Crusader Kings 3 artifacts will be presented in the court

With the introduction of the new throne room scenes, we are for the first time in Crusader Kings taking a step into the interiors of our courts. Now artifacts are not just 2D icons in an inventory screen like in CKII, but visual 3D objects.

Within your court, you will be able to show off the artifacts in your possession, from the smaller artifacts on pedestals and reliquaries holding the venerated remains of saints, to fine martial weapons forged or taken, to grand statues or fine furniture. These artifacts can be equipped in a number of slots around your courtrooms for viewing of the ruler and his guests.

The artifacts developers have added to the game cover a variety of different categories, small and large, and even to adorn your walls. The creation of these artifacts has gone through a few stages of development before making it into the Royal Court.

During the stage of designing the artifacts, developers both look at the aesthetics and historical references that can be found and verified. When references are sparse, they still try to extrapolate good-looking and aesthetically plausible designs.

However, in some cases like in the Middle East and other areas, there are, for example, close to none and at best sparse levels of statues or paintings of people. Depending on where this can be for religious or cultural reasons and in those cases where other cultures would show human statues, they’ve instead shifted to an area appropriate symbolisms, patterns, and art.

Paradox Interactive Bringing some color to the hard stone walls in your halls

While using reference images is an easy task to do, one must also consider the original state of the artifact, since a reference from today could be of a possibly 800 years or more old object. So grime, damage and aging needs to be reconsidered and balanced, while still keeping the object in a used-looking state. An artifact could still be owned by a ruling family for long enough to become an antique in its own time.

Banners and some other items in the court have shader support to show the ruler's own flair since they would be made to the ruler's specifications

There are also tapestries, where a similar system to the clothing shaders is used, to generate interesting patterns and designs to adorn those stone walls in your great halls.