While the diplomacy in this game needs lots and lots of work, I think one of the most important things that is needed to be added is giving the AI lords the ability to defect to the player's faction on their own (and also making it so that fiefless kingdoms actually die off on their own after a bit of time). It could be like warband where you the lords who have chosen to defect to your faction waits in one of your settlements (though maybe the amount they will wait should have a limit). The player having to go & find every clan leader in order to recruit to their faction only makes the late game tedious, it should be automated through implementing this. AI lords being able to defect to factions not controlled by the player via "telepathy" also makes the gameplay experience asymmetrical, something that goes against this franchise's gameplay philosophy.
AI defections would also go hand in hand with fiefless kingdoms getting destroyed over time. There's much more things to change or add in order to cut down the late game grind and make it much more enjoyable, one of which would be messengers (that almost everyone and their mother has already requested, but we unfortunately still don't have confirmation for) for easier recruitment of clans or at the very least, minor factions to the kingdom.
While I do like the bulk of new additions to the game outlined in TW's future plans post (especially the addition of back alley management & expansion of criminal gameplay), I believe that fixing the late game by significantly cutting down the grind should be the first priority in making this game much more enjoyable.
AI defections would also go hand in hand with fiefless kingdoms getting destroyed over time. There's much more things to change or add in order to cut down the late game grind and make it much more enjoyable, one of which would be messengers (that almost everyone and their mother has already requested, but we unfortunately still don't have confirmation for) for easier recruitment of clans or at the very least, minor factions to the kingdom.
While I do like the bulk of new additions to the game outlined in TW's future plans post (especially the addition of back alley management & expansion of criminal gameplay), I believe that fixing the late game by significantly cutting down the grind should be the first priority in making this game much more enjoyable.