FireFly Studios' Stronghold 2

aka: FireFly Studios' Stronghold 2 Deluxe, Stronghold 2, Twierdza 2, Twierdza 2 Deluxe
Moby ID: 17825
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Description official descriptions

The sequel to FireFly Studios' Stronghold is a castle building and management sim which offers 3D graphics and many new gameplay elements. It retains the mix of a construction/management game with real-time strategic combat in which the player either lays siege to his opponents or defends his castle against them.

The campaign is again divided in two parts: the more peaceful part in which management is the primary concern of the player, and the military campaign in which the player fights to restore order to the troubled kingdom of England. However, there is some limited fighting in the peaceful campaign (mostly beasts and bandits) and the player must definitely know how to build a good economy to support his army in the military campaign.

New mechanics include the crime and punishment system, the honour "currency" which is gained by higher-tier kingdom activities such as organizing feasts (for which special food types are required) and jousting tournaments, waste management and pest extermination. Castle fortification options are now expanded with various traps.

The game also offers the Kingmaker mode, free form play, multiplayer/skirmish and others. There are also many pre-made historical castles which the player can either besiege or defend.

The Deluxe edition refers to the DVD re-release with patch 1.3.1 streamlined into the installer, which includes:

  • A new game mode in which the player takes part in a crusade through Europe, where he has to conquer and defend historically correct replicas of famous castles.
  • Additions to the Kingmaker and multiplayer modes:
    • 3 new AI-enemies called The Queen, The Pontifex and Sir Grey
    • Two new world maps: Korea and Europe
    • Two new scenery maps: "To the Sea" and "Three Bridges"
    • 7 new historical castles: Windsor, Edinburgh, Haut-Koenigsburg, Tower of London, Burg Fougeres, Harlech and Heuneburg

Spellings

  • 要塞2 - Simplified Chinese spelling

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Credits (Windows version)

210 People (203 developers, 7 thanks) · View all

Game Design
Executive Producer
Associate Producer
AI Programming
Movement & routing Programming
Engine Programming
Graphics Programming
Editor & Cut scene Programming
Shader Programming
UI Programming
Multiplayer Programming
Additional Game Programming
Mini game Programming
Lead Artist
Artists
Sound design and original score composed by
Quality Assurance Manager
Firefly Testing
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 68% (based on 26 ratings)

Players

Average score: 2.9 out of 5 (based on 10 ratings with 1 reviews)

So close to being impressive...

The Good
Let's Talk Game play : The length of the first few missions felt appropriate, there was definite pressure to do things in a timely fashion. I liked dealing with the peasantry and the interface for the town.

Let's Talk Graphics: For the time, the graphics are fine. The FMV's are well done and set the mood well. The buildings are recognizable without being bland. Animations are smooth (see graphics in negative section).

Let's Talk Sound: The voices are well done - not pitch perfect cockney accent's, but well spoken and clear. Good narration.

Final Points: I paid $20 for this game, and the initial 30 hours or so was fun. This is usually what a game offers us.

The Bad
Let's Talk Game play: The difficulty curve is steep, it seems to double on one mission and just keep climbing. The need to balance military and economics makes this feel like 'Stalin's Dilemma' (look it up). Soldiers also have no sense of 'personal space', if you want your archers to form efficient formations you are going to spend a lot of time individually ordering them to a spot.

Let's Talk Graphics: No clipping, look at the screenshots - that is very disconcerting. When your avatar overlaps some enemies and you're staring at a strange Vishnu like being with flailing arms... That's not exciting.

Let's Talk Sound: As with any strategy game, the answering calls of troops quickly becomes grating. In particular here the gushing “Your royal archers!” will have you grimacing the first time and swearing the fiftieth.

Final Points: I paid $20 for this game, and I was very let down after the 30 hour mark. The troops don't seem to work well together, it doesn't feel well thought out. I'm sure they put a lot of love into this game, but they missed the mark with me.

The Bottom Line
Stronghold 2 does a very fine job of atmosphere, from the voices to the peasants mumblings to the simple and comprehensive industry that takes place in your castle/stronghold. In some missions there are Monastery’s outside that produce warrior monks, and other nice medieval touches. They certainly did their research into period, they just don’t seem to have given the engine the polish that I am accustomed to.

Your Avatar (always in full plate - whether attending church, going for a stroll, etc) makes the game fun. You can slay a goodly number of men in single-combat, but not so many that it feels unrealistic.

Building also feels well executed, the 'placement' mats for buildings and walls (especially after patching, where you can build extended walls instead of single sections) work well.

If you are truly a strategy nut, you might like this game. My biggest qualm is that the economy and military aspects don't mesh well. I had fun playing 'village' with the peasants, but the invaders and rival castles are off-putting, your main distraction will always be industry rather than warfare. A little like playing Civilization where you are trying to achieve literacy and industry and a computer player keeps sending Dragoons at you every two minutes or so.

Windows · by Kyle Levesque (904) · 2010

Trivia

Awards

  • PC Powerplay (Germany)
    • Issue 02/2006 - Most Sophisticated Patch in 2005 (because it was included as extra CD in the game box)

Online servers

The game's online servers which were hosted on GameSpy were scheduled to shut down on 31 May 2014 in the wake of GameSpy's total closure.

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Related Games

FireFly Studios' Stronghold Deluxe
Released 2002 on Windows, 2012 on Macintosh
FireFly Studios' Stronghold
Released 2001 on Windows, 2002 on Macintosh
FireFly Studios' Stronghold Crusader
Released 2002 on Windows
FireFly Studios' Stronghold 3
Released 2011 on Windows, 2012 on Macintosh
FireFly Studios' Stronghold Warchest
Released 2003 on Windows
Stronghold Crusader II
Released 2014 on Windows
Stronghold Crusader Extreme
Released 2008 on Windows, 2012 on Macintosh

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  • MobyGames ID: 17825
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Silverblade.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, Jeanne, Kola256, Patrick Bregger, Karsa Orlong, Plok.

Game added May 24, 2005. Last modified March 6, 2024.