Surprisingly, the series tries the path of a free-to-play MMO-style game with Stronghold Kingdoms.
The next game released was Stronghold: Crusader Extreme, which was basically Crusader but has extra content. The fourth game was Stronghold Legends and adds the new mechanic of controlling both human and mythical armies. It offered 3D graphics and the addition of new gameplay mechanics such as crime and punishment. After this game came the confusingly titled Stronghold 2. Here, there are four separate but linear campaigns to go through and lets you choose whether to play as a European king or as an Arabic lord. The first was Stronghold Crusader, which was set in the Middle East during the Crusades and brought in enhanced RTS elements. It became highly successful and spawned numerous sequels, as well as HD versions of some of the games. Set in the Middle Ages in England, you have to manage both the military and economic sides of your nation-all the while surviving scenarios such as fires and invasions and conquering other lands. Stronghold is a 2001 historic real-time strategy game developed by Firefly Studios, wherein you expand your kingdom through military pursuits.
