At the end of week one we decided to tally up all gameplay stats, revealing the most interesting figures in the snazzy infographic below. Take a look at your first week of gameplay, which outlines important information such as the number of diseased animals thrown, longest multiplayer game and the total number of castles destroyed:

Stronghold Crusader 2 Infographic


We also feel this is a good time to discuss our current update plan for the months ahead. As we have said before Stronghold Crusader 2 is a hugely important game for us and a title we plan to support with lots of new content. Over the coming weeks and months we will be releasing various updates for the game, focussing at first on bug fixes and fine tuning game balance. Following on from that we have a number of exciting feature updates and DLC planned:

• Eight additional AI characters
  
• New maps for various game modes
  
• Classic Crusader 1 maps
  
• Steam Workshop Supprt
  
• Player requested features such as Strongwall

We could not be happier with the response from players, who have our sincere thanks for supporting the team over the past two years of development. We enjoy reading any comments that reflect fans’ love for the series and those that give us ideas for where to take Crusader post-release. The team is looking forward to implementing some great suggestions and seeing what players can come up with in terms of user-generated content, from custom maps to castle designs. If these early gameplay stats are anything to go by Stronghold Crusader 2 has a long life ahead of it!

At the end of week one we decided to tally up all gameplay stats, revealing the most interesting figures in the snazzy infographic below. Take a look at your first week of gameplay, which outlines important information such as the number of diseased animals thrown, longest multiplayer game and the total number of castles destroyed:

Stronghold Crusader 2 Infographic


We also feel this is a good time to discuss our current update plan for the months ahead. As we have said before Stronghold Crusader 2 is a hugely important game for us and a title we plan to support with lots of new content. Over the coming weeks and months we will be releasing various updates for the game, focussing at first on bug fixes and fine tuning game balance. Following on from that we have a number of exciting feature updates and DLC planned:

• Eight additional AI characters
  
• New maps for various game modes
  
• Classic Crusader 1 maps
  
• Steam Workshop Supprt
  
• Player requested features such as Strongwall

We could not be happier with the response from players, who have our sincere thanks for supporting the team over the past two years of development. We enjoy reading any comments that reflect fans’ love for the series and those that give us ideas for where to take Crusader post-release. The team is looking forward to implementing some great suggestions and seeing what players can come up with in terms of user-generated content, from custom maps to castle designs. If these early gameplay stats are anything to go by Stronghold Crusader 2 has a long life ahead of it!

We have just released a new update addressing some of the most common issues players are experiencing. Please read on for a full list of changes! If you are experiencing an issue not listed in the fixes below and haven't reported it to us yet, please scroll down to the end of this post and submit a support ticket via our tech support site.

Multiplayer

- Players can now invite other players to join them via Steam.
- When a player quits or surrenders in a multiplayer game or their connection times out, their castle will now be removed from the game.
- The multiplayer lobby browser has been changed to show games not just within your region but also neighbouring regions by default, following feedback from players.
- A ‘Show High Latency Games’ filter has been added to the lobby browser to allow players to see worldwide games. Please Note: Non-local multiplayer games are likely to suffer from high latency.

General

- When deleting walls, stone is now returned to the stockpile.
- Free single column walls exploit fixed.
- Browsing saved games and maps now works when using a Documents path located on a network share.
- Improvements have been made to the Repair/Delete tools, following feedback from players.
- Extra hot keys have been implemented and a few existing hot keys (Such as camera rotation) have been changed. Please see our updated online manual on Steam for a full list.
- Siege equipment stationed within the siege camp can now be targeted by archers.
- Building count limits are now correctly applied to the main building panel after a lord dies.
- The correct amount of gold is now removed for all difficulties of the 'Kerak' pre-order campaign mission. Thanks to all those that notified us of that one!
- The Sergeant-at-Arms now buffs troops armour by 25%, down from 50%.
- Goods sent and received between allies are now tracked correctly in end-game stats.
- Various localisation fixes.

Please Note: We are aware of some crash reports being posted in the official forum. Often these are random crashes that are difficult for our small team to reproduce. If you happen to have a save game that reproduces such a crash soon after loading, please submit this issue as support ticket - Support Page

We have just released a new update addressing some of the most common issues players are experiencing. Please read on for a full list of changes! If you are experiencing an issue not listed in the fixes below and haven't reported it to us yet, please scroll down to the end of this post and submit a support ticket via our tech support site.

Multiplayer

- Players can now invite other players to join them via Steam.
- When a player quits or surrenders in a multiplayer game or their connection times out, their castle will now be removed from the game.
- The multiplayer lobby browser has been changed to show games not just within your region but also neighbouring regions by default, following feedback from players.
- A ‘Show High Latency Games’ filter has been added to the lobby browser to allow players to see worldwide games. Please Note: Non-local multiplayer games are likely to suffer from high latency.

General

- When deleting walls, stone is now returned to the stockpile.
- Free single column walls exploit fixed.
- Browsing saved games and maps now works when using a Documents path located on a network share.
- Improvements have been made to the Repair/Delete tools, following feedback from players.
- Extra hot keys have been implemented and a few existing hot keys (Such as camera rotation) have been changed. Please see our updated online manual on Steam for a full list.
- Siege equipment stationed within the siege camp can now be targeted by archers.
- Building count limits are now correctly applied to the main building panel after a lord dies.
- The correct amount of gold is now removed for all difficulties of the 'Kerak' pre-order campaign mission. Thanks to all those that notified us of that one!
- The Sergeant-at-Arms now buffs troops armour by 25%, down from 50%.
- Goods sent and received between allies are now tracked correctly in end-game stats.
- Various localisation fixes.

Please Note: We are aware of some crash reports being posted in the official forum. Often these are random crashes that are difficult for our small team to reproduce. If you happen to have a save game that reproduces such a crash soon after loading, please submit this issue as support ticket - Support Page

We have released a small update addressing a couple of important issues we have found since the game released:

Version 1.0.19093

- Fixed a crash with events spawning in estates without a location/destination marker.
- Fixed an issue where players would get dropped out of multiplayer games while task switched for extended periods.

Stronghold Crusader 2 is a very important game to us and our plan is to support it extensively going forwards. As a result we will be releasing regular updates to the game over the coming weeks and months. The first fixes will focus on stability, with gameplay and balance bugs being addressed after that. We also have a number of exciting feature updates planned, which we are looking forward to announcing in the near future. Thanks again and we hope you are enjoying playing the game.

Please Note: If the above version number does not appear at the bottom of the main title screen, please exit the game and restart your Steam until to force the update to download.

If you'd like to discuss the new update you can do so in the Stronghold Crusader 2 Forum.

We have released a small update addressing a couple of important issues we have found since the game released:

Version 1.0.19093

- Fixed a crash with events spawning in estates without a location/destination marker.
- Fixed an issue where players would get dropped out of multiplayer games while task switched for extended periods.

Stronghold Crusader 2 is a very important game to us and our plan is to support it extensively going forwards. As a result we will be releasing regular updates to the game over the coming weeks and months. The first fixes will focus on stability, with gameplay and balance bugs being addressed after that. We also have a number of exciting feature updates planned, which we are looking forward to announcing in the near future. Thanks again and we hope you are enjoying playing the game.

Please Note: If the above version number does not appear at the bottom of the main title screen, please exit the game and restart your Steam until to force the update to download.

If you'd like to discuss the new update you can do so in the Stronghold Crusader 2 Forum.

Thank you for supporting us and making Stronghold Crusader 2 the number one best selling game on Steam. Our first ever independently developed and funded Stronghold game, Crusader 2 was built with your encouragement, feedback and support over the past two years. This is far from the end for the game, with content updates, DLC and patches all planned to follow in the weeks and months after launch, but it gives us great pleasure to say that our strategy sequel is now available on Steam!

Launch Trailer

Just like you some of us, having worked on Stronghold Crusader back in 2002, have been waiting for this moment for over twelve years now. From the very first day of development it has been an honour to work on this project and we hope Crusader 2 meets your expectations as fans of the first game and the series as a whole.

If you enjoyed spending long nights fending off fiendish AI opponents and friends in the original, Crusader 2 will provide you with everything you need to relive those memories. With two campaigns, six skirmish trails, eight AI characters, co-op, a map editor, free build mode and a selection of multiplayer maps, Crusader 2 delivers the long-lasting challenge you expect from a Stronghold game.

We can’t wait for you to try it out.

Thank you for supporting us and making Stronghold Crusader 2 the number one best selling game on Steam. Our first ever independently developed and funded Stronghold game, Crusader 2 was built with your encouragement, feedback and support over the past two years. This is far from the end for the game, with content updates, DLC and patches all planned to follow in the weeks and months after launch, but it gives us great pleasure to say that our strategy sequel is now available on Steam!

Launch Trailer

Just like you some of us, having worked on Stronghold Crusader back in 2002, have been waiting for this moment for over twelve years now. From the very first day of development it has been an honour to work on this project and we hope Crusader 2 meets your expectations as fans of the first game and the series as a whole.

If you enjoyed spending long nights fending off fiendish AI opponents and friends in the original, Crusader 2 will provide you with everything you need to relive those memories. With two campaigns, six skirmish trails, eight AI characters, co-op, a map editor, free build mode and a selection of multiplayer maps, Crusader 2 delivers the long-lasting challenge you expect from a Stronghold game.

We can’t wait for you to try it out.

Stronghold is known for its tendency to test players’ mental dexterity, so we thought it makes sense to include The Wolf at launch! We want his addition to the roster of AI characters to remind you that Crusader 2 retains the series’ sense of challenge. When you are victorious against The Wolf it should feel like an absolute triumph.

Meet the Wolf

As an AI Lord The Wolf is not the greatest ally, his aggressive attitude and unpredictable in-game mood making military assistance or trade unlikely. As an opponent however The Wolf provides skilled players with a worthy challenge.

The Wolf likes to build strong defences early on, turtling until he can amass an army of heavily armoured troops. Rushing The Wolf is difficult, but the longer you leave him alone the more dangerous he becomes! To stand a chance you must employ effective counter troops, Crossbowmen to pierce his troops’ thick armour and Pitch Ditch to set his Swordsmen on fire. Units who are weak against armoured troops, such as the Whirling Dervish, should be avoided.

Good luck!

Stronghold is known for its tendency to test players’ mental dexterity, so we thought it makes sense to include The Wolf at launch! We want his addition to the roster of AI characters to remind you that Crusader 2 retains the series’ sense of challenge. When you are victorious against The Wolf it should feel like an absolute triumph.

Meet the Wolf

As an AI Lord The Wolf is not the greatest ally, his aggressive attitude and unpredictable in-game mood making military assistance or trade unlikely. As an opponent however The Wolf provides skilled players with a worthy challenge.

The Wolf likes to build strong defences early on, turtling until he can amass an army of heavily armoured troops. Rushing The Wolf is difficult, but the longer you leave him alone the more dangerous he becomes! To stand a chance you must employ effective counter troops, Crossbowmen to pierce his troops’ thick armour and Pitch Ditch to set his Swordsmen on fire. Units who are weak against armoured troops, such as the Whirling Dervish, should be avoided.

Good luck!