It’s been quite a wait for fans of the medieval castle-building series, but Stronghold Crusader 2 is on its way this Summer. The latest trailer from Firefly Studios, first shown at indie con Rezzed, shows off the new Skirmish Mode and newly confirmed hero Saladin.
In an accompanying developer post on the Firefly website, the team revealed more information about Skirmish Mode.
“We wanted to create a trailer that sends out a clear message: Crusader 2 will feature a full skirmish mode at launch. This includes eight AI characters and the ability to take your castle siege online, which extends to eight players and the option to play in teams or co-op.”
“Skirmish mode will be included in the game at launch alongside two single player campaigns, one from each side of the conflict between the invading Crusader hordes and Arabic freedom fighters. While the single player campaigns are very much designed to teach players the basics before taking their fight online, the Crusader 1 style skirmish trails will also make a return.”
The post also detailed the personality and AI tactics of Saladin, the game’s interpretation of the famous Arabic hero who defied the European Crusaders to protect his homeland.
“Our new AI character reveal should also make Crusader 1 fans very happy! Saladin is a classic character returning from the original game, who led his armies against Richard the Lionheart in the Third Crusade. He is at his core a kind hearted person, but on the battlefield he is a fierce warrior fighting for the freedom of his people. As an AI opponent Saladin likes to attack early on in skirmish matches, harassing the player with hordes of Horse Archers and setting fire to your buildings with torch-wielding Slaves. In the final game each AI character will have his or her own unique castle design, troop preferences, tactics and difficulty level.”
