Posts from Spiral campaigns.

Campaigns consisting of spiral maps. A long time ago, I played the Heroes III campaigns. The idea of gradually developing a hero from map to map interested me. But in "The Restoration of Erathia," this idea is practically not implemented. And I decided to create my own campaigns where it exists. On the first map, you are given a hero. He can be leveled up to level 3 (up to level 4), and he is transferred to the next map. In fact, that's where the idea ends, and the game begins. The campaign has 7 maps. I use spiral ones. This campaign has some drawbacks; I am trying to fix them in other modifications. For the campaigns, the "The Shadow of Death" modification is used. In "The Restoration of Erathia" and "Armageddon's Blade," there is no transfer of heroes to subsequent maps, so here it is done like this. Despite having some shortcomings, it is interesting to play, and moving on to the next map is also enjoyable, so you can easily spend several hours in a row developing your hero. In this campaign, at the beginning, you get Orrin with initial characteristics of 0-0-0-0. The maps on which the campaign is based are here: /topic/at/1154618/

I've been hesitant to ask for quite some time now... but what's the underlying meaning of this topic about spiral-shaped maps?

The thing is, navigating a 2D surface is difficult for me. I need to choose where to go. Wouldn't it be easier to just go where it's indicated?
And then, very interesting effects appear when the opponent is a Necromancer, and he creates smoke. You can see here, but not there. And you have to get through it. It's like a firefighter at a fire.
There are many interesting effects. They don't appear on ordinary maps.

I played this campaign...
And overall, I was somewhat disappointed with the game.
The player accumulates power, but then what?

1. Completing the game with one hero and one unit, until mana runs out.
2. Completing the game with one hero and a small number of units after 2 weeks, when the opponent has developed a bit, and one unit won't be enough to defeat them.
3. Completing the map with a powerful hero, sweeping away everything in their path.
4. Building magic towers to obtain the remaining high-level spells. It's tedious and takes a long time to accumulate resources for building the towers.

I think, since the series has deteriorated, modifications should be introduced. For example, at the beginning, give the hero not 0-0-0-0, but 0-0-5-5. Also, give larger and longer maps to make it more interesting to play.
Suggest what else can be done.

I played this campaign...
And overall, I was somewhat disappointed with the game.
The player accumulates strength, but then what?

I think that since the series has deteriorated, we need to introduce modifications. For example, at the beginning, give the hero not 0-0-0-0, but 0-0-5-5. Also, give larger and longer maps so that it is more interesting to play.
Suggest what else can be done.

So that there is no disappointment, it is necessary to maintain the game balance and keep it interesting...
I don't see any point in these spirals at all, but since you are making something like an RPG with a gradual progression, one enemy after another, then:
1) the difficulty should increase, i.e., at the beginning, you can come up with battles with a minimum number of units and defeat the designated neutrals with certain spells, then with smaller forces and a minimum of magic, move on to AI and various objects with non-fixed neutral squads, and then give the player cities, units, magic, and stronger enemies (or achieve difficulty with small squads and a minimum number of spells in the spellbook)
In particular:
!It was originally implemented on the Venegeance is mine map (we have Inferno troops and use these troops to defeat several AI with the same number of troops each)
!In Paragon, the start is excellently implemented in battles with peasants and swordsmen, and then along the way to the first castle, and throughout the game, the difficulty and possibilities gradually increase
!In Wayfarer, there is also an excellent implementation with initial battles and the need to carefully look at the paths on the map with gradual development
These are examples of different mapmaking options; in general, there are a huge number of options, and there are more than enough decent maps to see how certain ideas work.
2) Objects - the road should not be empty; the player should have something to do; otherwise, it will be extremely boring, and they will not want to continue. At the same time, there should not be too many objects, but not too few; there should also be logic.
3) Path - if it is just a spiral, then some kind of plot is essential (like the main character Orpheus going to the underworld to save Eurydice (and the condition for victory is to defeat her guard or capture the city and go through the circles of hell; something like that should be the plot, or you come up with it yourself, or based on existing literature, of which there are many), you can make some forks, dead ends, portals, and other things to speed up or diversify the game.
!Storylines are very well implemented in the trilogy (Titanic, Angelic, and Devil Pride); of course, you can simplify the game and go differently than the author planned, but in general, look at how the plot, quests, and hero movement are implemented; the passage is not particularly difficult, but it is engaging.
!You should not focus on making something like Meta-Serk (even naming the map correctly is difficult; there are no words to describe the passage; you have to look at and calculate every movement point, and in battles, sometimes calculate some crazy things, although the map is a masterpiece in its own way, but not for mass repeated playthroughs for fun).
4) AI actions - if everything is linear, it is better to make them static and adjust the balance so that there is interest in battles with them when the player arrives, or otherwise, think about their places of residence and possible actions - this is the most difficult.
5) Battles - they should be diverse; there should be at least the appearance of difficulty or something authorial; you can implement ideas with a tent, a ballista, and other things that are usually not used or are not popular; that is, there should be some kind of highlight and originality.
For example, look at the maps Le Dernier Elementaliste and Apocalypse by the French, where from the start, the main striking unit is fairy dragons; the battle is built around them; this is something original and unusual, and you need to introduce such things for the playability and interest in the map, and especially the campaign.
6) Quests and artifacts - it is essential that the player is not bored, does not just go through the motions, but is also forced to complete quests, receiving adequate rewards for it, and you also need to think about artifacts, where they will be, which ones you need to give and take, etc.
7) Test maps, work on the balance - play and play the map, editing and editing individual elements, achieving the desired result.

Regarding the spiral - look at the map Gift2001, it is partially there; there is no difficulty; the only loss is in the battle with the first AI, and then it is just simple and boring; there is no longer a need to visit anything, etc.
So, if you are doing it sequentially, you need to do it so that there are losses, a change in the types of units, and there is no sweeping away of everything in your path (although with AI, this is inevitable in the end; you need to artificially and skillfully strengthen it).

1. Passing with one hero and one unit until the mana runs out.
2. Passing with one hero and a small number of units after 2 weeks, when the opponent has developed a little, and one unit will not defeat him.
3. Passing with a pumped-up hero, sweeping away everything in your path.
4. Building magic towers to get the remaining missing high-level spells. It is tedious and takes a long time to accumulate resources to build towers.

You need to avoid this, so that there is no banal accumulation of meat and trampling everything in your path; perhaps the most striking example (in general, an anti-example - how not to do it) is Empire of Worlds; both the 1st and 2nd ones suffer greatly from this - we have a lot of troops, and in the end, everything is won easily; there are only a few worthwhile battles throughout the game.
Another example of an unsuccessful blunder is the Battle of the Titans (where you need to defeat Lord Haart with 4k ghosts to win); the map has a terrible imbalance; everything is stuffed without much meaning or logic; there are also uneven respawns; in some places, you really need to sit and skip, and in some places, there is just a lot of space; and the main enemies are completely locked up, and by the time you arrive, they do not represent anything, there is no interest.
The player should receive spells and resources in a timely and logical manner during the passage; it should not be the case that you sit in one place for a month, skip turns, then build, skip another month, buy, and in two weeks, clear the map.
And again, the player must receive the necessary spells, units, and artifacts for the passage 100%, but, of course, it should not be the case that we have several fairies, and all the spells are available, so that nothing else is needed except mana.
I hope the general idea is clear; in fact, it is difficult to make an interesting, replayable map.
Good luck!

Personally, thank you!
This is a great cheat sheet for beginner (and not only) mapmakers. I will probably add a link to it in the relevant topic.
"Metaserk" is probably "Metataxer's Revenge", a masterpiece for pro players.

In single-player maps, the AI exhibits "stupidity." It either doesn't advance, even though it should according to all the rules. You approach it, and it has a large army, but it doesn't come to you, and you can't defeat it when you approach. Or, it makes foolish upgrades to its units that don't provide any benefit. This is a common occurrence. In the campaign, the same issues I described become apparent. And the further you go, the more obvious they become. In the end, it becomes definitely uninteresting to play. But if I were to modify the campaigns as well, it would take a lot of time, and I would never finish, and I wouldn't be able to realize my ideas in a single map. I want to make the maps longer, so that there aren't just 8 cities, but more – up to 24, and the distance between the cities isn't minimal, but somewhere between 90 and 180.

I don't understand why so many people want to turn the AI into a competitive opponent. For me, it's been clear for a long time that in Heroes, the AI serves as a mere background element. The challenge and interest should be sought elsewhere, in my opinion.

A computer and a human are completely different opponents.
I used to want to play, but now I've become an explorer. Now, creating maps is a necessary mathematical exercise for the brain when you don't know anything, but you still need to calculate. As a result, you get a picture.

And also, I play on my own, but in general, there are five different ways to play. For example, you can team up with the computer and play with it on different ends of the map.

Regarding campaigns. I thought about it and decided that without significant changes, nothing fundamentally new can be done here (see the first post). And I don't have the time to make significant changes. Honestly. I don't need to rack my brains any more. So, let it remain as it is. We'll have to accept the "lack of interest" in the game in this version.

I will focus mainly on single-player maps and the initial stages of the campaign, when there is something to think about.

Question for the author of single-layer maps. How can I make the AI constantly move forward? I want to create an arena map for playing against the AI. It gets stuck very easily. It moves, doesn't move, goes back, freezes. What should I do?

How can I make the AI constantly move forward?

Try placing buffs, objects, and other beneficial items so that it has a reason to move forward, but it might still be slow and return.

Question for the author of one-dimensional maps.
How can I make the AI constantly move forward?
I want to create an arena map for playing against the AI. It gets stuck in the simplest situations. It moves, it doesn't move, it goes back, it freezes.

What should I do?

The problem is unsolvable. Let it be stupid. Maps are specifically made for this.

I can only make a couple of observations.
1) The best option, where the computer's stupidity interferes the least, is to play alone against the computer.
All other options (for example, taking the computer as an ally) only worsen the game.
2) If you want the computer not to be stupid and to move forward, you need to draw a map where the width of the passage is not 1, but 2 cells (or more). But I don't draw such maps. I have other plans.

Campaign 1. I finished it yesterday. It contains 4 maps. They are arranged in the campaign as follows: maps 1, 2, 3 are played, then maps 1, 2, 3 are played again, but with a stronger hero, and finally map 4. At the beginning, you get a hero. Then you level him up to level 3 on each map. What I would like to modify. At the beginning, I want to give the hero with skills not 0-0-0-0, but 0-0-5-5. Also, the maps should be longer, but that will take time. In the next campaign, I want to remove the two shortest maps and add two longer maps. The archive contains a ready-made campaign with 7 maps, as well as 4 map templates for it.

Campaign 1. This campaign consists of 7 maps. The maps were taken from here: /topic/at/1187568/ The order of the maps is as follows: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4. On each map, the hero is allowed to level up by 3 levels. Then leveling stops until the next map. At the beginning, you are given a hero named Orrin with zero stats and no skills.

The second campaign. The campaign is similar to the previous one. This campaign has 7 maps. On the first map, you are given the hero Valeska with 0-0-0-0 skills and no special abilities. On each map, she can level up three times and then move on to the next map. The order of the maps is as follows: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 4.