What were your expectations for Heroes 4?

What do you mean? The mechanics are already directly in the game, something like a "one-tile" space in a location that only a flying unit can reach, and considering that a fairy only occupies one slot... :) Am I right, or did you have something else in mind?

There's nothing else you can come up with here except a "hiding spot" like you said, in one tile ;) It's not forbidden in the rules everywhere :)

And isn't the counterattack (if we take your example) received from 50? I think that's exactly how it works, the 50 attacks and only then does it take its turn, i.e., it attacks twice.

My example and yours show how it works in all versions except the fourth, in my opinion :)
So, to exaggerate and simplify, these are equally matched troops in terms of attack and defense (roughly equal in strength) and no magic or other troops:
1. Troop A(100) attacks troop B(100). It kills 50.
2. Troop B(50) counterattacks A(100). It kills 25. A has 75 left.
3. Troop B(50) attacks A(75). It kills another 25. A has 50 left.
4. Troop A(50) counterattacks B(50). It kills 25.
The result of this realistic exchange of blows between EQUALLY strong troops is: troop A(50) troop B(25) - twice as many losses. Well, it's clear who got the beating :) Whoever went last :)
If you continue further, the next turn, troop A(50) finishes off troop B(25) WITHOUT A COUNTERATTACK, and 50 units remain in troop A!!! This is in a battle of 100 vs. 100 equally strong troops!!! What a load of nonsense :)

And the fact that people try to avoid the counterattack has always been the case, regardless of which Heroes game it is ;)

Don't put the fourth game in the same category, okay? :) Here's the same example:
1. A(100) attacks B(100). The program calculates the counterattack immediately, as if 100 will attack, NOT the remainder after the attack!! And in the exaggerated example where we don't take into account the small variation in attack strength, we get after the counterattack: Troop A(50) Troop B(50)!!!
2. Ideally, it would be a draw - they would kill each other, and THIS HAPPENS!
3. But in reality, since there is a variation in attack strength, after the battle, the winner may have, say, from 1 to 5-10 units left.
Which is more consistent with common sense and reality. What can sensible supporters of other versions object to against supporters of the fourth game???