Stronghold Crusader HD News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-OJ3EwsT50

We're proud to announce that Stronghold: Warlords, the latest entry in our ‘castle sim’ series, will be released worldwide on September 29th 2020. Set to launch almost two decades since development started on the original Stronghold, the date and new co-op mode were revealed exclusively as part of IGN’s Summer of Gaming event in a new multiplayer trailer.

At launch Warlords will include full multiplayer functionality, support for AI opponents and a unique co-op mode allowing two players to work together building, defending and besieging from the same castle. Multiplayer will include the ability to play in teams with friends and against the AI, but also the option to control a single castle cooperatively. Players in co-op can choose to handle the economy from the start or build up an army and focus on their military. During a siege one player could control defensive units like Fire Lancers and Archers, while the other triggers castle traps and puts out the inevitable fires!



Multiplayer will also feature the game’s new Warlord mechanic, with smaller AI powered castles dotted around the battlefield that can be conquered through force or diplomacy. Once captured players can team up with these characters, all of whom have their own unique archetype and abilities, to outnumber and encircle rival players. Upgrading them to unlock more powerful castles, armies and perks, Warlords can be used to boost your economy or crush opponents entirely with a decisive pincer movement.



The September 29th release date will be a worldwide simultaneous digital release on Steam. The game will be playable across multiplayer using Steam, as well as launching with full Steam Workshop support. This will allow the Stronghold community to create recreations of historic citadels, and upload custom maps and scenarios from day one.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

Cast Your Vote on Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

You herd correctly! Our new competition asks players to vote on one of four ill-fated animals to be used as the game's fourth trebuchet ammo type. Voting through the official Stronghold Discord, players will be able to decide which of the four deceased creatures can be used to spread disease in enemy castles when Stronghold: Warlords launches later this year.



Sometimes high walls, food and clean water just aren’t enough to survive a siege. Throughout history many a Lord has foolishly turtled up, believing they have the supplies to outlast their enemy’s military resources and patience. That is of course until they hear the distant sound of a trebuchet loading up and firing a different type of ammunition. Is it a horse? Is it a water buffalo? You decide!



Real medieval sieges could take months, with besiegers launching all manner of objects over enemy walls with the aim of spreading disease and panic. Our in-game spin on this siege strategy involves launching one of four departed animals over enemy walls and into their castle. Creating a temporary cloud of disease upon impact, the chosen animal type will affect the size and spread of disease within the enemy castle. Players will have to keep their soldiers and peasants well away from the affected area, with disease able to damage units and even shut down parts of their castle economy.



While Stronghold has always allowed for some manner of diseased, deceased animal to be flung at your enemies, until now they were limited to European and a few Middle Eastern creatures. With Warlords however the series has broadened its horizons to include water buffalo, a hoarse horse, former caged tigers, and the bactrian camels of Mongolia. Players can vote on their preferred animal ammo type by joining the official Stronghold Discord server and reacting to the trebuchet vote post in the #announcements channel.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kK-Ue_sssbg
Join the Stronghold Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

The latest episode in our 'Soldiers of Warlords' series finally takes us to feudal Japan, as we reveal the first Japanese troop type coming to Stronghold: Warlords. With the ability to charge down enemy units foolish enough to stand in their way and eliminate high profile targets like enemy Lords, the Samurai makes for a unique addition to your medieval army. True to their historical roots and long history in games, we've tried to do justice to these disciplined feudal fighters with interesting attributes and a powerful unit ability.



We also return once more to ancient China with the reveal of two additional Imperial troop types, namely the mace-wielding Guardsman and almost unstoppable Imperial Warrior. Expensive to recruit and powerful once mastered, these Imperial troops will make a serious dent in any enemy siege force. With the Guardsman's ability to deal area damage when he swings his Heavy Mace and the high damage output of the thickly armoured Warrior, we expect Imperial troops to feature in the later stages of the single player campaign and online multiplayer.



We hope you enjoy today's video and look forward to even more unit reveals as we approach launch later this year! With 16 troop types and even more siege equipment, we're aiming for Warlords to provide players with more tactical siege options than ever. In bringing back classic siege weapons, features and making the most of our new setting with all-new troop types, Warlords is being designed as the definitive 3D Stronghold.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jo5pwX9RQIc
Welcome to Stronghold Sessions. Today marks our second episode in a series of extended, unedited interviews lifted from the '20 Years of Stronghold' documentary released last year. Join us as we sit down with Paul Harris, General Manager and Producer of many Stronghold and non-Stronghold titles here at Firefly Studios for more than 15 years!



Paul discusses the early beginnings of Stronghold 2 including tales from the trenches, design goals and player feedback. We then move onto how 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'His Dark Materials' inspired Stronghold Legends and even what Paul's ideal future Stronghold title would look like. Suffice to say the man is a fan of castle customisation!



There are many more planned Stronghold Session interviews for later down the road. So if you're interested in hearing more extended interviews from Firefly Studios developers - from Marketing to Programming - then make sure you subscribe to Firefly Studios on YouTube to catch the latest episodes.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4FihZ7Cke8
Join the Stronghold Discord - https://discord.gg/qMG7Zae

Firefly Studios is asking YOU - the Stronghold fans - to submit your screams, grunts, shrieks, hollers and groans to be featured in the final game. Unable to source actors and record audio in person, our hope is that enough players will be willing to warm up their vocal chords and scream into a microphone for the chance to themselves perish in-game.



While in the past we have invited fans to vote on weapon designs, armour and even which deceased animals can be thrown by trebuchet, submitting screams is new for us! The current global pandemic is presenting developers of all shapes and sizes with unique challenges, but we're hoping players will enjoy letting it all out and bursting a few ear drums in the process.



You can take part by joining the #screams-of-stronghold channel on the official Stronghold Discord server (link above), where you can find out more about the submission process and technical requirements to make their screams useable in-game.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/907650/Stronghold_Warlords/