Pointing to how small Strongholds really were isn't criticism BTW - if anything, later successors (NWN2, PoE1, Kingmaker) did a mistake by making a Strongold/Keep a more substantial presence - game systems tied to those are never fun, and having to go back to one place over and over again just doesn't fit a game about adventuring forward.
I've never played NWN2 but I've played both other games and really loved their stronghold mechanics. I think it's a personal thing, but for me having a stronghold is a great way to really anchor a PC in a setting. It makes them feel like they HAVE something, like they're immediately more planted in the setting. It doesn't suit every game for sure, but for me personally I think it's generally a positive and two out of three of those games were more engaging for theirexistence. Kingmaker in particular wouldn't make sense as a game without a stronghold, the stronghold is the point of the game. Though I will say I agree that the mechanics attatched to it could have been better and less reliant on randomness.
