Posts from Heroes of Might and Magic I Tournament Edition

1. They differ by one byte :) The first version doesn't load the processor, but it is designed for multi-core (two cores or more) systems; the second version is no different in this regard from the original. Perhaps someone can enlighten me on how to reduce the load on a single-core processor without sacrificing the smoothness of scrolling the map, and then I will create a single version. For now, I just don't know how. I will experiment...

2, 3. There is indeed a bug with the neutrals. The developers simply didn't consider that an army could consist of identical units, i.e., they completely forgot about the neutrals!
Let's consider a specific example. A hero with a gargoyle attacks nine dragons (2+2+2+2+1) and retreats. The neutrals have no losses, but all five slots are of the same type. The slot identification is based only on the type of neutrals in it, starting from the leftmost. Let's move directly to the fifth slot. After the hero's retreat, the initial number of dragons remains in it - 1. The game, following the principle of uniqueness of all five types of troops in the army, begins to search for where to record this remainder, from left to right. In the very first slot, it encounters a dragon! Thus, the remainder of the fifth slot is recorded in the first (and all other remainders are recorded in this way). As a result, we get that after the battle, there are already 1+2+2+2+1 = 8 dragons! It becomes even more interesting if you kill the bottom dragon: the remainder will be recorded in the first slot, and as a result, there will be only 0+2+2+2+1 = 7 dragons left!
The same applies to identical units in heroes' armies. Let all five stacks be filled with paladins. There are 100 paladins in the first four stacks, and 1 in the last (a total of 401). Kill one paladin from the fifth stack and retreat. The number of paladins in the enemy will become 0+100+100+100+1 = 301. This is how you can destroy 100 paladins with one blow :)

P.S. Is there a universal formula for this bug? I'm just curious. Let's say we have neutral creatures, 5 of them, with 10 units each. We kill 3 from the bottom stack and run away. How many neutral creatures will remain? In other words, how many neutral creatures will remain in the original version, and how many in the TE version, given this scenario? Does destroying neutral creatures with magic (compared to melee attacks) affect the remaining number, or not? I'd like to understand the algorithm for how the numbers are recalculated.

I find that hard to believe...

I'm just curious. Let's say we have neutral creatures, 5 of them, with 10 units each. We kill 3 from the bottom stack and run away. How many neutral creatures will remain?

Well, I've already posted the algorithm.
In the TE version, the difference between the initial number and the number of killed creatures will remain, i.e., the remainder will be determined correctly.
Creatures killed by magic are just as dead as those who died from a physical attack :)

And you, check it!

Added 5 minutes later

Let's calculate. In the lower stack, 10 - 3 = 7 units will remain. This remainder will be recorded in the first slot. That is, there will be 7 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 47 creatures, i.e., in this case, everything is fine.

2VDV_forever: Please send the final version of the intro in BMP format.

Sent yesterday.

Please check it!

Most likely, it will not be possible to accurately reproduce all the colors of the HB logo, because I will be converting the image pixel by pixel into the colors of the Heroes palette. Let's see what comes out (I'll try to use the closest colors).

The utility for adding an image to HEROES.AGG has already been written.

http://alexspl.narod.ru/H1_TE_AGG.zip (380 kB)

This utility embeds the HEROES.BMP image (splash screen) into the resources (HEROES.AGG),

while creating a backup copy of the original resources in the HEROES_ORIGINAL.AGG file.

Instructions:
0. Close the Heroes window and the map editor!
1. Extract the contents of the H1_TE_AGG.zip archive into the Data folder.
2. Run H1_TE_AGG.exe.
3. Click the "1. Collect Data" button.
4. Click the "2. Create AGG" button and wait for the "2. Done!" message to appear.
5. Close the program window.

Note:
After following the instructions, the following files can be deleted:
1. H1TEAGG.exe
2. HEROES.BMP
3. SRC.DAT

When can we expect the final version of the patch?

In about ten minutes, I'll upload a version that packs any 640x480 BMP...
This is just in case you want to edit something in the image.

Added 2 minutes ago
[/U]But for now, the question is: why unpack all the maps into the Maps folder if the Handbook, which already contains these maps, will be distributed with the patch?

I think we should test the patch in some kind of mini-tournament first.
I've uploaded it to the same link. You draw your own 640x480 BMP, rename it to HEROES.BMP, and put it in the Data folder. Then follow the instructions above. Don't forget about the flashing pixels... If needed, I'll make a version for creating static splash screens. Or, conversely, we can add dynamism to the splash screen.

It's possible to leave everything as it is. That is, if a player likes a map, they open the Reference and save it to the Maps folder themselves. If all maps are unpacked at once, it can be confusing in the map selection menu in the game. Scrolling through 200+ lines to find a specific one is not the best way to spend time.

But if a player isn't looking for a specific map and simply wants to choose a map to play, imagine having to click 400+ times (to open and save) just to unpack all, or most, of the maps! If there were an option to choose, it would be optimal for all players.