Firefly Studios, the team behind Stronghold 3, has learned some important lessons in all its years of simulated castle building. For one, constructing spiral staircases counter-clockwise makes them easier to defend against right-handed swordsmen. But more practically, Firefly has learned that taking your time is key.

The studio's putting that second lesson to good use today, announcing that Stronghold 3 has been moved from an "early 2011" to a "late summer 2011" release window. Apparently, the delay will allow Firefly to implement "a host of great new features" so, needless to say, we're bracing ourselves for the best looking moat physics in the biz.