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

Let me bring some clarity to what, exactly, we are doing here.

What I am trying to discuss here now is the third edition of the Online Game Rules.

What are these rules? These are the BASIC rules for all games held in our tournaments section.

Why are they needed? They are needed so that tournament organizers don't have to suffer every time and rewrite the rules from scratch in the tournament regulations, but can simply provide a link to these very basic rules and specify ONLY THE DIFFERENCES from them that will apply in their favorite tournament.
We have up to a dozen tournaments running continuously; naturally, it is desirable that the rules in all of them are as correlated as possible.
The main tournament for everyone-everyone-everyone is the seasonal one, which runs constantly. The vast majority of players start with it, so it should be clear that our players are familiar with the seasonal rules to one degree or another. When you start playing in tournaments, it's more convenient to play by the same rules you've grown accustomed to.
Therefore, it has traditionally become the norm that the basic rules are tested in the seasonal tournament.

Now for the specifics.

Restarts. An eternal topic. A new generation of players arrives and it all starts over from zero.
The existing restart system must be viewed as a whole. It is impossible to pluck one single element out; any change will entail others.
Restarts were discussed for several years, and several votes were held. We arrived at a fairly well-thought-out and balanced restart system.
We will not discuss-vote-ban-unban-add-subtract EVERY SEASON.
Each organizer independently decides how the system will work in their tournament and what needs to be added/removed. In particular, in the seasonal tournament, we have a total of 2 days of subjective restarts; I specifically held a vote on this issue.
Therefore, I kindly ask you not to waste your ammunition; at the moment, I will not be changing the restart system in the basic rules. Organizers are not fools; they will decide for themselves what to take.

Redrush. In the basic rules, it is forbidden everywhere. Why?
Most of our tournaments are held with a draw of templates. You choose a template immediately before the game. And you must start playing right away. Therefore, it is highly desirable that the rules be as universal as possible for all templates. On HW, redrush was traditionally forbidden, so the BASIC tournament rules specify a ban for all templates. Over the last few years, there have been a couple of suggestions to abolish this rule, but they found no positive response in the hearts of our players.
In the tournaments I run, templates are usually drawn and redrush is forbidden; I don't want to confuse the players, especially since many beginners play there. However, for example, in Vika's tournament on the Diamond template, it is clearly stated—general HW rules apply with differences: redrush is allowed, time limit, shifted guards, etc.
For the most part, it makes almost no difference whether redrush is allowed or forbidden, and this applies to any (not just hl) templates. The ban or lack of a ban on redrush leaves a mark on the game strategy. Consequently, before the game, you need to consider the risks of a ban/allowance and how to behave so that you aren't rushed, or to successfully attack yourself. In either case, if you think it through properly, you can act in a way that extracts the maximum benefit for yourself.

Crossing through passages. This question was discussed very, very, very thoroughly 2.5 years ago. The current version has worked without problems. It seems someone recently started a wrong interpretation somewhere.

At the very least, I'm not the only one who thought that this refers to a passage on the template scheme, whatever its structure may be.

What is meant by a template scheme? A little picture with circles and lines? The author usually draws these pictures without worrying about the number of passages in the template's text file. And the generator doesn't care at all what is drawn on the scheme.
Our Rules are rules for online games.
We play on generated maps, not on theoretical schemes.
For example, on the schemes of cm's or Jebus in the Useful Info section, all zones are connected by lines symbolizing a single passage. However, the rules mention passages—in the plural—and in games, passages—in the plural—are often generated. It should be clear that if we are talking about the plural, we mean not an abstract scheme-picture, but your specific deal.

It's unclear why I cannot run into a zone whose passage I have broken, even if it's in a different place.

I suggest thinking about this question yourself. There are quite a few reasons; 4 came to mind immediately. Like homework, basically))))

In any case, regarding any issue, at the slightest doubt, contact the judges—preferably not on the forum, but via ICQ/PM, because it often happens that judges don't notice a question on the forum immediately, and other players start answering right away, and not always competently. You might correct it later, but the player has already received the wrong answer and settled on it... And misinformation starts to spread...