Hall of Fame Stage 3 of the BLITZ TOURNAMENT

vbn

To collect as many skeletons as possible, you need to:
1) Lose as few of your own troops as possible.
2) Obtain 4 castles with Necromancy boosters as early as possible.
3) Collect as many skeletons (and not liches) until Galtran's necromancy reaches 100% (then you can restore liches without a second thought). To do this, try to take into account the fact that when the hero's necromancy is less than 100%, it is better to restore liches on armies with HP of at least 30, and skeletons on army types such as skeletons, zombies, or ghosts. This is a subtle point that can allow you to gain slightly more skeletons than if you only restored liches. BUT! If you restore fewer liches, you will subsequently lose more skeletons in battles with strong neutrals. So this point is so subtle that I didn't even bother with it and mostly restored liches. Yes, indeed, this situation somewhat resembles chess!

Abbreviations:
Skeleton — SK
Zombie — ZO
Ghost — PR
Vampire — VA
Lich — LI
Knight — RY
Dragon — DR

No losses — b/p
With losses — s/p

SZ — Quest Guardian
YP — Pandora's Box

Neutral Destruction:

№ — Neutral — Point — Army

01) 20 SK at (19,10) — b/p (10 + 06 = 16 SK)
02) 10 SK at (20,10) — b/p (16 + 03 = 19 SK)
03) 30 SK at (18,10) — b/p (19 + 09 = 29 SK)
04) 30 ZO at (19,11) — b/p (29 + 09 = 37 SK)
05) 20 ZO at (20,11) — b/p (37 + 08 = 45 SK)
06) 40 ZO at (18,11) — b/p (45 + 18 = 63 SK)
07) 50 SK at (17,10) — s/p (63 – 05 +24 = 82 SK)
08) 30 SK at (16,10) — b/p (03 LI + 82 SK)
09) 20 SK at (15,10) — b/p (05 LI + 82 SK)
10) 10 SK at (14,10) — b/p (06 LI + 82 SK)
11) 35 ZO at (15,11) — b/p (17 LI + 82 SK)
12) 25 ZO at (14,11) — b/p (24 LI + 82 SK)
13) 50 ZO at (16,11) — b/p (41 LI + 82 SK)

Capturing the northern Necropolis:
14) 100 SK at (17,7) — s/p (41 LI + 82 SK – 7 SK + 60 SK = 41 LI + 135 SK)

15) 100 ZO at (17,11) — b/p (086 LI + 135 SK)
16) 040 PR at (15,12) — b/p (102 LI + 135 SK)
17) 050 PR at (18,12) — b/p (123 LI + 135 SK)
18) 050 PR at (19,12) — b/p (143 LI + 135 SK)
19) 030 PR at (20,12) — b/p (155 LI + 135 SK)
20) 050 VA at (20,13) — b/p (188 LI + 135 SK)

Learn fire magic, visit the stables, enter the well (60 mana).

21) 100 VA at (24,14) — s/p (188 LI + 135 SK – 1 SK + 70 LI = 258 LI + 134 SK)

Capturing the eastern Necropolis:
22) 100 RY at (24,13) — s/p (258 LI + 135 SK – 17 SK – 3 LI + 70 LI = 325 LI + 117 SK)

Leave 112 skeletons in the castle so that neutrals do not touch them in subsequent battles.

23) 050 LI at (20,14) — s/p (325 LI + 5 SK – 10 LI + 40 LI = 355 LI + 5 SK)
24) 060 VA at (19,13) — b/p (403 LI + 5 SK)
25) 060 VA at (19,13) — b/p (403 LI + 5 SK)
26) 150 PR at (16,12) — b/p (475 LI + 5 SK)
27) 200 VA at (15,13) — b/p (635 LI + 5 SK)
28) 030 PR at (14,12) — b/p (649 LI + 5 SK)
29) 150 VA at (14,13) — b/p (769 LI + 5 SK)
30) 400 VA at (16,13) — s/p (769 LI + 5 SK – 1 SK + 320 LI = 1089 LI + 4 SK)
Golden Bow obtained.

31) 100 VA at (17,13) — b/p (1169 LI + 4 SK)
32) 200 VA at (18,13) — b/p (1357 LI + 4 SK)
33) 150 LI at (19,14) — s/p (1357 LI + 4 SK – 29 LI + 120 LI = 1448 LI + 4 SK)
34) 050 RY at (18,15) — b/p (1486 LI + 4 SK)
35) 200 RY at (19,15) — s/p (1486 LI + 4 SK – 3 SK + 158 LI = 1644 LI + 1 SK)
36) 030 DR at (19,16) — s/p (1644 LI + 1 SK – 1 SK +24 LI = 1668 LI)
37) 200 RY at (20,15) — s/p (1668 LI – 1 LI + 158 LI = 1825 LI)
38) 010 DR at (16,16) — s/p (1825 LI – 2 LI + 8 LI = 1831 LI)
2500 gold received.
Galtran exits the portal.

Buy Moner.
Take the cursed armor and the mage's ring.
Give the armor to Galtran. Moner takes the liches in exchange for a fairy.
In exchange for the mage's ring, the SZ in the east is opened for Moner.
After this, Moner visits the stables and heads toward Galtran.

Day 2 arrives.

Moner gives the liches back to Galtran.
A necromancy booster is built in Cassation city.

39) 100 LI at (14,14) — s/p (1831 LI – 17 LI + 90 LI = 1904 LI)
40) 100 RY at (10,14) — b/p (1994 LI)

Capturing the western Necropolis:
41) 100 VA at (10,13) — s/p (1994 LI – 1 LI + 90 LI = 2083 LI)

Galtran's necromancy has reached 100%. Hurrah!
Up to this point, 41 battles were fought with creatures in the following quantities:
20+10+30+30+20+40+50+30+20+10+35+25+50+100+100+40+50+50+30+50+100+100+
50+60+60+150+200+30+150+400+100+200+150+50+200+30+200+10+100+100+100.
That is 3300 creatures.

Creatures lost:
5+1+17+3+10+1+29+3+1+1+2+17+1.
That is 91 creatures.

Galtran, having destroyed 3300 creatures, managed to collect, excluding the 10 starting creatures, 2083+112-10+91=2276 souls! That is, his average necromancy skill up to this point was almost 70%.

42) 100 RY at (14,15) — b/p (2183 LI)

It's time to collect skeletons without losses in necromancy. Behind the shield!
43) 500 SK at (17,12) — b/p (2183 LI + 500 SK)

Moner takes 500 skeletons from Galtran and carries the Shield to the SZ in the north, after which, having joined 1 phoenix, he returns it to Galtran.

44) 150 LI at (15,14) — b/p (2333 LI)
45) 150 RY at (15,15) — b/p (2483 LI)
46) 400 LI at (16,14) — b/p (2883 LI)
Sword of Justice obtained!

47) 050 RY at (16,15) — b/p (2933 LI)
48) 070 LI at (17,14) — b/p (3003 LI)
49) 400 RY at (17,15) — b/p (3403 LI)
Angel Wings obtained!

50) 399 DR at (15,16) — b/p (3802 LI)
51) 400 DR at (14,16) — b/p (4202 LI)
Wood and gold obtained!

52) 400 DR at (16,16) — b/p (4602 LI)

Galtran puts on the Angel Wings and flies to the YP at the entrance of the southern castle, guarded by 2800 creatures.

53) 2800 CREATURES at (17,21) — b/p (7402 LI)

Plus another 500 DR as a gift, and a bunch of useful spells and an immodest amount of knowledge.

Capturing the southern Necropolis:

54) 100 DR at (17,20) — s/p (7402 LI + 500 DR – 1 LI +100 LI= 7501 LI + 500 DR)

Using Dimension Door spells, Galtran swaps the Angel Wings for a Town Portal, visits the well, and then kills the last neutral!

55) 400 DR at (20,16) — b/p (7901 LI + 500 DR)
Ore and gold obtained!

Then Galtran opens the SZ in the northwest, reaching it with a Dimension Door. Moner leaves the Phoenix to Galtran and takes all the accumulated army for himself. Another dimension door — and the SZ guarding the Fort on the Hill is opened! Oh yes, Moner also opened the northeast SZ.

Day 3 arrives.

Galtran takes the entire army from Moner and opens the Northwest YP!
56) 3000 SK at (11,08) — b/p (+3000 SK)

After this, we go through the second eastern SZ and find 2000 pikemen and Armageddon's Blade, HURRAH!

An additional 400 x 4 = 1600 skeletons are bought in all castles.

With his entire army, Galtran moved toward the Fort on the Hill, forming 7260 skeletons (not counting the Phoenix + 500 DR + 7901 LI).

And finally, the last YP!
57) 7000 DR at (14,19) — s/p (-1 Phoenix - 2 SK+7000 LI)

The point of the battle is the correct use of the Berserker spell and the initial strike of the 1st skeleton.

In the southern Necropolis, Galtran forms 22659 skeletons, after which he visits the Fort on the Hill, forming warrior-skeletons.

HURRAH!!!

Out of such joy, Moner bought his fairy a little blue dress, and Galtran decided to restore mana up to 1920 units :).

So, with 100% necromancy, Galtran fought 16 battles.
Number of destroyed creatures (and therefore restored): 100+500+150+150+400+50+70+400+399+400+400+2800+100+400+3000+7000.
That is 16319 creatures.
Losses: 4 creatures.

P.S.
Creatures destroyed: 3300+16319 = 19619.

Free creatures: starting amount — 10, skeletons in castles — 1648, pikemen — 2000, dragons — 500, phoenix — 1.
TOTAL: 4159.

Thus, if Galtran had 100% necromancy from the start, he could have collected (excluding losses): 19619+4159=23778 skeletons.

The number 23778 is fundamentally unattainable, even using any cheat codes, as achieving 100% necromancy would require fighting several battles at a necromancy level of less than 100%.

Creatures lost: 91+4=95.

Final number of skeletons for Galtran: 22659.

Maximum number of skeletons X that can be collected using any cheat codes:

1) Before starting any battles, build a necromancy booster and the Grail in the main castle.
2) Level up Galtran to expert necromancy.

This gives a necromancy level of 90%.

3) Immediately capture 1 castle (it will also have a Grail). Here we lose 10 skeletons (creatures — 100, and necromancy — 90%).

After this, Galtran's necromancy becomes 100%, and there will be no more skeleton losses.
Thus, using cheat codes, you can collect X=23768 skeletons.

Maximum number of skeletons Y that can be collected in a clean game, but without considering the loss of your own troops:

I, for example, collected 22659 skeletons and lost 95, so without losses, I would have had 22754 skeletons.
Thus, 22754 < X.

On the other hand, when recapturing the 1st castle, Galtran's maximum necromancy will be 60%, therefore he will lose 40 skeletons during restoration and 6-7 skeletons from towers in the castle.

When recapturing the 2nd castle, Galtran's maximum necromancy will be 80% (assuming a booster is built in the starting castle), therefore he will lose another 20 skeletons during restoration and several creatures from towers in the castle.

Until Galtran reaches expert necromancy, he will under-restore at least 100 skeletons on neutrals.

Plus, while breaking through to the 2nd castle, he will under-restore another 100 skeletons or so.

Assuming no other troop losses (which is fundamentally impossible — additional losses are inevitable), Galtran will thus under-restore at least 260 skeletons.
So, 22754 < X < 23508.

I don't know how else to "narrow" this inequality further.
Perhaps the results of a tournament will help by strengthening its left side ;). The right side of the inequality can be strengthened with more detailed calculations.

Maximum number of skeletons Z that can be collected in a clean game, considering losses of your own troops:

Here 22659 < X < 23450.

The figure 23450 is based on the assumption that in any, even the most ideal walkthrough, at least 58 creatures will be lost. If anyone loses fewer than this amount, they must have under-restored somewhere on neutrals.

So these figures are reliable.

Well then, from calculations it follows that more than 23450 skeletons are physically impossible to collect on this map! The figure is exaggerated, of course, but what can you do — one doesn't want to give unreliable information. And purely intuitively, I predict: there won't be more than 23100 skeletons!

I wonder if any of the chess players managed to reach 23000? ;)