Introduction

The original Stronghold was an ambitious release. It aimed to satisfy fans who considered themselves medieval RTS empire builders, and gamers who fancied themselves amateur military architects. While attempting to cater to these two audiences, the creators of Stronghold also managed to throw in some great flashes of Monty Python-style humor. For the most part, this combination of medieval construction and combat was very successful, and resulted in the release of Stronghold: Crusader, which shifted the game’s geographic venue from Western Europe to the Middle East, and unleashed an updated menu of units for the aspiring medievalist to wreak havoc. Added to the newer unit choices was a Middle Eastern themed building set, much to the delight of many wannabe Saladins. However, all was not perfect. 

Although successful in many regards, the Stronghold series did suffer from some less-than-fantastic AI and a bit of a “creative” view of reality. The number of Stronghold players who can tell stories of pikemen tearing down a castle keep with their weapons, or of intricately placed fortress walls leaving just enough space for a column of knights to pour through, are a bit too numerous to have Firefly resting comfortably on their laurels. So will Stronghold 2 keep what was great about the first installments and address the negatives, or will it just be Stronghold 2: Strongholder?

New Units, Graphics, Gameplay

 I recently met with Simon Bradbury and Eric Ouellette of Firefly Studios, and Jason Bergman and Matt Schlosberg of Take Two Interactive. In the course of our meeting I discovered a team hard at work. The demo which Simon led me through was still in its pre-alpha stage, but it did showcase Firefly’s new proprietary 3D engine. I saw lush green forests that swayed in the breeze, dark gray storm clouds that bloomed around bolts of lightning, and bodies of water which looked good enough to drink from. 

Within this flashy rendered world, medieval units of all types were exhibited going through their daily routines, the same way they did in the earlier installments of the series. Bakers baked bread, thieves hid around corners, guards watched the horizon, priests comforted their flocks, and the lord, well, lorded over it all. Beyond the familiar units of the original game new unit types quietly but convincingly made their on-screen appearance as well. Dung-collectors went about their miserable but very necessary work, apothecaries produced needed medicines, and bulky, hood-clad enforcers used a variety of frightening looking torture devices on ostensibly deserving criminals. 

All of these units (and Simon promised a good deal of newer ones that have not yet been completed) were expertly animated. Their motions, while a bit over-the-top, were fun to watch. The 3D engine did a great job of making the world appear inviting. And while I only had a glimpse at the featured military units, I can only expect great things from the engine when it is applied to rendering footmen, cavaliers, and assassins, as well as about a dozen types of siege weapons. 

The true visual star of Stronghold 2, of course, beyond the character models, weather effects, weapons, and the natural environments, are the castles and fortresses that the player will construct. Again, the new engine delivers, as does the in-game camera. The player can view constructions with almost total freedom of movement, a far cry from the traditional top down, ¾-view of the first two Stronghold installments. Spindly towers and menacing keeps look truly spindly and menacing, with detailed stonework and crenelations. And while the facades of the two castles I was privy to see looked great, the new cut-away feature was the most interesting.

When the player moves the cursor over a structure, one of the walls disappears and the interior goings-on are revealed. Whether the scene is inside a church, a kitchen, or the lord’s bedroom, the player gets to view all corners of the community as it grows, which is a nice level of detail that brings insight into the daily lives of these virtual medieval citizens. This system of peeking into structures was especially fun to watch during combat, as swordsmen poured into a contested tower and parried up and down its stone spiral staircase, struggling for control. If you are old enough (or rent old vidoes), think back to the swordfights between Robin Hood and castle guards in Cinemaware’s Defender of the Crown, update it using 21st century technology, and you’ll have an idea of how these melees look. During massive sieges, this new feature of Stronghold 2 has the potential to present the player with some truly dramatic gameplay.