Posts from Valley of Dreams

Name: Dreams Valley
Map Name: Dreams Valley
Map Type: Single Mission
Two-level map: yes
Number of players: 3
Size: Medium
Map author: Navkratis
Map description: South of the elven port city of Erivel lies a mountainous area with a primeval forest, known as Dreams Valley – a place for recreation, meditation, and unicorn breeding. When Ilfina, commander of Erivel's militia, went to the valley once again, nothing foreshadowed trouble...

A little about the map: the main focus when creating the scenario was on the visual aspect, and I hope the landscape turned out to be really beautiful There are not many scripts, but there are some (I'm trying to improve with each map); also, the gameplay in the first few weeks of the game has its own peculiarity, which you will understand by starting the scenario. I checked the balance by testing it on Veteran difficulty, but keep in mind that my gaming skills leave much to be desired

Based on the above, I am open to all feedback and suggestions, and I also ask you to let me know if any technical problems arise. Have a nice game! By the way, the scenario can also be played in the original Heroes, in fact, I made it specifically for the vanilla game, but, unfortunately, not many people visit that section.

P.S. I would also like to express my great gratitude to user }{0TT@6bI4 for testing the map and giving advice

P.P.S. Version 1.1 (08/05/20):
- Fixed the inaccessibility of sawmills
- Removed one sawmill near Damled
- Removed a crystal mine near the fort on the hill on the way to Erivel
- Removed a crystal mine to the southeast of Erivel
- Removed an alchemist's laboratory near Shagaracti
- Changed Nazir's biography and removed "Earth Shock" from the spellbook
- Closed the passage near the peasant farms in the west, which forces you to use the underground passage behind the river. I look forward to your feedback on how this innovation has affected the gameplay
- Added one script for Ilfina and three scripts for Nazir. I pray to Ashu that everything works as it should

UPDATE 08/12/20 Fixing a suddenly appearing bug with the blue screen (plus fixing the inaccessibility of the dungeon near the northwestern necromancer city):

Version 1.2 (02/12/22):
- The "Armageddon" spell is prohibited on the map
- In the desert region, you can now reach the gargoyle dwelling without fighting the archmages
- In the level 2 sanctuary west of Erivel, the "Lightning" spell is now used instead of "Summon Ship"
- The entrance to the one-way portal is now guarded by nightmares instead of dark raiders, their number has been slightly increased
- Enemy heroes should no longer flee from battle (which they liked to do with a full army, but this needs to be tested)

Excellent scenario! I played it on "hero" difficulty and completed it in 107 days. It was challenging, but in my opinion, the balance is perfect. The map is very beautiful. I didn't encounter any technical issues. There is no access to two lumber mills: one is near Damled, and the other is in the lower left corner of the map, near the entrance to the dungeon. Also, on the minimap, near the fort on the hill closer to Erivell, there is some kind of mine displayed, but it's not visible on the map. Thank you to the author, and good luck!

Thank you, such feedback is really motivating :)

P.S. As an extra bonus, I suggest that everyone who wants to go to the music - AdvMap-Terrain folder and replace the rather unremarkable, in my opinion, music for the dungeon with this one (you can save the old version on your computer beforehand). As a result, in all maps with a dungeon, you will be listening to much more organic and beautiful music (at least, in my opinion :) ).

Thank you to the author for the map! Sylvan is my favorite faction, so I decided to play it.

Decor. The map is pleasant, with many small details, and I would especially like to note the beautiful bodies of water. I will note that I personally don't like the narrow passages and the accumulation of neutral creatures, but that's a matter of personal preference. However, there are some comments: the map is a completely flat plain, with no changes in elevation, even small ones; also, the angles of rotation of the neutral creatures and some of the larger objects are very noticeable; sometimes it is still worth using something other than just a 90-degree rotation. And the lighting in the Dungeon is strange...

Plot. The story is quite banal: there are some enemies, and in the end, you just need to defeat them all. I thought that the Valley of Dreams would play a bigger role in the middle and at the end of the game, rather than just being a starting location. Also, the messages that tell everything are quite strange; some of the information seems unnecessary. However, the messages describing nature are on the level of Pushkin.

Balance. There are no complaints about this. I liked the idea that different creatures are recruited in certain Castles, and some are improved, while others require you to go to the Fort. But this has a slight impact: there were no resource problems throughout the game.

Gameplay. I will say right away that I only found out about the passage to the Elven Castles through the Dungeon in the north at the very end of the game. This is due to 2 factors: there are no enemies coming from there (green key), and the passage there must be made by water (this is a very time-consuming process). It seems that, well, so what, I just went a different way... But in this case, the whole point of these 2 Elven Castles is lost - because if you go to them through the human garrison in the south, then you essentially already clear out almost all the Necromancers and another Dark Elf Castle as well.

PS. All scripted interactions only occur with Ilfina, although I also fought with the liberated Nazir and another hero; I would like the triggers to work for my other heroes as well

Good map. I completed it in 65 days without stopping. The game has a true strategic spirit, which is not often found in modern maps. Many thanks to the author for the work. Now, about what could be improved. Firstly, the text box for messages. There is an incredible amount of text, and it would be more convenient to read if the box was larger. Secondly, the number of resources is very large; some of the mines could be removed without any negative consequences. EnterEsc correctly noted that the scripted reinforcements are only given to Ilfin; it would be better if any player's hero received them when passing through a point. I encountered several inaccessible objects on the map.

Thank you for the feedback; I'm glad to see that my maps are gradually gaining popularity :) Regarding the desire for more scripts and additional plot twists—I agree, but my study of scripting is still in the early stages; it's a struggle and doesn't bring me much joy :) (unlike the landscape creation stage, where I simply relax my soul).

As for the elevation changes—they are actually on the map: in the southwest, where one of the elven outposts and Silanna's tree are located, near the nearby fort on the hill, and around the western elven city; additionally, there is hilly terrain on the approach to Erivell. But overall, I will keep this in mind for the future.

I also need to think about how to increase the relevance of the underground path to the northeast of Erivell. There's an idea to move the green outpost to where the phoenixes are currently located, but this would significantly change the gameplay—a threat of attack by water would appear, but at the same time, the pressure from the south would decrease, so additional tests are needed here. I have my own difficulties with that—while doing a Walkthrough of the map, appcrash-s constantly occur in the second or third months (reinstalling the game doesn't help), so for now, I'll just make a note of this point. Although even now it makes sense to go through there, if only to visit the Dragon Gorge and collect artifacts.

I will fix the inaccessible mines and try to slightly reduce their total number. I will post the new version within a week; I'll also try to add at least a couple of scripts to it.

And thank you to everyone who downloaded and completed the map:)

Added after 19 hours 36 minutes
I've uploaded a new version of the scenario taking into account the comments and suggestions; I look forward to your feedback:)

Firstly, frames for message text. There is an incredible amount of text and it would be more convenient to read with an enlarged frame.

I found out today that it's impossible to fix this via script; you need to install a special mod from 32 meters.

I can show you, Navkratis, how to export this mod directly into the map.

This will be more convenient.

I can show you, Navkratis, how to export this mod directly into the map.

That would be more convenient.

Thank you, maybe I'll use this trick for the next version of the map (if there is one), but for now, I want to take a short break, at least from this map.

We'll be waiting for a new map!

There's a catch here, as it heavily depends on the skill you get from the witch's hut. For example, they offered Chaos, but I didn't take it because it's hard to obtain. But it wouldn't help much anyway – the only spells are arrow, thorns, and skin. If you build a lot of machines early on, it will be noticeably easier. Or, you know, whatever else you need instead of machines. I'm definitely going to focus on building them, otherwise, the vampires and upgraded Necrodrakes will throw ice shards at me, and I won't win without them.

By the way, the Prophet behind the Bone Dragons doesn't give any additional quests, and it's not entirely clear what he wants. He says to clear out the undead, but it's unclear which ones, where, and how many.

Overall, I like the feature of forbidden buildings in cities; it's much better than having everything allowed for everyone, and it's just a matter of time.

By the way, the prophet near the bone dragons doesn't offer any additional quest, and it's not entirely clear what he needs. He says to clear out the undead, but it's unclear which ones, where, and how many.

Hello, the prophet simply says that he also constantly has to fight off the undead, and as a gesture of goodwill, he teaches Ilfin the "Phantom Power" spell. This is his entire role.

By the way, a couple of days ago, I finally managed to complete the scenario without any crashes and noticed a bug that, for some reason, no one has mentioned – the inaccessibility of the dungeon near the northwestern Necromancer city. So, I'm wondering whether to release a new version or first improve my mapmaking skills, as the bug is not critical.

Today, I was informed about a suddenly appearing bug with the blue screen, and I'm fixing it in the post above. Also, for those who are having problems with the Walkthrough of version 1.1, here is my approximate Walkthrough (although, it's on Veteran difficulty):

"spoiler"

First, be sure to upgrade logistics and clear part of the Valley of Dreams. However, it's unlikely that you'll be able to clear everything at once, and it's simply not efficient in terms of time. I temporarily left the area around the elemental dwelling and the area behind the nightmares untouched.

After reaching Erivell, free Nazir as soon as possible. Ilfina then returns to the passage from Erivell to the camps, while Nazir trains on neutral creatures and gains several levels. After receiving reinforcements and upgrading them at the fortress, Nazir and Ilfina head to the outpost, which by that time is usually already breached by enemies. When approaching the outpost, it's best to temporarily give all troops to Nazir (you'll understand why). After overcoming the outpost, Nazir and Ilfina divide their troops based on the situation. For example, Ilfina with 70% of the troops goes to capture the southern necromancer city, while Nazir with the remaining troops goes to capture the underground necropolis.

After that, having captured two necropolises and brought in reinforcements, Nazir and Ilfina, with approximately the same troop ratio, take the long path to the west (while bringing in troops, they train on the surrounding neutral creatures). Nazir, who should already be at least level 10, remains on this path to defend the passage, while Ilfina goes to capture the Conflux city, optionally clearing out the heroes roaming the area. After capturing the Conflux city and Ilfina's return to the surface, depending on the situation, you can wait for a week for the enemy heroes to emerge from the one-way portal and then destroy them with Ilfina (of course, reinforcements continue to arrive for us during this time). The purpose of this delay (again, depending on the situation) is to lure out a couple of enemies with medium-sized armies, thereby reducing the enemy's advantage.

After that, most of the troops (and possibly artifacts) are transferred to Nazir, and he stands close to the exit of the one-way portal, acting as a "stopper." Of course, all reinforcements from the necropolis and Conflux cities and dwellings are brought to him by hero carriers (after upgrading them on the hill). Ilfina, meanwhile, relaxes and accumulates an elven army, captures dwellings, visits upgrade locations, and goes to the Dungeon. After that, everything is quite simple. I would only advise waiting for a new day before removing the green gates in the Dungeon, in order to capture the second Conflux city as quickly as possible and prevent enemy heroes from reaching the surface. With five cities against three and a controlled passage into the Dungeon, the rest becomes a matter of technique. If the Necropolis manages to accumulate significant forces, some of the troops can be summoned as reinforcements from the cities, and some of the reinforcement streams can be transferred from Nazir to Ilfina. The main thing is for Ilfina to stand closer to the exit to the surface or on the surface itself, in order to force the Conflux to adjust its plans and, if possible, stay in the nearest elven city. And near that city is the entrance to the desired one-way portal, so if Ilfina is confident enough in her strength to hold the passage to the portal and prevent the Necropolis from emerging from the nearest city, then you can wait for Nazir to arrive with a considerable army, cutting through the red gates.
P.S. When approaching the elven cities, small squads will join Ilfina. Also, before opening the green gates, you can join a squad of archers on the northern island.

Walkthrough of the "Valley of Dreams" scenario (hero difficulty): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFkW4ecNnrQ

Thank you for the map. It definitely needs some polishing, but overall it's not bad. I completed it on difficulty level G without much difficulty. It's a pure rush strategy with minimal magic usage.

Thank you for the map. It definitely needs some polishing, but overall it's not bad. I completed it on Normal difficulty without much trouble. It's a pure rush strategy with minimal magic.

Thank you for the feedback. To be honest, my gaming skills aren't that great; I had some trouble completing it on Veteran difficulty during testing.