FAQ:Research, ranks and honour

## What is research?

Research is a crucial part of **Stronghold Kingdoms™**, and is vital to expanding your kingdom and raising your rank. Researching new technologies allows you to build new village buildings, create military units, improve castle defences, increase storage capacity, improve industry efficiency and gain access to the political system.

## What do I need in order to research?

You need research points. You gain research points either by raising your rank or by buying them for gold.

## How can I see all available research?

In the top right corner of the research screen, you will see a tab for switching between *branch* view and *tree* view.

Clicking on the right tab will bring up the research tree view, which shows all available research. While in tree view, you can also zoom out to see the full research tree using the mouse wheel.

## How long does it take to research a technology?

At the start of the game, it takes a relatively short amount of time to complete a research. Every time you complete a research however, the time it takes to complete the next one increases. Researching **Mathematics** shortens the research time.

## Can I research more than one technology at a time?

While you can only research one technology at a time, you may queue up to five (5) more technologies when a **premium token** is in play.

**TIP:** The cancel button underneath the current research icon will cancel the current research.

**YIP:** To remove a research from the queue, select its icon from the queue and click on the **Remove From Queue** button.

## On some of the technologies there is a number, what does it mean?

The number represents the rank you must have reached before you can research the technology.

For more information, please see Research.

## How do I raise my rank?

To raise your rank you need a specific amount of honour. (See Table of Ranks ). Once you have enough honour, open the *rank screen* to raise your rank to the next level. Raising your rank allows access to extra buildings and research, and gives you three (3) more research points per rank and sub-rank.

For more information, please see Ranks.

## How do I gain honour?

There are a number of ways to gain honour. You gain honour by having high popularity combined with a high honour multiplier, by holding banquets, by defending your castle from attacks successfully and by being first to stashes within your red honour circle. You can also get honour from attacking AI castles, wolf lairs and bandit camps if they are within the red honour circle of the village you attack them from, from both your own village(s), or from any vassal villages where you have an army stationed.

For more information, please see Honour.

## What is honour used for?

Honour is used to raise your rank. It is also used when attacking other players or defending against enemy attacks on your castle.

## What is a banquet?

When you make honour goods you can hold a banquet. Banquets allow you to generate honour.

For more information, please see Buildings:Banqueting.

## How do I hold a banquet?

Once you have researched **Banqueting** (from the **Industry** research tree) and have some honour goods, you can hold a banquet by clicking on *banqueting tab* at the top of the screen, or by clicking on the village hall, and selecting the type of banquet you wish to hold.

## What are banquet goods?

Venison, furniture, metalware, clothes, wine, salt, spices and silk.

## Why can't I build wine, salt, spices and silk?

Not all the villages in the game have the correct soil type for growing all honour goods. See the Village Table for more information on village types.

## How can I change the soil type of my village?

You can convert your village to a different type but you will lose all buildings already placed in the village. If you capture a village, you cannot convert it for three (3) days. When you buy a new village you can choose what type of village it will be.

For more information, please see Options & Settings.