Stronghold 3

 PC
User Score
3.0

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 372 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 372
  2. Mixed: 43 out of 372
  3. Negative: 276 out of 372
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Scorpy_CFS
    Oct 30, 2011
    2
    I wish all of the other reviews were incorrect. I love the stronghold series and I ALWAYS give a game a good opportunity to impress me before I make a decision. This game just couldn't wait though. As one who loved stronghold 2, I felt empty playing SH3. Gone is my beloved skirmish mode. Even sandbox mode was lacking the ability to build an awesome castle. Maps are microscopic inI wish all of the other reviews were incorrect. I love the stronghold series and I ALWAYS give a game a good opportunity to impress me before I make a decision. This game just couldn't wait though. As one who loved stronghold 2, I felt empty playing SH3. Gone is my beloved skirmish mode. Even sandbox mode was lacking the ability to build an awesome castle. Maps are microscopic in comparison to SH2 maps. I haven't tried the war campaign but so far the economic campaign has failed to excite. Sure the first two missions were fine but number 3 is a case study in why strategy titles like this need a speed up mode. I'm sorry, I am in fact one of those people who likes to sit back and watch my people go about their business. I love Settlers; Heritage of Kings for that very reason. But it is ridiculous expecting players not to lose patience waiting for wood cutters to level a forest, just to continue. Every facet of this game that I have experienced so far has left me wanting. Imagine, if you can that feeling of getting the Sims 3 after playing Sims 2 with all of the expansion packs and gigs of downloaded custom content. Then add bugs and remove a number of options and things to do from Sims 2 original, multiply it by ten... and the feeling left by SH 3 is still worse. Especially because in the back of my mind is that it is not as if much of what I want will come out in an expansion pack. Large maps, skirmish mode, building variety. I doubt any of this will be added.
    I truly wish that I could tell people to try it and see for themselves but accept this warning from someone whom is sorely disappointed with the amount of money spent and the result I got. I am very sorry for all of those anticipating something great, but this game is just not worth it. I really wish I had something better to say but this metacritic account was made just to add to the many reviews all saying the same thing: Don't waste your money. It is an empty game that will leave you feeling empty. The tragedy is two fold. It is a poor game, and we are still left wanting stronghold 3    … Expand
  2. Canisrah
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    I've come online to get this review in early in the hope that I can save other Stronghold fans from making the same mistake I did. This game is an unfinished, buggy mess and I wish I could get my money back. Pre-ordering games just doesn't pay nowadays as developers seem determined to release their unfinished, unpolished, half-implemented rubbish on the paying public. They've had to makeI've come online to get this review in early in the hope that I can save other Stronghold fans from making the same mistake I did. This game is an unfinished, buggy mess and I wish I could get my money back. Pre-ordering games just doesn't pay nowadays as developers seem determined to release their unfinished, unpolished, half-implemented rubbish on the paying public. They've had to make this game on a shoestring budget, and it shows from the beginning with the bugs and the use of black and white drawings in place of cinematics. Mission design is poor, the maps are tiny, the animations are rudimentary and the graphics engine is glitchy.

    The game simply isn't worth playing in it's current state, and it's merely a throwback to Stronghold 2 and not the original and best Stronghold 1. You have to be worried when a castle building game doesn't give your troops any defensive bonus at all for being behind walls - none whatsoever. Many aspects of the gameplay are quite simply broken, and there is no skirmish mode, just a horrible lackluster campaign. The dreadful reviews will start pouring in soon - hold off on that purchase, wait till you find it in the bargain bin, which won't be very long. A sad waste of time and money.    … Expand
  3. Argoss
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Just three words: NO SKIRMISH MODE.......................................................................................................................................
  4. Bones313
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    Remember when stronghold 2 came out? It's more buggy then that ever was.. Graphic errors, no skirmish mode, terrible campaign and lots more to list.. Don't buy this until it's on a 5$ sale or 3 years from now when they fix all the glitches.. Why can't they just remake stronghold 1 or crusader to how we all want it to be..
  5. Kevinovski
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    A nasty surprise for Stronghold fans. This game is very buggy and has an unfinished feel to it. Let me rephrase that: This game has been released in a state it shouldn't be. It's like a fetus gets pulled out of a womb months before its time. This should have never been released in this state.
    Furthermore, there is a lack of skirmish mode, which means you have to deal with the current    A nasty surprise for Stronghold fans. This game is very buggy and has an unfinished feel to it. Let me rephrase that: This game has been released in a state it shouldn't be. It's like a fetus gets pulled out of a womb months before its time. This should have never been released in this state.
    Furthermore, there is a lack of skirmish mode, which means you have to deal with the current campaigns as they are. They are impossibly difficult, not as much to say the game is challenging, but you have the feeling you're not fighting the virtual enemies, rather the bugs you come across. There is no bonus for standing on walls, and your men at arms get stuck when they can't hit their enemies. What is that all about?
    A lot of people say they don't like the graphics, but I think they're the only pro to this game as far as I'm concerned. I think this game is salvageable with a lot of patching, but for now I'd suggest you all wait till it's in the bargain bin.    … Expand
  6. ptoner87
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    No skirmish mode. No kingmaker.
    No AI (i.e. computer opponents to play against in any mode, save for what's scripted in the campaign).
    Multiplayer is broken. You literally cannot play multiplayer. Even if you could, there are four very small maps from which to choose. Limited free build mode comprising two maps, both of which are very tiny. To give you some reference, if you took thirty    No skirmish mode. No kingmaker.
    No AI (i.e. computer opponents to play against in any mode, save for what's scripted in the campaign).
    Multiplayer is broken. You literally cannot play multiplayer. Even if you could, there are four very small maps from which to choose.
    Limited free build mode comprising two maps, both of which are very tiny. To give you some reference, if you took thirty wheat farms and lined them up, the first and last would be at the edges of the map.

    I won't comment as to how I like the graphics, because to an extent it is personal preference, but I will tell you there are numerous graphical errors, and castle walls use low resolution, blotchy textures.

    I do enjoy the audio. Music is nice. It's not enough to overcome the game's other faults by a longshot, however.

    The game is very buggy. Some people cannot start the game. Others it crashes for, and still others for some odd reason can only play the game in a foreign language (really). For those of us lucky not to experience these major issues, there still is a whole slew of pesky annoyances and gameplay imbalances with which to contend, to the extent that we're wondering if 7sixty and Firefly Studios accidentally released an early beta version instead of the completed game.

    There are some remedies to Stronghold 2's mechanics that are positive, such as not having to deal with sanitation or criminals, and a better camera UI.
    Your building choices are also more refined, which does mean less indeed, but I think it's for the better. For instance, there's only a church, and no chapel or cathedral. The church has a support structure, the chandler, a producer of candles, which the church requires to perform services.
    The honour system is interesting, I think, but there's no sense in going into it here.
    Housing is nifty in that it changes size and capacity based on distance from the keep.
    Weather and day and night cycles are kind of glitched, but in theory they are pretty cool.

    The game is in major need of some serious patches.
    Even with patches, you'd very likely never see a skirmish mode, as AI is something that takes a very long time to develop, and typically requires coding in the early stages of development.
    There may be a technical reason the maps are as small as they are. If this is true, it's extremely disappointing.

    The short answer is stay away from Stronghold 3.
    Maybe reconsider if it goes on sale for ten bucks, but only after extensive patching.    … Expand
  7. jollysteve
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    My biggest gripe with this game is that it bears a full price tag and there is no demo. That is really a problem, because you can't get refunds on Steam and the game is utter crap. It runs well, but looks bad on GTX470 and is missing a lot of features. Feels like a beta version. They just wanted to cash in on the Stronghold name.
  8. merakal
    Oct 26, 2011
    5
    Such a disappointment, so much potential wasted :( Weak graphics, full of bugs, boring campaign, tiny maps and a generally very unfinished feel to it. Basic mechanics are of course very similar to stronghold 1 and 2 and that's about the only thing done right.
  9. sholdlegend
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    The most anticipated flop of our generation. Crashes left right and centre, poor AI and poorly designed non-immersive maps are only a few things that cast out Stronghold 3 from it's predecessors.
  10. BlaBlaBlaNighT
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    The only reason for me creating an account here: To warn you all not to buy this ... "game". Its pathetic lol, no skirmish, **** graphics and overall an unfinished feeling. This is far from playable, and even further away from being a good game. Sad to see the money go down the drain.. again.. Don't make the mistake of buying this game. This is not worth the 5 bucks when it ends up in theThe only reason for me creating an account here: To warn you all not to buy this ... "game". Its pathetic lol, no skirmish, **** graphics and overall an unfinished feeling. This is far from playable, and even further away from being a good game. Sad to see the money go down the drain.. again.. Don't make the mistake of buying this game. This is not worth the 5 bucks when it ends up in the discount bin even!… Expand
  11. Sp4rkR4t
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    This game is nowhere near finished, graphics are atrocious and the game doesn't even support 1080p, almost no info throughout the game as to what each building does or how much or whatever it is producing, no display info telling you how much stock you have in a given item other than having to constantly re-check the stockpile. It is a complete mess and such a shame as the gaming landscapeThis game is nowhere near finished, graphics are atrocious and the game doesn't even support 1080p, almost no info throughout the game as to what each building does or how much or whatever it is producing, no display info telling you how much stock you have in a given item other than having to constantly re-check the stockpile. It is a complete mess and such a shame as the gaming landscape could have done with a new game of this type.… Expand
  12. Dan341
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    Don't do it.
    I am a rare partial-blind gamer, Unfamiliar with this series. bought this on steam pre-order, and I concur with the rest of the abysmal reviews. Played this for about an hour before turning it off in frustration. The most striking elements are near non-existent KB controls (important to some folks), lackluster storyline (the opening anyway), small / poorly designed maps,    Don't do it.
    I am a rare partial-blind gamer, Unfamiliar with this series. bought this on steam pre-order, and I concur with the rest of the abysmal reviews. Played this for about an hour before turning it off in frustration. The most striking elements are near non-existent KB controls (important to some folks), lackluster storyline (the opening anyway), small / poorly designed maps, and its just TOO similar to SH 1. All the typical ailments of a low-budget game. No skirmish mode. The Settlers series is similar to this and those beat this with a stick. These type of games fail to keep my interest. I was expecting something like Sim-Medieval Kingdom, but its like Castle-Craft gone bad.    … Expand
  13. Heavymetal4life
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    Such a shame......... Game was talked about such potential an its now Day 2 of release an I have returned the game for my money back. Bug ridden launch of yet another PC title. It feels they release these games for the pure need of sales to get their budget up since they peeked it an had run out of funds, so they sell a unfinished unpolished game to gain revenue so they can fix the issuesSuch a shame......... Game was talked about such potential an its now Day 2 of release an I have returned the game for my money back. Bug ridden launch of yet another PC title. It feels they release these games for the pure need of sales to get their budget up since they peeked it an had run out of funds, so they sell a unfinished unpolished game to gain revenue so they can fix the issues an implement the rest of the games ideas with the new found source of money they receive from sales. Very poor business ethics from the PC industry the past 2-4 years. It is getting really annoying....It is like they want me to just buy a Console an never look back with the type of lack of respect they show us consumer PC gamers. Game tries to show you the light at the end of the tunnel but merely fails horribly. No skirmish in a RTS game is a complete ruin of the style of game it is, where is the replay ability without skirmish???? No Kingmaker makes even LESS replay ability..... What do they expect us to do buy a game for 50 dollars to play a 10 hour campaign if that an then just notch the game off on are list of what to do next? This title is a slap in the face to PC gamers of the genre this title supports, They talk in their Dev videos how they did so much not to fail like supposedly Stronghold 2 did, Well it had its issues at launch I will be honest, but after some patches an time I rather play that game then this supposed "new" an "better" version. They were so negative towards SH2 that they even made the story take off from the original SH1, that right there tells you they do no have confidence in their ability to make games. I warn anyone who buys this game within its first month of launch, for it will take some time fixing the mass of Bugs this game is experiencing at the moment. Wait a few if months for it to hit the bargain bin or hit the sales rack on steam or at Retailers such as Gamestop store or their Online download system "aka" Impulse that for some reason they now changed it to the name of their stores, which on a side note I thought was stupid... I liked Impulse as the name more then the Current. An stay Clear from Origin unless you just HAVE to have a EA game or you will die. (rumors say it has a spyware in the software to take your information an sell it to other companies for marketing purposes, be careful)
    Well I hope this post helps people save some money. I give this game a 3 out of 10 because they attempted to do something at least, even if it was a massive launch PC title failure again. Maybe a few months down the road it will be playable an enjoyable like SH2 became when its issues were fixed an corrected. The only Thing good going for this game is the introduction of a Physics engine making the the destruction of Castle walls an Town buildings look more realistic an the peoples "AI" bodies having a "rag" doll effect to their lifeless corpses. I sure hope some other big titles coming out that I am waiting for do not do this as well, Such as Skyrim from Besthesda.... Especially after how horrible RAGE was an still is after multiply patches to try an fix it, yet still have not. Wish the PC industry would get their **** together... I am really considering going back to Xbox or Playstation, I know they go through their issues now an then but at least with a console I did not spend $2,000.00 plus dollars to make a top end gaming machine just to get crappy game after crappy game released    … Expand
  14. Korkenzieher
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    I guess the glorious days of the Stronghold Franchise are over. Stronghold 3 has HUGE bugs, currently no speed regulation, graphics looks like came out of 2002 - to shortcut this - for my taste... a Nr1 lame game. Stronghold 3 earned a place in my personal FAIL BUY's list.
  15. Bedlam
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    I literally created this metacritic account to warn people away from Stronghold 3. This game is full of bugs and I want my money back! I reloaded a saved game, it wouldn't recognize I had stuff in my stockpile. I reloaded again. My wall was glitched up so that it wasn't connected. The multiplayer is not working and no skirmish mode... which leaves this game devoid of life. What the heckI literally created this metacritic account to warn people away from Stronghold 3. This game is full of bugs and I want my money back! I reloaded a saved game, it wouldn't recognize I had stuff in my stockpile. I reloaded again. My wall was glitched up so that it wasn't connected. The multiplayer is not working and no skirmish mode... which leaves this game devoid of life. What the heck are they thinking to release a game in such a shoddy state, it should be illegal. If I had any member of firefly studios in the room with me right now I swear I would throttle them with no remorse.… Expand
  16. TheGeneral
    Oct 25, 2011
    4
    Incredibly disappointed! The game is not finished, should not have been release in my opinion. Multi player does not work at all at the moment! Huge bugs in game! This game needs a patch to even be playable. Anyone rating the game 10 works for production coz game don't work!!!
  17. STRONGHOLD
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Lord Solor is a tool. This game does not deserve a Ten. This game is clearly a unfinished product. If you check out firefly official forum, you can see the various gameplay issues that Firefly ignored. Wolf can climb ladders! Wolf can kill your armored lord! Any units can attack walls.
    There is no strong walls option. What is the point of building walls if they don't block enemy    Lord Solor is a tool. This game does not deserve a Ten. This game is clearly a unfinished product. If you check out firefly official forum, you can see the various gameplay issues that Firefly ignored. Wolf can climb ladders! Wolf can kill your armored lord! Any units can attack walls.
    There is no strong walls option. What is the point of building walls if they don't block enemy units?
    Building walls and staircases are like pulling your wisdom tooth by yourself.

    If you want to save money, don't buy this game. Buy Stronghold 1 or 2. Stronghold 3 is a epic fail game.    … Expand
  18. scribblesvurt
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Worst Game Ever. 10 years since the original and this is the best they can manage? Buggy, crappy graphics and disappointing game play. PS, A sketch for a cut scene is as lazy as it gets. I demand a refund. SAVE YOUR MONEY DO NOT BUY.
  19. Andrew_Paterson
    Aug 18, 2013
    4
    Stronghold 3 is buggier than a big bug full of little bugs. Even disregarding the many graphical glitches, sound cut outs and AI that is stupid beyond belief there is still very little to recommend it.

    It looks extraordinarily dated more like a student project than a professional release. The story is forgettable and the campaign is slow. It advances at the same speed as your troops    Stronghold 3 is buggier than a big bug full of little bugs. Even disregarding the many graphical glitches, sound cut outs and AI that is stupid beyond belief there is still very little to recommend it.

    It looks extraordinarily dated more like a student project than a professional release. The story is forgettable and the campaign is slow. It advances at the same speed as your troops moving across the map; which is to say like molasses on slight grade.

    I have not played a previous Stonghold game so I don't know how this compares but the strategy and economics are pretty thoughtful and entertaining (between crashes back to the desktop). Get the combination and order of troops wrong when you assault another castle and you're going to suffer for it. Similarly if you don't tailor your economy to support your chosen troops you're going to lose.

    All in all this is a game that should have been a lot better than it is.    … Expand
  20. KlausKinski
    Aug 30, 2013
    0
    played the game the first time recently because i knew it was bad at launch and i hoped by now they would have fixed all the bugs but no they didn't gameplay is somewhat enjoyable but if many units stay close together i get a weird graphical glitch going that's just nice i have a up to date gaming PC whit all the latest drivers and this badly optimized game still doesn't work properly soplayed the game the first time recently because i knew it was bad at launch and i hoped by now they would have fixed all the bugs but no they didn't gameplay is somewhat enjoyable but if many units stay close together i get a weird graphical glitch going that's just nice i have a up to date gaming PC whit all the latest drivers and this badly optimized game still doesn't work properly so long after release EPIC FAIL… Expand
  21. kanefriessner
    Jul 23, 2012
    1
    As a stronghold fan, I'm really disappointed. This game is unfinished. It's not a finished game, even it's not a beta release. Nearly nothing works in this game. First, the graphics are nearly the same as in Stronghold 2. Second, there is no skirmish. What the hell? Just remember the good skirmishes of Stronghold Crusader. Where is it now? And the campaigns are wasted. Also, the maps areAs a stronghold fan, I'm really disappointed. This game is unfinished. It's not a finished game, even it's not a beta release. Nearly nothing works in this game. First, the graphics are nearly the same as in Stronghold 2. Second, there is no skirmish. What the hell? Just remember the good skirmishes of Stronghold Crusader. Where is it now? And the campaigns are wasted. Also, the maps are tiny. Maybe much smaller then the maps in Stronghold 2. There are some "historical" castle sieges (such as in the previous Stronghold sequels), but these are really bad too. Finally, the multiplayer. Ahhh..... you can play only in four maps (2 map is 1v1 and 2 map is 2v2, there is no 3v3 or 4v4). The whole game is unplayable. I think there is no more words to say....don't buy it, it's a complete waste of the sea of p.o.o.… Expand
  22. Sky-Moondrift
    Aug 21, 2014
    1
    Don't buy this game. I would rather be forced to do hard labor than play this game it's that boring and broken.

    If any credit could be given, it's to the one guy who voice acted at the start. I feel so cheated for having paid $4.00 for this I am just going to paste my Steam review under this. UI takes up 50% of the screen and no option to reduce it. Mini map and UI graphics look    Don't buy this game. I would rather be forced to do hard labor than play this game it's that boring and broken.

    If any credit could be given, it's to the one guy who voice acted at the start.

    I feel so cheated for having paid $4.00 for this I am just going to paste my Steam review under this.

    UI takes up 50% of the screen and no option to reduce it.
    Mini map and UI graphics look disgusting.
    There is no info, or tooltips on units.
    The game looks damn ugly.
    Very poor unit animation and movement is clunky as hell. They also move like snails.
    Fixed restrictive camera will drive you mad.
    The whole resource gathering mechanisms are horrendously simple and linear.    … Expand
  23. pepsl3
    May 31, 2016
    0
    i played stronghold 2 and love it, now stronghold 3.......yes you made a stroy thats all i se bad really bad buildings are bad cant walk on wooden walls like stronghold 2 cant put barracks and armory together like in stronghold 2 the graphics are bad i like the stronghold 2 graphics more simple and the land scape is so small why what has happend did you release this game withi played stronghold 2 and love it, now stronghold 3.......yes you made a stroy thats all i se bad really bad buildings are bad cant walk on wooden walls like stronghold 2 cant put barracks and armory together like in stronghold 2 the graphics are bad i like the stronghold 2 graphics more simple and the land scape is so small why what has happend did you release this game with out tidyup up cant target propyl i love playing building defense freeliy with everythink looking nice stronghold 3 is a fail thank you for stealing my money its like buying sacrid 3 and sacred 2 was better then 3oO pleas read this befor buying game.… Expand
  24. Zwiodimus
    Nov 17, 2019
    1
    This game is the worst in the series. I've bought it soon after its premiere and I've regret up to today. It might even be THE worst video game I have ever played. Not only that, but it destroyed my beloved franchise. I have no hope for any new good stronghold games.
  25. Sinmaker
    Nov 14, 2020
    2
    Stronghold 3 is bad game. So many bugs, shallow lore. It's a perfect example for a bad game that wanna sell based in fame of predecessors. Feels that was released in beta.

    ---> Positive points: . Retain some mechanics that made stronghold 1 so good. But didnt improve on that. ---> Negative points: . Generic e weak lore. And brings back Wolf who clearly died in stronghold 1. .    Stronghold 3 is bad game. So many bugs, shallow lore. It's a perfect example for a bad game that wanna sell based in fame of predecessors. Feels that was released in beta.

    ---> Positive points:
    . Retain some mechanics that made stronghold 1 so good. But didnt improve on that.

    ---> Negative points:

    . Generic e weak lore. And brings back Wolf who clearly died in stronghold 1.

    . Graphics are bad. Looks like a game from de 90's. For example, Warcraft 3 was 11 years older and has better graphics.

    . Bugs. The game crashes a lot at random; units get stucked and can't move ever again; you order a group of units to go certain way but some of then goes the opposite way; some units don't fight even when they have enemies at range.    … Expand
  26. mikefromsaskato
    Dec 2, 2011
    3
    This game is broken.

    I desperately wanted to love this game, but after half a dozen attempts that all ended with swearing a blue streak at the game, I know that, barring a complete overhaul, this game should be considered Dead on Arrival and avoided like the plague. Many other reviewers have listed the numerous problems, including an insane difficulty, an utter lack of explanation, a    This game is broken.

    I desperately wanted to love this game, but after half a dozen attempts that all ended with swearing a blue streak at the game, I know that, barring a complete overhaul, this game should be considered Dead on Arrival and avoided like the plague.

    Many other reviewers have listed the numerous problems, including an insane difficulty, an utter lack of explanation, a lack of queues for attack, combat that borders on torture for the player, and castle-building that is incomprehensible (both in the building's relationships and in a seemingly random refusal to allow for building).

    I love castle games, but I wouldn't play this game if it was FREE, and they'd have to pay me a fair bit to put up with it. It has potential, but unless they pull out a complete overhaul similar to the Enhanced Edition of The Witcher, this game should be avoided by all.    … Expand
  27. CJMcC
    Oct 31, 2011
    1
    Tired theme, limited game play, unimaginative and outdated graphics and storyline, limited free play and no skirmish mode. All in all very poor value for money. Difficult to see what developers have been doing this past four years. Should consider withdrawing the product and going back to the drawing board. Total flop.
  28. Rodymetal
    Dec 23, 2011
    4
    I refused to write a review in order to give firefly a chance to fix the game, after so many patches and the release of today's patch (last patch in 2011) I decided to review the game, cause I lost hope in this game, the developers cant fix much really, instead they keep adding useless stuff like new maps & modes for multiplayer (multiplayer itself is still not working well), siege mapsI refused to write a review in order to give firefly a chance to fix the game, after so many patches and the release of today's patch (last patch in 2011) I decided to review the game, cause I lost hope in this game, the developers cant fix much really, instead they keep adding useless stuff like new maps & modes for multiplayer (multiplayer itself is still not working well), siege maps (boring to hell)... After you finish the military and economic campaigns there are no much to do, so you will go for free build, where you will build one time and set and invasion (then you wont play it again for sure) so after that you will jump into multiplayer, you will struggle and waste time in order to start the game, and if you succeed you will lag and maybe crash, thats it the game itself has a great potential but it seems a lot of things are broken and will be hard to fix. Stronghold series is unique and I love it, but SH3 is just so buggy with missing features that were avalable in previous game (skirmish for example)... This will be thier last game for sure, untill some developers will come and make us a nice castle RTS/ Sim..… Expand
  29. Thomas9999999
    Jan 24, 2012
    5
    I have really only made an account to comment on this game (which in my opinion is quite important because of its implications for firefly). My first comment is where on earth is skirmish mode and kingship my two favourite things about stronghold two. My second commnt is on the quality of the campaign, at heart the campaign has the right ideas but it hasnt worked on the little things I hadI have really only made an account to comment on this game (which in my opinion is quite important because of its implications for firefly). My first comment is where on earth is skirmish mode and kingship my two favourite things about stronghold two. My second commnt is on the quality of the campaign, at heart the campaign has the right ideas but it hasnt worked on the little things I had expected would come out of games at this era like sketches instead of videos in my opinion is ridiculous and some of the glitches really annoy me because they come out of nowhere but however apart from a few small mistakes the campaign isnt that flawed. The multiplayer on the other hand sums up all my problems with the game it is slow ineffective and practically impossible to use WITH TINY MAPS FULL OF GLITCHES. I mentioned at the start the implications for firefly what Iam saying here is the failure of some aspects of the game could bring an end to the stronghold series which in my opinion would be disastorous as i have stronghold 2 i bloody well love it so in short firefly NEED TO FIX THIS GAME.… Expand
  30. dronenglish
    Oct 29, 2011
    0
    Many (perhaps all) of the enjoyable elements associated with the Stronghold series have been butchered. Even the basic requirements of decent RTS do not function correctly. For example, the simple method of selecting units and giving orders is broken.
  31. Baub
    Dec 15, 2011
    1
    This game is just terrible. absolutely terrible. the gameplay is boring on tedious; Stronghold 3 really failed in micromanaging. and i can't believe they haven't fixed the horrible combat yet... battles still consist of 2 clusters of guys swinging at each other. I don't necessarily want my 50 dollars back because im cheap, i want my 50 dollars back because firefly doesn't deserve money forThis game is just terrible. absolutely terrible. the gameplay is boring on tedious; Stronghold 3 really failed in micromanaging. and i can't believe they haven't fixed the horrible combat yet... battles still consist of 2 clusters of guys swinging at each other. I don't necessarily want my 50 dollars back because im cheap, i want my 50 dollars back because firefly doesn't deserve money for this terrible excuse for a game.… Expand
  32. adler
    Oct 29, 2011
    2
    Stronghold 3 can be described as full of bugs, stupid developer decisions, and it AI (if it can be called like that at all) robs you blind. There are problems everywhere, archers who can't shoot from towers, when attacking you will need lot of patience to find a place around enemy where cursor changed to attack icon, sometimes you have to click on enemy and most of times you have to huntStronghold 3 can be described as full of bugs, stupid developer decisions, and it AI (if it can be called like that at all) robs you blind. There are problems everywhere, archers who can't shoot from towers, when attacking you will need lot of patience to find a place around enemy where cursor changed to attack icon, sometimes you have to click on enemy and most of times you have to hunt pixel around enemy where it will let you to attack. As for robbing AI, if you have 8 spearmen and you attack 1 enemy spearman, he will kill 5 of yours before falls. Also wolves, at campaign start you can't build walls, wolfs enter settlement they will kill all peasants, farmers, woodcutters, as they cant defend for themselves. You will need to run around with lord hunting wolves around town to keep as much people alive as you can, also one wolf can kill 3-4 spearmen. Game can be unstable, so you will need to save a lot, as there is no auto-save. List of problems goes on and on. And all of this is just about campaign, as there is no skirmish, no kingmaker mode. There is no AI, game just spawns units that are same as yours but AI archers do more damage than players, same goes for men at arms, spearmen, etc. Total garbage.… Expand
  33. Yourself
    Oct 31, 2011
    3
    Outdated 3d graphics, numerous bugs and no skirmish mode. The first Stronghold is now 10 years old and it's still far more enjoyable than any other game of the franchise (with Crusader being the exception).
  34. jbscout
    Oct 28, 2011
    2
    After being a huge fan of the original Stronghold and Stronghold Crusader, I am sad to say that this release is absurdly bad. I am not sure that I have seen a major commercial PC release this bad in my 20+ years of gaming.
  35. VNVNation
    Oct 28, 2011
    1
    The Good
    The sword progress bar is a nice idea.
    The Bad No skirmish mode. Sub par graphics and poor animations. A multitude of bugs that make doing simple things like placing stairs painful. Small maps that feel cramped, this isn't helped by the huge space each building takes up. Awful UI that gives almost no info on what's going on, even the little mini map shows nothing but some coloured    The Good
    The sword progress bar is a nice idea.
    The Bad
    No skirmish mode. Sub par graphics and poor animations. A multitude of bugs that make doing simple things like placing stairs painful. Small maps that feel cramped, this isn't helped by the huge space each building takes up. Awful UI that gives almost no info on what's going on, even the little mini map shows nothing but some coloured blocks that indicate exactly nothing. Dumb stuff such as virtually indestructible wolves that climb ladders while still animated like their running on the ground, and why is this a central element in the economic campaign anyway? The overwhelming feeling is of a lack of care, a lack of attention to detail and a total lack of testing. Seriously, who approved the crude b&w sketches for the cut scenes? Awful.
    The Ugly
    The game was advertised on Steam as having CO-OP play, post release this was pulled from the Steam page. This is really a bad alpha build game that is frankly unlawfully advertised and promoted.    … Expand
  36. Logiwonk
    Oct 28, 2011
    3
    This game's graphics are uninspiring. The interface is clunky. The economics are difficult to balance (how many apple farms do I need for 10 workers?). This game was a waste of cash. Overall it feels like a 5-8 year old game. I got into this to build kick-arse castles - so why am I running an economic sim I have to micromanage while, oh yeah, the CASTLE BITS aren't available forThis game's graphics are uninspiring. The interface is clunky. The economics are difficult to balance (how many apple farms do I need for 10 workers?). This game was a waste of cash. Overall it feels like a 5-8 year old game. I got into this to build kick-arse castles - so why am I running an economic sim I have to micromanage while, oh yeah, the CASTLE BITS aren't available for construction. This game is a disgrace, the worst "finished product" I've purchased in recent memory.

    DON'T BUY IT, IF SOMEONE GIVES YOU A COPY DON'T PLAY IT    … Expand
  37. Sushimo
    Nov 2, 2011
    3
    I'm a old stronghold fan, but this day one purchase has been very disappointing...

    I've encountered many bugs, some of which forced me to reload a game. The unit controls and are very poor at best. The campaign mode lacks imagination, the difficulty is based on what you are allowed to build instead of letting the player use his/her preferred units/buildings. lack of game modes and maps,    I'm a old stronghold fan, but this day one purchase has been very disappointing...

    I've encountered many bugs, some of which forced me to reload a game.
    The unit controls and are very poor at best.
    The campaign mode lacks imagination, the difficulty is based on what you are allowed to build instead of letting the player use his/her preferred units/buildings.
    lack of game modes and maps, specifically skirmish mode, gives the game little replay value.

    Until some patches come out, please, do not buy this game. It's not worth your time or money.    … Expand
  38. theforestgod
    Nov 5, 2011
    0
    I had intended to wait until I saw reviews but went ahead and preordered Stronghold 3 anyway. What I got was nothing like what was promised. They promised coop, but removed it at the last minute. That right there is a deal breaker for me. They went on and on about the graphical improvements and AI, when it looks and plays nearly as bad as the very first Stronghold. I understand they are aI had intended to wait until I saw reviews but went ahead and preordered Stronghold 3 anyway. What I got was nothing like what was promised. They promised coop, but removed it at the last minute. That right there is a deal breaker for me. They went on and on about the graphical improvements and AI, when it looks and plays nearly as bad as the very first Stronghold. I understand they are a small development company, I understand that games tend to be released with a few bugs. But this game plays like an alpha version of a game, not even ready to be released to beta testers. They have promised patches to fix the bugs, but it is more than just bugs. They rescinded everything good about the game at the very last second, which reeks to me of fraud.… Expand
  39. eyefinity4gamin
    Nov 5, 2011
    1
    the game could be fun if it was playable...new to the series and will not be back....currently trying for a refund over the unbelievable bugginess...cant even load games without crashes. complete waste of 50 bucks....warning...do not buy this game.....many others with same issues
  40. CaptainTrips
    Nov 6, 2011
    0
    Lets get this straight - I am a Stronghold fan - and would (normally) defend it until the diseased cows come home - however, with SH3 Firefly have released a product that scrapes the bottom of a buggy and featureless barrel. The new graphics engine wouldn't look out of place in 2004 - the numerous bugs render the game virtually unplayable. The stony silence from the development team merelyLets get this straight - I am a Stronghold fan - and would (normally) defend it until the diseased cows come home - however, with SH3 Firefly have released a product that scrapes the bottom of a buggy and featureless barrel. The new graphics engine wouldn't look out of place in 2004 - the numerous bugs render the game virtually unplayable. The stony silence from the development team merely mocks us fans. I purchased this game from Steam - those guys are notorious for not giving refunds on any titles for any reason.... They refunded me for this travesty. If you have fond memories of the original then avoid this like the plague. The one good thing going for this game is that is makes Stronghold 2 look great! Firefly may well of killed off the series with this installment of the franchise.… Expand
  41. raver19
    Dec 18, 2011
    0
    this game is just a big bug...... no words!!
    never played a unfished game like this **** -.-
    ......................................................................................................
  42. Usur
    Feb 11, 2012
    0
    Do you want to know the difference between stronghold 1 and 3? the PRICE,stronghold 3 has the same price that STARCRAFT 2,but with 1992 graphics and full of bugs,POOR game interface,poor sound,poor voices,just like DOS games from 1992. SUCKS SO HARD bro,go buy it or throw your money to the river its the same
  43. colossalcarl
    Jan 6, 2012
    0
    There is potential for a decent game. But it crashes constantly. I have been unable to past level 6 of the military campaign because of a consistent crash. I just cannot proceed any further. I sent all the log files that the developer requested weeks ago but they have not been able to fix it yet. They just released a new patch today (January 6th, 2012) and it did not fix the issue soThere is potential for a decent game. But it crashes constantly. I have been unable to past level 6 of the military campaign because of a consistent crash. I just cannot proceed any further. I sent all the log files that the developer requested weeks ago but they have not been able to fix it yet. They just released a new patch today (January 6th, 2012) and it did not fix the issue so the game is still unplayable for me. I don't really even mind the crashes because it keeps me from playing this game that was so unbalanced it was ridiculous. Like I said, the concept has potential but the execution is horrible.

    Here's an interesting glimpse into the problems you can face - this is taken from the release notes of the patch today:

    - Fixed the issue with the campaign not continuing after loading in a save game from the main menu.

    Take a minute to absorb that. Here were are, 3 months after launch and they have finally fixed a bug that made it so that saving the game was worthless. Sure, you could save the game. But if you dared load the game it made it impossible to continue with the campaign. I ran into this bug myself and reported it on their forum and they had it fixed about two weeks later. So picture what happened to me... I started Level 2, saved the game and quit. Came back the next day, loaded the game and completed Level 2 after about an hour of playing. I then wasn't able to advance to Level 3 because of this bug. I had to replay Level 2 from the beginning without Saving and Loading. This is just the tip of the iceburg with problems. It is very apparent that anyone buying this game for the foreseeable future is paying for the privilege of alpha testing it for the developers.    … Expand
  44. Foomasa
    Oct 27, 2011
    3
    Stronghold 3 is one of the coolest most innovative games of its time! That is, if its time was 10 years ago. This game seems to be an exercise in frustration. For example, I was playing the second mission on the military campaign. I was taking my Lord around, and looking for the lost troops as the mission objectives said I should do. In the meantime, I was supposed to be saving up 100Stronghold 3 is one of the coolest most innovative games of its time! That is, if its time was 10 years ago. This game seems to be an exercise in frustration. For example, I was playing the second mission on the military campaign. I was taking my Lord around, and looking for the lost troops as the mission objectives said I should do. In the meantime, I was supposed to be saving up 100 cheese, wood, and apples. However, when I was away looking around the map, I noticed that I suddenly had only 1 peasant left. I thought, "What's going on here? Have I set my taxes too high?" I checked, and everything seemed fine in the "mood" department. I had a big green 35. I turned out that all of my peasants had been killed by wolves that were camping directly in front of my keep. The wolves continued to instantly kill everyone that stepped out. This was fine with me, wolves killing peasants seemed like a natural problem to occur in the time period. The real problem was that I had no idea that it was happening. There was no sound effects to indicate my poor peasants were dying, no voice over from my servant telling me my peasants were dying. This kind of problem should not exist in a modern day RTS. On a side note, the only thing this game has going for it is that the storyline the developers have crafted seemed somewhat intriguing. However, the gameplay is so terrible that I cannot punish myself past the third mission to continue the story.… Expand
  45. Hovis
    Nov 1, 2011
    2
    This wouldn't have been a brilliant game if it had come out five years ago, let alone now. Looks dated and dodgy, plays very poorly with slow, unresponsive units and a primitive interface. Even though it's a niche game and offers the reasonably rare selling point of letting you build and run a castle it does it so badly that even if I was jonesing for a castle building game I'd still giveThis wouldn't have been a brilliant game if it had come out five years ago, let alone now. Looks dated and dodgy, plays very poorly with slow, unresponsive units and a primitive interface. Even though it's a niche game and offers the reasonably rare selling point of letting you build and run a castle it does it so badly that even if I was jonesing for a castle building game I'd still give it a miss. Really disappointed.… Expand
  46. Talos84
    Nov 1, 2011
    4
    could have spent more time being developed. come on firefly. u did some fine graphics work but the bugs and glitches are really bad. the patches are nice but i honestly think u shot yourself in foot with the release in such bad shape. next time wait made do a close beta to find more bugs possible re-think your Q&A team and find some better tester would help you out more. i hope to see acould have spent more time being developed. come on firefly. u did some fine graphics work but the bugs and glitches are really bad. the patches are nice but i honestly think u shot yourself in foot with the release in such bad shape. next time wait made do a close beta to find more bugs possible re-think your Q&A team and find some better tester would help you out more. i hope to see a stronghold 4 but take your time and show us what u can really do, give us a stronghold with a great release. gives a stronghold it can give us score of 90. i know you can do better then this.… Expand
  47. Ctoplg
    Nov 7, 2011
    0
    Ive decided to place my first review ever to encourage people to never buy this game, being a stronghold fan of the original. Im sadden to say this game is a 0 plan and simple thank you for wasting my money Stronghold 3 FTL.
  48. Slaters
    Nov 21, 2011
    0
    Where is the Skirmish mode? I never play the Campaign mode!!! Without Skirmish this game is a trash!!! And to worse the begin at the Campaign you don't has a realm, you just have slow persons to control! This game give me sleep!
  49. anacreonttr
    Nov 29, 2011
    2
    No working multiplayer, single player, map, wall, AI, saved games... No single map. Nothing works properly with 50dollars price tag.

    ashes of a legend
  50. OldSocks
    Oct 27, 2011
    0
    This is a big disappointment. BIG disappointment. I seriously wish I could get a refund to be honest. No skirmish mode against the AI? No editor? The game is glitchy, the units often wont do as told and get stuck. Building is way more limited than before, peasants block placement. In a busy town, when is there not a peasant underfoot?
    AI is sad, often men just stand next to eachother and    This is a big disappointment. BIG disappointment. I seriously wish I could get a refund to be honest. No skirmish mode against the AI? No editor? The game is glitchy, the units often wont do as told and get stuck. Building is way more limited than before, peasants block placement. In a busy town, when is there not a peasant underfoot?
    AI is sad, often men just stand next to eachother and ignore everything.

    This game is nothing like past versions, and not in a good way...
    DONT buy this, I seriously wish I hadnt.    … Expand
  51. SitoCH
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    The game is unfinished and having to pay 50$ for it is a joke.
    The problems are so many that are impossibile to list in a single review: missing features (skirmish, AI, ...), unbalanced gameplay (walls that offer no protection, broken food consumption, ...) and many bugs that every QA should notice them and stop the release (wolves that climb ladders!, bad graphics and so on).
    If you    The game is unfinished and having to pay 50$ for it is a joke.
    The problems are so many that are impossibile to list in a single review: missing features (skirmish, AI, ...), unbalanced gameplay (walls that offer no protection, broken food consumption, ...) and many bugs that every QA should notice them and stop the release (wolves that climb ladders!, bad graphics and so on).
    If you really want it and you ignore all the negative reviews wait at least for 4-5 patches and a price drop to 20$...    … Expand
  52. bri560
    Nov 3, 2011
    3
    First this game alots of bugs, problems 2 play, this is terrible, was a fan of this game....real pitty.
    The game is very slow, b4 u build something, it take hours. It looks like this game have be made with trainees. The only PLUS in this game, is how they present the game at the beginning, good sounds and music. For the price this is 2 expensive. Money back please.
  53. ViperZeth
    Oct 30, 2011
    4
    Worst of all the Stronghold games out there. Ive played since Stronghold 1 and did all the campaigns and spend a lot of time on its games. But after the first impressions and first militairy campaign mission I quit already. The camera is always on top, everything feels so..small. I did not really look at the graphics at this point, but I think they are a bit worse than SH: 2 graphics. ManyWorst of all the Stronghold games out there. Ive played since Stronghold 1 and did all the campaigns and spend a lot of time on its games. But after the first impressions and first militairy campaign mission I quit already. The camera is always on top, everything feels so..small. I did not really look at the graphics at this point, but I think they are a bit worse than SH: 2 graphics. Many small annoying things from SH: 2 have gone, but I think Firefly studios made a bit to much gone; Skirmish mode. The once so marvelous mode were you could pick your own enemies and place to start, on a certain difficult mode just for you. Its a shame that that mode has gone, leaving you to Free build without any enemies, militairy campaign with no freedom; its always following the objectives. And also Economic campaign. I only think Firefly left the units, the buildings, the silly but funny fighting scenes were units collapse into each other, and the name into the Stronghold franchise. This is not Stronghold 3, it feels more like Farmholdville 3. A waste of time and money if you are well known to the Stronghold series.
    Also, I think it might be time to change unit voices. It might be not such a bad game for the non-hardcore Stronghold/strategy fans(after all the bug fixes). But for the real fans out there: Stay Away from this game.    … Expand
  54. boooo135
    Oct 27, 2011
    2
    the game is just plain bad. they make you pay 50 bucks for a game that feels like it was made 10 years ago. I used to like stronghold now i just want to forget it
  55. Zarunil
    Nov 9, 2011
    0
    In my humble opinion, Firefly should sell the Stronghold license to a developer that knows what to do with it, and shut down. This game is a disaster.
  56. vishavjitsingh
    Jun 23, 2012
    1
    All the hype built around this game was of no use as the developers of this game have delivered nothing but an unfinished,rushed and an uninteresting game. I advise you not to waste your money on this game.
  57. colonelpepper
    Nov 24, 2011
    0
    FireFly = RIPOFF ARTISTS !! FF must run by criminally incompetent marketing hacks. They are ACTIVELY SELLING a product that THEY KNOW IS NOT FINISHED. Buy it only if you like blue screen of death.
  58. 57splatt
    Dec 6, 2011
    1
    Bugs bugs crashes horses that climb towers , walls that don't protect, unprofessional, possible that FF new partner at fault " 7sixty " previous products were great , this was a mistake
  59. GamesArtist
    Jan 5, 2012
    1
    I think a constructive review is needed here. I don't normally review any games I buy, but I feel compelled to comment this time.

    There are two main elements I'm disappointed with - The Graphics, and the missing skirmish mode. Graphics - I loved the previous Stronghold games, I'm a huge fan. The Stronghold series really impressed me...so simple yet wonderfully designed. The graphics on    I think a constructive review is needed here. I don't normally review any games I buy, but I feel compelled to comment this time.

    There are two main elements I'm disappointed with - The Graphics, and the missing skirmish mode.

    Graphics - I loved the previous Stronghold games, I'm a huge fan. The Stronghold series really impressed me...so simple yet wonderfully designed. The graphics on the previous versions were never cutting edge, but they always looked JUST RIGHT, no frills but very nicely and professionally done. All that was needed, after so many years, was an updated version; something that kept the best elements, added to them, and impressed the hell out of us graphically. I mean, this is not a sprawling game in terms of graphics production, so it should have been a simple job.

    Sadly, the graphics are, well, I'm trying to express this without being pointlessly horrible...they're grimy, look unfinished, everything looks dismal, and the quality of the textures is (I'm sorry) really poor. It's hard to imagine that this was done by the same art team as the previous games. The textures generally appear to have some kind of overdone bump or normal map (looks like a bump) which just looks noisy, especially on the castle stone. Everything seems so grey and dark. There is literally NO eye-candy, nothing at all to help immerse the player in the world. It kind of feels like it was made in the dark ages, it might be technically more up to date but the immediate impression (which has to come from the visuals) is that this game took a graphical step back from Stronghold 2. I wanted to create beautiful structures (and knock down beautiful structures). Perhaps the art team felt this 'messy' look added medieval realism, but I'm sorry they didn't quite get it right. Especially when viewed at a distance, it should all smooth out, and the overall appearance should never be so noisy. It's weird, it looks like a hobby project. Even castles still standing today look less messy than the Stronghold 3 structures, and...it's a game...yes it's great to be accurate but (A) they missed 'accurate' because of the poor quality, and (B) There was room for some artistic licence. Where the hell is the atmosphere? Is there any? When playing a game we want to be immersed, we want to feel uplifted or scared or excited or...something...anything!

    Overall the game looks like a wet weekend at the most depressing derelict castle imaginable. You know, you pay to get in then plod around a muddy site in the rain looking at some bits of old walls while the kids moan and you get soaked through from the drizzle! You wish you'd gone to a better castle. The only people appreciating the one you're at are members of 'time team' and only own wellies. That kind of place!

    The POV doesn't help either, and I couldn't find a way to tilt the camera (although I didn't play that long so maybe I missed something).

    I'm so disappointed, and I really don't understand what happened. There was nothing to stop this being wonderful, budget certainly couldn't be to blame because it's not a case of needing more graphics, they should just have been done better. We could easily have been creating super impressive castles, beautifully crafted stone giants gleaming in the sun by day and glowing by torch light at night. Graphics have come a long way, but even without any amazing shaders this could have looked wonderful. Very easily. I'd mention that a choice of styles would have been nice too, I mean castles don't all look exactly the same (especially from one country to another), but if you can't get one set right then adding more to the mix is maybe a bad idea.

    A careful postmortem is needed, and my little rant certainly isn't that...It's hard to nail exactly why this is so bad without going deeper. It just looks, and also FEELS, horrible...from the noisy mess of the graphics to the horrible non-snapping building placement and terrible camera control.

    Maybe I shouldn't instantly blame the art dept, maybe this all looked wonderful in Max or Maya (actually, no, it didn't), and maybe the code dept did a fantastic job of destroying it. Or maybe they outsourced the bulk to some cheap offshore place and ran out of time and money to fix the mess...who knows...

    Add to this the fact that, in single player, I can't just build and battle it out against NPCs, and I was just (again) so disappointed. And again, I wouldn't normally review games, generally I don't care enough and wouldn't want to knock anyone...but I'd waited for this one, and what I saw (after the endless messing with Steam etc to install it) was just horrible, and for me that put a very final and sad end to what I had previously considered to be the best series of this type of game. So I thought, these guys need to know ... just in case they DO get to make another one, and then maybe next time they'll get it right?    … Expand
  60. Arumen
    Oct 26, 2011
    3
    I am a hardcore Stronghold Fan. I have played every one of them, one, two and crusader.

    My recommendation? If you want to know what Stronghold 3 is, take all of the objects from Stronghold 2, and put them in an exact copy of Stronghold 1, then make the game terribly buggy, unresponsive and just all around sh*tty. First, the game does a have a few things going for it. Castle construction    I am a hardcore Stronghold Fan. I have played every one of them, one, two and crusader.

    My recommendation? If you want to know what Stronghold 3 is, take all of the objects from Stronghold 2, and put them in an exact copy of Stronghold 1, then make the game terribly buggy, unresponsive and just all around sh*tty. First, the game does a have a few things going for it. Castle construction certainly has a few more options (a few) and you do get 72 directions in which you can place buildings, which allows you to pretty much make your city look the way you want and fit buildings into tight spaces. Secondly I really like the story telling method of black and white scenes with the Wolf's voice over it.

    Lastly, the fact that the Jackal is in this game, from the Crusader games, is a highlight.

    Now for the bad... Oh the bad...

    Perhaps the most important thing for any game to have is good control. Control, control control. This game has terrible unit control. Playing the first military mission, where I had a mere 7 units I could barely command all of them. Clicking on enemies is downright stupid because half the time your men will sit and have a tea before realizing the enemy has a sword through his chest. Also on the first mission I experienced the Firefly version of Fog of War. It is basically an invisible cloud that makes a path look totally clear until you walk towards it. Not like normal FoW, where it is darker so you can TELL that something might be hidden, but literally just hiding units from view. Stronghold has never done this before, why now?? I managed to pass the first mission though, and thought, well now I am on to building so I am sure that was just me flubbing around in the beginning. Second mission starts up and I need to gather goods and locate missing soldiers. Once again I assume the game has the invisible fog of war because I can't see any soldiers on the map. I place my stockpile and my granary and start building farms. Then I realize I need wood. I go to the industry panel and...

    "Wth is that?"

    The logging camp is easily the biggest building in the game. I actually played free-play and tried to find a bigger building. No dice. It also seems to produce less than the 1 person huts from before and cost 6.6 times as much. Well it looked kind of cool so I placed it and tried to keep working. Then I was attacked by wolves.

    Many Stronghold fans are familiar with wolves. Many are also familiar with the popularity meter, a unique feature of Stronghold. With the arrival of wolves my popularity dropped to negative 15. This made no sense to me since I was used to the 100 point popularity system that the other games had and now this new system has screwed me over. The wolves killed my loggers, which lowered my population, which made my farmers leave, which drained my food to 0 which gave me less popularity. I immediately rage quit.


    I did try out creative mode too. Castle building is total crap, trust me, I don't need to go into the finer details. Let me just say housing now costs somewhere between 20-60 wood but you don't get to choose, it is decided by how close you are to your keep. Why? Because the game says so.

    This game is a severe disappointment. DO NOT BUY. DO NOT RENT.    … Expand
  61. PastryGator
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    I can't even describe how disappointed I am in this game. My two biggest gripes are the popularity system change and no skirmish mode. WHY on earth they changed the popularity system that was simple and WORKED to something that needs to be continually micromanaged I'll never know. Heaven forbid you don't devote a third or more of your population to food, lest you run out of it, peopleI can't even describe how disappointed I am in this game. My two biggest gripes are the popularity system change and no skirmish mode. WHY on earth they changed the popularity system that was simple and WORKED to something that needs to be continually micromanaged I'll never know. Heaven forbid you don't devote a third or more of your population to food, lest you run out of it, people leave from the negative happiness hit for no food, and you have no farmers to fix the problem. It's a constant juggling act of negative and positive happiness with a score of peasants coming and going at a time because as SOON as you get into negative happiness at all, peasants start leaving immediately, unlike the old popularity system where you could support a negative rating for awhile if your popularity was beefed up to 100. Oh yeah, did I mention no skirmishes? In THAT regard, they have gone back to stronghold 1. If you are a stronghold fan like I am, unless this game gets a heavy overhaul, AVOID it.… Expand
  62. Impactor
    Nov 4, 2011
    0
    Stay away! Don't waste your money. This game is crap. I've already uninstalled it. There are so many bugs in this game, I'm sure there was NO beta-testing at all. That's the only possible explanation for this mess. I was a huge fan of the Stronghold series, played all parts except legends, but Stronghold 3 is HORRIBLE!!! Don't even know where to start.

    Microscopic maps. Mouse pointing    Stay away! Don't waste your money. This game is crap. I've already uninstalled it. There are so many bugs in this game, I'm sure there was NO beta-testing at all. That's the only possible explanation for this mess. I was a huge fan of the Stronghold series, played all parts except legends, but Stronghold 3 is HORRIBLE!!! Don't even know where to start.

    Microscopic maps. Mouse pointing from hell (attacking enemies only possible if you are lucky). NO AI (own troops just watch as wolves rape peasants in front of them. 10 own vs 4 enemies - 10 selected spearmen all attack the one soldier of the enemy troops you happen to click on with your attack command and then the other 3 enemies slaughter them while they are reloading). Wolves climb ladders, levitate over your walls and kill all peasants inside your castle, without them defending themselves. NO feedback if you are under attack, you need to coincidental look at that spot where the fight is to notice it. Even if your Lord is under attack, no message, same if wolves or bears eat your peasants or soldiers. Peasants dance and celebrate while being eaten, soldiers just watch it like innocent bystanders, without helping them. One wolf can kill 3 soldiers, even if they defend themselves. Arrows and spears fly through stone walls. Placing a group of archers on your walls is worse than herding cats. Archers on walls have no range advantage against attackers on the ground. Single soldiers can tear down stone walls, without the help of siege weapons. What value have walls in a castle building game!!!? There is NO WAY this game was beta-tested! How they could release it in this state for full price is beyond me and should be illegal. Played it about 1-2 hours on the first day, had several crashes, uninstalled it and now negotiate with steam about a refund, what they are still deny. Game is not finished and advertised features like co-op mode are not included. I'm so mad at them for releasing such an unfinished, buggy, overpriced game that I would love to torture the person responsible for this mess. Don't buy this game, except you are a masochist.    … Expand
  63. Dubgasmic
    Nov 6, 2011
    0
    Basically, any review above a 5 is a major "trolololololol" this game is almost as as unplayable as ugly. now i understand its not meant to be a game based around its graphics, but this is 2011, not having AT LEAST decent graphics is a hard thing to explain. In addition, the economy's is wretched, i thought it was a castle building game, well i was wrong.
  64. Luka4ever
    Nov 4, 2011
    0
    It is amazing that a respectable game company can release a game of such low quality. The graphics might have been acceptable in the 1990s but come on, this is a game released in 2011... the game is filled with graphical bugs, poor quality game-play... This game is one of the worst games i have seen in a long time and i have seen my share of bad games...
  65. Speedhorn
    Nov 16, 2011
    1
    Why? Just why? I feel like i have paid for stronghold 2 all over again with parts cut out!! The graphics are shocking for current gen games and it crashes so much. BAD southpeak games BAD!
  66. Metamarc
    Mar 8, 2012
    1
    This game ruined stronghold for me. The only improvement, comparing to stronghold 2, is the graphics - and they're not good at all. The game is buggy as f'''k. It's takes an effort to even control your units and get them to move at all.. Just a really. bad. comeback. I don't even want to go into details, because if not the basics are in order, you really can't enjoy the game at all. NotThis game ruined stronghold for me. The only improvement, comparing to stronghold 2, is the graphics - and they're not good at all. The game is buggy as f'''k. It's takes an effort to even control your units and get them to move at all.. Just a really. bad. comeback. I don't even want to go into details, because if not the basics are in order, you really can't enjoy the game at all. Not worth a penny.… Expand
  67. genlok83
    Nov 15, 2011
    3
    I was lucky enough to return my copy and used the money to pre-order Arkam City instead a much better choice. Even if they do fix the problems won't matter. "you can polish a turd but its still a POS" is just the perfect saying to go along with Stronghold 3. I might buy the game again when its 75-80% off on a steam sale but other than that I am probably done with Firefly. For those peopleI was lucky enough to return my copy and used the money to pre-order Arkam City instead a much better choice. Even if they do fix the problems won't matter. "you can polish a turd but its still a POS" is just the perfect saying to go along with Stronghold 3. I might buy the game again when its 75-80% off on a steam sale but other than that I am probably done with Firefly. For those people giving this game a 10 your insane since that's a score reserved for the best games which SH3 is so far from its crazy. Every RTS needs a skirmish for replay-ability and those that don't have one apparently don't realize its important to a RTS. I remember having so much fun playing 8 player skirmish games in Stronghold Crusader, me against a bunch of Wolves, good times, not anymore though. I was really looking forward to this game especially after that abysmal SH2 ugh, but somehow they made something equally as terrible with SH3. I feel bad for the people that are stuck with this garbage after paying $50.… Expand
  68. Alpha-
    Oct 27, 2011
    2
    As the first time I've played a game in this series, I was very much looking forward to trying a game that was heavily hyped.

    I can see why people love the premise and style of the game however it severely lacks polish and, if I were to guess, I'd suggest it shipped a couple of months before it was ready. The tutorial, something very important to a new player, was superficial at    As the first time I've played a game in this series, I was very much looking forward to trying a game that was heavily hyped.

    I can see why people love the premise and style of the game however it severely lacks polish and, if I were to guess, I'd suggest it shipped a couple of months before it was ready.

    The tutorial, something very important to a new player, was superficial at best. It gives no indication on how to play except on how to place a couple of the basic buildings. Very poor.

    The game has several inconvenient bugs, has a very claustrophobic map size which I expect will inhibit grand building later in the game, only ships with a few multiplayer maps and is missing some fairly obvious gameplay modes.

    If you have any doubt it was rushed, ask anyone who pre-ordered and found out that the game did not even have English-language (both spoken and menus) complete and needed to wait 24 hours for this to be patched in.

    Perhaps much of this will be resolved by patches after release however this does not excuse shipping a half-complete product. I don't expect to pay to beta test a product.

    It's left a bad taste in my mouth and I'm somewhat frustrated that I cannot return the game via Steam.    … Expand
  69. Eightysevens
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    This game is awful. The tutorial is far too brief. The gameplay is sluggish and antiquated. The controls feel unfinished. The graphics are very poor and glitchy. After 20 minutes of play I feel totally robbed of the premium price that I pre-paid for this game. Shameful.
  70. Hypedupturtle
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    Buggy, over-simplistic and but a shadow of it's former incarnates. There is so much to hate in this game, and forums everywhere are overflowing with it all. All in all, avoid.
  71. slamma
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    This game is garbage. The developers knew what they were doing when they released this trash. Shame on them. False COOP gameplay advertising on Steam during preorder was criminal. I'm disgusted at Firefly and what they did to this franchise. Whenever I see high marks from user reviews for this game, it's clear they work for the company...gross.
  72. lsdiskewl
    Oct 27, 2011
    0
    The game is currently unplayable and obviously incomplete. There is almost no documentation for any of the mechanics,mechanics that exist generally do not work as they should. Game is a disaster and a last moment cash grab. Stick a fork in this franchise it is done...
  73. mangolight
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    oh man i feel like a cheated girlâ
  74. Slater
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    I loved Stronghold 1 and Crusader - not so big on 2 and Legends, but this... this is by far the worst RTS I have ever played in my life. NOTHING works as it should, nothing is thought through. It's like they've taken all the worst parts from previous Stronghold games and none of the good, and then added a million bugs.

    Graphics are broken and ugly. 1920x1080 isn't an option, but if I pick    I loved Stronghold 1 and Crusader - not so big on 2 and Legends, but this... this is by far the worst RTS I have ever played in my life. NOTHING works as it should, nothing is thought through. It's like they've taken all the worst parts from previous Stronghold games and none of the good, and then added a million bugs.

    Graphics are broken and ugly. 1920x1080 isn't an option, but if I pick 1600x900 it stretches the image for some reason, so I have to play in a 16:10 resolution on my 16:9 monitor with black borders, just to be able to see an unstretched image. Game speed is ridiculously slow. Walls don't protect units behind them, animals can climb ladders, no audio cues when your men are being attacked. No explanation of what anything does and no tooltips for most buttons. Economic system is atrocious and resource management is hell with no HUD indication of resources. Fighting is atrocious and no fun at all. Etc.

    This game is horrible in every way, completely unfinished and certain areas, like the cutscenes, clearly showcase how little this game has cost to make, in terms of both money and labour. Releasing a game in this state at full price (or at any price, really) is no different from picking someone's pocket, and Firefly are nothing more than petty thieves.    … Expand
  75. TeeferTiger
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    I was really looking forward to this game. Preordered it. SO disappointed. Laggy (even on my very high spec nearly new laptop), still lags when graphics set lower and lights turned off. Crashes out.... oh I can't even begin to list all the problems.

    I wish I'd never wasted my money :(
  76. Rhutos
    Oct 25, 2011
    2
    Don't buy this unfinished, buggy game actual...
    There is no skirmish mode, no ai support for MP - not even a working MP.
    Your peasants eat 3x food as normal - and your maps are tiny - so you will build food buildins only - no space for a castle. You cannot build wall on wall and your walls become broken by food units... This is just a part of negative things on the current Stronghold 3    Don't buy this unfinished, buggy game actual...
    There is no skirmish mode, no ai support for MP - not even a working MP.
    Your peasants eat 3x food as normal - and your maps are tiny - so you will build food buildins only - no space for a castle.
    You cannot build wall on wall and your walls become broken by food units...
    This is just a part of negative things on the current Stronghold 3 release. But the badest things are response like this:

    "Stronghold 3 was designed as a throwback to the original Stronghold. Itâ    … Expand
  77. Serjo
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    this is the worst piece of **** game that i've ever seen in my entire life! i just don't understand why firefly does this to its fans

    and @ all the firefly-members here: would you PLEASE stop creating accounts here just to give this game a (undeserved) 10 and to tell people how great it is? you know very well that this game is CRAP! it's just ridiculous what you're doing, nobody will buy    this is the worst piece of **** game that i've ever seen in my entire life! i just don't understand why firefly does this to its fans

    and @ all the firefly-members here: would you PLEASE stop creating accounts here just to give this game a (undeserved) 10 and to tell people how great it is? you know very well that this game is CRAP! it's just ridiculous what you're doing, nobody will buy this game just because you're writing fake reviews here -_-    … Expand
  78. Johnman
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Beyond unpolished, unfinished. Not only the combat system is buggy and full of oversights, it is faulted by design. No care has been put at all in this game. The economics mechanics are not the best of the series, but at least are better than Stronghold 2's.

    Only the music and the sound effects are acceptable. Voice acting is OK. Graphics are all right if you don't care too much, but unit    Beyond unpolished, unfinished. Not only the combat system is buggy and full of oversights, it is faulted by design. No care has been put at all in this game. The economics mechanics are not the best of the series, but at least are better than Stronghold 2's.

    Only the music and the sound effects are acceptable. Voice acting is OK. Graphics are all right if you don't care too much, but unit animations are sub-par.

    Some reviews say it needs "a few patches". But it needs to be redone.    … Expand
  79. Jugador
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    This game could have been good... but they must not have done any real testing. The graphics arn't bad and the music is good. But the gameplay is just trrrible (as Charles Barkley would say) Managing your troops is a nightmare, the cursors don't properly target, units get stuck in all kinds of weird places, and they always move about half an inch north of where you click. There is notThis game could have been good... but they must not have done any real testing. The graphics arn't bad and the music is good. But the gameplay is just trrrible (as Charles Barkley would say) Managing your troops is a nightmare, the cursors don't properly target, units get stuck in all kinds of weird places, and they always move about half an inch north of where you click. There is not nearly enough content for a $50 game. No skirmish mode hurts it big time too. I remember there being a co-op feature promised as well.. what happened to that? What bothers me most though, is the bugs. I've bought expensive games with little content before, makes me unhappy but not mad. It makes me mad that they sold me a game they didn't test. I develop software as a contractor for a living, and if the software I wrote was this buggy, nobody would hire me... I don't want to pay $50 to be FireFlys beta tester.… Expand
  80. Demented
    Oct 26, 2011
    1
    Horrible game. First off: No skirmish mode means this game was born dead. Second, there are huge problems with selection. Third, even if you manage to select something fighting with it is even harder.
    This game is in pain from the moment you install it. Put it out of it's misery and uninstall it.

    This game makes SH2 look good, gameplay wise. Worst trainwreck of the year.
  81. neekz0r
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    Despite what others are saying, this game runs pretty smoothly on my system. Despite that, it's pretty boring. I'm a newcomer to the stronghold series, and I was rather looking forward to this game. Sadly, I was left disappointed. No skirmish is kind of silly, and the campaign is rather droll. The game over-all is VERY simple -- to the point that strategy is really not needed. I don'tDespite what others are saying, this game runs pretty smoothly on my system. Despite that, it's pretty boring. I'm a newcomer to the stronghold series, and I was rather looking forward to this game. Sadly, I was left disappointed. No skirmish is kind of silly, and the campaign is rather droll. The game over-all is VERY simple -- to the point that strategy is really not needed. I don't typically play multi-player, so I can't vouch for any of that, but single player is snooze city.… Expand
  82. Beanbag
    Nov 10, 2011
    1
    There is really no need for another negative review, except to help offset the few false positive reviews in which the negative reviewers are called trolls. The game is awful, after patches. It is unstable, buggy, units defy any form of logic, walls mysteriously have invisible gaps, terrain textures vanish, and even the map editor itself is unstable and buggy. This game is a truly a big,There is really no need for another negative review, except to help offset the few false positive reviews in which the negative reviewers are called trolls. The game is awful, after patches. It is unstable, buggy, units defy any form of logic, walls mysteriously have invisible gaps, terrain textures vanish, and even the map editor itself is unstable and buggy. This game is a truly a big, steaming pile.… Expand
  83. Savman69
    Nov 8, 2011
    4
    First of all there is no way that anyone could give this game 10/10 this would be a complete lie!! It obvios to me that those posts have been put in to bump up the review score. I am rating this game as 4 out of 10 as I think a 0 is too harsh.

    As the previous reviews already covered all the bugs I wont bother mentioning them again. Missing Content: I have noticed and moats are not    First of all there is no way that anyone could give this game 10/10 this would be a complete lie!! It obvios to me that those posts have been put in to bump up the review score. I am rating this game as 4 out of 10 as I think a 0 is too harsh.

    As the previous reviews already covered all the bugs I wont bother mentioning them again. Missing Content:

    I have noticed and moats are not included in the game!!! Even funnier is that there is a drawbridge but it opens over nothing?!? Correct me if I am wrong but most European castles have moats. As already mentioned before Skirmish mode is missing and no its not the same as multiplayer!!!! I think the reason is because the AI is not good enough to siege a castle or build a castle (I cant think of a better reason why it would not be in the game).

    I recall there was a mode in stronghold 1 where you have peace to build the castle exactly the way you wanted it and then could click a button to an attack launched at you. This is also gone.

    Limitations:

    I remember reading somewhere that you will be able to build castles the way you want. But in Stronghold 3 the mechanics of castle building force you to build in a certain way. In Stronghold 1 if you wanted a tower with a wall 4 stonewalls thick you could do that. Or if you wanted stairs that run along the wall not away from it you could do that too. But in stronghold 3 this freedom is gone. I think this really breaks the game for me!! Not to mention that troops can shoot through walls.

    You can only build one stockpile and cant expend it so you constantly have to sell stuff to keep it from overfilling. The granary on the other hand does not seem to have a limit?

    Bad balance and issues.

    As mentioned before almost all characters in the game move externally slowly but for some reason unamoured peasants move so slow that its just painful to watch. Spear man with chain armour move almost as slow as the king in full armour. Spear man come with spears they can throw but if you tell them to attack a soldier out of a group of troops they will throw all their spears at the one guy(Total overkill)!!!! Then the enemy retaliates and shoots several of your man. Peasants production is far too slow. Once you have 4 or more shops producing spears you cant actually recruit soldiers quick enough to use up the supply. Multiplayer

    You cant set a password on a hosted game so if you want to play with a friend you have to keep kicking people until your friend manages to connect. Only 4 maps

    No AI so you cant play with a friend against them (And yes some people do like to do this instead of vs players!!!)

    Music

    I am not sure that going with songs that have lyrics was a good choice as they soon start to loop and get annoying. Music without words is a better choice.

    Graphics

    Apart from being quite dark the graphics are ok but I am not convicted that going to 3D with this game was worth the loss of features and gameplay.

    Conclusion

    I think that because stronghold 1 set the benchmark so high it is just really hard to beat but at the same time it was working so there was no reason to change it. All it needed was improved graphics and better resolutions rather than a complete overhaul. I liked how smoothly Stronghold 1 ran and this does not seem apparent in Stronghold 3. If anyone wants to discuss farther or simply does not agree please drop me an email at savman69@gmail.com    … Expand
  84. BlueRose
    Dec 11, 2011
    0
    Well I gotta say thank you to Steam, Metacritic and you reviewers. For making it possible to many of those who've never played the game before to see what buyers are saying and not allowing companies to hide their Bull***t. See I'm an avid gamer and built my custom performance computer solely for it! I must say Firefly that I've honestly never played your games but from what I'm seeingWell I gotta say thank you to Steam, Metacritic and you reviewers. For making it possible to many of those who've never played the game before to see what buyers are saying and not allowing companies to hide their Bull***t. See I'm an avid gamer and built my custom performance computer solely for it! I must say Firefly that I've honestly never played your games but from what I'm seeing from reading these owners reviews of this lousy game (so I'm hearing). It doesnt look like you'll be getting my money anytime soon for this game, nor will I waste the time installing it let alone play it. Its obviously a bad game when people from third world countries who cant even speak hardly a word of English are saying that this game is terrible, and then you have those who have pirated the game dont even give it so much as one point for even just getting the game for free for God's sake! (You know the game is really crap at that point and I've never even played the game yet!) Its obvious that you knowingly released a bad game and knowing (or should I say hoping) that you were going to make money of a lousy effort game. I gotta agree with the rest of these folks, you really should be ashamed of yourselves, give the money back to these people and dont release games until they are done and done RIGHT!! You guys know what today's gaming standards are! Live up to it or don't bother making the game and expect people to pay $50 or more for a lousy game when they can get a $20 game that is by ten fold better!! (Once again thanks to Steam, Metacritic and the reviewers for saving my bacon or wallet this time should I say. And lastly, I'm sorry Firefly, but when it comes to people who are leaving 10 for a Metascore....... O_o .......(C'mon! Really guys?)........ITS CLEARLY YOU when 70-80% of people are leaving no higher than a 2 if you're lucky. The only 2 conclusions that I could come to for people leaving a 10 in a situation like this is ........ #1 You either work for the company, or #2 You are seriously easy to please and obviously never played a video game a day in your life and/or are seriously simple minded. Sorry guys, I'm afraid you're probably gonna sink on this one fellas no matter how much you try to avoid it. Too many people already now know this game isn't worth the time to even install it! I hope it was worth it, cause you sure aren't getting my cash for this one. Not with scores like this. Terribly Sorry. :-(… Expand
  85. Kela-Appi
    Dec 31, 2011
    0
    What a disgrace. They still have the nerve to sell this piece of filth for the price of a normal game. No one should spend any kind of currency on this miserable excuse of a sequel. Just buy Stronghold 1.
  86. Achilleslastand
    Mar 9, 2012
    2
    Some bugs ive noticed after the TENTH{yes 10th}patch.
    Knights on invisible horses.
    Units that walk thru walls
    AI that is beyond horrible
    Units commands are broken
    Multiplayer is still for the most part unplayable.
    These are a few of the bugs i witnessed in 15 mins of gameplay
    Worst release ive seen in 10 years easily.
    STAY AWAY FROM THIS TITLE.........
    BUYER BEWARE
  87. Queshebo
    Feb 11, 2012
    0
    Anyone notice most of the good reviews were all around the same dates in OCT 11?? Firefly employees joined en-mass, to leave a review perhaps? Thanks all - I was going to buy this on STEAM. Will avoid it now and go play outside :P
  88. JohannSchneider
    Apr 3, 2012
    2
    Milking of the money teat at its very worst. This game is nothing more than a transparent attempt to bilk money from Stronghold fans by selling the title and not the game. In fact, I'm not sure there is much of a game. Horribly unbalanced, buggy, and ridiculously boring, the campaign is closer to a CIA interrogation than entertainment. Avoid this at all costs - oh, and in my opinion,Milking of the money teat at its very worst. This game is nothing more than a transparent attempt to bilk money from Stronghold fans by selling the title and not the game. In fact, I'm not sure there is much of a game. Horribly unbalanced, buggy, and ridiculously boring, the campaign is closer to a CIA interrogation than entertainment. Avoid this at all costs - oh, and in my opinion, avoid anything from SouthPeak if this is the kind of drek they foist on people.… Expand
  89. byrnzy201
    Jun 2, 2012
    0
    In my opinion its is nothing like Stronhold 2 which many people feel in love with. It has instead carried on with the same interface gameplay etc. as Stronhold Legends.....which i also thought was rubbish.
  90. NMan7496
    Sep 25, 2014
    0
    I'm just going to start off by saying this: What A Load Of Crap! I got this game the day it was released and I was highly. I am just now reviewing this because I was refusing to even acknowledge this game's existence. I recently decided to to install it again to see if it had been patched and was improved, but I was still disappointed. In the original release you had four game modes,I'm just going to start off by saying this: What A Load Of Crap! I got this game the day it was released and I was highly. I am just now reviewing this because I was refusing to even acknowledge this game's existence. I recently decided to to install it again to see if it had been patched and was improved, but I was still disappointed. In the original release you had four game modes, Military Campaign, Economical Campaign, Free Build and Multiplayer Skirmish. The campaigns had engaging stories, but the amount of bugs and glitches makes the game unplayable. I like what they did in free build where you can send invasions against yourself, but the fact that you had three maps, all of which had the worst keep, was a great disappointment. Multiplayer never worked very well, so I can't give anything more than that. The only good things about this game are the music and the story. One of the most frustrating things in this game is the build limit on buildings, while understandable, if you build a huge fort with walls and towers, you will have absolutely no economy. If you are going to buy a Stronghold game, get the Warchest (or whatever its called) from Steam for about $20 or Stronghold Crusader 2, which was released two days ago.
    In conclusion, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME, there are much better ways of spending your money.    … Expand
  91. nitrambor3
    Oct 25, 2011
    3
    I was incredibly disappointed with this game. Even without the multiplayer and AI issues, simple game play is awkward. Resolution is surprisingly bad. Wooden walls won't connect, and leave gaps that can't be closed. There is no good way to see why or what's wrong. When you delete walls, little visual slivers are left which can't be deleted, but can be selected and keep other functions fromI was incredibly disappointed with this game. Even without the multiplayer and AI issues, simple game play is awkward. Resolution is surprisingly bad. Wooden walls won't connect, and leave gaps that can't be closed. There is no good way to see why or what's wrong. When you delete walls, little visual slivers are left which can't be deleted, but can be selected and keep other functions from working correctly. Placing any sort of property gives little indication of why it can't be placed, it would be nice to see a highlight or flash of the offending piece of ground/property. Installation took me two hours, due to numerous download/delay/crash/uninstall/reinstall errors. They were all solvable on Steam support site, but seriously? Two hours. There is not as much notice in popularity, granary, etc. changes. I got caught a few times. When you play some of the economics campaigns you don't have limited time but if you take longer than 100 days you get no points. Seriously? This is only with 5 hours of play on Economics. I haven't even started the combat stuff yet. And seriously, who wants to play in the rain? If you ask me, the new 'look' is hard to see, way too granular and really takes away from the game. I liked a lot of the complexity of the SH2, and am sad to see it gone, at least in economics mode. The small map screen is way too big for the overall screen, it would be nice to be able to minimize/resize it to smaller for those of us without 46" monitors. Overall, I'm just really disappointed that I waited this long, paid this up front, lived through the ridiculous delays and then got this. I guess if you want to make cool looking physics trailers and blow dudes off a wall, this is awesome, but if you want a castle-building good time, go back and play SH1.… Expand
  92. DocMcJansen
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    Sadly imho all the negative review here are true! missing coop / skirmish mode..pathfinding is horrible! wall building is horrible! and the game is definetly unfinished...
  93. nosepicker
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    ran the program took one look at the 1996 graphics and said what a absolute waste of 50 dollars......
    please dont waste the time or effort to even install this game what an absolute mess
  94. BoromirKane
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    I first came to the stronghold series with stronghold 2. I thought, despite the shoddy graphics that it was a great idea and alot of fun. I even enjoyed stronghold legends. I played though the campaign once on each then moved to offline skirmishes or kingmaker which is the mode I always play with RTS's. So think of my surprise when loading up stronghold 3 for the first time and couldntI first came to the stronghold series with stronghold 2. I thought, despite the shoddy graphics that it was a great idea and alot of fun. I even enjoyed stronghold legends. I played though the campaign once on each then moved to offline skirmishes or kingmaker which is the mode I always play with RTS's. So think of my surprise when loading up stronghold 3 for the first time and couldnt find the skirmish/kingmaker option! I hav essentially bought a game full price of which I cannot play. I paid £30.00 for a shoddy little campaign on tiny maps, with poor framerate. What was firefly doing for all these years? Has anyone even tested this game before release? and where the hell is skirmish?! Rule number 1 about making a RTS game. INCLUDE SKIRMISH!!!

    Whats wrong with this game? - No Skirmish/Kingmaker
    - No AI
    - Tiny Maps
    - Crappy Framerate even on high end pc's
    - Camera is restricted in free build? whats the point in doing that?
    - Tiny selection of maps (2!)
    - No cinematic cutscenes just black and white drawings with a crappy voice over.
    - Unresponsive units (hard to select and when they are selected they dont always do as you say)
    - Cant see the sky (no different views like sh2)

    Stronghold was my second favourite series of games (behind total war). I can-not express my disapointment enough. Please save yourself the horror and dont buy it.    … Expand
  95. elypsa
    Oct 25, 2011
    0
    Is it a new game ? Is it a beta test? I am really confused brothers.. Don´t buy this game! ............................................................
  96. VulpusInculta
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    To those who may be reading this: You may be inclined to think that this game can't possibly be as bad as the user reviews say. But this is quite possibly the worst game from the past 7 years, stay away from this title even if you find it in the budget bin. That the developers had the audacity to charge full price is so bizarre it simply HAS to be a joke.
  97. Viscis
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    Yet another game based on the success of a previous incarnation ruined. The game looks and feels dated, provides limited playability for a strategy game (no skirmish?!). If your feeling bored enough you could spend a few hours building a castle in the free build mode, only to do nothing with it.
  98. CityBuilder
    Oct 25, 2011
    1
    My only saving grace was that i purchased this (with a trade in ) at greenmangaming for only $18.96, had I purchased at full $50.00 price I'd be right ticked off at the quality that the game was released in, giving it a score of 1 is being generous, it is lack luster at best, is missing many features that were in the SH games before it (i.e. skirmish, kingmaker, etc) and is just not worthMy only saving grace was that i purchased this (with a trade in ) at greenmangaming for only $18.96, had I purchased at full $50.00 price I'd be right ticked off at the quality that the game was released in, giving it a score of 1 is being generous, it is lack luster at best, is missing many features that were in the SH games before it (i.e. skirmish, kingmaker, etc) and is just not worth the money.

    It honestly feels with the lack of content (i.e. maps) that Firefly is depending on their customers to put out the content for it, with the editor, even as such they will not be able to add skirmishes to the game.

    I'd have to say at this point that you hold off on your purchase until FF (if they do so) puts out an amazing patch as in it's current state it's barely worth $18.96 let alone $49.99 that steam sells it for currently.

    Also take a look at the screenshots and videos of it on places like youtube to see if these 'old school' graphics are something you want to play with in the year our Lord 2011. It might as well be the year that StrongHold 2 came out with regards to these 'retro' graphics. Personally, I find it attrocious that FireFly would put out a game in 2011 with these graphics, they are just terrible. It makes it quite difficult to get into playing the game with graphics this outdated and poor.

    Stronghold 3 feels to me to be a very unpolished and incomplete game, especially for the price they are asking for it. Stay away from it for now until a huge patch comes out, or it's in the $5.00 economy bin.    … Expand
  99. Exkodius
    Oct 26, 2011
    0
    What honest company would release THIS to their costumers
    for 50£ on steam? None would. All the bugs and lack of content are obvious to say the least. This is not even at beta stage, this game is in an alpha stage. I am dead serious, this is no mindless rant.
    First Stronghold 2 and now 3, even much worse? You would think they learn... You would think I learn... Also let's    What honest company would release THIS to their costumers
    for 50£ on steam? None would. All the bugs and lack of content are obvious to say the least. This is not even at beta stage, this game is in an alpha stage. I am dead serious, this is no mindless rant.

    First Stronghold 2 and now 3, even much worse? You would think they learn... You would think I learn...

    Also let's get really serious here. My brother and i bought Stronghold 3 to play together in multiplayer coop mode. Since it clearly said it would be included. IT IS NOT. The game only has one mode, death match. And no ai player options. This is clearly FRAUD.

    I want a refund for boath my brother and i. And mabye after two years when the game is actully done i can pick it up from a bargain bin for 2£.    … Expand
  100. NoseBagUK
    Oct 26, 2011
    2
    It's going to take a lot of work to get this game into a state that it is playable. Wolves can climb ladders, troops don't respond to mouse clicks, walls don't offer any protection to your troops, it's a complete mess.

    All this said I don't think that its terminal, it can be fixed, with extensive patching, I think. What is particularly worrying however is the response from Firefly which    It's going to take a lot of work to get this game into a state that it is playable. Wolves can climb ladders, troops don't respond to mouse clicks, walls don't offer any protection to your troops, it's a complete mess.

    All this said I don't think that its terminal, it can be fixed, with extensive patching, I think. What is particularly worrying however is the response from Firefly which appears to be, keep mouth shut and lock the forum posts of people who complain, in anyway. Doesn't sound like a dev team who are likely to fix the game with a patch?

    Second time I've been caught out pre-ordering a game in the space of a month, note to self...... "no reviews = bad game"    … Expand
prev
Page:

Awards & Rankings

39
#39 Most Discussed PC Game of 2011
60
#60 Most Shared PC Game of 2011

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
47

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 29
  3. Negative: 14 out of 29
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Jan 20, 2012
    40
    Failure of the year – first two games don't deserve such a disappointing sequel as Stronghold 3 did. Few pros cannot hide a pile of bugs and bad design decisions. [Dec 2011]
  2. PC Games (Russia)
    Dec 24, 2011
    80
    A traditional strategy with many elements which are too old. Fans of the series may like it still. [January 2012, p.72]
  3. Absolute Games
    Dec 16, 2011
    30
    Stronghold 3 is boring beyond redemption. The blurb on the retail box should have been written along the lines of "We've run out of ideas, our artists forgot how to draw, and our programmers can't produce stable code anymore, but hey, a long, long time ago we made one really great game!"
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »