Posts from WG. Prince of oak-woods. Lontile

Continued. Contact: Razumov 2. Given Gree's unhealthy penchant for basing his scenarios on the best works from the standard set, we diligently checked all the maps available to us, but found nothing similar, so we indicate Gree as the author. Of course, we will be grateful to anyone who can correct us. 1. Title: "Heroes of Might and Magic. Prince of Oak-woods. Lontile". 2. Map name: "WG. Prince of oak-woods. Lontile". 3. Two-level map: yes. 4. Number of players: 8. 5. Size: L. 6. Map difficulty level: Difficult. 7. Map author: Gree. 8. Map description: SoD; size: 108x108; levels: 2; number of human players: 1 (Rampart, color: green); computer players: all others; alliances: 1) green with red, 2) all others; recommended game difficulty level: no lower than "High" (Ship). We also recommend paying attention to "rumors" in the Taverns; they are updated every week. Playing in WoG format is possible, but not desirable: "Wogification" may disrupt "passability"; also, Monsters, Objects are replaced, and Object properties are changed, etc. The latter remark, it seems, applies to all "hand-made" maps that were not specifically created for WoG. Plot: "The cruelty of Lord Yariga's rule pushed the inhabitants of Lontile to revolt. Taking advantage of the convenient opportunity, the Lords of the Lower Kingdoms decided to "fish in troubled waters". The Prince of Oak-woods is forced to take the side of the tyrant..." Victory conditions: either defeat all opponents, or capture the Castle and deliver the Artifact to it. Defeat conditions: loss of the Prince. ************************************************* 1. WG. Prince of oak-woods. Lontile. v2norm - for any player. 2. WG. Prince of oak-woods. Lontile. v2 - for experts. ************************************************* Addition. 05.12.2011. version v1 replaced with v2. In v2, a minor correction was made, taking into account the recommendations from "Venka's Tips" from Sir Marmot's "A Brief Guide to Creating Maps for the Game 'Heroes of Might and Magic 3'"; the rest remains unchanged. We apologize. Sincerely, Old Mage.

Added 3 minutes later
[/U]I completed Prince of the Grove! The map turned out to be really difficult; I started it three times. And I haven't spent so much time on any other map, and there's a reason for that. The author has designed a large number of small and large traps, incredible object camouflage, secret paths, and quite strong enemies. I won by delivering the artifact to the castle; I don't even know how much time it would have taken to win using the first method. In general, it's a very interesting map; it could enhance even the most exquisite map collection. HUGE thanks to OLD MAGE!
I forgot to mention that I completed the first version, which has now been replaced with the second version.

Thanks for the map; as always, I'm amazed at how much patience people have to create their own maps. I completed the map on the hardest difficulty. Overall, as is often the case in Heroes, the snipers decided all the battles, so I only lost a couple of dragons during the game. I won by delivering the artifact; I could have defeated the enemies, but defending a large number of castles is a real hassle, and I didn't want to. To be honest, I didn't like the map; the secret paths and the large number of enemies and castles are just annoying and don't create any additional interest. The balance of power was pleasing, although my hero was still much stronger than everyone else. Nevertheless, I had to think through every move until the very end, which is great and keeps you on edge, something you don't often see.

#3

Heh! (here - a smiling yellow ball named Smiley)
Could it be, Knight Egg, that the very necessity of "defending all the castles," as well as the "secret paths" and "large number of enemies," were conceived and created precisely to add a bit of spice to your blood and enjoy the involuntary admission of Evil Chopper that "it's great to keep you on edge, which is rare"?
I wonder which version you got (v2norm or v2 - for experts)?
And also: did you manage to free Dragon D from imprisonment?
With knightly greetings, Old Mage.

v2 - for experts, this is the version I played. As far as I remember, I freed Jarla in the second month, with a couple of hundred snipers and several golden dragons. Slowing, defending with snipers, and all those hordes of spectral dragons become completely helpless, as do all other enemies in the way. There was absolutely no need to defend the castles, and I didn't do it; I just wandered around the map with a bunch of snipers, looking for castles and portals. You would need to defend them if you were to win in the second way, but that's just a tedious and uninteresting task, in my opinion. By "under pressure," I meant that by the end of the map, as often happens, my hero didn't acquire some kind of furious army of thousands of archangels, and battles with enemies often depended on morale and luck; I called this a good balance. I don't understand how this relates to the large number of unnecessary castles and heroes.

v2 ...I don't understand how this relates to the large number of unnecessary castles and heroes.

Thank you for your prompt and highly informative response, esteemed Egg.
Sir Marmot is right: it is incredibly interesting and instructive to encounter an exotic speaking style - in this case, we mean your message #5, Egg. This (IMHO, just IMHO) is a prime example of the speech of a Knight, impulsive and straightforward; a brave, fierce Warrior, proud of his Martial Skills and despising his enemies - they are not to be envied!
Perhaps we inadvertently touched upon something emotionally significant for you? Forgive us, Egg - a humble head and a sword are spared.
Our message #4 was motivated solely by the desire to politely draw your attention to certain circumstances, which may have escaped the notice of a person not involved with the Editor, as evidenced by the statement

I am always amazed at how much patience people have to create their own maps.

and it was in no way intended to start a discussion (sorry, but we don't like to go on air: we are not good with words - we are shy).
This, the second and last, response we are simply forced to give, so that, through someone's misunderstanding, we do not end up among your long-suffering enemies and avoid their terrible fate. At the same time, we answered what was unclear to you.
If you are not one of those people for whom it is very important to have the last word, then, we dare to hope, the issue may be closed for you. For us, it is closed in any case.
Sincerely, Old Mage.

no discussions, no emotions, and no hostility.

Great map, I think it turned out well. What about online play instead of offline?

I started playing this map yesterday evening. The interest appears from the very first day when the enemies capture most of the Yaryga castles and one of our castles, defeating the Ufra Guard in an unequal battle. This forces the player to be on guard and immediately get ready to develop quickly and explore the map.
I must note: I am as straightforward as Egg. I agree that each player plays in the way that is most interesting or convenient for them. If someone wants to win faster, they choose the quickest path; the one who is interested in exploring the map (like me) will probably patiently explore and "clear" it, spending much more time on it. But what I will prefer in this case will be shown by time; if there are concerns that defeating all the enemies will take too long, I will also choose a faster option.

...What about online play, instead of offline?

1. From the "Map Description": ...number of human players: 1...; number of computer players: all the rest..."
2. Sir, the worlds of Gree are more like puzzles than battlefields.
Sincerely, Old Mage.