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| Author |
File Description |
| peter2008 |
Posted on 05/07/09 @ 01:15 PM (updated 08/28/09)
| File Details |
|---|
| Map Size: |
400x400 (Large) |
| Difficulty: |
Hard |
| Made with version: |
1.2 |
Minimap:
 |
Alamanni Series, Part 1
Lauchheim
by Fintrollx and Peter2008
Story
Lauchheim is a historical village in the south of Germania, settled by people of the Alamanni tribe. The story takes place in the first half of the 8th century AD, still the "Dark Ages". The Swabian-Alamannic areas have long since been under Frankish hegemony. The Empire of the Franks has superior military power with strong armoured troops including knights. It is also far greater in culture with the feudal system, literature, and the Christian faith.
You are Hariolf, the Alamannic duke of Ellwangen. Your long-term goal is to bring the advanced culture to your duchy. Therefore you plan to found a Benedictine monastery in Ellwangen. One of your sons shall be the Abbot.
But the rival Alamannic leaders (the Rat, Snake and Pig) will not allow you to grow stronger.
A neighbour has already occupied your nearby estate of Lauchheim, a village with fertile farms and good stone quarries.
-> Reconquer Lauchheim and withstand the fierce invasions of the dukes.
Also, you have to deal with the Frankish lord protector (the Wolf). He plays a rather obscure role and will mistrust you until the end. He will raid you but not destroy you under the condition of a generous bribe.
-> Seek the Wolf's alliance and send him valuable weapons.
-> Use the Lauchheim quarries to bring in the stones needed for the monastery.
Despite war and suffering, the population of Lauchheim will grow.
-> Save food for the winter.
With all these preparations made you will ensure both the goodwill of the Frankish rulers and the prosperity of your duchy.
Authors' notes
We wanted to create a map with heavy and hectic fighting.
Next, we developed a varied story and implemented economic goals. Having quite independent farms fooled us into experimenting with multiple stockpiles and storage buildings. (This concept would fit to Stronghold 2.)
The mission is open for taking very different courses. Each time, there will be new pieces of luck and new desasters. Invasions will come in varied waves and from several signposts. They will charge according to the form of your defences.
Many events are triggered by conditions. "Flexible scripting" responds to the behaviour of the player. Rewards will tell you that the village proceeds in a good way while some bad events may draw your attention to certain economic disbalances and thereby inspire you to go on.
So, the map is complex and not easy.
Lauchheim village is big and difficult to survey.
You must be creative in fighting, and you may get new experiences on the art of warfare.
Perhaps you need to train your skills in developing economy and keeping the balance of popularity.
We hope, you stay patient and confident.
As a promise, two special events will help you.
When we started this project, we had many ideas but did not know about some dangers of witchcraft in Stronghold 1 mapmaking. The map suffers from few bugs which turn out to the advantage and later probably disadvantage of the player. Full particulars are given in the text files. There are also hints and tips.
Many thanks
- to Jalis for his template map "7 Cede Events, 1 xbow-event, appletrees and all colours", a great help.
- to our playtesters and all mates who helped us in some way.
Two of them worked admirably hard:
With his patience, Sir_Vet inspired us to find our own taste of balance of scripting.
Lord_of_Hell won the heavy beta version and suggested important details.
The thread in the Map Room forum tells a bit about the stages of the creation.
Picture
Countering archers.
Enjoy the mission.
Update: there is an expanded story, now. It can also be downloaded from the Miscellaneous section. |
| Pages: [1] 2 3 » Last » | | Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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| Lord_of_Hell |
Posted on 05/07/09 @ 02:34 PM
Can't wait to play the final version. |
| von Schmidt |
Posted on 05/07/09 @ 03:04 PM
Oh well, 3rd download :D hope it's easier than the first one ;) |
| Dumptrailer2 |
Posted on 05/07/09 @ 06:52 PM
-Dump |
| Knightly_Maps |
Posted on 05/08/09 @ 08:05 AM
I'd like to make a reference to fintrollx, and how much hes developed over -is it only- a year. Starting off with rapidly done maps, this map-maker has progressed to make some really stalwart efforts into the map-making world. Major kudoes to you, mon ami!
To everyone: Make sure you drink this map up like a cold one. This is one of the great maps with a lot of effort in them that come to haunt the DL section every so often.
EDIT:
However, may I make a brief suggestion. I think you need to work on a story, (if it can't fit in, I guess thats alright, but it will be a detriment to a review). A good story would really complete this map.
EDIT2: Then again, the extensive supporting material deserves a high mark anyway. However, I still stand by the thought of a good story. Especially considering this is going to be a series.
The Anarchist.[Edited on 05/08/09 @ 08:09 AM]
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| Fintrollx |
Posted on 05/08/09 @ 09:36 AM
I did only like 1/5 of the job. |
peter2008
File Author |
Posted on 05/09/09 @ 01:04 AM
Von Schmidt - The invasions after 728 are about 15% smaller now. Not the first ones though. This part is just as we intended it (well, two pikemen added :P).
The Anarchist - agreed. Fintrollx' style of wild landscapes and detailed settlements fits well to the ages of SH 1. For a story, I gonna take a sunny day.
Fintrollx - your contributions are basic. Can remember us thinking up the character of the map and the catastrophe. |
| Sir_Vet |
Posted on 05/10/09 @ 12:57 PM
This is a very complex map, your skills will be tested, be prepared to rethink how you play Stronghold, the village is spread out giving the impression of multiple villages, with your keep as the central command point.
When you first cede the map you will have a small chance to get ready for the wrath of the other Lords who would like nothing better than to expel you from this land, after you have survived the 4 Lords attacking you can begin the gathering of goods needed to complete the scenario, this with be an exercise in rebuilding the villages and setting defenses to keep the angry lords from stopping your goals of gathering resources for "Ellwangen", trust me the angry Lords will come and try and stop you, they stopped me:-) but it is not quite the same for you because I was playing the beta versions, the final version is a little more balanced giving a smoother game and a good chance of winning.
For the diehard players who want an even harder challenge then hard and very hard settings will fill the need, but for the rest of us we can only hope that the easy and normal conditions will give us a chance at winning, any advice I could give is to take your time and save often, pitch is a definate ally in this game, building strong walls lined with archers and a small opening could be an advantage, watch for changes in the ques, build stronger troops as they become available.
When you have a chance to breath, take the time to study the exceptional skills used to create this beautiful scene, and if you can't find the time for a breather then you might want to study the great pics and hints provided in the zip folder, to learn the game and all of it's unique challenges is worth an extra effort.
Congratulations Peter and Fintrollx on building a fine complex map, hoping the same amount of effort can be put into the sequel "Ellwangon Abbey"
Sir_Vet |
peter2008
File Author |
Posted on 05/11/09 @ 02:51 AM
Fellow players, please tell about what you like and dislike. |
| Lord Dredde |
Posted on 05/14/09 @ 07:48 AM
I enjoyed playing this,the finished scenario almost as much as i did the early 'demo' versions and i have to say it is a really great scenario that you and fintrollx have here.
The map design is a new idea for SH1 regarding that the player has several 'estates' to work with and that the way the player has to think about how to get to the keep without losing too many troops to 'cede' the castle(sorry for the spoiler).
I admire the amount of research that has been done really helps the map and the player get a sense of life back then(reminds me of 'muddy waters' for SH2)
Congratulations on a great piece of work!
Lord Dredde |
peter2008
File Author |
Posted on 05/14/09 @ 06:04 PM
PS. There will be a maypole in "Ellwangen", again. ;) |
| Pages: [1] 2 3 » Last » |
 
HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.8 | | Breakdown |
|---|
| Playability | 4.5 | | Balance | 4.5 | | Creativity | 5.0 | | Map Design | 5.0 | | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 1,277 |
| Favorites: [] | 3 |
| Size: | 2.08 MB |
| Added: | 05/07/09 |
| Updated: | 08/28/09 |
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