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.
Casssie
21 days ago