i have finally made a new stronghold crusader skirmish map for you people to enjoy,i have now made it a little refreshing,with new eyecandy.it looks impressive so have fun,sincerely Sirwoodman.
Edit: i have found some balance issues with the map that have been fixed,the water is more streamlined,better hills with more stones,expanded oasis on some keeps,added a mountain wall,the lords has all been reset to their normal health status.
I was going to post a review before but since it's been updated i'd to download check out the updated version. Here's my review after a 1v4 skirmish against the Pig,Wolf,saladin and Richard at computer advantage:
Playability & Balance:
The player on the top right corner had difficulty placing iron mines but since stone was abundant, he could make up for that. No problems with ai's. I placed myself to the bottom left corner with the pig close by. Farmlands were limited so bread and ale was the obvious choice.I had to squeeze in a couple more farms. Iron was close so i made lots of swordsmen and crossbowmen to guard the towers. Had only one round tower infront of the keep for defense. I used lots of shields. To the left i had another tower with a mangonel constantly pumelling down on the Pig. He had a rough time gathering Cheese and stone. Soon after invasions from the rest of the Ais followed so i quickly raised tax to -8,ale +8,extra rations +4 & fear factor to -4. No religion as there weren't much room.
The two keeps to the botton left had to share iron. Stone was abundant. The keeps to the top were in an advantage of more stone. I think the map was kind of balanced.
Design & Creativity:
Lots of elevation on the map. I placed some 20 assasins between dunes to surprise incoming troops and seige equipments.The river needed a little more work. I gave a 4 for creativity because we have seen many maps more of less based on such idea. But i loved the idea of using lesser oasis grass and rivers. less open space discouraged players from biulding way too large castles and extending their walls.
Additional Comments:
Enjoyed the map. Maybe i'll try it 1v5 next time.