Posts from Walkthroughs for custom maps.

Regarding the AI's actions at different difficulty levels, I also tend to think that this difference is not only about the amount of resources. I looked at save files from completing the map at 130% and 160%. The brown AI attacks with 1000 wood, having a different number of units. The lower the difficulty, the later it decides to do this, and therefore has a larger army. If it only depended on resources, the AI would attack with the same army at different difficulties. However, it is also worth considering that the AI behaves chaotically. In the 130% completion, the brown AI appeared only in the middle of the sixth month, when it was already losing without any problems. Therefore, it is difficult to develop a universal tactic for this map.

Dear experts, I have a request for you to analyze just one battle:)
Could you please check if, in the English version of the map with a +10 attack and offense bonus, our hero with 114 attack can defeat 49 gnolls?

It’s challenging, but doable. The terrain and morale are the key.

Great, then I'm 90% sure that in the corrected English version, you can complete the map in Chuck mode – 200% without a starting bonus. And since it's impossible not to choose one of the three bonuses in the game, you can choose an artifact as your starting bonus.

Without building watchtowers in the starting castle? Is the corrected version with the return of the previous guard units for the AI opponents, or is something else meant?

Well, essentially, the version doesn't matter; if Gnolls break through, you can create a decent build within the first month. But the development will likely be slightly different.
If the lack of offense and 2 attacks doesn't affect the completion of this battle, then you can play it in the Polish version.
I'm talking about the corrected version only in the context of the author realizing what he did in the English version and seemingly intending to change it.
And, basically, I'm suggesting you wait for the English version and play it in Chuck mode.
I just don't want to waste time replaying this map, and you're going to backtrack a lot anyway. I can help with completing the first month:)

Not anytime soon, I'm tired of the map. I would ask again about the possibility of streaming a playthrough of Limes Inferior, as there seems to be interest not only from me, and there is definitely something to watch here. What other map features battles without mass slows, blinds, resurrections, etc.? It's basically just blessings, morale, and (occasionally) resistance. It's an interesting sight, and turn management is important on this map like nowhere else, as it can only be completed in ultra-speedrun mode. But if there's no desire to replay it, no sense of purpose, etc., then I can understand that too.

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If the lack of offense and 2 attacks doesn't affect the completion of this battle, then it can be done in the Polish version.

I suspect it does. Even with favorable morale, it was barely possible.

No, replaying the game itself is quite boring for streams, especially when it comes to grinding for morale and resistances. In my opinion, playthroughs of maps without save-loading are the most interesting to watch. And on this map, there's also not much to do in terms of hero development with the starting army, plus there aren't many interesting ideas or battles with a "wow" effect. It all comes down to accuracy, meticulousness, and patience. It reminds me of a typical old-school offline tournament. And to understand what actually happened, streams aren't the best option. Even in my own recordings of Metatasker, I often have trouble explaining exactly how things developed due to constant rewinds. Damn, I completely forgot to add the video from the 3rd week of the 2nd month to the Metatasker playlist on YouTube – out of 30 hours of streams, only 10-20% relate to the final version. For understanding the playthrough, detailed save files are the best way. I usually have them right before and after each battle, plus separate saves for logistical reasons. I can upload them if needed. And if you have questions about specific battles, I think I can remember the main battle tactics and features.

Dandy, if you manage to complete the map at 100% (which I almost don't doubt anymore), then yes, I'll ask you to share the step-by-step save files. After all, this will be the first such playthrough of the map, and many will find it useful to learn from it for general educational purposes.

There isn't much to think about regarding the remaining stages of the Limes playthrough – all that's left is to complete everything efficiently, as the strategy is already in place. Therefore, I'm considering the Chuck playthrough. And the more I think about it, the more I lean towards the idea that I'll have to spend some time optimizing the initial save generation. Along with a good dragon in the tavern, we also need good Tazar upgrades – we only need one skill at the second level. If we get it, everything should be perfect.
Although, in the Polish version, there was also a double criterion – based on the stone tree and the dragon.
However, it's difficult to assess this solely in theory; I need to play the first few weeks on the English version when the modified version is available.

The funniest thing is that at 130% or 200%, the difference is actually negligible. What more can you do at 130% compared to my development strategy in the first month? I'm actually afraid that at 200%, my development will be even better than yours at 130%.

Here is my development at 130% (in English, as I wrote it to the author, but it should be clear). It might seem slow, but I completed it on the first and only try, and I tried not to backtrack, only to gain a week or two. With the resources available at 130%, you can go faster, which I now see when playing at 200%.
1/3/5 – I took the 2nd Castle Prawa Dziupla
2/1/5 – the first visits at the same time of the blue and red opponents. First battle with Cipeska, lost some forces due to her magic.
2/2/1 – battle against red (Chujasek) and his magic.
2/3/1 – captured blue garrison,
2/3/6 – captured 1st blue Castle Didfall
2/4/3 – blue opponent killed.
3/1/6 - captured red garrison,
3/3/2 – red opponent killed.
4/1/4 – mass “training” of secondary heroes on elementals.
4/2/1 – collection of artifacts on my location
4/2/4 – meeting and killing of orange heroes, I took their artifacts. Start of the “pit-embargo” against orange
5/1/2 – way to home location
5/2/3 – meeting with green heroes, first battles,
5/3/5 - meeting with grey heroes, hard battles,
I won't spoil anything further, as the development options may differ slightly, although the overall strategy is the same.
So, my 130% is somewhere "close" to your 200%.
I tried the POLISH version of the map at 200% today, and the results are disappointing: 232 at the moment, the first green Arlash with an artifact was killed, and 1 hero with an army each from blue and red were killed. But I definitely don't have enough army to break through the birds on the boots or the blue garrison. According to my calculations, it will take another 2 weeks to break through the garrison (just from growth). Based on this, I don't think I'll make it to Inferno. The only idea that comes to mind is to give my main Castle to red for an upgrade without growth, and then, in those 2 weeks, gather growth and go for blue. The Citadel was not built at all; it was a temporary flag with green (I didn't put anything there), then with blue (also without buildings, except for the silo). It seems that 200% is just too much for me...

In this thread, the author of the map Paragon mentioned a new version 3.0. Was it released somewhere, or is it still in beta testing?

Regarding the paragon, all questions should be directed to the author; we have no information on that.

kolotok, is this all based on the Polish version?
Generally, I prefer to honor the capture rights of Jiuply and leave Cypsela alone. Because capturing that useless village doesn't give you anything except a small increase in gold. At the same time, losses are inevitable, but more importantly, Cypsela loses part of her army there.
Waiting a couple of weeks for growth is a normal strategy and doesn't ruin the walkthrough. You can still reach Inferno; it arrives at the 4th village around day 431, and you can intercept it there (that's what I did before the patch where the blue garrison attacked on day 311). This is a normal timing.
In my current walkthrough, I'm using Lucifers and Pitambars and reaching 341, but this is a rather high-quality walkthrough that, while reproducible, will require a certain level of skill from you.
What is your timing for building the snakes, bulls, vivs, and Capitol? And have you lost more than 6 gnolls in any battle? Except for the battle with the dragonflies on the respawn point, losses can definitely be reduced. In each battle, you should only lose gnolls and as few as possible.
Regarding enemies, only Cypsela, in her first appearance, inflicted losses – but significant ones, around 80 gnolls. And this is already with her army reduced due to capturing the rights of Jiuply.

Yes, this is the Polish version (I already chose it from the saved ones). Thanks for the reassurance about the timing, it's just that I see I'll reach the orange player 3-4-5 weeks later (even if I disband and buy back with army transfer through chains), and on 200% by that time the orange might already be insurmountable for me. That's the main concern.
My lag probably has 2 obvious reasons:
1) I spent a long time choosing the starting save and picked one that gives perfect stats to the main hero, but they come only in this unfavorable sequence: Defense, Attack, Archery, Tactics, Pathfinding, Logistics, Morale, Resistance. Morale could have been swapped for Ballista, but based on 130% experience, Morale is better. And the problem is that the "perfect" combination only appears with a major delay in getting Logistics and Pathfinding, and even more so Resistance, which is already needed by level 144. And I've already had 3 battles with opponents and Resistance only just appeared, so enemy magic has been hammering me all this time without Resistance. And early on, Archery leveled up, which wasn't needed at all until level 9-12. It would have been better to get Defense, Attack, Logistics or Pathfinding, Resistance or Tactics, and then Archery and Morale at the end.
2) Hence the initial bonus Wood and Ore are only 7 each (not 10), and Arlash also killed the wolves near the citadel on 222 and took the Mercury and Sulfur. And that apparently wasn't enough somewhere for a timely build.
Plus 200% difficulty and the lack of resources delay everything, which wasn't a problem at all on 130%.

So the conclusion is that on 311 I'm not sure I'll take the blue garrison. And even if that theoretically happens, I definitely won't make it to the orange and back before Gray and Green emerge on the 4th month. Anyway, I'll take a break and watch your result.

Regarding the questions:

I generally prefer the honor of capturing the right to idle :D leave it to the chick.

That's how it was. She galloped in the first time very early and smashed herself completely against the citadel. A little later I took the citadel for 500 gold, but suffered almost no losses. That's a plus. The minus is that the chick came later with restored mana.

What is your timing for building Snakes, Bulls, Wyverns, and the Capitol? And did you lose more than 6 Gnolls in any fight? Except for the fight against Dragonflies at the respawn, surely losses can be reduced. In each fight you can only lose Gnolls and as few as possible.

Now it's 232, by 234 all the gold will be taken from the bears at the respawn, and by the end of this week it will be enough to buy everything from the Fortress on 241 or 311. In the Castle there are no Hydras and Basiliks, not enough resources, instead I built Bulls (around week 3 I had both Wyverns and Bulls), but without upgrades. Capitol — later, probably already the 2nd month. Fights against corner Bulls near the Defense and Attack upgrades, as well as Hydras (and soon against Bears) are almost lossless. I.e. against neutrals overall I've lost not that many Bulls and Wyverns. Against Dragonflies I lost 18 unupgraded Dragonflies and a couple of Gnolls, that's all. But the comps due to magic wrecked me in the Castle, losing about 10-12 Birds and the same number of Wyverns, so I have very few Wyverns now. I accepted the losses because I killed them and took the artifacts (Ogre's Club, Dead Man's Shield, etc.). On the bright side: I did a double Dragonfly spawn on 211 in the month of Snakes, and now on 232 I have around 130 (something like that) and 30 Bulls, up to 75 Lizardmen, up to 80-100 Gnolls, that's the striking force. No Basiliks or Hydras, Wyverns and Birds aren't striking. The main losses were against opponents in my home Castle.

In my current walkthrough, I reach Lucifer and Pit embargo on 341, but this is a rather high-quality walkthrough, which although reproducible, will require a certain skill from you.

341 reaching the orange is impressive. Further, according to my predictions, you only need to repel the 1st wave of Gray and Green, and then everything should work out 100% for you. I think I simply cannot handle such a speedrun on 200% :)

I reached level 235 and equipped boots, level 24 and secured the blue garrison, and at level 336, I defeated the red player, taking control of all six castles. Before equipping the boots and securing the garrison, I didn't bother with Cipescu and Chuassec. They retreated to their castles when I bought all the lizards and snakes. The green player didn't make a move for two months. In the Inferno zone, I reached level 421, conquered one Inferno garrison, captured 80 Thunderbirds, and killed Lucifer, suffering heavy but not critical losses. However, then a simultaneous invasion occurred from the brown and green players (interestingly, during preliminary scouting, the first green player appeared only at level 51, and the brown player even later; I don't know how this happens and how to repeat it), and that was the end. So, in my case, pushing towards Inferno was pointless. After replaying from the point of defeating the red player, I didn't go to the Inferno respawn at all, instead gathering my forces for the arrival of the brown and green players, but I still couldn't cope with their simultaneous invasion. Essentially, all I need to do is stagger their arrival times; I'll need to sit down with a clear head and try replaying the last few weeks again. A month of no snakes or lizards didn't help; not a single neutral stack joined me. :mad:

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Another interesting question: when is Mantichore scheduled to arrive? If it's right after all these other players, I suspect it's no longer feasible to defeat him.