Stronghold Crusader

Stronghold Crusader
Studio	Firefly Studios
Publisher	Take 2 Interactive Gathering of Developers
Senior Developer	Simon Bradbury
Erstveröffent- lichung	September 18, 2002
platform	Windows
genre	Real-time strategy
Game mode	Single player , multiplayer
control	Keyboard , mouse
system advantages preconditions	Windows 95 or newer Pentium II 300 MHz 64 MB RAM 8x CD-ROM drive
medium	1 CD-ROM , download
language	German
Current version	1.4 (HD)
Age rating	USK PEGI

Stronghold Crusader is the sequel or the independent add-on to the medieval strategy game Stronghold , which was released in September 2002 and takes the player back to the time of the Crusades . In addition to this, it is one of the classics of the series .

action

There are several small plots in Stronghold Crusader . On the one hand the four partly historical campaigns in which the player fights as a European prince in medieval crusades. On the other hand, the game contains two crusade marches, which together consist of around 80 individual missions. In the crusade marches, the player assumes the identity of an Arab or European prince. In the respective missions, both Arab and European opponents, as well as opponents known from the first part, compete.

Gameplay

Differences from Stronghold

The game principle and structure largely correspond to Stronghold . In Stronghold Crusader you can choose whether to play a European crusader or an Arab prince in the Orient . Despite their different origins, both types of rulers can recruit the well-known (European) units as well as the newly added Arab mercenaries, creating mixed armies. Since Crusader , unlike its predecessor, plays in the desert , walls, buildings and the underground no longer have the familiar "stone gray" color, but a very light brown tone that is supposed to convey the desert atmosphere better. For defense, Crusader offers stone walls and watchtowers . The wooden walls known from the predecessor have been removed, which makes the player more dependent on stone mining. An expansion in terms of siege are fireball lists, which can shoot burning arrows at units and buildings. The latter catch fire, which spreads quickly if several buildings are built close together. The player's tasks include building a village, protecting it, feeding the population (the catering buildings can only be placed on locally limited oases ) and always paying attention to the regent's popularity - as known from the predecessor. In addition to the four characters from the predecessor, there are three other Arab princes: a sultan , a caliph and Saladin , and you can also play against Richard the Lionheart .

The biggest technical difference to Stronghold is that opponents and allies place their castles on the same map and enemy units are no longer spawned by signposts . In multiplayer games, but also in campaigns, the game should provide more balanced opportunities. There is also an offline skirmish mode.

Military units

With Stronghold Crusader various new Arab mercenary units are added. They cost a certain amount of money, but unlike European units, they do not require weapons made by themselves. Some of them are intended as an alternative to the respective European units. Others, however, are completely new.

Development history

Almost a year after its predecessor, Crusader was released on September 18, 2002 by Firefly Studios. This was followed by patch 1.1, which delivered bug fixes, balancing adjustments and smaller functions such as fighting dogs that break out automatically or direct action in the supply warehouse, and an expansion of the game scope through Stronghold Warchest. At the end of 2012, patch 1.3 was released, which updated Crusader to a more contemporary HD graphics. In July 2017, the patch 1.4 was released, which contains bug fixes and allows further higher resolutions to be selected.

In 2008, Stronghold Crusader Extreme , a modified and revised version of the game, was released.

Modifications

It is possible for the player to create AI characters himself, but they take the place of another AI and thus replace it. It is also possible, for example, to change the castles of the respective AIs or to create new ones.

reception

Stronghold Crusader received praise from the trade press and fan base for its adapted playing cards, oriental music and authentic desert atmosphere. ( Metacritic : 78 out of 100). Since at the time of publication there was the assumption that it was a full-fledged sequel, the predecessor criticized the unchanged gameplay.

• PC Games : 85% (October 21, 2002)
• GameStar : 80% (September 18, 2002)

Web links

• Official website for Stronghold, Stronghold 2 and Stronghold Crusader
• Stronghold Crusader at MobyGames (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Stronghold Crusader Extreme on spieletipps.de.Retrieved July 28, 2012.
2. ↑ Article on gamestar.de.Retrieved on July 18, 2012.
3. ↑ Arab units stronghold-pedia.wikia.com Accessed July 18, 2012 found.
4. ↑ Info on Patch 1.1 on shacknews.com (English). Retrieved August 27, 2012.
5. ↑ Info on patch 1.3 on gamona.de.Retrieved on November 5, 2012.
6. ↑ New Patch. July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017 . 
7. ↑ Metacritic : Average rating (English), based on 14 articles. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
8. ↑ Review on 4players.de.Retrieved on July 26, 2012.
9. ↑ Reviews on computerbild.de.Retrieved on July 12, 2012.