Posts from Quickly.

Name: Marriage of Discord
Map name: FirstMap
Map type: Single Player
Two-level map: Yes
Number of players: 3
Size: (M) Medium.
Author: Al. Goloschapov
Language: Russian (an English version is also available)
Game version: HOMM5 3.0, Tribes of the East expansion

Description:
The young king Alexander married the beautiful elven princess Annabelle. The happy couple did not enjoy peace for long. Soon, their entire kingdom was plunged into civil war.
First, the local dwarven vassals of Green Hills rebelled, deeply offended by the choice of the elf and Alexander's rejection of the dwarven bride, to whom they had been betrothed since childhood. The dwarven miners seized the rich underground city of Blazing Pyre.
Then, a rebellion broke out in the human kingdom itself. Rebels from the eastern Castle on the Glade declared independence and stated that they would now obey only Queen Irina, their former countess.

Important information:

After playing, you may want to remove the map from the Maps catalog, as it contains some modifications to monsters and artifacts, and playing on other maps will result in an imbalance.

The map is very interesting and long to play through. It has a captivating plot, many quests, and diverse battles. Moreover, the map is quite difficult. It is better to start by playing on an easy level, and even then, only if you are an expert...

And completing this map on a difficulty level higher than normal is very, very difficult!

Link to the map: marriage_of_dicord_toe_rus_396.zip(1,297 MB)

Map screenshots:


In-game screenshot

Sorry, but when I load the map, it freezes the game, and I can barely get out of that state using the task manager.

Perhaps, due to the fact that it's not the right version of Heroes (in version 3.1, the map was obviously not tested), there may still be issues with the system. On XP SP2 and higher (with video settings in the game usually set to High or Very High), I played through the map to the end, and repeatedly.

Here is a page with feedback from other players who successfully completed this map, and some hints (in English): Feedback

Everything loads perfectly, screenshot 1. Version 3.0.1.141. However, there are glitches on other maps, screenshot 2. There are 2 minotaurs there; look at their health!! :D MikeBlg mentioned it! Important information: After playing, you might want to remove the map from the Maps catalog, as it contains some modifications to monsters and artifacts, and playing on other maps will result in imbalance. +++ So, we played this map and immediately deleted it. +++ Well done, MikeBlg! Respect. An unconventional approach... And in general, it's clear that he's a creative person; one message and a map, and what a map... But judging by the description, they'll probably criticize it. Although I hope I can complete it.

Perhaps it's because it's not the right version of Heroes (in version 3.1, the map obviously wasn't tested), which could be causing system issues. On XP SP2 and higher (with video settings in the game usually set to High or Very High), I played through the map to the end, and several times.

Here's a page with feedback from others who successfully completed the map, along with some hints (in English): Feedback

Well, I played the older version at some point. Of course, I have version 3.1 of the game; it's just unclear why it's obviously the case that the map wasn't tested on it:confused: I have XP SP2, and the only map that gave me some problems was Reconquista, but that's a real monster in terms of size and the number of scripts.

Reconquista? I should take a look... And does it also have >20 diverse quests, most of which have 2, and some even 3 different endings? And what about the battles, who has modified them like that?

Even the Chinese like it (just look at their emoticons): Chinese reviews

Reconquista? I should take a look... And does it also have >20 diverse quests, most of which have 2, and some even 3 different endings? And what about the battles, who modified them like that?

Even the Chinese like it (check out their emoticons): Chinese reviews

Sir, I already wrote that I played the old version of the map. If I want to try the new one, it means I like it, just like the Chinese do. The problem is that on version 3.1, at least for me, the map doesn't work. And installing version 3.0 just for this map seems like too much trouble.

Sir, I already wrote that I played the old version of the map. If I want to try the new one, it means I like it, just like the Chinese do. The problem is that on version 3.1, at least for me, the map doesn't work. And installing version 3.0 separately just for this map seems like too much trouble.

On my laptop, the map runs fine on version 3.1. It's not a very powerful laptop, though; it only has 3 GB of RAM. The operating system is Windows XP SP3. The only thing is that you have to remove some other mods and maps so that the map runs and doesn't conflict with its own mods.
The map is quite decent. But it's already quite old (I remember playing it; judging by the readme, it has remained unchanged since April 9, 2008). I would like a new one that is just as good, or even better. Thank you for the map.
The only suggestion: I would like to see the map version indicated by numbers in the list of maps: 1.1...1.2, etc. Otherwise, it's not always possible to determine from the date whether you played the original map or an updated version.

On my laptop, with version 3.1, the map runs fine. It's not a very powerful laptop, though, it only has 3 GB of RAM. The operating system is Windows XP SP3. The only thing is that you need to remove some other mods and maps so that the map runs and doesn't conflict with its own mods.
The map is quite decent. But it's already a bit old (I remember playing it; judging by the readme, it hasn't been changed since April 9, 2008). I would like a new one that is just as good, or even better :) Thank you for the map.
The only comment: I would like the version number of the map to be indicated in the list of maps: 1.1...1.2, etc. Otherwise, it's not always possible to determine from the date whether you played the original map or an updated version.

A million apologies, I just didn't notice the OK button in the local design - it's a small, empty window, with text on top of everything else, and the OK button is in the lower left corner:rolleyes:
If it's the same map, I probably won't play it again. I understand from the text that this is a new version...:(

The map is simply fantastic:smile20: I started and abandoned it about 3 times over the past 2 years, I just didn't have the patience. But yesterday, I spent the whole day on it, and when I thought I had lost all hope of successfully completing it, I finally defeated the Seraphs:smile44: and reconciled with my ex-girlfriend:smile16:. Huge thanks to the author for such a great piece of work!!!

An interesting scenario, though incredibly difficult. The author took a non-standard approach to some of the units, making them almost immortal! I think that whoever manages to complete the scenario on Hero difficulty will be the embodiment of patience and courage!

Walkthrough of the "Quick and Dirty" scenario (hero difficulty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7-1gvvAfI0

Interesting scenario, though quite challenging.

You have to replay it many times, but if you know what to do, it doesn't seem that difficult anymore. I played as the Warrior. Walkthrough and tips.
Spells in the Castle: mostly Dark magic. Always take Berserk and Subdue on levels 4-5, so Dark magic is a good choice for heroes.
For Alexander, focus on Logistics and Machines early on.
For Annabelle, I focused on Dark and Sorcery.
Tips for the quests.
Alexander can reach the Castle in two ways. Besides the obvious route through the Tomb of the Ancient King, there's also a path through the desert. You need to take a ship and land on the other side near the Mage. He gives the quest Riddle of the Pyramid. There are also 3 refugee camps with Knights and Paladins, and more Paladins will join. And as a bonus, there's a Fort on a hill :) Inside the pyramid is an evil Necromancer who will lower morale to -8 with a single spell. But his army is small, and you can defeat him with a single ballista. As a reward, you get a Portal scroll to the city and artifacts.
In the desert, you can also take another quest from the Orcs. But to complete it, you'll need the green ring from the Necromancer's set, which can be found in the tomb. You can go to the tomb for the ring first, then sail to the desert, but I'm not sure if you'll have time to return. After completing the quest, Shamans, Executioners, and female Spellcasters (Orc archers who shoot poison clouds, like Liches) will join you.
After repelling the first attack of the Forsaken Bride, you need to quickly complete 2 quests. To defeat the invincible ghosts, you need to visit the dilapidated galley on the river. To win, you need to kill the ghosts simultaneously. Stone spikes are perfect for this. You can always get them at the exit of the Dungeon. A simple tactic: 3-4 monks in the corner, and the ghosts will line up like crosses) You get an artifact that will help you fight them. You need to equip it. Then immediately sail to the left into the whirlpool. Talk to the mermaid, kill the dragons, and take the hammer.
A Few Reliable Gnomes
Take the quest only when you're ready to complete it, because these gnomes must survive. After freeing the mine, you need to place the gnomes inside. Then click on the mine again and give them the hammer. After that, the passage to the prison will open.
In the prison, free Talanar. With his True Luck perk, he's our champion in battles where magic is prohibited. Level him up on peasants. It's very desirable to get Attack with Ranged, BB, and Retribution. It would also be good to get Storm Wind in Light.
Overcoming the Seraphs. Take Talanar, give him Master Archers, Crossbowmen, two Archangels with 1 stack each, and the rest as single units to protect the archers. The Archangels resurrect each other, and the archers do all the work. You need to kill the Seraphs three times, and their number will increase. In the 3rd time, I had almost 1000.
A long quest to find the mermaid's sister. Visit the tavern (near the stables) with only 4 crossbowmen. Get to the prison, escape, return to the mermaid, get ice elementals. Break through the Dark Elf garrison in the Dungeon, use the elementals to overcome the fire barrier, and get the ring of speed.
When you get the Elven Bow, you need to answer 7 questions. The answers are in the tavern of the Castle, with the innkeeper. There are 2 mistakes in them. Not 248, but 284. Answer the question about Popov incorrectly, because the author confused OK and Cancel (@C Remix).
You can go and attack Irina.
The garrison in front of Irina's Castle prevents the use of magic (except for resurrection in Archangels), so you need a lot of melee units. 200 Paladins were enough for me. During the assault on the garrison, there was a bug. Instead of 100 champions, there were 300.

P.S. Thanks to Remix for the video that inspired me to play this scenario :)

When I go down into the pyramid, there's a tomb that seems to belong to an ancestor of the hero, and it's guarded by an army of archangels. Anyway, after the battle with him, the game crashes. Saving and reloading doesn't help. What should I do?

I'm releasing an updated version of this epic scenario for the "Lords of the Horde" 3.1 version. The map was clearly made for version 3.0, and in 3.1, the combat script doesn't work as intended by the author due to a bug. Also, several unpleasant bugs have been fixed. What has been fixed:

• The combat script has been fixed (the setATB for summoned mage assistants didn't work). Now, on "Veteran" and "Hero" difficulty levels, the mage assistants always start the battle, rather than with a 1-turn delay as before. This will make the already difficult start on "Hero" a bit more challenging.
• The description of Annabelle's specialization has been corrected (it was "Spell Destroyer," but it's actually "Swift"). Those in the know already understood this because the spellbook contains the "Teleport" spell for 4 mana.
• Annabelle's home Castle is now Sylvan (instead of Inferno as it was), as it should be. Now, Annabelle won't have such huge problems with morale, and you can play with "Empathy." The start for Annabelle will become a little easier.
• A bug has been fixed that caused the weekly elven reinforcements (archers/ent) not to appear in the Castle if the leader of the peasant gangs, Emelyan, is killed. This won't significantly affect the game, as by the time the quests for reinforcements are completed, these reinforcements are no longer that necessary.
• The internal date of the artifact file has been updated (the map has an earlier date than in patch 3.1, so special artifacts didn't work, for example, the "Novice's Magic Wand" didn't reduce defense by -1, and the artifact "Sword of Your Ancestors," obtained after an epic half-hour/hour-long battle in the Warrior's Tomb, didn't give any bonuses). By the way, all weak artifacts have been made strong by the author for some reason (perhaps so that a weak artifact wouldn't be given at the start, but then this option could simply be blocked). So, it's better to choose resources at the start.
• For the Archangels, who are wizards in this scenario, the "cast" animation and an icon for the "Resurrect Allies" ability have been added. Now, the Archangels won't stand in a "cross" position during casts.

Enjoy the game!