Stronghold Crusader 2 Online
Not unlike the preceding games in the series, Stronghold 2 provides the ability to play online with friends. When the game was first released back in 2005, it came with the built-in functionality to play online through GameSpy. You would simply click on the Multiplayer option in the main menu of the game, which would take you straight to the multiplayer lobby. From here you could choose which game you wished to join, enter the password if necessary and continue on to play. Unfortunately in 2014 all GameSpy servers ceased to operate and were shut down. This undoutedly left many fans of the series very disappointed with what was happening alongside a feeling of no way to continue playing the game. However, that is not strictly true. There are now two ways available of playing Stronghold 2 online. The first is through Steam using the 1.5 Steam version of the game. This appears to be mostly backwards compatible in terms of maps which were made on prior versions of the game, however for multiplayer, you can only play with users who also have the 1.5 Steam version of the game. Unfortunately this means that you must play through the Steam client as well and cannot use any external service or program to play. The second way to play Stronghold 2 online is through GameRanger. You can only do this through the disk version of the game, and generally through the latest 1.4.1 version of it. You should all be playing the same game version and with unmodified files to play smoothly online. GameRanger is an external program that you use to download and install, allowing you to connect with other players. Once installed, you create your own lobby room for Stronghold 2, or join an existing one. Simply click on the "Host" button to host a new game, or left click on any existing Stronghold 2 lobby from the list and then click on the "join" button. Once inside the Stronghold 2 game lobby, you can chat to the players who are also playing the game. When the host is ready, they can press the "Start" button to start the game. From this point onwards, the process is automatic. The host's Stronghold 2 game will start, and they will automatically be taken to the multiplayer lobby. From there, a game will automatically be setup and all players will go through a similar process: their Stronghold 2 games will start in order, and they will be taken automatically into the same multiplayer game as the host is in. From this point onwards, the multiplayer side of the game is exactly the same as it always had been. The only difference was how the players became connected to each other, which was all handled through GameRanger. You will all now be in the Kingmaker lobby screen, which looks identical to the same page that which is used in Kingmaker battles with one exception being the large red shield next to the "Go" button. Each player must left click on this indicating that they are ready before the game can begin. Only the host can configure the settings of the game, but players can still talk to each other through the chat box at the bottom of the screen. Once you've started the game, there are also several keyboard shortcuts that may be of interest to you. These include the ability to send messages whilst in the game, and the ability to send taunts to other players. These tauts are shown in the below table:
Stronghold Crusader 2 Online
Command over 25 unique units and master their various abilities. Knights, archers, assassins, and many more will walk under your unconditional rule. Once you feel capable to lead your troops to glory, try out online battles with up to 8 other commanders feeling the same way you do!
Every now and then, a game I play reminds me of another, which is usually a good thing. Stronghold Crusader II definitely brings me back to playing Age of Empires II back when I first got my PC, making the game easy to jump into. Many sleepless nights were spent on AoE2 both online and against just my brother via LAN, and I can say that many sleepless nights were spent on Stronghold Crusader II. Though similar, Stronghold Crusader II is different enough to stand on its own and just as challenging.
On January 28, 2008, Firefly Studios announced an expanded version of the game: Stronghold: Crusader Extreme. It boasts "new AI opponents and maps", a "new crusader extreme trail", "battles featuring over 10,000 units" and Windows Vista compatibility.[23] It was released in June 2008.
Where Stronghold Crusader II falters is the core gameplay; this isn't a fresh take on the strategy genre. The interface is intuitive but doesn't really hold players accountable for micromanaging the keep once it's built. Plus, the game seems to have oversimplified the civic-planning elements to allow players to move into combat without consequences back home. This shift in focus toward combat and away from the civilization aspects weakens the gameplay that exemplifies strategy games. That could be the reason why the multiplayer community seems scarce -- we continually tried to play opponents but never found anyone online. Overall, Stronghold Crusaders II provides a good take on the RTS genre, and it's certainly worth a look for strategy fans, but its issues hold it back from being a great game.
Sometimes you start a mission with a fully realised stronghold, but must prepare it for a protracted siege, and thats where the real fun of Stronghold Crusader II kicks in. The crux of the game lies in your battle-tactics positioning your archers so that they have the best sight-lines, making sure you have crossbowmen at hand to counter incoming Whirling Dervishes (who damage all surrounding Crusaders) and so on. The more exotic the workshops you build, the flashier the troops you can create. But even in the heat of battle, you must keep an eye on resources, as running out of food is a sure-fire recipe for losing a siege. Theres some proper British humour in the game, too, and youll get the occasional (and welcome) whiff of Monty Python, especially when you discover that you can do things like put rotting cows in catapults and use them to spread disease in enemy castles.
Stronghold Crusader 2 guide contains detailed information about the single player, as well as online gameplay. Inside, you will find a complete description of all key aspects of the game, such as extraction of resources, food and weapons manufacture, as well as about the exclusive goods (ale and religion). Additionally, you will learn about each and every building in the game, grouped up with their costs and application, as well as a complete parallel of all the units available in the game, with their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their usage. Furthermore, the guide explains such mechanisms as popularity, taxation level, food ration and ale distribution, religious rites, as well as the process of automatic trade on the market. The guide contains numerous tips and tricks associated with creating and maintaining economy, army recruitment, as well as both defending against sieges, and performing one yourself. Besides the information concentrated on single player playthrough, the guide contains information about multiplayer gameplay, like selecting the proper tactic according to the situation on the map, the necessity to construct appropriate buildings, as well as different ways of attacking players. The guide is supplemented with a complete list of all the achievements available in the game, with tips on how to get them. Stronghold Crusader 2 is a real-time strategy developed by Firefly Studios, being another installment in the popular Stronghold Franchise, originally published in 2001.
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. It simply wouldn't be a Crusader game without a skirmish mode and the kind of replayability that offers. This is what we intended to deliver from day one and it's fundamental to the game's design.
While most press conferences were not available for live streaming, Electronic Arts was streaming its press conference on EA.com.[11] Sony Computer Entertainment Europe also showcased its press conference on its online community-based service PlayStation Home shortly afterwards.[12] Sony also made its press conference available for download on the PlayStation Store. Various gaming websites offered live-blogging of the respective press conferences.
Site on the Adriatic coast, approximately 30 km west of Tiranë, Albania. It was founded as Epidamnos, as a colony of Corinth and Corfu, in 627 bc, and when the name Dyrrhachion first appeared in the 5th century bc it may have referred only to the port, 5 km north of the walled city. In 437 bc a violent uprising led indirectly, through the involvement of Corfu and Athens, to the Peloponnesian War. In the late 3rd century bc the city became part of the Illyrian kingdom of Glaukias. As Dyrrachium, it remained a free city after the Roman conquests of Macedonia and Epiros (167 bc); as the starting-point for the Via Egnatia (ad 148), the Roman road from the Adriatic to Byzantium, it developed as an important trade and communications centre. The cosmopolitan character of its medieval history reflects its continued strategic significance. It remained a Byzantine stronghold from the 4th century ... 041b061a72