Posts from Second Heroes: A joint tournament of three forums / a tournament in honor of Van Kanegem.

Joint Tournament of Three Forums
"Closing the Circle."

Perhaps the final stage of the annual John Van Caneghem tournament
"Closing the Circle."

P.S. This tournament is held as part of the general John Van Caneghem tournament.

1.1. To participate in the "Closing the Circle" tournament, you must register on our website and leave an application in this thread.
1.1. The tournament will run from August 29 to October 03, 2011. Results will be announced on October 07, 2011.
1.2. The tournament is held simultaneously across three Internet resources: HeroesLeague, HeroesPortal, and HeroesWorld. On HeroesWorld, the Tournament is conducted as part of the general Van Caneghem tournament. Tournament winners receive rewards corresponding to each resource (rating, statuses, etc.) on each respective resource.
1.3. The tournament is played on the following game versions:
Heroes II: Price of Loyalty 2.1 (English), Heroes II: The Price of Loyalty 2.1 (Russian)
Playing on earlier versions of the game, where many bugs have not been fixed, is prohibited.
Playing in DOS and switching from one version to another is forbidden.
1.5. ATTENTION!!! Throughout the tournament, a player IS OBLIGATED to make saves at the beginning or end (both options are mandatory) of EVERY game day and store them on their computer! The judge has the right to demand daily walkthrough saves and explanations for them from ANY player, up to the description of the tactics for a specific battle.
In the absence of satisfactory explanations (from the judges' point of view), the player's result will be annulled.
If there is a satisfactory description of the walkthrough but necessary saves are missing, the player is credited with a defeat. The statute of limitations (during which daily saves must be kept) is 7 days after the results of the round are tallied.
1.6. ATTENTION!!! In this specific tournament, it is recommended to attach at least 7 intermediate saves to the final save.
1.7. The tournament leads are Dust on HeroesLeague, Sir Ermelloth on HeroesPortal, and Qwerty on HeroesWorld.

2.1. Use of any cheats or bugs in the final walkthrough is prohibited. The result will be annulled.
It is categorically FORBIDDEN to use cheat codes, banned bugs, and game exploits, hack saves, or manipulate computer players in hot-seat mode during the final run. The use of standard cheat codes for initial save reconnaissance is permissible. However, after conducting reconnaissance, the player must load the starting save and start the game again.
It is forbidden to move a hero who was ransomed after fleeing/paying off in battle on the day they fled/paid off. Such a hero may be ransomed on the day of flight/payment;
a dismissed or fallen-in-battle hero can only be ransomed and moved on the next day after their dismissal/death;
if a hero fled/paid off/died in battle during a turn transition, they can be ransomed and moved immediately.
2.2. In the event of a "+5 monsters X" week or "monster X" month, the player must replay the week/month transition to achieve a neutral result.
2.3. Playing on any version other than that specified in point 1.3 is prohibited.
2.4. Open discussion of the tournament on the forum during its progress is FORBIDDEN!!!
(Players who violate this rule automatically disqualify themselves from playing the tournament; their results will not be counted and will be annulled)

3.1. The goal of the tournament is to defeat the enemy.
3.2. The primary victory criterion is minimum time. The secondary criterion is the sum of primary skills (attack, defense, magic, knowledge) INCLUDING EQUIPPED ARTIFACTS (calculated for the hero with the highest skill sum present in the save); if a favorite still cannot be determined, it will be decided by the amount of mercury.
Note: If victory occurs during a turn transition, the final number of days will be taken from the final results table, i.e., the day of the final save plus one.

4.1. The final save should be made before the last action (after which victory occurs).
4.2. Along with the final save, players are required to send a description of the tactics for the final battle (the more complex the battle, the more detailed the description).
If the win depends on morale/luck rolls or specific actions by computer players, a full description of the battle is required—one that allows it to be repeated.
4.3. The email with the save must contain:

• the winning save itself;
• description of the final battle tactics
• participant number in the application table
• abbreviation (VK2011L)
• Player Nickname on all three resources;
  
  For example, the subject of the email: Closing the Circle - Alex_R,
  a save named Alex_R L is attached to the email, and the body reads: nick on League - so-and-so, nick on Portal - Alex_R HW, nick on World - Alex_R.

4.4. Send the final save to the email address hmm2@mail.ru.

5.1. Download the map and save.
Note: The save and map are archived using WinRar 3.62.
5.2. The downloaded save must be placed on your computer in the Games folder within the directory where Heroes 2 is installed.
5.3. You may play strictly only from the starting save.
5.4. Subsequently, play from a save you have made at any time convenient for you, while remembering to make daily saves at the beginning and end of each game day.
5.5. After reaching the last action (after which victory occurs), you must save again.
5.6. Provide a detailed description of this last step (most likely a battle) with the final save; then the results will be tallied faster and there will be fewer suspicions of cheating!!!
5.7. A full description of the tournament map is encouraged (optional). If provided, a contest for the best description will be held, and 10 of the very best will take their place of honor in the "Hall of Fame" section!
5.8. Send final saves to the specified address (as per these tournament rules).
5.9. Wait for the results.

6.1. This list can be expanded by new participants!
6.2. Saves will only be considered from players who are in this table, so make your applications in advance!
6.3. After receiving your save, you will see in the application table that: the save is accepted - indicated by a Bold Nickname

TOURNAMENT for HMM II: "Closing the Circle."
Number	Participant
1	DR28
2	Ник 1
3	paladine
4	Tolikandro
5	Tirano
6	Thundax
7	Havr
8	Registr
9	Kraftt
10	Bobchik
11	ApostolHP
12	fighter2033

P.S. I wish all tournament participants a great time gaming!!!

Dear colleagues,
Before you is the only map that Qwerty created (completely created, not edited). This miniature has a semi-quest-like nature. Qwerty not only calculated every cell but also fully played through this save (of course, I will not participate in the tournament that I am judging) and claims: "Yes. Yes, it is solvable and within the time you are currently thinking of. It is not only possible, it has been achieved."
The map is quite depressing, although I did change the ending (the original was absolutely bleak), leaving hope for the future.
Nevertheless, there will be no witty remarks from Qwerty here. There will only be one quote...
I strongly ask that you do not say a word on the forum, such as "yes, I figured it out" or "this is what the host meant." Also, I very much ask that the participants do not communicate with each other about this tournament. The Walkthrough does not require any effort at all; you just need to solve a few small combinations. And only by solving them independently will you be able to appreciate Qwerty's gift to all the fans and professionals of the second Heroes game on the HeroesWorld forum.

I'll definitely play it when I get back from vacation. I don't have Heroes with me right now.

I'll be back from vacation and will definitely play it. I don't have Heroes with me right now.

By the sea. Morning. Autumn again.
I receive the news via Wi-Fi -
The mighty DR28
will solve the quest from Qwerty!

F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions) about the joint tournament of three forums, "Closing the Circle." 1. I'm a strong player, but I don't see how to meaningfully complete the save. What's the deal? Answer: Along with the save, a map is provided. It contains a number of puzzles. If you solve them, the map will be completed quickly and interestingly. 2. Is this map designed for generating computer actions? Is that the whole point? Answer: No, for the best result, you don't need to generate computer actions. 3. I solved the puzzles, but I can't quite complete it. What kind of work on the save is this? The organizers seem to have stopped working, and Qwerty has decided to hide behind other people's authority. Answer: You can't quite complete it only because there were a few minor inaccuracies. Play a little more precisely, and you'll succeed; this has been tested. 4. I reached the end, but there's a previously unknown bug in the second Heroes game. Qwerty probably didn't playtest the map properly and thought it would work out anyway. Is that okay? Answer: No, it's not. Qwerty completed everything to the end; you just need to play a little more precisely earlier, and you'll succeed. 5. I see the goal. But I don't understand how the organizer decided to create a map with such a short completion time, because a lot of people will share first place. Yes, the map can be completed very quickly and easily. But remember how it felt to solve the puzzles... And everyone who solved them deserves first place.

I would like to participate!
fighter2033

I would like to participate!
fighter2033

Good luck and have fun!

I played it too. I hope the save file is still accepted.

I played it too. I hope my save is still accepted.

Save accepted!

Preliminary Tournament Results.

1

Nick(HeroesWorld)	Nick(HeroesPortal)	Nick(HeroesLeague)	Days	Stats	Mercury	Gold	Wood	Ore	Sulfur	Crystals	Diamonds	Place
Tolikandro	Tolikandro	Tolikandro	1	0-2-4-5	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Thundax	Thundax	Thundax	1	0-2-4-5	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
DR28	Reanimator	DR28	1	0-2-4-5	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Ник 1	NikTheOne		1	0-2-4-5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Lord of Death	AHmuxpuCT	AHmuxpuCT	2	0-2-5-5	10	1500	0	0	0	0	0	3
Havr	Havr	Havr	2	0-2-4-5	16	900	0	0	0	0	0	4
Tirano	Tirano	Tirano	2	0-2-4-5	11	100	0	0	0	0	0	5
Pash	Pash	Pash	2	0-2-4-5	10	1500	0	0	0	0	0	6
Lovelass	Lovelass	Lovelass	3	4-1-1-3	20	24	0	0	1	0	9	7
Kraftt	Kraftt	Kraftt	3	0-0-2-5	11	33	0	0	0	0	0	8
Paladine	Paladine		5	0-2-2-5	26	4	5	0	3	3	0	9
bobchik	bobchik	bobchik	5	5-1-1-1	16	3319	9	5	13	9	9	10
ApostolHP	APOSTOLs	APOSTOLs	6	5-1-1-3	19	89	0	0	0	2	0	11
Registr	Registr	Registr	6	0-0-4-5	19	249	4	4	9	9	9	12
Alias dictus	Alias dictus	Alias dictus	20	0-3-6-7	0	1177	0	0	40	0	0	13

It turns out I have a nickname on the League. That's cool! Thanks to the host for the interesting tournament.

Yes, Qwerty, thank you. It turns out that even in a single gaming session, you can do quite a bit of thinking.

Hey, can anyone tell me where and how I can just play Heroes 2 online with other people?

Thank you for the tournament! It was interesting and, in some ways, informative.

A few words about the Tournament. It's no secret to me that in some versions of the game, Tournaments are held that can be completed in one day. It's also no secret, and there's not a very positive attitude among some players towards the use of third-party programs: primarily hero editors and hero stat calculators. In addition, there's another aspect that irritates some of the Heroes community: the computer's action generation. Based on all of this, I conceived and created this map. It can definitely be improved, although I don't see the point in doing so: the puzzles have been solved... Naturally, those who have read my authored instructional materials on the second Heroes game (as a reminder, Qwerty has written more about the second Heroes game in Russian than all other authors combined) immediately understood where to go. 16 halflings and 5 pigs – in one of my latest works, this combination was analyzed in detail. The system for dealing with gargoyles, which I once applied in practice and won a Tournament with, was one of the key elements, and, as I unreasonably thought, a practically necessary element for winning the Tournament. Practice proved otherwise. I believe it's clear that I thought the Sorceress Castle would be taken in a similar way. Next, a well-developed hero (thanks to the suggestion to make this one of the elements of the Tournament, expressed once by one of the Tournament winners:))) simply takes the Event – gaining those much-needed skills. After that, there's a small test of keyboard skills:))). The rest is clear from the hint... Did I expect such a result? No, I didn't. The incredible density of the results, a real thriller in the fight for third place (the growth of Sir Lord of Death – I won't even dare to pronounce your other name – is simply fantastic... By the way, if you simply retreat with dwarves in the second round when attacked by a hero with gargoyles and centaurs, you can cast Chain Lightning in the third round – the dwarves will resist...). Thank you very much to everyone who participated. Glory to the Tournament winners – Tolikandro, Thundax, DR28/Reanimator!