Posts from Preparing for a club tournament for the second installment of Heroes of Might and Magic.

If Eric ever organizes a similar G2 tournament, I promise to defend my place in it!
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2 Dust.
In general, I am completely satisfied with what I have done in Heroes over the years and happily retired. ;) The only thing I would like is a bright, beautiful, fast, and fun tournament. Specifically, on fixed maps, or rather, legendary maps that people remember with great nostalgia.
The previous tournament was also not bad, but it was a bit rough around the edges. Here's what I would improve for the future.

1. Maps. Only the most interesting ones should be chosen, rich in resources and tactical opportunities. Teleports, Snowy Lands, 7 Lakes, and one or two more. Players should know 3 out of 5 to be able to participate. There's no need to be afraid of the map size.
Battles on the same Teleports lasted less than three weeks of game time.

Why did players avoid playing against you on Teleports? Because they were afraid (and rightly so) that you were better prepared on that map. But if the maps are announced in advance and players are given time to prepare, everyone will be well-prepared for the tournament.
In my opinion, I would ask you, as the champion, to select the best maps from Heroes 2 in terms of gameplay. Let's say, 5 engaging maps.

2. Location. Alex, it's too expensive for you to travel to Michurinsk again; no first prize will cover the travel costs. But traveling to St. Petersburg will be worthwhile in every way. Every time I go to this city, it feels like the first time. Besides Heroes, there's a great cultural program, just by walking around this city-museum.
If Sasha Horn could help us and the Moscow players (Querty, GreatGenius, Oxygen - if he is in Russia at that time) with accommodation, there would be no need to look for a better option. Moreover, in this city, besides Horn, there are other Heroes 2 players, such as DR28 and AlexGreat.

3. Timing. This tournament can be held in a year. Or in six months. But we shouldn't neglect the championship. There are only 6 of us, maybe 8 at most, and we can gather on 3-4 laptops and play in a hot-seat format.

4. Reporting. It is essential to prepare reports on the played matches so that people on the forum can read them. In my opinion, judging by the number of people who read the topic, it's not 6 or 8 people, but much more. This means that the game is remembered and loved, even if not everyone actively participates online.

5. It would be great to publish a report on the games of the best players in the country on the best maps of this legendary strategy in a computer magazine (I could present it beautifully and readably, and I don't see why professional gaming journalists couldn't do it). But this is secondary; we can negotiate it or not.

6. And ban blocking teleports with peasants in the rules! :smile19:

Yes, of course, I would like to see a repeat! As usual, I am ready to help with the rules, regulations, and other aspects. It is absolutely clear that it is necessary to establish penalties for being late to a round, by reducing the number of available units. North-South turned out to be an unsuccessful option, as it turned out. The fact that Teleports will counter Dust in every game is quite obvious; I was going to play this map first. On the other hand, the three-day game for first place highlighted the correctness of the approach to choosing dynamic maps: if this game had been in the first round, imagine how the rest of the tournament would have gone...
On the other hand, on "The Other Side":))) Horn gave an excellent lesson in preparatory work, and his analysis of this map became a highlight of the tournament.
In general, we can return to the issue of map selection, as well as to the issue of rules, later, after the initial determination of the deadlines.
PS. As I understand it, traveling from Novosibirsk to Michurinsk or St. Petersburg takes about the same amount of time...

P.S. As I understand it, the travel time from Novosibirsk to Michurinsk is roughly the same as to St. Petersburg...

In the first case, Alexey Dust spent a lot of money on travel with no real destination. In the second, for the same amount, he visited one of the most beautiful cities in the world, combining pleasure (Heroes of Might and Magic) with pleasure (St. Petersburg). No one regrets spending money on that. And for us, it's not expensive to travel, whether it's to St. Petersburg, Michurinsk, or Moscow.

On the other hand, on "The Other Side")) Horn gave an excellent lesson in preparatory work, and his analysis of this map became a highlight of the tournament.

That's true. But for such a fan-based tournament, you need action. The players should constantly be on high alert, so that readers read the reports and say: "They were doing some crazy things."
And so that they themselves would want to reread the report in a few years.

In the first case, Lesha Dust spent a lot of money on travel to nowhere. In the second case, for the same amount, he visited one of the most beautiful cities in the world, combining pleasure (Heroes of Might and Magic) with pleasure (St. Petersburg). No one regrets spending money like that. And for us, it's not expensive to travel, whether it's to St. Petersburg, Michurinsk, or Moscow.

Why say "nowhere," he's quite happy with his vacation and the money spent on it.
Next summer, I plan to go to St. Petersburg with my family, so I can combine business with pleasure ;-)

Why say "nowhere," I'm quite happy with my vacation and the money I spent on it.
Next summer, I'm planning to go to St. Petersburg with my family, so I can combine pleasure with business ;-)

I'm not sure your wife will let you play Heroes in St. Petersburg. :smile26:
I've learned that from experience.

But, holding a proper tournament with decent maps in St. Petersburg next year would be more than ideal for me.


Alex, suggest some playable maps that have enough resources for both battles and fully upgrading a castle. Three were mentioned - 7 Lakes, Teleports, Snowy Lands. We need about two or three more.

I'm not sure your wife in St. Petersburg will let you play Heroes. :smile26:
I know from personal experience.

Me? No, on the contrary, I've never had problems with my wives about this :-)
On the contrary, she'll sit next to me, cheer me on, and support me :cool:

Alex, suggest some playable maps that have resources for both battles and full castle development. Three were mentioned - 7 Lakes, Teleports, Snowy Lands. We need about two or three more.

Yes, of course, I'll choose them later and let you know!

I don't mind. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, I can take on organizing this event. I think we can accommodate 8-10 people without any problems. For me, the best time would be in the summer, in July-August. This way, I won't be distracted from work, and we can also have a good time (meaning going for walks outside :)), and take a trip to Peterhof on a boat, etc. Let's, while we have time, estimate the dates in advance and adjust our plans accordingly.

Let's plan! I really like this option, and I want to come to St. Petersburg with my girlfriend.
The cultural program will, of course, include the tournament, and as a break from the battles, we can visit the sights... I haven't been to Peterhof!
Eric also said that he plans to come to St. Petersburg next summer.

The dates are not particularly important to me; July would be fine.

By the way, Eric also said that he plans to go to St. Petersburg next summer.

The timing isn't particularly important to me; July would be fine.

Are you not planning to attend the CIS tournament in Yekaterinburg in the spring? Or will one not interfere with the other? ;)

Are you planning to hold a CIS tournament in Yekaterinburg this spring? Or will one not interfere with the other? ;)

I just found out about this. I think one won't interfere with the other. If anyone else from Siberia decides to participate, you or Van, I will definitely join, Yekaterinburg is quite close, practically ;-)

Lesha, suggest some playable maps that have enough resources for both battles and fully upgrading the castle. Three were already mentioned: 7 Lakes, Teleports, and Snowy Lands. We need about two or three more.

Maps for the championship should either be designed from scratch or edited. In my opinion, out of the maps played this year, only one was good – Beltway, a few were tolerable, and a few were terrible. :smile21: As for resource abundance and size, maps can be of any kind – even when you have plenty of money, it can get boring. The main thing is that they should be varied and not imply practically a single scenario. What's so great about Teleports? It's just a game of development, and whoever manages to secure the island and its artifacts wins. There are no maneuvers because you can't bypass the opponent on the narrow strip of land. At least add boats and whirlpools so that you can sail to the island and to the opponent. Or better yet, edit the mainland as well...
I also suggest removing the genie lamps from the championship maps and, if it doesn't contradict the map's idea, playing it in S.Wars. In my opinion, PoL doesn't have any particularly useful new features for multiplayer, except for artifacts that create imbalance.

I don't think anyone would object to a new topic.
Regarding the difference between versions.
I'm generally in favor. There's no need to buff Necromancers; some artifacts might unbalance the game, and instead of elementals, it would be more interesting to use troll-lich-medusa units. The only thing that holds me back is the stables.
Regarding Teleport maps. This map should be included. However, it could also be excluded.
In general, the approach to selecting maps can vary.
1. Each potential participant lists 3 maps, ranking them. The 6 maps with the highest scores are selected for the tournament.
2. Each potential participant lists 1 map. All listed maps are selected for the tournament.
3. The winner of the last tournament, the current champion, chooses the maps.
4. First, a shortlist of maps is created. Then, a vote is held among potential tournament participants.
5. A committee selects/edits/creates maps for the tournament, consisting of an independent expert (the ideal option would be Deep Mike), the current champion, and 1-3 other people.
I believe that when selecting maps, the approximate game duration should also be considered. Imagine what would happen if Horn and Dust met in the first round in Michurinsk – they would finish the game just as the other participants were leaving...

We can agree on the maps ourselves; Horn will also offer some, and we'll discuss/choose them – no problem. Beltway + We can probably leave Spellcasters as well, just with some minor edits. Seven Lakes Snowy Lands Lost Continent We can tweak Good vs. Evil if needed... + There are also drawn maps, by DeepMike and Catch, for example. If I'm in the mood, I'll take a look at the maps in the editor and post my own playable map options.

So, spring has arrived! In this regard, I propose that we return to discussing the possibility of holding a club tournament for the second installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series this spring!