This siege map is designed to be played as an attacker, on hard or very hard difficulty. It may also be played on normal for the more inexperienced player. The map has not been tested much as a defender.
Within the zip file is the full historical article that accompanies this 'Castle of the Week'. You can also read the history via the appropriate link in the 'history' section.
As an attacker, you play the part of Louis, son of the King of France. Following the outbreak of civil war, the insurgent Barons approached Louis and asked him to take the English throne. Dover is known as the Key to England and therefore this mighty castle must fall if you are to be successful...
DESIGN NOTES
I have tried to recreate the layout of Dover as accurately as I can within the limits of the game editor. To allow for playability, some minor changes have been made to the design.
Once again Sulis has created an excellent siege map based on a historical castle. The wonderful write up and exceptionally accurate recreation of Dover Castle is second to none and shows the amount of time and effort the author has invested to recreate one of the most famous castles in England.
Playability: 4/5 this is quite a siege, with the castle defending itself well. The well-balanced troops and strategically placed defenses such as kill pits and pitch will make your advance difficult. I had downloaded this for the Memorial Day weekend and was looking forward to a good long siege. I was not disappointed. There are a number of options available to you as the attacker and most provide a good challenge. There is one method that is surprisingly easy although not immediately apparent. This is a shame as this siege map is incredibly well done and the fact that I stumbled upon this weakness after I had already beaten this map must be noted. Unfortunately with the above-mentioned method, I was able to take Dover on Very Hard with only 20% losses
Balance: 5/5 this map was designed as an attacking siege only. At this it excels. AI performance as the defender is perfect and the AI will go as far as to reinforce weak spots or threatened areas of the defenses. Game play is smooth no matter how you choose to attack. As always this shows the authors fundamental understanding of how Stronghold works.
Creativity: 4/5 a lot of time and effort went into making the defenses of Dover accurate as well as functional. The castle is startlingly recreated and truly gives the feel of this powerful fortress. Towers and gatehouse are correctly placed and even the Old Saxon church and Roman Pharos (lighthouse) are represented.
Map Design: 4/5 do not get me wrong this is a wonderful siege map. As far as coastal fortresses go I just prefer this authors work on Red Rock Point. There is nothing inspiring as far as eye candy but then again how necessary is that.
Story/Instructions: 5/5 Perfect, simply perfect, is it any wonder this guy is now an Angel. Sulis’s write up is exceptional and even without the download is well worth your time. The map description is concise and informative.
In short, highly recommended, an excellent download especially for those in the mood to attack a well-known and formidable fortress.