Posts from A program for determining luck/morality in Heroes 3!

Regarding the recorded battle. Modifying the game's resource file didn't just give an advantage; it created a significant disparity. The ability for one player to perfectly replicate a battle while others cannot is a game-changer. This had a substantial impact on the tournament's outcome. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Setting all values to zero in the leftmost column of the animation file leads to 100% repeatability of the battle, not just in replays. It also ensures 100% repeatability of the battle against the same Titans, but not in a way that benefits the player in this particular setup. And it differs from the video. vbn, did you play with different animation files? On July 3rd at 9:37 PM, you used one, and on July 4th at 2:14 AM, you used another?

It's all written there.
In columns:
1. Time between fidgets
2. Walk Animation Time
3. Attack Animation Time
4. Flight Animation Distance
5. Upper-right Missile Offset...
It seems clear. Columns 2, 3, and 4 affect the animation speed. And in this file, column 1 was changed.

I don't know which columns affect what; I couldn't find a definitive translation for the word "fidgets," but the meaning is roughly clear. There is a disruption in the structure during the battle (especially after the test results), so I am ready for the appropriate decisions from the tournament organizers. I will only add that I made this change not so long ago, and you don't need to worry about my other tournaments (although it's already clear that the statute of limitations has long expired)... :o

But that’s just the beginning. Here comes the real deal.

Yes, we really missed these “berries.” The deeper you go into the forest, the tougher the partisans become; later, we’ll ask them what they ate and where they slept.

I won’t be living on the forum anymore, just making excuses. It’s a madhouse; luckily, I don’t play the official version anymore.

Placing zeros in the leftmost column of the Cranim file leads to 100% repeatability of the battle, not only in the saved game. This also results in 100% repeatability of the battle with the same Titans – and not in a way that benefits the player in this particular setup. And it's different from the video.

vbn, did you play with different Cranim files? On July 3rd at 9:37 PM – with one, and on July 4th at 2:14 AM with another?

I played on different computers, at the office and at home (at home, Cranim.txt is not modified), which is why this happened. I was puzzled myself and thought it was all due to Windows 2000, but I have XP at home, but now everything is clear...
I took the saved game on Windows 2000, and I killed the Titans on XP, then I tried to record a video of the Titans on Windows 2000, where the modification was applied. I struggled a bit, it almost didn't work, and then I had to go home, I came home and quickly recorded the video.

I don't see any evidence yet to support the claim that VBN is a cheater. If this file is customizable, then it needs to be explained in detail what it is and how it works. And that's it. Many players have used the same army or even a smaller one and still won... It reminds me of the difference between in-game settings and a manually edited config file in Quake. So, is this setting a cheat or not?

There's nothing funny about this. When needed, the file is there. When it's not needed (it interferes with the wizards casting haste during battles with titans; they always cast stone skin, and the battle, if not lost, definitely doesn't go as planned. And the snipers don't get lucky), it disappears. And then it reappears – when recording a video with griffons. And disappears again – when recording the second video. It's impossible to do this unintentionally. P.S. By the way, five lucky shots in six turns remain unexplained. "I searched for a long time and finally found it" won't work as an explanation.

Setting zeros in the leftmost column in the game leads to 100% repeatability of the battle, not only in replays. This also leads to 100% repeatability of the battle with the same titans – and not in a way that is favorable for the player in this particular setup. And it is different from the video.

By the way, is this a plus or a minus? Maybe everyone should now play with these changes?

I don't know what columns affect what, and I couldn't translate the word "fidgets" unambiguously, but the meaning is approximately clear. The disruption of the structure during the battle (especially after the test results) is obvious, so I am ready for the appropriate decisions from the tournament organizers. I will only add that this change was made not so long ago, and you don't need to worry about my other tournaments (although it's already clear that the statute of limitations has long expired)... :o

This is the right decision... and it seems I will have to be the executioner in this situation... It's unpleasant even... :smile18:

I am in favor of closing this thread until the moderators of the resource have made a decision. Moreover, I would like to point out that VBN is acting honestly. He was the one who found out where everything was coming from, and not those who are accusing him of playing unfairly. He could have simply watched our arguments from the sidelines, and NO ONE would have accused him of anything.

P. S. By the way, the five lucky shots in six turns remained unexplained. “I searched for a long time – and finally found it” doesn’t work as an explanation.

I didn’t pick anything at all; I just started recording the video and fought several times in a row until I managed to achieve the same losses as before. I was surprised by the luck myself. In reality, two lucky shots and one haste, or two haste and one lucky shot, are enough.

By the way, is this a plus or a minus? Maybe everyone should play with these changes now?

It's debatable. It solves the problem with generating morale/luck, but a new possibility for generating it appears. I'm still thinking about whether this is better than the previous system. But it's not ideal either.

It’s debatable. It solves the problem with generating morale/luck, but a new possibility for generating it appears.

For now, I think this is better than “semaphore-ing.”

Well, the fact that “semaphore-ing” is, to put it mildly, not a desirable option for everyone, while consistent drops are a very interesting aspect… In the second game, this arrangement suits everyone! In general, this needs to be discussed, but then we will face the problem that everyone will have to be forced to download this file… There will definitely be misunderstandings and violations on this basis.

We should discuss this, but then we'll face the problem of having to force everyone to download this file... There will definitely be misunderstandings and violations on this basis.

This is easy to solve. Announce the tournament on the forum, posting not the save file itself, but an archive. This archive will contain a cranim.txt file with instructions for everyone on where to put it (optional - explaining what it's for and why it's mandatory for everyone), and a warning about the consequences of non-compliance, the tournament rules (a copy from the corresponding forum page + additions specific to the tournament), the save file, and the map. You can also include some introductory text: blah-blah-blah and all that, and a link to the tournament page on the forum (in case this set of files gets passed around "from hand to hand").

Good day.

Well, it started well and ended badly. Let's go through it step by step:
Why did I stop playing offline (and become a tournament organizer)? It's all because of the same moral issue... I've always believed that morality is evil... And why is it evil? Because in some battles, it's simply necessary, but there's no time to generate it... And if you don't generate it, there will be no result. And I don't want to waste my time generating this morality, agonizingly replaying a battle 20-30 times.
Is "Svetofor" evil??? No, it's not evil; the program is actually very useful and will save a lot of time that people usually spend replaying battles... And this is a huge plus of this program.
Now about introducing restrictions, IMHO, this is complete nonsense... Have you even thought about how the organizer would check the quantitative use of morality/luck if restrictions are introduced? I can't imagine how this would work... And how long would it take to count and check the occurrences of morality/luck in battles, if there are 15+ saves, and each save contains at least 10 battles... IMHO, I wouldn't agree to that, definitely.
Regarding the file, I consider it a configuration file... If it's allowed to be edited online, why should it be banned for offline use???

Sincerely, K0Lb@zzeR.

Added 4 minutes later
And also, the program will really save your precious time, and the morality/luck skills will not lose their relevance, because with a higher value of morality/luck, morality/luck itself will appear more often, which will, in turn, save time again.

Good afternoon, dear forum members, organizers, and players! Let's summarize the preliminary results of this rapidly growing discussion. 1) This link takes us to the Heroes 3 treasure trove on HP: http://www.heroesportal.net/other.php?storage_3 We see: Animation accelerator for Heroes 3 File (15 KB) Significantly speeds up animations during battles. An indispensable tool for professionals. Works on the English version of SoD 3.2. The file must be copied to the data directory. Author: unknown for now :rolleyes: Therefore, as stated in the brief description, professionals use this program because any ordinary person or beginner simply cannot understand what is written inside and how to manage it, and why it is even needed. I would also like to emphasize that there is no author or detailed description for this program! 2) So, as it turns out, there are a great many people who have used this wonderful mini-program (in the form of a txt file!!!) in both online and offline tournaments, and they supposedly don't even know what advantages it has. 3) On HP, everything that is posted in the treasure trove is carefully checked and approved for use in tournaments! So, Cranim.txt is not a cheating program, right?:) 4) In reality, the program is clearly a cheat, as it modifies the game in any way (whether by changing the Cranim.txt file or not!!!), and anyone who claims otherwise can provide such well-reasoned arguments that would prove the opposite!:smile10: Based on this, we can conclude that everyone who uses this program is a cheater, right or wrong?:confused: :eek: Traffic light and Cranim.txt essentially perform the same functions! 5) Vitaly probably didn't know or realize that this program somehow affects the game's structure; he thought that it only happened in the griffin conserve, as he wrote in his description, and he can be understood. Moreover, no one said before that the Cranim.txt program is a cheat! 6) In any case, our website has its own rules, and they differ from the rules on HP in almost all aspects of Heroes. One of the rules states: 6. It is forbidden to use cheating programs, codes, or additional programs that can change the game's structure in clean playthroughs. However, the general rules for offline Heroes 3 tournaments state which programs are allowed (Heroeскопалка, Ballista killer). Therefore, vbn violated the rules by using a program that is not on the list of allowed programs on our portal, but he is not a cheater because he did not know that the program is a cheat (like most of us)!:( 7) The "Fr Sale" tournament is not official, which means that Dirty_Player can make the final decision regarding vbn's case. 8) Since this observation was determined during a "collective" investigation, I propose the following: Thoroughly investigate this program and, if the test is positive (if morality and luck can be repeated with 100% probability using it), consider the possibility of implementing it, with modifications for each tournament (possibly), so that everyone is on equal footing (as Banana suggested). P.S. To everyone who accused the respected vbn of cheating, I ask you to publicly apologize to him. Sincerely, VDV_forever

6. It is forbidden to use cheat programs or codes during a playthrough, as well as additional programs that can alter the game's structure.

1. Cranim.txt is a text file; it's difficult to call it a script, let alone a program.
2. Cranim.txt is a module (part of) a program, more precisely, an addition to the program. By changing Cranim.txt, we are making a change to the program.
3. But Cranim.txt

File (15 KB)
Significantly speeds up animation during battles. An indispensable tool for professionals. Works on the English version of SoD 3.2. The file must be copied to the data directory.

only serves to speed up the animation; I don't think this is a critical parameter, and equating it to cheating is nonsense, IMHO.

Sincerely, K0Lb@zzeR.