
There's also no way to tell one particular building to shut down without stopping an entire industry, which makes absolutely no sense.

There's no way to tell a worker to move jobs specifically. You can switch off industries hoping to move existing citizens over to these most important roles, but they'll end up leaving, or moving to another job, leaving you to shut down every aside from those couple you need working. Even worse, it seems to be the guys like the hawkers and gong farmers that take off, leaving your town a disease ridden dump, which only makes things worse. It's not like it's a slow trickle out of the castle that you can reverse with a little bit of work. You'll come back to your town from directing a battle to find all of your citizens have abandoned you, leaving your castle worthless. The problem is that there's no real warning system in place to inform you that your citizens are angry or any kind of time table that tells you when they'll begin leaving. On their own, unhappy citizens would be fine as they encourage you to create healthy towns from the get go.

The worst thing about the happiness rating in Stronghold 2 is that if you forget to place an important worker (say a gong farmer or hawker), your citizens will start getting upset while you're off trying to save your town from rampaging bandits that your trained spearmen can't seem to handle. Why are these guys so upset? I have no idea. Sometimes, before one of my weapon smiths (who seem to have the highest rate of crime despite having what is probably one of most well respected and highest paid jobs in the city) even gets to the job after converting from a peasant, he's off trying to steal things. What's especially frustrating is that the frequency is ramped up in certain portions of the campaign. No matter how happy your castle is, someone is always looking for the quick way out. Some of your employees will suddenly, for no understandable reason, turn to crime. Keeping crime down is the trickier thing. In order to have religion, you'll need bees, candle makers, and a church (God knows you can't have church without candles). Of course, in order to have beer you'll need barley, breweries, and an inn.
Stronghold 2 game review free#
This includes providing a clean environment free of disease ridden rats and gong, low crime, religion, and beer. Aside from the very basics, peasants also need to be kept happy. In turn, they'll work their sorry little asses off for your betterment. For instance, peasants have to eat and need a place to sleep. Peace sets a campaign of economic strategy and city building, which are centered on aspects of city life. Players can walk the Path of Peace or the Path of War.

Both aspects are presented to players in the form of campaigns. The combat portions of the game are equally as flat and unrewarding creating an all around mediocre gaming experience.

The management isn't rotten at the core, but it is slow and isn't rewarding enough on its own to help the game succeed. Stronghold 2 also brings a system of economic and citizen mood management with it.
Stronghold 2 game review series#
The Stronghold series plays to that preference and therefore combat is tailored to the defensive. I like to build impenetrable bases and watch the enemy shatter on a deadly shell of defenses and then stick my neck out to bite the hell out of whatever is left. Stronghold 2 is the follow-up to a game that holds a very fond place in my heart.
