Posts from [TESTING] Arenas for duel battles.

I am releasing for public review maps with arenas for duel battles.
Each race is represented by three different heroes. Each map features an arena and two opposing races. Players choose one hero each and conduct a battle in the center of the arena. The arenas are designed for play on Equilibrium

This is a test version; I am releasing it so that we can work together to achieve proper balancing. I should clarify immediately: the heroes are designed so that any race could defeat another, but there are pairs of heroes where one's advantage is undeniable (at least by design).

If testing goes well, I will hold a tournament on these arenas in some time. I plan for both single and double divisions.

Here are the heroes:

Chaos

Uvod
Class: Archmage (efficiency of all spells increased by 20%)
Skills: Chaos Magic level 4, Sorcery level 5, Order Magic level 2, Death Magic level 2.
Spells: Magic Arrow, Magic Bind, Magic Fist, Ice Bolt, Sparks, Lightning, Choke, Fire Arrow, Poison.
Artifacts: Face of Terror, Medal "For Valor", Cloak of Protection, Golden Armor.
Army: 3 Black Dragons, 20 Efreets, 150 Orcs, 50 Beholders.

Jedditt
Class: Pyromancer (Permanently surrounded by a fire shield)
Skills: Chaos Magic level 4, Tactics level 3, Attack level 4, Defense level 3, Leadership level 1.
Spells: Hydra's Health, Magic Mirror, Bloodlust, Confusion, Cat's Reflexes, Blood Frenzy, Magic Flash, Mass Killer, Misfortune, Cloud of Confusion, General Misfortune, General First Strike, Killer, Haste.
Artifacts: Shield of the Mind, Horseshoe, Cloak of Resistance, Dragon Armor.
Army: 6 Hydras, 20 Nightmares, 30 Minotaurs, 30 Trolls, 100 Troglodytes.

Erika Shadow
Class: Fire-user (efficiency of all fire spells increased by 20%)
Skills: Scouting level 3, Pathfinding level 2, Stealth level 1, Chaos Magic level 5
Spells: Armageddon, Magic Bind, Inferno, Sparks, Fireball, Ring of Fire, Fire Arrow, Magic Flash, Fire Aura.
Artifacts: Ring of Lesser Negation, Necklace of Balance, Dragon Shield, Mage's Robe
Army: 4 Hydras, 20 Goblin Knights, 50 Medusas, 200 Brigands.

Life

Oisin
Class: General (+1 to morale of all units)
Skills: Tactics level 3, Attack level 4, Defense level 1, War Arts level 5, Melee Combat level 5, Life Magic level 2.
Spells: Blessing, Spiritual Armor, Holy Word, Exorcism, Zeal, Retribution.
Artifacts: Sir Mullich's Helmet, Ring of Speed, Leprechaun's Ring, Guard's Halberd.
Army: 15 Champions, 30 Crusaders, 50 Pikemen, 200 Squires.

Adelaide
Class: Caller (Increases summoning efficiency)
Skills: Life Magic level 5, Nature Magic level 3.
Spells: Sanctuary, Resurrection, Guardian Angel, Antimagic, Blessing, Spiritual Armor, Defender, Quicksand, Stone Skin, Mass Exorcism, Celestial Armor, Martyr, Cure, Prayer, Ward of Necromancy, Ward of Order, Ward of Chaos, Ward of Nature, Ward of Death, General Blessing, General Cure, General Zeal, General Haste, Giant's Strength, Zeal, Regeneration, Speed, Snake Strike, Fortune, Exorcism.
Artifacts: Ring of Light, Ring of Light, Horseshoe, Cloak of Protection.
Army: 8 Angels, 35 Monks, 200 Squires, 200 Crossbowmen.

Rion
Class: Monk (Ward of Chaos)
Skills: Life Magic level 4, Order Magic level 4 (Witchcraft level 4)
Spells: Guardian Angel, Call to Heavens, Defender, Magic Fist, General Accuracy, General Haze, Banishment, Cure, Mass Exorcism, Ice Bolt, Celestial Armor, Martyr, Celestial Shield, General Ward of Chaos, General Ward of Order, General Ward of Death, General Ward of Nature, Steal Spell, Fly, Song of Peace, Regeneration, Teleport, Clip Wings.
Artifacts: Ring of Speed, Ring of Health, Breastplate of Strength, Guardian's Cloak.
Army: 10 Catapults, 25 Crusaders, 60 Ballistas, 200 Squires.

Order

Astral
Class: Shadow Mage (ranged defense increased by 50%)
Skills: Order Magic level 5, Death Magic level 3
Spells: Aura of Fear, Hypnosis, Berserk, Forgetfulness, Slow, Banishment, General Weakness, Energy Drain, General Haze, General Dispel, General Slow, Weakening Beam, Dispel, Blind, Teleport, Curse, Weakness, Dispel, Teleport, Fatigue, Clip Wings.
Artifacts: Wizard's Ring, Wizard's Ring, Necklace of Muses, Sorcerer's Staff.
Army: 7 Golem Dragons, 20 Djinns, 50 Gold Golems, 120 Dwarves.

Emilia
Class: Wizard (Cost of all spells reduced by 2)
Skills: Order Magic level 3 (Sorcery level 3, Witchcraft level 3), Chaos Magic level 3 (Spellcaster level 2, Pyromancy level 2), Sorcery level 5.
Spells: Magic Fist, Lightning, Fire Arrow, Ice Bolt, Slow, Banishment, Energy Drain, Fireball, Teleport, Steal Spell, Fly.
Artifacts: Ring of Health, Wizard's Ring, Spell Tutor, Cross "For Bravery"
Army: 6 Sorceresses, 30 Djinns, 50 Mages, 300 Dwarves.

Paul
Class: Illusionist (efficiency of illusion spells increased by 20%)
Skills: Tactics level 3, Attack level 2, Defense level 5, Nobility level 1, Treasury level 1, Order Magic level 3 (Sorcery level 3, Witchcraft level 3).
Spells: Confusion, Energy Drain, Haze, General Accuracy, General Haze, General Dispel, Teleport, Fly, Create Illusion, Phantom, Accuracy, Clip Wings.
Artifacts: Helmet of Power, Crusader's Mace, Medal "For Valor", Elven Chainmail.
Army: 6 Titans, 30 Nagas, 50 Gold Golems, 200 Hobbits.

Nature

Mephala
Class: Nature Warrior (Efficiency of the Call Wolf spell increased by 20%)
Skills: Nature Magic level 4, War Arts level 4, Ranged Combat level 5, Magic Resistance level 2.
Spells: Antimagic, Wolves, White Tigers, Unicorns, Griffins, Quicksand, Stone Skin, Leprechauns, Ward of Necromancy, General Fortune, General Snake Strike, Wasp Nest, Elves, Swarm of Wasps, Giant's Strength, Fairies, Snake Strike, Fortune.
Artifacts: Emerald Bow, Stunning Arrow, Killer Arrow, Ring of Strength.
Army: 5 Magic Dragons, 3 Gargantuans, 25 Unicorns, 50 Elves.

Agrainel
Class: Warder (all units receive +10% defense)
Skills: Nature Magic level 5, Tactics level 2, Defense level 4.
Spells: Antimagic, White Tigers, Griffins, Unicorns, Stone Skin, Leprechauns, Ward of Necromancy, General Fortune, General Haste, General Snake Strike, Wasp Nest, Giant's Strength, Dragon Strength, Swarm of Wasps, Satyrs, Elves, Fairies, Fortune, Snake Strike.
Artifacts: Horseshoe, Wizard's Ring, Wizard's Ring, Strong Shield.
Army: 4 Phoenixes, 3 Mantises, 15 Griffins, 40 Satyrs, 100 Wolves.

Aeris
Class: Nature Warrior (Efficiency of the Call Wolf spell increased by 20%)
Skills: Nature Magic level 4 (Meditation level 5), War Arts level 5, Magic Resistance level 4.
Spells: Water Elemental, Air Elemental, Earth Elemental, Stone Skin, Fire Elemental, General Fortune, General Haste, Swarm of Wasps, Giant's Strength.
Artifacts: Winged Sandals, Ring of Elementals, Ring of Speed, Guard's Halberd.
Army: 40 Air Elementals, 40 Earth Elementals, 40 Water Elementals, 40 Fire Elementals.

Death

Mezisto
Class: Demonologist (Increases efficiency of demon summoning spells)
Skills: War Arts level 1, Death Magic level 4 (Demonology level 4), Nature Magic level 3 (Herbalism level 3, Meditation level 3).
Spells: Aura of Fear, Poison Attack, Stone Skin, Mass Curse, Unholy Song, General Sorrow, General Weakness, Giant's Strength, Fortune, Imps, Cerberi, Ice Demons.
Artifacts: Shield of the Mind, Voivode's Ring, Book of Demons, Four-Leaf Clover.
Army: 6 Devils, 15 Poisonous Creatures, 15 Ice Demons, 40 Cerberi, 200 Imps.

Varduun
Class: Brigand (Under the effect of Magic Mirror)
Skills: Death Magic level 5, Tactics level 2, Attack level 4.
Spells: Aura of Fear, Call of Death, Mass Curse, Unholy Song, General Dispel, Vampire's Touch, General Sorrow, General Weakness, Animate Dead, Raise Vampires, Raise Skeletons, Summon Ghosts.
Artifacts: Helmet of Power, Ring of Speed, Winged Sandals, Voivode's Ring.
Army: 5 Bone Dragons, 3 Dark Champions, 60 Mummies, 200 Zombies.

Goldot the Half-Dead
Class: Ninja (Applies a random curse upon attack. The curse is chosen from the schools of Order, Chaos, and Death magic)
Skills: War Arts level 2, Death Magic level 5, Scout level 3, Pathfinder level 1.
Spells: Poison Attack, Magic Drain, General Weakness, Unholy Song, Animate Dead, Sorrow, Life Loss, Raise Vampires, Raise Skeletons, Hand of Death, Curse, Weakness, Poison Attack, Plague, Fatigue.
Artifacts: Walder's Crossbow, Amulet of Fear, Four-Leaf Clover, Armor of Death.
Army: 5 Dark Champions, 30 Vampires, 40 Ghosts, 250 Skeletons.

Strength

Dogvogl
Class: Voivode (+10 to melee attack)
Skills: Tactics level 1, Attack level 1, Defense level 1, War Arts level 5, Melee Combat level 5, Magic Resistance level 5, Nobility level 2, Treasurer level 1, Miner level 1.
Spells: -
Artifacts: Sword of Agility, Armor of Regeneration, Deck of Cards, Medal "for courage".
Army: 8 Thunderbirds, 30 Ogre Magi, 50 Nomads, 200 Berserkers, 100 Centaurs.

Shiva
Class: General (+1 to morale of all units)
Skills: Tactics level 3, Attack level 3, Defense level 3, Leadership level 2, War Arts level 5, Melee Combat level 3, Magic Resistance level 3.
Spells: -
Artifacts: Protective Ring, Maranteia's Mug, Cloak of Protection, Voivode's Ring.
Army: 5 Mad Bulls, 10 Cyclopes, 50 Nomads, 200 Centaurs.

Mongo
Class: Pathfinder (+10 to ranged attack)
Skills: Scouting level 3, Pathfinder level 1, War Arts level 5, Magic Resistance level 2, Melee Combat level 3, Ranged Combat level 5, Life Magic level 2.
Spells: Blessing, Retribution, Exorcism, Spiritual Armor, Defender, Martyr, Bind Wound, Holy Word, Zeal.
Artifacts: Emerald Bow, Protective Ring, Legendary Axe, Ring of Regeneration.
Army: 4 Ogres, 5 Thunderbirds, 20 Ogre Magi, 40 Harpies, 100 Berserkers.

The arenas have been slightly modified. Half of the arenas have been expanded, and the armies of Rion and Shiva have been changed. Shiva now has 10 cyclops, and Rion has 8 catapults and 25 crusaders. The arena archive in the first post has been replaced; you can download it.

Version number two. Shiva now has 5 bulls, her melee skill is reduced to the third tier, and Leadership 2 is added. Argaïnel's winged sandals are replaced with a horseshoe. "Antimagic" is added. Varduum has the reverse change (horseshoe replaced with sandals). Goldot the Undead now has 30 vampires. Adelaide has 8 angels, 200 squires, and crossbowmen. Rion has 10 catapults and 60 ballistae. The archive in the first post has been replaced.

Zubr, WisTrit and I are slowly playing on these maps.
We played life vs. death, nature vs. chaos, and just finished playing stronghold vs. haven.

In the last map (stronghold vs. haven), something terrible happens – the hosting player enters the arena, forms a fist, and... blocks the other player's portals – and with a laugh, methodically destroys the opponent one by one as they emerge from the portals! Especially if the host is Stronghold (I was playing) – there's nothing left of Haven!

I think it's also possible to win with Haven if it's the host, doing the same thing.
In general, we need to think about making it so that both players can form an army – are there any other maps where blocking portals is possible? Perhaps so that there are enough turns to reach the center of the arena...

P.S. Cyclops are a nightmare! They kill heroes without any effort – good job nerfing them (we were playing with 15 on the first version). The same goes for catapults – they're just brutal!

I don't understand about the portals. How do you play?))\ The general principle is this: battles are one-on-one, with one army and one hero. Do you bring out all your units at once? O_o\ Cyclops were indeed powerful, they were killers, but catapults are weak. Now I think it will be okay.

I didn't understand about the portals. How do you play?))
Generally, the principle is this: battles are one-on-one, with one army and one hero. Do you bring out everyone at once? O_o

Cyclops were indeed killers, but catapults are weak. Now I think they will be decent.

well, yes, the rules of the battle weren't described. So we thought - everything on the map is at your disposal - you combine it as you like :)

Added after 8 minutes
aha:smile35:

here it is

Players choose one hero and have a battle in the center of the arena.

Well, they didn't describe the battle rules, did they? We thought that everything on the map was at your disposal – you could combine things however you wanted :)

But actually, it's a great idea.
You place armies in one location so that there is only one portal. For example, allow one or two heroes in one army. The main thing is that the Battle location is in the Fog of War so that the second player doesn't see the first player on the arena. And you combine the army at your discretion, choosing the one you like best. And each battle will be original and a surprise for the opponent. You never know who and how will be positioned in the next battle ;).
If, of course, Zubr approves it as an option :D.

Added 2 hours 2 minutes ago
Preface.
I had a beer, and it made me want to criticize. :).
Let's go.
1. Uvod, or rather Uvodd (this is more like nitpicking from an overtired Orc).
2. Death Magic, level 2. We open the "Spellbook" and see that out of all the "Death" magic, it only has the "Poison" spell = level 1 (if my memory serves me right). This is where we stop using level 2 Death Magic.
3. Order Magic – it's all very diverse, there's plenty to choose from.
4. Chaos Magic. Why does a Chaos Mage of the 4th circle need to know more than 6 spells, and most importantly, what variety. Especially the variety of level 4 spells is pleasing.
5. But the Hero has a battle helmet, and how it sounds, listen carefully, "Visage of Terror" – it's already scary. It's a pity, of course, what is it, that is, the Hero is not quite a warrior and is somehow weak in melee combat.
6. I also have some complaints about the cloak, but they are not very significant.

Let's compare it to, let's say, Erik the Shadow. Here, everything is much more interesting.
1. Looking at the Pyromancer, we immediately see that without a Scout of level 3, Stealth, and especially Tracking of level 2, he is practically useless on the arena. Because the Pyromancer wouldn't have enough of 2 skills from a Scout of level 1.
2. Since Efreet have been taken by Uvod or someone else, and the remaining army has no immunity to fire, the Hero urgently needs Armageddon. After all, he had to be given something of level 5, and some other spells are useless, but very necessary for a Chaos Mage.
Jeddiu is more or less lucky among the Chaos units.
There is only one, but a serious, drawback.
The army has no ranged units or flying units. Only infantry, and almost all of it is slow.
If you're interested, buy me a beer, and I'll open up :rolleyes:.
P.S. Zubr, don't be mad :(, I'm very nice when I wake up :D.

P.S. Zubr, don't be mad, I'm just grumpy in the morning.

I'm not mad, I was just in a bad mood this morning :)

Now, let's get to the point.

First up is Uvodd (yes, I made a typo:o (I can add an "d")).

1) The hero is designed as a powerful attacking mage with a set of spells for destroying single targets. I also added magical shackles, although I'm not sure why.
2) Death and Order magic have been added for the archmage class. I chose these schools of magic specifically because they have attacking spells. Of course, Death also has life drain at level 2, but firstly, it affects multiple targets, and secondly, it deals 66 damage. Considering that half of that damage will be absorbed by the mage, Uvodd can quickly build up a huge amount of health and become virtually unkillable, while also destroying all single-unit support units. Yes, this will only work against Life and Nature, but it will be enough.
3) As I mentioned, the set of spells is designed for single targets, so at level 4, he only has Choke. At one point, I considered adding Chaos magic level 5 with Disintegrate, but that would be an imbalance (if Choke deals 756 damage, how much would Disintegrate deal?).
4) I gave him the Aura of Dread to make it more difficult to block line of sight for subsequent spells.
5) The cloak is for increased army survivability and additional protection against Order magic.

Now about Erika Shadow.
I needed a fire mage class, which is why I chose Scout. I didn't give her Warfare because Erika has a large retinue, although, in reality, 1-2 levels of Warfare wouldn't be very useful.
Erika is, in some ways, the opposite of Uvodd. Her arsenal mostly consists of spells that affect an area on the battlefield and fire spells (fireball, fire ring, Inferno...).
1) Armageddon was given because it also affects an area. By the way, you underestimate it. When we played against each other with the Wanderer, this spell saved him a couple of times because it can't be blocked, unlike Fireball or Inferno.
2) Erika has a Dragon Shield, which reduces fire damage. Goblins-knights are almost immune to it anyway, with their innate resistance. But, by the way, the shield won't work with Armageddon, because Armageddon, unfortunately, is not a fire spell, but the shield will help against phoenixes, fire elementals, and there are a couple more things.

As for Jeddite. First, he is a tactician, and therefore the creature stats are quite impressive. Second, there are nightmares that can terrorize important/strong enemy units, adding the ability for the pyromancer's strike force to get within melee range.
When the enemy has overall bad luck and a hydra with Cat's Reflexes approaches his units, you can surrender immediately, because it will destroy everything. And by the way, nightmares also have a fairly large offensive potential.
Various troglodytes, minotaurs, and trolls can be used as you like, either as a tactic to cover and protect, or to absorb enemy attacks, or simply to support the strike force.

So, LeSHiJ-MaX, I tried to make each hero unique, rather than cramming all the power of a specific race into him. That's why the heroes' skills, their magical and combat arsenal are so different :)

Now, let's talk about combining things. Chaos Army: 3 Dark Champions + 10 Hydras + 20 Goblin Knights + 20 Nightmares + all three heroes. This gives us the following: we give the Ring of Lesser Negation to Uvod, and things will get tough for everyone. Next, both the Dark Champions (I don't think I need to explain what a Dark Champion is in terms of tactics) and the goblins will receive bonuses from the tactics, and there will be 10 Hydras in total! (instead of 6, which is quite a difference) + the troops will have fire resistance and 30% magic resistance. I think only Life and, with a certain amount of luck, Haven could compete. Nature will be crushed without even noticing, and Death will have 8 Dark Champions, but Uvod will destroy them with 2 casts (if they have the Misfortune effect on them, it will be with 1 cast). Strength will also put up a fight, but it's unlikely to withstand the magical power of Chaos combined with tactics. I might be wrong about something, but in my opinion, combining things is not a good idea.

1 Looking at the Fire Elemental, we immediately see that without a 3rd-level Scout, Stealth, and especially Tracking 2, it's simply impossible to use on the arena. After all, two 1st-level Scout skills wouldn't be enough for the Fire Elemental.

This is truly...

2 Since Efreet were taken by either Uvod or someone else, and the remaining army has no fire immunity, the Hero urgently needs Armageddon. After all, he needed to be given something of the 5th level, and some other spells are useless, but very necessary for a Chaos mage.

I dare to say that even with Erika and her Armageddon, the Efreet won't have an effect, because this spell is not a fire spell - and it sweeps away the Efreet.

At one time, there was a thought to use 5th-level Chaos magic with Disintegrate, but that would be an imbalance (if Suffocation already deals 756 HP, how much will Disintegrate deal?)

I don't know for sure, I think a thousand two hundred - that's a worthy hit - doesn't the same Barbarian Swordsman with Agility hit less? (by the way, this swordsman is very, very scary - how to kill him?)

Maybe I'm wrong about something, but IMHO, they shouldn't be combined.

I now think the same, because playing with an army-combine doesn't encourage thinking - it's just mindless bashing

I'm not entirely sure, but I think around 1200 – that's a decent hit. Isn't a Barbarian with a Sword of Swiftness going to hit even harder? (By the way, this unit is really scary – how do you kill it?)

Well, you could counter it by using some disposable units like skeletons and then attacking with someone else. But this Barbarian still doesn't hit very hard, and he won't last long on his own without troop support (56 attack modifier), and the damage also depends heavily on the armor (he'll go down immediately against Oisin's Crusaders, and regeneration won't save him). However, Uvod will consistently deal the damage he's supposed to. If the damage is 1200, he'll almost completely destroy any unit with a single volley, with the exception of those that are immune to magic or have resistance.

Well, for example, you could use some expendable units to draw fire and then attack with him. But this barbarian still doesn't deal very high damage, and he won't last long on his own without troop support (attack modifier of 56), and the damage he deals also depends heavily on the armor (he'll be quickly defeated by Oisin's Crusaders, and regeneration won't save him). However, Uvod will consistently deal the specified damage; if the damage is 1200, he will almost completely destroy any unit with a single volley, except for those that are immune to magic or have resistance.

Yes, in such a battle, the barbarian will definitely lose.
Oisin will also give him a head start in melee combat:D - and Oisin can only be killed with magic.

P.S. The barbarian's attack modifier is 70.:)

Added 44 minutes later

56, I checked myself

My apologies - I also checked twice before writing, it turns out he was under Bloodlust, which the ogres will definitely use in a real battle, especially in this battle:rolleyes:.