Using the different hovel types o­n a Stronghold map has always been a favorite design aspect of mine. What exactly the player must do to get the different hovel types has always seemed a bit maddening and getting them to go exactly where you would like even more so. There is however, a method to this madness.

For several months I have kept a mish-mash of notes and ballpark figures o­n how to achieve the different hovel types. The information I compiled was sketchy at first but I was sure that there was an exact formula that could achieve the desired results. I am pleased to announce that after weeks of research I have found it.

Submitted by UnikUnok

As with any formula there are some rules but first we should do a little clarification for the sake of the instructions to follow.

Hovel Types

Type I: This is a simple round hut. Whenever a new hovel is placed you will automatically receive this hovel type.

Type II: This hovel is a larger rectangular structure made in the same fashion and out of the same material as the simple round hut of Type I.

Type III: This is not a hovel at all but a small thatched house. The walls are of Waddle and Daub construction and the roof of a much finer thatch work than the previous two types.

Rules For Advanced Hovel Placement

1. You will have to change your map to an invasion and actually play your map in order to place any Type II or Type III hovels
2. You must place a minimum of 3 Type I hovels o­n your map to activate the Type II and Type III hovel designs
3. You must first achieve 3 Type II hovels in order for your map to become eligible for its first Type III hovel
4. 1 year of game time must elapse for your map to become eligible for Type II hovels
5. 2 years of game time must elapse for your map to become eligible for Type III hovels

Placement

This is a very important consideration for the designer. As you will note o­n the chart listed in Population, in order to achieve a large number of any hovel type o­n your map, you all also have to acquire some of the other types as well, rules #2 and #3. The other important aspect to remember is the first hovel placed and therefore the oldest hovel o­n your map, will also be the first to upgrade to a Type II and then later, a Type III hovel.

Lets use an example: Earl Listibald wishes to place 4 Type II hovels in a line o­n his map. Using the chart listed in population, he notes that he will also have to place 3 additional hovels to become Type III hovels in order to achieve his goal. Keeping in mind that the first 3 he places will become those Type III hovels, he places the first 3 huts in a safe place for later demolition and then places the 4 huts that will become the Type II Hovel’s in their desired locations. To achieve the required Population # he then places any additional hovels needed in the safe place for later demolition.

...see how happy Earl Listibald is!

It is also possible to move any Type II or Type III hovel already acquired by simply demolishing it. The instant the hovel is demolished the next placed or next oldest hovel will immediately upgrade to replace the o­ne hovel Type lost.

Population

This is what it is all about; the population number directly and completely affects hovel types. Other than the above listed rules, there are no other factors involved in the changing of hovel types.

There are however, a couple of factors in respect to population that must be noted:

Employment, In order to keep your population growing, you will have to employ your peasants. o­nce the courtyard reaches its capacity of unemployed peasants, (24 for a stone keep), your population will stop growing and therefore hovel changes will stop. Nothing beats using mills for this as they employ 3 peasants each.

Starting Goods, In order to achieve a large number of any of the hovel types, you will have to stock yourself well. It can take years and will require quite a few items; these are wood, food, and gold. Basically the better your popularity rating the faster your population will grow so consider using inns and churches to boost your popularity rating. Keep in mind that these items have their own requirements to function and tailor your starting goods accordingly. You may also wish to add weapons an armory and barracks for super boosting your Population #.

Super Boosting Your Population #

Once you have things up and running and have allowed a minimum of 2 years of game time to elapse, you can super boost your Population # by creating troops and then disbanding them.

• Make sure you allow the courtyard to refill with peasants before you disband the troops.
• Plan ahead by keeping track of how many peasants you will create and by having the extra hovels ready to accomodate the sudden surge in population. Otherwise, your popularity rating will plumment

Population Requirement Chart

This chart shows what Population # is required for various numbers of Type II and Type III hovels.

Population #	Num. Type II	Num. Type III
27	1
37	2
54	3
61	2	1
77	3	1
85	2	2
101*	3	2
109	3	3
117	4	3
125	4	4
133	5	4
141	6	5
149	7	5
157	8	6

* After a population of 101 is achieved, changes will occur for every 8 people added to the Population #.

* Before a population of 101 is achieved, change #'s varied slightly in some tests. The amount of variance appeared to be directly related to the different capacities of each Keep. The above chart was compiled by testing using no population boosting and a stone Keep, using Stronghold v1.2.

Submitted by UnikUnok