strongholdcrusader2-blog

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

‘Siege That!’ Tournament

Amidst the haze of the summer heat the time has come for YOU to challenge and defeat the Stronghold Crusader 2 team! Scheduled to begin on August 16th, our new tournament gives you the chance to win exclusive tournament-only prizes. All you have to do is sign up, train diligently and hold your nerve come August 16th. The quickest Lords to successfully siege three rounds of user-created castles, all defended by the folks here at Firefly, will win the following tournament-exclusive physical and digital prizes:

Winner • All Crusader 2 DLC • Signed physical copy of the game • One Firefly Studios game on Steam* • Firefly Studios t-shirt (Medium or Large)

Runner-Up • All Crusader 2 DLC • Signed physical copy of the game • One Firefly Studios game on Steam*

Third • All Crusader 2 DLC • One Firefly Studios game on Steam*

* Choose between Stronghold HD, Stronghold Crusader HD, Space Colony: Steam Edition, Stronghold Crusader 2: Special Edition and Stronghold Kingdoms Starter Pack.

How to Enter

1. Submit a completed application form by 5pm BST on August 11th - http://bit.ly/1LiTQD3 2. Add us on Steam - http://bit.ly/C2Steam 3. Check your mail the days after your application to see if you’ve been selected!

The Crusader 2 Tournament will take place across three days: the first round will be held on Sunday August 16th, the winners of the first round will play the second round on Sunday August 23rd and the winners of the second round will play the third round on Sunday August 30th. Select games will be streamed live on the new Firefly Studios Twitch channel (http://www.twitch.tv/firefly_studios). You must be also available to play during the official tournament hours between 14:00 and 19:30 BST.

The new ‘Siege That!’ tournament will accept a total of 20 contestants, randomly selected from the pool of applicants and announced on August 12th. Contestant will receive an email containing the full tournament schedule, as well as the date and time of their first match, shortly after being selected. Winners will be announced following the end of the tournament on August 31st.

Full details of the tournament format and rule set can be found here: http://www.strongholdcrusader2.com/?p=1909

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Final Call for Donations!

Last week Team Firefly were brave enough to run for SpecialEffect in the British 10k, which took place on a characteristically cold London Sunday. Much of the SpecialEffect team also went the extra mile and did so while dressed as Tetrominos, Zelda characters, Power Rangers, Angry Birds and more! But we still need your help! The Firefly fund raise is currently sitting at around 90% of it’s £1,000 goal and we need fans, family and friends to help people like Rob share the joy of playing games with their family and friends: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMOgC6coba8 If you can spare anything it really will make a huge difference to the lives of gamers like Rob, improving their quality of life in a way that very few charities can.

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

We are admittedly a small team here at Firefly, nevertheless plans are in motion to develop a Mac version of Stronghold Crusader 2. Depending on how that pans out, a Linux version may also be on the horizon! While this is good news for Stronghold players we're still curious...

What else would you play Crusader 2 (or Stronghold games in general) on? VR? Streaming? Mobile? You tell us! ‪

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Out Now: ‘The Templar & The Duke’ DLC at 33% Off

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-4n0acmW8o

The law of the Templar has come to the desert! Stronghold Crusader 2: The Templar & The Duke DLC is now available on Steam, with a launch week discount of 33%:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/349230/

The law of the Templar is coming to the desert! The Templar & The Duke DLC adds an extra Crusader Trail campaign and new AI characters, two Crusaders with contrasting origins, values and strengths. One is a brutal newcomer who embodies the Crusades' nebulous motivations, while the other stands as successor to King Phillip from the original Stronghold Crusader (2002). Both men desire a glorious victory in the Holy Land, with The Templar seeking to cleanse the holy land of heretics and The Duke hoping to emerge from Phillip's shadow and make his mark on the world, ideally without suffering too many casualties!

‘The Templar & The Duke’ includes seven unique story missions, new castle designs and more challenging AI adversaries shaped by player feedback.

We have also released a new update (v1.0.21612) for the game. This update, which is now live on Steam and should download automatically, fixes numerous issues reported by players in the forums and via our support site. Please visit our forum to see the full change log:

http://forum.strongholdcrusader2.com/viewtopic.php…

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Steam Workshop Winner

Shortly after the launch of invasions in Stronghold Crusader 2’s Sandbox Mode, we asked you forge your own maps and erect mighty castles to hold off the most brutal and diligent of AI attacks. Picking our winner was no easy feat as we put your creations to the test by sacrificing thousands of brave archers, knights and AI Lords. After evaluating the maps both for their defensive ingenuity and pleasing aesthetics, we have hand picked our favourite creationsto be glorified throughout all Kingdoms and battle fields. In what ended up becoming a very close vote, we are proud to present the winner of the second Crusader 2 Steam Workshop Competition! Winner:

Keep reading

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Ever entered the Konami Code at the Crusader 2 main menu? Maybe that's something you should try!

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Last Chance for Super Sales!

The Steam Summer Sale is coming to an end, giving you a last chance to grab some amazing deals on our most beloved games! With just 5 hours left in this year's largest game price massacre, head over to the Steam Store now and get your favourite Firefly games at fantastic discounts: Stronghold Crusader 2 (30% Off) - http://store.steampowered.com/app/232890/   The Princess & The Pig DLC (33% Off) - http://store.steampowered.com/app/348990/   The Emperor & The Hermit DLC (33% Off) - http://store.steampowered.com/app/349000/   Space Colony: Steam Edition (10% Off) - http://store.steampowered.com/app/297920/   Stronghold HD (50% Off) - http://store.steampowered.com/app/40950/   Stronghold Crusader HD (50% Off) - http://store.steampowered.com/app/40970/

Don't forget to check out the Steam Workshop for Stronghold Crusader 2 and Space Colony, you'll be able to find heaps of awesome user created content in the form of custom maps and missions. We hope you've enjoyed this year's sale and we look forward to hearing your feedback on Steam!

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Since launch 58 maps have been added to Crusader 2, in addition to more than 450 community-made maps on Steam Workshop.

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

The Templar and The Duke DLC

The law of the Templar is coming to the desert! Set for an exclusive Steam release on July 1st, Stronghold Crusader 2: The Templar & The Duke introduces two completely new AI characters and an additional Crusader Trail campaign.

Two leaders with contrasting origins, values and strengths, The Templar and The Duke represent the Crusader faction’s chain of command. One is a brutal former foot soldier embodying the Crusaders' nebulous motives while the other is descended from royalty, successor to King Phillip from the original Stronghold Crusader. Both men desire a glorious victory above all else, with The Templar seeking to cleanse the holy land of heretics and The Duke hoping to emerge from his father's shadow and make a mark on the world.

The third expansion for Stronghold Crusader 2, ‘The Templar & The Duke’ DLC adds seven missions, two AI opponents, 10 achievements, five custom shields and new castle designs unique to the new characters.

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

We currently have two more character DLCs planned. Tell us… Who’s your favourite and why should they return?

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

First Optimisation Update

We’re happy to announce that the first in a new series of optimisation updates has just been released for Stronghold Crusader 2!

Development geared towards improving performance has been ongoing for some time now. Recently we reached a point where these changes could be merged into the main game code and released as an update for all players to enjoy. Today's update includes numerous ‘under the hood’ improvements, but we’ve highlighted the most noticeable ones below:

• Frame Rate - CPU load has been reduced and frame rates improved, particularly in the case of machines with low specs or slower single-core performance. Most machines will see a modest improvement in frame rates in large games, many will see a large improvement.

• Multiplayer – Low spec machines that were struggling in large games will now hold better frame rates and remain responsive for players. The game server will also slow down when necessary, allowing clients to stay in sync. We are still hard at work tuning this area, so expect future optimisation updates to improve performance.

• Multi-Core CPUs - Work has been done to run more tasks in secondary threads and make better use of multiple CPU cores, removing periodic roadblocks from single core execution and overhead from the main game process.

We’ve also made improvements to several major systems. Click here for a full change log:

http://forum.strongholdcrusader2.com/viewtopic.php…

As mentioned above today's update is the first in a new series of optimisation updates due for release in 2015. In addition to numerous additional optimisations currently being worked on, which unfortunately did not make the cut-off point for this release, we plan to build on the progress made thus far and address other areas based on player feedback. As a sim and an RTS, Crusader 2 simulates and tracks tens of thousands of objects and many game systems at any one time. We will continue work to reduce the high demand this puts on players’ CPUs, particularly in multiplayer.

Thanks for your support and we hope you enjoy the new update!

Please Note: This update should download automatically when you launch the Steam client. Check the version number displayed in the bottom left corner of the main menu screen when launching Crusader 2. If the number displayed is not v1.0.21385 please restart Steam until the update downloads.

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

New Dangers Ahead

As the burning sun gently merges with the distant desert dunes, our soldiers lay down their swords to mend their battle wounds and rest in preparation of another day of gruesome battle. While they close their eyes, hoping to drift off into dreams of their abandoned families on the peaceful English country side, a distant thumping of the earth grips their attention.

Listening closely and you may hear the shouting and rumbling of ten thousand bloodthirsty men, marching across the desert plains. We can calm our men and put their fears to rest for now, but deep inside we know that whoever is leading those men will not rest until their corpses are consumed by the desert. You should rest now too, the time for action will soon be upon us.

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

When it comes to free DLC for SHC2 one thing we’d like to work on is multiplayer. What features would you like to see?

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Featured in our most recent DLC release, The Emperor's castle comes with multiple entry points, something we also like to use in multiplayer matches at Firefly! How do you defend your castle?

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Employing multi-layered thick walls The Pig’s castle is a hallmark of traditional Crusader design.

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Win Every Stronghold Crusader 2 DLC

We have just launched a Steam Review competition for Stronghold Crusader 2, offering YOU the chance to win a lifetime’s supply of Crusader 2 DLC! To enter the competition simply follow these three steps:

Log into Steam via your client or the Steam Store website: http://store.steampowered.com/ Visit the Stronghold Crusader 2 store page: http://store.steampowered.com/app/232890/ Write and publish a review of Stronghold Crusader 2. Stronghold Crusader 2, its free updates and new DLC simply wouldn’t be possible without your continued support as fans. Since the original game’s release in 2002 you have conquered the desert many times over, returning with Richard and Saladin again last year. Now that the game has been out in the wild for a number of months we are once again keen to hear your feedback as experienced players, thanking you by running a giveaway on DLC for those who review the game on Steam in the next seven days. All you need to do to enter is review Stronghold Crusader 2 on Steam. This can be a formal review with a score, a list of constructive suggestions or tales of treachery out on the battlefield between noble lords and nefarious kings. Five reviewers will be selected, wining a lifetime’s supply of Stronghold Crusader 2 DLC on Steam! Over the course of the next week five players will be selected from the most witty, insightful and constructive reviews on Steam. They will receive the first two Crusader 2 DLCs immediately after the end of the competition on Friday and subsequent DLCs as they release on Steam. If you’re lucky enough to win, our official Firefly Studios Steam account (http://steamcommunity.com/id/fireflystudios/) will send you a friend request, which you must accept to claim your prizes. This competition will close on Friday May 29th at 4 pm, with the winners announced and given their prizes on Monday June 1st. Good Luck!

[strongholdcrusader2-blog]

Did You Win This Time?

This Monday, we asked you to follow us on Twitter, share your battle cries in the comments and carry the Stronghold spirit across Facebook for a chance to win a copy of 5 Firefly Studios titles, including the Stronghold Crusader 2 Special Edition. Only one lucky player could win and this week's winner is:

dedaiza (@dedaiza)

Congratulations to dedaiza, she will receive Steam codes for Stronghold Crusader 2: Special Edition, Space Colony: Steam Edition, Stronghold HD, Stronghold Crusader HD and a Stronghold Kingdoms Starter Pack!