Stronghold 3
Encyclopedia
Stronghold 3 is a 2011 real-time strategy
computer game
developed by Firefly Studios
and published by SouthPeak Games. The game is the seventh in the series after several spin-offs, a remake
and an MMORTS
. It is the sequel to Stronghold, released in 2001, and Stronghold 2
released in 2005. Unlike previous games in the series which were published by Take-Two Interactive
, the game has been published by SouthPeak Games, the new parent company of Gamecock Media Group
, publisher of Stronghold Crusader Extreme
.
The game engine utilises Havok physics, which influences the effectiveness of burning log traps and causes buildings and castle walls to crumble realistically. In addition the game engine features a new weather system and advanced lighting.
Buildings in Stronghold 3 are more dynamic than before, with the housing capacity and appearance of hovels changing the further they are built from the player's keep. Castle construction is no longer confined to a grid-based system.
A new fog-of-war mechanic was introduced for night-time game play, during which all areas outside of the immediate vicinity of the player's castle are hidden in darkness. Players are however able to use torch-holding peasants and other fire-based devices to explore the map at night. They can also illuminate specific areas by setting fire to watch towers.
The option for players to launch diseased cows from trebuchets has returned, in addition to smaller animals like pigs and sheep. A Facebook competition was run to let fans vote on the final animal ammunition type, with a sack of diseased badgers eventually making the cut.
The game currently lacks a Kingmaker or skirmish mode, as available in previous Stronghold titles. In a post on their website Firefly announced plans to add in "features that didn’t make it into the original release" as well as "new content and new features that we or you have thought of since release". Features added to the game since release include difficulty levels, the ability to change the game speed and a King of the Hill multiplayer mode.
. However, in 2010 the status of Dungeon Hero was uncertain after being delayed numerous times. In 2009 when asked if they had any other unannounced games in development other than Dungeon Hero and Stronghold Kingdoms, the answer was that they still had one more game in development. The game was further teased in 2009 when Firefly stated in their newsletter that they had "something very big in the pipeline" which would be revealed in 2010. This game would later turn out to be Stronghold 3.
The game was officially unveiled on May 14, 2010 with a teaser site. The Steam page for the game was later opened on March 18, 2011, which first stated the release date to be approximately the 21st of June 2011. Firefly then announced that the game will be delayed for another month until July 2011 in order to make refinements to the game. Eventually it was announced that the game would be delayed until late September 2011, after which a final release date of October 25th was announced. The game went gold on October 6th and was released on October 25th.
, "No matter which aspect of gameplay you look at, problems crop up in its implementation. Whether it’s the shallow, yet hard-to-manage economy or the fabulously broken pathfinding, the only difference between the systems is how poorly designed, infuriating, or merely boring they are." As such it has been recommended that players wait until the game has been patched to a more acceptable standard, or until there is a price drop. The game has undergone extensive patching since its release, with German website GameStar.de raising their review score to reflect the changes made.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
computer game
Personal computer game
A PC game, also known as a computer game, is a video game played on a personal computer, rather than on a video game console or arcade machine...
developed by Firefly Studios
Firefly Studios
Firefly Studios is a computer game developer that has offices in London, England and Canton, Connecticut, with a QA department in Aberdeen, Scotland. The Company was formed in August 1999 by Simon Bradbury, Eric Ouellette and David Lester who had worked together on numerous titles such as the...
and published by SouthPeak Games. The game is the seventh in the series after several spin-offs, a remake
Stronghold: Crusader Extreme
-Reception:The game's new features for the original Stronghold Crusader, including new characters, campaigns, and other features, were generally well-received by the public, but game critics criticized the game for difficulty, lack of new audio, and not having graphical quality up to par for a game...
and an MMORTS
Stronghold Kingdoms
Stronghold Kingdoms is a massively multi-player online real time strategy game with a Medieval castle building theme. It was developed by Firefly Studios and based upon their commercially successful and popular Stronghold series of games. Firefly Studios started development of Stronghold...
. It is the sequel to Stronghold, released in 2001, and Stronghold 2
Stronghold 2
Stronghold 2 is a real time strategy computer game released in April 2005 in which the player develops a stronghold in the middle ages. It is the sequel to Stronghold, released in 2001, also by Firefly Studios....
released in 2005. Unlike previous games in the series which were published by Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a major American publisher, developer, and distributor of video games and video game peripherals. Take-Two wholly owns 2K Games and Rockstar Games. The company's headquarters are in New York City, with international headquarters in Windsor, United Kingdom...
, the game has been published by SouthPeak Games, the new parent company of Gamecock Media Group
Gamecock Media Group
Gamecock Media Group was a video game publisher based in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2007 by video game industry veterans Mike Wilson, Harry Miller, and Rick Stults, original founders of Gathering of Developers. They used a more hands-off approach and allowed developers creative freedom with...
, publisher of Stronghold Crusader Extreme
Stronghold: Crusader Extreme
-Reception:The game's new features for the original Stronghold Crusader, including new characters, campaigns, and other features, were generally well-received by the public, but game critics criticized the game for difficulty, lack of new audio, and not having graphical quality up to par for a game...
.
Background
The original Stronghold told the story of The Boy and his quest for revenge against Duc de Puce (The Rat), Duc Beauregard (The Snake), Duc de Truffe (The Pig) and Duc Volpe (The Wolf) for the ambush and murder of his father. After the capture of the King abroad, enemy invasion, civil war and his father's ambush en route to negotiate a treaty with The Snake, The Boy was pushed back to a forest on an overlooked peninsula. It was here that he found a small band of troops still loyal to the King and, with the help of Lord Woolsack and Sir Longarm, began to take back the country county by county. Eventually The Boy confronted The Wolf in his tower, after an intense battle he impaled the enigmatic Wolf on his sword and threw him to what he thought was his death.Plot
Set 10 years later, Stronghold 3 follows the continuing story of The Boy. The Wolf, it seems, has cheated death and become bitter, twisted and psychotic during his painful recovery in the east. Now it is he who seeks revenge. By raiding towns and villages in the dead of night The Wolf has created a tide of panic, with The Boy and his allies the only force to stand against him.Features
Players are able to choose between two single-player campaigns. A story-driven military campaign that chronicles The Wolf's return through a series of traditional real-time strategy missions and a sim-based economic campaign that has the player focus almost entirely on village productivity and resource management. Both campaigns are fully narrated, telling their stories with a series of black and white graphical novel interludes. Players are also able to 'change history' by choosing whether to attack or defend a number of historical castles in the game's castle siege mode.The game engine utilises Havok physics, which influences the effectiveness of burning log traps and causes buildings and castle walls to crumble realistically. In addition the game engine features a new weather system and advanced lighting.
Buildings in Stronghold 3 are more dynamic than before, with the housing capacity and appearance of hovels changing the further they are built from the player's keep. Castle construction is no longer confined to a grid-based system.
A new fog-of-war mechanic was introduced for night-time game play, during which all areas outside of the immediate vicinity of the player's castle are hidden in darkness. Players are however able to use torch-holding peasants and other fire-based devices to explore the map at night. They can also illuminate specific areas by setting fire to watch towers.
The option for players to launch diseased cows from trebuchets has returned, in addition to smaller animals like pigs and sheep. A Facebook competition was run to let fans vote on the final animal ammunition type, with a sack of diseased badgers eventually making the cut.
The game currently lacks a Kingmaker or skirmish mode, as available in previous Stronghold titles. In a post on their website Firefly announced plans to add in "features that didn’t make it into the original release" as well as "new content and new features that we or you have thought of since release". Features added to the game since release include difficulty levels, the ability to change the game speed and a King of the Hill multiplayer mode.
Development
Firefly Studios had previously claimed in 2008 that they would be working on Stronghold 3 due to the high demand by fans, but only after the completion of Dungeon HeroDungeon Hero
Dungeon Hero was to have been a hack-and-slash role-playing video game developed by Firefly Studios and published by Gamecock Media Group. It had been in development for several years and had been scheduled to be released in 2009 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360...
. However, in 2010 the status of Dungeon Hero was uncertain after being delayed numerous times. In 2009 when asked if they had any other unannounced games in development other than Dungeon Hero and Stronghold Kingdoms, the answer was that they still had one more game in development. The game was further teased in 2009 when Firefly stated in their newsletter that they had "something very big in the pipeline" which would be revealed in 2010. This game would later turn out to be Stronghold 3.
The game was officially unveiled on May 14, 2010 with a teaser site. The Steam page for the game was later opened on March 18, 2011, which first stated the release date to be approximately the 21st of June 2011. Firefly then announced that the game will be delayed for another month until July 2011 in order to make refinements to the game. Eventually it was announced that the game would be delayed until late September 2011, after which a final release date of October 25th was announced. The game went gold on October 6th and was released on October 25th.
Reception
Since its release Stronghold 3 has received mixed to negative reviews. The majority of this negativity stems from the large amount of bugs that the game shipped with. Reviewers almost unanimously agreed that Stronghold 3 felt unfinished at launch, although many highlighted the potential for the game to be improved via patches. While some ultimately felt that Stronghold 3 was "a decent RTS with a few hiccups here and there that could easily be fixed with a patch or two", others believed that the game's problems were due to design choices that are unlikely to be patched out. To quote Game InformerGame Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
, "No matter which aspect of gameplay you look at, problems crop up in its implementation. Whether it’s the shallow, yet hard-to-manage economy or the fabulously broken pathfinding, the only difference between the systems is how poorly designed, infuriating, or merely boring they are." As such it has been recommended that players wait until the game has been patched to a more acceptable standard, or until there is a price drop. The game has undergone extensive patching since its release, with German website GameStar.de raising their review score to reflect the changes made.