Re: castle choice
I like both Apoger and St. Patrick suggestions, but Illwinter had said before that they wished to keep the forts a very simple thing. Too bad, IMHO.
Given the new economic enviroment of DomII, I must say the most important characteristic of a fortification is its cost in money (hard to come by - now a $1500 event can pretty much define a game). Of the high cost castles only the fortified City is interesting.
An adm rate 10 higher means only 5% more gold, but I still can't see a good use for any of the forts with adm 20 or 10.
That means I plan to use the castle (too cheap at 80 points, should be 100 or even 120), the wizard's tower (the $150 extra over the castle can take more than 20 turns to compensate) and the fortified city (for the cases were I'm doing a holy unit theme and I have no plans to get more).
The citadel is expensive at 100 points, given it cost. 80 would be better.
The mountain citadel is insanely expensive for a 10 adm rate. I would suggest lowering it cost to 450, while increasing the time to build to 6 (there's no need to keep the mathemathical relation between cost and time to build). Probably diminuish its cost to 20 dom points.
The dark citadel isn't that far, either. With no defense towers, I would dimuish the cost to $450 and leave it at 0 dom points.
Hill fortress should cost less, too. 60 points tops, maybe even as low as 40.
Fortress' price is okay.
The watch tower should either cost -40 dom points or be buildable for $150. Very low stats. The mausoleum is a bad pick, too. O dom points.
Mediaval castles are strategically offensive while tactically defensive. I think the second function is overestimated in Dom II, even with the lower movement speed of troops. To be under siege is to have lost the income of a province, probably the most important aspect of the land (depending on the sites). Even if the enemy can't take a castle he can lay iddle or ravage the land, so, if you are under siege you are already losing. Even with a destructive dominion such as miasma.
My $0.02.
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