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Map Title: Ira the Mage
Version: normal
Author: Liu Xuelian
Downloaded: from the maps4heroes map catalog
It's time for this map. I can say that it's an outstanding scenario. Without a doubt, I consider Ira the Mage to be one of the top five maps I've ever played.
Usually, puzzle maps are of size S. But here, it's a full-fledged XL, designed for a very long and engaging playthrough. Among the map's features, I would like to note the following:
1) playing with one hero without taverns
The entire game revolves around one hero (Kirr, officially). There are no chains, army reinforcements, or running away and hiring new units. There is Sylvia in prison at point 1.79.1, but this hero is not needed for the plot, and I'm not sure if it's even possible to free her, as it would require flying, and the possibility of obtaining this ability is not obvious to me.
2) gradual increase in difficulty
The first few months are like a tutorial map, which requires the player to have basic knowledge of the game's mechanics. Mainly, it's about using the various features of different creatures in battles (fairy against gnome, harpy-witch against red dragon, etc.). I had associations with the old map, The Imp. A noticeable increase in difficulty occurs somewhere around the time you reach the anti-magic garrison with 5x800 halberdiers. Further puzzles are sometimes quite difficult and mind-bending, both in terms of battles and in terms of organizing logistics. It seemed to me that the peak of difficulty is concentrated precisely in the logistical puzzles.
3) the need to maintain a high pace
The map creates a deceptive impression of carefree gameplay, as none of the computer heroes threaten us. But aimlessly running back and forth is strongly discouraged. You need to constantly understand what and why we are doing. This is related to the specifics of the growth of creatures in the cities from which we will recruit our army, namely in the castle at point 89.22.0 and the inferno at point 136.86.1. In the first castle, only archers and halberdiers are available for hire, and in the second, only imps and hellhounds. At the same time, in the "normal" version of the map (there is also an "easy" version), in the castle on the third week of the ninth month, the growth of creatures is reduced to 8 halberdiers and 4 archers per week, and in the inferno, the growth completely disappears on the first week of the eighteenth month (you can get 1 imp through an outer dwelling, haha). So, one of the key points is to quickly capture these castles, especially the castle. I did this on the third week of the fifth month and the third week of the eighth month, respectively. If you delay too much, you will not have enough troops for further progress.
The green faction also has an inferno, in which, starting from a certain point, a level 7 building is built, and then the growth of devils increases. If you come to it too late, there is a risk of not being able to defeat it.
4) specific use of magic
There are many tricky battles on the map, so it is vitally important, among other things, to use such specific spells as "wave of death," "minefield," "quicksand," and "hypnosis." "Blindness" and "berserk" are given early on, but they do not create an imbalance in the gameplay; their usefulness will be in a few cases (this is despite the fact that we have expert-level fire magic). Another big plus of the map is that there is no "resurrection," and there will be battles with losses, so the most valuable spell will be "sacrifice." At the same time, you will understand that the most useful unit in the game for sacrifice is the peasant.
5) specific set of troops
As I noted earlier, the core of the army in the mid-to-late stages of the game will consist of halberdiers, archers, and hellhounds; in the very end, archdevils will be added. Imps and peasants are expendable, but they should be used wisely. We will also have 1 ifrit sultan. It is impossible to lose him under any circumstances. We will face a wide variety of armies, including, for example, large groups of ranged units (often in anti-magic garrisons or on cursed land) or units with high speed (phoenixes, azure dragons, archdevils), against which the battle will begin with all the stacks rushing into us. You also need to come out of such battles with minimal losses, so you will have to rack your brains, choosing the right troop compositions and making the most of the terrain of the battlefields.
6) specific logistics
The logistical tasks are sometimes very complex, but a little easier than in The Last Crusade. They involve highlighting the necessary cells, crossing long distances through water, including stopping on the way for events, and knowing the features of embarking and disembarking on ships. But the most difficult thing is managing the computer's turns. There will be moments when you need to neutralize enemy heroes without the ability to kill them. This is where your head will really spin.
7) abundance of text
I haven't encountered maps with such a large amount of text. The author has exhausted the limit on events on the map, so additional text is placed on the passage guards. As far as I understand, almost every step we take is commented on by the author; there are some puzzles in the text, the answers to which will help us find non-obvious things (in particular, an Easter egg – a line for collecting the legion statue to obtain the grail; I did not complete it). For a non-Chinese speaker, the best helpers will be a prospector and a map editor. I suspect that playing this map without understanding the text is even more interesting to some extent.
Among some important points for completing the game, which are probably reflected in the text, I note that 2 gnomes should be given to the nearest quests immediately, and the 3rd gnome will be later; the hero with phoenixes, gold dragons, black dragons, and armageddons can be killed without losses; there is a suitable terrain, although it seems at first that there isn't.
Also, thanks to this map, I learned some new game tricks for myself, in particular:
- destroying weak melee units may be a higher priority for the computer than destroying ranged units;
- the computer may be afraid of burning, even when its consequence is our death and zero losses for the computer;
- the computer goes into anti-magic garrisons, even when it is then unable to get out of them.
In the screenshots, I have attached the number of troops at the time of victory. The playthrough was completed on 19.4.2. This time can be reduced by a month or two, but not much more. In general, it is the most time-consuming map in terms of gameplay time; even Ray of Light takes less time to complete.
