Stronghold
- Release Date:2001
- Genres:RTS, City Builder, Economic Simulators
- Developer:Firefly Studios
- Publisher:Take-Two Interactive
- Platforms:PC, macOS
- Series:Stronghold
Stronghold is a legendary real-time strategy game with city-building elements, released in 2001 by FireFly Studios. It was one of the first RTS games to focus not only on combat but also on economy, castle construction, and managing subjects in a medieval setting.
In Stronghold, the player had to build and defend their own castle, manage food and resource production, maintain the happiness of the population, form an army, and fight enemies. The game offered several modes: a military campaign with a storyline about a rebellion against cruel lords, economic scenarios, and free building. Its uniqueness lay in the detailed simulation of castle life - from mills and bakeries to dungeons and breweries.
Stronghold stood out for its atmosphere, deep mechanics, and unique mix of genres. Villagers commented on everything happening, and sieges with catapults, ladders, and flaming arrows became a hallmark of the series.
The modding scene for Stronghold began to grow thanks to the built-in map editor. Players created custom missions, scenarios, and even full campaigns. Later, fan-made mods appeared that adjusted balance, added new buildings and textures. The game is still actively supported by the community.
Today, Stronghold is not just a strategy game, but the foundation of an entire subgenre of "castle RTS". It continues to inspire generations of players and developers.
References
Recommended Files
AI Driver Overhaul ModFlatOut 2 (2006)
AI Driver Overhaul is a mod for FlatOut 2 that changes the behavior of all opponents, using three driving styles based on the profiles of Jack Benton, Ray Carter, and Frank Malcov.
Half-Life: MModHalf-Life (1998)
Half-Life: MMod is a comprehensive overhaul mod for the original Half-Life, deeply reworking its combat system and visuals while preserving the core mechanics of the game.
Codename: LoopHalf-Life (1998)
A fan-made project reimagining the classic game Half-Life as a twin-stick shooter built on the Unity engine. The game offers a fresh take on Gordon Freeman's adventure in Black Mesa, introducing new elements such as enemies, weapons, support for custom campaigns, and more.
Generals 2: Revolution ProjectCommand & Conquer: Generals (2003)
Generals 2: Revolution Project is a mod for Generals Zero Hour based on the modern Russian-Ukrainian war, which adds a number of new factions to the game: Ukraine, Russia, France, Germany and updates the USA and GLA. The project also stands out with impressive graphics and detailed models, squeezing every possibility out of the game engine.
Oldunreal's 227 PatchUnreal (1998)
OldUnreal's 227 Patch is an unofficial fan patch for Unreal that has become the standard for all fans of the game. It fixes bugs, brings numerous improvements, adds support for modern systems and hardware, while not changing the gameplay and maintaining compatibility with old mods and maps.
