Posts from Epic Balance Battle

Good afternoon! We are developing a map for Heroes of Might and Magic III. The map is called Epic Balance Battle. The map works with all official parts of the Heroes of Might and Magic series: (Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia), (Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon’s Blade), (Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death), as well as the re-release (Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition) with improved graphics. In addition, the map will work with the unofficial expansion (Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss). https://vk.com/epicbalancebattle https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfil...?id=2015017170 Attachment 61427 The Alpha version has been released. Download it here. Attachment 61454

Only a few days left until the release!

Attachment 61452

Dear friends! I am glad to announce the start of the Alpha version of Epic Balance Battle. A large number of days and man-hours were spent on developing the map. Most of the time was devoted to achieving balance. The goal was to create equal conditions for everyone, but with individual faction bonuses in terms of characteristics; more details about this will be provided in subsequent articles. Currently, the map has 8 standard cities, and the objects placed on the map are only from the original Heroes of Might and Magic game. This is done so that the map can run on any part of Heroes of Might and Magic III. The map works on all official parts of Heroes of Might and Magic (Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia), (Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon’s Blade), (Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death), as well as on the re-release (Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition) with improved graphics. In addition, the map works on the unofficial expansion (Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss). The structure of the map will also be discussed later, but what can be said now is that it will take the same amount of time to explore the territories around each city, and that the guards on the borders are balanced for each city. In addition, there are both ordinary and unexpected events. At the moment, I present two versions of the map to your attention: the first is Epic Balance Battle ver. 0.45 Alpha, which can be played alone or against other players; the second is Epic Balance Battle ver. 0.45 Alpha 2 player, designed for cooperative gameplay in an alliance. Adding additional cities, alliances, and objects will be implemented further, depending on your suggestions. The purpose of the Alpha test is to eliminate bugs and understand where it is necessary to make the game process more difficult or easier.

You can download the map here https://vk.com/epicbalancebattle

or here Attachment 61453

A large number of days and man-hours were spent on developing the map.

Is this more interesting than Paragon?

P.S.
Rins, when will it be ready????

Is this more interesting than Paragon?

P.S.
Rins, when will it be ready????

It's still a long way from being like Paragon; Paragon was created and improved over years. This is an Alpha version and has a different concept. Play it, and I'll be glad to hear your opinion.

In 2020, such experienced players (and I'm not talking about myself) gathered here that you need something truly outstanding to impress and attract them. Mega battles, super features, logistics to the max, and so on. Sorry, but your map doesn't meet that standard.
I suspect that Dandy, Marlo, and Kolotok with Wenvel, not to mention Dirty, could easily defeat any Chinese player offline.

Added 1 minute later
I think that Rins is making this map for such players, to surprise even them.

Downloaded the map and took a look. Well, if the person put in the effort, I'll express my opinion as constructively as possible.

To start with, let's consider why maps are made in Heroes III? There are two types of maps: PvP and PvE. We should also try to understand who the target audience for this map is.

PvE refers to maps designed for opposing the computer. They can feature various plots, puzzles, difficult battles, etc. A prime example is Paragon, which was mentioned. Seems straightforward enough.

PvP refers to maps designed for one person against another, for duels—most often 1x1, though other options are possible. Previously, a game format on fixed (tournament) maps was popular, mainly in St. Petersburg. Here is an example of such maps. But with the appearance of various random map templates, this has completely faded away.

Currently, all Heroes tournaments are played on random maps. "Arena" format maps are played very rarely (at the moment, only the Polish one is used).

Judging by its purpose, the map should be suitable for a multi-player brawl to find out who is stronger. But looking at this map, I didn't get that feeling. Firstly, there are no interesting features; the map is very empty, with no objects, etc. If we talk about how the map can be improved, you need to pack it with as many objects and creature dwellings as possible, create zones with relics, Pandoras, and Utopias that players want to break into quickly. Secondly, the balance on this map is also questionable, at least because diplomacy is active. Thirdly, I'll repeat myself: times have changed, and people don't play fixed scenarios anymore, so improving this map is an absolutely hopeless endeavor. Alas!

Well, in conclusion, I'll give some advice if you wish to prove yourself as a designer. If you want to make something for online player competition, I recommend trying your hand at creating templates for random maps. The HotA version offers a very good template editor. And Heroes is currently in great need of good templates. But you'll need to dive seriously into the subject here.

If you specifically want to create maps, then I recommend making single-player maps with a plot, unique features, or a good difficulty level. Start with small sizes, and then move on to creating masterpieces like Paragon. There is and always will be an audience for such maps.

In 2020, there were so many experienced players here (and I'm not talking about myself) that you need to surprise and attract them with something truly outstanding. Mega battles, super features, logistics to the maximum, etc. Sorry, but your map doesn't meet this standard.
I suspect that Dandy, Marlo, and Kolotok with Venvel, not to mention Dirty, can easily defeat any Chinese player offline.

Added 1 minute ago
I think that Rins is making this map for such players, to surprise even them.

I would like to understand specific suggestions. It took more than a month to work on the logistics, pathfinding, and ensuring an equal number of move points. Just the cold runs for each side took more than two weeks. In the closed Alpha, opinions were divided: some found it too difficult, while others found it just right. After a certain point, you realize whether you're winning or losing, but the map fully reveals itself when playing 1v1. Of course, many more things will be implemented for HotA, but it will be impossible to do without a solid foundation. Therefore, I am waiting for suggestions and ideas, and I will be grateful if you find any bugs. You can write here or on VK. I will describe the map structure later, in a couple of days.

Added 16 minutes ago

I downloaded the map, took a look... There is always an audience for such maps, and there always will be.

Thank you very much for your detailed response. Regarding diplomacy, magic, map density, artifacts, etc., unfortunately, the editor doesn't allow me to fully implement them, as I created everything on the vanilla version so that it can later be ported to HotA. There are many ideas that will be implemented specifically for HotA, including portals, and you will be able to visit the dragons and much more... And even now, you can configure many useful things, it will just take a couple of days, but then you will have to play only through HotA. I want to get a bug-free foundation so that people can even play it on Steam, even if it's not with the full implementation of ideas. Once again, thank you very much for your detailed response.:smile54:

Dear friends, I would like to tell you a little about the structure of the Epic Balance Battle map for Heroes of Might and Magic III. The idea behind the map is to put players on as equal footing as possible, while creating individual territorial landscapes and faction-specific hero upgrade bonuses. The map was created entirely manually; every tree and every stone were placed on the map without using obstacle tools. In the Alpha version of Epic Balance Battle, there are eight standard cities: Castle, Rampart, Tower, Inferno, Necropolis, Dungeon, Stronghold, and Fortress. The map also contains only standard objects from Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia; this was done so that the map could run on absolutely any version of Heroes of Might and Magic. And the map was created using the vanilla editor, which, unfortunately, cannot fully reveal all of the author's ideas. This was done intentionally, again, so that the map could start on absolutely any version of Heroes of Might and Magic. After the Alpha version, of course, work will continue on the Beta version, which will only be able to run on a version of the game with the unofficial Horn of the Abyss expansion, or possibly The Shadow of Death, but it will gain flexible settings for magic, artifacts, abilities, and skills, a wide range of available objects, and the addition of new ones. There will be keys, gates, portals, new types of lands, and much more. But that's for the future; right now, I will describe the structure of the Alpha version of the map and its features.

First, I would like to say that it will take the same amount of time to explore the territory for each of the cities. For example, if you want to explore your territory with one hero, visiting each object without taking it, and then return to the castle, the game time will show the first month, fourth week, and one day. Of course, depending on how you distribute your turn points, the time may increase or decrease, but on average, it is the same.

Second, I would like to say that there are objects on the map that improve Attack, Defense, Magic, and Knowledge stats. There are a total of 56 of them on the map: 14 of each of the above. But they are not distributed evenly, but based on faction affiliation. In the following example, Attack will be denoted by the letter "A," Defense by the letter "D," Magic power by the letter "M," and Knowledge by the letters "K." So, on the territory belonging to the Castle, you can find A-3, D-1, M-1, K-2.
Rampart has the following objects: A-1, D-3, M-1, K-2.
Tower: A-1, D-1, M-2, K-3.
Inferno: A-2, D-2, M-2, K-1.
Necropolis: A-1, D-1, M-3, K-2.
Dungeon: A-1, D-1, M-3, K-2.
Stronghold: A-4, D-1, M-1, K-1.
Fortress: A-1, D-4, M-1, K-1.

Third, let's talk about artifacts. As we know, in the game, artifacts are divided into 4 groups and are divided by level: Treasure, Minor, Major, and Relic. In total, there are 123 of them in the game, not counting the combined ones. We are not counting the combined ones again because of running the map in Alpha for the vanilla Heroes, where it is not possible to assemble a combined artifact, but no one prevents you from playing this map through SoD and HotA, where you will still be able to assemble some of them. Why some? you ask. I'll explain: In the map, I added only artifacts belonging to the Treasure, Minor, and Major grades at this stage; there are no Relics on the map. This was done so as not to unbalance the game, and the main way to gain characteristics was through visiting objects on enemy territories. I described above where you can get which characteristics, and there are plenty of them on the map in total. Adding Relic artifacts is possible in the Beta version, but to get them, you will have to work hard. So, there are 37 Treasures, 21 Minor, and 37 Major artifacts in the game. If we divide, say, 37 artifacts by 8 cities, we get the number 4.6, and if 21/8 = 2.6, and I had to decide how many of them to place on the map. I decided to place 4 Treasures, 2 Minor, and 4 Major artifacts for each player. Thanks to this decision, we will not get duplicate artifacts when generating the map, and at the same time, they will almost always be present in the game. The total number will be as follows: 32 + 16 + 32 = 80 instead of 95, which I think is quite acceptable.

Fourth, let's talk about monsters and guards. Since we have already talked about artifacts, the chance of joining your army of creatures guarding good artifacts is set to a minimum; the rest of the creatures are set to default. With the exception of guards between territories and castle guards, they will not join you under any circumstances. Playing as any of the cities, your borders will be blocked by four types of Elementals: Earth, Water, Air, and Fire. The number of them is calculated in such a way that at the start of the map, for example, there will be significantly fewer Earth Elementals than Air Elementals, but the total amount of health will be the same. So, it's up to you to decide which ones to break through. The most difficult thing here was to place them fairly and equally for all cities, considering that the map is not a chessboard, but has its own individual landscape for each faction. In addition, each city has guards in the garrisons, and even your garrison, which has been surrounded. It's up to you to decide whether to save it and replenish your army, or let it guard your borders. After numerous runs and balance adjustments, the AI invasion is calculated to be plus or minus by the beginning of the 4th week, so that by that time you have already had time to explore your territory of the map. You will also be able to meet Golems on the map, which guard gates and castles.

Fifth. The map also has Easter eggs, hints, events, and hidden objects. The most necessary resources are located at the maximum distance from the starting city, which makes their quick search and capture a priority. Each city has one well, which makes the game a little more difficult because there is not always enough mana until a certain point. If you find an abandoned mine, be sure that the resource you need will never appear. Perhaps there is a lot more that can be told, but it will be more interesting to play on your own.

And finally. When playing in an alliance, the alliances are divided as follows: Castle and Rampart, Tower and Fortress, Inferno and Necropolis, Dungeon and Stronghold. All of this can be changed, as you like, make changes, consider your suggestions and ideas. Do not hesitate to write your impressions and wishes after running the Alpha version; after the approval of the basics, I will start working on the Beta version. Thank you all. And in the future, I will provide a schematic structure of the map.