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Tinto Flavour #2 - 17th of January 2025 - Florence

Hello, and welcome for the second week to Tinto Flavour, the new series in which we will show the flavour content of the latest super secret Project Caesar!

Today we will be taking a look at Florence! I hope you get visually stunned by what you see, but not a rapid heartbeat, fainting, confusion, or hallucinations, as it happened to Stendhal when he visited the city in 1817. So, let’s start!



The Florentine domain stands strong at the cusp of a new age! Our republic has stood the test of time and is located in a prime position to take advantage of our region's prosperity and affluence. Around us, rivaling states and potential allies all make their moves in a bid to influence and expand their territory in Italy. \n\nHowever, few are as well known for their aptitude in arts and cultural influence as our forums of thought in Florence. Under the guidance of a capable administration and an educated people, the coming century will elevate our people and have us shine brightly as pioneering innovators during a time of great enlightening.

Country Selection.png

As usual, please consider the UI, 2D and 3D art as WIP.

We have two elements here that appear in the Country Selection screen, AKA the Lobby. The first is the flavour immersion text that countries with unique content have. They have dynamic localization keys, which are the two words in bold that appear in the text, and which while hovered, allow to check a game concept. The second is a screenshot of the country name, flag, ruler, and the three main elements that define the country - Government Type (Republic), Country Type (Settled Country), and Country Rank (County). The courtroom illustration is the generic one for European countries, but it can potentially be unique.

Let’s jump into the country itself...
Florence.png

Tuscany is a lovely place, isn’t it?

The Republic of Florence is a Signoria, which is a unique, major Government Reform for Italian countries:
Signoria.png
Signoria Description.png

This reform unlocks a Succession Law, the Elective Potestate:
Elective Potestate.png

Florence also has a unique Estate Privilege for its ‘Senate’ (the flavour name of ‘Nobility’ for Republics, the ‘Signoria Council’:
Signoria Council.png

And a unique Estate Privilege for the Burghers, ‘Florence Guilds’:
Florence Guilds.png

This unlocks a unique Socioeconomic Law, the ‘Primacy of Florentine Guilds’, in which you can pick one of three different policies to embrace, promoting one of the three different types of Guilds:
Primacy of Florentine Guilds.png

Primacy of Florentine Guilds 2.png

Florence has another unique policy for the Legal Code Law, which is the 'Consiglio Maggiore':
Consiglio Maggiore.png

Florence also has unique advances, 13 in total, spread among the different Ages, of which I’m going to show a few selected ones:
Arte della Lana.png

Fiorino d'Oro.png

Florentine City Militia.png

Uffizi.png

You might notice that 3 of them have unique icons/illustrations, while the one for the Florentine Citizen Militia still uses a generic one.

Speaking of the Florentine Citizen Militia, it unlocks a unique type of Army Levy Unit:
Florentine City Militia 2.png

Florentine City Militia 3.png

And the Uffizi unlock a unique building:
Uffizi 2.png



All that I’ve shown you so far is what we internally consider ‘structural content’, that is, the type of content that would show up and could be (mostly) checked when starting a new game and digging and hovering over the different panels in the game. Let’s now start with the ‘narrative content’, the one that appears dynamically as you play the game. Oh, and one comment: although we usually have a minimum amount of 'structural content' and 'narrative content' for each country with unique flavour, it's widely diverse, so some countries have more 'structural ones' than others that have more 'narrative content', and vice versa, with others having a balanced amount of each type.

Florence can suffer two disasters during the game, an outlier in the game. You may see that they have some associated effects as long as they’re active, and that they also have associated events that may also trigger (8 for the Ciompi, 13 for Savonarola). Here you have the first one, the 'Ciompi Revolt':
Ciompi Revolt.png

Ciompi Revolt.png

And here the second one, 'The Rise of Savonarola':
Savonarola 1.png

Savonarola 2.png

Savonarola 3.png

Savonarola 4.png

The background illustration is the generic one, but it will receive a unique one. Oh, also, inviting Savonarola to Florence might not be a wise decision…

Besides disasters, there are a bunch of interesting flavour DHEs (‘dynamic historical events’) that can happen to Florence, of which I’m going to show you a selection.

The first is the creation of the Medici bank, in the form of a Building Based Country, ruled by a member of the Medici family, of course:
Medici Bank.png

If you select the first option, you will continue playing as Florence, while the second makes you to continue playing as the Bank of Medici! This is not a common type of content, at all, but a very special one, worth showing.

The event creates a building in the location of Florence, a Bank, and also an independent BBC, the Bank of Medici:
Bank.png

Bank of Medici.png

Two more banking countries are starting in Florence in 1337, the Banks of Peruzzi and Bardi:
Peruzzi, Bardi, Medici.png

It also showcases the Medici, after triggering the event.

There are more events related to the Medici's rise of power in Florence, but let me not reveal all the interesting content today, so let’s continue with other events…

An interesting historical character in Florence’s 14th century is Sir John Hawkwood, an infamous condottiere:
John Hawkwood.png

If you decide to hire him, you will be able to hire a unique mercenary company, the ‘White Company’, led by Hawkwood as general:
White Company.png

We also have some famous artists from the Florentine Renaissance, such as:
Leonardo Bruni.png

Da Vinci.png

Donatello.png

Do we have here two of the Ninja Turtles, maybe?

But besides characters, you also have events that may be related to buildings, such as the construction of the Duomo of Florence, that may end up with a unique Work of Art:
Event Florence Cathedral.png

Duomo.png



… And much more Florence-related content, as there are dozens of unique flavour events! But I think that this is enough showcase for today, as we don’t want to spoil the fun of starting a game for the first time! Next week we will be taking a look at the unique flavour content for Novgorod, cheers!
 

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No? Because the post 1802 Napoleonic flag was adopted because of... Napoleon. While the one in use by the Cisalpine Rep. and for the first months of the Italian Rep. wad adopted because it was voted by the local government. So it makes more sense because in game you dont' know if Italy is going to be formed by Napoleon or not.
If we're being this pedantic we might as well say the Cisalpine Republic flag shouldn't exist without the French Revolution, since the french revolutionary cockade inspired it. I just wasn't aware the cisalpine flag was also briefly used for a unified Italy before the Risorigimento, but I don't think there's much of a valid reason to object to either of them being used

although if the cisalpine republic flag is used then it should of course be square
 
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Why not base the flag of italy after the iron crown of lombardy and its coat of arms, the guelph or Ghibbline banner, or lombard league(if formed by a northern italy state)?
I'm assuming this is just the Republican flag of Italy. If I had to guess, the monarchial flag will be based on the Napoleonic one
 
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Talento the Medici is not a real character why isn't Giovanni de Medici the one who actually founded the bank in 1397 represented in game?
Talento de' Medici here is presumably the one who was the son of Averardo II, who died in 1319. That's just what quick research turns up.
 
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1) I noticed that the Florentine Citizen Militia says 2% of "valid pops" will be raised as this unit type. What are the triggers for these "valid pops?" As in which pops can be raised as this unit? Do they have to be Tuscan culture? Or just within Tuscany?

2) I think the triggers for the year requirements sound odd. It would sound better if it read "The current year is at least 1470" and "The current year is before 1530."

3) Shouldn't it be “the” Holy Roman Empire instead of “a” Holy Roman Empire? And same thing with the Catholic Church.
 
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I reviewed the rank of Florence, and I think that shouldn't be considered a Duchy, as it was not until the Medici restoration in the 16th century that its rulers was entitled as 'Duke', by the pope.
This pains me so much.

Like, it's not your fault because this is just the mechanic that you're contending with, but it's just yet another example in the long litany that is "fixed ranks based on French peerage do not work globally or even regionally".
 
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Reading about Leonardo and Svanarola brings me back to Assassin's Creed 2 times. Man I love how FIrenze looks there.
Speaking of which I have two questions:
1. Why the city is called Florence, not Firenze? Is custom loc not finished yet?
2. No event on the rise of Niccolo Machiavelli? But tbf, if you're gonna script every single great person from Firenze, the file for Italian characters would be coupel of GBs heavy.
 
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If I remember correctly, it was Machiavelli who devised the Florentine citizen militia. Is the unique tech in any way connected to him? (ie. if you don't hire him, you can't unlock them/unlock them later...)
 
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(I wanted to reply to the message about the "signorie but I got the wrong one). Yes but the name is wrong. This office was still normally elected, and in fact Gabrielli was fired because he became too authoritarian. So he's more like a podestà.
Instead "signorie" are comunes where one family secretly has completely control over the city by placing members in all the important offices with bribery and other ways. Later the family heads were crowned by the emperor as vicars assuming formal total control of the city that they already controlled in practice trough a noble title. Florence will become a signoria controlled by the Medici (the most famouse one) but at the start date it's not a signoria! Also why are you talking about the "contadi" like they were a characteristic of the "signorie"? Every italiane comune had them since the 11th century. My italian history book confirms what I'm sayng.
Also, why is he called a "consul"? the consul was a different thing, they were usually more than one and they governed the cities in the 11th and 12th centuries before being replaced by other offices like the podestà and capitano del popolo and being relegated to administrating justice in most of the comunes.
Please correct this feature because it breakes immersion!
 
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I'm assuming this is just the Republican flag of Italy. If I had to guess, the monarchial flag will be based on the Napoleonic one
If a Republican Italy is formed before the Era of Revolutions then in my opinion it should use a different flag than the tricolor

A lot of unhappiness surrounding flags could also be alleviated by having a flag designer similar to CK3's, in my opinion...
 
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Will there be Machiavelli and his masterwork "Il Principe"? Its 26th chapter talks about united italy and freedom from foreign powers, should it unlock italian unification casus belli???

The concept for a united italy also was closer to an International Organization of all the different italian states to defend from foreign invasions. I would really like to see italy unified as a special, maybe elective, IO or to see defensive/offensive pacts aimed to defend italian independence.
Will this be possible with mods if it will not be in the final game?
I believe that the IO would be very good also because it will not cover the possessions of Venice and Genova in the mediterean/black sea leaving only the mainland protected and it will not stop internal warfare witch should be the core of the italian experience.

Also very happy to see Giovanni Acuto represented, i can't wait to hire him!
 
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Personally I found the phrasing "Florence is in a Holy Roman Empire with Medici" "Florence is in a Catholic Church with Medici" a bit confusing when I first tried reading it. Would you consider something like "Florence and Medici are both part of the Holy Roman Empire" "Florence and Medici are both part of the Catholic Church"? At least to me that would be a better choice.
 
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Great Britain is the most accurate name for the region of England, Scotland, and Wales. British Isles almost always includes Ireland but that's a separate region.
Then perhaps just shortening it to Britian as per Wikipedia. That would somewhat differentiate it from Great Britain as a state. Besides I'd say, and hope, that us map players know the difference betwen Britain and Brittany.
 
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It has a positive effect (our Senate is slightly happier), so not purely evil. Is more of a matter of improving its gameplay balance, I think.
(OMG the gods answered my plea! AHHHHHHH my peasant heart fills with joy from this noble's acknowledgment of my existence. I bow before you, my lord)

Indeed.
I would go a little extra and mention that IMHO the estates loyalty in EUIV is rather unimportant. Most of the time I only care about it if I'm trying to revoke a privilege or get a mission done. It seems very ahistorical. So I hope that the balance you're aiming in the most secret project Ceaser is harsher on the estates loyalty effects.
 
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