News Stronghold Warlords - announced for 2020

[prudis]

Besiege Great Khans, Imperial warlords and Shōgun commanders in Stronghold: Warlords, the latest in Firefly's classic 'castle sim' series. Command AI warlords across the battlefield as you build a castle economy and new gunpowder-fuelled siege engines!

For the first time ever Stronghold: Warlords allows you to recruit, upgrade and command AI lords across the battlefield in the form of in-game ‘Warlords’. Each warlord under your command boosts your strategic prowess with unique perks, characteristics and upgradeable abilities. Put them to work for your industry, fortifying borders, forging weapons or team up for a pincer attack! Each campaign mission, skirmish game and multiplayer battle means a fresh set of warlords to command and new strategic depth to discover.

The next chapter in Firefly Studios' real-time strategy series, Stronghold: Warlords is Firefly's first game to recreate the castle economies of the Far East. In Warlords you take command of Mongol hordes, imperial warriors and samurai clansmen as you lay siege to Japanese castles and fortified Chinese cities. Besiege historical warlords using new gunpowder-fuelled siege weapons, classic units and a completely new way to play Stronghold.

• CONQUER AND COMMAND WARLORDS across the battlefield unlocking more powerful castles, armies and abilities.
• RECRUIT NEW UNITS including imperial fire lancers, disciplined samurai, Mongolian bowmen and auxiliary laddermen.
• RELIVE HISTORICAL CAMPAIGNS from 3rd century BC China through to the rise of the Shogunate and coming of the Mongol Empire.
• RAZE YOUR ENEMIES with the arrival of gunpowder and new siege equipment such as the fire lance, siege tower and flaming ox!
• BECOME THE GREATEST LORD through fear or admiration using a range of medieval entertainment, taxation and torture.

 

[prudis]

 

[prudis]

In terms of features Stronghold: Warlords is being designed in many ways as a 'greatest hits' compilation. That said just because we're bringing back plenty of fan favourite units and options doesn't mean certain core Stronghold elements can't be improved upon. Today we delve into fan requested troop and wall changes that have been on our radar for some time now.

Returning to the classic 2D-style wall placement has been a goal of our 3D games for years now and with Warlords we feel closer than ever. Taking advantage of 3D to introduce proper unit displacement and collision has also been a goal for some time. Each of these improvements are coming in Stronghold: Warlords, along with a whole host of changes requested by the community.

 

[prudis]

 

[prudis]

 

[prudis]

 

[prudis]

It gives us great pleasure to reveal that our upcoming ‘castle sim’ Stronghold: Warlords will include a bonus economic campaign! Available at launch and featuring Warlord’s very own version of the Scribe, this six mission campaign will feature feudal events, weather and unique objectives.

Stronghold: Warlords will feature several single player game modes, with the main story split between our combat-heavy military campaign and the more city-builder focused bonus campaign. The full four-part historical military campaign will be set across ancient Vietnam, China, Japan and Mongolia, with players balancing between castle besieging and economic gameplay to succeed over 24 missions.

Alongside this there will be a new ‘Path of Peace’ bonus campaign centred around castle building, resource gathering and reacting to feudal events. With the ability to boost or crush a player’s popularity, events will change fortunes with the coming of monsoon rains, lightning storms, bandit attacks, wildfires, festivals, typhoons and more!

Players will have to make the most of Warlords’ new castle sim mechanics to battle against thinning food supplies, accidental gunpowder explosions, local bandits and revolt from their own peasants. Temples must be built to produce Spirit, Hovels created to house castle dwellers, farms to feed and tailors to clothe them. In addition players will be able to show their true colours with feudal entertainment and torture devices available to instill love or fear in the hearts of their subjects. If all else fails tax, torture or treat peasants to adjust their mood accordingly!

 

[prudis]

[UWSL]We're back with more raw gameplay of Stronghold: Warlords, our upcoming RTS castle sim! Today's video showcases of our first full mission taken from the Chinese portion of our main single-player campaign, featuring legendary figure Qin Shi Huang and infamous rebel warlord Lao Ai.[/UWSL]

[UWSL]This demo is intended as a vertical slice of the full game at its current stage of development. It includes some of our more recent additions including new units, siege weapons and warlord mechanics, in addition to an expanded castle economy.[/UWSL]

[UWSL]So sit back and relax as Lao Ai's fort is decimated by player-controlled warlord attacks, Hwachas, Fire Oxen, classic Catapults and more in a devastating display of gunpowder-fuelled destruction! Combining our first ever use of gunpowder in the Stronghold series with some incredible historic weaponry and the new warlords system, this new demo should give you a flavour of things to come.[/UWSL]

[UWSL]The demo also features new production chains and economy mechanics unique to Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Japan and firsts for the Stronghold series as a whole. Adding a fresh layer of resource and management gameplay has been a core goal since the start of development. So expect even more sim gameplay in the final release, as we continue to blend our two beloved genres of real time strategy and simulation.[/UWSL]