But at the same time, there's also something for those who like to play with fixed maps. It's a matter of taste.

I agree, but there are still more players who play with random maps than with fixed maps.

Personally, I find the random map in its current form much more boring than a good fixed map, while other players feel the opposite.

Playing with fixed maps can be compared to chess, while playing with random maps is like poker or even bridge. But unlike chess, where the board is always the same 8x8, fixed maps need to be studied carefully, and due to lack of time, this can be problematic.

That's true. But sometimes it takes more than an hour of real time for restarts, which is not good. And even two restarts may not help - you use them, but on the new generation, you end up with a blocked entrance to the Castle with troops of level 5-6. Of course, if you knew that would happen, you would have played the previous position, but it seemed bad, so you wasted the restart.

I agree, this is the main drawback, but it takes much more time to study a fixed map. I agree that it won't be difficult for an experienced player, but you still need to play the map for the first week because a player who is equal to you in skill (not to mention someone who is stronger) and knows the map like the back of their hand will easily beat you just by knowing the map.

Believe me - it's the same with random maps. If one player is playing on a given template for the first time, and the other has "mastered" it, the advantage will be almost even greater.

As far as I understand from reading reviews and reports from random map players, there aren't that many generally accepted templates. And knowing these templates, it's not difficult to navigate the area. I just don't understand how these templates can be identified in advance so that only they are generated. Where are they defined and how can they be changed?

At least with a fixed map, you can look at it in the editor for 5 minutes before the game (and that's enough for simple maps).

You still need to play it a couple of times, otherwise you won't be able to calculate a couple of squares, you'll lose your pace, and accordingly, this can cost you the game.

Imagine they give you 8 chess positions and tell you "choose whether to play as white or black." You name the color, and then they pick a position for you that is... losing. I still don't understand why you have to choose races in advance, why not do it after the map is announced by the host?

I absolutely agree with this and believe that this is the only major drawback of the rules of this tournament. On some maps, "strong Castles" immediately become "weak," and no matter how well you play, it's almost impossible to win, even if you know the map perfectly.