Posts from Duel sets and duel generator.

Map name: dueliki
Author: me

Basically, I decided to add something that would be interesting for those who would like to use the duel option, duel 3*3, but the standard one has become quite boring.

The main idea is more or less borrowed from the "The Last Stand" multiplayer, thanks for that. However, the above-mentioned map still requires some tweaking and preparation (i.e., time, if you want to quickly create a random battle); you can't add mini-arts and sworn enemies automatically, you can't give a hell wolf and a chain – it's not the author's fault, the game just doesn't allow it... But here, even orcs can do it :)

So, I made something that will solve the above-mentioned problem. I don't have much time, only yesterday evening and this morning, so it's a bit rough, but it works. When I have more time, I'll add a configuration for the number of troops in a text file + I might fix the spells, as it's too random now, and maybe add some other skills for levels lower than 40, reduce the randomness of stats a bit, and add the patterns that exist in the original races (sometimes you get a level 40 orc with 11 attack). I also plan to add support for NCF creatures – again, when I have time.

As for what I definitely won't do: the hero icons remain the same. I don't know and don't want to deal with it; I want people to appreciate the functionality. If there are comments specifically about the functionality, that's fine; unfortunately, I can't and don't want to spend time on the visuals.

Regarding balance, the goal is not to create perfectly balanced heroes. Firstly, it's more difficult, and secondly, playing with roughly equal heroes will be uninteresting, especially if the opponent is the AI. If something really wild comes up, well, okay.

The creature growth is slightly different from the original.

Two archives are attached – one of them is the map. The map itself won't appear; just put it in the Maps folder, and the duel heroes will be replaced; no single-player or multiplayer map will be added.

When you get tired of the heroes you have, or you don't like the distribution, you can regenerate the map. Install Python if you don't have it, go to the unpacked duel_generator folder, and run python duel_generator.py. You will get a new map, dueliki.h5m, put it in the Maps folder (of the game, not a folder you create inside), and you will get a new set of heroes.

Suggestions are welcome on how to make a hero be able to use, for example, Lay on Hands (the skill appears in the spellbook, but it's red and can't be used), how to increase the limit to 3 heroes of each race, and any bugs you find.

Updated – download duel_gen2.zip
1) Bloodlust has been removed from orcs so that a more useful spell can fit in the spellbook.
2) An error in the generation of rune spells has been fixed.
3) The Mighty Roar skill is now granted correctly.

UPDATE. :smile14: (re-uploaded, the IS_USE_EXCLUDED option works correctly)
I made a version for NCF. The generator automatically searches in a copy of the "heroes/data" folder, looks for pak files and creature growth. It only searches among those that are in the data folder (it doesn't search in usermods h5u), which are correctly formatted (they have a scripts folder with a Lua file that defines the creature).

The map (dueliki.h5m) is created by the generator based on the contents of my data folder. If yours is different, some heroes may have an incomplete army or some standard creature with stats of one.

For convenience, it's easier to regenerate it for each player. Install Python if you don't have it, go to the unpacked duel_generator folder, and run python duel_generator.py. You will get a new map, dueliki.h5m, put it in the Maps folder (of the game, not a folder you create inside), and you will get a new set of heroes.

There are two configuration files inside. It is recommended to change them before generating and customize them to your liking.

1. creatures.json. It is opened and edited with any text editor, preferably not Notepad.

It has several sections.
The STANDARD_CREATURES section is for standard creatures; the first number is its string code (e.g., CREATURE_PEASANT), and the second is the growth. If you don't like the standard growth in the balance, change it to your liking. If you do, don't touch it. You can use decimal numbers, for example, 2.5.
The BAD_FORMED section is for manually defined NCF creatures. If a creature is described here, its final parameters will be taken from here, not from the Data folder. For manual parameter specification. If you like it, don't touch it.
The EXCLUDED section is a list of questionable NCF creatures that can be disabled with one setting.

2. config.json. It is opened and edited with any text editor, preferably not Notepad.

It has several sections.
CREATURES_FILE – the file from which we read the list of creatures above; I recommend not touching it.
IS_USE_NCF – if set to 0, it will work like a standard map. To avoid keeping both in the Maps folder, enable or disable NCF creatures in/from the generation.
IS_GIVE_RANDOM_MASS_SPELLS – if 1, it gives heroes random mass spells. I recommend not disabling this for the sake of interest.
IS_USE_BADFORMED_ONLY – if 1 (enabled), only the creatures described in the BAD_FORMED section of creatures.json will be available for NCF generation. If this option is enabled, it will not create a copy of Data and search in it. In case someone doesn't trust the generator or there are creatures that are not standard, without a scripts folder or something else.
COUNT_GROWTHES – in the generation, each hero will have this many standard creature growths. For example, by default, with 100, you get an average of 100 level 7 creatures, 200 level 6 creatures, etc.
DATA_FOLDER_PATH – copy the path to your data folder with pak files here for automatic creature search.
DONT_COPY_PAK_FILES – a list of files in the folder above that definitely don't have new creatures and will not be copied during map creation.
IS_USE_EXCLUDED – if set to 0 (disabled), creatures from the EXCLUDED section of creatures.json will be excluded from random generation. For example, if there is a buggy creature that likes to crash, and you're tired of it, add it here so that it doesn't appear.

For creatures of level 8 and higher, the growth is automatically set to 0.5 (with an average of 100 standard creatures, instead of them, 50 level 8+ creatures may appear in the distribution). If you don't like it (you need to make it less or more), add your own growths in the BAD_FORMED section of creatures.json.

Screenshot of an example distribution – https://c2n.me/48ypbeL (Remember, the hero icons remain the same, but the heroes themselves are different, and their specializations too – only the appearance is the same)

The main signs that something went wrong:
1) an empty army slot

UPD2 24.08.2020
Updated. I took the skills from the list; I noticed it myself earlier, but no one said that instead of the banshee's scream, the undead have the archer summoning skill. The update fixes the skills, and now the banshee's scream is not given as a dark perk for all other races and does not leave a free slot in dark magic. To use, download duel_gen_NCF2.zip

Python has also been implemented for the fifth installment of the Heroes series :)
Sounds interesting!

Well, play it yourself and see what's what. At the very least, lucky Wizard Necromancers on the battlefield, mass spells for heroes who shouldn't have them, and other things you rarely see on the map. For example, a guardian angel for a Light Elf or a Necromancer – it's all up to random chance. I've already found one: it turns out that the Orc has a very small spellbook, and that's why he simply couldn't fit the "Wrath of the Horde" spell, and he can't use it for this reason. I removed "Call to Blood" as the most useless one – I'll upload the updated version without it later. I won't remove the chain spell, which deals 2k damage. Well, and the tomes of magic are currently useless, but this is temporary. The generator itself is not executed in the heroes; it simply allows you to regenerate the distribution if you don't like it. Yes, and evasion and mass evasion will never appear for any hero; this spell breaks the already inhuman AI. ------ What I found and what will be fixed or has already been fixed (I'll upload the update later): 1) "Call to Blood" has been removed from the Orcs so that a more useful spell could fit in the spellbook. 2) Tomes of magic will give spells (they don't now) or will be removed from the distribution. 3) An error in the generation of runic spells has been fixed. 4) The "Mighty Roar" skill is now granted correctly.

Regarding adding more than 3 heroes, I wrote about it in the Mapmaking section.

This won't solve the problem 80% of the time. The issue is that you mentioned he has exactly 3 heroes. In my case, I've already added 21 heroes to the preset for the Knight faction, and 10-12 heroes for other factions. All of them exist in the map, but they aren't recognized by the game. So, simply adding a preset4 (and adding extra items in DuelPresets/map.xdb), or adding a 4th hero, doesn't solve the problem at all – the issue lies either in the executable file (which would be unfixable), or in some file with the number 3. The root cause of the limited selection is this number. Simply adding a 4th hero without changing this number 3 where it needs to be changed will 100% not solve the problem, because I've already done that, but the 4th to 21st heroes are just "in reserve." Since he has 3 heroes, it's most likely that this number hasn't been touched, and MOST LIKELY his heroes are simply set up and written in manually. In my case, these same heroes are generated automatically. If I'm wrong, that's good, but in any case, I don't know how to find these people and their mods.

I don't know the author of the mod myself, but here is the account of Waterfall_13.

Updated for NCF. Since everyone has their own NCF and different creatures, I added a comment in the header.

:smile54:

Small update. Since the game reads this and generates not a map, but dueling heroes, it's best to maintain some order and do things properly. UserMODs/*.zip UserMODs/*.h5u UserCampaigns/*.h5c DuelPresets/*.h5p Maps/*.h5m Therefore, I renamed the generated map and all future ones to dueliki.h5p, and it should be placed not in the Maps folder, but in the DuelPresets folder. If someone is not used to this, they can simply rename it to h5m and place it in Maps as before. I made some minor improvements: for Orcs, not all skills were available; now they all are (Mentorship, Dark Revelation, Distraction, Mana Burst, Fire Protection can now appear randomly; they couldn't before). I fixed a typo that caused Gremlins to appear instead of Obsidian Gargoyles in the same quantity. I removed the combined warcry for Orcs – it's not the most useless spell, but if a hero receives Inspiration in a random distribution, they will be without the Horde Fury due to the small spellbook. I updated the file in the header and removed all the old stuff. (If you need to fight without creatures in NCF, simply set IS_USE_NCF to 0)