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So Nekit20874 has asked "Will I be able to choose between Crusader and Arabic factions?"
One thing we wanted to do is keep the difference between the factions
and the faction system very similar to the original game
All players will be able to choose between either Arabic or Crusader troops
They'll be able to have both sort of troops in one fight.
You'll be able to recruit Arabic troops in the Mercenary Camp
and Crusader troops in the Barracks and the main difference will be
if you pick the Crusader Lord, your castle will look European in its styling
if you pick an Arabic Lord you'll have Arabic style sort of towers, walls, gatehouses
and that kind of thing, so the difference will mainly be visual
and everyone will have access to both sort of faction troops
So Kongornotha has asked
"If Crusader 2 has to be purchased through Steam
does that mean we have to be connected to the internet to play single player?"
And the answer is 'absolutely not'
Crusader 2 will require Steam to activate, but once the game is activated
you can set Steam to 'offline mode'
and play the single player campaign or the skirmish mode as much as you want
and the game won't require an always-on connection like the new SimCity or Diablo 3.
We know that one of the best thing about the original game is
being able to just play offline skirmish mode for hours against lots of AI opponents.
You'll be able do the exact same thing in Crusader 2.
So Destroyer120296 has asked "Will Havok physics and ragdoll effects be used in the game?"
And the answer is: Yes, they will and we've spent quite a lot of time
this time around getting the weight & feel of the castle walls to be just right.
When the catapult blows a hole in the wall
the stones will break apart and fall realistically with proper sets of weight.
Obviously physics and castle walls were kind of made for each other
but if you just go for the kind of big Michael Bay style Hollywood explosions
it feels like the walls are just made of like paper or foam
we spent a lot of time this time around to get the weight just right
and the way they crumble and the programmer has done a fantastic job around that.
This time around it will be believable it will feel like the wall is really being knocked down.
So TheJuanBlackSheep has asked
"Will the estate system seen in Stronghold 2 and 3 be returning in Crusader 2?"
Estates will be returning in Crusader 2
they may function slightly differently to how they did in Stronghold 2 and 3
but they will definitely be included in the game at launch.
The main goal really is to recapture the fun and playability of the original Crusader.
We don't want to mess with that and everything we add on top
will serve that rather than getting in the way of it,
they will be coming back but it won't interfere with the core Crusader game play.
The Unknown_Templar has asked "Will Crusader 2 feature historical units?"
Yes, the answer is yes, there will be the Templar Knight and the Sergeant at Arms
who are just a couple of examples. Templar Knights are like a big
bruiser type unit, he's able to deal damage but also take it quite well
he's kind of like a tank, although he definitely isn't the fastest unit in the game.
The Sergeant at Arms is also a sort of a very well-rounded unit
that will have its own special ability, he can boost the armour of nearby troops
with like an area of effect, there will be historical units
and they'll each be unique to use and have their own sort of tactics on the battlefield.
MaxLogan93 has asked "Will it be possible to heal damaged units?"
And the answer is yes.
For the first time in a Stronghold game you'll be able to heal units,
whether you'll be playing as a Crusader or Arabic Lord you can heal units
one-by-one using the Arabic healer.
He won't have an area of effect, it'll be an individual heal
you can't just send 3 healers in a big army and just make them invincible.
But it can be effective if used properly, he can even heal your Lord
for the first time you'll be able to recover some health for your Lord
and even enter him into the fight, that's no longer just a recipe for suicide
and should alter the dynamics of the game a little bit which is nice.
This question is from pedluc2010, asking "Will diplomacy feature in the game?"
Diplomacy will be in Crusader 2 and will be completely dynamic as well
the player will be able to make and break alliances sort of mid-match
but you should pick your allies well, if you want economic support and gold
it might be good to go with the Shah and make him your ally, but he's not
going to be very good in the fight and probably won't get into the fight in the first place
So maybe you should go with the Slave King if you want a good fighter.
Things are a little bit more interesting with characters like the Caliph
who is strong and adept in combat but a little less likely to follow orders.
You'll have to weigh up your options and sometimes take a gamble
with who you're being friends with to win.
So Blastinon has asked us "Why did your office choose to go
with Cisco instead of Avia phones or even Siemens phones?"
Now of course he's talking about...he or she...is talking about our office phones.
I don't even know why we have these things, we do our communication via email, Skype
or just by leaning over and talking to each other, so the answer is:
I don't know why we have these anyway, I barely use the thing, so I don't know.