Genre: Real Time Strategy (RTS), Simulator, Strategy
Stronghold: Warlords
Post-Launch Roadmap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYuSRk1PPaA Today we reveal the first part of our post-release content roadmap for Stronghold: Warlords! This first phase in our overall roadmap of updates for Warlords covers the spring and early summer period, with additional smaller patches planned and more to come in the second half of the year. Everything covered in today's announcement will be added to the game free for all players, released as soon as it's ready.
Our content roadmap for Stronghold: Warlords is divided into two separate tracks of minor or major updates. Minor updates, starting this week with our first proper patch, will be aimed at improving the core gameplay and adding smaller improvements to Warlords. These include the addition of a new Extreme Difficulty mode, AI improvements, new maps and stability improvements. At the higher end of these 'minor updates' you'll find series staple features, such as the addition of invasions controls in Free Build mode.
When it comes to our planned major updates for the next few months we also have two substantial content additions scheduled, as part of this initial roadmap. Planned pre-launch and requested in post-release feedback, our new AI character (Sun Tzu) and later Skirmish Trail #1 update (including 10 missions, a new playable unit and two warlords) will aim to improve the content on offer in both single player and multiplayer modes.
We hope you enjoy this week's update and look forward to future additions to the game. If you're playing Stronghold: Warlords and would like to provide feedback please leave us a review on Steam and join the official Stronghold Discord.
- Fixed a bug when detecting AZERTY keyboards - Added a button to automatically generate a save game name
Warlords FAQ
Post-Launch FAQ (Last Updated November 2021)
Hi everyone,
It’s hard to believe that Stronghold: Warlords is finally out there and in your hands! Everyone at Firefly would like to thank our community across various platforms for all the enthusiasm, valuable feedback and constructive criticism you’ve given us. It’s been a blast watching so many of you having fun building up your castles, villages and besieging friends online.
We have put together this FAQ based on some of the feedback we’re seeing across the board. This includes some information that we have previously mentioned, but might have been missed.
We hope you find some satisfactory answers to any issues or queries you may have. If there’s something still on your mind that you'd like to discuss, then please join us on Discord using the invite link at bottom of this post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will you be adding extra free content to the game? Yes. On June 21st 2021 we released the final part of our 'Spring/Summer' content roadmap for Warlords, with our v1.4 update. This update added the game's first skirmish trail, new maps, a brand new unit and warlords, with additional features and content added in earlier updates:
Our second Summer/Autumn Roadmap was revealed on July 27th 2021, alongside the release of Version 1.5. The following content is now in game and available on Steam:
Our third and final Autumn/Winter Roadmap was revealed on November 9th 2021. As part of this last roadmap reveal, our planned free content for the remainder of Warlords development is as follows:
Our most recent release was Version 1.9 which added the Minamoto no Yoritomo AI opponent, an increased unit cap, new maps and achievements!
Are further bug fixes, stability improvements and optimisations planned? Absolutely - Fixes, improvements and optimisations will continue while we are still updating the game. Your feedback is very valuable to us and we’re focusing our energy into fixing any problems players have encountered.
I am encountering bugs and/or have a technical issue.
For TECHNICAL ISSUES (for example, if your game doesn't run) please contact Firefly Support by emailing support@fireflyworlds.com or going to https://support.fireflyworlds.com/
For any BUGS you find (for example, unit explodes randomly) you can either follow the above or you can fill in this form by clicking on this link:
If possible include a link to a picture or video showing the issue, as this helps us identify and resolve issues faster. Please use IMGUR (or a similar site) to upload an image or YouTube (or similar) for video.
Please Note: The more detail you provide in a bug report the more likely it is we can replicate, find and then fix it. E.g. What level of the campaign were you on? How many players/AI were involved? Did you have 70 fire oxen all explode at once? Etc.
Where's my Special Edition Content? Within Steam Client you can find the official soundtrack. You can also access all Special Edition content after installing the game, navigate to the game folder and open up a folder titled ‘Special Edition’.
By default this is located at:
C: > Program Files (x86) > Steam > steamapps > common > Stronghold Warlords > Special Edition
Is mod support planned? No mod support outside of Steam Workshop unfortunately, but we'll keep it in mind going forward. For now you can create custom missions, scripted events and skirmishes in the included map editor.
How do I use the map editor? Here is a guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2419503398 We also have a map editor channel on our discord for people to share ideas, tips and tricks!
The motion blur on the camera makes me feel sick! As of 24th March 2021, there is now a way to disable motion blur. Please refer to V1.1 Update notes for more detail.
Why did you choose Asia? I want to see more [Legends/Crusader] Put simply, we chose Asia for its castles, battles, gunpowder and bloody, expansive history! We’re so grateful for our community’s enthusiasm for our older games set in England and the Middle East, but this time, we wanted to creatively try something different. Who knows what the future holds for us, but in the meantime we are thankful to have your support and passion!
Can I change troop/building limits in Single Player? Warlords has been designed with specific troop and building limits in single player for gameplay and performance reasons. However we appreciate some people may wish to try playing the game with higher limits, in response to this we increased this limit just after launch in Version 1.1 and then again in v1.9.
To further alter these limits in SINGLE PLAYER: 1. Browse to the location of your Documents > Stronghold Warlords > Profiles folder. 2. Using a text editor (we recommend Notepad++) open the options.xml file. 3. On line 4 change the values for single_player_building_limit and single_player_troop_limit (make sure you retain the exact formatting used in the file). 4. Save the file.
PLEASE NOTE: These values only affect single player games not multiplayer games. Changing these values beyond the default limits may adversely affect game performance (depending on your computer).
What about Multiplayer Troop/Building Limits? As of 24th March 2021, we have increased the troop limit in skirmish mode and multiplayer. Please refer to V1.1 Update notes for more detail.
We will continue to look at this area of the game, making adjustments where possible alongside future updates.
[Unit/Siege weapon] is too OP! We will be looking and managing the rebalance of units, etc with future updates. Please continue to give us feedback on this.
Will you continue to work on AI? Yes. We will continue to improve AI in the game with player feedback in mind for as long as we are updating the game. This started with our V1.1 Update and continues in subsequent updates, each introducing improvements to AI behaviour. Improving AI is a priority and you can expect further updates to the behaviour and challenge of opponents in the game.
Is Firefly a AAA studio? At present we have around 10 developers working on Warlords, with many of us doing more than one job. We are flattered you think we might be a AAA studio, but we are very much an indie studio. Nevertheless, this will not stop us from making updates and improvements to the game post-launch.
How do I access the manual for Stronghold: Warlords? Right-click on Stronghold: Warlords in your Steam library, go to Properties, Local Files, Browse and there is a folder called Manuals.
If you can think of any additional questions we can add to this FAQ, please let us know and we will add answers where possible.
- Fixed a bug that applied the UI scaling setting to the help file - Fixed the Qin Shi Huang end video playing incorrect Chinese speech - Fixed the Toyotomi Hideyoshi start video playing incorrect French speech - The manuals are also now available from the game installation folder as well as Steam (English, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Simplified Chinese)
Launch Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjLOm-zxwKI Fans of building, besieging and ‘wuselfaktor’ rejoice! The latest entry in our almost 20 year old ‘castle sim’ series, Stronghold: Warlords is now available on Steam. Today we celebrate the game's long awaited release with a final launch trailer featuring fresh gameplay, the full campaign map and a story preview narrated by the talented Rae Lim.
Including a 31 mission campaign with conflicts and sieges ranging from 300 BC China to 16th century Japan, Stronghold: Warlords both covers a wide historical period and (more importantly) introduces gunpowder to the series for the first time! Introducing legendary figures like Genghis Khan and lesser known rulers such as Thuc Phan, Warlords is designed to build on everything players know and love about Stronghold in an all new setting. Warlords has something for all Stronghold fans, whether you enjoy a single player campaign, unlimited castle building freedom in Free Build mode, offline skirmish or online multiplayer with friends and AI. The game comes complete with everything you expect from a mainline entry in the series, in addition to brand new gunpowder fuelled units, siege weapons and returning favourites like Siege Towers and Horse Archers.
With Stronghold: Warlords release we also have the introduction of the titular Warlords system, a new gameplay mechanic allowing players to conquer, upgrade and command AI ‘warlords’ across the battlefield. A flagging economy can be saved with an Ox or Pig Warlord, who can boost a players' industry and food reserves with their unique ‘Edict’ commands and passive perk abilities. Players looking to rain down fire and fury on their opponents can instead opt for a Dragon or Tiger Warlord, able to supply the player with special units and launch attacks in a pincer movement against their enemies! Whether players decide to forge these alliances through diplomatic buildings like the Consulate or simply by marching in an army and forcing warlords to bend the knee, these bonds can make or break their overall strategy.
Stronghold: Warlords - Special Edition is also available including Stronghold HD, ‘The Art of Stronghold: Warlords’ digital art book, a new soundtrack created by series composer Robert L. Euvino and a special ‘Making Of’ feature-length documentary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tojme-8vGY In our final pre-launch gameplay preview Aaron, Natasha and Nick go head to head with the AI in a triple threat 3v3 multiplayer match! Facing off against two Hard opponents (Genghis Khan and Toyotomi Hideyoshi) and one Medium (Thuc Phan), Firefly's marketing team experiments with incendiary bovines, thunder crash bombs and... Spelling their names out in gunpowder? Watch as we play through an hour-long six player game online, using the latest Stronghold: Warlords build, a Large sized map and four different warlords to spice things up.
At launch Stronghold: Warlords will allow for up to eight players total in Multiplayer, using a mix of four human and four AI opponents, in addition to the warlords themselves. Nine maps will be available to play ranging from Small to Large size, with support for Extra Large maps, a full map editor and Steam Workshop functionality at release. Co-op mode will also allow up to two pairs of players to share a castle estate and control of their forces, while traditional teams also feature for players that prefer to build and maintain their own feudal economy.
Stronghold: Warlords will be available on Steam next week from 6pm GMT on March 9th for $39.99, £29.99 and €34.99. A Special Edition will also be available including Stronghold HD, ‘The Art of Stronghold: Warlords’ digital art book, a new soundtrack created by series composer Robert L. Euvino and a special ‘Making Of’ feature-length documentary.
Along with eight unique warlord archetypes, Stronghold: Warlords will feature four fully realised opponents in the form of historical AI Lords. Covering unique historical periods from 300 BC Vietnam through to the rise of the Tokugawa shogunate in 16th century Japan, Warlords shifts the series into new territory with a brand new cast of characters. Featured in the game’s 31 mission single player campaign, but also playable in skirmish mode and multiplayer, Warlords’ main cast are legendary figures and formidable opponents.
This final developer diary (Don't worry - We still have other videos coming!) explores their battlefield prowess, tactics and quirks as AI opponents, providing a look at some of the strategies players will be facing at launch on March 9th. After several games using the same historical settings Genghis Khan, Thuc Phan, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Qin Shi Huang were exciting prospects for the studio and a refreshing change of pace. The resulting cast of larger-than-life characters still feels very Stronghold, while living up to the game’s title in their unique castle designs, army composition, tactics and taunts.
With a completely new cast of ‘AI Lord’ opponents, we're also combining regional voice work with bespoke lines for certain characters and units. As with Arabic voice acting in the beloved Stronghold: Crusader series, the introduction of talented Japanese voice actors, in addition to those of Chinese and Vietnamese descent, is designed to both provide native language support and add to the immersion enjoyed by western players. In doing so we hopes to deliver the level of atmosphere Stronghold fans have come to enjoy, both in terms of authentic orchestral music and voice acting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0IFo_33DS0 With less than two weeks to go before the worldwide launch of Stronghold: Warlords, we thought it would it would be entertaining to give our developers a blind castle-building challenge! Tasked with building the ultimate castle in under 30 minutes, four Firefly devs are challenged (and judged!) on their time-limited castle building skills in this new video.
Paul, Aaron, Tom and Nick all begin on a new map with little to no preparation and a single objective: Build the ultimate castle! They must do so on the 'Jungle Clearing' medium-sized map within the time limit, with their creations judged by none other than Firefly Studios co-founder and Stronghold designer Simon Bradbury. These hastily-constructed castles are rigorously graded based on their castle aesthetics, economic efficiency and of course defensive strength. The series *is* called 'Stronghold' after all...
Also including a few minor feature additions, such as the ability to lock (or rotate) the mini-map and a helpful top-down castle view for building, today's gameplay is taken from our latest Warlords build. You can expect more videos from this build next week and during launch, as we explore multiplayer mode and the game's larger map sizes. In the meantime please wishlist Stronghold: Warlords to be notified of the game's release and any launch discount.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TyFJ0Jbnkc While new gameplay footage is coming later this week, today we're releasing our third and final 'Making Of Stronghold: Warlords' teaser. Today's video is centred around the reveal of Stronghold: Warlords, which took place way back in June 2019. Featuring a snippet of what you can expect from the full documentary at launch, this quick look shows Paul and Simon discussing what goes into revealing a game to the press, as well as including a few behind the scenes E3 clips!
Available at launch as part of Stronghold: Warlords - Special Edition, this feature-length documentary takes a look behind the scenes with over two years of game development at Firefly Studios. Unpacking the complex process of creating a modern strategy/sim hybrid on PC, the documentary is designed to provide insight into these unique genres for those curious about their creation.
Stronghold: Warlords - Special Edition will be available at launch on Steam for $49.99, £34.99 and €39.99, with the base game also available for $39.99, £29.99 and €34.99.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8atMO_Xqb0 While we prepare new gameplay previews for the coming weeks, today we're releasing a second short 'Making Of Stronghold: Warlords' teaser video. Today's preview discusses voice acting and the fine balancing act between historical authenticity, great performances and our Stronghold-style humour. In addition to planned support for 15 languages, we also made the decision quite early on to support audio in eight languages, as well as snippets of other languages for specific units. Music and sound design are so important to the Stronghold series that it felt necessary to include in the game and we hope it's something enjoyed by players worldwide at launch!
Available at launch as part of Stronghold: Warlords - Special Edition, this feature-length documentary takes a look behind the scenes with over two years of game development at Firefly Studios. Unpacking the complex process of creating a modern strategy/sim hybrid on PC, the documentary is designed to provide insight into these unique genres for those curious about their creation.
Stronghold: Warlords - Special Edition will be available at launch on Steam for $49.99, £34.99 and €39.99, with the base game also available for $39.99, £29.99 and €34.99.
