Posts from Druid Island REMASTERED

Title: Druid Island Map name: Island of Druid Map type: single player/Multiplayer Two-level map: no Number of players: 3 Size: Large Map author: Nebo/codenameray Map description:Having broken free from the abyss through numerous rifts in reality, hordes of demons surged into the world of Elves. One after another, tree cities burned to ashes. Only the Druid Island remained impregnable – the last elven stronghold. Then, the demons brought Orcs with them by force, their slaves from lands that had already been reduced to ash. However, at a crucial moment, the orcs rebelled against their masters, destroying their bastions and killing their generals. Drunk on the blood of their former masters, they went mad with rage, unable to stop themselves. Now, for the Elves, they pose as great a threat as the forces of Inferno.
In this clash of three strongholds, there will be only one winner!
Dear friends! I am glad to present to you the result of my work - the map Island of Druid REMASTERED. First, I want to say that I am not the author of the map. This is just a rework of someone else's map. Here is a link to the original: /topic/4417/ Therefore, as they say, all credits go to Nebo. That is, all thanks primarily go to this user. I came across the map by chance when I was downloading additional maps for my collection from this site. When I looked at the original, I liked the idea of the map and its plot, but I was very disappointed by its technical execution. The map looked more like a rough draft than a finished project. Initially, I set out to complete this map in its original form, but during the process, my own story took shape in my mind. In essence, at the moment it is a completely different map with a similar, but modified plot. From the old map, the main idea and the main outlines of the landscape remained, since it was also significantly reworked. In fact, at the beginning of the work, I simply deleted all objects from the map and did everything again, using only the initial location of the land, etc., as a basis. If you wish, you can compare my map with the original to understand everything yourself. I want to say that this is my first map and work in the editor, not only for HOMM5, but in general. Also, I want to say that this is the first version of the map. Essentially, this is an Alpha version. Currently, there is the first version of unit placement and artifacts on the map. I have not tested this map for playthroughs; I leave this honor to you, because we will be able to fine-tune the balance much faster together. As for the balance, I am sure that it will need to be adjusted, since according to the plot, all three sides are in unequal conditions, and relative balance can be achieved by skillfully placing monsters and artifacts, as well as correctly setting the starting conditions. In any case, I'm glad that I managed to upload the map even in this state, as due to work I need to leave for a month or two, and most likely during this period I will no longer be able to work on the map. I want to say that therefore you are free to do whatever you want with it and independently adjust the balance at your discretion. I am all for it, as I cannot handle this task due to lack of time. You can post updated versions of the map directly in this topic. Another remark - what was intended and what did not work out. None of the visual effects, such as fog or lava reflections, worked. The fact that the fog did not work disappointed me very much, because in two places on the map it is simply necessary. These are "Dead Forest" and "Bay of Sunken Ships." Perhaps the effects did not work because the original map was made for version 3.0. I planned to solve the problem of the missing fog like this: ideally, I could change the height of the clouds along the vertical axis, lower them to the ground, and simulate fog thanks to their different densities. Unfortunately, I don't have time to do this anymore. Also, there are two special groups of monsters on the map, in the form of armies, under a red flag. I planned to write an introductory speech before the battle for these monsters, but unfortunately, I couldn't handle this task again due to lack of time. I think someone who knows scripts can quickly do this themselves if they want. The text messages still remain with these monsters in the editor in the properties\message section. I also planned to replace the musical theme in the cities of the Elves or on the map when they move (I never decided) with a composition from the game Kings Bounty - Under the Shadow of the Oak. This musical theme would fit perfectly into the plot. But my hands didn't reach it. That's all. I wish everyone good luck; I hope my work will be useful to someone! :smile02: PS - gentlemen, today the latest version of the map is on page 6 in post 53. And also in this post, immediately below this inscription.
The other versions posted at various times in this topic are outdated and should not interest you.

I will also post the musical theme that I liked so much.

https://rapidshare.com/files/2863682020/Kings_Bounty__-_under_the_shadow_of_the_Oak.mp3

And I will also recommend:

First, be sure to download and install a mod that replaces the Ents with a model from the Beta version. They look much better and more atmospheric there.

Here is the link http://www.heroesofmightandmagic.com/heroes5/mods_and_fixes.shtml

Secondly, I recommend downloading a very good mod that introduces quite a few pleasant changes to the game. You can read about it on its page.
Here is the link http://rutracker.org/forum//topic/2629561/

That's really all. Thank you all for your attention!

Good map, interesting.

Thank you!
By the way, here is a slightly updated version. The changes are not significant.
Since all three factions start with castles that are already somewhat developed, I decided to increase the starting number of most monsters on the map to make it more interesting. Now the game is a little more challenging.
I also slightly reduced the amount of free resources on the map, again making the task a little more difficult.
In addition, I recommend playing on the "veteran" difficulty.

The map is good; it's clear at a glance. Just need to adjust the objectives, and the starting hero isn't selectable for the Elves, although there are no problems with the Demons.

Thank you. And the hero cannot be chosen even for the Orcs. I asked about this in the questions about the editor. I will gladly redo it if you tell me how.

If I had known, I would have said... Unfortunately, I don't deal with such things. Did it work in the original game?

No – that’s the thing, I inherited it from the previous author.
It happens.

the hero recruitment settings should be configured in the map properties.

Okay, I understand, but could you be more specific about how to do it?

Yes, it would be easier and more interesting to choose a hero among the elves (and also among the orcs). And another suggestion (if possible): since the island is kind of "magical," maybe the "witch huts" located on it could be charged with skills useful for a super ability – luck, light, logistics?

Here is the file containing these changes (the ability to choose heroes and starting bonuses).

Yes, it would be easier and more interesting to have a choice of heroes for the Elves (and Orcs). And another suggestion (if possible): since the island is kind of "magical," maybe the "witch huts" located on it could be charged with skills useful for the super ability – luck, light, logistics?

Unfortunately, for some reason, the "witch hut" is not an active building in the editor, and it is impossible to access its parameters. At least, no matter how many times I pressed the "properties" button, which should open access to the list of available skills, nothing happened.

Added 3 minutes later

Here is the file where these changes were made (the ability to choose heroes and starting bonuses).

Thank you, of course, but you rushed and probably made changes to the first file for no reason. I then changed something in it and posted it in the thread later. By the way, I will now post another version. Maybe you can do the same with it?

I'm releasing another update for this map.
Today, I played it, and besides noticing a few minor errors, I was very surprised by the AI's tactics.
It turns out that the Elves play the most aggressively. This surprised me because I was afraid they would be in the most unfavorable position. Apparently, I was wrong, because the Elves already land on the shore in the early second month, either near the Orcs or the Demons, and they even manage to defeat them. This kind of rush wasn't really planned in the storyline, and it's a bit annoying, so I tried to limit it slightly.
By the way, the Elf doesn't want to play according to the storyline and completely ignores the cities of its Faction, which it should theoretically try to capture.
Instead, it sails to the Demons or Orcs as quickly as possible, as if it's drawn to them, and takes over the mines on their territory.
The Demons also play quite well, but the Orcs disappointed me a lot. I don't know why, but the AI plays very passively as the Orcs. It captures everything near its base and then just sits in its city and rarely shows any activity.
Maybe it's just me, but in general, I've played several times, and the situation has been roughly the same each time.
I'm playing on Veteran difficulty with the megaAImod 1.2 mod.

In general, here are the changes in this release:
- Removed the "Boots of Levitation" from the Inferno territory.
Sorry, I accidentally confused them with other boots and put them on the map, even though I had forbidden this artifact among the possible ones. It happens.
- Increased the garrisons in the Inferno castles because the AI captures them too quickly when playing as Inferno.
- Moved some monsters around so that they are encountered in increasing order of difficulty, rather than from difficult to easy.
- Some monsters now drop a small amount of gold, stone, wood, or other resources.
- Near the Elven shipyard, as well as on the shores of the Orcs and Inferno, I placed large groups of Hydras to somehow deter the Elf from rushing. However, this only delayed it for a short time, and it still strives to land from the sea, destroying these Hydras sooner or later.
- Added missing artifacts for sets, as I had overlooked some places. Inferno and the Orcs, while traveling through their territory, can collect one complete set each.

That's all, I think.
By the way, I'm leaving for two months in a week. I will be able to respond, but I probably won't be able to work on the map. So, while I have time, I'm doing what I can.
Please write your suggestions, comments, and impressions here – I'll do something when I return. Feel free to modify the map yourself – I don't mind.

Yes, and a request to antonag07 – please make another fix for this version regarding hero selection. Upload the fixed map directly in the next post.

I've added the option to choose heroes/starting bonuses again – I haven't changed anything else, although it would be a good idea to thoroughly proofread the text for spelling and punctuation errors ;) (you can upload this file to your post later).