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Re: Walkthrough of custom maps (challenge on Chinese maps)
Map: Invincible Hero
Chi. 英雄无敌
Author: chen5262
walkthrough review, rating 8/10
After completing this map, I had to use a deductive method to find its name, as it was downloaded from a Chinese site and reading the title was impossible. The only thing I could read in the map description was the author's name "chen5262". I downloaded a couple of his maps from the Internet and found the right one.
Previously, I already reviewed another map by this author, "Picturesque Land" 《江山如画》, which, as a reminder, caused quite a bit of trouble—true hardcore; you can find the review in this thread on page 126. The map under review is similar in some ways, but easier.
General impressions of the map and what it contains:
- absence of the "power-up" phase during the 1st week typical for Chinese maps, provided you know the "Heroes" mechanics,
- lack of corridor-like design, freedom to choose where to go and what to do,
- fast start and AI opponents arriving at your respawn from all sides with stronger armies,
- events unfold quickly and dynamically, many skirmishes,
- no secrets, hidden artifacts, passages, or events,
- it is a combat-oriented map; there are almost no "bring this, take that" quests, only a couple of seers on the map,
- emphasis is placed on logistics management, knowledge of AI behavior (where they will go and what they will take), maneuvering between AI opponents while solving your own tasks in parallel,
- legions of troops are held by up to 10 enemy heroes; your forces and the AI's forces are more or less reasonable,
- designed for a completion time of no longer than 6 months, everything is fast.
No text, no bugs, the map is 100% beatable.
I liked the map because of its dynamics; I played without stopping. For me, this is more fun than fully staged "step-by-step" corridor maps.
1. Beginning (111 – 147)
We start as Dessa in the middle of the map on swampy lands.
Task: with the smallest possible forces, acquire gold as quickly as possible (you can break through the dwarves on day 1 and get a couple thousand gold), hire a few heroes, and then clear the territory with them.
We have only 1 starting Castle, and we can capture a second one shortly.
At first, everything is easy to capture, but the calm is deceptive: by 1-3-1, AI opponents are preparing to enter your territory from 5 sides surrounding your location:
- in the northwest, same as "flax" (2 Castles)
- in the north, Inferno (2 Castles),
- in the west, Stronghold (3 Castles),
- in the southeast, Rampart (2 Castles),
- in the southwest, human Castles (4 of them).
By this time on 131, I have built gnolls, lizards, and flies in one Castle, and the same plus suitcases and wyverns in the second.
I conclude that with such forces it is impossible to oppose the AI (as they are already coming with level 7 creatures).
Assessing the situation, I decide to attack an AI opponent myself and leave my location. I choose "flax" as the target of my attack (because of the speed and growth of birds, since if this AI is not captured later, an expert in air magic with phoenixes will destroy our army in one turn); on 1-2-5 I break through a cordon of black knights and capture two flax cities by 1-3-1, while purple and blue are already roaming the starting respawn, with blue deciding not to reclaim flax but heading for our respawn instead.
The growth from flax over 2 weeks is enough to slip south, capture 3 human Castles, and get archangels. If this is achieved, it can be said that the beginning was successful.
Blindness and Restoration are unavailable and can only be obtained much later, so it is important to get Clone in the 4th Castle; then you can clumsily conduct battles with archangels without losses.
Only Dessa can literally run between enemies and escape them; "losers" (fodder heroes) can be killed at any moment—they often put themselves forward as sacrifices. Therefore, artifacts are kept only on the main hero — Dessa.
2. Middle Stage (211 – 347)
The middle stage consists of a journey through all surrounding locations to visit all skill-up points, learn necessary magic, and develop Dessa to level 30 (requires a passage guardian). The final point will be Dessa's path to the northwesternmost Castle and freeing Kirri from prison with knowledge of Town Portal and the ability to relearn magic for all our heroes.
Regarding important magic: in the northeasternmost Tower, you can and should learn Blindness and Water Walking. And in the far southwest — Restoration (the only same-level castle in the overworld where this is possible).
But it's easier said than done. The chaos begins:
− the AI throws other heroes with armies at us from one-way teleports,
− green arrives from the west on 221 with an undead army and knowledge of FLY, so he flies across the map as he pleases,
− shortly after, yellow visits from the west with knowledge of FLY and an army,
− grey knows TOWN PORTAL (has a book of earth magic) and already has more than a legion of black dragons and legions of Dungeon forces (by 221 we have bought up to 13 archangels and 27 phoenixes).
We don't have handcuffs yet; in case of loss, the AI plays tricks by exploding our archers and fanatics. Battles can only be conducted normally by pinning the AI in a Castle or if the AI can be killed in the first round, or in the second with a wait.
At this point, I thought the game would end soon and I'd be wiped out :) but no :)
We simply run away from stronger AI heroes, kill weaker ones, and get artifacts (including assembling the Legion Statue). In two Sanctuaries, we place "losers" with some army to reclaim captured Castles. Overall, the main thing is to reclaim Castles and take the growth of archangels, archers, fanatics, and phoenixes (as an option).
We level up a couple of our fodder heroes so they can also teleport and help; we maximize Tazar's development and make him the main hero.
This stage ends with the liberation of Kirri. With Town Portal, everything becomes significantly easier and more dynamic for us.
3. Final Stage (411-537)
Gradually pressure the enemies:
− in the Dungeon, capture all possible Castles, and hold those conquered; if given the chance, crush weaker AI opponents,
− try to catch strong AI heroes in a Castle and pin them,
− buy up growth for our own army,
− collect Sniper's Bow, AoTD, and other important artifacts.
Logistically, we have 2 paths:
1) break through 200 azure dragons at sea (this can be done with Tazar by hiding archangels in a corner), and sail into the Dungeon, from where you can sequentially capture the AI's home locations and finish off their mains: yellow (Orrin – human Castles), purple (Kilgor – Strongholds), tea-colored (Xiron – Inferno), violet (Astral – Tower).
2) in the southwest, break through 400 archangels on cursed land, descend into the Dungeon, and start reclaiming Dungeons and Necropolises.
Battles are now mainly conducted by Tazar. Kirri and Dessa, while speeding up, open passage guardians and capture Castles with unbought growth.
Towards the end of the game, we suddenly learn Fly in one of the Necropolises, but this no longer disrupts the game since we have already cleared more than 85% of the map. So Fly is no longer a "cheat" moment, but simply speeds up the game.
4. Final Battles.
In the end, Tazar kills 3 bosses, which isn't very difficult with our archangels and Tazar:
- Moner in flax,
- Sandro in the Necropolis,
- Mutera Drake with dragons (a somewhat difficult final battle, but here the main thing is to kill 3000 Wizards and hide archangels in the corner of the Castle so that we are attacked by a maximum of one stack of dragons; I don't see any other way to pass).
Hero development, artifacts, magic, features
- several artifacts are missing from the map: Medal of Vulnerability, Sphere of Prohibition, Berserk magic,
- the number of heroes in the tavern is limited; one cannot re-hire enemy heroes,
Tazar is our main hero, skills: Wisdom, Earth, Water, Fire, Logistics, Pathfinding, Armor and Intelligence.
Dessa: Wisdom, Earth, Water, Fire, Logistics, Pathfinding, Tactics and Intelligence. Main for the first half of the map.
In general, Intelligence is highly desirable for everyone, as the initial and middle stages take place with stats 20-30, and there won't be enough mana for Clone/Resurrect and a reasonably normal battle.
Tazar basically managed without Tactics. Fire is desirable, even though Berserk is missing. But you can blind enemies and hit them with archangels without retaliation, which allows winning some battles in principle.
Fodder heroes also need to be developed: Logistics+Pathfinding, Earth+Wisdom+Intelligence. The rest as desired.
Attack and Defense can be leveled equally; emphasize Knowledge rather than Spell Power.
I attach the map for all who wish.
Map: Invincible Hero
Chi. 英雄无敌
Author: chen5262
walkthrough review, rating 8/10
After completing this map, I had to use a deductive method to find its name, as it was downloaded from a Chinese site and reading the title was impossible. The only thing I could read in the map description was the author's name "chen5262". I downloaded a couple of his maps from the Internet and found the right one.
Previously, I already reviewed another map by this author, "Picturesque Land" 《江山如画》, which, as a reminder, caused quite a bit of trouble—true hardcore; you can find the review in this thread on page 126. The map under review is similar in some ways, but easier.
General impressions of the map and what it contains:
- absence of the "power-up" phase during the 1st week typical for Chinese maps, provided you know the "Heroes" mechanics,
- lack of corridor-like design, freedom to choose where to go and what to do,
- fast start and AI opponents arriving at your respawn from all sides with stronger armies,
- events unfold quickly and dynamically, many skirmishes,
- no secrets, hidden artifacts, passages, or events,
- it is a combat-oriented map; there are almost no "bring this, take that" quests, only a couple of seers on the map,
- emphasis is placed on logistics management, knowledge of AI behavior (where they will go and what they will take), maneuvering between AI opponents while solving your own tasks in parallel,
- legions of troops are held by up to 10 enemy heroes; your forces and the AI's forces are more or less reasonable,
- designed for a completion time of no longer than 6 months, everything is fast.
No text, no bugs, the map is 100% beatable.
I liked the map because of its dynamics; I played without stopping. For me, this is more fun than fully staged "step-by-step" corridor maps.
1. Beginning (111 – 147)
We start as Dessa in the middle of the map on swampy lands.
Task: with the smallest possible forces, acquire gold as quickly as possible (you can break through the dwarves on day 1 and get a couple thousand gold), hire a few heroes, and then clear the territory with them.
We have only 1 starting Castle, and we can capture a second one shortly.
At first, everything is easy to capture, but the calm is deceptive: by 1-3-1, AI opponents are preparing to enter your territory from 5 sides surrounding your location:
- in the northwest, same as "flax" (2 Castles)
- in the north, Inferno (2 Castles),
- in the west, Stronghold (3 Castles),
- in the southeast, Rampart (2 Castles),
- in the southwest, human Castles (4 of them).
By this time on 131, I have built gnolls, lizards, and flies in one Castle, and the same plus suitcases and wyverns in the second.
I conclude that with such forces it is impossible to oppose the AI (as they are already coming with level 7 creatures).
Assessing the situation, I decide to attack an AI opponent myself and leave my location. I choose "flax" as the target of my attack (because of the speed and growth of birds, since if this AI is not captured later, an expert in air magic with phoenixes will destroy our army in one turn); on 1-2-5 I break through a cordon of black knights and capture two flax cities by 1-3-1, while purple and blue are already roaming the starting respawn, with blue deciding not to reclaim flax but heading for our respawn instead.
The growth from flax over 2 weeks is enough to slip south, capture 3 human Castles, and get archangels. If this is achieved, it can be said that the beginning was successful.
Blindness and Restoration are unavailable and can only be obtained much later, so it is important to get Clone in the 4th Castle; then you can clumsily conduct battles with archangels without losses.
Only Dessa can literally run between enemies and escape them; "losers" (fodder heroes) can be killed at any moment—they often put themselves forward as sacrifices. Therefore, artifacts are kept only on the main hero — Dessa.
2. Middle Stage (211 – 347)
The middle stage consists of a journey through all surrounding locations to visit all skill-up points, learn necessary magic, and develop Dessa to level 30 (requires a passage guardian). The final point will be Dessa's path to the northwesternmost Castle and freeing Kirri from prison with knowledge of Town Portal and the ability to relearn magic for all our heroes.
Regarding important magic: in the northeasternmost Tower, you can and should learn Blindness and Water Walking. And in the far southwest — Restoration (the only same-level castle in the overworld where this is possible).
But it's easier said than done. The chaos begins:
− the AI throws other heroes with armies at us from one-way teleports,
− green arrives from the west on 221 with an undead army and knowledge of FLY, so he flies across the map as he pleases,
− shortly after, yellow visits from the west with knowledge of FLY and an army,
− grey knows TOWN PORTAL (has a book of earth magic) and already has more than a legion of black dragons and legions of Dungeon forces (by 221 we have bought up to 13 archangels and 27 phoenixes).
We don't have handcuffs yet; in case of loss, the AI plays tricks by exploding our archers and fanatics. Battles can only be conducted normally by pinning the AI in a Castle or if the AI can be killed in the first round, or in the second with a wait.
At this point, I thought the game would end soon and I'd be wiped out :) but no :)
We simply run away from stronger AI heroes, kill weaker ones, and get artifacts (including assembling the Legion Statue). In two Sanctuaries, we place "losers" with some army to reclaim captured Castles. Overall, the main thing is to reclaim Castles and take the growth of archangels, archers, fanatics, and phoenixes (as an option).
We level up a couple of our fodder heroes so they can also teleport and help; we maximize Tazar's development and make him the main hero.
This stage ends with the liberation of Kirri. With Town Portal, everything becomes significantly easier and more dynamic for us.
3. Final Stage (411-537)
Gradually pressure the enemies:
− in the Dungeon, capture all possible Castles, and hold those conquered; if given the chance, crush weaker AI opponents,
− try to catch strong AI heroes in a Castle and pin them,
− buy up growth for our own army,
− collect Sniper's Bow, AoTD, and other important artifacts.
Logistically, we have 2 paths:
1) break through 200 azure dragons at sea (this can be done with Tazar by hiding archangels in a corner), and sail into the Dungeon, from where you can sequentially capture the AI's home locations and finish off their mains: yellow (Orrin – human Castles), purple (Kilgor – Strongholds), tea-colored (Xiron – Inferno), violet (Astral – Tower).
2) in the southwest, break through 400 archangels on cursed land, descend into the Dungeon, and start reclaiming Dungeons and Necropolises.
Battles are now mainly conducted by Tazar. Kirri and Dessa, while speeding up, open passage guardians and capture Castles with unbought growth.
Towards the end of the game, we suddenly learn Fly in one of the Necropolises, but this no longer disrupts the game since we have already cleared more than 85% of the map. So Fly is no longer a "cheat" moment, but simply speeds up the game.
4. Final Battles.
In the end, Tazar kills 3 bosses, which isn't very difficult with our archangels and Tazar:
- Moner in flax,
- Sandro in the Necropolis,
- Mutera Drake with dragons (a somewhat difficult final battle, but here the main thing is to kill 3000 Wizards and hide archangels in the corner of the Castle so that we are attacked by a maximum of one stack of dragons; I don't see any other way to pass).
Hero development, artifacts, magic, features
- several artifacts are missing from the map: Medal of Vulnerability, Sphere of Prohibition, Berserk magic,
- the number of heroes in the tavern is limited; one cannot re-hire enemy heroes,
Tazar is our main hero, skills: Wisdom, Earth, Water, Fire, Logistics, Pathfinding, Armor and Intelligence.
Dessa: Wisdom, Earth, Water, Fire, Logistics, Pathfinding, Tactics and Intelligence. Main for the first half of the map.
In general, Intelligence is highly desirable for everyone, as the initial and middle stages take place with stats 20-30, and there won't be enough mana for Clone/Resurrect and a reasonably normal battle.
Tazar basically managed without Tactics. Fire is desirable, even though Berserk is missing. But you can blind enemies and hit them with archangels without retaliation, which allows winning some battles in principle.
Fodder heroes also need to be developed: Logistics+Pathfinding, Earth+Wisdom+Intelligence. The rest as desired.
Attack and Defense can be leveled equally; emphasize Knowledge rather than Spell Power.
I attach the map for all who wish.