0 A.D. vs Stronghold Crusader
0 A.D.
0 A.D. is a really unique game not because it is possibly one of the most well-made, open-source, historical real-time strategy games we've ever seen; the game started off as a mod for Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings but ended up being a standalone game with its own game engine and everything. This is a pretty huge feat and puts 0 A.D. on the same level as other successful mod-turned games like Garry's Mod. However, the game may lose out a bit when it comes to popularity mainly because it's not available on Steam, which happens to be the current largest PC gaming platform, and partly because there isn't a lot of promoting from established gaming media, or marketing, even.That said, the game is incredibly impressive for an under-development and completely free game. You can play as a number of civilizations that has their own graphics and models to set them apart. There are also citizen-soldiers who like in real-life, can switch between gatheirng resources like a civilian and fighting as a soldier depending on need. Unlike certain RTS games that allow you to unlock every branch of the tech tree, this game offers technological tradeoffs between two equally important tech, forcing you to really consider your choices and pick one that fits your play style.
0 A.D. also tries to be as historically accurate as possible, conforming its 3D models and maps to actual historical depictions of the people and land back in the day. The effort into making game realistic is astounding, but of course, the devs have mentioned that if they had to choose between having a feature that's historically accurate or playable, they will definitely choose playable every time... naturally, since this is still mainly a game and all.
So, if you're interested, know that you can get the game for free on their site.
Stronghold Crusader
Stronghold Crusader lets you venture to the distant Arabian lands and dive into the historical, religiously-charged war between the Crusaders and the Saladin's forces through its four massive campaigns documenting the the First, Second and Third Crusades, as well as conflicts within each of the individual Crusader states. Aside from playing as Richard the Lionheart or Saladin, the Sultan of Syria, there are also 100 unique skirmish missions, a wide variety of units to recruit to your side of the fight, as well as an in-depth empire-govrning system that will see you building self-sustaining fortresses in the desert.Stronghold Crusader is an excellent real-time strategy game that infuses the mechanics that had made the Stronghold franchise such a success with the accurate historical elements of a real and bitter war that had happened way in the past. This is a game that may interest real-time strategy players, that's for sure!