NPC-lords suicidal when declaring wars, no strategic thinking. No challenge after becoming the strongest kingdom.

[Retrobarbaari]

I'm in the very end game. I've left 2 castles for Rhagaea, my kingdom has all the rest towns and castles. My kingdom's strength is 37000 against her 1000. Yet, she keeps declaring wars.

Me: "Oh come on! Are you completely insane?"
Rhagaea: "What?"
Me: (slaps forehead)

Every war I fought, was declared by NPC lords against me. It was not only Rhagaea, after I had beaten the first NPC-kingdom, they were all underdogs. Didn't stop them making the mistake.
I have to say, there was very little suspension in the game after my kingdom became the strongest. Battles were still occasionally fun, but I think more challenge is needed at that point. Like alliances against the player, bribing and backstabbing, pretenders, civil wars, invaders outside Calradia.

EDIT: Although, early game I used SAVE-LOAD-magic to avoid war declarations (by kingdoms, about mercenaries I didn't care) when I was already in a war. If I had not, it might have added some suspension, granted. My mistake. I was just thinking: not now, I want to strengthen my border garrisons. Well, there never was peace time to do that. I used the same magic to avoid wars with Rhagaea until the end, but her kingdom was reduced to the two castles already in the very beginning of the game, she was practically harmless.

Maybe, against save-load-magic the war declarations should be decided by NPC-kingdoms several days (or even weeks) before actually declaring the war. So loading previous saves woudn't help, the war would still be declared, because those old saves already have the information of the war declaration decision.

EDIT2: Maybe I should have added... No challenge in a modded game after becoming the strongest kingdom. Because I never recruited an existing lord of another clan (forgot, I recruited one clan). I found that task so time consuming and difficult, I passed it. Instead I had a mod that enabled recruiting anyone: that I think was what gave me the biggest advantage.. I just made them as my vassals. Had I been running around the map chasing lords to recruit and leaving all the fights to my vassals, it would have been a very boring game, but sure, harder.

 

[Kentucky 『 ＨＥＩＧＵＩ 』 James]

I think more challenge is needed at that point. Like alliances against the player, bribing and backstabbing, pretenders, civil wars, invaders outside Calradia.

I disagree. These would just be flavoured versions of the neverending grind with the game refusing to end even after you've overcome all the meaningful challenge. Ive never seen these mechanics done well in a game, they always just turn the lategame into even more of a grind making you retread the same ground a lot more.

The problem is that the AI just allows you to become overpowered in the lategame because it has no initiative. The lategame should be when you own like 30% of the map and all the other factions who aren't on good terms with you should attempt to unite and beat you in one final confrontation, and if they lose they capitulate. But currently they just sit on their asses and wait for you to take everything. The endgame should be an acceleration, not a drag.

 

[Apocal]

EDIT2: Maybe I should have added... No challenge in a modded game after becoming the strongest kingdom. Because I never recruited an existing lord of another clan (forgot, I recruited one clan). I found that task so time consuming and difficult, I passed it. Instead I had a mod that enabled recruiting anyone: that I think was what gave me the biggest advantage.. I just made them as my vassals. Had I been running around the map chasing lords to recruit and leaving all the fights to my vassals, it would have been a very boring game, but sure, harder.

Yeah, that'll do it.

 

[Retrobarbaari]

I disagree...
The lategame should be when you own like 30% of the map and all the other factions who aren't on good terms with you should attempt to unite and beat you in one final confrontation, and if they lose they capitulate.

That is basically same as an alliance against the player.

I just think some event which has a chance to give you serious trouble, makes it more interesting.

So what if it makes the game bit longer? Rather a bit longer and interesting than a shorter and yawning end game.

I don't think the "end game" (if it means being a ruler of your own kingdom) was particularly long, either. Thanks to the tribute insanity, I didn't make a peace but once, I think.

 

[JunKeteer]

That is basically same as an alliance against the player.

I just think some event which has a chance to give you serious trouble, makes it more interesting.

So what if it makes the game bit longer? Rather a bit longer and interesting than a shorter and yawning end game.

Late/end-game should be when you own just a few towns/castles and have the best gear - owning the rest of the map is just...'achievement hunting'. As of now, getting a few towns/best gear takes maybe 5-10 years and when you're around Clan T4; after that, it's the all 'same'.
They just need to make the early/mid-game more prolonged/interesting where there is some challenges already at those stages.

 

[Julio-Claudian]

It's the fact that there is no internal politics aside from voting for policies or fiefs, no civil wars or kingdom management, no international diplomacy aside from war or peace, no relationships between kingdoms. Late game challenge should be trying to hold together your large kingdom through internal politics, enemies trying to take advantage of instability in your kingdom, friendly kingdoms doing the same or trying to preserve their existence through friendly diplomacy, new threats arising. There's nothing like any of that though, once you become ruler of the most powerful kingdom and control more of the map than any other kingdom there's basically nothing left to do aside from taking over what's left. There's no challenge, no threat, no way for you to really face any significant setback.