Posts from Horn of the Abyss

Horn of the Abyss is a global expansion for Heroes of Might & Magic III, expanding classic game elements and adding new ones.

Permanent download links:
http://download.h3hota.com/HotA_setup — standard official version, installed over "The Shadow of Death" or Complete, includes HD-mod.
http://download.h3hota.com/HotA_full_setup — full version, contains necessary elements of the original and does not require installation over "The Shadow of Death". Also includes HD-mod.

Documentation:
Changelog / List of added features

External resource links:
Official VKontakte group
DF2 Forum — Official HotA forum
Official thread on Heroes Community

HeroesWorld rules, adapted for HotA, taking into account all Gameplay changes:
Online rules / On-line tournament rule set

The content of HotA can be described very briefly as follows: the 10th city, Haven; a mass of new visitable objects on the map; same new terrain, Highlands; more than 15 new artifacts; general Gameplay innovations; new heroes; fixes for most bugs from the original; interface and graphics improvements; game balance refinements; expanded map editor functionality; template editor; as well as new scenarios and Campaigns.

The concept of HotA is to adhere to the classic traditions of the series and serve as a logical continuation of the original same line of add-ons from New World Computing. Namely: The Restoration of Erathia > Armageddon's Blade > The Shadow of Death > Horn of the Abyss. HotA is positioned as an expansion that the original developers could have released after "The Shadow of Death". We adhere as closely as possible to the classics in gameplay, graphics, texts, Campaign plots, music, and so on—down to the smallest details.

Like the original game, HotA is intended equally for single-player and Multiplayer, offline and online, at any level of game understanding. For the HeroesWorld audience, it is important to note that unlike projects such as Tournament Edition or World Tournament, HotA is not exclusively oriented toward online play; it has a large single-player community and aims to preserve the gaming experience for any audience.

In terms of online play, our key tasks (immediate and achieved) include the following:

• Eliminate as many rules as possible. As a minimum plan—allow the player to use all available game functionality at least on XL+U templates.
  Example: instead of an oral ban on using the Fort on the Hill or removing it entirely from generation—in HotA, the classic stone fort is disabled (still available on fixed maps and in the editor), but an additional "wooden" version of the object has been added with a different appearance and the ability to upgrade units only of levels 1-5 for double the price.
• Eliminate as many bugs from the original game as possible. At this point, the need to ban any use of bugs on popular templates has been eliminated.
• Fix Gameplay shortcomings.
  Example: on random maps without water, any gameplay elements related to water are absent. For instance, the Captain's Hat artifact will never appear on the map or as a bank reward, and instead of Sylvia, the Navigation specialist, a new scout hero, Beatrice, is available in the Castle. At the same time, Sylvia has not been removed from the game and is available during generation on maps with water. On fixed maps, both heroes may be allowed.
• Expand game elements to create gameplay that is close to classic but more rich and balanced.
  Example: two new conservatory objects (creature banks) have been added, Zephyr... alright, Raiders' Outpost and Experienced Workshop. Compared to SoD, armies in HotA become more diverse, additional meaning appears in the Leadership and Archery skills, and the position of the Tower and Stronghold is balanced.
• Balance city power.
  Example: thanks to a new Magog shot mechanic, correct operation of Lava terrain in dungeons (takes into account home territory bonus), some changes in building prices and build order—Inferno, from an objectively problematic city, becomes more versatile in development and receives a much higher chance to provide real competition to other cities on almost any template.
• Improve the game interface.
  Examples: new movement arrows that dynamically show which cell a hero could reach if they had full movement points (helps to visualize chains). The text line in battle shows not only estimated damage but also the possible number of killed squads.

Additional information:

HotA supports full compatibility with HD-mod; the developer is part of the project team. For the most comfortable experience, we recommend using HotA together with HD-mod, with the HD+ option enabled.

When using HotA, it is not necessary to connect any plugins to HD-mod: the content of the required plugins is already included in HotA or HD-mod.

HotA does not support reading files from the Data folder. In particular, cranim.txt, which speeds up battle animations, and arraytxt.txt, which adds numerical army size indicators, will have no effect on Gameplay. In HotA, battle speed settings have been expanded (a selection scale of 1-5 animation speeds has been added), removing the need for an additional TXT file. Numerical army indicators are also implemented within HotA and do not require arraytxt.txt. To play on a custom random map template, you should add this template to the HotA_RMGTemplates folder similarly to the templates already present—then the template will appear in the HD-mod template selection list.

HotA was developed on the SoD engine using reverse engineering. Graphics are created using standard 3D and raster image software packages. HotA is a fundamentally non-commercial project; the team does not accept donations. Those wishing to participate in development can contact team members via private messages on any of the available platforms.

Answers to other frequently asked questions about HotA can be found in the thread on the project's official forum.

Screenshots:





















More graphics examples and screenshots are in the official group albums.

Active team members:
Agar — 3D artist, concept art
baratorch — programmer, map editor, lobby, simultaneous turns, HD-mod compatibility
Docent Picolan — idea author and project coordinator, lead artist, public relations, music and sounds
Don_ko — 3D artist, artist, maps
DrSlash — 3D artist, artist, lobby moderation
Fatalist — maps, Campaign maps, editing
gotthit — programmer
Gruk — programmer, template editor
Игорь Кудра — lead tester
Mantiss — testing, texts, public relations
nik312 — balance, translations, public relations
nosferatu — 2D artist
parovozovoz — maps, testing, lobby moderation
Sav — co-coordinator, lead programmer, documentation, balance, public relations
Tevye — editing, translations
Vade Parvis — artist, ideas, public relations

Questions about the project can be asked via private messages to the highlighted members from the list above.