Posts from “Almaric”

Name: Almarik
Map name: Almarik
Two-level map: yes
Number of players: 8
Size: M
Difficulty level: high ("medium")
Map author: Arthur a.k.a. Marmot
Map description:
Based on the novel by Robert Howard.
Isau Cairn must free his beloved, Altha, who was kidnapped by the winged Yaga people, before she and other captives are sacrificed. To do this, he needs to unite the warring Barbarian Clans.
Victory condition: obtain the Alliance of Angels artifact.
Defeat condition: lose the hero Isau Cairn.

The backstory is briefly outlined in the events of day 1. But if you like fantasy, I recommend reading the novel itself first (for example, here: http://www.lib.ru/GOWARD/almarik.txt).
Brief information about R. Howard is given in the events of day 30 (it used to be at the very beginning, but forcing the player to read a lot right away is not good, so I moved it). His life was very unusual, so it's also interesting to learn about it. More details about Howard: http://spintongues.msk.ru/lipatov2.htm
By the way, a new adaptation of "Conan the Barbarian" will be released in August - now in 3D,:cool: but without Schwarzenegger.:(

This is my first completed and published map, although it is far from the first one that I conceived and developed (but the others are still far from being ready).
This map is made as an illustration for my notes on Mapmaking (/topic/5758/). In the appendix to them, I examine in detail the process of creating this map "from scratch" and its features. It is useful to read it before playing: it reveals my idea in detail, and most questions will disappear after that. I emphasize: the main purpose of the map is illustrative; the gameplay itself is not very interesting, unless you are interested in the Howardsian plot.
Since the map is "educational", it has a medium size, is very simple, can be completed quickly and without particular difficulties.
Please write your questions, comments and suggestions here.
Attention! The map was corrected and re-uploaded on May 17, 2011: a bug was fixed due to which Turquoise was allied with the human player. :) Please update it if you have downloaded it!

By the way, a new adaptation of "Conan the Barbarian" will be released in August – now in 3D,:cool:, but without Schwarzenegger.:(

They say he only agreed to film for Terminator. It's hard to judge what will come of it. He has unfortunately aged.

This is my first completed and published map, although it is by no means the first one I have conceived and developed (but the others are still far from being ready).
This map was created as an illustration for my notes on Mapmaking (/topic/5758/).

Your notes on Mapmaking are quite interesting. A lot of valuable and interesting information is gathered in one place. You can feel that a great deal of work has been done.

Please write your questions, comments, and suggestions here.

Festival of Lunar Virgins!!! - in the guard assignment. I give up :smile15: This made me happy.:) :smile20:

samatron, have you already finished playing? What did you think of the map? Do you have any comments?

I finished the map; everything was great and beautiful, but for some reason, as soon as I killed everyone except the tea vendor, the computer wrote "all done, victory," even though I didn't collect the Angel Alliance at all.

искатель78, that's strange: it shouldn't be like that.:confused: How is it for others?
When I was testing, the turquoise color wasn't on the map yet: I added it right before publishing, so that the victory would only be counted after Althia was freed, even if everyone else was defeated. That's why I didn't kill Yasmina, even though I could have easily done so: she went north, and I freed Althia.

Let's see how others did it; if necessary, I haven't "Havenized" the map.

искатель78, thank you! You live up to your nickname! ;) Thanks to you, I found the first mistake.
Ah, I did make a blunder! But now I understand and have made a correction: when I added Turquoise, the editor somehow made him... my ally! :D Simply, on maps without alliances, each added player automatically becomes an enemy to everyone, but on maps with alliances, everything needs to be configured after adding the players, which is what I did initially. But usually, the number of players and alliances are set at the beginning and don't change later.
By the way, if I had launched the map after adding Turquoise, I would have noticed it right away: there are two flags on the left in the map description, and Turquoise's actions are displayed. This shows the benefit of retesting!
But it's interesting: allies usually ask to share resources or send packages themselves. Did you have any of those events?
I have re-uploaded the corrected map. Please replace the old version for those who have downloaded it!
I will also make corrections to the map creation description later (I will replace the screenshot with alliances).

But it's interesting: allies usually ask to share resources or send packages themselves. Didn't you have any such events?

He behaved quietly and didn't ask for resources, and of course, he didn't help with anything.

I re-uploaded the corrected map. Please replace the old version for those who have already downloaded it!
I will also make corrections to the map creation description later (I will replace the screenshot with alliances).

I completed the map in the old version. I received the alliance because I didn't kill everyone - one comrade hid in a shelter:smile10:
I was a little concerned about the situation where the player's actions are predetermined in the script. (Where to go, what to do, where to spend the night, swim across, etc.) This is a good hint, and it is probably relevant for understanding the plot of the scenario. Carelessly leaving his city, comrade "Green" loses it and dies out like a mammoth in seven days. "Orange" comrade gains an advantage in the second week by owning two, and even identical, castles.

Also, I was surprised by the moment related to visiting the library and university, where I found a sad inscription that, by order of Her Majesty Queen Yasmina, the library is closed! :) It's a pity it wasn't a lunch break: D, otherwise I could have come later. :)

The guard on some valuable assembled artifacts is quite strong; when an army appears to break through, the artifacts themselves will no longer be very useful because the game will be completed. :smile42: There are also places where you can walk through the trees, but these are minor details.
In general, I liked the map, thank you.

Congratulations on your debut, Marmot. Good luck with your future map-making.:smile02:

Turquoise didn't beg for anything; he just moved at the very beginning and didn't move anymore, which is why I didn't notice that he was an ally.
But regardless, in the description of the victory condition, it seems like we need to add "or kill all enemies."

I watched it just yesterday, but didn't have time to write.

The map is, frankly speaking, not well-developed. Of course, we take into account that the map is of a "training and methodological" nature.

My main thought on the map: do not call this RPG map a strategic one. No resources, zero development into any strategically important branches, especially considering the doublons. ALWAYS clearly state the difficulty - 130/160/200. I started on 200; naturally, I experienced difficulties in development, namely, I just waited for several days without buildings, which you claimed to avoid. There are no resources, even the simplest ones. Mines require battles - not overly difficult, but battles nonetheless (on Random and in your manual, basic mines are a must-have, but here, without decent battle skills, breaking through 6-speed Hogs and 7-speed Dogs is only possible with serious losses of Goblins/Orcs). A monstrously slow start, and the computers are unrealistically close. On 200, they have full resources and immediately build up their army. There should at least be some guards between zones.
Don't tell me it wasn't intended for 200. In any case, a player who completes it on Easy is tempted to try a higher difficulty, but then interest in the map is no longer there. Therefore, it's better to test such things on 200 from the start, which implies some help from the author - at least 1-2 piles of ore and wood near the mines! Otherwise, it takes forever before they start yielding significant amounts.

The first direction for the walkthrough became clear when I opened the map (and in accordance with the manual): defeat the Pope in the Capital. Then I realized, "But this is a 'strategic' map!!!" And the main condition of strategy is not to lose some guy... (The passage to the prison by a mouse click gets transferred from a specific hero to all the player's heroes). Remember, strategy is "victory favors large battalions"; individual characters decide little in a specific case. You'll say, "What about commanders?" I'll answer: commanders themselves lead the battle, but a soldier wouldn't be a soldier without years of training conducted before battles. And it's not commanders but ordinary officers... Without soldier training, all the skill of the commanders deflates because it's based on managing a formation as a single whole, and without training and discipline, there simply won't be this single whole.

Therefore, somehow change your slant (couldn't find another word) towards strategy, or change its implementation on the map.

So. I immediately realized that splitting up wouldn't work. I thought: if the mountain won't go to Mohammed, then do the opposite. You said there are 5 Harpies in the castle... well then... 6 Wolf Riders skillfully took care of them. Let us remember the 5 left outside the walls and glorify the 1 who slipped behind enemy lines right under its nose. The 600 gold, kindly lying in the passage, was enough for 12 out of 14 Troglodytes, and as you know, a pile of gold can be from 500 to 1000, so I was unlucky! I could have bought all the Trog's. The valiant Trogs and 1 Wolf Rider knocked out 5 Harpies from Laura (here I was lucky, Laura had only 1 stack of Harpies). The very first day of war against the Jags was stunningly successful, and then the peaceful looting of the territory proceeded - 14 Trogs joined from a house, and piles of gold were collected.

Then the action moved to the Capital - heroes were bought with armies. Here I was also lucky: Yog with 3 stacks, Alkin with 2, and Solmyr dropped by later. The development, however, was not great... I gathered armies and broke through the Hogs, took the Sawmill. Then Green arrived with a bunch of Orc Chieftains and a horde of Goblins. I had to spend a valuable Chain Lightning and flee with Solmyr. But of course, the War Machines infuriated me - the computer buys them all immediately as soon as it encounters a War Machine hut, spending money it has. Therefore, the Chain Lightning only effectively took out 7 Orcs and a few Goblins. I don't mind spending money to ransom Solmyr, but remove that Factory! It's completely useless. Better give some useful monster dwelling, like Mages. As for machines, if needed, you can buy them - in any Fortress 2 of them, and in the two towns where Blacksmiths sell Tents - Rampart and Fortress. There is even some redundancy here.

As already mentioned, and what immediately struck me too - there are some exorbitant guards for generally lousy artifacts... Do you expect us to play for 3-5 months of game time?? When you can breeze through it in a month (if there's no waiting for resources from mines) - only 500 Beholders... with 3 Citadels and expert Tactics, Birds, Wolves, and Bears will smash them to pieces, especially if you learn sweet Berserk or Mass Curse (although Barbs, of course, are not very keen on learning Fire magic... hence the thought to switch from Tirax - whatever his campaign name is - to a Mage/Battle Mage, which is again more strategic, if it weren't for the rigid binding to one hero. I understand the Knight saves his lady and all that, but saving the lady and bringing her to the knight is also a perfectly valid option).

So, the guards of artifacts are completely incomprehensible... okay, a Dark Horde of Gnolls... but 20 Angels or 15 Azure Dragons... even for 3 months that's not very easy... and you also have to fight the computers, who are positioned as the main enemies.

Final opinion (although I didn't get far, I would have died from the tedious gold grind on 200%, despite having 2 towns from the start):
Regarding the walkthrough - the main hero on the main front scouts Brown's positions from behind the cliffs, and at a crucial moment, on the charge, destroys the town, preferably with Redrash. The main town carefully takes the Triple as quickly as possible and focuses on mass producing Wolves, Bears, and Birds. Cyclopes, Orcs, Ogres - in the bin, Goblins - disposable meat. Grind everyone and everything, and immediately after taking the +2 Speed artifact guarded by pathetic Nomads (some lousy artifacts for this map are guarded by 43 Wyvern Monarchs, and here such a valuable artifact is guarded by only 83 Nomads... and I'm not even mentioning numbers like 250 Mages for just the "Sunburst Sunsphere", which is easily compensated by Fountains and Flags), break the Griffin Conservatory (optional, and the Dragon Utopia too) and transfer the army south. Reinforcements go into resources and we build the Guild in the Dungeon. Troops arrive, we teach heroes Town Portal, and destroy the Beholder. On mass Tactics, everything forward; on the move, cast Haste (preferably advanced, in no case expert Haste) on 1 Goblin (7+2+5 speed > Bird's speed 11+2) for the Angel(s) (who will move first), remove the retaliation, and then a full assault on 1 stack of Beholders (I assume there will be 2-3 stacks, and naturally take any meat with you - most likely Troglodytes). Angels block another stack, offer the meat as a sacrifice, and the Beholders should kill it. Similarly for the next round - remove retaliation with meat after waiting everyone, and finish them off.

Opinion on the map: Strengthen the guards of towns - honestly, breaking through 5 Gargoyles with 6 Wolves is not likely... but 5 Harpies no problem. Weaken the guards of artifacts.
For high difficulty, and in general, put various resources and banks with resources. Place at least nominal guards between our zone and the computers, so that the first week is relatively peaceful if a newcomer plays. Unguarded Forts on hills are also a mediocre solution... although when the player wants to upgrade Angels/Bears, even a guard (acceptable for such an object) won't stop them.
Also, I don't like the error described in the manual about monsters blocking the path, and the presence of similar examples in the map (although in principle you can bypass it, but it's already non-plaisir...). Angels at the +3 artifact, Gnolls at the Shield, Psi-Immune monsters near the +1 All Stats artifact, Cyclopes at the Cyclops artifact, Nomads at the +2 Speed artifact, etc.

At your discretion - cancel the loss condition upon losing the Main Hero, so that splitting him up is possible. But then the quest for the passage to the prison should be changed to any hero of the player, because losing the main hero would require "digging him out".

And finally - Warriors get Wisdom at levels 6, 12, 18, because it's one of the must-have skills, and the developers built in a mechanism for almost mandatory acquisition. Seeing that defeating 14 Red Dragons and the precious Cloak of the Undead King are needed for some Wisdom is simply blasphemous – such a direct, blunt (in the sense of no alternative, if not for the Wisdom acquisition mechanism on level-up) and even plot-wise poorly justified maneuver in the bush, with a waste of material and technical resources...

It's also a bit strange to hear in the manual words about the ugliness of a barren Dungeon and immediately see it in the manual-illustrating map... The theme of dungeons, crypts, etc. (sorry, I don't know the plot) could easily be expanded - gold, fights, experience, bonuses. That's strategy - choice: bulk up or go for the goal faster.

If you're interested, I tried to depict a strategic and story-RPG component in my map "Unica". The choice of main hero, focus on specific troops, lines of conduct - entirely up to the player. Only the most key moments are rigidly set, "story-wise", but even they have many variations. A lot of development time was spent on configuring computer behavior, and they quite organically influence both the story and strategic components of the map

samatron, moving diagonally through the forest is permissible: according to the generally accepted classification, the map is open (except for the spawn points of Blue and Turquoise). Unless we're talking about the Heroes of Might and Magic option to "walk through forests and mountains." Couldn't you get to Ygg by doing that?

pHOMM, if 2 people have figured everything out, then you probably have too. I have provided players with almost all the necessary information.
But especially for you, I will briefly repeat myself.
The map fulfills two tasks that I set for myself when creating it:
1. Clearly demonstrate the process of creating a map.
2. Adapt the final part of the novel for the "heroic" world.
This map, like all my writings, does not claim to be a model to follow, let alone an ideal.
I have never set myself the goal of pleasing everyone, as I consider this to be practically impossible.
The map is naturally played as a strategic one, with the exception of the beginning and the end: only at these stages are the player's actions rigidly predetermined by the plot. Or do you have some special understanding of the term "strategy"?
By the way, if you really want "pure" strategy: my first (chronologically) map, "A Matter of Honor," is exactly that. When it is ready, I will offer it to your attention.
The difficulty in the map is set and mentioned in 2 more places: in the first message of this topic and in the description of the map creation.
Why the Dungeon is so poor here, I said "in black and white." In almost all of my other projects, the underground level is "full-fledged," and in one of them, it even plays a key role! But if I fill it here, it will not help in achieving the set goal (the liberation of Alth).
The loss of "some guy" is made a condition for defeat deliberately for 2 reasons:
1) this does not correspond to the plot of "some Howard's" novel;
2) to prevent the player from "breaking" on the very first day, after which he will immediately calmly buy Cairn in Koth; again, in "someone's" novel, this did not happen: Isau reached his city for several days "on his own."
What you wanted to show with your message is not news to me. I cannot and do not want to force the player to read what is written and do only what is required. But if he, having a description, wants to do everything his own way, that is his problem, not mine. This applies to choosing the difficulty level, capturing Akka on the second day, and everything else that someone might come up with. In general, on maps, you can, of course, максимально ограничить "самодеятельность" игрока, оставив ему узкую тропку, с которой он никак не свернет, но играть на такой карте, определенно, будет невыносимо скучно (особенно если сюжет вам знаком). I have already thought about this.
By the way, I once downloaded your "Unica," but I haven't tried to play it yet.
Wisdom Isau receives in the witch's hut. And the scholar in the Dungeon is placed there just in case, because when creating the map, it was not yet clear whether the hero would be able to upgrade his wisdom to an expert level. Personally, I managed to do this, but how it might be for others is unknown, because the strength of the game and the time it takes to complete it vary greatly from player to player.
Now I will move on to reasonable comments.
I will definitely reduce the strength of the guards of valuable artifacts: it would be a pity to waste them!
I moved the Gnolls guarding the shield: now they do not interfere with passing and visiting the Garden of Revelation. The same goes for the trees opposite the angels guarding the necklace. I will re-upload it when I reduce the artifact guards.
The guard of Ygg and Akka is minimal because after Cairn's escape, the enemies will take these soldiers and run around the map. It is undesirable to strengthen the guard, as this will affect the balance: Blue and Brown already have an initial advantage due to the geography. During testing, these enemies also developed quite well.
I have placed almost no free resources on the map, because my heroes during testing were busy holding the Strongholds and collecting and transferring troops. Then the enemies would collect wood and other resources.
I will make other necessary corrections, but I am currently much more concerned with working on other maps: I want them to see the light of day someday.

Since the map is a "tutorial" map, it has an average size, is very simple, and can be completed quickly and without particular difficulties.
Please write your questions, comments, and suggestions here.

I didn't really like the map. No offense, Marmot.:o

And it's precisely because of the author's excessive focus on the storyline. It can't be called particularly easy or quick to complete, as you have to defend against attacks from superior enemy forces due to the initially unequal conditions for the players. The computer develops one player, accumulating experience, while I have to spend time traveling to the main city and immediately start defending it, while the computer is already attacking. All of this, multiplied by the lack of free resources and limited funds. Overall, the gameplay didn't bring me much enjoyment.
The map is for those who like to follow the author's clear storyline and fight in a defensive position from the very beginning. Perhaps if the map were larger, there would be more chances in the game's tactics.

I would like to know from the author: are all his maps tied to the plot of specific books, or will they be?

Cain, thank you for your feedback! I'm not offended; I'm straightforward myself and appreciate that in others. In general, I can honestly say that I didn't particularly enjoy the gameplay on this map either. Yes, from the very beginning, you need to be on your toes, prevent Isau from dying, and then a significant amount of time is spent capturing and holding neighboring citadels, while enemies constantly attack here and there. And only when Cairn achieves a noticeable advantage in strength can you venture further, deal with the winged beasts, and rescue his beloved. Yes, the reason is precisely the need to adhere to a predetermined plot. But the main function of the map is illustrative. In general, for all the maps I've designed, there are a few that are "based on" something, while the rest have my own (relatively simple) plots. When I finish something else, I will definitely post it here. If you compare the degree of player freedom in my scenarios, then, perhaps, there are fewer "pure" strategy maps than those with greater or lesser restrictions caused by the specifics of the plot and the game world. Yes, even I find it strange, because I myself love "purely" strategic maps the most (see my notes)! The reason for this is that, although many of the initial ideas are quite simple, it can be a bit boring for some people: it's different if the map has some kind of "unique feature," something that sets it apart from others. While the player is learning and gaining experience, it is better for them to practice strategy. And then, there may be a desire to try their hand at something original: a quest/RPG. By the way, if you want to know, there are really difficult maps to complete, where everything is very strictly predetermined, made specifically for experienced fan players, and where the authors test us on our knowledge of the nuances of the game and our psychological resilience. There, you often have to fight "on the edge" from the very first day, and you don't have either a castle or an army... One such map, I think, was posted somewhere here, and another was made by Efrit from the WoG forum (it's called "Puzzle"): see the topic http://wforum.heroes35.net/showthread.php?tid=2564 And here, for example, I am creating a large humorous quest based on the popular fairy tale "Return to the Kingdom" (which, I hope, will appeal to girls). There, player independence is inevitably limited from the very beginning, but there is still room for choice and maneuvering, and as you progress, the degree of freedom increases. Personally, for me as a map designer, this is the most interesting project, but it is progressing, unfortunately, quite slowly. Working alone, and if you strive to do something high-quality, it doesn't happen quickly. There is one important point here: I am thinking about finding a co-author, but for this, the views on maps must coincide, as well as mutual understanding and trust.

I liked the map; it reminds me of Heroes 1 and 2. It's difficult to develop your heroes, and the enemies attack frequently, with strong monsters. The strong monsters guarding the artifacts – I think this is a plus, as it forces you to fight for them, rather than winning without any losses, which has become a habit. But here's the thing: I played with two heroes, Crag Hack and the main hero, and both were equally leveled up, but the main hero didn't have any Wisdom! How can I win? Crag Hack took the mage with Wisdom. It seems like there aren't enough artifacts on the map for the Haven faction. Is this a bug, or am I missing something?

SirJohn, any hero can easily gain wisdom at the witch's hut (cell 28,25) on the way home or from home. If you read my description in PDF (see the 1st message), everything is described in detail there: where what is, and about the Haven faction as well. But in your case, it seems that it is no longer possible to win: in the current version, victory is only possible by freeing Althea from the prison by Cairn. If you wish, you can replay, taking these nuances into account. The "beastly" guard of the artifacts will be weakened. Other maps that I am making should be more interesting, but there is complete uncertainty with the deadlines, as well as with what will be ready sooner.