Stronghold Crusader HD News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5CI9ch7b0U
Welcome to Stronghold Sessions, our new series on Firefly Studios' YouTube! These videos will be a selection of extended, unedited interviews taken from our '20 Years of Stronghold' documentary released alongside our initial Stronghold: Warlords announcement.



First up is Firefly co-founder and Lead Designer Simon Bradbury, a key architect on every Stronghold title to date. Here we discuss the early beginnings of Firefly Studios, development stories from the Stronghold series and even where Simon sees the games heading in the future after Stronghold: Warlords releases later this year.



Provided you guys enjoy the video there will be plenty more Stronghold Session interviews down the line. So if you're interested in hearing more extended interviews from our Firefly developers, including topics like art and production, then make sure you subscribe to Firefly Studios on YouTube with notifications turned on to catch the latest episodes as they release.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3z_cmfTfF0
We're back with more raw gameplay of Stronghold: Warlords, our upcoming RTS castle sim! Today's video showcases of our first full mission taken from the Chinese portion of our main single-player campaign, featuring legendary figure Qin Shi Huang and infamous rebel warlord Lao Ai.

So sit back and relax as Lao Ai's fort is decimated by player-controlled warlord attacks, Hwachas, Fire Oxen, classic Catapults and more in a devastating display of gunpowder-fuelled destruction! Combining our first ever use of gunpowder in the Stronghold series with some incredible historic weaponry and the new warlords system, this new demo should give you a flavour of things to come.



The demo also features new production chains and economy mechanics unique to Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Japan and firsts for the Stronghold series as a whole. Adding a fresh layer of resource and management gameplay has been a core goal since the start of development. So expect even more sim gameplay in the final release, as we continue to blend our two beloved genres of real time strategy and simulation.

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeWC83jAJLk
It gives us great pleasure to reveal that our upcoming ‘castle sim’ Stronghold: Warlords will include a bonus economic campaign! Available at launch and featuring Warlord’s very own version of the Scribe, this six mission campaign will feature feudal events, weather and unique objectives.



Stronghold: Warlords will feature several single player game modes, with the main story split between our combat-heavy military campaign and the more city-builder focused bonus campaign. The full four-part historical military campaign will be set across ancient Vietnam, China, Japan and Mongolia, with players balancing between castle besieging and economic gameplay to succeed over 24 missions.



Alongside this there will be a new ‘Path of Peace’ bonus campaign centered around castle building, resource gathering and reacting to feudal events. With the ability to boost or crush a player’s popularity, events will change fortunes with the coming of monsoon rains, lightning storms, bandit attacks, wildfires, festivals, typhoons and more!



Players will have to make the most of Warlords’ new castle sim mechanics to battle against thinning food supplies, accidental gunpowder explosions, local bandits and revolt from their own peasants. Temples must be built to produce Spirit, Hovels created to house castle dwellers, farms to feed and tailors to clothe them. In addition players will be able to show their true colours with feudal entertainment and torture devices available to instill love or fear in the hearts of their subjects. If all else fails tax, torture or treat peasants to adjust their mood accordingly!

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DujbdkMBuUI
From the moment we deployed that very first Trebuchet nearly 20 years ago to today's rampaging Fire Ox in Stronghold: Warlords, our castle sim series has a long history of siege warfare. So assemble your Laddermen and load up your Catapults, because today we bring you our first episode in a brand new series called ‘The Siege Engines of Stronghold’. We're kicking things off with a mixture of classic fan favourite castle conquerors and brand new tower topplers, diving in with humble Laddermen, trusty Mantlets, classic Catapults and chaotic Fire Oxen!



Based on the historical sieges of ancient China, ranging from Tian Dan’s 3rd century BC assault on the city of Jimo through to the Siege of De’an in 1132 AD, the Fire Ox has an interesting history. With incendiary fabrics attached to its tail and spears at its side, this living weapon was an unexpected force to be reckoned with. Capable of decimating enemy siege lines before they knew what hit them, the Fire Ox was an unorthodox but effective tactical solution to a common siege scenario. Alongside series classics like the Mantlet, Laddermen and Catapult, the Fire Ox rounds out this first set of siege weapons to be revealed for the latest entry in our series.



Players will be able to use virtual gunpowder in their castle defences, economy buildings and siege weapons, which will all use this new resource type in different ways. Fire Oxen, Fire Lancers, gunpowder traps and more will build on the series’ love of fire to give players completely new options for blowing apart rival castles in story mode, skirmish or online against friends. As Nick announces in the video, this is merely the first of several episodes in our new Siege Engines mini-series. So make sure you Wishlist for future instalments covering the revered Trebuchet and more!

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3s4AkWnL7Y
Join the Stronghold Discord - https://discord.gg/u3ms8MK

Nearly in its 20th year, the Stronghold series has a few consistent staples we wouldn't dream of changing. One of these is a history of memorable songs and full soundtracks composed by Robert L. Euvino!

From fan favourite hits like 'Castle Jam' in Stronghold 1 to soulful desert ballads such as 'Breathe' from Stronghold Crusader 2, music has been a highlight of every Stronghold game to date. Fans have grown accustomed to besieging set to had hard hitting orchestral clashes and castle building to the tune of peaceful lutes and idyllic violins, so we're pleased to announce that Stronghold: Warlords will once again deliver. The game will feature an all-new soundtrack and return to the modular 'Oud' musical system from the original Stronghold Crusader, providing a more seamless musical experience during gameplay.



So rest easy as Rob will indeed be returning to score the landscapes of Warlords, with music suited to the many ways you'll be governing over your lands with military force and cunning diplomacy. To celebrate we have put together a collection of early ambient compositions that Rob has created for the game so far. These are intended as mood setters to give you a small taste of the instruments, influences and styles you will be hearing in the final soundtrack.

We'll have much more on the audio side later down the line for Warlords, with video deep dives into the creation of the sound effects and full soundtrack planned. For now please enjoy this early preview of the music of Warlords!

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