Posts from Please offer some advice.

How do I complete the final mission for Tony Balfour? I need to attack both the lair of the sea monsters and the mermaid queen simultaneously, but I can't reach the queen because everything is blocked by reefs.

Take two different armies and go for it. On Champion difficulty, it's quite easy. The walkthrough is described on the AG.ru website (though I don't remember which level it is). But there's one thing to keep in mind. The 5-day countdown starts from a specific point (I think it's when one of the heroes opens the passage, but I'm not sure). After that, you can reach both enemies (one on the right, the other on the left), but you need to hurry – if you linger somewhere, you might not make it in time.

and let's go

And how do I get to the mermaids? The only passage across the sea is blocked by reefs.

How do I get to the mermaids? The only passage across the sea is blocked by reefs.

To reach the monsters, take a boat at the shipyard and sail to the left and up; after sailing away, a 5-day countdown begins.
To reach the mermaids, summon a boat (apparently, there's no other way to get there) in the upper right part of the peninsula, sail down and to the right first, then up to the chained passage – only a Tauren can pass through. Then, go up and to the right into the bay – no reefs will hinder you.
I think that's how it works.

Hello, I have a problem in Heroes 4: - When I select the resolution 1280x1024 in the game on large maps, there are severe slowdowns. When moving the mouse, the animation is jerky, and the troops also move in a choppy manner. If I uncheck "display animation" or set the game resolution lower, everything becomes perfect. But it can't be that in 2017, an old game can't run properly in a resolution of at least 1280x1024? I've already tried everything...

Windows 7.
Processor - Athlon X4 Quad-core 651 3.0 Ghz
Video card - Geforce 550 TI 1gb.
RAM - 8 gb.

I reinstalled Windows a couple of months ago.
If anyone can help, I would be very grateful.

I recorded a video for clarity, although the screen capture program is not very good, but the essence remains the same. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEE1QTWO7wA

But how can it be that in 2017, an old game can't run properly at a resolution of at least 1280x1024? I've already tried everything...

Windows 7.
Processor - Athlon X4 Quad-core 651 3.0 Ghz
Video card - Geforce 550 TI 1gb.
RAM - 8 gb.
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It certainly can. For example, on a wide screen with a resolution of 1680x1050, it's impossible to play at 1280x1024 - you have to set it to 1024x768. New doesn't always mean better. The game is adapted for older hardware and systems, and on newer ones, it may behave somewhat inadequately. You can, of course, tinker with the settings (and the effect may come from a setting that doesn't seem to have anything to do with it), but there's no guarantee that it will work.

dnaop-wr

My screen resolution is 1920x1080.
How does the game perform for you? Does it also lag terribly? I've asked around, and no one else seems to have this problem, even though their hardware isn't older than mine. Playing without animations or at a low resolution is just not enjoyable.

I haven't encountered this specific problem, but I use a computer with Windows XP, and the hardware is adequate – a dual-core processor and integrated video. On a widescreen monitor at a game resolution of 1280x1024, it automatically stretched to fill the entire screen, making it appear squashed (this problem didn't occur on earlier standard screens with a 4:3 aspect ratio, or 1600x1200 – I had one of those). This made it impossible to play properly. But the game itself has an internal performance issue related to memory overload. Starting with versions 1.3 to 2.0, the problem seems to have been fixed, but! Firstly, minor slowdowns can still be noticed, especially if the computer isn't very powerful. And secondly, if the computer is left running the game for a while, the slowdowns start again, and they become very severe, like in the first version. These disappear when the game is restarted, and clearing the memory doesn't help.

dnaop-wr

Okay, thanks. I guess I'll have to adjust to the lack of animation; I really don't want to lower the resolution.

dnaop-wr

Okay, thanks. I guess I'll have to adjust to the lack of animation; I really don't want to reduce the resolution.

I would reduce the resolution (to 1024x768) but keep the animation...

dnaop-wr

I tried it, but unfortunately, on my 22-inch widescreen monitor at a resolution of 1024, everything looks very poor quality, cropped, and the sidebar takes up half the screen:(

1280 - http://savepic.ru/14026063.jpg
1024 - http://savepic.ru/14039375.jpg

I have a 5:4 monitor, and everything works perfectly at 1280x1024, but in windowed mode, there are a lot of stutters.

dnaop-wr

I tried it, but unfortunately, on my 22-inch widescreen monitor at a resolution of 1024, everything looks very poor quality, cropped, and the side panel takes up half the screen:(

1280 - http://savepic.ru/14026063.jpg
1024 - http://savepic.ru/14039375.jpg

Okay, so what's going on here? The screen doesn't stretch in width – that's already good.
At work, I have a 1280x1024 screen – I run the game at 1024x768 so that I can quickly switch to the desired window if needed. At home, on a 1680x1050 monitor, I also use 1024x768 – at a higher resolution, it stretches to fill the entire screen and becomes squashed. Another monitor is 1024x768, and the game looks the same, naturally. On a laptop with a 1440x900 screen, only 1024x768 fit well. It worked best on a 1600x1200 monitor – any resolution fit without distortion or flickering, until it broke.
I can't say that I felt a strong discomfort at 1024x768, although it's definitely better at full resolution. I tried 800x600 – that was already a perversion.
In theory, neither full-screen mode (without distortion) nor windowed mode caused any problems (the laptop was a bit laggy, but it has only 500 MB of RAM and a weak video card).

dnaop-wr

The game is displayed in full screen, but when I take a screenshot, the image is 4:3. Otherwise, the image is displayed in full screen in the game.
Here, I took a picture with my phone:
http://savepic.ru/14098728.jpg

Added 16 minutes later
Roman2211

I found this information:

1.25:1 (5:4)
Early computer monitors with a resolution of 1280x1024 pixels had this aspect ratio. In everyday practice, they are often attributed to a 4:3 aspect ratio, which is not entirely correct. In the 2010s, they were gradually replaced by widescreen monitors with aspect ratios of 16:10 and 16:9.

Apparently, the resolution of 1280x1024 is native to your monitor, so everything works perfectly.

I thought you were lucky, but it turns out you have the same problem – a stretched game.
The information that Roman found was written by some inexperienced newbie. "Early computer monitor models with a resolution of 1280x1024..." Early models were actually 4:3 – if you take Heroes of Might and Magic III (released in 2001) and all previous versions of Windows, all their wallpapers had that resolution – 800x600, 1024x768. They were also designed for CRT monitors. But in Heroes of Might and Magic IV (2002), in addition to these two sizes, a 1280x1024 (5:4) size appears – that's when LCD monitors started to develop. Nevertheless, the best LCD monitor I've ever used remained 4:3 (1600x1200). It's a pity that they stopped producing that format.
A widescreen is not always the best option. Take stretching, for example. Therefore, on a 1680x1050 screen, you can only open the game at 1024x768 without distortion.