AmberSoler
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Preliminary reconnaissance of the map before the game is half the battle for a successful run.
In a nutshell, for those who haven't done this but might be interested:
1. Map Editor.
Open the map in the editor and check the key elements that can significantly affect the course of the game: quests, events, dungeons with heroes, Pandoras, witch huts, and scholars.
To simplify the process, right-click on the object of interest (for example, any event) and select the "Find" option from the dropdown menu. After that, the computer will use the F3 key to sequentially highlight all similar objects on the map; your task is to examine their properties. Then take another type of object, such as a Mage Guild. Right-click it again, select "Find," and then use F3 to browse all guilds on the map, and so on. Do the same for everything you are interested in.
Also, check the following points in the map specifications:
- spells, heroes, and artifacts that are banned on the map
- victory and defeat conditions
- events set by the author. These events occur on a strictly specified day and can bring many benefits, but sometimes the opposite happens! :) (do not confuse these with map events, which are triggered only when visited).
2. Starting Save.
This is a bit more complex, but also interesting. Open the starting save and save it under a different name, for example, "Test". After that, using the map check mode with cheat codes (switch to window mode F4 and select the Cheat menu; if this menu is missing, message me privately and I will tell you how to get it), check the main points of the starting save:
- reveal the entire map (cheat code) and check for artifacts that appeared in your save
- build up a powerful army using cheat codes and take all utopias in a row to know which artifacts are where
- take all crypts and warrior graves—there may be artifacts there, even Angel Wings!
- give your hero Expert Diplomacy (cheat code), a strong army, and a couple of artifacts that increase attack. Then, in "View enemy towns" mode, scan the map and check all neutral troops (simply hover the cursor and right-click, provided the hero with diplomacy is active) to see if they can be recruited. It is important to know that increasing attack, army strength, and having the same unit in your army increases the chance of recruiting neutrals.
- give your hero Expert Wisdom and capture all Pyramids on the map; they grant a level 5 spell after victory, so check for anything interesting.
- build all buildings in all towns (cheat code), enter every town on the map in "View enemy towns" mode, and check the developed Mage Guilds—then mark the towns that must be captured as a priority...
Once you have all the intelligence on the table, you can leisurely plan your route, decide which heroes with which secondary skills you need, and use the Hero-digger (a useful tool) to hire those specific heroes, because many already have the necessary skills and spells at the start. After that—hit the road! :)
Important: after using cheat codes, be sure to restart the game and start from a clean, original save. If you need to check something during the process, load "Test" and look. Then, restart the game again and continue playing with the clean save. That way, you won't have any problems when your save is checked for cheat codes! :) Reconnaissance is permitted by the rules of offline tournaments.
Everything stated above is simply my recommendation and personal observation. It is not at all mandatory to do all this if you don't want to. After all, playing without knowing in advance what awaits you on the map is very exciting. However, the essence of an offline tournament is precisely to build a route in advance and try to execute it. After doing such work, I believe no one will doubt that even the most difficult maps can be completed very quickly! :)
Good luck to everyone in future tournaments!
In a nutshell, for those who haven't done this but might be interested:
1. Map Editor.
Open the map in the editor and check the key elements that can significantly affect the course of the game: quests, events, dungeons with heroes, Pandoras, witch huts, and scholars.
To simplify the process, right-click on the object of interest (for example, any event) and select the "Find" option from the dropdown menu. After that, the computer will use the F3 key to sequentially highlight all similar objects on the map; your task is to examine their properties. Then take another type of object, such as a Mage Guild. Right-click it again, select "Find," and then use F3 to browse all guilds on the map, and so on. Do the same for everything you are interested in.
Also, check the following points in the map specifications:
- spells, heroes, and artifacts that are banned on the map
- victory and defeat conditions
- events set by the author. These events occur on a strictly specified day and can bring many benefits, but sometimes the opposite happens! :) (do not confuse these with map events, which are triggered only when visited).
2. Starting Save.
This is a bit more complex, but also interesting. Open the starting save and save it under a different name, for example, "Test". After that, using the map check mode with cheat codes (switch to window mode F4 and select the Cheat menu; if this menu is missing, message me privately and I will tell you how to get it), check the main points of the starting save:
- reveal the entire map (cheat code) and check for artifacts that appeared in your save
- build up a powerful army using cheat codes and take all utopias in a row to know which artifacts are where
- take all crypts and warrior graves—there may be artifacts there, even Angel Wings!
- give your hero Expert Diplomacy (cheat code), a strong army, and a couple of artifacts that increase attack. Then, in "View enemy towns" mode, scan the map and check all neutral troops (simply hover the cursor and right-click, provided the hero with diplomacy is active) to see if they can be recruited. It is important to know that increasing attack, army strength, and having the same unit in your army increases the chance of recruiting neutrals.
- give your hero Expert Wisdom and capture all Pyramids on the map; they grant a level 5 spell after victory, so check for anything interesting.
- build all buildings in all towns (cheat code), enter every town on the map in "View enemy towns" mode, and check the developed Mage Guilds—then mark the towns that must be captured as a priority...
Once you have all the intelligence on the table, you can leisurely plan your route, decide which heroes with which secondary skills you need, and use the Hero-digger (a useful tool) to hire those specific heroes, because many already have the necessary skills and spells at the start. After that—hit the road! :)
Important: after using cheat codes, be sure to restart the game and start from a clean, original save. If you need to check something during the process, load "Test" and look. Then, restart the game again and continue playing with the clean save. That way, you won't have any problems when your save is checked for cheat codes! :) Reconnaissance is permitted by the rules of offline tournaments.
Everything stated above is simply my recommendation and personal observation. It is not at all mandatory to do all this if you don't want to. After all, playing without knowing in advance what awaits you on the map is very exciting. However, the essence of an offline tournament is precisely to build a route in advance and try to execute it. After doing such work, I believe no one will doubt that even the most difficult maps can be completed very quickly! :)
Good luck to everyone in future tournaments!
