Your best Stronghold Crusader memories

Many of us are Stronghold Crusader veterans, and we have about ten years of playing this game behind us.

Tell us about your achievements or even failures from the game that you remember to the present day. Those may be whole missions, or parts of a mission (from historical campaigns or crusader or warchest trail), such as besieging a specific castle, or your struggling to survive overwhelming early enemy attacks. You may tell us about some of your skirmish games as well.

Good thread, I will have to think about this one!

Thanks. :) When opening this tread I had some more missions on my mind.

Also, just before writing here, another idea crossed my mind! If the mission was hard no us not because we didn't know something, but because it WAS hard - maybe we could return there, and try to win that mission again?

This is one of Crusader Trail missions that was troubling me: 33. The Misty River. If I remember right, it's not just it took me days to win this missions - maybe it took me even years! This was one of the missions I used chicken on, and I skipped it. I simply didn't know how to win it, although I knew everything about training army and building and using siege engines (only I never wanted to use shields)! I was trying to start my economy, and to build up my defenses by building one square towers towards each Lionheart, and I was putting mangonels and archers on those towers. Later on I would complete my castle as I always do, but this time they were always taking me down. At some moment they would destroy my towers, after what they would start destroying my economy as well... BUT ONE DAY, ONE IDEA CROSSED MY MIND! I decided to try to do only one thing differently! And then I managed to win. :) I was always feeding people with bread - this time I tried feeding them with apples, because I knew apples take up more oasis, and with them I will not be able to feed my people. But they are better for beginning of the game, because they are cheap. Later I destroyed those apple farms and I build wheat farms and bread production.

I will try to play this mission again! I may also try to win it again by feeding people with bread from very beginning.

If I remember correctly Misty river was hard, I did win the trail the first time I played it, but when I went back to play it again and this map was a big problem to the point I went and read the walk through for it, they suggested moving the stock pile in close to the iron, I won it after that.

I will tell you a little story about Antioch, you said you had a hard time when you first started so I thought I would go and give it a try. I quickly placed a market then get some wood cutters going then food and housing, I used some of the gold to buy bows, I had 4 fletchers and 3 pole turners, after a bit I started putting up some towers between the fords and some ballistas on the ground, after that point it was time to build an attacking army, 150 horsearchers and 40 assassins later, I ran the horses over to the South Pig and took out his range units and most of his mases, 3 of my assassins didn't make it and I lost 48 horses, I made another 30 horses and went around to the east side of the north pig with the horses and cleared the range units from the towers and sent in the 37 assassins that were left, a few minutes later victory was mine!

So you did it better that I did then, that's nice to hear. :)

Perhaps we could try a multiplayer game similar to this map? I could be in the same position where I was on this mission, and you could be in the south-west position. We would fight against four Lionhearts with same settings (it's crusader game). It might be interesting. I know I wouldn't be able to survive, so I would have to rely on your help with resources or troops.

Yeah, I played it again as well, and I did similar thing as you did. My problem back then was the fact that I didn't see how useful horse archers can be. Nice victory! :) I have reached mission five - where I need to fight Wolf allied with three Rats.

Nice idea. If we get a few more threads in this forum I'll consider a sticky for it. :)

I have just won Misty River!

This time I did it without apples, and without digging moats in Nizars way (like I did the previous time I was speaking about; only I could have not mentioned this with moats).

I bought some stone, built two square towers to defend myself from two directions, and I build woodcutters few wheat farms, one hops farm and started a small production of bows. Later, when the wood arrived, I build some mills, bakeries, breweries, and iron mines. Some time later I also build inns and more iron mines, while I was at the same time repelling those first attacks. Later I grew stronger, and I killed Lionhearts. I was also sending small groups of slaves to set enemy quarries and iron mines to fire.

This was really an interesting game, although it was way easier than I remember. :)

I'm also providing you one save file from this game. Also, this was my stronghold from the game.

EaglePrince 2.zip

I'm also providing you one save file from this game. Also, this was my stronghold from the game.

That's very kind of you indeed! Maybe you'd consider uploading it to our saved games downloads section as a walkthrough for SHC as well?

Thanks for letting me know. I didn't know we have a section for those here.

If I knew, it would have been better if I saved the game earlier, so those ones who would want to win the game would still have to struggle a little.

You're welcome :)

It's only recently been added in - the reason it's called "saved games" and not "walkthroughs" like in Stronghold Heaven is because Lord Vetka and I decided it would be a good idea to allow people to upload general saves, not necessarily mission related that could help to give other people ideas as to how they build their castles and is interesting to see how other users play the games.

I agree, sometimes we simply want to brag with out castles. :)

Alright our first save uploaded great! Get some time and we will have more, yes it is to bad you did not have an earlier save, maybe next time.

A real good example of how to build a castle, nice and compact and every thing you need, sending slaves to slow done the AI, good thinking I do that myself, but mostly to set fire to the castles.

I can remember a situation about Crusader, I have to put that into my next reply when I have more time.

I have been a gamer for all of my life, my parents got together with friends to play cards, so I played cards, board games, played with trains, race car sets, as I got older I found pinball, then arcades were new, and game machines started showing up, then the first home PCs started to come out, 1995 I bought my first windows based PC and I bought 4 new PCs since then, my present PC is an AMD dual core 3400 phenom.

My best new game experience was when I found the SHC demo, I was playing Age of Empires Age of Conquerors and Caesar 3 as my main games, I found the Crusader demo and installed it, and never looked back, the maps looked so much better than the age maps, the troops and buildings looked great and the game play was hard and addicting, the scenario that came with the game was hard, you against the Lionheart, that sounds simple enough, not for the first time playing, I did win that demo a few times before I managed to find a used game in a store, yes the game was getting old already and it was not available online at the time.

Sh1 was out for a while, I found the demo for SH1 and tried it out, but after playing Crusader for a few years going back to SH1 just did not thrill me, I did buy it on GOG to help a friend to get his map tested and made a few maps for it but it never appealed to me like Crusader has.

Well, i have some surprising & memorable memories actually

- on skirmish trail missio 49(the mothef of all wars) whem you allied with sultan & caliph against 3 lionhearts and 2 pigs. The Sultan got killed in as soon as his castle go up. Meanwhile, Caliph is busy with his piggy neighbour and somehow Richards are busy with me(they atk Caliph only a couple of times). When i tried the Caliph to beat his piggy neighbour, i decide to eleminate the other pig first the move on to Lionhearts, to my when i started to build up my tropps, it took me a while(i nver build arab troops except firethrpwer and bowman to light up the pitch and i use +5 fearfactor on that mission) i get a message that Caliph just killed Lionheart. I was kinda surprised actually. When i was busy sieging to pig, i got a message that Caliph just killed the other two lionhearts! I was kinda surprise of that(note that i didnt use modded ai)

- i once played a game with Wazir vs 3 Fredericks, and 3 Lionheart. I did not use a modded Ai. At one moment, those 6 lords decide to do joint attack on the Wazir in the mid game time. Wazir only had a few troops left and 2k-ish money after his failed siege. To my surprise, Wazir did manage to hold and defense against those ai and none of it hhappen without my help and no enemy troops are managed to break into his castle

- the last one is kinda makes me feel ashamed actually. I recently did a me against 7 same ai(7 rat, etc) . Its only Saladin variant and wolfs variant that i havent beat yet. The surprisin thing is, the most troubling ai is....the rat.....he managed to killed me in the first try on the map killing plains and the second most troubling is the snake whom not only burn my castle to the ground and managed to made my lord health bar tp red :)

Now you gave me a challenge! :) I am going to win the Mother of all Wars without losing Sultan. At least, that is my plan now. :) I can see that was an exciting battle!

Yeah, Wazir is pretty strong AI lord. Perhaps one of the strongest as well. The only downside of his castle is that his bakeries are exposed to fire, but since Frederick doesn't put enemy buildings to fire, I am not surprised he survived that. He is a stronger version of Caliph to me. :) Emir and Wazir build massive armies, they are both strong if you give them money in beginning. In mission 77. Wall of Death, Emir killed me after I completed my castle, and when I had my archers on my walls and towers, and while I was training swordsmen as well. He wiped out my archers using horse archers, and than his swordsmen came, and they overwhelmed my swordsmen inside my castle, after what my lord was killed as well. That was a battle for remembering - I was killed by Emir just like a human would do. :)

Now you gave me another challenge - the one with the Rat! And, speaking about Snake - that doesn't surprise me; he build what he needs pretty quickly, and than he starts sending his catapults to destroy your walls. Could you tell me what are your game settings? How much gold do you give them?

Mother of all wars was my favourite mission is crusader trail actually. I played that often, and..Sultan almost always got killed by pig.

Yeah Wazir is pretty strong his horse archer and fire balista is kinda troubling and he use pitch more effectife but wisely. In my ai vs ai test, he only lose against Saladin. If only he builds more trebuchet, he can be such a formidable foe. And yes, i do think so that wazir is likebstrong caliph but instead of lots of slave, he uses lots of horse archer

My game setting against rat is 1 vs 7 on killingbplains with 4000 gold advantage.

If you want a challange, play against 7 phillips and gave them 4000 - 8000 gold advantage on bulls eye map or any 8 players map :). He can make you stress at start :)

Thanks for telling me the settings.

By the way, you said you played bulls eye - where would you put yourself there? It is an unbalanced map. :)

on the top right side of the map :). I think it was the hardest

Hmm, that shall be the challenge number one. :)

I mean, one has no resources there. Still, it is possible to win against rat, while against another opponents who use catapults - it would be way more difficult. I am going to try that. If I face a problem, I may call someone from here to aid. :) We could try to win that one together in multiplayer.

When i played against the rat it was on killing plains me on top west side. Bullseye is when i play against phillips....i have to say that i almost loose all of my hair because of that one :)

Not exactly Crusaser, but by best memories from the whole Stronghold series are from Stronghold 1.

I remember one multiplayer game, where I had met someone with pretty much my own skill level - i.e. not terribly good, but not a noob either. We were simply very evenly matched and one of the games we played lasted over 8 hours, spread over 2 days on a rainy weekend.

But my nicest experience was from the Sword and Pistol Tavern (which unfortunately does not exist anymore). At one point we got a couple of people together and started a role playing game based on Stronghold. We were lords fighting for domination in a turn-based fashion on a map (similar to Lords of the Realm) and used the game to meet online and carry out our battles. It was really good fun :)

A long hard fought match is always a good fight :).

Yesterday i played online with my cousin. She is the one who introduce me to the Stronghold series. We've had a pretty long 1 on 1 game for like around 4 hours on 60 game speed without any rules even i decide to stay at her place to finish what we started. I ended up losing tho. But a long hard game against your 'teacher' means a good fight :)