We return this week for one final pre-Christmas update, Aaron coming back for our final instalment of ‘History Behind Warlords‘! A series of deep dive videos on the historical events leading into the single player missions of Stronghold: Warlords, this week we turn our eye to the Land of the Rising Sun. So join Aaron, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi for a historic overview and the beginnings of their campaign to unify a fractured land.

Learn about the chaotic period of Sengoku Jidai, the Japanese Warring States Period we’ll be recreating in-game in the later stages of Warlords’ main campaign. One of the most bloodthirsty and brutal periods of Japanese history, with every clan looking to overthrow their enemies while keeping a watchful eye on their allies, Hideyoshi’s exploits are perfect for exciting siege combat. A dramatic period in the later stages of Japanese history, Hideyoshi’s sieges and skirmishes are ideal for the point in Warlords’ main campaign when some of the most advanced siege weapons and tactics are introduced.

Want more? Then check out the Stronghold: Warlords playlist on Firefly Studios’ YouTube for videos with more history, raw gameplay, new features, units, characters and buildings. With much more to come between now and Stronghold: Warlords’ release in 2020, there’s a huge amount to look forward to for strategy-sim fans everywhere!

Today we’re teasing new features, modes and units in a rapid fire Q&A! Answering over 80 community questions from future Stronghold: Warlords players, Senior Programmer Matt Smith discusses everything from hot keys and talking peasants to the final unit count and DLC. He even addresses the pressing question of whether you’ll be able to pet the dog!

As a handful of developers working with our own engine we can’t say yes to everything, but as an independent studio we do listen. So whether it’s something small like removing unit caps as an advanced feature or a larger ask like new modes we’ll continue to adjust and improve Warlords as best we can, saving larger requests for future games in the series.

As a reminder this update answers questions taken from the official Stronghold Discord. We asked and players responded with queries surrounding the Warlords system, city builder gameplay and eccentric cast of characters, after which we set to the task of interrogating Matt. So if you question wasn’t answered be sure to get involved by joining the Stronghold Discord today!

We’ve just announced six new castle economy features coming to Stronghold: Warlords next year. The latest historical real-time strategy game in our classic ‘castle sim’ series, Warlords will take Stronghold east to explore new castle economies, religion and fresh resource chains. In addition a host of series improvements are on their way, including a brand new roads system and mini-economies for the titular warlords!

From dancing bears and peasants skipping around the maypole to jousting, and even the controversial gong system, Stronghold has always added plenty of fine touches to help simulate the bustle of a large feudal city. City builder elements are what define Stronghold both as an RTS and a simulation of castle life, with Stronghold: Warlords adding its own unique sim elements to the mix:

• Boost troop morale with opera houses and martial arts performances
•  Strike fear in the hearts of peasants and boost productivity with torture devices!
•  Connect roads to streamline certain industries and resource chains
•  Build temples and boost the Spirit of your populous
•  Get friendly warlords to boost your industry with their own mini-economies
•  House your peasants in luxury accommodation to keep them happy

We’re back with another episode of History Behind Stronghold: Warlords! This week we delve into another of the incredible backstories serving as your lead up for the sieges and conflicts depicted in our upcoming castle sim. Having delved into the tribal history of Vietnam and the rise of the Qin Dynasty, we now explore the history of Genghis Khan and the Mongolian Steppes. Join Firefly’s very own Aaron Hayden and learn about the bloody foundations of the Mongol Empire, how a boy called Temüjin became one of the most influential leaders on the world stage. In Stronghold: Warlords you will join the Mongol Empire in its first conquests and skirmishes across Central Asia, so what better way to prepare yourself for the dozens of battles you’ll be orchestrating than a dose of early Empire History!

In September we launched our Official Stronghold Discord server and what a couple of months we’ve had. Stronghold players have entered and won multiple contests involving fan art, the Stronghold memes, poetry and even an acoustic love letter to The Pig! Now we’re all settled in with well over one thousand Discord members we’re finally ready to launch the official Stronghold: Warlords meta game.

The aim of our Warlords meta game is to generate coin for your team. The team with the most coin at the end of Phase One, which should end around Christmas time, wins access to our playable Alpha demo on Steam! Over the next few months our three teams will be presented with a map and a rough narrative we’ll be following. This will give you a number of decisions to make, voting on which path to take and dealing with the consequences of your actions.

If you haven’t yet joined the Discord now’s the time! Just follow our link in the description below, join the server and pick a side. Your team choices are: The Mongol Horde led by myself, the Japanese Shogun headed up by Natasha or Aaron’s Dynasty of China.

This week Firefly’s Aaron Hayden continues his journey into the history behind our latest ‘castle sim’. In this episode of ‘History Behind Stronghold‘ Aaron takes a deep dive into one of the most revolutionary, progressive and bloody episodes in history, the now famous period of ‘The Warring States of China’. This fascinating time of interstate conflict and civil unrest was the foundation for the Qin Dynasty, but how exactly did Qin Shi Huang actually become the ruler of this Dynasty and with it the first Emperor of China? Find out in this week’s video!

If you did happen to learn something from this somewhat unqualified history teacher, then be sure to check our our previous ‘History Behind Stronghold‘ on the legendary Thuc Phan and other Vietnamese legends. Make you’re also subscribed for future episodes on Mongolia and Japan, as we investigate the amazing events that laid the groundwork for the epic battles and sieges you will be orchestrating in Stronghold: Warlords next year.

We have just revealed the first set of units for Stronghold: Warlords, our upcoming ‘castle sim’ RTS. With a range of unique troops types from Mongolia, Japan, Vietnam and China, this new trailer focuses on units from the latter two regions. With their own strengths, counters, special abilities and tactics players will need to combine them all to succeed in the game’s 24 mission campaign and online multiplayer. Continue reading →

This week we premiere a brand new series featuring our upcoming strategy-simulation game, Stronghold: Warlords. History Behind Stronghold: Warlords will cover the incredibly vast histories of the different countries which you will be able to play as in the final game: Vietnam, China, Mongolia and Japan.

This episode Aaron takes you through the mythical origins of Vietnam, as well as the state of play for when you join Thuc Phan in our first historical campaign in-game. Learn about the heroes of Vietnamese legend, Lac Long Quan and Au Co. And their tragic romance, producing the ancestors of Vietnam.

If you did learn something from this unqualified history teacher, then make sure you’re subscribed for episodes on China, Mongolia and Japan as we investigate the amazing events that will lay the foundations for the epic battles and sieges you will be orchestrating in Stronghold: Warlords.

We’re back with another Feature Spotlight, our Stronghold: Warlords starring series dedicated to highlighting all the new and exciting mechanics and systems coming to our brand new strategy RTS game. This episode features the explosive new addition of Gunpowder!

A key technological event in East Asian history, the invention of Gunpowder completely changed the historic battlefield and how whole wars were waged. To honour this important moment in military history, we wanted to implement all manner of devious and devilish ways to employ gunpowder into your arsenal in Stronghold: Warlords. Through this new resource, you can construct unique castle defences, units and siege weaponry never before seen in a Stronghold title. Which will change up the Stronghold experience for even the most tested RTS veterans! Continue reading →