Walkthroughs for custom maps.

I wanted to ask hardcore map enthusiasts, and not only them, but everyone – what do you think about "increasing" the difficulty of battles through RNG? For example, there's a battle that can be won using a specific tactic, let's say, hiding archdevils behind a cart or a tent, blinding the unit that approaches them, and tricking the AI into spending all its mana, followed by gradually destroying the enemy army through attrition. If all the enemy units are vulnerable to blindness, then the player just needs to figure out this tactic, and they will win the battle. There are "normal" ways to make this battle more difficult, for example, making some of the enemy units immune to blindness, so the player has to figure out how to position the units and kite them so that the archdevils are attacked by the stack that is vulnerable to blindness. You can also make the stats and number of units in the enemy army such that all enemy stacks, except one, one-shot the devils, so you also have to figure out how to fight the battle effectively; the essence here is roughly the same. And then there are "sadistic" ways to make the battle more difficult, and I'm talking about adding a pinch of the infamous RNG to this battle. For example, giving the enemy hero a secondary skill called "Resistance," so that if a unit has a resistance to blindness, the player will have to replay the battle every time, and it will be a frustrating experience. You could even make the enemy Thorgrim with a huge level, so the battle would be theoretically winnable, but practically, no one would have the nerves for it. On the other hand, it would be incredibly satisfying for the player to win such a battle after spending so much time and effort on it. Another option is to add units to the enemy army that directly depend on RNG, such as pixies and enchanters. Replaying the battle if the pixies get a chain, replaying the battle if the enchanters get a heal – all of this is present in many maps to a sufficient extent. A third option is to make the battle depend on certain units having certain abilities proc, such as the venom of a wyvern or the paralysis of a scorpid. In short, my question is: where is the line for you between adding an element of RNG to a battle being an "interesting challenge" and it being outright sadism on the part of the map creator? For myself, I have formulated the following position on this issue: if, knowing the ideal tactic for winning the battle, and taking into account all RNG factors, the player wins the battle in more than 50% of cases, then everything is fine; otherwise, this battle is unacceptable sadism. Finally, I want to give two examples. The first is the fight in Rampart 1-1-1 on Metatux. When BioBob first released the map, this battle seemed incredibly difficult to everyone, but it is only difficult until you know the tactic for winning it. You can lose if a catapult destroys the wall in two hits, but the probability of this is acceptably low; it has never happened to me. This battle is good and interesting; it is designed so that the player will think about the tactic for winning, rather than trying to replay the battle, swearing, and waiting for the key units to have the right abilities proc. And another example: I recently finally got around to starting Season's Lord Rings, and I came across a battle where you have to defeat 28 upgraded gorgons with two angels on the first week. This is just awful. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but even if I use single units to minimize the gorgons' attacks on the angels, this battle will still be won in 5-10% of cases. After that, I want to, excuse me, unleash a torrent of three-story profanity on the map creator and never launch it again. I thought that this battle should be won not on the first week, and not with such troops, but, judging by what happens next, it is supposed to be that way. As a player, I think that such battles are absolutely unacceptable, and I believe that there is nothing wrong with opening the save editor in such a case, adding units to myself, and deleting them after the battle. On the other hand, as a map creator, I understand that the player will be much happier to win a battle if there is an element of RNG in it that will ruin several attempts. I wanted to know your opinion.