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The main idea of the mod is, to some extent, a continuation of the direction set by the HD mod, that is, it represents the development of the game, including bug fixes and improved gameplay. At the same time, the mechanics of the original game remain unchanged as much as possible.
The greatest emphasis is placed on fixing errors in the random map generator (RMG) and improving the algorithms on which the AI is based. Improvements also affect the AI's behavior on the map, the AI's siege of castles, and the planning of city development. So far, there are not many improvements, and there is a lot of work to be done in this area.
The focus on strengthening the AI is not accidental. The fact is that the game was originally designed by NWC based on the balance of power between the "human player" and the "AI player". Over time, when millions of people started playing the game, the balance of power was disrupted – the AI players turned into spectators, and for 2 competing human players (or one person playing a single-player game), too large an area of the map was allocated – with all the consequences that follow. A number of hero skills (for example, Diplomacy, Necromancy) became too powerful, while others, on the contrary, became completely unnecessary (Eagle Eye) or of little use (Resistance, Ballistics). Instead of developing cities, playing through bonus creatures – wyverns, angels – became decisive. The same story applies to a number of other game elements.
The Heroes 3 Plus mod is designed for both multiplayer games, with 2 or more players, and for single-player games. By the way, the participation of 3 or more players largely solves the problems mentioned above, but nevertheless, the development of the AI seems important. Moreover, such games (with the participation of 3 or more people) are not always possible.
The improved AI is able to give a second life to a huge number of old, beloved maps and campaigns, including the original ones (from NWC).
Since the main goal of the mod is, in essence, to create conditions for returning to the classics, artificial rules, similar to HW Rulez, are unacceptable for the author of the mod. And even more unacceptable is the restructuring of the Guild of Mages. In general, it should be said that in the Online format, new game mechanics, different from the original, are forcibly introduced, or existing ones are changed – as an attempt to compensate for the disharmony that arises when using the Online format. In this mod, the correct solution is considered not to adapt the game mechanics to its format, but, on the contrary, to develop formats that reveal the mechanics of the original game in the best way. It will not be possible to play Heroes 3 Plus with HW rules – technical restrictions have been created for this.
For an interesting game, map sizes S and M are recommended for 2-6 players, and L for 6-8 players. It is also recommended to play at 200% difficulty, with the possible use of a bonus for money and resources for the human player – up to the amounts that exist at 160%.
The mod uses an option-based approach – by disabling all options, the player gets the original game (more precisely, the HD mod).
The mod is installed (simply by copying all files to the directory where the original Heroes3.exe file is located) on a game with the HD mod version 3+ installed, the latest and most stable version 3.811f is recommended. The mod will not work on versions 4+ and 5+. Links to 3.811f:
http://mmgames.ru/files/hmm/3_HDmod/HoMM3_HD_Latest_3.811_b5.exe
https://yadi.sk/d/0x3staJOPXpxEQ
The mod is launched through its own EXE file (Heroes 3 h3p.exe) – the principle of operation here is exactly the same as for the Heroes 3 HD.exe file – it can be launched through a launcher, plugins can be connected, options can be changed as in the HD mod (through the launcher or through the HD mod's INI files), as well as the Heroes3Plus options (through the h3p.ini file).
The mod allows you to play the "Armageddon's Blade" version, either by simply enabling the "Blade" game mechanics through h3p.ini, or by additionally using an interface that is as close as possible to "Blade". There is a special plugin for this (and also an additional plugin for adapting fonts for the Russian version) and the EXE file H3Blade h3p.exe (if you are just playing with the "Blade" game mechanics and do not need the "Blade" interface, then you need to launch the regular EXE file – Heroes 3 h3p.exe).
You can read more detailed information about the mod and its settings in the documentation, which is included in the main files of the mod.
http://www.handbookhmm.ru/forum//topic/921/
