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Since the old thread has long been outdated, and because a single standard of rules is needed across all Heroes resources, this thread is being created. I would like to express my gratitude to my colleague from heroesportal.net, Sub-Zero, for his help in writing these rules.
0. If any point of the rules is unclear to you, or if you do not know how to act in a particular situation, do not try to guess the rules yourself; instead, contact the organizer via private message. They will certainly explain and help you!
1. To participate in a Heroes III tournament, you must register on our website and leave an application in the thread where the tournament is being held.
2. Tournaments are played using the latest version of Heroes of Might and Magic III:
The Shadow of Death (Version 3.2) or Complete Collection [Platinum Edition] (Version 4.0)
If your version of The Shadow of Death is lower than 3.2, you must update the version. Playing in a tournament on Restoration of Erathia (ROE), Armageddon's Blade (AB), or In the Wake of Gods (WoG) versions is FORBIDDEN!
3. Sequence of actions for participating in a tournament:
3.1. Download the save (which is usually located at the bottom of the main post of the tournament thread).
3.2. The downloaded save must be placed on your computer in the GAMES folder where Heroes III is installed.
3.3. Load from the save and begin playing at any time convenient for you. Restarting the game is forbidden, and the map can only be completed starting from the downloaded start save.
3.4. Every player is required to make saves at the end of each game day. The tournament organizer may request these from you. In the absence of saves, the result will be annulled without discussion.
3.5. After reaching the final action that leads to victory (final battle, capturing a town, taking an artifact, etc.), you must save again.
3.6. A full description of the tournament map is encouraged (optional).
3.7. Within the time limit allotted for this tournament, send this save to the tournament organizer (the e-mail address should be specified in the rules of that specific tournament).
3.8. Wait for the results.
4. General restrictions:
4.1. It is forbidden to discuss the walkthrough or gameplay nuances during the tournament. All questions may only be asked of the tournament organizer (or judge) via private message.
4.2. You may only play from the start save. Restarting or starting a new game from the map is forbidden.
4.3. Cheat codes (cheats) can only be used for scouting (familiarizing yourself with the map). Using cheat codes in the final walkthrough is forbidden. The result will be annulled immediately.
4.4. It is forbidden to use any programs or files not specified in point 7 that make changes to the Gameplay.
5. During gameplay, it is forbidden to:
5.1. Dig up the Grail before the entire puzzle map is fully opened, i.e., without first visiting all obelisks (even if the cross is visible earlier!)
5.2. Dig up the Grail on a day when the digging hero performs any other actions (movements). P.S. Digging the hole (without digging up the Grail) in one day is also forbidden.
5.3. Hire your own dismissed or killed-in-battle heroes on the day of their dismissal or death (however, surrendering or fleeing with a hero during battle before their death and then redeeming them on the same day is permissible; hiring other heroes is allowed).
P.S. Digging up a hero with boosted movement on another day is also a bug. But it is permitted.
P.P.S. A hero who "wins" a battle by using the "Summon Elementals" spell, losing all main troops in the process and disappearing from the map, is considered dead.
5.4. Leave a hero without troops (except for cases where this happens during a quest).
5.5. Artificially (prematurely) interrupt the movement of a hero (e.g., using the "space" key) who is using the "Fly" spell (or "Angel Wings" artifact), including capturing blocked towns or defeating their garrisons using this technique; other uses of this spell are permitted.
5.6. Sell artifacts and scrolls at inflated prices.
5.7. Visit sirens multiple times with the same hero.
5.8. Repeatedly attack and flee (lose) battles against neutral groups containing an upgraded stack (multidefeat).
P.S. Attacking such a neutral group and fleeing for the purpose of buying a hero (without subsequent victory over that same neutral squad) is permitted.
P.P.S. Fleeing from such a battle after the complete destruction of the upgraded stack is permitted.
5.9. Use magic in anti-magic garrisons, except for magic automatically cast (without a corresponding player command) by certain artifacts.
5.10. Raise undead from summoned elementals or from (with the help of) cloned monsters, or from demons raised (resurrected) with the help of hellspawn in the hero's army, or from undead raised by a computer hero in the event of your hero's defeat (death/surrender/flight).
5.11. Use "stuttering" on a monster under the effect of the "Berserk" spell.
5.12. Use the bug with an infinite number of shots for a ballista without ammunition supply if victory is achieved solely due to this bug, i.e., by the power of the ballista alone.
P.S. Using this technique when an ammunition supply is present is permitted—in cases where the number of battle rounds does not exceed 500. In this case, the hero must have an ammunition supply before entering battle, and after the battle, the ammunition supply must remain intact.
P.P.S. Using this bug in the event of a long multi-round battle (without ammunition supply or upon its destruction), where victory is achieved not by the ballista but with the help of the hero's army (monsters) or magic, is permitted.
5.13. Use navigation bonuses on land.
This prohibition applies to fleeing from a sea battle and subsequent movement by the redeemed hero in the following cases:
1) The hero uses the "Admiral's Hat" artifact or its components;
2) The hero has the "Navigation" skill of any level;
3) There is (construction or taking control of) Lighthouse(s).
P.S. Fleeing from sea and subsequent movement by the redeemed hero in cases 2 and 3 is permitted if obtaining the basic level "Navigation" skill (or several levels starting from basic simultaneously) or the construction/capture of a Lighthouse occurs on the day of flight.
5.14. Use the "Admiral's Hat" artifact in its assembled form.
P.S. Using the component parts of this artifact ("Captain's Hat" and "Navigator's Necklace") without combining them is permitted.
5.15. All battles fought in the tournament may be subject to verification by the tournament leaders for the fact of their reproducibility on any computer, and precise descriptions of the battles they fought may be requested from the participants.
When reproducing battles, the roll of morale/luck/abilities should not be a deciding factor in victory (army preservation) and is not mandatory when the tournament leader reproduces this battle.
A player has the right to deviate from these rules and build their victory on a single roll of morale/luck/abilities and ask the tournament leader to replay their battle several times to ensure the reproducibility of its results.
In case of deviation from these rules, as well as the inability of the tournament leader to reproduce any of the battles in the tournament within 25 attempts, the participant's final save is annulled.
P.S. When checking this condition, leaders do not count exactly 25 attempts but consider the reality and probability of conducting the battle.
5.16. It is forbidden to use any game bugs not specified in point 6.
P.S. If you discover a bug not specified in point 6, you should contact the tournament leader for clarification.
6. The following techniques are permitted during gameplay:
6.1. Hiring a hero after dismissal or death on any subsequent day.
6.2. Hiring a fallen computer hero on any day.
6.3. Leaving a hero without troops as a result of completing a quest.
6.4. Neutrals carry-over (bringing neutrals).
6.5. Dismissing a hero in a town garrison.
6.6. Building the Grail on the same day as any other building in the town.
6.7. Building two ships at the shipyard simultaneously.
6.8. Using the transfer of artifacts from the winner to the loser following a battle between computer heroes.
6.9. Using errors (or explicit and implicit intentions) of the map maker, as well as implicit game errors that occur without any player intervention.
7. Permitted auxiliary programs and files:
7.1. HD mod - A mod for improving the functional part of the interface. Author baratorch. Using HD+ is forbidden.
7.2. "Hero-digger" - Hero recruitment agent. Author ShadeByte download
7.3. HMM3_Lighter - a program for fast exchange of troops and artifacts between two heroes in Heroes III. Author vbn.
7.4. ONLY these text files:
Cranim.txt - battle animation accelerator.
ARRAYTXT.TXT file - definition of the number of monsters for different versions of heroes.
GENRLTXT.TXT file - showing hero mana in battles.
7.5. 7-zip - a program for archiving tournament saves.
8. Miscellaneous
8.1. If you notice any inaccuracy in the rules, please inform me via PM.
8.2. To organize your own Heroes III tournament, please contact me via PM for consultation and organizational help.
General Rules for Offline Heroes III Tournaments (as of 06.10.2012)
0. If any point of the rules is unclear to you, or if you do not know how to act in a particular situation, do not try to guess the rules yourself; instead, contact the organizer via private message. They will certainly explain and help you!
1. To participate in a Heroes III tournament, you must register on our website and leave an application in the thread where the tournament is being held.
2. Tournaments are played using the latest version of Heroes of Might and Magic III:
The Shadow of Death (Version 3.2) or Complete Collection [Platinum Edition] (Version 4.0)
If your version of The Shadow of Death is lower than 3.2, you must update the version. Playing in a tournament on Restoration of Erathia (ROE), Armageddon's Blade (AB), or In the Wake of Gods (WoG) versions is FORBIDDEN!
3. Sequence of actions for participating in a tournament:
3.1. Download the save (which is usually located at the bottom of the main post of the tournament thread).
3.2. The downloaded save must be placed on your computer in the GAMES folder where Heroes III is installed.
3.3. Load from the save and begin playing at any time convenient for you. Restarting the game is forbidden, and the map can only be completed starting from the downloaded start save.
3.4. Every player is required to make saves at the end of each game day. The tournament organizer may request these from you. In the absence of saves, the result will be annulled without discussion.
3.5. After reaching the final action that leads to victory (final battle, capturing a town, taking an artifact, etc.), you must save again.
3.6. A full description of the tournament map is encouraged (optional).
3.7. Within the time limit allotted for this tournament, send this save to the tournament organizer (the e-mail address should be specified in the rules of that specific tournament).
3.8. Wait for the results.
4. General restrictions:
4.1. It is forbidden to discuss the walkthrough or gameplay nuances during the tournament. All questions may only be asked of the tournament organizer (or judge) via private message.
4.2. You may only play from the start save. Restarting or starting a new game from the map is forbidden.
4.3. Cheat codes (cheats) can only be used for scouting (familiarizing yourself with the map). Using cheat codes in the final walkthrough is forbidden. The result will be annulled immediately.
4.4. It is forbidden to use any programs or files not specified in point 7 that make changes to the Gameplay.
5. During gameplay, it is forbidden to:
5.1. Dig up the Grail before the entire puzzle map is fully opened, i.e., without first visiting all obelisks (even if the cross is visible earlier!)
5.2. Dig up the Grail on a day when the digging hero performs any other actions (movements). P.S. Digging the hole (without digging up the Grail) in one day is also forbidden.
5.3. Hire your own dismissed or killed-in-battle heroes on the day of their dismissal or death (however, surrendering or fleeing with a hero during battle before their death and then redeeming them on the same day is permissible; hiring other heroes is allowed).
P.S. Digging up a hero with boosted movement on another day is also a bug. But it is permitted.
P.P.S. A hero who "wins" a battle by using the "Summon Elementals" spell, losing all main troops in the process and disappearing from the map, is considered dead.
5.4. Leave a hero without troops (except for cases where this happens during a quest).
5.5. Artificially (prematurely) interrupt the movement of a hero (e.g., using the "space" key) who is using the "Fly" spell (or "Angel Wings" artifact), including capturing blocked towns or defeating their garrisons using this technique; other uses of this spell are permitted.
5.6. Sell artifacts and scrolls at inflated prices.
5.7. Visit sirens multiple times with the same hero.
5.8. Repeatedly attack and flee (lose) battles against neutral groups containing an upgraded stack (multidefeat).
P.S. Attacking such a neutral group and fleeing for the purpose of buying a hero (without subsequent victory over that same neutral squad) is permitted.
P.P.S. Fleeing from such a battle after the complete destruction of the upgraded stack is permitted.
5.9. Use magic in anti-magic garrisons, except for magic automatically cast (without a corresponding player command) by certain artifacts.
5.10. Raise undead from summoned elementals or from (with the help of) cloned monsters, or from demons raised (resurrected) with the help of hellspawn in the hero's army, or from undead raised by a computer hero in the event of your hero's defeat (death/surrender/flight).
5.11. Use "stuttering" on a monster under the effect of the "Berserk" spell.
5.12. Use the bug with an infinite number of shots for a ballista without ammunition supply if victory is achieved solely due to this bug, i.e., by the power of the ballista alone.
P.S. Using this technique when an ammunition supply is present is permitted—in cases where the number of battle rounds does not exceed 500. In this case, the hero must have an ammunition supply before entering battle, and after the battle, the ammunition supply must remain intact.
P.P.S. Using this bug in the event of a long multi-round battle (without ammunition supply or upon its destruction), where victory is achieved not by the ballista but with the help of the hero's army (monsters) or magic, is permitted.
5.13. Use navigation bonuses on land.
This prohibition applies to fleeing from a sea battle and subsequent movement by the redeemed hero in the following cases:
1) The hero uses the "Admiral's Hat" artifact or its components;
2) The hero has the "Navigation" skill of any level;
3) There is (construction or taking control of) Lighthouse(s).
P.S. Fleeing from sea and subsequent movement by the redeemed hero in cases 2 and 3 is permitted if obtaining the basic level "Navigation" skill (or several levels starting from basic simultaneously) or the construction/capture of a Lighthouse occurs on the day of flight.
5.14. Use the "Admiral's Hat" artifact in its assembled form.
P.S. Using the component parts of this artifact ("Captain's Hat" and "Navigator's Necklace") without combining them is permitted.
5.15. All battles fought in the tournament may be subject to verification by the tournament leaders for the fact of their reproducibility on any computer, and precise descriptions of the battles they fought may be requested from the participants.
When reproducing battles, the roll of morale/luck/abilities should not be a deciding factor in victory (army preservation) and is not mandatory when the tournament leader reproduces this battle.
A player has the right to deviate from these rules and build their victory on a single roll of morale/luck/abilities and ask the tournament leader to replay their battle several times to ensure the reproducibility of its results.
In case of deviation from these rules, as well as the inability of the tournament leader to reproduce any of the battles in the tournament within 25 attempts, the participant's final save is annulled.
P.S. When checking this condition, leaders do not count exactly 25 attempts but consider the reality and probability of conducting the battle.
5.16. It is forbidden to use any game bugs not specified in point 6.
P.S. If you discover a bug not specified in point 6, you should contact the tournament leader for clarification.
6. The following techniques are permitted during gameplay:
6.1. Hiring a hero after dismissal or death on any subsequent day.
6.2. Hiring a fallen computer hero on any day.
6.3. Leaving a hero without troops as a result of completing a quest.
6.4. Neutrals carry-over (bringing neutrals).
6.5. Dismissing a hero in a town garrison.
6.6. Building the Grail on the same day as any other building in the town.
6.7. Building two ships at the shipyard simultaneously.
6.8. Using the transfer of artifacts from the winner to the loser following a battle between computer heroes.
6.9. Using errors (or explicit and implicit intentions) of the map maker, as well as implicit game errors that occur without any player intervention.
7. Permitted auxiliary programs and files:
7.1. HD mod - A mod for improving the functional part of the interface. Author baratorch. Using HD+ is forbidden.
7.2. "Hero-digger" - Hero recruitment agent. Author ShadeByte download
7.3. HMM3_Lighter - a program for fast exchange of troops and artifacts between two heroes in Heroes III. Author vbn.
7.4. ONLY these text files:
Cranim.txt - battle animation accelerator.
ARRAYTXT.TXT file - definition of the number of monsters for different versions of heroes.
GENRLTXT.TXT file - showing hero mana in battles.
7.5. 7-zip - a program for archiving tournament saves.
8. Miscellaneous
8.1. If you notice any inaccuracy in the rules, please inform me via PM.
8.2. To organize your own Heroes III tournament, please contact me via PM for consultation and organizational help.
