube (I searched for existing cutscenes before coming here, just to make sure I wouldn't suggest anything too wrong); However last night I had a very dear companion die in battle and was presented with nothing but a quick text notification. That's like breaking up with someone over a Discord message! Don't do that to us! Here's an idea of how it could go:
The body of the companion lies on top of a makeshift wooden platform/bed. It's out in the open (so there's grass around) and you can see signs of battle. Arrows stuck on the ground, a banner, etc. A line of shields from your clan surround the makeshift platform, different shields (as if looted from the battle itself); you and some soldiers from your clan surround the body, mourning.
Sign Peace - Could be interesting to have a cutscene for when a war ends, and we get to see a glimpse of the results first-hand. If I may suggest:
Both kingdom leaders stand on each side of a table with some maps and documents. They're each surrounded by lords of their own faction. They hold each other fists, like a "handshake". The one that gets to pay tribute/surrendered looks more defeated and disheartened. The lords of the opposite side (that will get tribute) seem to celebrate, while the lords of the "losing" side seem uncomfortable.
New Leader Rises - So, last night I captured and executed Caladog. Sorry. I was a bit... disappointed. I expected the death of a king to be a bit more... relevant. I had to go into the encyclopedia to figure out who (instantly) became the new king. I get it that this is how it works, and this is not a thread to suggest better inheritance/kingdom mechanics - but one thing that could DEFINITELY make things feel more interesting and the sense of relevance greater is to have a cutscene for whenever a faction leader changes! So yes, we need a coronation cutscene for when a kingdom gets a new king!
I know there is a cutscene for when you become a king - but I think a coronation for when any new king arises would be nice. And it should always appear to the player, for any kingdom. Changes in leadership is a very relevant piece of news and should be a global notification.
The new leader walks into the throne room, passing common folk, lords and generic soldiers from that kingdom. A "religious looking figure" (Like the wedding one) holds a crown (different for each kingdom) next to the throne. The new leader goes up the steps and turn towards the religious figure, kneeling. The figure raises the crown before the crowd and then rests it upon the new leader's head, solemnly. They take a step back. The new leader raise themselves up and look down upon the crowd. Everyone, including the religious figure, kneels.
Declare War (Your kingdom declares war) - Similarly, there could be a cutscene for when your kingdom declares war!
The leader of your kingdom is around a map table with some of the kingdom lords and generic soldiers if not enough lords. The leader points to the map aggressively, as if saying things like "we'll strike here first", etc... The lords cheer, nodding as if accepting orders and leave the room. The leader stares at the map, all alone and pensive.
Declare War (Another kingdom against yours) - Same logic as above, but for when you have war declared against your kingdom/a kingdom you're part of.
Your leader is sitting on the throne room surrounded by two lords. A soldier enters with haste, sprints towards the leader and delivers a rolled scroll, kneeling and visibly tired. The leader opens the scroll and reads it, quickly looking worried. They say something to the lords, that quickly bow and rush somewhere to start preparations. The leader aggressively crumples the message in their hands, looking forward with determination.
----
So these are the cutscenes that are really missing in my opinion. I feel like they would not only ADD a lot more to the game but also fix some really awkward moments like the twins and death on childbirth cases.
Now, I also have some suggestions on how to improve existing cutscenes - or add a bit of variety at least.
IMPROVING EXISTING CUTSCENES
Weddings - I like weddings, but they certainly get a bit repetitive over time. Here's a couple of ideas:
- Remove headgear for the cutscene. It's kinda weird to get married with some of the "civillian gear" head items that you mostly end up using for defense. I'd rather not have any headgear showing during this cutscene.
- A couple of variations. I understand that having unique cultural weddings might be A LOT of work - however an idea could be to have Clan Tier based variations instead. The chosen tier could be the one where the person is marrying into, the current cerimony could be for Tier 2~3 Clans; Tier 0~1 could have a simpler cerimony, maybe inside a tavern of sorts, and Tier 4+ could have a fancier cerimony, like those "mega royal weddings" inside a temple-esque building or palace, with a lot of common folk watching as well.
- That might be a bit too much, but hey! Immersion, right? It would be nice if the relationship with the other person was somewhat depicted in their posture/expression during the cutscene. That could give a nice contrast between "political" marriages and more legit "I've known this person and built a relationship with them!" marriages, with the bride/groom looking happier and more excited rather than stiff and sad
Childbirth - Would be nice if we could "name" the child at the end of the cutscene. Would feel somewhat "real" and immersive. I know they can be renamed at the Clan screen, but it would be cool if at the end a prompt would appear saying something like "The mother/father (whoever is the NPC) has a suggestion for the name of your son/daughter: <Default Name>" and then you can type over the default name, if wanted - or just accept it. That would, of course, only apply to children of the player character and not to children of other members of the clan (these would still be rename-able on the clan screen but not right after birth)
Execution - Very simple suggestion but I'd love to see it: if the player character has a bladed two handed weapon, that weapon should be used for the execution instead! Nothing against the generic axe, but our dear Ned Stark definitely made a point in showing how cool you can look when you use your legendary named two handed sword to fulfill the sentence you passed if I have a nice sword or axe that I got from a tournament, with a special name and all, I think it would be really cool to be able to use it for executions!
-----
Finally, here are some cutscene ideas that are not "Essential", probably, but would definitely "spruce up" the game in a good way!
NON-ESSENTIAL BUT COOL TO HAVE CUTSCENE SUGGESTIONS
"Knighting" - It would be cool to have a cutscene for when you appoint a governor/give a fief to one of your family members or companions. It's not a proper knighting because they're "just" governors, I guess... But since we don't have a more complex suzerain/vassal relationship scheme in the game (without using mods), being appointed governor should be enough
Pregnancy Start - Would be nice to have a cutscene for when a pregnancy starts, would make it more meaningful!
The married couple sits at a table (there could be two variants; a table in a camp if both are in a party/traveling or a table in a hall if not in a party) where people feast and drink and celebrate. The camera slowly closes in, the "party" around getting more silent and irrelevant as we see the couple exchanging some caressing like holding hands and get their faces close to each other. Fade to black as the party sounds fade as well.
Taking Over a Town - Castles come and go, but Towns are always more meaningful conquests. I'd love a very short but cool cutscene for when a town is conquered by your kingdom or your kingdom has one of their towns conquered. I think a nice inspiration for this cutscene would be when they take Winterfall back in Game of Thrones and we just see the Bolton banner being dropped from the walls and the Stark banner being unfurled.
The banner of the clan that previously owned the town drops from a generic castle wall. Soldiers from the conquering kingdom stand on top of that wall, and unfurl a new banner that starts softly flowing in the center of the image: its the banner of the clan that led the assault.
Overruling Council/Divided decision - When the kingdom council has a very divided decision or the leader ends up overruling its decision, something that usually generates strife and has relationship penalties, I think it would be cool to have a quick cutscene showing this "tension building" up.
The lords and the kingdom leader sit around a council table, arguing. The arguing seems to heat up as some of them get up, point fingers, are apparently shouting. One or another seem to be trying to calm these down. The leader of the faction sits on a silent facepalm, discretly knocking on the table with a closed fist... (Could end like this if the council is just divided) ...before getting up and saying something loud. The others immediately stop bickering and look to them, they keep talking as the camera fades. (For when they overrule the council's decision)
Judgement - A cutscene for when certain decisions are made like banishing a clan from the kingdom or stripping a fief from a clan.
The council is gathered in front of the throne, seemingly arguing with the "judged" lord. The leader of the faction stands in front of them, "reading" a decree, to which all of them listen. As it goes on, the "judged" leader seems really angry, shaking fists, and the other lords hold them in place. The scene ends with a general shot where we see the leader on the back still reading the sentence, the angry lord in center (from behind), agitated while the other lords keep them restrained.
---
These are some ideas, I'm sure there are lots more to be had so feel free to add or comment to this thread!
That's it! As stated before, my absolute priority with this feedback/suggestion are the essential ones - because, as the name implies, I feel these are essential and their non-existance actually spoiled the experience a bit. As for the rest, they're just ideas and suggestions!
Thank you very much for reading this far and keep up the good work!
As I'm entering the late game phase of my first 1.9.0 (now 1.0) campaign, I've decided to register in the forums to suggest a few essential cutscenes that I think are missing + some ideas for some extra cutscenes that would be cool to have. Personally I feel like cutscenes are great and added a ton of life and character to the game... However, at the same time, they've resulted in some really awkward moments and here I'll explain what could - in my opinion - be done to improve them!
So let's begin.
ESSENTIAL CUTSCENES THAT ARE MISSING
Childbirth (Twins) - So, I was fortunate enough to get twins when I got married! Well, not sure if lucky considering how crazy succession would work in this case
but let's ignore that. Anyway, I didn't know twins were possible and took me a while to realize... Because the game doesn't say anything at all. I just realized they are twins because I got TWO "childbirth" cutscenes and they had different names So I think the first "essential" cutscene that is missing is a special one for twins. Could be the same, but with two babies! (and different text)Childbirth (Death) - Unluckily for my brother, his first childbirth resulted in the death of his wife...
It is very underwhelming that her death is basically a tiny bit of text that you can easily miss, however, while clicking the childbirth message will show you the cute cutscene with the mom holding the baby... I mean... what? So, I think we need a cutscene for these situations... If I may suggest how it could go:
Father walks in like on other cutscenes, however the mother is surrounded by the servants; One of the servant puts the baby on the father arms but says something in a "worried" way. They open way for the "camera view" and we see the mother is still in bed. Father drops to his knees before the bed, in a cry, still holding the baby.
Childbirth (Stillborn) - That has not happened to me, but I've heard it's possible? So I don't know if it already has a special scene for it... But if it doesn't, I leave the suggestion here!
Death (Battle) - So, apparently there is a "Death by natural causes" cutscene, which I didn't get to see yet but saw it on YouTube (I searched for existing cutscenes before coming here, just to make sure I wouldn't suggest anything too wrong); However last night I had a very dear companion die in battle and was presented with nothing but a quick text notification. That's like breaking up with someone over a Discord message!
Don't do that to us! Here's an idea of how it could go:The body of the companion lies on top of a makeshift wooden platform/bed. It's out in the open (so there's grass around) and you can see signs of battle. Arrows stuck on the ground, a banner, etc. A line of shields from your clan surround the makeshift platform, different shields (as if looted from the battle itself); you and some soldiers from your clan surround the body, mourning.
Sign Peace - Could be interesting to have a cutscene for when a war ends, and we get to see a glimpse of the results first-hand. If I may suggest:
Both kingdom leaders stand on each side of a table with some maps and documents. They're each surrounded by lords of their own faction. They hold each other fists, like a "handshake". The one that gets to pay tribute/surrendered looks more defeated and disheartened. The lords of the opposite side (that will get tribute) seem to celebrate, while the lords of the "losing" side seem uncomfortable.
New Leader Rises - So, last night I captured and executed Caladog. Sorry.
I was a bit... disappointed. I expected the death of a king to be a bit more... relevant. I had to go into the encyclopedia to figure out who (instantly) became the new king. I get it that this is how it works, and this is not a thread to suggest better inheritance/kingdom mechanics - but one thing that could DEFINITELY make things feel more interesting and the sense of relevance greater is to have a cutscene for whenever a faction leader changes! So yes, we need a coronation cutscene for when a kingdom gets a new king!I know there is a cutscene for when you become a king - but I think a coronation for when any new king arises would be nice. And it should always appear to the player, for any kingdom. Changes in leadership is a very relevant piece of news and should be a global notification.
The new leader walks into the throne room, passing common folk, lords and generic soldiers from that kingdom. A "religious looking figure" (Like the wedding one) holds a crown (different for each kingdom) next to the throne. The new leader goes up the steps and turn towards the religious figure, kneeling. The figure raises the crown before the crowd and then rests it upon the new leader's head, solemnly. They take a step back. The new leader raise themselves up and look down upon the crowd. Everyone, including the religious figure, kneels.
Declare War (Your kingdom declares war) - Similarly, there could be a cutscene for when your kingdom declares war!
The leader of your kingdom is around a map table with some of the kingdom lords and generic soldiers if not enough lords. The leader points to the map aggressively, as if saying things like "we'll strike here first", etc... The lords cheer, nodding as if accepting orders and leave the room. The leader stares at the map, all alone and pensive.
Declare War (Another kingdom against yours) - Same logic as above, but for when you have war declared against your kingdom/a kingdom you're part of.
Your leader is sitting on the throne room surrounded by two lords. A soldier enters with haste, sprints towards the leader and delivers a rolled scroll, kneeling and visibly tired. The leader opens the scroll and reads it, quickly looking worried. They say something to the lords, that quickly bow and rush somewhere to start preparations. The leader aggressively crumples the message in their hands, looking forward with determination.
----
So these are the cutscenes that are really missing in my opinion. I feel like they would not only ADD a lot more to the game but also fix some really awkward moments like the twins and death on childbirth cases.
Now, I also have some suggestions on how to improve existing cutscenes - or add a bit of variety at least.
IMPROVING EXISTING CUTSCENES
Weddings - I like weddings, but they certainly get a bit repetitive over time. Here's a couple of ideas:
- Remove headgear for the cutscene. It's kinda weird to get married with some of the "civillian gear" head items that you mostly end up using for defense. I'd rather not have any headgear showing during this cutscene.
- A couple of variations. I understand that having unique cultural weddings might be A LOT of work - however an idea could be to have Clan Tier based variations instead. The chosen tier could be the one where the person is marrying into, the current cerimony could be for Tier 2~3 Clans; Tier 0~1 could have a simpler cerimony, maybe inside a tavern of sorts, and Tier 4+ could have a fancier cerimony, like those "mega royal weddings" inside a temple-esque building or palace, with a lot of common folk watching as well.
- That might be a bit too much, but hey! Immersion, right? It would be nice if the relationship with the other person was somewhat depicted in their posture/expression during the cutscene. That could give a nice contrast between "political" marriages and more legit "I've known this person and built a relationship with them!" marriages, with the bride/groom looking happier and more excited rather than stiff and sad
Childbirth - Would be nice if we could "name" the child at the end of the cutscene. Would feel somewhat "real" and immersive. I know they can be renamed at the Clan screen, but it would be cool if at the end a prompt would appear saying something like "The mother/father (whoever is the NPC) has a suggestion for the name of your son/daughter: <Default Name>" and then you can type over the default name, if wanted - or just accept it. That would, of course, only apply to children of the player character and not to children of other members of the clan (these would still be rename-able on the clan screen but not right after birth)
Execution - Very simple suggestion but I'd love to see it: if the player character has a bladed two handed weapon, that weapon should be used for the execution instead! Nothing against the generic axe, but our dear Ned Stark definitely made a point in showing how cool you can look when you use your legendary named two handed sword to fulfill the sentence you passed
if I have a nice sword or axe that I got from a tournament, with a special name and all, I think it would be really cool to be able to use it for executions!-----
Finally, here are some cutscene ideas that are not "Essential", probably, but would definitely "spruce up" the game in a good way!
NON-ESSENTIAL BUT COOL TO HAVE CUTSCENE SUGGESTIONS
"Knighting" - It would be cool to have a cutscene for when you appoint a governor/give a fief to one of your family members or companions. It's not a proper knighting because they're "just" governors, I guess... But since we don't have a more complex suzerain/vassal relationship scheme in the game (without using mods), being appointed governor should be enough
Pregnancy Start - Would be nice to have a cutscene for when a pregnancy starts, would make it more meaningful!
The married couple sits at a table (there could be two variants; a table in a camp if both are in a party/traveling or a table in a hall if not in a party) where people feast and drink and celebrate. The camera slowly closes in, the "party" around getting more silent and irrelevant as we see the couple exchanging some caressing like holding hands and get their faces close to each other. Fade to black as the party sounds fade as well.
Taking Over a Town - Castles come and go, but Towns are always more meaningful conquests. I'd love a very short but cool cutscene for when a town is conquered by your kingdom or your kingdom has one of their towns conquered. I think a nice inspiration for this cutscene would be when they take Winterfall back in Game of Thrones and we just see the Bolton banner being dropped from the walls and the Stark banner being unfurled.
The banner of the clan that previously owned the town drops from a generic castle wall. Soldiers from the conquering kingdom stand on top of that wall, and unfurl a new banner that starts softly flowing in the center of the image: its the banner of the clan that led the assault.
Overruling Council/Divided decision - When the kingdom council has a very divided decision or the leader ends up overruling its decision, something that usually generates strife and has relationship penalties, I think it would be cool to have a quick cutscene showing this "tension building" up.
The lords and the kingdom leader sit around a council table, arguing. The arguing seems to heat up as some of them get up, point fingers, are apparently shouting. One or another seem to be trying to calm these down. The leader of the faction sits on a silent facepalm, discretly knocking on the table with a closed fist... (Could end like this if the council is just divided) ...before getting up and saying something loud. The others immediately stop bickering and look to them, they keep talking as the camera fades. (For when they overrule the council's decision)
Judgement - A cutscene for when certain decisions are made like banishing a clan from the kingdom or stripping a fief from a clan.
The council is gathered in front of the throne, seemingly arguing with the "judged" lord. The leader of the faction stands in front of them, "reading" a decree, to which all of them listen. As it goes on, the "judged" leader seems really angry, shaking fists, and the other lords hold them in place. The scene ends with a general shot where we see the leader on the back still reading the sentence, the angry lord in center (from behind), agitated while the other lords keep them restrained.
---
These are some ideas, I'm sure there are lots more to be had so feel free to add or comment to this thread!
That's it! As stated before, my absolute priority with this feedback/suggestion are the essential ones - because, as the name implies, I feel these are essential and their non-existance actually spoiled the experience a bit.
As for the rest, they're just ideas and suggestions!Thank you very much for reading this far and keep up the good work!