Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition Demo V1.01 Update

[DivineLime]

This first patch for the Stronghold Crusader: DE Demo addresses some common issues for a smoother playing experience.

Stronghold Crusader: Definitive Edition Demo V1.01 Update Notes:

UPDATES

- Clicking on items in the stockpile and armoury inventory will now take you straight to its marketplace tab

- Fixed exploit where building deletion could be used to gain extra resources

- Added new Russian Speech

- Added missing animals back into the tutorial

- Added missing pause/unpause speech

BUG FIXES

- Fixed most instances of a visual issue of units appearing to clip through the stockpile, and other map features

- Fixed an issue where changed refresh rate would not save

- Fixed an issue where music volume would briefly raise to high levels after the story intro of the Ascalon mission

- Fixed an issue where the Victory banner would on rare instances, appear on mission start

- Fixed an issue with the buy/sell price in the market place displaying incorrectly

- Fixed an issue where sound would play when the intro was skipped

We'd love to hear your insight on the demo! Every bit of feedback will help us make Stronghold games the best they can possibly be: https://forms.gle/p2JeRfSHFWAKMghW6

[Galatolol]

Clicking on items in the stockpile and armoury inventory will now take you straight to its marketplace tab

I hope this will be added to Stronghold DE too!

[LUMBERAMERICA]

I love you firefly studios. <3

Please add mod support like the features found in the UCP (ultimate crusader patch). I mean, Baldurs Gate 3 has a Mod button right in the main menu. It will guarantee that the game will be loved even more, be played in more creative ways, and last even longer. <3 Please don't hide everything in .dll files and assembly code. <3 <3

I'd also like to see a Streamer Mode wherein a user can view the game from an omniscient "admin camera" without having to place a keep. Would be very good for the social media side and competitive play.

P.S. Thank you for bigger maps.

[𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝𝐑]

Игра выглядит хорошо и всё идёт плавно.
Всё прекрасно и отлично, но отдаление и приближение камеры крайне неудобно.

[dakrips]

I would like to see improvements in terms of realism.

Swordsmen quickly destroy abacans and walls, which is impossible in reality. Considering that I love this game for its realism to some extent, I would prefer that swordsmen and similar units cannot simply destroy an abacan. Instead, they could only break down its doors, similar to the mechanics used by ninjas.

Trebuchets and catapults. In reality, they could not demolish walls or abacans in just 5-7 hits. I would also like to see more realism here. Additionally, they are built too quickly in the game. I would suggest making their construction time longer and their damage lower. They should also be the only units capable of destroying walls. A good reference would be cannons in the game Cossacks—they take a long time to build, are highly valuable, can be captured, and serve as important trophies.

I would expand the defensive structures by adding:
Counter-escarp and escarp
False gates
Log traps
Foreburg (outer fortification before the main walls)
Donjon (central keep, last line of defense)
Secret underground exits

I would also add new units:
Cataphracts – ultra-heavy cavalry, highly effective against infantry.
Arabian mercenary spearmen – fast and cheap units with good defense.

Additionally, I would love to see an auto-trade system implemented. Managing trade manually every time can become tedious, and having an option for automated trade (buying and selling resources at predefined limits) would greatly improve economic management without taking focus away from battles and castle defense.


My emotions as a Feedback from a Loyal Stronghold Fan! 🔥

I have been playing Stronghold for over 20 years and remain a devoted fan of the series. But to be honest, the recent games haven't lived up to the level of Stronghold: Crusader.

👉 What makes Crusader a truly great game?
✅ Well-designed sieges (Siegecraft) – The game is built around attacking and defending castles. This is the core of the series!
✅ Deep castle-building mechanics (Castle Construction) – Planning walls, towers, gates, economic buildings, and defensive positions has always been a key feature.
✅ Skirmish Mode + Skirmish Trail – The best part of the series. Fighting AI lords for survival is what keeps players engaged for decades.

❌ What didn’t work in the recent games?
🚫 Too much focus on "cinematic" elements or overcomplicated economy – this is not what Stronghold is about.
🚫 Restrictions on castle-building and small maps make the game less strategic.
🚫 Unsuccessful changes to combat mechanics kill the fun of sieges.

I dream of a Stronghold game that brings back the spirit of Crusader! 🔥 Bring back epic sieges, strong AI, freedom of construction, and brutal battles. Without these, the next game will just be "another attempt" rather than the masterpiece people are waiting for.

Best regards

[dakrips]

Also I would really love for you to keep the old main menu intro, where the knight stands, as it has a great atmospheric theme. I sincerely appreciate it in advance!

[AvaronBaqur]

I really want to see witch person can handle the second Mission, I think for demo this mission are much too hard. I like Stronghold Crusader very much, but I think it would be better to have some more Missions in the Demo with a lower difficulty. So this can frustrate new players. And a bigger map would be also great :)

[Adment_Vk]

а почему не запускается?

[本]

Wow, I just found out you guys are doing this... Thank you so much !!!! I can't wait to dive back into this childhood masterpiece. <3

[Light]

Попробовал запустить Demo версию. Не запускается

Пока что 👎

[k4far]

Demo is not launching on Linux it's stuck in launching loop.

[LeGheed]

where patch notes for current demo?

[Max_Regime]

what about tower unlimited units bug ??? will you fix this ???

[Vitamin T_PP]

Omg bedowin units are overpowered. How can they throw a spear so far and up and over walls with better range and accuracy than archers wtf. Spearmen feel useless now.

[Persona Non Grata]

Is the demo retracted from Steam?