“Almaric”

Cain, thank you for your feedback! I'm not offended; I'm straightforward myself and appreciate that in others. In general, I can honestly say that I didn't particularly enjoy the gameplay on this map either. Yes, from the very beginning, you need to be on your toes, prevent Isau from dying, and then a significant amount of time is spent capturing and holding neighboring citadels, while enemies constantly attack here and there. And only when Cairn achieves a noticeable advantage in strength can you venture further, deal with the winged beasts, and rescue his beloved. Yes, the reason is precisely the need to adhere to a predetermined plot. But the main function of the map is illustrative. In general, for all the maps I've designed, there are a few that are "based on" something, while the rest have my own (relatively simple) plots. When I finish something else, I will definitely post it here. If you compare the degree of player freedom in my scenarios, then, perhaps, there are fewer "pure" strategy maps than those with greater or lesser restrictions caused by the specifics of the plot and the game world. Yes, even I find it strange, because I myself love "purely" strategic maps the most (see my notes)! The reason for this is that, although many of the initial ideas are quite simple, it can be a bit boring for some people: it's different if the map has some kind of "unique feature," something that sets it apart from others. While the player is learning and gaining experience, it is better for them to practice strategy. And then, there may be a desire to try their hand at something original: a quest/RPG. By the way, if you want to know, there are really difficult maps to complete, where everything is very strictly predetermined, made specifically for experienced fan players, and where the authors test us on our knowledge of the nuances of the game and our psychological resilience. There, you often have to fight "on the edge" from the very first day, and you don't have either a castle or an army... One such map, I think, was posted somewhere here, and another was made by Efrit from the WoG forum (it's called "Puzzle"): see the topic http://wforum.heroes35.net/showthread.php?tid=2564 And here, for example, I am creating a large humorous quest based on the popular fairy tale "Return to the Kingdom" (which, I hope, will appeal to girls). There, player independence is inevitably limited from the very beginning, but there is still room for choice and maneuvering, and as you progress, the degree of freedom increases. Personally, for me as a map designer, this is the most interesting project, but it is progressing, unfortunately, quite slowly. Working alone, and if you strive to do something high-quality, it doesn't happen quickly. There is one important point here: I am thinking about finding a co-author, but for this, the views on maps must coincide, as well as mutual understanding and trust.