I always start with a hero; it's more interesting to play that way.
I've already taken out the 3rd green Castle. The Knights promised to arrive soon (it's the 3rd week of the 2nd month) – I wonder what they'll bring. I'm planning to merge their troops with mine and switch to them. I just need to find some gold for upgrades.
It's a pity – I made Sigrif my main hero; he has 8 attack and 6 defense at level 22. I freed Rielag, who has 17 and 21 respectively. If only he had Logistics... =))
I haven't seen the Turquoise player yet; I'm starting to worry about him... I hope that jerk doesn't create 300 vampires. =))
Added 30 minutes ago
Oh, well. I found a mentor. =)) Now I just need to finish off the green player, meet the Knights, and I can make Rielag my main hero.))))
Added 20 hours 15 minutes ago
Increasing the difficulty level doesn't affect the size of the incoming army of humans or the hero's stats.
This army is kind of pathetic; the losses are about a dozen units due to the hero's lightning spells.
Added 4 minutes ago
Another thing. There's a great artifact lying around, but I can't pick it up. Is that intentional?
Added 1 hour 40 minutes ago
How do I remove the magic barrier so I can kill Faidaen? It's already the 3rd month...
I've taken out 3 green Castles... another green player arrived, and I took him out too. How do I force him to surrender?
I've also wanted to increase the difficulty level of the incoming forces for a long time. I just haven't had time to make global changes; I'm working on a new map.
Maybe at least Faidaen will be a bit more challenging.
Regarding the barrier, you need to complete quests for the Prophet; he'll give you a ring, which the hero can use to teleport behind the gates by approaching them closely. The ring must be equipped

