> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://simstructures.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # The Citadel Must Hold - URL: https://simstructures.com/the-citadel-must-hold/ - Published: 2026-10-05T16:08:46.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-05T16:08:46.000Z - Description: Build a fortress, command your army, and survive escalating Monster Tides in a fantasy base-building RTS. Explore dangerous biomes, conquer raiding Places of Power for game-changing rewards, and… - Author: ENGN GAME STUDIO LLC - Tags: Management, Base-Building, Survival, Exploration, Economy, City Builder, Logistics, #w1 Build a fortress, command your army, and survive escalating Monster Tides in a fantasy base-building RTS. Explore dangerous biomes, conquer raiding Places of Power for game-changing rewards, and shape every run through Oaths and Decrees. ### Screenshots ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/f6394ac7481cdc6cdcb32c95ef0e77ea4e8f23fc/ss_f6394ac7481cdc6cdcb32c95ef0e77ea4e8f23fc.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/fde5ba6d75a0ccc345948fc61b3891cfcd8b94e2/ss_fde5ba6d75a0ccc345948fc61b3891cfcd8b94e2.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/10c8789d43d78d2daf59edf08cc8c9245d4f6c07/ss_10c8789d43d78d2daf59edf08cc8c9245d4f6c07.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/99af065aa0e70d755c5e91f785321c8639c7848a/ss_99af065aa0e70d755c5e91f785321c8639c7848a.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/1e4c7f033608aecf9dc51ee1c790b1b31fddd8d8/ss_1e4c7f033608aecf9dc51ee1c790b1b31fddd8d8.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/871ff3878e777ada59bbd6ce3adbbb9acaa87ef6/ss_871ff3878e777ada59bbd6ce3adbbb9acaa87ef6.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/fae1c7bc5f78576ae37627e7d87b31ea55c7f468/ss_fae1c7bc5f78576ae37627e7d87b31ea55c7f468.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ![Screenshot](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/4891190/ec30205db79e9842a1ad05269645f957a3cfcf8c/ss_ec30205db79e9842a1ad05269645f957a3cfcf8c.1920x1080.jpg?t=1790680325) ### Trailer [![Watch trailer on Steam](https://shared.akamai.steamstatic.com/store_item_assets/steam/apps/257385454/337013bb70a422f27be2a208dedf89a31105b9a2/movie_600x337.jpg?t=1790679193)▶](https://store.steampowered.com/app/4891190/?ref=simstructures.com) ### Technical Architecture - **Engine:** Unspecified (Pending Dev Claim) - **AI Systems:** Unspecified - **State/Architecture:** Unspecified - **Status:** Pending Dev Claim ## Update 0.3.0 - The World Fights Back out now! The world outside the Citadel is now more dangerous, more varied, and more rewarding to explore. Uncleared Places of Power can raid nearby settlements, new Frozen and Ashen regions spread across every map with frost monsters in the snow and undead guarding the ashes, Pikemen join the army as a dedicated counter to large monsters, and unit movement and combat have been extensively reworked. Combat and movement now feel much smoother and more readable, with better melee spacing, improved monster behavior, and clearer control feedback throughout the game. **Remember that the playtest is open! Join the fun and help shape the game!** ## **Major Features** ### **Places of Power Now Fight Back** Each activated, uncleared, guarded Place of Power now sends one raiding party against nearby buildings between Monster Tides. Expanding toward a dangerous site is no longer just a question of whether you can defeat its guardians. Building too close may provoke it, forcing you to defend new parts of your settlement or clear the site before it becomes a persistent problem. - A Place of Power becomes active when you build within its raiding range, not when you scout it. \[/\*\] - Buildings near your starting Citadel never activate raids. \[/\*\] - The building placement preview warns you when a new building would fall within the raiding range of a nearby site. \[/\*\] - Raids begin only after you survive Tide 1. \[/\*\] - Raids never overlap with Monster Tides, and will not begin immediately before or after one. \[/\*\] - The first raid from a site tells you which building provoked it. \[/\*\] - Every raid is announced 20 seconds in advance, including its direction and which enemies are coming. \[/\*\] - The target is shown with a world-space ring, an approach arrow, and a minimap marker. \[/\*\] - Raiders attack their intended target first, then move on to nearby structures before eventually withdrawing. \[/\*\] - Clearing the Place of Power permanently stops its raids for the rest of the run. \[/\*\] - Sites that have already raided you show this in their info panel. \[/\*\] ### **New Frozen Region** Every map now has a **Frozen region** spreading inward from one corner. Together with the Ashen region growing from the opposite corner, it transforms about a third of the map. Frozen land has its own ground, snow-covered vegetation, icy cliffs, and environmental details. Moving units kick up blue-grey snow powder beneath their feet. The region stays hidden beneath the fog until explored, and you can build and gather there normally. The **Oracle** waits near the far edge of the region, guarded by an **Ice Golem** and **Frost Satyrs**. The new **Frozen Altar** is held by a **Frost Giant** and its pack. Frozen monsters chill what they hit, slowing movement and attacks. The Frozen Altar's signature reward, **Chilling Grasp**, turns the Mage's attack into an icy burst that chills everything caught in it. ### **New Ashen Region** The **Ashen region** spreads inward from the opposite corner, with scorched ground, dead vegetation, dark cliffs, and drifting embers. Moving units stir ash from the ground. Like Frozen land, it remains hidden until explored and follows the normal rules for building and gathering. The **Shrine of Power** waits near the far edge, while the **Desecrated Cemetery** and **Crypt** are also found among the ashes. The Ashen Places of Power are held by the dead: - The **Desecrated Cemetery** is guarded by **Skeleton Knights** and an **Undead Cyclops**. \[/\*\] - The **Crypt** is guarded by a **Vampire** and a **Ghoul**. \[/\*\] Undead monsters inflict Grave Pull, which deals damage over time, and raids from these sites are undead too. Each site remains roughly as difficult to clear as before. Selecting a unit shows Chill or Grave Pull, its strength, and how long it has left. ### **New Unit: Pikemen** Pikemen are a new Barracks-trained spear infantry unit specialized against large monsters. They deal **triple damage to large enemies**, making them the army's dedicated answer to threats such as: - Cyclopes \[/\*\] - Giants \[/\*\] - Wyverns \[/\*\] - Other heavy monsters \[/\*\] Large monsters have received additional health to account for this new counter-unit role. ### **Smoother Movement and Better Combat Spacing** Unit movement has been completely smoothed out. Units now glide and turn fluidly between simulation updates at any frame rate, rather than visibly stepping between movement updates. Combat spacing has also been reworked: - Units and monsters now maintain proper distance while fighting. \[/\*\] - Units no longer stand inside one another during combat. \[/\*\] - Enemies no longer shove units around simply by attacking them. \[/\*\] - Attack range is measured from the edge of a target rather than its center. \[/\*\] - Large monsters can therefore be engaged naturally without units needing to move unrealistically close to them. \[/\*\] - Large units keep proper distance from buildings and terrain. \[/\*\] - Units chasing a target no longer stutter-step, slowing almost to a stop every half second before setting off again. \[/\*\] - Units no longer wander onto the steep edges of mountains. \[/\*\] Marching monsters also behave more naturally. If player units stand directly in their path, monsters stop and fight them instead of pushing past. They do not chase away from their route, and continue toward the Citadel once the path is clear. ### **Stronger, Better-Paced Tides** There is now more time between Tides to explore, build, and answer raids. The opening build-up remains unchanged. Tides arrive as one fighting body instead of trickling in from fastest to slowest. Heavy monsters set out first so they reach the walls with the swarm, Wild Satyrs replace Lizard Warriors in the Tide roster, and Cyclopes now arrive in packs. The final Tide is now a true four-sided flood with far more monsters and many more heavy attackers. Its approach is announced in stages, giving you time to make your final preparations before it arrives. ## **Exploration and Controls** ### **Place of Power Improvements** Scouting a Place of Power now gives you much more information before you decide whether to attack it. Hovering over a discovered site now shows: - Its current state \[/\*\] - Its guardians \[/\*\] - The types of rewards available \[/\*\] - Whether clearing it will stop raids \[/\*\] Selecting the site reveals its exact reward offers in the info panel. Several Places of Power now use fixed reward sets instead of random selections: - Silent Library \[/\*\] - Spirits Hut \[/\*\] - Twilight Blacksmith \[/\*\] - Goblin Camp \[/\*\] The Griffin is now always one of the three Goblin Camp choices. Clearing a Place of Power also plays a new themed visual effect. - Right-clicking a Place of Power while a hero and troops are selected now sends the entire group. \[/\*\] - The escort waits just behind while the hero opens the site. \[/\*\] ### **Controls** - You can now issue move orders by right-clicking the minimap. \[/\*\] - Orders now display a ground ping where they are issued: \[/\*\] - Green for Move \[/\*\] - Orange for Attack-Move \[/\*\] - Red for Attack \[/\*\] - Gold for Garrison \[/\*\] - The hero now rides a horse while travelling and appears on foot while garrisoned. \[/\*\] ### **Gates** Gates have been reworked to behave more clearly during defense. - Open gates allow your own units to pass through. \[/\*\] - Monsters can never walk through a gate, whether it is open or closed. \[/\*\] - Monsters must destroy gates just like walls. \[/\*\] - Closing a gate also blocks your own units, allowing you to keep troops safely inside your defenses. \[/\*\] ## **Combat and Movement** - Melee attacks can no longer hit through walls or buildings. \[/\*\] - Cyclopes, Giants, and tree monsters now use melee attacks instead of projectiles. \[/\*\] - Large monster splash damage now lands where the blow actually strikes, in an arc in front of the attacker. \[/\*\] - Giants and Wyverns no longer hit units far behind their target or all around themselves. \[/\*\] - Splash areas are smaller to match the visible swing. \[/\*\] - Ranged attacks now fire at the right moment of the attack animation and leave from the weapon itself: \[/\*\] - The Mage releases at the staff thrust. \[/\*\] - Archers release from the bow hand. \[/\*\] - The Ballista fires from the front of its rail. \[/\*\] - Attack speed is unchanged. \[/\*\] - Units leaving towers now move onto nearby open ground instead of becoming stuck between a tower and its wall. \[/\*\] - Move orders involving unreachable formation positions now resolve toward the location you ordered instead of leaving individual units stuck on invalid formation slots. \[/\*\] ## **Balance** - Archers, Pikemen, and Shield Bearers move slightly slower so their movement better matches their animation stride. \[/\*\] - Wyverns have more health. \[/\*\] - Griffins move faster. \[/\*\] - Fisherman Huts produce more food. \[/\*\] - The Ancient Tower reveals a larger area. \[/\*\] - The tutorial settlement is now guarded by two Wild Satyrs. \[/\*\] - Lumber Camps, Quarries, and Iron Mines now cost gold upkeep. \[/\*\] - Research costs more iron and unlocks across the first four survived Tides. \[/\*\] - Building construction and unit training take longer. \[/\*\] ## **World and Visuals** The environment has received a broad visual pass. ### **Terrain** - Mountains now rise into ridged rocky peaks instead of flat mesas. \[/\*\] - Cliff faces no longer render as dark black stripes. \[/\*\] - Lakes now have reflections, foam along their banks, and muddy shorelines. \[/\*\] - Grass has been adjusted to a cooler, greener tone. \[/\*\] - Forest edges, cliff bases, and lake shores now include more environmental detail: \[/\*\] - Stumps \[/\*\] - Fallen logs \[/\*\] - Saplings \[/\*\] - Rocks \[/\*\] - \[/\*\] ### **Gates** The Gate has been rebuilt from the same stone as the walls, so it no longer looks out of place in your defenses. ### **Construction** Builds are now built visually gradually with their scaffolding ### **Buildings Production** Builds show animation and effects while producing ### **Lighting and Camera** - Camera rotation is now limited to 50 degrees in either direction to keep terrain and structures readable. \[/\*\] - A new soft fill light prevents rock faces and walls from becoming completely dark when the camera is rotated. \[/\*\] ### **Mage Attacks** The Mage's basic attack has a new look. It now hurls a fireball with a casting flash and a burst of flame on impact, replacing the old magic bolt, which could sometimes fail to appear. - The fireball grows larger and fiercer as your hero gets stronger, whether through levels, attack power, or damage rewards. \[/\*\] - While the **Whirlwind** decree has your hero striking extra targets, the fireball becomes a bolt of lightning. \[/\*\] - **Chilling Grasp** gives the player an ice beam and bolt with an AoE. \[/\*\] ### **UI Art** - New UI font for improved readability. \[/\*\] - Refreshed unit icons. \[/\*\] - Refreshed upgrade icons. \[/\*\] - Refreshed command icons. \[/\*\] - Refreshed title and loading screen artwork. \[/\*\] ## **UI and UX** ### **New In-Game Menu** The **Escape** menu has been completely rebuilt as a full-screen in-game menu. Opening it pauses the game and shows a live summary of the current run, including: - Current Tide \[/\*\] - Time survived \[/\*\] - Citadel health \[/\*\] - Monsters slain \[/\*\] - Additional run statistics \[/\*\] Save/Load and Settings now open directly inside the in-game menu, giving you one place to manage the current run, change settings, save or load, and leave the game. ### **New End-of-Run Screen** Victory and defeat now use a new full-screen results interface. The **Overview** tab shows: - Rank \[/\*\] - Main run statistics \[/\*\] - Founding Oath \[/\*\] - Rally Decrees \[/\*\] The **Details** tab shows: - Score breakdown \[/\*\] - Resource statistics \[/\*\] - Heroes \[/\*\] - Run powers \[/\*\] The results screen also includes a Load Game button. ### **General UI Improvements** - Training and research queues no longer have a size limit. \[/\*\] - Once the visible slots fill, the last slot shows how many more orders are waiting. \[/\*\] - Hovering a queued item reveals an **X** that cancels it with a full refund. \[/\*\] - Leaving a run now asks for confirmation and offers **Save and Exit**. \[/\*\] - Deleting a save now requires confirmation. \[/\*\] - Save/Load and Settings now use the same dark visual style as the main menus. \[/\*\] - Modal windows now fade in. \[/\*\] - Buttons now have press animations. \[/\*\] - Every clickable UI element now provides hover feedback. \[/\*\] - Barracks, Blacksmith, Siege Workshop, and Market panels now display the building's name and health. \[/\*\] - Buildings under construction now show their progress and completion percentage in the info panel. \[/\*\] - A new Video setting controls which floating health bars are shown: none, your own forces, your forces plus large monsters, or everyone. \[/\*\] - Cleaner army bar. \[/\*\] - Cleaner unit selection icons. \[/\*\] - Drag-placing walls is clearer and easier to control. \[/\*\] - Building names now use title case instead of all caps. \[/\*\] - Large resource stockpiles now display compact values such as 123.5k or 2.35M instead of wrapping onto multiple lines. \[/\*\] - Unit stat labels no longer split across two lines. \[/\*\] - Unit attributes are now grouped separately. \[/\*\] - Long Oath names shrink to fit instead of being cut off. \[/\*\] - Count badges above 99 remain on a single line. \[/\*\] - The level-up panel is no longer transparent. \[/\*\] - The loading bar fill is easier to read. \[/\*\] - The Desecrated Cemetery's protection ring is now visible only while the site is selected. \[/\*\] - The New Game window no longer overlaps text with its buttons. \[/\*\] - Add fps settings \[/\*\] ### **Tutorial Improvements** Objective markers in the tutorial are now much easier to identify. The old floating yellow disc has been replaced by: - A glowing gold ring on the ground \[/\*\] - A bobbing arrow above the objective \[/\*\] The wall-building objective now asks the player to construct a 9-segment wall. Each required cell is marked individually, allowing the entire wall to be placed with one drag. The tutorial also teaches the full Place of Power raid loop: inspect a guarded site, march out to meet its raiding party, defeat it, and clear the site to stop further raids. Objectives outside the camera view now point from the edge of the screen and pulse on the minimap. ## **Bug Fixes** - Fixed Monster Tides that could still become stuck indefinitely. \[/\*\] - Monsters are no longer routed onto mountain edges where they could get stuck. \[/\*\] - Monsters stranded far from the city are now recovered even if they currently have something they can attack. \[/\*\] - When a Tide is down to its last few stragglers, any that stop making progress are brought to the edge of your defenses so you can fight them. \[/\*\] - A monster that repeatedly becomes stuck is eventually removed so the Tide can always finish. \[/\*\] - Fixed explicit attack orders sometimes failing when other units blocked the route. \[/\*\] - Fixed Place of Power guardians sometimes appearing on the far side of the site instead of facing your approaching hero. \[/\*\] - Fixed Crystal Elemental attacks having no visible projectile. \[/\*\] - Fixed save files breaking when their names contained invalid special characters. \[/\*\] - Fixed Settings audio sliders not displaying saved values. \[/\*\] - Fixed Fisherman Hut water cells being highlighted gold during placement. \[/\*\] - Fixed Fisherman Huts appearing rotated incorrectly relative to the grid. \[/\*\] - Fixed "None" appearing in end-of-run resource statistics. \[/\*\] - Fixed the Whittled Arrows description incorrectly stating +1 attack range instead of the actual +0.5. \[/\*\] Thank you to everyone who has played the Steam Playtest and followed the development of The Citadel Must Hold. 0.3.0 changes a lot about how exploration, expansion, and defense interact, and we're excited to see how players approach the new threats beyond the walls. [Read the original announcement on Steam →](https://steamstore-a.akamaihd.net/news/externalpost/steam%5Fcommunity%5Fannouncements/1844751498234203?ref=simstructures.com) --- *Imported from [The Citadel Must Hold on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/4891190/?ref=simstructures.com). Steam genres: Strategy.*