I remember it being enough to take Wien. And if you look at all the runs https://www.speedrun.com/napoleon_total_war/full_game#Italy_Campaign it seems to be the case - including my run. However, when trying the run again, it doesn't seem enough to only capture Wien. Not sure why.
I'm also quite surprised about it, feels like a strange thing to be changed all of a sudden. That's why I'm asking here, to make sure I haven't missed anything :)
Here's a link that also explains it: https://totalwar.fandom.com/wiki/Italy_Campaign_(Napoleon:_Total_War)#Victory_Conditions
When I start the Italian campaign, it says to hold 2 specific regions and 6 regions overall in order to win.
I think it has to do with the route that the armies or something else took. There's some logic to it. The patch difference might be a part of it, but I doubt it. Evidently there is yet much to be learned about the game.
Might be true, but how would you check into it?
Like your enthusiasm