Stronghold warlords graphics series#

The campaigns fall for that RTS trap of serving as expanded and often mundane tutorials That means no fighting over resources on the map, which makes games that bit less strategic.ĭespite the teething awkwardness, I did get into a groove with this economic system, setting surplus resources to auto-sell once they hit a certain point while auto-buying those I lacked so that they always stayed at a minimum threshold.

It’s strange that you can only gather resources from within the rather limited building boundaries of your solitary keep, as it means that you need to procure most of your resources through warlords under your command or the market, where you can buy and sell all goods in the game.

Stronghold warlords graphics series#

It’s a solid lineup, offering more tactical variety than past iterations while retaining some of the whimsy that the series at its best had.īack on the homefront, you’ll need to keep the people happy with food, clothing, tea and temples if you want to crank up those taxes. These pyromaniacs shriek maniacally when you select them, making you question whether the least mentally stable soldiers should be wielding the only weapons also capable of damaging your own troops. Fire lancers meanwhile, can burn entire regiments with their medieval flamethrowers. Regular melee, cavalry and ranged troops are joined by far eastern classics like samurai, warrior monks, horse archers and ninjas-who can scale walls without ladders.

Seeing a city burn and crumble before funnelling troops into it is still a joy, and I had a few highlight reel moments with the gunpowder-loaded oxen that I’d send on kamikaze death-runs into poorly guarded siege equipment. Siege equipment is varied, ranging from trebuchets that can fire not only rocks, but fire and diseased animals into enemy forts, to laddermen and mantlets that protect your incoming troops from the inevitable arrow barrages. The combat itself feels good for the most part.