Posts from Searches of the lost city

IvanShi, if there are display issues in the game, it's not a problem with the map, but with your game installation. Install the HD mod and the Russian MegaPack – that should fix the problem!

I completed the map; it’s one of the few maps where I really had to put in some effort. I played on the highest difficulty and didn’t rush too much, so the opponents had time to gather their troops. In the end, I achieved what I wanted: having to fight against legions of dragons and replaying battles 15-20 times until I won. For the first time in all my playthroughs, I won thanks to diplomacy. And the hidden portals also made things challenging. The only drawback is that there are too many artifacts – there comes a point where the hero is equipped with everything possible, and there’s still a lot left in reserve. But that’s a minor issue.

I want to start by thanking the author for the map. I haven't spent more than a day on almost any other map (not counting campaigns, of course). I managed to complete it in two days, which took about 5-6 hours (200% speed, of course). I'm currently playing through it for the second time. So, let's move on to the pros:
1. The map is well-designed, both in terms of territories and all the resources and monsters. And considering that it's an XL map, it's a huge and time-consuming effort.
2. It's a great starting point for any player (I was pleased that the Swamp has a smaller territory, which is definitely a plus :)), which will lead to the fact that any opponent on the "surface" will have a decent army when you meet, which means it should be challenging.
3. The idea of having multiple mines outside the main territory.
4. Multiple artifacts. There won't be a situation where one alliance has angels, and the other has a centaur axe. (Of course, this is an exaggeration).
5. Almost no bugs, it's clear that it has been thoroughly tested, which definitely eliminates unpleasant random events.
6. The ability to complete the map in several ways.
7. It's great that the enemies in the Dungeon are significantly stronger, and there's a gradation from more or less strong to really tough opponents, which motivates you to visit each upgrade location when you see the stats of a pink unit in the tavern xD.
8. There's a plot, or rather, an idea, about why and what the purpose is of going down into the Dungeon.
Basically, whatever you look at, everything is well thought out and implemented at a very high level. Before this, I hadn't found any maps better than True Legions, but after a certain point, you just run around and fight.
Now, about the cons. Although it's hard to call them cons, it's more like wishes or minor comments.
1. Both times I played the map, I encountered this. The first time, a blue player emerged from the Dungeon, and the guard tents were still standing. Apparently, he learned Flight in the pyramid. It wasn't a problem to defeat him, but after that, I had the opportunity to hire him in the tavern with that very spell, which would have made completing the map much easier :X. The second time I started the map, a mage also learned the Flight spell. I understand that it's difficult to simply remove the bug, but perhaps the spell could be removed from the map's specifications. However, there's also the Dimension Door, without which you can't complete the map, and the spell could also appear there. It would be funny if it appeared for orange or cyan, especially in the early months of the game :D.
2. The second wish is this: it would be nice if all the Necropolises were accessible (you could fly over and attack the castle). I especially enjoyed fighting 9999 azure dragons :D (with 4,500 snipers and 1,500 sorcerers, it wasn't really a problem, if anyone is interested, I can even send a save file ^^), but I couldn't capture the Cursed Land.
In conclusion: a great, huge, well-designed, and tested map with a lot of resources, artifacts, and monsters. There's just a lot of everything, and for every taste. Overall, thank you, samatron :))) if you have any more maps in a similar style, please share them. :)

MELL
Please, and thank you for the detailed and well-considered feedback.
I think you're right, and the blue creature could only have received flight from the pyramid. This certainly breaks the map's storyline, and I will definitely remove it.
I will also correct the issue with the scholars.
I will consider your idea regarding the Necropolis.
Testing the map was indeed lengthy, but as you can see, it's difficult to completely eliminate all possible scenarios.

I'm glad you enjoyed the map. There are other maps of mine in the thread. Enjoy playing, and please leave comments.

The map is great. I beat it on my second try. I killed everyone, even 70k Azure Dragons in the garrisons. I managed to capture one Necropolis. The rest couldn't be captured without flying units. In the end, I had 317,000 Liches and 200 million experience points. The game difficulty was set to the highest level – 200%.

Enlighten the ignorant. Are 317,000 units even possible? I thought 4,000 was the maximum for a single stack, regardless of the creatures.

Kird, 317 thousand is possible. I think it might even be 999999 in each cell, i.e., a total of 7 million, although there's no way to gather such a large army. But you need to be careful; once, the counter glitched, resulting in a negative number of units with a minus sign when sorting them equally into each cell. And the money counter also glitched after 1 billion gold.

I understand. Well, I haven't scored that many in an actual game. It's just that the map editor doesn't allow more than 4,000 on the stack.

The map itself cannot contain more than 4000 "monsters," and garrisons can hold up to 9999 units per stack (with a maximum of 7 stacks), but the hero can have a large number of troops.

Kird, and that was a real game. No cheats. The King of the Undead's Cloak is a game-changer :) For example, after a battle with 70k Azure Dragons, 65k Liches were resurrected for me.

Ah, the map is great, but I didn’t have enough stamina to finish it. I spent too much time on the mainland, and my hand got tired. It’s not the author’s fault; I need to buy a mouse for my laptop and come up with some other tactics to expand outwards rather than inwards). Everything would be fine, but I can only play in one sitting; after a few days, I lose the intensity). I remember beating the elves guarding some bay near the finish (I was playing as humans). I never understood what these elves were guarding).

I sat down and started playing at a leisurely pace. On turn 423, I killed a brown, crimson, and green creature and collected the **Cloak of the Lich King**, which I gave to Izra. I'm not sure if it's worth continuing. Or should I not waste my time? There hasn't been any intrigue so far.

Hello everyone, in principle, the map looks good (when viewed in the editor), but why is everything so square and rectangular? Even when moving in a straight line, it's obvious and clear where you're going, and it seems that this many border guards when entering the underground world is excessive; it could have been made more challenging in a different way... well, that's pretty much all the suggestions I have.

Hello everyone. I apologize for the long absence and silence. I just arrived.

Hello everyone, in principle, the map looks good (when viewed in the editor), but why is everything so square and rectangular? Even when moving in a straight line, it is obvious and clear where you will end up, and it seems that such a large number of border guards when entering the underworld is excessive; it could have been made more difficult in another way... well, that's about all the suggestions.

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions. :)
I have already answered the question about the map's geometry. The map was originally conceived differently, but it turned out that the map was released in the form you see.
I don't think that the number of guards in the underworld should scare anyone. Their number is not that large, and the need to upgrade in order to enter the underworld will be useful, because... Well, let's not reveal all the secrets for those who haven't completed it.

It is not clear from your message whether you completed the map or just looked at it in the editor?

Added 5 minutes ago

I completed the map; it is one of the few maps where I really had to work hard. I played on the maximum difficulty and didn't rush too much so that the opponents would have time to gather troops. As a result, I got what I needed, when I had to fight legions of dragons and replay battles 15-20 times until I won. For the first time in all my gaming experience, I won thanks to diplomacy. Well, and the hidden portals also made me work hard. The only drawback is that there are too many artifacts - there comes a moment when the hero has everything possible and even more is in reserve. But this is a minor thing.

Thank you for the feedback.
Many artifacts - but for some, it may seem like there are too few, because there can be a maximum number of heroes. Well, these are really minor things; it's a matter of taste.
I hope that other maps will also not go unnoticed by you. Good luck with completing them.

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long absence and silence. I just arrived.

Where were you, if it's not a secret? :)

And when will something new be released?