DISCUSSIONS on “Rules for online games in HoMM3 and formulas for calculating player rating.”

Dear Wicc, could you please provide more detailed instructions: how, what, and why? We don't modify executable files every day, so I'd rather not do it blindly.

In short, if it's not too much trouble, please write everything from "A" to "Z". That is, where can I download a program to open the executable file, etc.

Any hex editor will do. For example, Hiew (you can download it from many places online). Or the built-in editor of DOS Navigator. Unfortunately, the built-in editor of Far Manager is not suitable; it only allows you to view the file in hex mode, but not edit it. If there was a correct version of SoD, I might have fixed the executable file myself and uploaded it, but there isn't one.

And most importantly: will the game malfunction later if my unskilled hands delete something incorrectly? Or is it better for simpletons like me not to mess with it, so as not to cause any trouble?

You can check the changes using the following command:
fc /b OriginalFileName ModifiedFileName > ProtocolFileName
Actually, I have already posted the contents of the change protocol above; it should be one-to-one. And if it malfunctions, you can always revert back.

There are also cracking programs; you input a text file containing the change protocol, and they make these changes in the target file themselves. But, unfortunately, I don't remember their names.

Do I just need to delete these lines, or is there something else?

Yes, you just need to delete them from the file. And reduce the number in the first line of the file by the number of lines deleted.

Added 15 minutes later
Yes, text files with Heroes settings can be transmitted incorrectly via email or edited incorrectly by various editors.

This is because different programs perceive them as a text file, not as a set of bytes. And since there are different views on the format of a text file, some programs believe that a line break should be made using #13#10, while others believe it should be made using #10, hence the discrepancies. And an incorrectly written file leads to the generator crashing.

Therefore, if a settings file does not work on another computer, try transmitting it in an archived form.