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[Kagus]

So yeah, Stronghold.  Medieval real-time strategy/citybuilding game with advanced defensive construction abilities yadda-yadda...  We all know what it is (hopefully).


As some of you may know, the freedom provided by the map editor has allowed the community to create a vast assortment of interesting and at times unorthodox playing areas.  Now, since I have absolutely no knowledge of how a person goes about doing anything more interesting than making a really tall wall (wall on top of cliff), I was wondering if it might be at all possible to put together this one idea I had recently...


The playing field is essentially one large city, controlled by the AI.  Each of the players are in charge of a particular "guild", and have control of a Saxon hall, barracks, a trading post, and a number of laborers determined by their respective guild (farmers, masons, whatever). 

Essentially, the point is to have a bunch of small rivals duking it out inside the confines of a larger city.  They don't necessarily have to be guilds, they could just as easily be noble houses with certain privately-owned farms or whatnot.


Again, I don't know much of anything about the editor...   So there were a few questions I was hoping might be answered (surely someone on here must have some experience with the Stronghold editor?  It would be a crying shame to actually have to go to thereal forums for a direct answer):


Is it possible to include an AI-only player in a multiplayer map, and is it possible to automatically ally that AI player with all human players?

Will the AI-controlled buildings count as "enemy" buildings for the purposes of denying your own building placement?  (This is sort of the main issue)

Is it possible to place building type restrictions on a player-by-player basis? (No stonecutters for the farmers, no mills for the masons, that sort of thing)

And, finally...  Are there already any maps like this?

[Akura]

Stronghold, as in Firefly Studios' Stronghold? First or second, or others if any?

I never knew the map editor to provide any particular kind of freedom of map design... And believe me, I've tried.


I dunno about an AI in multiplayer, but I'd say no, mainly because it's impossible to get the AI doing much of anything. And no, you can't put player-by-player restrictions in.

The only thing I've done with it is make a few neat Invasion maps, a few Siege maps based off of cities from the Inheritance series(currently got Teirm, Tarnag, and Aberon/Borromeo Castle), and even tried to make a group of "campaign" maps that never really got off the ground.

[Micro102]

I think he's talking about stronghold 2 as that is the only map maker i know of.

Kagus, I don't think that is possible to do. In order to do something like that you would need to have the AI allied to everyone while they are allied against each other. You can do stuff like that in empire earth maybe, but not stronghold. However if you can cancel any type of unit that can cross walls for the AI then you can make the guilds have walls and when they send out troops to fight each other the AI will attack those troops (i don't know if this will actually work)

Not sure what you mean about AI buildings being enemy buildings. If it is to prevent the players from building their own buildings, then they can't build in the AI's territory. Maybe fill up extra space inside the player's territory with junk?

Find some RPers, otherwise make it hell for them to try to get resources that they aren't suppose to have, like have all the trees next to the wood cutters and all the stone next to the masons, and have the buildings placed make the path to the stone horribly long (except through the respective guild which will have their own gate to their resource) with AI archers placed on roofs.

(gonna need good RPers if you want to avoid people killing the AI and smashing their way through the city)
(make sure to make the AI's houses many and keep them secured in a corner of the map with walls and archers like insanity.....if they get destroyed by mistake they cannot be replaced due to house limit, this will simulate a large city with many people)

Doubt their are any maps like this. I had a map with 7 vs 1 where you owned 4 huge estates for all the resources you could ever need and tons of population, and the only entrance was a corridor with ridiculously high cliffs  on each side allowing me to launch 2 3x3 groups of ballista or those rock throwing things (that's the equivalent of >100 catapults, quote from player: "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!!!!!!!"). Plus with a nearly endless supply of pitch and money from all the resources you really need to work together to take down the one guy with infinite resources and ultimate defense. (narrow corridor + pitch + 7 armies = most beautiful thing you will ever see in this game)

[Akura]

I think he's talking about stronghold 2 as that is the only map maker i know of.

What's this then? (note, cursor is over the Tree icon, but pressing PrntScrn doesn't show it)


Didn't I just say that I made some maps with it?

[Micro102]

yeah that's stronghold 2.

[Kagus]

No, that's the original Stronghold.  And I was talking about Stronghold 1, sorry about not pointing that out...  I don't generally think of Stronghold 2 as canon, so it didn't cross my mind.


Ah well, shame to hear about the AI.  I suspected as much, but the idea of warring factions inside a single city appealed to me too much to let it slide.  Guess it's off to make that adventurer map for Age of Wonders...


Thanks for the help though, I know it's a bit strange asking about something like that on a completely different forum.

[Micro102]

Weird, i can't remember a map maker for stronghold 1....Sry for not being able to help.

[Akura]

Weird, i can't remember a map maker for stronghold 1....Sry for not being able to help.

IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE SCREENSHOT! THE TREE!! THE TREE!!

Could you have been using an older version?

But anyway, it's very limited. There things you can't do that the campaign and default maps do, like changing control of a castle(The Snake Hunt Begins and The Ransom) or send a battalion of purple archers your way(Defending the Homeland).

[Pathos]

IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE SCREENSHOT! THE TREE!! THE TREE!!

Could you have been using an older version?

But anyway, it's very limited. There things you can't do that the campaign and default maps do, like changing control of a castle(The Snake Hunt Begins and The Ransom) or send a battalion of purple archers your way(Defending the Homeland).

Dude, that's so photoshopped. You can see it from the pixels.

[Micro102]

Looks real to me, but i recall a tree in the stronghold 2 game......maybe i'm getting them mixed up in my head?

[Ivefan]

There is a mapmaker in stronghold crusaders atleast, that i know for sure. played around a bit with it but i dont remember much.

[Akura]

IT'S RIGHT THERE IN THE SCREENSHOT! THE TREE!! THE TREE!!

Could you have been using an older version?

But anyway, it's very limited. There things you can't do that the campaign and default maps do, like changing control of a castle(The Snake Hunt Begins and The Ransom) or send a battalion of purple archers your way(Defending the Homeland).

Dude, that's so photoshopped. You can see it from the pixels.

PrtScrn. And what pixels? You might be seeing a crappy JPEG.

[LeoLeonardoIII]

I can also tell, by some of the pixels, and that I have seen a lot of Photoshops in my time.

[Dwarf]

YES, it's got a map editor. I used it to make some.

Kagus, you may want to forward your question to stronghold-knights.com.
I know that an invasion event can change a keep's colour...

[Kagus]

Sarcasm devices are currently on the fritz, it would appear...


As for the map itself, it's quite possible that I just had faulty memories of the editor after seeing a picture of a fountain that some dude made.  In a sense of triggers and special effects, it's not exactly fantastic, but you could whip up some cool terrain.  That's worth something, right?

Anyways, I think the matter is pretty much settled.  I still think it's a cool idea, but not all game-blending ideas are possible.  It's just a sad fact of life...