Stronghold Crusader

Stronghold Crusader

Developers
	Firefly Studios
Publishers
Retail	Take-Two Interactive
Retail	Gathering of Developers
Retail (Extreme)	Gamecock Media Group
Retail (Collection)	2K Games
HD	Firefly Studios
Release dates
Windows	September 27, 2002
macOS (OS X)	November 1, 2012
Reception
Metacritic	78
Taxonomy
Monetization	One-time game purchase
Microtransactions	None
Modes	Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing	Real-time
Perspectives	Bird's-eye view, Free-roaming camera, Isometric
Controls	Multiple select, Point and select
Genres	Building, Simulation, RTS
Themes	Medieval, Historical, Middle East
Series	Stronghold

Stronghold
Stronghold (2001)	2001
Stronghold Crusader	2002
Stronghold 2	2005
Stronghold Legends	2006
Stronghold Crusader Extreme	2008
Stronghold 3	2011
Stronghold Kingdoms	2012
Stronghold Crusader 2	2014
Stronghold: Warlords	2021
Stronghold: Definitive Edition	2023

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.

GameSpy online services have been shut down (see Network for solutions).

Stronghold Crusader is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view, free-roaming camera and isometric building, simulation and RTS game in the Stronghold series.

In 2003, the game was included in a US-only compilation with the original game, titled Stronghold Warchest, with a unique build and an exclusive extra singleplayer trail. In 2008, the game was re-released as Stronghold Crusader Extreme with a special executable featuring new singleplayer content and poorly received gameplay changes, but with the Warchest version of the original made available internationally for the first time. Both were updated to the HD version in 2012 with bug fixes and widescreen support.

General information

Official Discord server for game series

Official support portal

Stronghold Heaven - a fan site for the game

GOG.com Community Discussions for game series

GOG.com Support Page

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail		SafeDisc v2 DRM in the original release and SecuROM v7 DRM in Extreme. The HD patch removes the DRM for both.
GamersGate		Stronghold Crusader HD
		Stronghold Crusader HD
GOG.com		Stronghold Crusader HD. Comes bundled with the original retail release.
Green Man Gaming		Stronghold Crusader HD
Humble Store		Stronghold Crusader HD
Steam		Stronghold Crusader HD. Also available as part of The Stronghold Collection.
Amazon.com (unavailable)		Stronghold Crusader HD.

All versions can be upgraded to Stronghold Crusader HD for free with the HD patch, which adds widescreen support, bug fixes, retail Warchest edition content, and Extreme content for the 2002 release users).

Free demo versions of the original and Extreme releases are available from GameFront.

Monetization

Type	Notes
One-time game purchase	The game requires an upfront purchase to access.

Microtransactions

Type	Notes
No microtransactions	Game does not contain any microtransactions.

Version differences

Stronghold Crusader is the original 2002 release.

The version of the game from the Stronghold Warchest compilation (bundled with Stronghold (2001)) includes exclusive AI lords and a second skirmish trail.

Stronghold Crusader Extreme is a 2008 variant that includes the Warchest version of vanilla Crusader and a special executable that contains its own skirmish trail, as well as gameplay changes like auto-training units and a support power charger.

Stronghold Crusader HD is a 2012 version of both Crusader and Crusader Extreme that is updated with widescreen support and bug fixes. Free upgrade for owners of previous versions.

Essential improvements

Official HD patch

The official patch will upgrade a retail copy of Stronghold Crusader or Crusader Extreme to Crusader HD, with all content featured in the latest build. The latest version, 1.4.1, can be downloaded here.

Unofficial Crusader Patch (UCP)

This patch offers a range of updates, from small balancing tweaks to all new features. Its download and source code can be found here.

Skip intro video

Delete/move/rename video file
Go to <path-to-game>\binks. Delete, move or rename intro.bik.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold Crusader\crusader.cfg %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold Crusader Extreme\crusader.cfg
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40970/pfx/

Save game data location

System	Location
Windows	%USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold Crusader\Saves\ %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Stronghold Crusader Extreme\Saves\
macOS (OS X)
Steam Play (Linux)	<Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/40970/pfx/

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
GOG Galaxy
OneDrive		Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers.
Steam Cloud

Video

Video settings (HD version)

Graphics feature	State	WSGF	Notes
Widescreen resolution			Resolutions up to 2560x1600. For the original release, install the official HD patch.
Multi-monitor
Ultra-widescreen
4K Ultra HD
Field of view (FOV)
Windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Borderless fullscreen windowed		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS		Depends on game speed; up to 90 FPS
High dynamic range display (HDR)		See the glossary page for potential alternatives.

Input

Keyboard and mouse	State	Notes
Remapping		See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support

Controller types

Audio

Audio settings (HD version)

Audio feature	State	Notes
Separate volume controls		Music, FX, Speech
Surround sound
Subtitles
Closed captions
Mute on focus lost
Royalty free audio

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
Simplified Chinese
French
German
Hungarian
Italian
Japanese
Polish
Brazilian Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Ukrainian				HD version only

Network

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
Local play
LAN play		8	Versus
Online play		8	Versus GameSpy services have been shut down; see GameSpy for workarounds.

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting
Direct IP

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
TCP	2300-2400, 47624
UDP	2300-2400

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.

VR support

3D modes	State	Notes
vorpX		2D 2D with dgVoodoo 2, no vorpx profile is required for 2D.

Issues fixed

Game fails to launch on Windows 10

Install DirectPlay

Missing tactical powers on 1360x768 (Extreme)

The tactical powers bar is not displayed while playing at 1360x768.

Change the resolution
Set a lower resolution before starting the mission. Change to 1360x768 during the mission. Notes The steps must be repeated for each mission.

Wrong scaling

Change Windows scaling to 100%.
Open Windows display settings. Set scale to 100%.

Other information

API

Technical specs	Supported	Notes
DirectDraw	7.0
OpenGL		OS X only.

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)			This 32-bit-only macOS game does not work on macOS Catalina (10.15) or later.

Middleware

	Middleware	Notes
Audio	Miles Sound System	6.1c
Cutscenes	Bink Video	1.2h
Multiplayer	GameSpy

System requirements

Windows

macOS (OS X)

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	98, ME, 2000, XP	Vista, 7, 8
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium II 300 MHz	Intel Pentium III 550 MHz
System memory (RAM)	64 MB	128 MB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	850 MB
Video card (GPU)	4 MB of VRAM DirectX 7.0 compatible	DirectX 9.0c compatible