Another week means another developer diary looking into Crusader Kings 3’s upcoming Royal Court expansion and this time Artifact features and modifiers get their time in the spotlight.
Royal Court might take longer than expected before it arrives but, when it does, your ruler will be able to obtain various Artifacts through a number of methods, which include sponsoring inspired characters. The role of the different Artifact Features is to ensure that the items you receive are distinct from one another.
“All Artifacts in the game can have a set of Features that determine both how they were created as well as what they were made from. For example, ‘Oak’, ‘Ash’, and ‘Pine’ are all features of the ‘Wood’ type, which is used to make wooden furniture, spear shafts, book covers, etc., while ‘Engraved’, ‘Filigreed’, and ‘Painted’ are ‘Decoration’-type features which skilled craftspeople can use to decorate artifacts to make them more suitable for royalty,” dev diary 70 reads.
The aim with these features is to create “immersive description” that not only differentiate between two items made by the same character, but clearly show the culture, geography, and decisions that went into actually crafting an Artifact.
“For example, a crown crafted in Afghanistan might feature pieces of its legendary lapis lazuli, while one made in the Baltic region could instead feature an impressive chunk of amber as a centerpiece.”
When approaching Artifact modifiers in Crusader Kings III: Royal Court, Paradox has stuck with the “no overtly supernatural effects” rule that guided the base game’s development. A sword may improve Prowess and even grant Advantage or impact an army’s maintenance, but you won’t be able to use it to effortlessly surf across rivers. Modders can, however, “add whatever modifiers they wish to an Artifact.”
In order to benefit from an Artifact’s effects, it also has to be equipped in one of your ruler’s slots, (Weapon, Armor, Regalia, Crown, and Trinket) or your courtly slots (Lectern, Throne, Wall Hanging, and others).
Although Crusader Kings III’s first major expansion doesn’t yet have a release date, Paradox has confirmed that “it’s going to take longer than many of us expect for the expansion to be released.
“There are many reasons for this; the expansion is very technically challenging and we’re doing things we’ve never done before from the ground up. We want a Royal Court that looks as grand as the mechanics that support it.”
The shift to working from home, organizational changes, and the need to onboard new members to the team also play into this. The developer did, however, assure players that “things are progressing nicely” and that Royal Court is “aiming for a release later this year.”
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