Firefly Studios, creators of Stronghold Kingdoms, currently the second most popular free-to-play game on Steam, have just released a new patch adding a ‘Crown Prince’ rank to Stronghold Kingdoms.

The Crown Prince rank, aimed primarily at high level players, has been added to Stronghold Kingdoms as a twist to the endgame of the popular castle MMO. Previously capped at 22 ranks and 15 villages, an unlimited 23rd rank was added earlier today giving players access to as many as 25 villages. The new rank can be unlocked with 10,000,000 honour, after which players will have to climb a series of sub-ranks and invest research points in an extended Leadership branch of the research tree. As part of the endgame, the honour requirements for each sub-rank will be increasingly brutal, but those who invest in the new system will have a distinct edge over their enemies. The new rank also allows for more Vassals. Players will be able to station troops in the castles of up to 69 Vassals, extending their influence and control of the lands further than ever before.

Tweaks have been made to Faction leadership voting, with decisions now made by Faction Officers on the basis of a majority vote. The amount of shields displayed at a certain zoom level has been reduced to improve game performance. A counter has also been added to parish donations, useful for tracking achievements. Bug fixes have been made for monk influence, which previously allowed votes to surpass their cap, and parish names, which were being obscured by country borders at certain points on the map.

More information on Stronghold Kingdoms and Firefly Studios can be found at www.strongholdkingdoms.com