Knighthood FAQ

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Knighthood > FAQ

Welcome to the Knighthood Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

This is a basic orientation to the game based on questions that keep popping up on the discussion groups. 

 This Wiki is written and maintained by Knighthood players for Knighthood players.
 It is based on communal research and discussion, and the odd revelation from the Knighthood Devs.
 Knighthood is in BETA, and game behaviour and formulas can change without advance notice.
 Our understanding of specific equations and calculations is constantly updated as new insights are found.

Contents

[edit] General

[edit] What is the object of the Knighthood Game?

The object of the game is to acquire vassals and power. This is accomplished by either attacking someone and taking their vassals, or by having someone swear loyalty to you.

Common misconceptions about Knighthood include:

  • "Knighthood is a friendly, social game."

It is very much a friendly fun community (say hi in the discussion boards) - but because stealing vassals is integral to the game, you can't be nice to everyone, all the time.

  • "If you invite your friends and family, you will play the game together forever at your leisure."

Actually, you can expect to lose your vassals from time to time and have to fight to get them back. It's part of the game.

  • "Knighthood is played by horrid, mean, unhelpful people."

Well, we have our share, but we also have alliances and ad-hoc help that can be found on the discussion board and other groups like Knighthood Noobs Unite! (KNU).

[edit] What if I just jump in and get going?

No problem. You can do almost anything except build a garrison without hurting yourself too much - but before you build a garrison, read Knighthood Getting Started and perhaps download Starters guide An illustrated guide to getting started in Knighthood

[edit] Can I change my outfit / clothing / depiction in the artwork?

Not at the moment, but it's been brought up before. Speak up here: Clothing Gripe Thread

If you're the wrong sex in the game, that's because you haven't set your sex properly in your Facebook profile.

[edit] What happens when I leave the game?

You stay in the game at your current rank, with your current vassals, loyal to your current liege. It's unlikely you'll keep your vassals if you leave them unattended, but you always stay at your current title and keep your buildings as they are. Notices are posted saying you've stopped managing your realm, so you can expect to be pillaged.

[edit] The rules changed, and my strategy is shot!

Yep. The game is in Beta. Things will change with very short notice - often announced after the fact. Wheee!

[edit] Getting Started

[edit] How do I start?

Once you have installed the application, you need to do two things - get vassals to work in your buildings, man your towers and the like, and also build buildings in your capital. Success in the game is highly dependent on which buildings you build, to what size, and in what order.

[edit] Will someone attack me right away?

No, you can't be attacked until you build a garrison.

[edit] So I should build a huge garrison to conquer the world?

NO, a garrison that is out of balance with your defences will expose you to some very scary people before you are ready. You want to be pretty scary yourself before you get into those brackets. You should read Knighthood Getting Started or Starters guide An illustrated guide to getting started in Knighthood before you build / expand / upgrade your garrison.

[edit] Where do I get help?

Well, if you're reading this, you're already in the Wiki, which is the best place to start. Other resources for newcomers include:

[edit] There sure are a lot of calculations. Any help there?

The Knighthood general help page explains the calculations. As well, you can download an excel spreadsheet, the Knighthood Calculator to get a better feel for how the numbers work.

[edit] Is everyone my enemy?

Yes and no. Anyone in your attack bracket might come for you at any time, and your attack bracket can change pretty suddenly sometimes. Alliances can go sour and agreements fail. Vassals can rebel. Lieges can release you. It's a Darwinian game, so you want to be fit. It's okay to love the game, just don't expect it to love you back. On the other hand, not everyone is your enemy, all of the time. People outside your attack bracket, alliance members, friends and well wishers are usually pretty sympathetic and willing to help.

[edit] Building and Upgrading

[edit] What's the difference between Building, Upgrading, Size and Level?

Building is done in the Castle, and increases the Size of a building. The Size determines how many vassals can be assigned to that building at a time.

Upgrading is done in the Workshop, and increases the Level of a building. The Level determines how efficient the vassals are that are assigned to that building. Each level of upgrade adds 5% to their productivity.

[edit] The time taken to build / upgrade something keeps changing. Why?

This is a result of the power level assigned to either your castle or your workshop changing. This happens when one of three things occur:

  • A vassal assigned to the castle or workshop is seized or rescued.
  • A vassal assigned to the castle or workshop changes power level - they have squires/handmaidens drop, have a vassal seized or rescued, etc.
  • You actually change which vassals are assigned to the castle or workshop. Putting powerful vassals in the buildings you are expanding/upgrading allows a faster production rate.

[edit] Can I Build and Upgrade at the same time?

Yes, and it's a good idea to have the castle and workshop staffed and running all the time. Don't neglect your defence however, or your buildings won't be staffed for very long.

[edit] Is there a maximum size building or upgrade level?

There is no known maximum size or upgrade level on a building. The cost of achieving builds increases exponentially as you go. The largest reported sizes / levels that have been directly observed to be available is size 10 (as of this writing).

[edit] I have some gold. Where should I spend it?

First, you should heal your vassals if they are injured. If you want to accelerate your projects It's better to put your gold into accelerating upgrades rather than builds. You get 1 anvil for 5 gold in the workshop, but only 1 hammer for 10 gold in the castle.

For example:

If you need 100 hammers to finish a building, and are producing 20, it will take 5 hours, right? 10 gold buys 1 hammer, so it would cost you 200 gold to buy 20 hammers, which equals your production for an hour. If you do that, you will reduce time needed by 1 hour

If you only spent 100 gold to buy 10 hammers, you would only reduce the time needed by .5 hour.

[edit] Attacking and Defending

[edit] I have a garrison why can't I attack?

You need more than 3 vassals and a garrison to attack, after you build your garrison you get a grace period of 30-60 minutes, In which you can't attack or be attacked .

There are a few instances where a person's 'attack potential' can get stuck. This value can be reset by releasing a squire or handmaiden and then re-inviting them immediately. This should do the trick and within 5 minutes you should have a ranking, which means you are now at war!

[edit] How is it I was attacked by a higher powered, higher ranked player? That doesn't seem fair...

In Beta 2 your Power and rank and the Power and rank of your opponent had nothing to do with who could attack who in this game.

In Beta 3 this has changed, and generally for new players the power and rank of your opponents will be pretty much the same as your own. As you progress higher up the levels however, the likelyhood of being attacked by someone with a higher power/rank than you increases greatly.

There are four major factors that determine who can attack each other in the game:

  • Your rank in the game (not your title) which is derived from your power.
  • The power of your top vassals.
  • The size of your garrison.
  • The upgrade level of your garrison.

If you just got your kingdom ravaged try reading the Knighthood Recovery Plan.

[edit] What determines who I can attack, and who can attack me?

Your attack bracket is determined by your rank (number with a crown next to it), which is determined by your power (number with a gauntlet next to it). Your power is based upon your title, how many vassals you control and how powerful your vassals are. For example, a level 10 vassal adds one point to your power while a level 20 vassal adds two points to your power. Your Theoretical Attack Strength (TAS) also plays a role in determining your attack bracket. The TAS assumes you attack with all of the highest strength vassals you have. Thus, if your garrison can house 3 vassals, your top three powered vassals will be used to calculate your TAS - and then any garrison upgrades will be factored in. Your opponents with similar rank that have too high or too low of a TAS compared to you will be excluded from your attack bracket.

You can attack and be attacked by anyone in your attack bracket.

[edit] Someone attacked me and now I can't attack them back! Why?

Well, if they nabbed one of your top vassals, they probably went up in attack bracket, while you dropped, and they are now not in your attack bracket.

[edit] Someone attacked me over and over again. Do they hate me?

No. This is called a SPAM attack. Every time you are attacked, your defending vassals take damage (as do the attacking ones). Your defending vassals heal over time or with gold payments, but if you're not minding your capital at the time, repeated attacks will wear your defenders down, while your attacker is healing his troops as they go. Sooner or later if they have enough gold and reasonable strength, they are likely to break through, which is why they keep attacking, over and over.

[edit] Can a vassal be seized before she can attack?

If your vassals haven't built a garrison yet, they can't be attacked, but if you've built a garrison - you can be! Once you build a garrison, any of your vassals might be seized if you haven't built up your defences to protect them.

[edit] Capturing, Getting Captured, Rescues and other Options

[edit] Is there any code of ethics or proper conduct in this game?

There are personal codes of conduct and codes of conduct that are followed by various alliances, but no generally accepted and adopted ethical limits are in place. You must expect behaviour that is consistent with what the game allows, and guard yourself accordingly.

[edit] Someone just captured me. Is my life ruined?

Hardly. Your liege can't tell you what to do or anything - and in fact, you being his vassal really only has the effect that your power rating is at their disposal for attacking, building and the like. Of course, we have our loyalties, so you can work to rebel (See Rebellion for brief details), or you might be rescued and return home. Negotiations might be made for your release. You're hardly ruined - your former liege feels the pain more acutely than you do.

[edit] Someone just captured my treasured vassal. What can I do?

Well, the first thing you should do is have a laugh about it. It's a game, and getting captured is part of the game.

Second, you take a hard look at your defences to figure out how to prevent it from happening again, should you be re-united.

The third thing you do is start plotting your reunion. Sometimes this can be fast. Sometimes this can be slow. Some options include:

  • You rescue them.
  • You negotiate for their release - pay a gold ransom or the like.
  • You become the capturer's vassal in return for having your treasured vassal returned to you.
  • You become your friend's vassal, and help them rebel.
  • You work slowly and patiently to build up your strength to recapture your lost friend.
  • You hope that your friend is placed on the market, and save money to buy them back.

[edit] Can I ask people to swear loyalty to me temporarily so I can rescue my vassals?

This is allowed and is not considered cheating, but the person swearing loyalty cannot be released until 24 hours after swearing (Beta3). This can increase your theoretical attack strength considerably, raising you into a dangerous attack bracket during this period. You should think carefully before going down this route.
Some (but not all) people think this practice is bad because it makes it hard to keep seized vassals. They call it, "swear loyalty abuse", and the people who sell the service "Mercenaries". They would say you probably had bad defense or didn't read the wiki and that's why your vassal got taken. They think that it detracts from the game at higher levels, especially when you add guilds, clans, groups, crews and alliances who help members rescue vassals regularly.
Some guilds, clans, groups, crews and alliances have never condoned "swear loyalty abuse", and an increasing number are changing to not condoning it.
Recently, new types of alliances have appeared: mercenary guilds and anti-swear loyalty abuse guilds. Mercenary guilds are self explanatory but the anti-swear loyalty abuse guilds repeatedly attack mercenaries and players who use them.

[edit] How Do I...

[edit] ... Report a bug!?

[1] http://wiki.hive7.com/KBugs

please click the above link and follow the instructions... 

==

[edit] ... ask for help on the Discussion Groups?

If you need help (with gold, a vassal rescue, rebellion, etc.) you can ask for it on the discussion groups.

When you do:

  • be specific about what you need. Include the power rating you're looking for and the maxium rank they can be to help. "e.g. I need power an 80-100 power Baron to assist with a rescue."
  • include the URLs of yourself and anyone else involved (ie. the baddie that capped your vassal). See below if you don't know how.

[edit] ... get the URL to someone in Knighthood?

A person's Knighthood URL is useful when posting notices about yourself or others, or when you want to check out their page.

A person's Knighthood Lord id is the same as their facebook id. If you right click their name or any linkable reference to them (Send Message for example) and get the number after id=, and paste it into this URL: http://knight.fb.hive7.com/LordView.aspx?lordid=<paste id here>

Also, go anywhere the person's name is displayed in Knighthood with a link on it (not their home page). Places might be their liege, vassal, the realm or attack list... and (in Internet Explorer) right click the name and select Copy Shortcut. The link is now in your clipboard and can be pasted wherever.

[edit] ... seize a vassal?

It depends who you are trying to seize. First, select an opponent whose strength / vassals ratio approaches 1. It will never be 1, but closer is better. By this I mean (Power 150/Vassals 100) is a better bet than (Power 120/Vassals 40). The latter demonstrates that most of the opponents vassals will be 20/20 or above, whilst the former shows that the opponent will have quite a lot of 10/10 vassals.

Next up is deciding which one to seize. NEVER take the "best" one. Scroll down the list until you reach the last 20/20 on the list - go for this one...believe me. Attack the WALL first, and if you are repelled, keep attacking the wall. If the message is that the vassal could not be found, attack the next defense, until you break through.

You will get the vassal - believe me. Once you have them, the first thing you should move that one to a safe position. It will go to your court, and unless you have strong watchtowers, you should move the vassal to a safer place. Then go in and raid a couple of times, at the defense where you captured the vassal. This will be a weak defense, so you should get plenty of gold... Spend this gold in the hospital, healing your vassals. Start by healing the one you just captured...no point in letting the rescue be easy. Then heal the rest of your vassals. As a rescue WILL be attempted, spend all your remaining gold on your buildings - no point in leaving yourself vulnerable to a raid...

Finally, if you don't have many high powered vassals, stick your newly captured ones in your wall/watchtower/palisade... One final word - watch out for the trappers... (Thanks to Adam Harris)

[edit] ... heal a vassal?

Use the "Heal Vassals" function in the hospital, select the knight you want to heal and voila! We all know medical care is expensive, though. It costs 10 gold per 1 point of healing. You can also heal all of your injured vassals at once by selecting Heal All. If this is greyed out, it means you don't have enough gold.

[edit] ... get gold?

Mostly, gold comes from putting vassals to work in your market place. You can also steal gold from others by using a "Raid" attack. Recently, the game introduced a feature where you can give gold to others.

[edit] ... build a Guardhouse / Tower / Church / Trapper / Blockhouse / Outpost ?

These buildings have a number of prerequisites. You can get more info here: Knighthood Buildings.

[edit] ... increase alertness?

Alertness is there to help you defend against repeated attacks. At all levels of the game, it increases the more you are attacked, and then decays over time. This is called Mobilization Alert. At the higher levels of the game, you can build an Outpost to increase your alertness.

[edit] Why can't I...

[edit] ... invite my friends to join on Knighthood?

There have been a lot of observed problems with the invite button, and seems to work inconsistently at the moment.

If People do not show up on the invite tab there are two possible reasons:

  • There may be a delay before they show depending on how long they have been on your list of friends.
  • Somebody else has already invited them and they simply haven't installed knighthood (or have installed it)

You can confer with your friend to get them to install knighthood and see who their liege is.

[edit] ... send gold to someone?

Unranked players (you don't have a garrison, don't have enough vassals or are disbanded) can't send gold to ranked players.

[edit] ... play together with my family and friends? Everyone keeps stealing them!

The mistake you're making about Knighthood is that you think playing the game 'together' is being each other's vassal. If you want to play together, play together. Join the same alliance, hang out and have some laughs about things together. You don't need to move around in a clump.

[edit] ... hold on to my vassals?

Your Theoretical Attack Strength (TAS) is too high, relative to your defences. You need to increase your defences - a lot, and potentially release your best vassal to get your theoretical attack strength down.

[edit] ... attack someone back?

Well, if they nabbed your top vassal, their TAS went up, and yours went down, and you're no longer in the same attack bracket.

[edit] ... rebel against a liege I accidentally swore loyalty to?

You can't rebel right away - there is a time limit of 24 hours before you can rebel after your plea to swear loyalty has been accepted by the Lord.

[edit] What does this gizmo mean?

[edit] The blue power bar with 65/60 in it under my picture?

That bar shows how close you are to the next title of nobility. At 65, you are ready to promote to Baron/Baroness. In order to receive the title, you must also upgrade your Castle.

[edit] Discussion Boards Stuff

The discussion boards are a great place to find help and assistance. It is a vibrant and active place with a lot of spirited conversation.

[edit] What does 'bump' mean

There are no sticky or announcement capabilities in the discussion boards, so players often 'bump' a thread they think is relevant to the top of page one. BUMP is a shortened acronym meaning, "Bring Up My Post" to the top of the page.

[edit] What's with the 'Kill a Puppy' thing? Ewww...

Many board members have taken to posting a response that alludes to "killing a puppy" on the thread when someone asks a question that is answered here on the wiki and is asked over and over and over again.

It isn't meant to be rude or insensitive, though it's a tad twisted (intentionally). It's a dark inside joke that causes board regulars to enjoy a cathartic chuckle that keeps us sane enough to continue to function reasonably well and answer your questions, yet again. ;-)

If someone 'kills a puppy' on your thread, it means the person feels the answer is readily available to you by reading the wiki or searching the threads on the discussion boards.

As far as is known its origin:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Every_time_you_masturbate..._God_kills_a_kitten

[edit] What are Squirrels?

Squirrels are vassals that are too low powered to be considered useful in your defenses; in the early stages of play they are often 10s (people who have been invited to the game, but not installed it.) They are then assigned in the 'mills' of your Capital (Castle, Marketplace, Workshop, etc.), or languish in your Court.

[edit] What's a Troll, and why shouldn't you feed it?

When someone gets really steamed, and posts repeatedly to a thread in a strident manner (with or without a valid point), it is often due to a cycle of responses between that person and one or more others. To "not feed the Troll" is to simply not respond, and the flame war will eventually die for lack of oxygen and fuel.

[edit] Lieges and Swearing Loyalty

[edit] Where is the best place to go to find a Liege?

We highly recommend you browse the various recruitment pitches in the The Vassal Recruitment Group

(Note the term Fealty, which you will come across frequently, was changed in Beta 3 to Loyalty. You now make a plea to swear loyalty to a Lord, which he/she must then accept.)

[edit] I notice a LOT of Lieges offering Gold for me to swear loyalty to them. Why?

It's because a vassal is much more valuable than gold. Consider that a 20, working in an non upgraded castle, will produce in hammers (build points) the equivalent of 32,600 gold a week. (That's 20 power * 168 hours * 10 gold per hammer) Vassals strong enough to attack or defend are WAY more valuable that squirrels working in the mills, so when you look at the offers, you can keep that in mind.

At the higher levels of the game, more powerful vassals are much harder to capture, defenses are very high so seizing is very difficult, and rescue attempts are often successful, so attracting vassals is a much more feasible way to grow forces.

[edit] So swearing loyalty for Gold is a good idea?

Not necessarily. There are a lot of other things a liege can offer you, particularly if you are new to the game:

  • Many lieges work closely with their vassals to help them learn and do well in the game. Another way to gain power is to help your vassals succeed.
  • Some vassal groups work closely together as a team, and help each other.
  • There is always the element of personal chemistry to consider. If you are going to be coached and working in a team with someone, you probably want to get along with them well, maybe even like them. ;-)

[edit] Anything else to consider when selecting a Liege?

Several things:

  • If you are wanting to stay with the liege and maintain the terms of your agreement, you should be aware that if you are captured, your new liege may not see things the same way. How often does your prospective liege have vassals seized?
  • Obviously, if you are signing up for advice and help, it would be useful if your liege was actually very knowledgeable about the game.
  • You should probably have some kind of agreement about when you can leave if you want to.
  • The loyalty of the liege's other vassals may be worth noting. While those that were captured might be biased against them, those that freely joined, or bought, ought to appreciate them at least a little.
  • Hand in hand with this is how trustworthy you think the liege migh be.
  • Lastly, consider their power. Some join the most powerful player for "protection," but in reality, "protection" may not ammount to much, and if you suspect rebellion may become necessary, a lower powered vassal is a safer bet, and will usually be more grateful for your help anyway!

[edit] When should I start recruiting as a Liege?

Well, it's a competitive market for vassals out there, so probably when you think you can compete well for the vassals you hope to attract.

[edit] Alliances

[edit] What are alliances? What do they mean?

Alliances are groups of people that support each other in various ways in playing the game. The code of behaviour and support mechanisms vary from alliance to alliance.

[edit] Which Alliance should I join in order to get ahead in this game?

Well, there are no guarantees, and it depends on how you define excellence. Some alliances focus on the ruthless attainment of power. Others pursue honorable conduct with mutual support. Others just want to swap cookies.

Alliances come and go, so if you want to read about the various alliances, check out the Book of Alliances

[edit] I hear really great / nasty / fun things about XYZ alliance. Should I believe them?

Yes and no. As much as you believe the word of the person who's saying it. If you don't know them at all, then believe them as much as you'd believe a stranger.

[edit] What are Tags?

Tags are short character sequences that are put into a player's motto to identify them as an alliance member in-game. This helps alliance members not attack each other (or other alliances with which they have a treaty).

[edit] Related Information

[edit] External Links

  • [2] The Knighthood Application Home Page
  • [3] The Knighthood Discussion Board
  • [4] The Book of Alliances
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