Stronghold Kingdoms News

A new series of videos now available on the Firefly Studios YouTube channel, The Lore of Stronghold covers your favourite characters from the original castle sim and its sequels!



Revisiting our core narrative to piece together key events and flesh out these beloved figures, this new series offers Stronghold veterans a deep dive into the history of our central cast. Over the years these larger than life figures have shaped the narrative of our castle sim and we're excited to explore four of them in our first season of this new video series.



Through the deeds and dealings of series staples, starting with the original Stronghold, we examine the lore that forms the basis of our overarching story. Memorable characters are what make these games a captivating setting for castle building and besieging, so join us as we immerse ourselves in the Stronghold universe!



From The Rat, a detestable man as inept as he is infuriating, and The Snake, a cold-blooded conniver hiding behind a literal wall of gems and jewels, all the way to The Pig, a cruel man with a similarly cruel past who brute-forces his way from gutter to Dukedom and The Wolf, the most malicious Lord in Stronghold, your ultimate adversary as a player and mysterious invader of England.



Using a combination of the original game scripts, Stronghold gameplay, concept art and historical reenactments, we chronicle the interconnected events that lay the foundation for the heroes and villains of the series. With full cinematic summaries for players who have never played a Stronghold title in their life and never-before-seen details for those of you looking to start your umpteenth playthrough, there’s something for everyone to enjoy in Season 1 of The Lore of Stronghold!

The Lore of Stronghold (Season 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq4oDwUTJBU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ8MeYKzcH8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPZ-x_5gpL8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MDf3CoLlGc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCA81WbtsiM
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! Today we proudly announce that Romans: Age of Caesar is out now and free to play on Steam!

A brand new co-op city builder from a team of veteran Caesar developers, Romans: Age of Caesar is the latest historical strategy game from our team here at Firefly Studios. Players must rebuild the once great empire as they share resources, re-establish trade routes and protect their cities from barbarian invasion. Experience classic city builder gameplay across a sprawling online empire as you build, trade and fight alongside fellow players in a shared open world. Revive the republic and restore the Roman Empire to its former glory!



In our last Romans video we discussed what made the empire such a compelling setting for videogames and entertainment in the centuries following its collapse. To further discuss exactly what makes this setting and our new historical MMORTS special, we have none other than Firefly Studios co-founder Simon Bradbury, creator of Stronghold and former designer on the Caesar series!

Assembling each ancient city state from its early foundations into a flourishing beacon of civilization will be a puzzle to solve. From its architectural layout and strategic defences to your economic establishments and cultural backbone, it takes serious effort to rebuild Rome... Which is why you’ll be doing it alongside 15 other Governors! Pool responsibilities and resources to advance your shared city and then expand your influence over thousands of other players across the empire.



This cooperative gameplay extends to the wider region, with countless other player cities led by their own ruling Governors. This can take the form of negotiating trading routes, exchanging supplies, developing new goods, combating barbarian hordes and extending the frontiers. Eventually with a network of cities established you will form a new Roman Empire, a commonwealth of a size and scope the world has never witnessed!



Within this network of factions vying for supremacy there is the grand Roman Senate, a political endgame that will decimate all but the most shrewd power brokers. The road will be long, but the rewards are more than plentiful for those deemed worthy of them. Be crowned as Caesar himself and have your name echoed throughout the ages.

Nevertheless talking can only do so much and it didn't work out too well for Caesar... So why not explore our new, expanded empire map for yourself by playing Romans: Age of Caesar now on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/872570/Romans_Age_of_Caesar/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5lU75Kc_F4
As we approach the Steam launch of our upcoming online co-op city builder Romans: Age of Caesar on April 27th, we wanted to discuss ancient Rome and its collective hold on us as developers. Through its influence across law, architecture, trade, military tactics, art and craftsmanship, Rome well and truly has its hold on us here at Firefly as we approach release.



Today we're incredibly excited to talk about why the Eternal City and the empire that blossomed from its industrious seed came to be the setting for our latest and most ambitious online game yet. Gaming is unique in its capacity to allows players to actively engage with historical settings, making your experience far more personal as a result of being active participants, instead of just passive observers. With Romans: Age of Caesar we can't wait to see how players' political ambitions, city builder expertise and tactical military might plays out across our constantly growing empire map.



While every genre chooses different dimensions of this great civilization to examine, in Romans we’re particularly interested in bringing to life architectural, economic and political planning needed to transform a city on the southern Italian peninsula into an continent-spanning empire that lasted for centuries through natural disasters, civil wars, barbarian invasions and power-hungry tyrants.



So join us as we examine the many advances in our ability to recreate ancient Rome, in everything from music and design to visual art and gameplay. Then prepare for our latest release, which promises to build upon the classic city-building heritage that Firefly Studios is known for in an entirely new online world.

Stay tuned for more upcoming information about Romans, the Stronghold series and future of Firefly Studios. For now we can’t wait for you to get your hands on Romans: Age of Caesar for free on Steam on April 27th!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/872570/Romans_Age_of_Caesar/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRNspYlaZu0

It brings us great pleasure to announce that we have just launched our open beta for Romans: Age of Caesar! With Romans' first gameplay trailer also being released, its full speed ahead for our new co-op strategy MMO as we begin the march toward a full Steam launch in 2022.



From the minds of former Impressions Games developers Simon Bradbury, Eric Ouellette and Darrin Horbal comes Romans: Age of Caesar, the latest historical strategy game from the folks here at Firefly Studios. Romans sees city states of up to 16 players rebuilding the empire as they share resources, re-establish trade routes and protect allied cities from barbarian invasion. Classic city builder gameplay is taken online across the Roman Empire as players build, trade and fight alongside fellow would-be senators in a shared open world.



Featuring 16 players per city and thousands more active across the empire, players must cooperate in order to rebuild Rome. Beyond their district lies an expansive empire map, where you can build new settlements, discover resources and team up with otherwise rival city states. Sharpen those legions and engage in tactical combat to push back barbarian frontiers in PvE or engage in political warfare, forging alliances to claim glory in epic PvP battles. Battle or build alongside fellow players, defeating common threats and building the prosperity of each shared city.



While the ultimate goal is to be crowned Caesar, players must first work their way up through the senate before reaching the political endgame. Earning the confidence of their political allies and either rising with them through the chambers or betraying them at the opportune moment. Manoeuvre between different loyalties, positions and gods, to remain politically nimble and succeed in the final quest for power. Dare to become emperor and have your name known across the empire.



Scheduled for release on Steam in 2022, Romans: Age of Caesar is now in open beta, with players able to sign up and play the game for free via the official website. Those waiting for the full Steam launch next year can also wishlist the game via the link below.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/872570/Romans_Age_of_Caesar/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWki5r4ohZs
We have now released version 1.4 of Stronghold: Warlords on Steam! The Skirmish Trail Update introduces Warlords' first ‘skirmish trail’, a series of challenging missions with unique conditions to overcome and achieve victory. Other features added in the update include a new mounted soldier, two additional AI warlords, the return of a popular building for healing units and two extra multiplayer maps.



A classic mode introduced in the original Stronghold: Crusader, skirmish trails invite experienced players to display their mastery over Stronghold’s economic gameplay and RTS combat. Each trail mission pits player lords against a unique combination of AI opponents, recruitable warlords, resources, starting goods and teammates across a combination of new and existing maps. Choosing between ‘Standard’ and ‘Challenging’ difficulties, the classic ‘Chicken’ feature can also be used to skip missions players find too difficult.



The mounted Samurai Lancer marks Warlords’ first post-release unit, boosting the game’s launch roster of 16 soldiers and 10 siege weapons. With the ability to buff attack damage for all nearby mounted allies, the Samurai Lancer is a powerful new Japanese unit type. Armed with a piercing lance and clad in samurai armour, the Lancers are based on the Onna-musha female warriors of pre-modern Japan. Highly-skilled horsewomen as fast as Auxiliary Cavalry, but with an attacking strength comparable to their Imperial brethren, the Samurai Lancer provides support for other mounted units while also packing a punch of their own.



A common request pre-release and one built into Warlords’ content roadmap from an early stage, the ability to heal units is now available in the new Field Hospital structure. A unique building that can be placed by any Beetle Warlord under your control, the Field Hospital heals all allied troops standing within its area of effect. Upgrading the Beetle Warlord will also increase the amount of healing given to troops over time, making this Edict even more effective at protecting defensive troops or those stationed in preparation for a siege.



The Beetle and Bear Warlords are the first of several new warlords being added to the game in 2021. In addition to the aforementioned Field Hospital, the Beetle Warlord is a master of defence, giving players access to cheaper castle traps and shipments of armour. The Bear Warlord meanwhile is all about strength in numbers, improving the buff radius of Imperial Bannermen and making Imperial troops more affordable. The Bear is also effective for feeding your population and can even launch siege attacks of his own!



Finally both the Ascendance and Guarded Crossings maps are now available for use in skirmish mode and online multiplayer. Ascendance is a large four player map that proves some lords are more equal than others, giving each a chance to secure the high ground and claim victory. Meanwhile Guarded Crossings sees the northern player benefit from a large build area, but without access to the valuable warlords their rivals will be hotly contesting.



While the release of the Skirmish Trail Update and version 1.4 brings us to the end of our initial spring/summer content roadmap, rest assured more updates are on the way! This will begin with the reveal of our summer/autumn roadmap, with full details on that arriving next month. So if you're hungry for more Stronghold: Warlords content be sure to keep an eye on our official Discord server and YouTube channel for the latest updates.

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