Posts from World of Heroes Game

To all forum members and Heroes fans! Hello! Once, while at work, I stumbled upon a topic on the portal from my phone. I don't remember what was written or discussed there, but I agreed with some of the points and statements made by CATCH and NAGAN-4, which prompted me to express my own opinion and make some suggestions. I tried to write a large message on my phone, which the Opera Mini application somehow rejected. Then, so as not to lose the thought, I rewrote the approximate content of my thoughts on paper. It turned out to be 2 sheets of A4 paper in small handwriting. This was the beginning of what I would like to write in more detail later. This letter concerns the development of the "Heroes of Might and Magic" game series, but to avoid being too broad, the focus will be on the third part (SOD). So, now I will try to transfer everything into electronic form:). I will start by saying that to develop our game and portal (it has already become a familiar place for me), it is necessary for the "veterans" to play with the "newcomers," or at least with those who have learned more or less, even if only occasionally. Otherwise, if you look at the reports, you will see that mostly people who participate in the "Winter 2011" and other newbie events are playing. Among the "veterans," SEM_56 and Gomunguls actively support the resource with their games; perhaps Oelm and Dirty Player with Wicc are active in the forum's life, and less so Dubrovin Pavel, GOD, Ayman, Rimple2, Romariogrom, Cash with his tournament, and there are also players who mostly play only in tournaments (which is also good) - Javdet, Num One, Fire Tosky, etc. Of course, Petr works with the portal, and there are assistants; in general, I am writing from memory, and my view is very superficial, so don't judge me if I don't name everyone, but I think the essence is clear. The point is that the portal is not new, so where are the others? Have they all left? If you look at the list of users, it's overwhelming! But there is no one there. That's the problem. But what I wrote above is not the most important thing; there are 4 other factors that are much more important: 1) - We need to move towards recognizing the game as an official esports discipline, so that tournaments are held, just like, for example, in Counter-Strike. In reality, this is very difficult for many reasons! But I can argue and convince anyone that it is possible! if certain conditions are met. Most of these conditions are not related to the game itself, but are the "Factor of our participation"... If we do not strive for leadership, there will be no result. 2) - This point is the most important, as it is directly related to the work on the first point! The question here is to completely eliminate the possibility of cheating in the game (SOD). Both in WoT and in SOD, there is a possibility of cheating unnoticed during the game, using only one computer and without any assistants. Here, we simply need people who will create a program that will transmit (display) the images of the players' monitors to some independent server... Something like a MIKOGO trans, but less energy-intensive, so as not to disadvantage players with a slow internet connection. In addition, many players do other things on the internet during their opponent's turn (correspondence, checking bookmaker accounts, poker). Therefore, it is necessary that when certain applications or website addresses are launched, their data is not transmitted to the independent server and is not accessible to everyone else (something like implementing trusted zones for the control program). In principle, people who are more competent in this area will understand me; the difficulty lies in doing it. 3) - It is ABSOLUTELY necessary to create a plan-schedule for conducting not just a season, but a CYCLE of games and tournaments (similar to the Olympic cycle), but let's say it will last not 4, but 2-3 years. It is necessary to create a cycle taking into account various templates, tournaments of various levels of importance, significance, and admissibility, etc. Since all similar portals exist practically on their own, it is simply necessary to start somewhere! And we, ALL TOGETHER, can make this portal the starting point! Gradually attract other resources to our banner! I think that Heroesworld can become a starting point on the way to a higher level for our beloved "Heroes of Might and Magic" game series! 4) - STIMULATION No, not G-spots, but PLAYERS! By encouraging... Someone wrote that previously certificates were sent by mail (it's very nice to receive such a seemingly useless piece of paper). It would be good to restore this, but how? The answer is simple: market economy! Someone will say that it's not necessary, but I will convince everyone if ONE person buys a high-quality DVD with commentaries (VOD) for a symbolic amount determined at a meeting. Believe me, a high-quality disc purchased from a trusted source is MORE IMPORTANT, VALUABLE, and EXPENSIVE than the same material downloaded from the internet! I am not trying to force anyone to spend money; I just want to create a bank that will be visible on the created pages of accounting and will be an incentive bonus! You can come up with many things that bring material income and invest them in the organization, work, and stimulation on the portal... In addition to adding pages of open accounting of funds, it is also necessary to add a "Store" page on the portal. In it, it is possible to sell for money, as well as "weight profit" (the amount of downloaded information, as usual). The Heroesworld brand has been created and drawn, but what is the slogan? There isn't one... Logo, trademark - other important things BRAND (it will become one later; traditions are needed) It is necessary to spread it on the network, for example, by mutually indicating banner advertising of similar resources (with a similar theme - other sites about Heroes). Of course, all these beautiful words must be legalized in Ru.center. The number of organizers, volunteers, in general, those who want to help in reality, who will participate in the life of the portal for more than one day, should definitely be at least 20-30 people! Firstly, because if one person leaves the activity for some reason, another person who is competent in the matter can take his place (well, also a person:)), Secondly, because we all don't need to turn a pleasant activity into work! And thirdly, it will be easier to distribute responsibilities in an area of activity that is convenient for each person. P.S. I personally want to participate in popularizing the game and the portal. If at least some of the ideas find approval from the management, the mass of the portal, I can start working on creating a Cycle of games, seasons, developing a new scoring system, where the rating will not be an empty word and will not mean nothing for other people (including European ones). I want to say that there are actually many ideas, the main thing is that there are like-minded people who do not just blah blah blah on the forum, but with whom you can discuss various nuances and move in the right direction. P.S. 2. To all who have read this, please do not judge harshly; I am not a specialist in many areas, and I may have emphasized something in the wrong direction. This letter is just an outline of the future "World of Heroes" in which it would be nice to see it. And finally: every thought in this letter requires the finest refinement and change; I hope I will find not only like-minded people, but also diplomatic, democratic people with a sense of responsibility among them! I believe that the above task can be completed by 2013 or even 2014. The year is not important; what matters is the work done. ICQ - 584985121 Thank you.

Regarding the streams – many (including myself) won’t have enough bandwidth to stream and transmit the content elsewhere. This means not everyone will be able to stream, and the whole idea loses its meaning…

I fully support the tournament schedule!

Well done, keep it up!

Since no one wants to play right now, I'll just leave my thoughts here.

1. You can't force anyone to play with someone else if it's not a tournament. And if I refuse an offer and then hear complaints, then they can go away. If I have, say, 10 hours a week, I'd rather play with an experienced player than a newbie. And yes, I think less than 50% of players post reports, so you shouldn't judge player activity based on them. :)

2. Esports has been discussed many times. What does it need? Many players worldwide, quick matches, minimal influence of randomness. It seems like mirror matches are solving the last issue, but a day for a game is too much. Besides, what will this "esports" label give? Nothing, because Heroes will not be included in esports tournaments anyway, again because of the time commitment. So, all that's left is to hold Kyiv-Michurinsk-Moscow tournaments and call Heroes esports.

3. Cheating is also unfair play. And besides conscience, nothing will stop you from taking a Castle from under a shifted unit and using it to break through the defenses. How can you prove it? No way! If someone wants to cheat, they will find many different ways, and you won't catch them all. Then it's easier to implement save storage and random map generation on the server, but again, see the point about the Castle.

4. I didn't quite understand what this is and what it's for.

5. When they start trying to make money from something high-quality and interesting, it immediately declines. Commerce will ruin the portal. Regarding rewards: why aren't tournaments with cash prizes or just prizes from the organizers suitable here? There are plenty of those lately.

And lastly, there's the factor of time. Life is such that you don't know if you'll be playing in a month or if you'll get bogged down in work. Adults play Heroes, and they have jobs, families, and other priorities. Unlike esports or Counter-Strike, where the average age is probably around 18, with the maximum responsibilities being studying in the morning and washing dishes. ;)

And in general, I still haven't seen the main goal in your post.

All of the above is just my opinion, and I'm not forcing anyone to agree with it.

In your report, you emphasize SoD, although the competitive component at the moment is VT, and that is where the latest balance innovations are taking place.
It's time to decide exactly what we want to develop

Rimpel, please remove the nipples from your avatar; they distract from the main point of your post :D

I was typing something, but the computer shut down. So I'll focus only on the commercial aspect. Some people play Heroes for money (Dust and Van, for example). But if you turn it into a way to earn money, strong players will try to beat weak ones (like in poker), and weak players will stop playing (they won't want to waste their money and time). The only option here seems to be tournaments with an entry fee? But who would want to pay if several top players sign up for the tournament? And the problem of cheating hasn't been solved either. There will also be arguments about minor things that are usually overlooked in regular games (for example, taking a bunch of resources from under shifted guards, someone formally failing to break through Dragon Utopia’s defenses on week 5, etc.). You can rely on enthusiasm for a while, but not for long… Related topic: /topic/4815/

Message from RiMpel2
1. You can't force someone to play with another if it's not a tournament. And if I hear complaints after refusing an offer, then he can go screw himself. Having, say, 10 hours of time per week, I'd rather play with an experienced player than a noob. And yes, I think less than 50% post reports; you shouldn't judge player activity by them.

2. Esports has already been discussed more than once. What is needed for that? Many players worldwide, fast matches, minimal influence of randomness. Mirror matches seem to solve the latter, but a day per game is too much. Besides, what will this "ES" label give? Nothing, because Heroes won't be included in esports tournaments anyway, again due to time. So we're left with holding Kiev-Michurinsk-Moscow tournaments and calling Heroes an esport.

3. Here, cheating also = unfair play. And nothing but your conscience will stop you from taking a КЗ from under a shifted save and then breaking through the guards with it. How to prove it? You can't! If a person needs to cheat, they will find many different ways; you can't catch them all. Then it would be easier to implement save storage and random maps on the server, but again, see the point about КЗ.

4. I didn't quite understand what this is or what it's for.

5. When people start trying to make money off some high-quality and interesting thing, it immediately withers. Commercialization will kill the portal. Regarding incentives: why aren't tournaments with entry fees or just prizes from organizers suitable here? There have been enough of those lately.

And one last thing—the time factor. Life is such a thing that I don't know if I'll be playing in a month or will be bogged down in work. Heroes is played by adults who have jobs, families, and other priorities. Unlike the same esports variant or Counter-Strike, where I think the average age is about 18 with maximum responsibilities of studying in the morning and washing dishes.

And overall, I still haven't seen the main goal in your post.

I will also answer point by point:
1. No one is forcing anyone. If you played, you will continue to play, but if there is some official version of the same rating and clearly written
rules, in what way would they hinder you?

2. Esports was discussed, but that means it was done poorly! What is needed for this—will be provided. The number of players is not a problem. Every year the number of gamers only increases,
the further into the woods we go, the more computerized the world becomes, and countless armies of new players appear. You mentioned randomness, but as for time—I disagree, because
a long game time is not proof that there will be fewer games or players. Based on what exists, it's absolutely clear that people who like the game in its current
form will not stop liking it! And if while playing you receive some incentives and opportunities to meet—that's only better. Ordinary agreed-upon meetings
are one thing; giving an event official status by attracting sponsors and media is another!
There are creative ways to attract those same sponsors.

3.- Cheating is solvable. You won't be able to take a КЗ in that way if you are monitored by a specific program—sending signals about violations
to a special department, for example. 100% provable! It's just a matter of expertise in the field of programming.

4.- Didn't understand—no problem.

5.- Here you misunderstood the intent. Not to make money off Heroes, but to earn money to incentivize players. Where else will you get a high-quality product? Suppose one person
recorded a disc with voice acting etc. in excellent quality. Other discs with info. He should at least recoup the cost of the disc. 100-150 rubles, for example, considering labor and delivery. Who wouldn't buy it?
I think many would.
Regarding money tournaments—mixed opinion. Firstly, you put in your own cash, but in my view—everything should be recoupable and without entry fees! How? You tell me :), but something can be thought of; the main thing is to focus on that idea, rather than focusing on how to discourage and nip my initiative in the bud.
This entire prize pool will come from sponsors and our shop! How to attract sponsors—that's another question, actually not such a difficult one. I have some ideas.
If the head works—all tasks are solvable; however, more than one head is needed, as one person cannot be competent in everything!...

Message from FireToSky
In your report, you emphasize SoD, although the competitive component at the moment is WT, and that's where the latest balance innovations are happening.
It's time to decide exactly what we want to develop

I am considering the case with SOD. WT is good, but I would never go as far as completely excluding luck. What is a competitive component? Well, I think it's a competition.
A competition under WT rules and SOD rules—two different competitions. I decided to try starting with SOD.

Message from Dirty_Player
I was typing some text, but the computer shut down. Therefore, I'll stop only at the commercial component. Some people play Heroes for money (Dust and Van, for example). But if you make it a way to earn a living, strong players will strive to beat weak ones (like in poker), and weak ones will stop playing (they'll regret the money and time). The only option in this regard is tournaments with an entry fee? But who would want to put in cash if several top players sign up for the tournament? And no one has canceled the problem of cheating. Also, bickering over trifles that are forgiven in a normal game will start (for example, taking a bunch of resources from under shifted guards, someone formally didn't break through the Dragon Utopia guards on week 5, etc.). You can move forward on enthusiasm, but not for long...

I agree with this statement. To avoid victories of the strong over the weak—as a subject of earning, players will simply play in a bracket. Everything will proceed according to a certain established seasonal cycle of games. Well, that's not hard. It is necessary to create a clear, indisputable set of rules; moreover, I created this topic specifically so that the question of cheating wouldn't arise at all.
I am not a programmer, but I know there are people who understand this, so we need to find such people.
I am addressing everyone and I understand that until the problem of cheating is completely solved—there will be no growth for the game, but since the game lives to this day—it will continue to live.

By the way, to avoid weaker players turning away from the game, in essence, according to the cycle of games I've planned, they won't often encounter mega-bisons, except perhaps in friendly games like we play now.
The core of the idea is that no one needs to pay anyone anything. Play and be happy. On the other hand, if things are going well, people will keep themselves in the necessary tone.
Different tournaments can be divided into categories. And of course, if a player is strong, they won't end up in a very weak company that would be discouraged at the sight of a big name. But even if such a thing happens, it's still no problem—since everything is for free.

The simplest example: want to play for rating—turn on a specific program, which should (to avoid cheating)
There won't be a huge number of tournaments, if anyone is afraid of not having time. 4 main ones every 2 years—the rest, say, by significance (level of participants and prizes). The main ones will be more valuable in earning points, others depending on the category...

I also want to say that I am writing this not to convince someone of my correctness, but for the sake of promoting the game to the masses. That the game won't die is a fact; there will only be more players, but it's necessary to create a system that must be adhered to, and then it will definitely work.


P.S. The topic is a clone—very emotional, but not fully explored (though for the same reason)

The current state of SoD can be compared to the state of the first StarCraft. No, I don't want to say that it's dead, but, unfortunately, you can't stop progress.

The current state of SOD can be compared to the state of the first StarCraft. No, I don't want to say that it's dead, but unfortunately, you can't go against progress.

All the features of WT can be implemented in SOD. I'm just against removing morality and luck, and not because I'm not a great dad))) but because randomness should have a place.
Regarding progress, I'll say this: traditionalism, in principle, leads to extinction, and Heroes are in this stage because, in reality, no one has practically changed anything (I don't mean programming and similar additions, features, comfortable programs for playing within the rules) (WT is not a development of SOD, it's a different game). I'm not talking about radically changing the game, but about methods of approaching the game by introducing new technologies (eliminating cheating and a reward system, as well as attracting additional structures (media, official organizations)).

promoting SoD right now is comparable to promoting the first Starcraft. No, I don't want to say that it's dead, but alas, you can't go against progress

I'm really not a tournament player, but I prefer the classics - SoD, and sometimes AB. As for VoG, TE, VT, they just haven't quite taken hold with me - along with the innovations, drawbacks appear as well as certain inconveniences in the game. And if I'm playing for my own pleasure (and not for money), I prefer SoD.

The very concept of the word "classic" means a beginning that has become traditional (simply put), and SoD essentially became that.

Added 18 hours 5 minutes later

Message from Wicc
One can easily come up with examples where you can't protect yourself from morale but still have to go in. A typical example is the external dwelling of Angels on Jebus Cross. You can't leave it for the second week, but one unlucky morale (not even necessarily in the first round) buries your army.

Those who prefer to win through skill don't like such situations. If I have an army capable of taking that external dwelling, then that external dwelling should fall no matter what, regardless of the whims of the random number generator. That's the essence of sportsmanship.

Maybe the case with the Angel external dwelling is a counterbalance to the imbalance of humans on Jebus Cross? Besides, off the top of my head, I can't recall top players losing to the Angel external dwelling, but losing archers or spearmen in the external dwelling for the sake of 2 Angels (week 1 and 2) - THAT'S A GAIN in terms of army strength. I generally don't often place archers and don't upgrade them in most cases. Archangels on the 2nd-3rd week, if things are going badly, make up for all losses.

If we take, for example, the Dwarf dwelling, where morale is dangerous, or the Griffin Conservatory with Naga Bank - those are development bonuses that the opponent might not have, so taking them is a risk for the sake of outpacing development. But getting a freebie and depriving units of the most dangerous skill for a player (morale) - that's a bit of an easy bonus, and there's a heavy dependence on whether or not you are given those buildings that provide development (Griffin Conservatory, Dwarf dwelling, Medusa dwelling, Naga Bank). The imbalance comes from the generator! If you are given them and the other player isn't, with morale you still think twice about whether to go into the building, but without it, it's a free-for-all. Then it all comes down to mirror matches!

If Heroes had been originally designed for player-vs-player competition, none of the developers would have even breathed a word about morale.

That's a load of unsubstantiated speculation. So it's not an argument.

An example from a different field - when Warcraft 3 was released, tons of crap was flung at it for 1) the damage spread of units 2) random item drops from neutrals. Even though this brings far less uncontrollable randomness than morale in Heroes. Because the people had already gone through the School of StarCraft and understood what a real esports game is and what level of randomness is acceptable in it.

A completely different game. A real esports game doesn't have any such balance rules. From your words, one could conclude that team sports must maintain balance in their lineups! But that's nonsense, really.

Here are some points from the official document of the Russian Esports Federation (FCS Russia), which I mentioned in a dialogue with Pit for LM:


1. We need to move towards recognizing the game as an official esports discipline

Our game falls under the following points:
A) - 3.2.4. Turn-based (sequential) strategies:
Games in which athletes strive to partially or completely disable each other's aggregates of non-independent units, changing the game situation (making moves) in turn.

B) - 4.1.3. Combined competitions – competitions held on a local network with the participation of individual athletes located remotely, or when the server is on the local network of one side, while the other side participates in the competitions remotely.

C) - 4.3.2. Extended events – competitions extended over time (from a week to several months), where the date and time of each match are known in advance, and matches take place on different days.

D) - 4.4.3. Competitions with the possibility of game substitution – competitions held for one – base game, while the competition rules provide for one or more games of the same class, which in a separate match can replace the base game by mutual consent of the parties. (WT or SoD)

As far as I understand, for a game to acquire the status of an esports discipline, all that is needed is this:

1.1. Competitions in computer sports on the territory of the Russian Federation are held according to these Rules and the annual Regulations on competitions.
1.2. The goals of computer sports competitions are:
– development and popularization of computer sports,
– increasing the spectacle of computer sports as a means to attract people to an active lifestyle;
– improving the sports mastery of those engaged in computer sports;
– identifying the strongest athletes in Russia to form national team rosters for participation in world and international competitions.
1.3. The tasks of computer sports competitions are:
– promoting mass computerization of the population in the Russian Federation and developing the material and technical base of computer sports for training and competitions;
– promoting the expansion and development of information communication channels in Russia that provide joint training and competitive activities for Russian and foreign athletes in computer sports;
– attracting youth and teenagers to computer sports to improve health, organize active recreation and leisure;
– creating a clear system for organizing, functioning, and developing computer sports in Russia.
1.4. General management of the organization and conduct of computer sports competitions is carried out by the State Sports Committee of Russia and the FCS Russia.
1.5. In matters not regulated by the current legislation of the Russian Federation and these Rules, the organizers of computer sports competitions are independent in determining the structure, format, and other features of their competitions.
1.6. These Rules may be supplemented by restrictions for individual games regarding participant age, mandatory settings in individual games, as well as a list of games accepted for competitions in each class. The FCS Russia notifies participants and competition organizers of each addition (change) to these Rules by posting relevant information on the FCS Russia website. All such additions are an integral part of the Rules.

and also to comply with this:
12.1. For all competitions, the organizer must compile a set of regulatory documents (regulations, rules, technical rules, etc.), taking into account all the nuances of organizing and conducting competitions not provided for by these rules.
12.2. Competition documents must specify which games the competitions are held for, their full names and versions, dates, and venues.
12.3. Competition documents must specify the organizer and/or co-organizers, the Chief Referee of the competition, and the start and end dates of registration.
12.4. The competition documents must be accompanied by the technical rules of the games, which must specify (or describe) the tournament scheme, indicate how many games a match consists of (how many wins are needed), provide for situations of technical defeats and replays, and clearly and thoroughly describe the conditions for winning a game.
12.5. When registering competition participants, a registration sheet is kept, which serves as confirmation of the athletes' participation and their agreement with the competition rules.
12.6. Based on the results of the competition, a report is drawn up containing the most complete information about the conducted competitions, including:
– complete lists of players, including first name, last name, patronymic, current email address, and locality of permanent residence of each – separately for each game for which the competitions were held,
– full name of the organizer,
– full list of the refereeing team, including the first name, last name, patronymic, current email address of each, and their role in the refereeing team,
– full list of independent representatives, including the first name, last name, patronymic, current email address of each, and the name of the organization they represent,
– schedule of games (matches) held within the competition, indicating the winner and score,
– graphical representation of the competition bracket,
– names of the winners,
– evaluation of the competition and comments from the Chief Referee and independent representatives.
12.7. The compiled and completed report in printed form, signed by the organizer and the chief referee, is sent to the Secretariat of the FCS Russia. Attached to the report are:
– a CD containing recordings of the games and saved screenshots of each game,
– the registration sheet (or a copy thereof),
– originals or copies of other regulatory documents for these competitions (regulations, rules, etc.).
12.8. Copies of the competition report, certified by the organizer's seal, are issued or sent to athletes who have fulfilled the rank requirements for awarding the next titles and ranks.
12.9. The report and attached documents are drawn up entirely in Russian (exceptions may only be the names of games) and in printed form (except for the registration sheet filled out by the players themselves). If foreign teams participate in the competitions, a translation or transcription of the team name is given in the report.

There are none of the restrictions you outlined above in this. After all, we're talking about development, and development is only possible if there is interest, and it clearly increases with an increase in non-standard situations.

Only, for some reason, even SoD players, when playing WT, turn off morale. From this I conclude that SoD players themselves don't really need morale; they use it as an ideological battering ram in arguments with WT players, like "we have this cute feature, and you don't."

Not quite. It's just that when playing WT, you need to play by WT rules; otherwise, what's the point of launching it if the basis of WT is the absence of morale and balance.

Run to Rebel for consultation. He'll explain to you in no uncertain terms what he thinks about attempts to polish SoD, and what your place is.

I conduct my polemics without initially relying on the opinions of others. Having revealed my personal opinion, I try to project it onto the opinions of others; after analysis, I try to understand my own and others' mistakes and find a middle ground that is fair. What I write is the fruit of my own perceptions, but if my interlocutor's arguments are more weighty and fair in relation to the subject under discussion, I accept them readily because I strive not to prove my own point, but to find the most correct path. However, since I also try to argue my own personal perceptions, naturally a kind of intermediate truth is born in the dialogue, which one must ultimately strive for, and one must never be absolutely conservative in one's opinion - mutual understanding and reasoned mutual dialogue are the path to resolving most misunderstandings.

Here there is a political factor - SoD propagates the immutability of gameplay. Any attempt to change it will lead to a schism in the ranks of true SoD players. Furthermore, a changed SoD would immediately lose the right to be called a classic and would compete for players in the same category as WT. Where it would lose badly on all counts.

If paintings, cars, architectural monuments, and others are restored, bringing life and novelty into them, they do not cease to be classics; the other thing is that it must be done with maximum caution and intelligence.

P.S. I believe there is nothing incompatible about it.

As a former Warcraft player, I believe that Heroes deserves a place of honor among other officially recognized esports disciplines. The problem with turn-based games is not actually a reason for the game to be excluded from the list of esports, in my opinion, because Dota and WoW are already recognized as esports, and the former is just a map from a great game, and the latter is an MMORPG. It seems strange... where do people see the entertainment value in these two disciplines? I personally don't understand. But both have good sponsors, companies that invest money in the development of WoW and Dota, such as Blizzard, Pepsi, etc. From the point of view of the game's specifics, Heroes could very well be on the esports list, but only in the form of Single-Player Online Duels (SOD), because the "Would Tournament" (WT) format kills the very root and meaning of the game, in my opinion. I believe that in order for SOD to become an esports game, the following phased tasks are necessary: 1) Development of resources and portals, creation of new ones. Fortunately, a Polish portal has appeared recently. It's good that SAG is working on heroesiii.com, Sticky is working on the World Championship, etc. 2) Instilling a desire to play, in addition to popularity. In principle, almost everyone in the world knows what SOD is (unlike WT, which is only known in Russia and its surroundings), but few know what it's like to play it online, in tournaments and leagues. Therefore, there are so few Heroes players. We need to somehow get this into the minds of players, that the game is alive and very interesting. To do this, we need to somehow advertise everything. For example, you go to Mail.ru, and there are ads for Perfect World, Allods Online, etc. But if you put an ad for an upcoming major SOD tournament (with prizes, haha), I'm sure many people will think about it (I used to play this great game! I liked it, and now there's a tournament! I want to remember what it was like, I'll sign up) and try it out, and if they try it, they'll get hooked :) 3) Development of the HD mod. I think this is very important in terms of addressing many players' concerns about convenience. It would also be good to develop an anti-cheat in it and make the mod more official and beautiful than just a "mod." In general, ideally, if 3DO were still around, it could create such an expansion itself, making it official. But since it's not, it's up to the fans... 4) In the future, it may be possible to find sponsors who will invest money in tournaments and leagues, which will significantly boost the game. The game will become even more competitive, and I believe this is the main obstacle. In principle, I haven't said anything new, we've already discussed many things in different words, but I just expressed my opinion in this way. WT is going down the path of trying to popularize itself, but many newcomers who come to it are disappointed (I've noticed this), and continue to play SOD or even WOG. Therefore, let WT remain for WT players, with their ideas and ambitions, and SOD for SOD players, with all its own things. We just need people who are willing to develop the game, and everything can work out... but since there is currently a division, and many such people have gone to WT, which is another obstacle to the development of the game, in my opinion...

If we read the points from the official document of the same Russian FCS again, it is quite reasonable to ask...

B)FCS
- 4.3.2. Extended events – competitions extended in time (from a week to several months), where the date and time of each meeting are known in advance, and meetings take place on different days.

Which game is this point based on? Are there many options other than Heroes? Considering that these are young and updated rules, they are only a few years old.

Some say it's a Dragon Utopia, others say these are wonderful ideas; I will say that nothing is impossible. A very large share of whether something is implemented or not depends on the people themselves, and if there are pessimists and opponents within the structure, then development is fundamentally impossible, but if the opposite is true, then it is completely obvious that everything is realistically achievable.
Now specifically:

Message from Readme:
The problems of a turn-based game are not actually the reason for the game's lack of recognition in the VCG lists

Absolutely correct. It is very foolish to consider the possibilities of the game based on the experience of other failed ideas. The only thing they are needed for is to analyze mistakes and avoid making them in the future.

I believe that for SoD to become an esports game, the following phased tasks are necessary:
1). Development of resources and portals, creation of new ones; fortunately, some Polish portal has emerged now, it's good that SAG is working on heroesiii.com, Stiki on the World Championship, etc.
2). Instilling a desire to play beyond mere popularity. In principle, almost the whole world knows what SoD is (which cannot be said for VT, which is known only in Russia and slightly around it), but few know what it's like to play it online, in tournaments and leagues, which is why there are so few "Heroes" players. We need to somehow put it into the minds of players that the game is alive and that it is very interesting. To do this, everything needs to be advertised; for example, you go to mail.ru, and there are ads for various Perfect World, Allods Online, etc. And if an ad for an upcoming major tournament (with prizes, heh) for SoD were posted, I am sure many people would think (I used to play this great game! I liked it, and now there's a tournament! I want to remember what it was like, I'll register), try it, and if they try, that will draw them in
3). Development of the HD mod; I consider this very important regarding many players' complaints about convenience. Also, it would be good to develop an anti-cheat within it and present the mod more officially and beautifully than just as a "mod". Ideally, of course, if 3DO were still alive, they could have created such an expansion themselves, making it official. But since they are gone, everything is left to the fans...
4). In the future, perhaps it will be possible to find sponsors who will invest money into tournaments and leagues, which would significantly lift the game; the game would acquire an even greater Competitive character, and of course, I find this problem to be the main obstacle.

Everything written above confirms my own views on the game. Here you are, Stas, organizing a tournament somewhere on VK—essentially, this is called personnel training. And this is what needs to be done. For serious growth, it is necessary to create a powerful (also in quantitative terms) structure for working with new people. And not just taking them from established networks, but SEARCHING more precisely. And this work will be many times more pleasant if it is backed by a material base (even if insignificant).

Of course, SoD will live, and with an active, optimistically-minded organization—it will flourish.

Rimpel, please remove the nipples from your avatar; they distract from the main point of your post :D

ahaha :smile52: