Real Time Strategy, RTS for short are very close to my heart since I was a kid, whether it was from old games or new ones. There were many RTS games I played, and still do to this day such as: Age of Empires, Mount & Blade, Kenshi, Stronghold Franchise, ect...but none came closer to being attached to my heart like Stronghold Crusader HD.
Stronghold HD (the game before Stronghold Crusader HD) was an incredible beggining for the franchise, and when Stronghold Crusader HD came it had beaten the old Stronghold in every single possible way. From Gameplay, Graphics and Level design, OST, Expansion (Stronghold Crusader Extreme), NPCs, Missions and even in Community !
Level Design,
Stronghold Crusader HD has a lot of Levels, and every single one has a different design or got a catch/twist on it. There are different a lot of levels for every kind of match from two player level to a 8 players level, as said before every map has some kind of twist, whether it has lots of materials or has few materials like having few grass to build your farms or even having 0 grass to build farms so you gotta buy from the market, some others have every lord close to each other and the other way around, and also some maps would have oil and some not or others have swamps which makes you move slower. You can also use the terrain for your advantage, like putting bowsmen on top of them so they can snipe far enemies rather than being on the ground. The levels were incredibely made in this game.
NPCs,
NPCs in this game are so good and essential to have, otherwise the matches will be boring just like the other Stronghold games. NPCs in this game gives life to playing and doesn't get you bored or lonely, all having their own personality and lines. They tell you that they're going to attack you soon, they tell you that you're getting attacked, some of them congratulate you when you defeat their attacks others would cry or cuss you out, when you attack their buildings they either cry or get mad (they'll send troops to attack you, doesn't matter they cry or not). You can also an allied match, sometimes they demand goods, help or even asking you to attack enemy lords. Every lord has his own fighting style and defense style, some have strong defense and attack style, while others have weak defenses and attacks. I love it when Lords send you a message where they cry, it's really funny and doesn't get old.
Missions (Trials),
The Trials on Stronghold Crusader HD first trials are easy then one by one the difficulity gets harder and harder, so you'll have to do some tactics like sacrafice some of your workers and popularity in your kingdom so you can protect yourself from the attacks you get from enemy lords the moment you beggin in it. they're fun to do and challenge yourself, also helps you to find new tactics and strategies to use in your next trials that might help you. Totalling 75 trials and the difficulity too, is all worth it. I recommend new comers to play them all and not to chicken out of them.
OST,
I love the OST oh my god I love the OST oh my god I love the OST. Some OSTs make you feel like any time you're going to get attacked, other OSTs make you feel like you're on the top and the rest of the lords are weak, others makes you feel you're going to have a long match. OSTs in this game are very good no doubt about that.
Gameplay,
With the new arabian theme for Stronghold Crusader HD, firefly (studio maker) added new set of troops that are called arabian troops. I kid you not the Horse archers with the moving shields are easy win lmao. Any ways the gameplay differented a lot than what it was in Stronghold HD probably because of the vast of maps, new troops and also the new ai lords! but it's like any other RTS gameplay, so you won't have trouble playing it if you played other RTS games.
Expansion,
Stronghold Crusader Extreme is a nice addition to the game, it adds new gameplay mechanic, new levels and new trials. It's fun to play, but I don't see myself playing it that much since Stronghold Crusader HD is better for me personally.
Community,
The community is the reason that kept this game alive and where it is right now, they even made a tool (patch) that gave you some quality-of-life stuff, that we players wanted like changing colors of our kingdom, changing starting troops and other stuff. Even firefly studio made a steam post advertising the patch for celebrating the 20th anniversary of the game. Online is good too, most players are try hard that I played with and not newbies, which is really good.
Summary,
Stronghold Crusader HD is an old game that some people might say it's an "outdated" game, but I disagree with them. the replay ability that's in it is very good to have, also the Online is there to play against others. So, no Stronghold Crusader HD is still a good game, that you should try!
Stronghold HD (the game before Stronghold Crusader HD) was an incredible beggining for the franchise, and when Stronghold Crusader HD came it had beaten the old Stronghold in every single possible way. From Gameplay, Graphics and Level design, OST, Expansion (Stronghold Crusader Extreme), NPCs, Missions and even in Community !
Level Design,
Stronghold Crusader HD has a lot of Levels, and every single one has a different design or got a catch/twist on it. There are different a lot of levels for every kind of match from two player level to a 8 players level, as said before every map has some kind of twist, whether it has lots of materials or has few materials like having few grass to build your farms or even having 0 grass to build farms so you gotta buy from the market, some others have every lord close to each other and the other way around, and also some maps would have oil and some not or others have swamps which makes you move slower. You can also use the terrain for your advantage, like putting bowsmen on top of them so they can snipe far enemies rather than being on the ground. The levels were incredibely made in this game.
NPCs,
NPCs in this game are so good and essential to have, otherwise the matches will be boring just like the other Stronghold games. NPCs in this game gives life to playing and doesn't get you bored or lonely, all having their own personality and lines. They tell you that they're going to attack you soon, they tell you that you're getting attacked, some of them congratulate you when you defeat their attacks others would cry or cuss you out, when you attack their buildings they either cry or get mad (they'll send troops to attack you, doesn't matter they cry or not). You can also an allied match, sometimes they demand goods, help or even asking you to attack enemy lords. Every lord has his own fighting style and defense style, some have strong defense and attack style, while others have weak defenses and attacks. I love it when Lords send you a message where they cry, it's really funny and doesn't get old.
Missions (Trials),
The Trials on Stronghold Crusader HD first trials are easy then one by one the difficulity gets harder and harder, so you'll have to do some tactics like sacrafice some of your workers and popularity in your kingdom so you can protect yourself from the attacks you get from enemy lords the moment you beggin in it. they're fun to do and challenge yourself, also helps you to find new tactics and strategies to use in your next trials that might help you. Totalling 75 trials and the difficulity too, is all worth it. I recommend new comers to play them all and not to chicken out of them.
OST,
I love the OST oh my god I love the OST oh my god I love the OST. Some OSTs make you feel like any time you're going to get attacked, other OSTs make you feel like you're on the top and the rest of the lords are weak, others makes you feel you're going to have a long match. OSTs in this game are very good no doubt about that.
Gameplay,
With the new arabian theme for Stronghold Crusader HD, firefly (studio maker) added new set of troops that are called arabian troops. I kid you not the Horse archers with the moving shields are easy win lmao. Any ways the gameplay differented a lot than what it was in Stronghold HD probably because of the vast of maps, new troops and also the new ai lords! but it's like any other RTS gameplay, so you won't have trouble playing it if you played other RTS games.
Expansion,
Stronghold Crusader Extreme is a nice addition to the game, it adds new gameplay mechanic, new levels and new trials. It's fun to play, but I don't see myself playing it that much since Stronghold Crusader HD is better for me personally.
Community,
The community is the reason that kept this game alive and where it is right now, they even made a tool (patch) that gave you some quality-of-life stuff, that we players wanted like changing colors of our kingdom, changing starting troops and other stuff. Even firefly studio made a steam post advertising the patch for celebrating the 20th anniversary of the game. Online is good too, most players are try hard that I played with and not newbies, which is really good.
Summary,
Stronghold Crusader HD is an old game that some people might say it's an "outdated" game, but I disagree with them. the replay ability that's in it is very good to have, also the Online is there to play against others. So, no Stronghold Crusader HD is still a good game, that you should try!
Outdated? Yes. Fun? Yes.
Probably the only normal strategy game I've played back in the day. Feels good to come back, enjoyable but nothing what would get my interest back in it.
Probably the only normal strategy game I've played back in the day. Feels good to come back, enjoyable but nothing what would get my interest back in it.
i fucking hate this game so much
Immer noch eins der besten RTS Spiele auf dem Markt. Story ist gut gestaltet, vs KI ist gut umgesetzt und PvP über BattleEye funktioniert immer noch einwandfrei. Hab das Spiel in meiner Jugend zu tode gespielt und finde es immer noch so gut wie damals. 10/10 sehr empfehlenswert
Imagine, if you will, a real-time strategy game where buildings could be constructed instantly, and didn’t require the use of workers. How could the game even function? As soon as a wall would go down another could take its place, and with no workers to micromanage, even the least experienced player could create an unbreakable defense.
Well, as you probably predicted, Stronghold Crusader is exactly that game, but this odd design decision actually makes it uniquely fun. Just looking at the box could tell you that the goal was to create a siegecraft RTS, and instantaneous construction plays with other mechanics to achieve that in a pretty elegant way. For one, if enemies are too close to a building zone, nothing can be constructed. This prevents enemies from just hammering the walls at long range without putting their own units at risk, since it will take them so much time and ammo to break down structures which pop back up anyway. That in turn means that walls aren’t the best target, the farms outside would be the better choice. These farms can’t be enclosed within the keep because they need to be built in grasslands, which often aren’t enclosed within building range for walls. So, just through the basic mechanics, players are actually attacking each other in little sieges: surrounding a town with their artillery, destroying the farms outside, waiting for their advantage to grow, and establishing a beachhead near weak points during assaults. Meanwhile, the players under siege can lower the food ration for a penalty, which can hopefully buy enough time to build up a force and break the siege. Trebuchets and catapults can be destroyed easily, and breaking into a castle even with ladders, assassins, tunnels, and stones takes a lot of planning, so each commander has to be clever with their strategy.
When compared to something like StarCraft or Age of Empires, Stronghold Crusader is a very simple RTS, but the way its simplicity creates such a unique flavor is something that impresses me year after year. I always revisit it when I need to relax, since it’s so fun to play in the classic childhood way of setting up the most defensive base ever and holding out as long as possible, or seeing if you can beat an alliance of eight easy bots. It’s not the best for dedicated and focused play, thanks to the slow pace and propensity of the AI to bug out, but the relaxing blend of creative defense and methodical attack gives it a meditative quality. With the genre being in something of a drought, I would love to see people give this game a second look, and take inspiration on how there’s more to the genre than being competitive.
Well, as you probably predicted, Stronghold Crusader is exactly that game, but this odd design decision actually makes it uniquely fun. Just looking at the box could tell you that the goal was to create a siegecraft RTS, and instantaneous construction plays with other mechanics to achieve that in a pretty elegant way. For one, if enemies are too close to a building zone, nothing can be constructed. This prevents enemies from just hammering the walls at long range without putting their own units at risk, since it will take them so much time and ammo to break down structures which pop back up anyway. That in turn means that walls aren’t the best target, the farms outside would be the better choice. These farms can’t be enclosed within the keep because they need to be built in grasslands, which often aren’t enclosed within building range for walls. So, just through the basic mechanics, players are actually attacking each other in little sieges: surrounding a town with their artillery, destroying the farms outside, waiting for their advantage to grow, and establishing a beachhead near weak points during assaults. Meanwhile, the players under siege can lower the food ration for a penalty, which can hopefully buy enough time to build up a force and break the siege. Trebuchets and catapults can be destroyed easily, and breaking into a castle even with ladders, assassins, tunnels, and stones takes a lot of planning, so each commander has to be clever with their strategy.
When compared to something like StarCraft or Age of Empires, Stronghold Crusader is a very simple RTS, but the way its simplicity creates such a unique flavor is something that impresses me year after year. I always revisit it when I need to relax, since it’s so fun to play in the classic childhood way of setting up the most defensive base ever and holding out as long as possible, or seeing if you can beat an alliance of eight easy bots. It’s not the best for dedicated and focused play, thanks to the slow pace and propensity of the AI to bug out, but the relaxing blend of creative defense and methodical attack gives it a meditative quality. With the genre being in something of a drought, I would love to see people give this game a second look, and take inspiration on how there’s more to the genre than being competitive.
𝓶𝔂 𝓵𝓲𝓮𝓰𝓮
they got dancing bear in this game
my liege
79/100