Stronghold 2 Review

Are you one of those people who think the human race is careening toward utter annihilation? There are nuclear bombs to blow us all sky high, with fools and idiots sitting on the triggers. It's depressing, and it's senseless. And for those of you who think it was better back in yon olden times, when a fun day consisted of sitting under a tree, pondering one's navel, then spending the evening drinking ale, with no TV sets, hi-fi stereos, or computers lying around, think again. If you think life was so much better in the Middle Ages, with the constant slaving under your Lord and the plague running wild, I'd call you a loony. You had to take a shit in the wild, you know, with no toilet paper for a thousand miles, and the only bath you could take would be with your clothes on, in case you fell off your horse. And then, imagine all the work - milking the cows, feeding the pigs, working in the field... with no one to help you but your shrew of a wife. You would most probably be a ragged, dirty creature with a hairy belly and many rotten teeth, so I'd guess your wife would be no prize either. And to think women didn't shave their legs back then...

In case you still feel nostalgic about the Middle Ages, there is a way to visit them without suffering the ugly consequences of such a way of life (or the indignity of a Renaissance Festival). The sequel to the original Stronghold gives you the opportunity to enjoy the charms of the darkest period in human history without having to smell the stench. At first glance, the gameplay in the second Stronghold is much the same it was in the original. The major improvement is to the graphics engine. The game is now rendered in 3D goodness, and while it may not win any awards for graphics quality, the 3D engine has a practical purpose, and enhances the gameplay in ways that the original never could (for obvious reasons). It is now possible to rotate the map or take a look from a bird's eye view, which makes the building segment of the game easy as pie. Zooming in reveals many details you'd otherwise have missed, and clicking on the single unit allows you to find out its general view on life (e.g. their current mood). Seeing the playful dogs, the stupid sheep and the always hungry pigs run around, mingling with peasants busy with their daily chores, definitely gives an impression of a village full of life. I don't think it was that necessary to give the critters names - I had several Fluffy the sheep and Hopsy the rabbit - but what the hell.

Stronghold 2 offers two main campaigns and several skirmishes which feature different objectives and thus require different strategies. This is the good part. The bad part is that, once you learn the ropes, there won't be much room left for strategy. Well, not for a well-developed, well-rounded strategy that goes into great lengths and detail, anyway. The two main campaigns offer two different sides of the game: one of them is the Path of Peace, and the other is the Path of War. While the first one offers you a game that goes at a slower pace, focusing on the economical and the building segment, the latter is oriented towards war strategy and offers a more dynamic and intense style of play. It is quite unimportant which one you are going to play first - you'll find your way around in no time even if you're a first-time player and the tutorial is dull as hell anyway. Both campaigns are split into chapters (and smaller episodes) presenting different objectives that need to be accomplished before moving on. Mission objectives differ from mission to mission, and some of them give you only a limited amount of time to finish the objectives. The story that ties the missions together is rather pathetic, but usually it makes sense, somehow connecting the missions in a logical order. Of course, the campaigns aren't crudely divided into 'keeping peace' and 'making war,' so in most of the missions you'll need to balance your economic and military power in order to achieve the best results. In fact, the two campaigns are more similar than it may seem.

The building possibilities are many, but some buildings tend to be more important than others. You may underestimate the power of simple things such as wells and gongs (crudely translated as shitholes), but you'll very soon learn of their importance. Your citizens won't be glad to step into a pile of shit, nor will they be delighted with the sight of rats running around. If you do not take care of such things on a regular basis, you will soon find yourself in your people's disfavor and start losing honor because of that. The lack of wells can make your life completely miserable - with not enough people to turn the fires down, your buildings will finally collapse, and building them anew can cost you a lot of time in case your stockpile is low with supplies. Another thing that can cause you a lot of trouble is crime - you must make sure the guards catch the thieves and put them in the dungeon, hoping the appropriate punishment (on the torture wheel, perhaps) will discourage your citizens to steal. Still, you must be aware that, even with enough food provided, normal taxes, and crime and disease regulated, a certain number of your citizens will tend to be dissatisfied. Most of the time, though, it is enough if you keep them fed and entertained, thus proving the famous Latin proverb of 'panem et circenses.'

The building segment of the game includes a large number of buildings that can be erected on your territory. For example, there are castle structures which include things such as walls, from palisades to triple stone walls, as well as town gates and watchtowers, the function of which is quite obvious. Military structures feature barracks, armory, and stables, but they also allow you to build tower mounted ballistae, war hound cages and other similar constructions. Civilian buildings include structures varying from simple hovels to treasuries, churches and monasteries. Treasury is important for setting the tax rate, while churches, monasteries, traveling fairs etc. serve for swaying the people's opinion in your favor.

The farms and food structures are a vital segment of your people's life. The primary structure of this type is the granary for food storage, which is the basic structure along with the stockpile, which serves for storing other goods. It is also possible to build hunter's posts and different sorts of farms, such as apple or pig farms. Of course, apart from tending to their most basic needs, your citizens will have to develop some kind of industry, so you'll be able to build sheep farms, weaver's workshops and such in order to keep people busy. Some baser buildings include saw pits, stone quarries and iron mines - you won't be able to do anything without them. Of course, building a market where you can trade with others (if possible), buying or selling the goods that you want, is required if you wish to always have supplements of the goods you need.

Finally, castle services include buildings such as guard posts and the torturer's guild. The trouble with all this is that you'll frequently be forced to demolish your buildings if you no longer wish them to operate, as there is no way of closing them down temporarily. It is also impossible to assign a peasant to a building of your choice - the instant you build it, it is occupied by a peasant (if there are any available), and you can't have them work elsewhere. I also did not understand the system of one worker per building - if I wanted to produce more apples, I had to build more apple farms, as you can't get several workers to work at one farm. It seemed like such a terrible waste of space, and it is.

As for your military units, they are relatively varied and include the basic infantry, ladder men (necessary for climbing the walls of the enemy castle during the siege), and of course siege weapons, the purpose of which is to breach the city walls. The mechanism of building an army is quite simple - in order to recruit soldiers, you'll need to have enough free citizens, and in order to provide them with spears, bows and other weapons, you'll need to erect the corresponding buildings. Units can be ordered into different formations, and they can also be given a limited set of commands such as 'attack' or 'sit where you are, you miserable dog.' The problem with the military segment of the game is that the AI is very unreliable - your units will sometimes spot the attackers vigilantly and defend themselves, but they may also decide it's better to lie in the field and watch as the clouds go by. You never know. Sometimes they manage to get rid of the attackers with maximum efficiency, and sometimes they'll allow a bunch of bandits to run around your village, wreaking havoc and destroying everything. I know they're computer-generated soldiers with tiny little brains, but they can recognize a bandit when they see one, right? And it doesn't take them much effort to kill the bastard if they're already standing next to them.