This material was written specifically for the 4th issue of the electronic publication "Heroes Herald" (
http://woggrad.ru/vestnik/2010_09.pdf).
Heroes2info – a reference guide for Heroes of Might and Magic 2.
Dedicated to the memory of Master
1. Guide Contents.
Currently, the alpha version includes the following sections:
Basic unit stats, comparative unit strength, spells, building schemes for all castles, information on the market and thieves' guild, upgrade probabilities for primary and secondary skills of various hero types, secondary skills, movement characteristics, artifacts, and map objects.
Who might need this?
The following should be noted. In Heroes 2, there are maps from the first released version (Heroes of Might and Magic 2: The Succession Wars) and maps from the add-on (Heroes of Might and Magic 2: Price of Loyalty). The add-on maps contain many new objects and artifacts that are often unfamiliar to fans of the game, especially if they last played it in the previous millennium. The Map Objects and Artifacts sections of the guide can be helpful here. It may also be useful for casual fans of Heroes 2 who cannot dedicate much time to this wonderful strategy game.
The logic behind compiling the guide was roughly as follows: A player moves across the map and sees an object. They check the Map Objects section – and draw conclusions. They move further – they see neutral troops. They check the Basic Unit Stats section – and draw conclusions. They move further – they see an artifact. They check the Artifacts section – and make a decision.
Now regarding the Market and Thieves' Guild section. In my opinion, despite its simplicity, it is one of the most important sections of the guide. Deciding whether to fight the guards of an external market, deciding whether to build an additional market or upgrade existing ones – all of this can be done based on data from the Market section. As for the Thieves' Guild – things aren't quite as critical here, but it can be useful in some cases.
Secondary skills, hero upgrade probabilities, movement characteristics. This information may be interesting to both beginners and experienced players striving to increase their skill level.
Unit building scheme. A section mainly needed for beginning players. Its importance increases if there is a PROSPECT of capturing a certain castle. In this case, resource expenditure can be planned based on this section.
Spells are quite straightforward: check the guild or the hero's spellbook, look it up in the guide, and find out how that magic works.
And then there is the strange Comparative Unit Strength section. I am the one who uses this section.
2. The Change of Millennium, or the history of the guide's creation.
By the end of 2003, I had read almost everything written in Russian and published on the internet regarding Heroes 2 and 3. At that time, the foundations of a guide for... Heroes 3 were laid :)). Its content was very similar to the first version of the famous FizMig by AmberSoler. By the spring of 2004, the creation of the first version of my mini-guide for Heroes 2 was completed.
When creating the alpha version, I used already published materials as well as my own observations and research.
3. Information Reliability.
The vast majority of the guide's data is reliable. However, there are inaccuracies and outright errors. Information on heroes' starting troops (except for the Warlock) is, to put it mildly, debatable. Numerical coefficients (computer ratings) contain many inaccuracies. By the way, my own clarifications on this matter are highlighted in swamp green. Some of these inaccuracies will be corrected in the beta version. For instance, GreatGenius provided significant help by providing refined data on unit strength, which will be included in the beta version; I hope there will also be letters with clarifications for various sections.
It should be noted that some aspects remain under-researched. For over 10 years, an erroneous algorithm of computer behavior in battle was circulated on the internet. I publicly debunked it in February 2009. Then there was a fascinating study on penalties when shooting through castle walls conducted by AlexSpl in September 2009, which, by the way, refuted the damage limit when defense exceeds attack. Questions regarding the probability of morale and luck drops are currently quite vague.
4. Acknowledgments.
Of course, thanks to everyone who wrote about Heroes 2. To everyone who researched. To everyone who played.
And personally:
Antonplat – for everything.
Master – for outstanding achievements and setting the highest bar. Few know this great player. I will only say that he possessed the deepest understanding of Dust, the paradoxes of Dirty Player and PReDS, the gaming talent of vitalic, and the will to win of Alex_R...
Lord Aries – for the best organization of online Tournaments.
AlexSpl – for the depth of research and generosity in sharing the results.
GreatGenius – for colossal methodical assistance.
And of course to everyone who had the patience to read this article to the end!
Until we meet again,
Qwerty,
06.07.2010
