Stronghold Kingdoms News

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/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru6Qe76T3kE
We have just released our first post-launch Stronghold community Q&A, covering both Stronghold: Warlords and other past, present and future titles in the series. Today Nick runs a gauntlet of both our most common post-release questions and a series of dastardly challenges, posed by resident Firefly Videographer and celebrity chef Aaron Hayden. So if you've ever wanted to see us inhale a bowl of spicy noodles, draw fellow Firefly staff or impersonate classic Stronghold characters then boy we do have the video for you! As always please enjoy watching us embarrass ourselves while simultaneously answering your questions about the future of Firefly, Warlords and the Stronghold series.



Got a question not featured in today's post-release Q&A? Worry not! We've taken the liberty of including all other community questions (to which we currently have answers) in the video's description, to ensure no voice goes unheard. If you have further questions having watched today's video then please head over to the official Stronghold Discord, where developers and fellow players will be happy to discuss the series. You can also sign up to the Firefly Studios newsletter for the latest Stronghold news and inclusion in other initiatives such as player surveys, giveaways and beta invites.



We hope you enjoy this new Q&A as we look forward to the future of the Stronghold series. With version 1.3 releasing on Tuesday May 18th, adding new maps and improvements to the game, we're just getting started with Stronghold: Warlords. New AI, units, warlords, game features, single and multiplayer content are planned for introduction in a series of free updates in 2021 along with new DLC, starting with next week's 'The Art of War Campaign' which adds six missions and two new warlords to the base game.

Please stay tuned for updates to our content roadmap for Stronghold: Warlords in 2021, as well as updates on the Stronghold series as a whole. Thanks for playing!

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuvPMZGYt0I
Today Stronghold: Warlords gets its first major content release with the Sun Tzu v1.2 Update! Adding requested features such as a new AI opponent, AI invasions in Free Build mode, a new Free Build map, general fixes and AI improvements, this update is now available to all players.



The introduction of new AI is something we're excited about and we're kicking things off with none other than Sun Tzu. The master tactician was an easy choice for us post-launch and, coupled with recent improvements to the AI, one we're excited to put in the hands of players. Initial testing puts Sun Tzu at the higher end of the difficulty scale, particularly when combined with the newer Extreme difficulty option and other tweaks possible in skirmish mode. So when going up against this fiendish AI remember to move fast and seize control of the battlefield!



The AI focus continues this week with the much anticipated post-release addition of AI invasions in Free Build mode. Allowing players to launch enemy invasions of different shapes and sizes, as well as the difficulty of these attacks and other parameters, invasions open up Free Build mode to the more combat minded players out there. Now not only can you build to your heart's content in Free Build mode, but also use this time to prepare for war! Balance castle cosmetics with real world tactical considerations and crown yourself as the ultimate castle designer.



Today's new content update also brings the total number of maps in Warlords to 15 across Skirmish, Multiplayer and Free Build, with a further 300 user-created maps also available via Steam Workshop. In the past few weeks Warlords has gained a brand new map, a rework of an existing large map with increased build space and now a new Free Build map, the first of its type to feature warlords. This increase will continue into the upcoming version 1.3 and beyond, with v1.3 specifically set to include three new maps for use in skirmish mode and multiplayer.

Read The Full Patch Notes

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