Stronghold 3

[Thagarr]

Now this looks like my kind of game! I have been waiting on this one for a while, I loved the first Stronghold, though it was lacking in a couple of areas, it was a very good game! Stronghold Crusader was OK, but still lacking something. Stronghold 2 on the other hand was complete garbage in my opinion, a real disappointment. From everything I have read about this one though, they are going back to what made the original Stronghold a good game and improving on it. Firefly had released a couple of concept art preview trailers last year, but finally we have a trailer with some actual gameplay footage and it looks fantastic! I wish they showed a bit more gameplay, but at least it is much better than the concept art trailer. I am really looking forward to this one! It was originally scheduled to come out this summer, but it has been pushed back to sometime in the fall.

 

[modernknight1]

I also have been waiting for this one Thagarr. I also completely agree on your assessment of the existing offerings. The biggest problem for me with these games was that they were way too claustrophobic and compartmentalized - always the size of the sandbox being WAY too small. If the playbox is even 4 times larger than the size it was in Crusader, then that would be a great improvement. If its 10 times larger+.... I will be elated!

MK

 

[Thagarr]

I agree mate, there was just not much room to really build anything! And once you got the basic formula for building down, it was a lot of just lather, rinse, repeat. There were some very cool elements that I really liked, but they were just not utilized to the fullest extent they could have been. The one thing that was really lacking though was the AI, the AI was so bad that they didn't even bother trying to set computer controlled opponents other than what was scripted in the game.

That was one of the things that I loved about Age of Empires, and one of the reasons why I still occasionally play the game today. The default AI that came with the game was easily beatable once you mastered the basics of the game. But some of the community modded AI scripts were just fantastic! I played a handful that I would have swore were actually being controled by another human player, they were that well written. Last year when news broke about a new AOE game I thought maybe Microsoft had finally got a clue and they were going to redo the game. Sadly that was not the case, just another cartoony MMO!

Another good one I liked was called Kohan : Immortal Sovereigns, that was a very well written game as well. The AI in that one was really quite well done. I wasn't to thrilled about the fantasy/magic/undead theme though.

 

[Thagarr]

I have never really been a big fan of Steam, although they have gotten better over the last year or so, but I may just have to jump on this. I already have the original, but the exclusive level might be well worth it!

GRAPEVINE, TX – JULY 26TH - 7sixty and Firefly Studios today announced anyone who pre-orders upcoming castle building sim Stronghold 3 ™ from Steam will receive the original award-winning Stronghold for free. That’s right, you can get the incredibly addictive game that started it all for nothing... zip... na-da... gratis! What’s more – as if that wasn’t already good enough – anyone who pre-orders from Steam get the exclusive Tower of London stage, which is playable in Stronghold 3.

"We're pleased to be working with 7sixty on its first digital release for Steam and look forward to a good relationship," said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve. "Offering the original Stronghold, along with the exclusive Tower of London map, for those who pre-order is a fantastic incentive and offers fans - both old and new - great value for money. We're also pleased to be supporting the game with Steamworks, which will power the great new multiplayer features in Stronghold 3 that make it easier than ever to conquer the castles of your friends."

Full press release HERE!

 

[Thagarr]

Hmmm ...Maybe I should go for Edinburgh Castle instead!

GRAPEVINE, TX – July 29th – 7sixty and Firefly Studios have a weetreat in store for canny[ii] PC owners that download the highly-anticipated castle-building game Stronghold 3™ from GameFly’s Direct2Drive.com. Only a foolish knave wouldnae[iii] want to pre-order to make sure they get Scotland's Edinburgh Castle as an exclusive single-player level, along with a free download of the original Stronghold. You ken[iv] it makes sense. Ahem...before we irritate everyone in Scotland, we’ll stop with the Scottish slang.

Starting today anyone who pre-orders Stronghold 3 from GameFly’s Direct2Drive will receive an exclusive single-player level based around a historically accurate recreation of Edinburgh castle, as it was during the medieval period. Players can choose whether to attack or defend the famous location – which stands upon an extinct volcano in the center of the city – before heading online to compare their performances in the brand new leader boards.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with 7sixty to offer consumers at GameFly’s Direct2Drive an exclusive castle to explore,” said Sean Spector, GameFly co-founder and SVP of Business Development and Content. “The additional level is a great value-add as it’s not available anywhere else, it expands the single-player experience, and offers players the opportunity to become king of that castle in the online high score tables.”

Customers who pre-order will also receive a free copy of Stronghold, the hugely popular PC title that catapulted the series into the limelight back in 2001. It’s a great warm-up for knights who need to practice their battle tactics before the release of Stronghold 3 or fresh-faced squires who have never played the franchise before and need to get up to speed on the intricacies of castle building.

For more information on Stronghold 3 go to www.stronghold3.com or for details on 7sixty, head to www.7sixty.com and follow @7sixtygames on Twitter to be the first to know about the latest exciting announcements.

Original press release HERE!