Posts from Gladiator

Army size:


Playoff bracket:


Occupied slots:


The DRAW has been conducted!
Deadlines for the Round of 16 (22.09 - 28.09)
Deadlines for the Quarter-finals (29.09 - 5.10)
Upper bracket:
Semi-finals - 8.10.2018 - 21.10.2018
Lower bracket:
1/64 - 8.10.2018 - 14.10.2018
1/32 - 15.10.2018 - 21.10.2018

Don't have much time for regular Heroes tournaments? There is a way out — a tournament on an arena map! One game usually takes about 20-50 minutes, which allows you to set aside time to play at least once a day.

We present for your attention a show tournament on the Arena map (Final Battle Arena 2018 "FBA"). The map is a simulator of a final battle. There are many different versions of Arena maps. Each has its own specifics, as well as a set of pros and cons. This arena is no exception. Some other arenas seemed inconvenient in places or didn't click in terms of gameplay and spectacle

The map is in the testing phase until the start of the tournament. Please send all criticism, suggestions, innovations, and balance adjustments via private messages or in this section.

A small prize pool for the tournament is being formed. The intended tournament format is a single-elimination bracket with BO3 series, but changes are possible depending on the number of participants. Tournament deadlines also depend on the number of participants (presumably from 1 day to several weeks).

Tournament start September 22! If anyone wishes to join the same as the hosts and stream as well — you are more than welcome.

Prize places (subject to further changes):
1 - 1000 rub.
2 - 500 rub.
3 - 250 rub.

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Participant requirements:
- Download map Arena FBA v 1.008 or alternative arena (read the map description carefully if you are the opponent host, to ensure versions match). If you don't notice on the first day — you play the version you downloaded.
- Stream the game or share screen (we will teach and tell you how to do it) for the tournament hosts. By agreement, you can set a delay on the stream or record locally.
- Provide necessary information (Nickname, age, city, country, achievements in Heroes (prize places or organized tournaments), photo, how many years you've played Heroes)
- Follow tournament rules, respect opponents and their time.

Tournament Rules:
- NOTIFY THE TOURNAMENT ORGANIZER BEFORE THE GAME!
- The game is played exclusively on version Heroes 3. SoD + HD mod + Hwruless 1.38.2
- Color selection — coin toss. After restarts and each played game — change colors.
- Castles are random.
- Bonus resources or gold!
- 2 days (112) are given for a series of games for restarts.
- Timer 20+6+1
- Difficulty 200% (By agreement, you can play 160% — then more than two skills can be bought at the start)
- To conduct the battle, you must appear in the center no later than day 4 (usually 3 days are enough).
- Only one hero can appear in the center
- If there are no combat or magical skirmishes between players for 15 rounds (only running around) — a draw is declared! (for stalemate situations)
- If a player has not upgraded Earth Magic and loses their entire army after battle — a draw is declared!

Please notify immediately about problems connecting with opponents!
For matches not played on time — ODD are assigned. 2 no-shows for ODD — technical defeat
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Order of actions:
1. Take one hero out of five to level up
2. Buy 2 skills in Pandora's boxes
3. Take a Pandora's box for experience and resources (for passage)
4. Visit the Tower city to obtain spells
5. Take 3 artifact sets or 1 lower set
6. Take 3 bonuses of choice out of 27
7. Take native or neutral army (Azure Dragon, Fairy, etc.)
8. Replenish mana and enter the portal (if you reached the center first — you can stand on the portal so the opponent doesn't set up their formation based on yours)
9. The blue player attacks.
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List of bonuses (choose 3):
1-5 - New spells
6 - Sphere of Vulnerability, Antimagic, Fire Shield, Cure, Dispel, Magic Arrow, Curse, Air Bolt
7 - Gold Golems (35)
8 - Diamond Golems (29)
9 - Crystal Dragon (1)
10 - Rust Dragon (1)
11 - Wizard (9)
12 - Level ups (+3)
13 - Spell Power (+4)
14 - Knowledge (+4)
15 - Attack (+4)
16 - Defense (+4)
17 - Spell Power (+2), Knowledge (+2)
18 - Attack (+2), Defense (+2)
19 - Double mana + random artifact
20 - War machines + luck + morale + protection from air, earth, water, fire
21 - Artifact set
22 - Artifact set
23 - Prayer (ATTENTION — THIS BONUS HAS DOUBLE COST (counts as 2 bonuses))
24 - Resurrection, Raise Dead, Magic Arrow, Banish own undead, Wave of Death
25 - Meteor Shower, Chain Lightning, Magic Arrow, Inferno, Fireball, Ring of Frost
26 - Haste, Slow, Shield, Stone Skin, Magic Arrow, Bloodlust, Berserk
27 - Protection from water, protection from fire, protection from air, earth protection, Blind, Hypnosis, Berserk, Magic Arrow, Mines, Quicksand

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Banned on the map:
- Spells: Explosion, Armageddon, Summon Elementals, Fly, Dimension Door, Town Portal, own same-day view, Water Walk, Earthquake, Stealth, Bad Luck, Summon Ship, Antimagic (available in bonuses), Prayer (available in bonuses)
- Artifacts: Red Orb, Cloak of Non-detection, Sign of Courage, Spirit of Despair, Cloak +2 speed, combined artifacts and a number of unnecessary or useless artifacts.
- Heroes: Gelu, Dragon, Nela, Tazar, Mephala, Kilgor, Lord Haard, Mutare, Mutare Drake, Sir Mullich, Thorgrim, Zeron, Adriana, Loins
- Secondary skills: Ballistics, Diplomacy, Treasurer, Literacy, Logistics, Mysticism, Navigation, Necromancer, Training, Eagle Eye, Scouting, Pathfinding.

======================

Participants:
1) Zillot - 666369431
2) Armageddets - 620163142
3) illuy - 744477567
4) Dan_Choi - 661007127
5) Timbuktu - 673599296
6) AlFeyn - 567626766
7) u2noob - 655216193
8) BISHOP - 201539747
9) MaxGor - 603160437
10) jobstar - 628589472
11) Browser - 324183776
12) Mizrael - 27384379
13) Alligator - https://vk.com/igor93211
14) PROger -691221543
15) HellLighT - 649566490
16) saneok - 699279927
17) Vitalii_Kot - https://vk.com/id477115605
18) MikeM - 675102035
19) MadSpirit - 646652262
20) _XS!_ - 365476659
21) ValWin - 719140895
22) Ev - http://forum.heroesworld.ru/member.php?u=44062 , https://vk.com/dark_cloud_koteiko
23) Toganash - 564224919
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In my opinion, it would be good to reset the starting skills of the heroes. In the very first test generation, I got a dream team: Ash (hello, Eagle Eye), Axis (hello, Mysticism), Fiora (hello, Scouting), Ksarfax, and Kalh (another hello, Scouting) :) Jelu and Dragon are banned, but it's easy to get Kilgor (+5 attack/defense and +10 damage to bears) and Adrianna (Wisdom and Fire Expert at level 1 = you can buy 2 skills and fill all 8 slots after leveling up, while a regular hero has 7 slots). It's unclear why the second city in a chain of five is made random; the main benefit of these cities is their Guild Master. As a result, one player randomly gets a swamp and is stuck in terms of high-level spell variety, while the other gets a city with a Guild Master of level 5 and has a choice.

In my opinion, it’s worth resetting the starting skills of heroes. In the very first test generation, I got a dream team: Ash (hello, Eagle Eye), Axis (hello, Mysticism), Fiora (hello, Scouting), Ksarphax, and Kalx (another hello to Scouting) :). Jelu and Dragon are banned, but it’s easy to get Kilgor (+5 attack/defense and +10 damage to bears) and Adrianna (Wisdom and Fire Expert at level 1 = with the purchase of 2 skills, all 8 slots are filled after leveling up, while a regular hero has 7 slots). It’s unclear why the second city in a chain of five is made random; the whole benefit of these cities is their Guild Masters. As a result, one player randomly gets a swamp and is out of luck in terms of the variability of high-level spells, while the other gets a city with a Guild Master level 5 and has a choice.

1. One city is the starting city – the rest are fixed – 3 Towers, Inferno, and Castle. Even if the guild system doesn’t work out, you can take key spells from Pandor in the bonuses. But in general, this can be completely balanced by making all cities the same.

2. Regarding starting skills. I thought about removing starting skills altogether, but then the heroes become almost identical – the difference is only in whether they are warriors or mages and what specialization they have. As it is, the difference is greater, but for balance, I don’t know what’s better – on the one hand, there’s randomness in spells, on the other, in sets of artifacts, and on the third – in heroes, etc. Only the appearance of skills is banned. But in general, the option of resetting hero skills is still being considered.

3. It’s more difficult for mages to counter warriors without having Elemental Summoning and Explosion with not very high stats (there is a combination of a lightning amulet and a chain, but if the opponent also has such an amulet, that’s it. There is an option with Berserk, but there is also an amulet and a symbol of knowledge for it, and resurrection and Meteor Shower don’t always save). Therefore, Adrianna may not look like an overpowered hero in testing, even considering the better starting skills – although, of course, more testing is needed. We still need to think about balancing mages and warriors. And Kilgor and the dragon specialist may have to be excluded.

Do you really think Kilgore will be stronger than Kreg? :confused:

Updated the Arena version (based on some suggestions) and the links to it.

Do you really think Kilgore will be stronger than Kregg? :confused:

The comparison wasn't with regular heroes, but specifically with companion heroes, considering the ban on Dragon and Gelu. In my opinion, enchanters and snipers are very weak (their stacks are almost one-shot), and those same bears with anti-magic under Kilgore will give more advantage than additional archers, for which you also have to pay a considerable amount of money.

The comparison wasn't with ordinary heroes, but specifically with companion heroes, considering the ban on Dragon and Gelu. In my opinion, enchanters and snipers are very weak (their stacks are practically one-shot), and even bears with anti-magic under Kilgor will give more advantage than additional archers, for which you also have to pay a considerable amount.

For the Arena, there is no difference between a companion hero and a regular hero. What matters is how much imbalance their presence creates. When leveling up a hero to level 20, attack/defense specialists turn into a huge advantage, and their appearance significantly increases the chances in the arena.
This surprised me:

And Kilgor and the dragon specialist might have to be excluded.

So, the discussion is about companion heroes (their imbalance/usefulness), and no one even thinks about the real imbalance. This shows a complete misunderstanding of what is happening. I'm sorry, but that's how it is.

So, you're suggesting removing Kreg, Gundula, Tazar, and Mephala, but bringing back Jhel and the Dragon (and possibly Kilgor and Lord Haard, the necromancer specializing in horses)? Did I understand correctly? Or should we leave all of them out? And regarding the misunderstanding, don't you think that testing is precisely what gives us a reason to make changes? And if the testers didn't notice an overpowered hero, there are many reasons for that (ranging from the heroes not appearing to specific scenarios where they didn't have a significant impact, to errors in combat, incorrect artifact or spell choices, etc.). We need to look at the heroes in the context of specific scenarios and opportunities on the map, not just their theoretical capabilities, as on other arenas (where army sizes, stats, and compositions are different, etc.). Or do you think I'm personally testing the arena with the computer (or with a player), drawing my own conclusions? Of course not. But so far, 6 people have participated in the testing (Armag, Noobas-Kontobass, Dan_Choi, Gunar, Mizrael, Toganash), and their observations are the basis for everything (they see and feel the problems from the inside). If there are more testers or critics, their opinions will also be taken into account (but everything needs to be tested). The testing results show whether things have improved or whether we need to revert the changes (and this doesn't always coincide with our theoretical assumptions). It's clear that these heroes, compared to many others, look much better in terms of physical combat. The question is how well others can counter them, considering the circumstances and available options (for example, mages). When there were explosions and elemental summons, these heroes weren't even close to being overpowered on this map. For example, there were suggestions to allow choosing two armies instead of one and creating some kind of mix, but in that case, the army's power would increase with the total HP of the army, and the gap between mages and warriors would become even wider, which is not good. But the variability of strategies would certainly increase in that case. In terms of strengthening mages, it's more complicated. Removing resistance would reduce the variety on the map, which is not very good. On the other hand, it would reduce the randomness in combat (the chance of resistance triggering). Giving a smaller number of bonuses in attack and defense compared to magic power and knowledge probably won't solve the problem either. We could reduce the size of the armies, which would allow magic to eliminate them faster. But creating objects or structures that are only available to mages is something we don't want to do. It would only add more confusion and rules. And we also need to rebalance the strength of the armies (weaken some, strengthen others). We'll try to resolve these issues more or less in the 1-2 weeks before the tournament starts.

So, are you suggesting removing Craig, Gundula, Tazar, and Mefala?

No. We should definitely include Nela and Mullich as well. Perhaps Thorgrim, but I'm not sure.

And should we bring back Jela and the Dragon (and possibly Kilgor, the Necropolis specialist for horses)? Am I understanding correctly? Or should we leave them all out?

I can't say for sure about the campaign heroes; we need tests to understand how much influence they have on the final result. I don't have experience playing as or against Kilgor with bears. At first glance, it doesn't seem like he's that impactful.

And we also need to rebalance the strength of the armies (weaken some, strengthen others). We'll try to resolve these issues more or less in the 1-2 weeks before the tournament starts.

I suggest taking a look at the arena on TK-3; the starting armies are well-balanced there.

I suggest you check out the TK-3 arena; the starting armies are well-balanced there.

As I understand it, this is an arena from the WT version. Is there a link to it? It would be nice to take a look. I'm not sure how well that balance would suit these scenarios, but it could be a good starting point.

I'll cut out the heroes now and update the links.

As I understand it, this is a replay from the WoT version. Is there a link to it? It would be nice to take a look.

We played SoD.
/topic/5867/
Comparing them isn't really appropriate, since they have different concepts and conditions, but just for reference.

I banned the heroes (let's see how the tests go). I updated the links. I downloaded the Arena – it looks a bit confusing at first, but I think I found the armies. As far as I understand, they decided not to overcomplicate the army balance and simply set up identical armies (with the exception of low levels – there are differences of a few units there. Also, the Conflux is different, of course, slightly). The armies here are much more powerful than in our Arena, which will probably weaken the mages even more (unless we give them more stats or bring back the explosion and summoning spells). I'm not using this balance yet; we'll see what happens. There was also a suggestion to remove the tavern, which allows you to choose between buying a starting skill or buying another hero. And considering the starting skills of the starting hero, it could be a student who learns all the low-level spells from the heroes that arrive (I don't know if this will solve anything, but if you level up such a hero, you can even learn level 4 spells, but it will take up one slot of the main hero's knowledge). You could remove the spellbook from everyone – then it won't be possible to learn new spells, but you'll have to remember to buy a spellbook for the main hero. Or you could remove the tavern altogether. For now, I've just reduced the extra gold so that you can't buy many heroes, and I've moved everything needed for bonuses to the second Pandora's Box.

Why not hold the tournament on the Polish arena, where everything is well-thought-out, tested many times, and balance updates for the game are released frequently?

Personally, it didn't impress me (I didn't like many things about it). It might be well-balanced, but for a beginner, it's confusing and, unfortunately, didn't keep me engaged. I think anyone could create something similar. As is usually the case, everyone has their own vision of how things should look.

With equal troop numbers and no implants, the Rampart is immediately much stronger than the others.