Go Medieval with this return to a caslte-building RTS classic

It started with a 3D engine. Like most PC developers operating into the new century, Firefly Studios (known recently for Dungeon Hero which, sadly, has yet to see the light of day) had to find some way to compete in an ever changing industry. For the first couple of years, the faux '2.5D' was enough, but eventually developers had to wise up to fact that only full 3D was going to take PC gaming through to the next level. Stronghold, their flagship title released in 2001, was one of the last great 2D games in a world that was fast moving into the third dimension, and Stronghold 2 was the series' debut in 3D in 2005. According to the studio though, that's one of the areas where they went wrong.
 

Castle building is now more organic, in both looks and design

That's not to say Stronghold 2 was a rubbish game - in fact it did relatively ok according to the critics of the day and at worst divided the fanbase somewhat, but even Simon Bradbury, head of Firefly Studios, admitted that the team spent longer working on the technology than they did on the actual gameplay. It's refreshing to see such candidness from developers sometimes, and this open-handed, back to basics attitude permeates their latest sequel to the franchise, Stronghold 3.

First thing's first was a new 3D engine, but instead of worrying about re-making or updating the one they used for Stronghold 2, they've instead out-sourced to a third party. This is a trend you can see growing in the industry at the moment, where smaller developers, or developers who simply find it cheaper to out-source than develop in-house, will purchase engine licenses, the most popular at the moment being Unreal and CryEngine. Stronghold 3's new engine, not only does it bring the franchise into the modern era of graphics technology in glorious fashion, but it gives the concepts behind the games, such as base-building and siege pathing, a greater degree of flexibility complexity.

Firefly's main selling point with Stronghold 3 is the fact that it's going to be more like the first game. Even the story is a direct continuation, with an old enemy who you thought was dead returning with a thirst for vengeance and a new army. They've actually added a fully narrated military and economic campaign, which is a first, and they'll be re-using the darker, comic-book style they were going to use in Dungeon Hero. They've also stuck mainly to the gameplay features that made the first game, although they've taken the odd element from Stronghold 2. The Crime & Punishment system as it existed in the last game is completely stripped, with a far more simpler, basic system put in its place.
 

Well they said he changes when the sun goes down...

Without hands on time, it's hard to really appreciate what Firefly are trying to do with this game, although they tried their best to demo it for us. The new engine, which is not tile based, means that the actually castle-building segment is more natural and creative. Walls cans be curved, (we expect to see at least one penis shaped castle within a week of release) proper curtain walls can be created, you can work the terrain more etc... there's a whole host of tools and pieces you can use in the creation of your castle that we think will just help make the experience that much more polished.



Of course they'll be an online component as well, which will mainly revolve around 'Co-op', so several people can work together either to defend or attack a castle. They'll be leaderboards as well, naturally, but Firefly have taken this one step further too by designing a system that will allow for some localisation. So whilst you may be ranked 1000 in the world, you could be ranked 5th in your country, and then 1st in your local area or county. Not much of a change, but it's subtle little tweaks like this that help just make everything that much more engaging and relevant to the player.

Stronghold is a game of two halves of course, and castle-building is just one element. The other is sieges and combat. Again, not much has significantly changed - pathing has been improved so that it can keep up with the ever changing surroundings. The new engine has been utilised so that troops can be properly shot off walls. The traps and tricks you can use are back... night time sieges are also present, which includes a more realistic Fog of War system that has you using fire to see where the enemy might be coming from.
 

Hmm, you know I never asked about amphibious assaults

Die-hard Stronghold fans should be pleased by this back to basics approach with the third title. The same under-played humour - whether it's through the dialogue or things like catapulting animals at your foes - will be making a return as well. The original Stronghold games still sell even to this day, so this game should be a good launching platform for Firefly to go on to other projects. Stronghold 3 is due for an April 2011 release on Windows PC.

Most Anticipated Feature: The improved siege mechanics. We love a good siege.