Stronghold: Definitive Edition - Dev Diary (Design & Production)

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In our second Stronghold: Definitive Edition developer diary we discuss the genesis of the game, while also delving into some of the changes made as part of this new edition. Join Stronghold design and production veterans Simon and Paul as they provide insight into the creation of our latest game from their unique perspectives at the head of the company.
We discuss the aims of Stronghold: DE and goals for everything from the brand new single player content, all the way down to the smallest quality of life enhancements. Starting with the initial project pitch, then leading to questions of the scale of changes and finer elements like the actual difficulty of the new content, the road to release has been carefully considered.
So it gives us great pleasure to confirm some of these changes and also some entirely new ones too! In response to player feedback we have increased troop and building limits across all game modes, allowing for up to 3000 units and 2000 buildings at a time. By doubling these limits from the original game, we hope to provide you with more epic Stronghold sieges than ever before!
Stay tuned for more updates between now and release as we process all that wonderful feedback and incorporate as many changes as we can before launch. Thank you once again for your continued support and we hope you join us on November 7th by wishlisting the game on Steam!
00:00 - 01:45 Introduction
01:45 - 3:11 Pitching Stronghold
3:11 - 6:02 New Campaigns
6:02 - 7:14 New Castle Trail
7:14 - 9:12 Campaign Enhancements
9:12 - 10:10 New Voice Acting
10:10 - 10:47 Increased Troop Limits
10:47 - 12:03 Favourite Upgrades / Outro
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[@fireflyworlds]

Enjoy the video everyone, remember if you missed our 'Art & Animation' Dev Diary you can watch it here! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4asf2uPi5hgb6M

[@RayMax1]

That looks a great game, what engine do you use ?

[@fireflyworlds]

We're using Unity, but the original code was done in using Direct DX @@RayMax1

[@adamwalker8777]

When you make Stronghold Crusader DE, be sure to add UCP improvements to it.

[@elpinguinofrio4911]

it would be nice to add more vegetation, wall with grass transition, or oil pitch with grass looks too unpolished for such a high definition. maybe add some bushes, tall grass, patches of flowers.

[@sekiro7529]

is the maps bigger? because in the original the maps are very small.

[@BurnBird1]

If Stronghold DE and maybe Stronghold Crusader DE are successful, would it be possible to make a stronghold game in the same style? Not a remaster, but a brand new Stronghold game in 2d.

[@MS-zp5by]

I would love it !

[@Generaider]

I'd love a new Stronghold game in the old 2D isometric view so much. I always considered it to be a cornerstone of the old style the games had going on, and it really helped them age well graphically compared to some other RTS games.

[@pskierczy]

I think this is the plan for them (Stronghold Unreal). With DE they will check the market response to "old style" RTS...

[@SillyOmega]

They first want to see how good this one sells

[@RdioJ]

This.

[@user-gk4qw1du4m]

I really enjoyed the economic missions in Stronghold. It would be great to see new and unusual ones.

[@alexanderkolesnik7540]

+++

[@flexop3403]

In the steam workshop you will have plenty of community maps of every type. Lots of them are as good as the official missions.... Maybe even better :)

[@abbald]

One thing. Can you or will you add the half-down view? It was one specific feature that wasn't in the demo but was in the original. That is the only thing missing so far for me. I used it to see how many resources I still have. If you toggle every building flat, you can't see it. So please add it to the game. Unique feature.

[@SillyOmega]

Sounds use full. It was when you would hold right stick butten down, right.

[@stevepositiv]

yeah i think, also, pressing V on the keyboard.

[@SillyOmega]

@@stevepositiv thanks for that wondered if their was a faster way.

[@humbuk0]

Yeees, I realy miss it in demo, feels like there is something wrong

[@jet2135]

Dear Firefly, please add some weather and day/night effects to this legendary game. This will enhance the game's medieval atmosphere so much

[@AdilQayyumOfficial]

Totally. These set of features has been always on the top of my personal list and the feature demand on the RTS community. There aren't many games, if at all, that provide the level of castle simulation immersion as good as Stronghold did, only if it had a good day/night cycle, weathers, and it's implications on the gameplay.

[@RockyD12]

Not gonna happen

[@jet2135]

@@RockyD12 Well they'll probably keep ignoring it, but at least they will see the demand for such features first hand

[@RockyD12]

@@jet2135 maybe in future titles yess

[@judemorales4U]

Rain, floods, lightening, snow, sand storms, dusk and dawn. Your idea is cool!

[@salvissaulitis1311]

I wish there could be option to left the corpses on the battlefield in next stronghold games, it would give such a good atmosphere i think, like in total war games

[@SscorpionN]

So awesome to see this game reimagined again - love the new addons, like more indepth popularity feature in the new campaign mission - reminded me of Stronghold 2 :)

[@der_sandler]

8:00 You still have the original assets? That's amazing!

[@RepublicofNvidiaGamers]

I really hope one day i can visit your amazing studios really. Just to see how it feels to be among such creative and amazing people. God bless you Firefly Studios. We’ll always love you.

[@marianmojzis]

With this and other previous videos about Stronghold DE, you have restored my faith in Stronghold Next. That it will be something which will make Stronghold series great (again:)) And that it would combine what was the best on Stronghold from S1, Crusader, and S2 :) Stronghold 3 was obviously a bigger miss step, to learn from, and Stronghold Warlords is fine, but I am not a fan of Asian placement. So I truly believe again, that Stronghold Next will be the game set in Medieval times we all love, and I and many of us will be playing again and again and again for decades :)

[@etiennealtmeyer2033]

Cant wait till this comes out

[@mitchel8522]

Phenomenal work Firefly, I will definitely get the game. The only things I missed was the skirmish mode and new lords & troops to play with or against. That would made the game more awesome. Thanks for making this game!

[@ProffesoreTakilovski]

My favorite game back in the day, when I was a kid. Do not worry guys even now this game will be my favorite one. Just keep on going, and thank you for sharing...my PC is ready for this one...:)

[@SillyOmega]

My steam deck is ready for this.

[@MS-zp5by]

I played few strategy games in my life but most memorable moments comes from stronghold series and warcraft 3 , hoping this one will be success so more stronghold games could be in definitive editions

[@REGAL-uf1nz]

Great studio great games

[@partikelsmusic]

What a pre christmas gift for me. Love this game as a young fella. Now, i can play it in modern screens and windows 11. Very Good indeed.

[@lorrdy7640]

Great video. I always love to watch such developer interviews.

[@spraymantis8998]

Thank you for taking care of such a nostalgic game!

[@Zarturael]

I love that you ramped up the difficulty in the new campaign missions for veterans

[@spraymantis8998]

I really love the enthusiasm, such genuine excitement and pride.

[@Yupispark]

thank you fireflies for being you and for your masterpiece!!!

[@caveguy22]

Many kudos to the team

[@judemorales4U]

It would be nice to introduce all the voice actors with an icon of who they play. I would like to see them speaking in their character voices and know who they all are.

[@eMeS-Dev5]

Hell yeah!

[@fireflyworlds]

We will try to get some interviews with Jay and Chris in the future :) However the other OG (English) voice actors sadly appear to have moved on!

[@ladislavladislav]

I am so looking forward to it guys :)

[@ucSpaceTeam]

Lying Low - is SOOOOO GREAT mission! I wanna see some or about all new maps from new campaign like Lying Low. But it's map hard if you play fair. Stronghold's AI suiciding bandits against a gatehouse (gates) built anywhere. They just run to destroy it and die. Please, fix this, Firefly :) And sometimes the target capture doesn't happen. For example, because of this the archers don't shoot at the enemy, but run at the enemy in melee, because the archers didn't capture the target. It doesn't happen often, but it happens. It really interferes with the enjoyment of the game. Please, if possible, fix this too. Thanks :)

[@MrNickMoor]

I second this. Was difficult on very hard, but if you build towers they dont go up the stairs, so its quite easy like that. I played without any towers and i only just managed to win. Very fun and difficult mission.

[@DanRelayer_Ukraine]

would be very cool to have a separate showcase for actors, especially the OG ones. The person who voiced the scribe, Snake, knights (and more) is a legend in my eyes.

[@fireflyworlds]

Will try to get some interviews in the future :) Sadly most of the OG (English - Apart from Jay and Christopher) voice actors appear to have moved on!

[@Abcdefghhhh]

you guys are amazing, i love stronghold 1 so i cant wait for the definitive edition

[@adamwalker8777]

When you make Stronghold Crusader DE, be sure to add UCP improvements to it.

[@andrewthelong]

Looking at this and seeing the old troupe reunited, it would be incredible if you would take some of Stronghold Kingdoms' stuff, such as the various village types determined by map location, and merge it with the Stronghold's real time play modes, essentially having more biomes to build castles in and take advantage of the various resources available. Stronghold Kingdoms was a lot of fun to play with friends, but having to wait for every action was never as entertaining as having a Stronghold Crusader match. Looking at 3D games, I would say that the art style in the earliest incarnations is iconic and should be retained rather than the 3D look. I would love to play it and I'm sure many others will too.

[@andrewpiltenko9432]

Can't wait!

[@HpBeck_Fieldrecordings]

Great!!

[@LightLeo111]

I really appreciate the time going into this, like redoing the art with legit pre-rendered stuff and not just "out sourced 2D art" by some random studio. A lot of the recent remasters haven't received the same amount of love at all. Like, not even Starcraft: Remaster received this amount of care.

[@FastFoodVicar]

So excited for this!

[@overdev1993]

great dev diary, you really can feel that the deveopers are passionate :)

[@MessiLeo7]

2:54 - in the middle-left side of the screen, right above the trees, the patch of grass looks darker and more pixelated now. The transitions between different ground height levels looked smoother in Stronghold HD (you can notice the same thing if you look at the height transition right below the rocky area, where the 7 pikemen are located - you can clearly see the squares which make up the ground - the colors blended in better in the original game). I am aware of the fact that there have been many improvements, but this is one thing which I cannot help but notice. Is it something that can be fixed? We appreciate all your hard work!

[@morgomi]

how it feels when you revisit the code that you wrote 20+ years ago that changes the RTS world... Thank you for sharing these feelings.

[@alexanderkolesnik7540]

How old Simon has aged, good health to you, old man! Please us for many more years!

[@apfelkuchen4399]

The man is a legend 🙏

[@SparkleDerPolarfuchs]

true^^@@apfelkuchen4399

[@CeleronS1]

When market is built, it would be sweet to sell product straight from clicking on stockpile items.

[@Marcos_____]

I wonder if is possible to add some kinda of Unit Collision system so the battles could be longer because right now units are one grid stacking.

[@janorgaWB]

If you can, please fix the localized versions of campaign maps, at the moment, they don't really make sense. Take Poland for example: 1. The game is set in England, it is fine to keep the setting and the original map. I appreciate the effort, the medieval period in both countries had some similarities, but... 2. The borders of medieval Poland were very different than the borders of modern Poland, same with how areas/Voivodeships looked like 3. Certain maps, that are set next to the sea, take place in voivodeships with no access to the sea (If I remember correctly, one of the final campaign maps was taking place next to the sea, and in the Polish localization it was in Silesia, a voivodeship very far from the Baltic, and mainly surrounded by mountains.

[@Fabio_AL2077]

I would love to be able to buy a special physical version, with a steelcase and an artbook, I see so many indie games doing this in partnership with a publisher. I think it would be a way to "gift" those who remember the physical version from the 2000s.

[@SillyOmega]

Physical games don't sell well enough anymore.

[@fireflyworlds]

No physical version planned sorry! We did reach out to a few potential partners but couldn't work anything out in time

[@Fabio_AL2077]

@@SillyOmega The idea of these physical versions is not "high sales" but rather to serve a niche audience. If you notice there are several examples, just get out of your bubble and look online. ;)

[@Fabio_AL2077]

@@fireflyworlds Thanks for responding :D

[@ILikeAmazingThings]

Increased troop limits sounds lovely. My biggest complaint would be that we can't build big castles though. The limit for building was quite low. I guess there isn't an upgrade on this front? Some more buildings for a deeper eco would have been nice too

[@user-gk5sn1jp5j]

Amazing !

[@Jachuu_]

I hope this remake won’t destroy my childhood memories 😊

[@MrNackaerts24]

We shall return to defend our castles!

[@raga1542]

That mug 00:39 looks nice! Are you guys planning some collector editions for Stronhold: DI?

[@fireflyworlds]

Just a digital release - Sorry!

[@stevepositiv]

I believe you absolutely made the right call in doing a remaster! Such a treat, not only to us, but to the game itself. It shows that you guys understand the magic that game had. I am sure this will be a success. Let me know should it - against all expectations - not be a financial success, I will buy the game 10 times to help out! (Don’t worry about me, I‘ll just sell off some Iron..)

[@Yupispark]

I want I want I want!!!!!!!!

[@johnambrosius]

I am really looking forward to this upgraded version of the game, playing Stronghold for many hous back in the days. Please take your time on this game before release, so it is as good as it gets. :)

[@MaximeWindal]

Thank you for the video. It's always a great pleasure to see you ! 😁 But I have an extremely important question: where can I buy that fabulous mug shown at 0:39 ??? I live in Belgium but am willing to travel! 🤷‍♂️

[@fireflyworlds]

I'm afraid it was a one off!

[@MaximeWindal]

@@fireflyworlds That makes it even more fabulous!

[@PhenMr]

I simply love firefly. There is like no other who would make these kind of videos before releasing a game ♥

[@KL-yt8hz]

i have played stronghold soon for 20 years and i did buy the same game 3 times first was the strong hold after was strong hold collagen and after that strong hold on steam and i love it. i hope you guys will add dlc for more missions. and i hope you make it so it can run on linux

[@SillyOmega]

It runs fine on my steam deck. So try turning on proton.

[@LoneFea]

🥰

[@riekopo7638]

Love the series. tried the demo during steam next fest couldn't really see or tell the difference. I'm sure there are minor tweaks but personally I'm going to wait for a sale. not quite enough there for me as someone who's just interested in single player and only plays at 1080p.

[@erichtomedi2818]

Dear Firefly Studios, I have a question regarding the gameplay: will you implement conquerable villages similar to Stronghold 2? Sorry in advance if I have missed this issue in your Q@A sessions.

[@adamray7249]

this game is a love letter

[@OmnoWombo]

The comparison at 2:50 is interesting. Some things look better in HD, the green bottom of the walls for example. DE looks flatter imo, hopefully this will look more like the original at release.

[@DuxAKADuke]

In a time of disappointing remakes and remasters, you guys positively surprised us all. Thank you :D

[@greedygreggor]

such a good game, so looking forward to the release :)

[@eleonora7490]

Will you add the hover sounds for building categories again?

[@fireflyworlds]

Yep!

[@eleonora7490]

@@fireflyworlds Awesome, thank you a thousand times ^^

[@albertskukulis39]

More details in the misions

[@andrewplatonov7014]

How can one get the mug at 0:38-0:39? I'd happily buy this and any other memorabilia from Firefly Studios!

[@fireflyworlds]

Sadly we only have 4 of them ourselves! We don't do merch :(

[@andrewplatonov7014]

@@fireflyworldsYou should! It'd be my pleasure to pitch this idea to your Chief Marketing Officer? =D

[@BMW_Switzerland]

Any change on the map size?

[@armagedoc66]

Will/Did you make new units? One thing I loved about The Crusader was the variety of units. But crafting eqipment then creating unit was always my way to go.

[@flexop3403]

Thx guys Best game

[@Mansy-Egypt]

We want to expand the map area twice and increase the number of soldiers

[@thewitcher2688]

Very interesting, amybe wont be bad to add some bigger maps format, that's only cons which i has have. :D

[@morgothfromangband6082]

Don't forget to fix the bug with the max height stone walls that have a black base part in the DE.

[@Shetlanddavid]

Would be great to get a new stronghold game with the same aesthetics, graphics, characters and mechanics as stronghold/crusader.

[@thattonnatoguywithafez8246]

Do peasants still affect the limit? Also how does this affect the total sprite limit, and do trees still have potentional to hit the cap and suddenly apple orchards don't spawn with trees anymore? Still very happy to hear, 3000 is an alright number, and to be honest Extreme's 10000 is not really necessery for SH1.

[@PROLIFIC_TRAVELS]

I absolutely love this game

[@ICHBinCOOLERalsJeman]

May I ask what effects the whole unity fiasko in recent times might have on stronghold development and its development team?

[@jimaetos1358]

When the pre order for the game starts?

[@pskierczy]

Thanks for another great video. Could you consider making time limit as optional for mission 15? I could give some people chance to beat it on Very Hard ;) Also, what do you think of adding Extreme difficulty to original campaigns? (I personally beat both of campaigns on Very Hard). Maybe a consideration for post-release updates :) Will it be possible to bring back old scribe? He was somehow iconic as well. Or this is one of 3D models you were not able to rework that were mentioned in previous video?

[@SillyOmega]

Some of the missions in stronghold were harder for me when I was a kid so would cheat. I can beat things easily without cheats now. It just takes practice.

[@fireflyworlds]

We have added an option in the game settings to use the old scribe if you want - See our latest video for more details: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5bEXpSLnp6tas0

[@Mansy-Egypt]

The most beautiful game ever

[@chaoticaberration294]

Wil;l there be an esier way to reset your campaign once youve finished it?

[@fireflyworlds]

Yep in the options :)

[@Marcos_____]

Placing multiple siege equipments at once fast ?

[@Hilltycoon]

Will it have a Kingmaker gamemode? Like in Crusader?

[@1nst1nctinfms38]

Stronghold - Vikings should the Firefly studios create?Please comment

[@federicomastroni1566]

great job! but please improve AI sometimes the enemy just walk around your castle and die

[@thelastlivingdodo3382]

Stronghold crusader DE next Plz

[@stankodjukic4679]

will there be skirmish like ? or only campigne and siges ? btw cant w8 for DE :)

[@fireflyworlds]

No skirmish mode sadly - Check out our recent Q&A for a full explanation

[@kesiazezebajki1982]

I do hope that we will have to replay those missions because WE as a player did a mistake, not because there was an event that we had no right of knowing beforehand.

[@katsuyaki7605]

Will this be available on GOG, and if so, when? The other Stronghold games have been sold there for years, and many gamers (myself included) don't buy from Steam.

[@AbbasXone]

Please Port This Game for IOS-IPadOs , but not exclusive for M1 - A17 cpu

[@mrgaming1476]

Someone give me this game download link

[@AncientPepper117]

give us what we deserve and you could have My money, Sir!

[@murasakizerozaki]

Stronghold Crusader DE with army count of 20000 without Crusader Extreme features - please, make this and I can die with peace.

[@turtlebla2461]

How much?

[@MS-zp5by]

Only 15 dollars/euros

[@xplodrox]

Please firefly, let the bodies and blood decals on the ground, we need a proper battlefield with fallen troops for a few minutes :(

[@PatwasPolska]

Man... :(. So probably there won't be original native voice acting. Not gonna lie, atleast in mine (polish) the actors did phenomenal job. That sucks if its not gonna be in the game.

[@fireflyworlds]

All the original voice acting will be in the game :) However we were only able to find two of the OG voice actors to add extra lines

[@PatwasPolska]

Hurrray! Thanks! @@fireflyworlds

[@caspera3193]

Will the game support Steam mods?

[@Sos0mbo]

yes

[@Veeqs]

pls remake stronghold legends i beg you

[@emscape2]

Lol, people nowadays not understanding the coding of the original stronghold. There's a fan patch for Stronghold Crusader that actually does inject many of the quality of life improvements in assembler so I think there are plenty of people who know their way around the original coding by now

[@mohsenabdorashidi1296]

I don't know why, but 3d style never felt like 2d for me. Being 2d was more suitable for this kind of genre i think. Please make another completely new stronghold game in 2d.

[@AbsolutCool_]

CHANGE THE SCRIBE

[@fireflyworlds]

We have added an option in the game settings to use the old scribe if you want - See our latest video for more details: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5bEXpSLnp6tas0

[@ahmadsyazwan9693]

Stronghold game is better than any AOE game

[@SparkleDerPolarfuchs]

true^^

[@Rex1987]

the good thing is that i like both Age of empires and Stronghold. So its a great time to be fan of old style RTS games when both are getting DE edtions :)

[@akaMaddy]

They're both great games/game series in their own ways. If we talk about say AoE2 and stronghold 1, besides "2d medieval game" they have very little in common though. With AoE2 focussing on build orders (carefully planned base building perfected to suit your starting strategy), Ressource collection, efficiency and management, upgrading your units and economy, knowing how to counter your enemies units... There is a LOT going on. Stronghold on the other hand has a very simple (not in a negative way) promise: Build your own medieval castle with realistic/functioning economy/production, defend your castle against invading troops; besiege and conquer your enemies castles. One game is a full-fledged competitive multiplayer RTS, the other one a castle simulator/RTS. Preferring either game(s) doesn't mean the other one is inferior... 😉 Tldr i love both franchises very, very much for different reasons. 🙂 Sorry for the rant, just had to say that. 😅

[@aidenrogers1468]

No skirmish mode no buy

[@slytherinbarlang6185]

a lot of things left out with a little imagination for example:bandits special look no bunch of macemans called bandits could be the cheapest soldiers the bandits ...seasons- snowfall- rain...holidays...//// (nagyon sok kihagyott dolog kis fantázia segitségével például:banditák külön kinézet nem buzugányosok banditáknak nevezve lehetnének a legolcsóbb katonák a banditák ...évszakok- havazás-eső...ünnepek...

[@tiberseptim4064]

The swordsman has a very clunky way of walking tbh. Am I the only one with that opinion or does someone agree?

[@fireflyworlds]

This has been updated since the demo :)

[@tiberseptim4064]

@@fireflyworlds Nice to hear that! Can't wait for the release :)