Posts from - A reference guide and manual in Russian for Heroes 3.

By creating the topic "Physics of the Heroes World. Reference Guide," Sir AmberSoler killed my own concept on one hand, and on the other, created something that many of us have tried or planned to do at least once. Many thousands of fans have been waiting for this reference guide for 7 YEARS! Naturally, discussions have been held and continue to be held regarding the explanation of various game mechanics, walkthroughs, buildings, monsters, castles, artifacts, and much, much more... But until this moment, no one had managed to achieve this except you, esteemed Sir AmberSoler! My deepest gratitude to you for this.
I am certain that this reference guide will be the most popular and useful for all categories of HEROES 3 fans among all the information currently available on various Internet resources.
Therefore, I am marking this topic as same-most important!

Now directly to the reference guide itself.
Since you asked for feedback, I consider it my duty to share some refinements that perhaps you will take into account in your next edition.

So:

1) sheet 2
a) spell - "Armageddon": many members of our site have come to the opinion that this does not apply to archangels (although I personally don't recall such a thing).
b) spell - "Town Portal" ... spends 200 points. The phrasing is unclear. It would probably be correct as: spends 200 MP points.
c) spell - "Disintegrate": it seems to me that it should be added that the defense of the unit on which this spell is cast cannot be lower than 0. Also, note that the "Dispelling" spell does not work on this type of magic.

2) sheet 3
a) Artillery has infinite ammunition. Once they officially run out, a countdown begins (into the negative).
b) Having an advanced or expert Ballistics skill can be used very cleverly. Block the gates with any monster, and then, if possible, skillfully shoot down the towers (to avoid losses). And if the opponent is strong enough but "non-flying" and "non-shooting," then having at least one archer with a supply wagon in your army, or alternatively, Artillery, you can wipe out an enemy of any size without losses.
c) In my opinion, Tactics has a significant feature.
Having ranged units as well as meat (weak units) in your army and a strong desire to attack, say, a heavily guarded object (dragons), you can manage without losing archers. Using tactics, by first arranging your troops around the archers 2 cells away so that the dragons cannot roast the archers, we calmly take them down (naturally casting various spells etc. on our ranged units). But this is just an option if there is no other alternative...
P.S. I remember in a recent tournament DZ I had to use this "perverted method." Not having the ballistics skill, my hero reloaded about five times so that the insane ballista didn't make a single gap in the garrison over 2 turns, and during those 2 turns I calmly took out the ballista itself using Meteor Shower, thereby securing the breakthrough of 4000 golems from the castle.
d) Diplomacy. I think this skill should still be described in more detail, as it is almost the most important skill in the game! You can traverse the entire map without even entering a castle and with your starting army! Monsters begin to join not only based on the amount of troops the hero has, but also based on attack, as well as whether exactly the same creatures are in the army. (I saw a detailed description regarding this somewhere).
e) Necromancy (black magic): why not take it??? What about legions of skeletons, which are not only decent in strength, but can also be exchanged for resources, which can be used to build the most important structures, especially in the early stages!
3) sheet 4
1.3. Other bonuses.
Building/Artifact

The Admiral's Hat is a composite artifact, but it also affects speed very well, so it must be taken into account.

It is necessary to write what the maximum move duration or movement reserve for a hero is possible. It is no secret that when visiting an Oasis, Water Body, FM and FE, the bonus increases, and quite significantly; if you consider that this increasing bonus object is located in close proximity to monsters, you can accumulate a very large movement reserve—the question is, how much???

4) SHEET 11

Clever move: Considering the fact that the portal costs only 2500 gold + 5 ore and requires absolutely no additional conditions, you can build it in your city at any moment. If Dungeon is your starting town and you haven't managed to acquire any external dwellings yet, then maybe don't rush into doing this for now. Better—if possible—capture a nearby advanced monster dwelling at the end of the first week, and you are guaranteed that exactly the same army as in that dwelling will immediately appear in the portal. Wait until the eighth day and get another double batch. After that, you can harvest free troglodytes—the creature in the summoning portal generates at the beginning of the week and you can buy it even on the 14th day. It's not going anywhere. Obviously, this only makes sense at the start of the game and in the case where, for tactical reasons, you can afford not to capture external dwellings for the sake of attracting free meat.

Even cleverer: Even if you already have external dwellings under your flag at the start and you've captured a few more, it makes sense to build this structure (Summoning Portal) on any day important to you, PREVIOUSLY SAVING (not an appointment with a doctor, of course), and if you don't like its inhabitants when building this structure (say, a troglodyte appeared instead of azure dragons), then we load and build again until the monster we need wishes to appear there.:D
But, it must be remembered that next week this trick will not work, alas. :mad:

5) SHEET 13

Monster Experience
Peasant 0
why such discrimination...

6) SHEET 14

* There is a suggestion that the morale level can be higher than +3 and lower than -3. In this case, the probability changes by +/- 4.17% for each additional level. The hero window only displays values within +/- 3.
I think this suggestion is incorrect; morale changes from -3 to +3, exactly like luck.

7) SHEET 15
Gorgeous table, but there is a suggestion to make images for every artifact, which would provide the most complete satisfaction to everyone reading this textbook.
P.S. After all, agree that hearing from someone how a rocket works in combat conditions and seeing it with your own eyes are different things.

Inactive artifacts
Diplomat's Suit Consists of three "diplomatic" artifacts - ring, medal, and ribbon
Mired in Neutrality Consists of three Resistance artifacts - necklace, jacket, and boots.
Ironfist of the Ogre Consists of 4 "barbarian" artifacts - Ogre's club, Ogre's shield, Cyclops' tunic, and one of the helmets (?)

And in theory they should be active; I asked this question a long time ago, why not? It's a shame.

8) SHEET 17
Cavalryman Castle
Has a cavalry bonus - increase in attack power by 5% for each cell traveled on the battlefield before attacking

I think it's worth adding a recent discovery from Qwerty: the cavalry bonus does not work on Halberdiers.

It would be good to know the percentage ratio of magic creation (which kind), defense reduction, reflection, and fear for high-level dragons (Fairytale, Rusty, Crystal, and Azure respectively).

That's where I'll end my quick review (17 sheets) of such an important document.

And also, since you are making images in some places for various artifacts, castles, magic, it would be good to do this for all objects on the map. That would be truly magnificent!;)

P.S. And one more thing, please make a list of abbreviations-decryptions, as many people don't know their meanings;)

With great respect VDV forever

Could you please tell me where I can find this manual?

Could you tell me where to find this reference guide?

It's mentioned in the very first post. ;)
But just in case:
You can find the Excel file at this link:
http://homm3world.narod.ru/index.html

Thank you!

Many thousands of fans have been waiting for this guide for 7 YEARS!

Indeed, an epochal event has occurred. :)
Thank you for the flattering review.

Regarding the issues:

a) as for the "Armageddon" spell - many members of our site have come to the opinion that it does not affect archangels (although I don't recall this myself).

To be honest, I checked specifically just in case, you know... :)
It works, and quite effectively! :)

2) sheet 3
a) Artillery has infinite ammunition. As soon as they officially run out, a countdown begins (into the negative).

Please clarify.

Having an advanced or expert Ballistics skill can be used very cleverly... In my opinion, Tactics has a significant peculiarity...

The initial version of the guide contained a "Clever Move" section, where such tricks and tips known perhaps not to all players were planned to be placed. But then I deleted it because the Excel format is inconvenient for text explanations, and the topic itself deserves a separate work. In the future, I plan to possibly make it as a text file if I gather enough material for publication... Periodically, such tips from knowledgeable players appear online, but bringing them together and, what is no less difficult, structuring them by theme takes time. Unfortunately, I don't have any right now... Therefore, I wouldn't refuse help :)

Without the ballistics skill, my hero reloaded about five times so that the insane ballista didn't make a single gap in the garrison over 2 turns.

You probably meant the catapult, because the "Ballistics" skill does not affect the ballista...

g) Diplomacy. I think this skill should still be described in more detail...

Of course it should, and not only this skill, but all others as well. It's just that I can't get to everything at once...

Monsters start joining not only based on the amount of troops the hero has, but also from attack, as well as whether there are exactly the same creatures in the army...

At the moment the game first launches, the susceptibility level of a unit is determined randomly. That is, a monster may be such that it will not join under any circumstances. And neither the "Diplomacy" skill level nor the strength of the army will help. Although in the map editor, it may be defined as "susceptible (likely to join)".

Among other monsters that have a probability of joining, this probability can be increased by the following factors:

1. The hero's troops must be "stronger" than the monster.
2. Presence in your army of a monster related to the neutral being joined (from one Castle) - +5%
3. Presence in your army of a monster identical to the neutral being joined (regardless of whether upgraded or not) - +10%
4. Preferably, the number of all other troops per stack should be strictly less than in this "native" stack. Specifically, strict quantity is meant here, not "army power".
5. Presence of the Diplomacy skill (the higher its level, the greater the probability of joining).
6. The probability of joining also depends on the hero's internal strength criterion which is calculated in a clever way (unknown). It is known that it definitely depends on the hit points of the hero's armies, on the hero's Attack / Defense (including artifacts), and possibly on the distribution of hits per stack (many hits in one stack is better than spread out).
7. Sometimes with too large an army, monsters run away. In this case, it is sometimes enough to transfer part of your army to another hero and try to join the neutrals again.
8. Believing that morale helps joining is a typical misconception - it does not help.

These are all observations. Information was gathered from various sources and may not be entirely correct.

d) Necromancy (necromancy, black magic) why not take it??? What about the legions of skeletons, which are not only decent in strength, but can also be exchanged for resources, with which you can build the most important buildings especially in the early stage!...

This refers to heroes who are not necromancers. They have enough other useful skills that need development. And creating a skeleton army under the command of, for example, a Knight with the necromancy skill is not very effective, because the skeletons appearing after every battle in a Knight's army will significantly lower the morale bar, which was the Knight's advantage in battle.

Suggest collecting skeletons to Galtran. He knows better how to handle them :)
All necros have the necromancy skill by default.

The Admiral's Hat is a composite artifact, but it also affects speed very well, so it must be taken into account.

The Admiral's Hat, in my opinion, acts as the sum of effects from the Sea Captain's Hat and the Sea Guidance Necklace; it offers no additional logistics bonuses. And the fact that it preserves the remainder of the hero's move when boarding a boat is stated in its properties in the corresponding section.

It is necessary to write what the maximum move duration, or movement reserve, for a hero is possible. After all, it's no secret that when visiting an Oasis, Water Body, FM and FE, the bonus increases, and quite significantly; if you consider that this increasing bonus object is located in close proximity to monsters, one can accumulate a very large movement reserve—the question is how much???

Exactly – the question is how much? :)

Peasant 0
why such discrimination...

This is all due to the calculation mechanism implemented by the developers. As far as I know, experience depends on the amount of XP of the monster left on the altar. (Not only on this, of course, but to a great extent). A peasant's health reserve equals one. When calculating the amount of experience, each individual monster is considered separately, and then the experience that can be obtained from the entire army is summed up. For each peasant, less than one unit of experience is credited, and the machine rounds it down to zero. Then it sums these zeros. So, even if you sacrifice a legion of peasants – the experience will be zero. If I recall correctly...

I think this assumption is incorrect; morale changes from -3 to +3, exactly like luck.

Agreed, this has been confirmed by experiments. I'll need to remove this note.

SHEET 15
Gorgeous table, but there is a suggestion to make images for each artifact, which would provide the most complete satisfaction to everyone reading this textbook.
P.S. After all, you'll agree that hearing from someone how a rocket works in combat conditions and seeing it with your own eyes are different things.

I consider it irrational to overload the guide with graphic material, as the file size grows significantly.

Let's consider the current version of the file as working material since changes are planned for it. Graphics are posted as separate files on the "Useful Utilities" page - "Artifacts" - Arts_HMM3.rar and "Units" - Units_HMM3.rar

In the future, when a decision is made to complete the "construction" work, everything can be combined for completeness.

P.S. And also, please make a list of abbreviations-decryptions, as many do not know their meanings.

Which specific abbreviations do you mean?

With this, I have finished my brief review (17 sheets) of such an important document.

Many thanks!
In your spare time, if it's not too much trouble, please go through the remaining 29 sheets. You would be doing me a great favor :)

Respectfully,
AmberSoler

You know, I quickly skimmed through this guide, and I liked it so much that I'm speechless! Everything is described, everything is shown. It's both beautiful and interesting. And then I thought – what if we create a similar guide for parts 4 and 5, and then tackle parts 1 and 2. If you decide to do this, feel free to contact me; I'll help in any way I can!

Thank you for your comments. 1. The HMM II guide was written by people who were quite well-known in the Heroes community (Horn, Michel, Maniak, etc.) many years ago – in 1999, and it is unlikely that anything can be added to it now. If you are interested, you can find it here (in text format): http://homm3world.narod.ru/distr/FAQ_HMM2.rar Or, as an alternative, here (adapted to HTML format, graphics added): http://www.heroesportal.net/library/index.php 2. Regarding HMM IV, unfortunately, I don't know this world very well, and therefore I am unlikely to take on work in this area. 3. As for HMM V, there is not even any point in starting work on it yet. There is a lot of information on this topic on the Internet, and as a rule, it is contradictory. It will be difficult to get to the bottom of it – some time must pass before a real understanding of this game is formed. Unless, of course, the Heroes community accepts it as one of the games in the HoMM series. So far, this is not really happening... Sincerely, AmberSoler

There are some questions regarding sheet #1.
For example, Vocal specializes in vampires, not liches.
There are also some inconsistencies regarding skills - armor provides 15% on the expert level, but on page 3, it's stated differently (at the bottom)...
The information about ranged attacks is also not entirely clear...
But I have already expressed my gratitude for your work.

There are some questions regarding sheet № 1.
Vokial, for example, specializes in vampires, not liches.
The skills are also somewhat contradictory - armor gives 15% at expert level, but on page 3 it's somehow different (at the bottom) ...
Archery is also not entirely clear ...

Vokial - corrected, thank you for that.

As for armor and archery - this topic is not new. In fact, the in-game tooltip context menu does not match the official manual provided by the creator along with the game...

Hence the morale - which of the two options reflects the truth can only be determined through trial and error. During gameplay, one can only make estimates, which are reflected in the guide's text. Therefore, at the bottom of page 3, observations are listed under an IMHO remark with a reference to comments from respected players...

If you have clear observations from practice, I would be glad if you shared them...

Thank you.

Good day.
I have a few remarks, if you don't mind :)
Sheet 33
1. Wood, stone, and gold are calculated as actual totals, but other resources are not.
2. When calculating resources for upgrades, some units require a level 2 Magic Tower; the resources and days to build it are not taken into account. (The same applies to building simple structures, which require a level 1 Magic Tower)

Sheet 45
"Catapult" section
The phrase "...fires upon enemy troops..." is, in my opinion, not entirely correct. "...upon the walls and towers of the Castle..." would be more accurate :)

Sheet 40 - one red arrow should be black :)

Regarding phoenixes: as far as I know, they are not affected by spells like Lightning Bolt and Cold Ray (and their derivatives).

I express my gratitude for the work done! It's a pity this information wasn't available 6 years ago :(

Good luck! :)

...I have a few comments, if you don't mind :)

Of course, I don't mind! :)

1. Sheet 33. I'll review the calculation mechanics when I have time. Maybe there was a mistake somewhere... But I don't see it right away. If you can point me to where to look, I'll be grateful. :)

2. Sheets 40, 45 - corrected.
Thank you for the clarification.

Regarding phoenixes. They are not affected by fire magic and magic arrow (unless they have the vulnerability medal, of course). Regarding lightning bolt - it hits as it should... And what is cold ray, sorry for my ignorance... :cool

sheet 2
The Armageddon spell does not affect creatures that are immune to fire magic or immune to all magic.

How do you create composite artifacts if you have all the artifact components available?

Added 4 minutes later
If you have the Armageddon's Blade artifact, the Armageddon spell will not affect your army.

Sheet 2
The Armageddon spell does not affect creatures that are immune to fire magic or immune to all magic.

This can be indicated next to each spell - it's obvious information, so there's no need to duplicate it...

How do you create composite artifacts if you have all the artifact components?

You just need to place all the components in the corresponding slots, and the game will offer you to obtain the Composite Artifact...

This is an awesome reference guide... a truly monumental work!