Posts from Heroes 5.5 WarGame Edition - Tactical Edition. Auto-translated

For duels, yes, it’s done for simplicity.

Let's have some duels – what else is there to do in the summer but trash talk? By the way, I have some ideas regarding combat scripts, from adding damage bonuses to increasing the number of attacks.

I don't plan to add combat scripts this time, as the main focus is on balancing the game. Perhaps I will add them next time.

I read about scripts and have already found a useful application for combat scripts – for the Logistics skill. At the beginning of the battle, accelerate the turn of all creatures in the hero's army by 10/20/30% (the numbers can be different). Now, this will be an absolutely viable combat skill in the final battles (perks in which give bonuses/penalties to the initiative and speed of troops). In this case, a logical solution would also be to return 30% of the Keen Mind bonus from Sorcery to Logistics (tier 1 perk). Also, there is almost a possibility to make Earthquake a truly combat spell by adding an additional 0.2 attack bonus (AB) knockback to all enemy troops. Or 0.2 AB knockback for each crystal destroyed by Earthquake. But there are 2 difficulties here: 1) Earthquake (apparently) technically cannot be played without obstacles on the battlefield (that's why I suggested the option of dependence on the number of crystals). 2) It is not yet clear how to track the fact that the hero cast Earthquake (is the crystal counted as a unit, because the game tracks the events of unit deaths). Added after 38 minutes And it would also be interesting to try whether it is possible to use scripts to place crystals on the battlefield before the battle (as destructible obstacles).

you can arrange them
as for tracking the death of a crystal, it's hard to say, there is a function for this, but the game does not take into account the moves of uncontrolled units (for example, hives or combat machines without a skill), so it may not be possible to track.

I understand that the problem isn't that the unit is uncontrollable. The problem is that the Crystal isn't considered a creature. And the function that tracks a unit's death relies on the CREATURE designation. Although, I might be wrong.

I'm more interested in whether it's possible to activate the Sentinel not only on melee attacks against the target, but also on ranged attacks and spells.

No, catapults and ballistae, for example, are tracked by functions like AttackerWarMachineMove, provided the player can control them; the function does not trigger during an automatic shot. Crystals, as well as walls and hives, belong to the SpellSpawn type; their movements cannot be tracked in principle, but their death can be detected; there is a function for this, as I see, it needs to be checked.

There are triggers for AttackerBuildingDeath / DefenderBuildingDeath, and crystals, walls of swords, and hives should, in theory, be considered buildings. But even in this case, it's unclear how to track the Earthquake itself (and not just that the crystal exploded due to other reasons). In general, as I understand it, you can track the start of the battle (before and after deployment), the movement of units (written for AI control, needs to be checked), and the death of stacks. You can assign actions to units (playing an animation, giving the "Defend" order, shooting, casting a spell, using any activated ability, setting mana). You can speed up or slow down the turn of units (although they say they haven't figured out how the numerical parameter works), kill any stack, or create any stack. You can set or reset automatic control mode (for example, emulate uncontrolled berserker movements in this way). You can teleport units, force them to move, or attack. Basically, that's it – not that much.

no, they are a separate type of SpellSpawn; there are AttackeSpellSpawnDeath, etc. It is not possible to track the application of a specific spell, no.

unit turn (written for AI control, to be checked)

also under player control

spellcasting, application of any activated ability

it's not that simple with abilities; most require the creature to have the corresponding skill. Regarding spells: a hero can cast any spell available to them based on their skill in a school of magic (i.e., knowing the spell is not necessary; sufficient skill for casting is enough); creatures can cast anything, as long as they have enough mana, but it should be noted that this cast will always be at the Advanced level (unless the creature has a castable spell at a higher level). For example, for this reason, it will not be possible to create a phantom of a creature of level 7+ with a creature (but this is a rare, specific case).

It is possible to speed up or slow down the progress of unit turns (although they say they haven't figured out how the numerical parameter works)

from 0 to 1, 1 - send the unit to the beginning of the turn order, 0 - to the very end.

kill any stack

not exactly; the stack will be removed from the arena, leaving no corpse. However, it is still possible to emulate killing in a slightly different way.

It is possible to set/reset automatic control mode (for example, to emulate uncontrolled berserker turns in this way)

I don't remember exactly, but there seemed to be problems in this case (when switching to automatic turns with a script, it was not possible to switch back)

As I understand it, scripts can be used to enhance Deadly Misfortune – by adding an extra application at the beginning of the battle of the Wheel of Fortune to all enemy stacks, meaning the final luck of enemy creatures will be reduced by 2-4 units. In this case, it becomes a worthy competitor to Critical Hit (200% damage), and both perks can be placed in tier 2 after Soldier's Luck.

Also, it will be possible to implement, for example, summoning wolves and manticores at the beginning of the battle (for the corresponding perks), so that they do not take up a slot in the hero's army.

Half a month has passed; is there an approximate release date, give or take 5-10 days?

I cannot name an exact date yet.

Discussions regarding classes and skills, and a three-class system versus a two-class system, are ongoing within a narrow circle.
For now, the following changes have been made:

Popular skills (10-20%):

HUMANS (General) = Leadership + Light + Darkness
1 Knight = Attack + Defense + Logistics
2 Paladin = Knowledge + Defense + Luck
3 Inquisitor = Knowledge + Sorcery + Engineering

ELVES (General) = Luck + Light + Summoning
1 Ranger = Attack + Leadership + Logistics
2 Avenger = Knowledge + Attack + Defense
3 Druid = Knowledge + Sorcery + Engineering

WIZARDS (General) = Knowledge + Summoning + Chaos
1 Alchemist = Leadership + Logistics + Engineering
2 Mystic = Sorcery + Luck + Leadership
3 Archmage = Sorcery + Light + Darkness

DWARVES (General) = Defense + Light + Chaos
1 Warrior = Attack + Luck + Engineering
2 Veteran = Knowledge + Leadership + Engineering
3 Priest = Knowledge + Sorcery + Luck

DEMONS (General) = Attack + Darkness + Chaos
1 Overlord = Defense + Luck + Leadership
2 Destroyer = Knowledge + Logistics + Engineering
3 Fiend = Knowledge + Sorcery + Defense

SHADOWS (General) = Logistics + Darkness + Chaos
1 Assassin = Attack + Luck + Engineering
2 Witch = Sorcery + Defense + Leadership
3 Warlock = Knowledge + Sorcery + Luck

UNDEAD (General) = Sorcery + Darkness + Summoning
1 Reaper = Attack + Defense + Logistics
2 Necromancer = Defense + Luck + Engineering
3 Cultist = Knowledge + Logistics + Engineering

ORCS (General) = Attack + Leadership + Engineering
1 Barbarian = Defense + Luck + Logistics
2 Amazon = Logistics + Anti-Chaos + Anti-Summoning
3 Shaman = War Cries + Anti-Light + Anti-Darkness

Groupings by archetype:

OFFENSIVE WARRIORS (attack + logistics, without defense, knowledge, and sorcery):
1 Ranger = [Attack + Logistics] + [Luck + Leadership] + [Light + Summoning]
2 Assassin = [Attack + Logistics] + [Luck + Engineering] + [Darkness + Chaos]
3 Amazon = [Attack + Logistics] + [Leadership + Engineering] + [Anti-Chaos + Anti-Summoning]

DEFENSIVE WARRIORS (attack + defense, without knowledge and sorcery):
1 Knight = [Attack + Defense] + [Leadership + Logistics] + [Light + Darkness]
2 Warrior = [Attack + Defense] + [Luck + Engineering] + [Light + Chaos]
3 Overlord = [Attack + Defense] + [Luck + Leadership] + [Darkness + Chaos]
4 Barbarian = [Attack + Defense] + [Luck + Leadership + Logistics + Engineering]

SEMI-WARRIORS (knowledge, without sorcery):
1 Paladin = [Knowledge + Leadership] + [Defense + Luck] + [Light + Darkness]
2 Avenger = [Knowledge + Luck] + [Attack + Defense] + [Light + Summoning]
3 Alchemist = [Knowledge] + [Leadership + Logistics + Engineering] + [Summoning + Chaos]
4 Veteran = [Knowledge + Defense] + [Leadership + Engineering] + [Light + Chaos]
5 Destroyer = [Knowledge + Attack] + [Logistics + Engineering] + [Darkness + Chaos]

SEMI-MAGES (sorcery, without knowledge):
1 Reaper = [Sorcery] + [Attack + Defense + Logistics] + [Darkness + Summoning]
2 Necromancer = [Sorcery] + [Defense + Luck + Engineering] + [Darkness + Summoning]
3 Witch = [Sorcery + Logistics] + [Defense + Leadership] + [Darkness + Chaos]
4 Shaman = [War Cries + Engineering] + [Attack + Leadership] + [Anti-Light + Anti-Darkness]

ENGINEER-MAGES (sorcery + knowledge + engineering):
1 Inquisitor = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Engineering + Leadership] + [Light + Darkness] (battle mage with access to empathy - fastest possible casts)
2 Druid = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Engineering + Luck] + [Light + Summoning] (engineer-mage with simultaneous access to sorcerous luck)
3 Cultist = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Engineering + Logistics] + [Darkness + Summoning] (engineer-mage for a long game, penalizing the enemy's speed and initiative while accelerating mass casts of liches)

DEFENSIVE MAGES (sorcery + knowledge + defense):
1 Priest = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Defense + Luck] + [Light + Chaos] (defensive mage with access to sorcerous luck)
2 Fiend = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Defense + Attack] + [Darkness + Chaos] (universal mage, with simultaneous access to defense and attack)

PURE MAGES (sorcery + knowledge, without defense and engineering):
1 Archmage = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Chaos + Summoning + Light + Darkness] (classic archmage with all schools of magic)
2 Mystic = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Luck + Leadership] + [Summoning + Chaos] (simultaneous access to empathy and sorcerous luck)
3 Warlock = [Sorcery + Knowledge] + [Luck + Logistics] + [Darkness + Chaos] (simultaneous access to sorcerous luck and keen mind)

Stat distribution will follow shortly. The opponent insists on a two-class system because the numbers aren't working out properly :)
Overall, it is a confrontation between the class models of Heroes 5 and Heroes 3. In the third part, there was a clear distinction between warriors (attack + defense) and mages (spellcasting + knowledge), as well as several intermediate classes (neither here nor there). In the fifth part, parameter groupings are much more diverse (attack + spellcasting, for example); that is exactly why I am for a three-class system and diverse parameters, but they still need to be designed properly so they don't repeat and remain logical.

Everything currently comes down to the parameters, as I would still like to connect triple classes to duels.

Added after 5 hours 44 minutes
Done, I have mapped out the classes by parameters. Finally, I am completely satisfied with the layout. I've described the main roles for each class.
Numbers indicate the % chance of a parameter dropping upon level-up.
In duels, 40% corresponds to 9,
30% - 7,
20% - 5,
10% - 3.

Racial parameter groupings are always based on the key parameter (for light races it is defense and knowledge, for dark ones - attack and spellcasting).

KNIGHT = 30/40+10/20 = [Light, Darkness, Lead] + [Atk, Def, Log]
PALADIN = 10/40+20/30 = [Light, Darkness, Lead] + [Def, Luck, Know]
INQUISITOR = 20/40+30/10 = [Light, Darkness, Lead] + [Eng, Know, Sorc]

Knight - a rusher-combatant, immediately placing the maximum bet on physicals.
Paladin - a magical combatant, playing a long game with a large number of buffs/debuffs.
Inquisitor - a magical rusher, quickly ramping up damage using powerful magic.

RANGER = 30/10+20/40 = [Light, Sum, Luck] + [Atk, Lead, Log]
AVENGER = 20/30+10/40 = [Light, Sum, Luck] + [Atk, Def, Know]
DRUID = 10/20+30/40 = [Light, Sum, Luck] + [Eng, Know, Sorc]

Ranger - a magical shooter, betting on initiative, shooting, and high-level magic.
Avenger - a magical combatant, playing a long game with active use of magic.
Druid - a pure controller mage, gradually suppressing the opponent with powerful magic, supported by machines.

ALCHEMIST = 30/20+10/40 = [Chaos, Sum, Know] + [Lead, Log, Eng]
MYSTIC = 10/30+20/40 = [Chaos, Sum, Know] + [Luck, Lead, Sorc]
ARCHMAGE = 20/10+30/40 = [Chaos, Sum, Know] + [Light, Darkness, Sorc]

Alchemist - a full combatant, relying on high initiative and machines, with active use of magic.
Mystic - a tempo mage, betting on spell speed.
Archmage - a universal powerful mage with easy access to any school of magic.

WARRIOR = 30/40+20/10 = [Light, Chaos, Def] + [Atk, Luck, Eng]
VETERAN = 20/40+10/30 = [Light, Chaos, Def] + [Lead, Eng, Know]
PRIEST = 10/40+30/20 = [Light, Chaos, Def] + [Luck, Know, Sorc]

Warrior - a rusher-combatant, betting on physicals, machines, and cheap magic.
Veteran - a magical combatant, playing a long game with active use of magic and machines.
Priest - a protected mage, relying on strong but inexpensive spells.

OVERLORD = 40/30+20/10 = [Darkness, Chaos, Atk] + [Def, Luck, Lead]
DESTROYER = 40/10+30/20 = [Darkness, Chaos, Atk] + [Log, Eng, Know]
FIEND = 40/20+10/30 = [Darkness, Chaos, Atk] + [Def, Know, Sorc]

Overlord - a universal soldier with minimal magic support.
Destroyer - a rusher supported by powerful magic and machines.
Fiend - a combatant with high magical potential.

ASSASSIN = 30/10+40/20 = [Darkness, Chaos, Log] + [Atk, Luck, Eng]
WITCH = 20/30+40/10 = [Darkness, Chaos, Log] + [Def, Lead, Sorc]
WARLOCK = 10/20+40/30 = [Darkness, Chaos, Log] + [Luck, Know, Sorc]

Assassin - a tempo rusher with very strong magic supported by machines. Spellcasting is the priority because this is not a general, but a personal killer.
Witch - a tempo protected mage, playing a long game on strong but cheap spells.
Warlock - a killer-mage, betting everything on tempo powerful magic.

REAPER = 30/20+40/10 = [Darkness, Sum, Sorc] + [Atk, Def, Log]
NECROMANCER = 10/30+40/20 = [Darkness, Sum, Sorc] + [Def, Luck, Eng]
CULTIST = 20/10+40/30 = [Darkness, Sum, Sorc] + [Log, Eng, Know]

Reaper - a combatant supported by strong but cheap magic.
Necromancer - a protected mage, betting on powerful magic and machines.
Cultist - a controller mage, betting everything on tempo powerful magic and machines.

BARBARIAN = 40/30+10/20 = [Atk, Lead, Eng] + [Def, Luck, Log]
AMAZON = 40/20+30/10 = [Atk, Lead, Eng] + [Log, Anti-Chaos, Anti-Summoning]
SHAMAN = 40/10+20/30 = [Atk, Lead, Eng] + [Cry, Anti-Light, Anti-Darkness]

Barbarian - a classic barbarian, all bets on own massive physical power.
Amazon - a rusher mage-killer (high spellcasting is used to dampen magic and also converts into a random parameter, granting flexibility).
Shaman - a magical combatant warrior-killer (compensates for lacking defense with powerful and tempo war cries).

A three-class system is, in my opinion, more interesting. However, there are a couple of nuances that I don't quite understand (it's more of a matter of personal preference). 1. Druids don't really fit with machines for me. They seem to be more connected to nature/animals and ignore/reject technology. 2. A "rusher-mage killer" isn't really an Amazon in fantasy terms; it's more like a Witcher or a Witch Hunter.

1. I don't really associate Druids with machines. They seem to be more connected to nature/animals, and they ignore/reject technology.

I generally agree with this, but I didn't want to say it because I can't come up with a good alternative. Something like "enchanter"? It sounds weak.

Well, as an option – Pagan.