Posts from Cerberus Island

Completed the map on “Hero” difficulty, 46 days. I liked the fact that the map is well-designed by the author, and I didn't encounter any flaws. The landscape is well-developed, the guards are strategically placed, and the dialogues and scripts work as intended. This is the second such map from this author – my respect for the work done.

Regarding the gameplay. The map cannot be considered difficult. The first week is a bit challenging, but after that, it becomes quite easy. The strength of the armies and magic of the enemies are very forgiving to the player. The map is like a torch that was forgotten to be lit. The second drawback is that everything is too organized; the player is like on a train, and there is no room for any improvisation, so replaying it is not interesting. I don't understand the point of replacing the demonic troops with undead – this is definitely a losing option. It suggests destroying the bonuses from the hero's specialization, morale, and gate with your own hands.

I just finished the map on "Hero" difficulty. My demon was barely moving, trying to stretch things out as much as possible. I barely made it to the final castle on day 79. It was really tough, whew. In the Necropolis castle, I had been gathering forces with an increased rate for several weeks. For the final battle, I used my main troops. I won without much trouble. It would have been even easier if there were common "light" spells on the map. This is the second time I've played, and the second time there are no light spells in any of the castles. It's like a conspiracy.

So, it's definitely not worth changing the troops.

everything being very organized, it's as if the player is sent on a train, and there is no room for any improvisation; replaying is not interesting.

It should be even easier to win with the Undead: since the player has two dwellings in addition to the two castles, which together act as one basic resource increase (even a little more), you can accumulate an army of 5 against 4 and already gain an advantage in troops. I envisioned "Cerberus Island" as a map for a quick game, but with the possibility of winning even with a slower approach.

Again, in my opinion, this map lacks the ability to “infinitely” level up the main hero. After capturing the Necropolis, there are no more events until the end. If the stream of enemies didn't end with just two Necromancers appearing, it would be better, more dynamic. The player would have a choice: play quickly or take their time and level up the hero. Currently, the map is only interesting for a speedrun.

I completed the map on veteran difficulty without any problems; I was lucky to get 2 demon heroes in the tavern, and I got machines early on. The only thing that bothered me was the 10 astral dragons in the final battle as a penalty for using Inferno troops, which, in my opinion, is quite insignificant.
Overall, I enjoyed the scenario. Thank you for the map!

Maybe I'm just not playing very well. I started as a Warrior. On day 5, Samdir, level 25, came to my castle with an army of 100 archers, 70 zombies, 40 specters, 30 vampires, and 18 ghosts. On day 5, I only have 60 imps, 45 demons, and 20 cerberuses, and my hero is level 4. How am I supposed to win? I don't understand at all. I'm afraid to imagine what's happening with the hero.

Thank you for playing my map! Unfortunately, the scripts don't seem to be working for you. The first day starts with a dialogue, followed by two text messages, and there are two main quests and one secondary quest. On the second day, there's a dialogue, a message, and a new quest. The third day consists of three messages and another quest. The fifth day also begins with a message. Did you see these dialogues and messages? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVTQ3eL3loc - this shows how the map should work (3:45 - first day, 15:20 - second day, 22:10 - third day, 28:05 - fifth day).
The game version should be 3.1; it won't work on version 3.0. There might also be problems due to mods or the influence of other maps.

Well, here it is. I finished the map... I left the final assault for New Year's. It seems like someone with skill has appeared – someone who knows how to make maps. The author tends towards the Demon Faction, with the placement of neutrals blocking passages, doubling the battles, etc... it's already recognizable. A good move (I don't remember where I saw it before) is to give a Cerberus for each battle (small, but a nice thing), and it would be good to play through the Path of War, but that's a dead end because the Grand Magus path is a dead end – it's been tested. There are few dwellings, few upgrade locations, so you need to grab them right away if the Oracle falls. It turns out Oracle, Machine, Attack, Defense, and a school of your choice (forced to be Darkness and Summoning). I took a risk and initially invested in Chaos, as there was a Trident and Lightning, but the spell was almost useless (the Prophet with his +2 is just a loser here). Then I dropped Chaos. I was pleasantly surprised by how well Grief worked at max Darkness (well, I just got lucky). A dog per battle for an RPG player is like dog food for Pavlov's dog, who enjoys progress, getting a bowl of slop for each battle. The plot quests are simple, and who cares about them. They exist? Yes! And then we fight. It's silly to demand something from a person on the second map and at this stage. He's already great. Please record my post as an approval. I liked it (but it was easy...). I don't like the Undead anyway, and here the game itself told me to destroy everything with Demons. And yes, machines are a must-have at the beginning because you'll have a hard time at the beginning with the Grand Magus.
P.S. By the way... I agree with 13Ga on some points. I advise you to listen to the opinion. But once again, no one (in their right mind) demands/wants a level of work from a guru of mapmaking. Just listen and take into account, we all know about your right – that's how I see it. You should already think about a company... for the Demons... there are already two full-fledged parts a priori... all that's left is to connect them.

For some reason, patch 3.1 crashed on me. I reinstalled everything, and it's okay now. I played as a Warrior in 45 days, I need to replay as a Hero, it seemed too easy as a Warrior. The map is good, interesting.

As a fan of the Inferno faction, I'm interested in trying out the scenario. Today, I'll try playing Heroes, and I'll write my impressions this evening/tomorrow. Due to my monotonous work, it's hard to find time even for a simple walk outside

For now, it's best not to play; I should release a new version soon (there are no bugs, I'm just fixing the balance).

Wouldn't it be great to hear the opinion of a more or less experienced player? They could even suggest what might be lacking or, conversely, what might be excessive.