Posts from General questions and discussions.

Is it possible to get the images that are generated before the game starts for use as loading screens in my streams?

They can be easily extracted from HotA.lod, but they don't have the right side (the part that is always covered by the menu with the chat and other information). As far as I understand, this part never existed, as the images were created specifically for the loading screen.

I'll repeat the question. Is there any work being done on Hota, as there hasn't been any information about it for a very long time?

In this form, the question is more understandable. Yes, work is being done. The last official post was less than six months ago, which, given the pace of development for this project, isn't that long ago.

Thank you. I'm a fan and have been waiting for the update, but there's no information available. I'll keep waiting! :)

They are easy to extract from HotA.lod, but they don't have the right side (the one that is always covered by the menu with the chat and other information). As far as I understand, this part never existed, as the images were created specifically for the map loading screen.

not difficult for whom? me?:) and yes, without the right side, it's not cool.

Is Hota compatible with Windows 7 and later? And another question: what are the main differences between Hota and the official expansions for Heroes III, and even Wog?

Isn't it easy for anyone? Me?:) Well, and yes, without the right part, it’s not cool.

In general, it is not difficult to find information online and figure things out. If you are okay with it being without the right part, I can extract it for you (but later; I won’t be active in the near future). Or someone else will help.

Is HotA compatible with Windows 7 and newer? And also: what are the main differences between HotA and the official expansions of Heroes III and even Wog?

Yes, it is compatible.

You can read about what the project generally represents, its concept, and the most important innovations here:
/topic/at/852919/

Hota doesn't introduce as many massive changes as WOG, but it doesn't alter the core essence of the game – Heroes. And it's also bug-free, unlike WOG, which crashes with errors frequently.

(HOTA 1.4.2) Can the AI assemble composite artifacts? Can it transfer the necessary artifacts to another hero for assembly? A template editor for the HOTA map generator is really needed. It was promised in 1.5.0, but the wait has been long...

(HOTA 1.4.2)
Can the AI assemble composite artifacts?
Can it transfer the necessary artifacts to another hero for assembly?

In HOTA, it works the same as in SoD: if the AI has all the components of a composite artifact equipped, it will assemble it. But it won't specifically equip/transfer them for that purpose. So, effectively, no, it can't assemble them. It will only happen if the artifact assembles itself by chance.

A template editor for the HOTA map generator is really needed.
It was promised in 1.5.0, but the wait is dragging on...

The promise still stands; 1.5 hasn't been released yet. It won't be distributed separately/personally, and moreover, it's useless for versions lower than 1.5.

Thank you. Is there an approximate release date for 1.5?

I downloaded HotA a week ago. I installed it on Win7, everything went perfectly. I haven't written for a while because I wanted to test it out - and I'll share my impressions.

First of all, I'll say that I love playing on random maps. When I saw that instead of the standard four buttons for choosing size there were seven, I almost cried. This is truly magnificent. I immediately set the largest map (no underground at first), removed water, set strong monsters, started on a queen at the Cove (how could I not test out all the new features?).
I must say, the balance of the Cove is meticulously thought out, and playing it is a pleasure. And playing it is completely different from playing other towns. The first five levels of units have low health, but they have either crazy growth (Assassins and Sea Dogs), or crazy damage (Oceanids), or crazy speed (except Sea Dogs), and at the same time have useful special abilities (Sea Witches, Assassins, Soothsayers). The sixth and seventh levels are much tougher, the sixth is indeed almost a mirror image of the Basilisks from the Fortress (extremely good in defense), the seventh is a perfectly designed attacking punisher. The inability to immediately breach their castle during a siege forces the use of a cannon to shoot down the gate, which is quite kosher.

The town is very good for a fast start - by the second week you can wipe out everything that moves if you get lucky with spells in the guild (Haste/Slow) and manage to scrounge up the necessary resources to build the town + the Powder Magazine. However, my first Cove queen game took me 36 game months - with a full map clear.

Existing objects have also been rebalanced. For example, the Cyclops Stockpile in the Stronghold now requires 20 ore instead of 20 crystals, which is very nice. The basic growth of Birds in the Conflux is reduced to one, but a Burial Urn has been added (now a fully built town without the Grail gives 3 Birds instead of 4). The Cloak of the Undead King has indeed become a bit weaker, which is even more pleasing. The presence of new resource and artifact deposits (Cemeteries, Manors, Black Towers) makes gameplay more interesting, and new creature banks (Fire Towers, Raider Posts, Forge Workshops) force a re-evaluation of existing building strategies and subsequent gameplay. Resource warehouses also look quite good - and their "behavior" is significantly more logical than that of Windmills (which instead of bread somehow produce ore, mercury, or crystals...). The appearance of an analogue of the Arena for magical primary skills also surprised and pleased me.

New artifacts. Features for reducing enemy Luck and Morale are extremely interesting. The Ring of Attrition is a fun feature when playing against the Castle and Archangels. The Cloak of Silence is an ideal choice when playing against the Stronghold or Fortress. Four new artifacts (Trident, Shield, Armor, and Crown with +7, +7, +6, and +6 respectively) look beautiful and organic. Boots of the Wanderer are an excellent choice for any hero roaming foreign lands.

New combination artifacts. The Golden Goose is magnificent; I assembled it after the first Dragon Utopia in the third week (two weak bags were just lying on the map under guard, the strong one dropped from the Utopia). The Mantle of the Diplomat is magnificent, but imbalanced, allowing you to pass through neutral guards of any strength while gathering legions upon legions of allies. The Medal of Resistance is a funny thing; with expert resistance it allows you to severely abuse any characters focused on magic (including the fearsful Solmyr). The little Hammer (assembled from Mace-Shield-Crown-Armor +5+5+4+4 respectively) is very beautiful and relevant for the Stronghold, but personally, as an archer commander, I like the Armor of the Damned more.

Suggestions for what I personally would like as a player and fan of the series.
1. More artifacts - I believe in your imagination.
2. More combination artifacts - for example, the ability to combine those four new items +7+7+6+6 into a single set would be quite logical; and other combinations (with Centaur's Axe, Gnoll's Flail, Hell Sword) would also not be out of place in the game.
3. Of course, what was promised by the developers - new town building schemes, the ability to choose a "branch" of construction with different creatures, new convenient and interesting features.

Guys, you've crafted a real treat. At the same time, you didn't kill the spirit of Heroes, the balance of heroes, or mess up Heroes with bugs like the blasphemous WoG. I want to wish you success in your endeavors. Keep up the good work, and your names will forever remain in the memory of fans of the good old third game. Thank you for continuing the game; I hope this is not the end, and HotA 2.0 will not become another WoG 3.59.

I also have a few questions.
1. The random map generator sometimes produces such wild nonsense that it's scary. I'm prepared for blocked off areas on large maps, but when an "S" map with the underground is divided into 30+ islets with a half-hundred portals - that's harsh even for me. Does the user have the ability to tweak the generator a bit so it doesn't use specific templates during the actual map generation, or is it better to fix existing errors in the map editor manually?
2. Regarding ultra-large maps and ultra-large armies. Over 36 months of play, I accumulated about 200k Oceanids (208k, iirc). When loading an autosave, the number of Oceanids dropped to a four-digit value, totaling 8k and change; meanwhile, the five-digit stacks of Sea Witches and Assassins were unaffected. A bug or just don't get that fat?
3. Regarding the ultra-fast combat speed (the fifth setting in speed options) - after the battle ends, if you click the checkmark in the results window too quickly, the game sometimes crashes with an error. I suspect it's because the death sound of the last unit tries to play on the world map, but I'm not sure. In other modes, everything is fine, so I play on the fourth speed setting.

The random map generator sometimes produces such absurd results that it's even scary. I'm ready for blocked areas on large maps, but when a Dungeon is divided into 30+ islands with half a hundred portals – that's tough even for me. Does the user have the ability to slightly edit the generator so that it doesn't use specific templates when generating maps, or is it better to fix existing errors manually in the map editor?

The HD mod allows you to choose a specific template for a random map. You can select templates for large and small sizes. You can also create your own if you find the appropriate software online and figure it out (the next version will include a template editor, which will make it easier). The standard set of templates will have many corrections, in particular, the problem you mentioned will be resolved (templates with such a number of zones will not appear for small maps). Work is also underway to fix general bugs in the generator.

Regarding extremely large maps and extremely large armies. In 36 months of playing, I have accumulated about 200,000 Oceanids (208,000, if I remember correctly). When loading an autosave, the number of Oceanids decreased to a four-digit value, becoming 8,000 and change; at the same time, five-digit stacks of Sea Wolves and Acids were not affected. Is this a bug, or should I just not hoard so much?

No more than 32,767 creatures can stably be in one army slot. The game is simply not designed for a larger number, so in these cases, creatures may be lost. Fixing this is time-consuming and not very in demand, so it is unlikely to be possible in the near future. Unfortunately, there are quite a few limitations in the game (both technical and in the gameplay and balance) that are not designed for maps of new sizes, so the development of this game mode is not a priority for the project. But something is still being done in this direction; some of the original's limitations on the maximum number of objects on the map have already been removed.

3. Regarding the ultra-fast battle mode (setting 5 in the speed settings) - after the battle ends, if you click the checkmark in the window with the outcome too quickly, the game sometimes crashes with an error. I suspect that this is because the sound of the last unit dying is trying to play on the global map, but I'm not sure. In other modes, everything is fine, so I play on setting 4.

Yes, you are right, the problem is that the game is trying to play the sound that was already removed at the end of the battle. In principle, I suspected that this could lead to unstable game operation, but I couldn't click fast enough myself to trigger the crash, and I didn't bother with it. Now I know that it exists, and I will see what can be done, thank you.

I suggest making it possible to switch between a cannon and a ballista. Or at least allow replacing a ballista with a cannon, with the ballista disappearing.

The ability to put a cannon in a backpack would look strange. But maybe there will be an option to view the stats of a cannon/ballista creature with the possibility of dismissing it from the army.

I'm for banning Scrolls of Control or at least limiting their use with GM settings. Also, I want to raise the issue of banning anti-magic artifacts once again. This topic is becoming increasingly relevant due to the increasing average skill level.

I also vote for banning control scrolls.