My jaw just dropped when i saw those screens from S2 on UGO. The original stronghold was nice, but it didn't allow players to simultaniously attack and defend (either it was an economical situation, a siege where they attack a castle, or a siege where they defend their castle). Stronchold Crusader offered somehting more: real-time battles, where you could work on your economy, build/defend your castle, and lauch massive attacks on your opponents (I myself have been known to rush Saladin with 500 horse archers).
I also liked the units better in crusader (more variety) though there were no clearly-drawn sides, so 1 player couldn't have better units for picking a certain faction. The only thing I liked more about Stronhold was the setting. I'll never get used to seeing a castle made out of sandstone (the limestone castles in Stronghold just looked so much better).
If Firefly can pull this off (and given their track-record.... I'm choosing to ignore Space Colony by the way), they may just pull it off.
50000 episodes of badmouthing and screaming like a constipated goat cant be wrong. - Mr. Stafford
