SH2 Community Lord Editor
By Asophix
The Stronghold 2 Community Lord Editor (v1.21) allows the viewing and editing the behaviour of the Stronghold 2 AI opponents, via the gameRules.dat file.
You may create copies of the file and relaunch Stronghold 2 to see the latest version in game. Keep in mind that it is the "gameRules.dat" file that will be processed by the game.
The original SH2 definition contains some errors, disabling the King and the Hawk from launching sieges, as well as the Bull from recruiting guarding Spearmen. A fixed version is bundled under the name gameRules_fixed.dat.
How to use:
- unpack the SH2LordEditor_x86.zip file on your file system
- in the "publish" directory, locate and run LordEditor.exe
- refer to the PDF file in the folder "Manual" for a breakdown on how the AI in SH2 works
The utility requires no additional installations, it runs out of the box as a self-contained application.
When using the program, various hover tooltips and helper buttons help you understand the categories and the user interface elements much easier. There is also an auto-save functionality that can be used to speed up editing.
After you pick a definition, you can view a lord's traits by clicking on his avatar. The inconsistencies (cyan) and errors (red) in your definition are shown in the bottom left panel.
You can manually save by selecting a new location via the Save Definition button. The Autosave will always save to the current file and requires no prompt from you. Keep in mind that saving only works when there are no errors in your definition!
From v1.2 onwards, you can change the app's language and include additional ones in the i18n folder, basing them on the en.txt file within. The application will remember your selection and changing the language will prompt a restart to load the corresponding text.
To ensure that the app works properly, please do not move or edit images or other content from their respective folders! We take no responsibility for such malformed programs.
Distributable in accordance with the MIT license.
I see this WAY too late, good stuff.
Thanks ! But I can't find where the fixed version is (the gameRules_fixed.dat) ?
[Edited by Razgriz on 11th Sep 2026 07:13:27]
Hi @Razgriz, many thanks for the heads-up! The file is present now, the release omitted it for some reason.