Posts from Unity of the Elements

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Scenario Name: Unity of the Elements
Map Type: Single-player scenario
Size: Medium (M)
Number of players: 4 (1vs3)
Dungeon: Yes
Scripts: Yes
Cutscenes: Yes
Required game version: 3.1 (!!!)
Map Version: 1.0.6
Last update: September 29, 2013
Map Creator: Heroist
Acknowledgements: RedHeavenHero - assistance with scripts; and others.
RedHeavenHero, Juss456, Vadim_t - for testing the first beta version.
RedHeavenHero - assistance in creating a model for the Boss; new function for creating Titans.
Juss456, Vadim_t, Ardenit - for testing the first official version.
Antonag07 - for testing the latest map version.
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Map Description: In times long past, deep in antiquity, within one of the lost labyrinths of Shan'tir, a completely deranged mage established his laboratory. Guided by advice from an ancient manuscript, he sought to recreate something from the four primordial elements that, as he believed, would grant him absolute power over the world. However, not everything went according to plan...
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From me: In this map, I tried to combine and convey the storyline through cutscenes and short text messages simultaneously. You will play as a brand-new hero – Titanus. He has his own unique specialization and abilities. The map also combines dynamic battles with dangerous opponents and a questline with tasks to complete. There are quite a few seemingly difficult or impossible missions on the map at first glance, but it is not so. Everything can be easily overcome with a little thought. And at the end, a Boss awaits you.
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Interesting points:
-New hero - Titanus.
-New ability - Lightning.
-Four completely new (modified) heroes.
-Titan unit upgrades.
-Improved set of Sar-Elam artifacts.
-Boss: Lord of Elements.
-Complex story quests.
-Interesting battles.
-Ability to develop a special skill up to tens of thousands of damage units.
-Well-designed landscape, fully populated map.
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Installation:
Download the archive. Inside, find the map file New_Random_Map 37.h5m. Move the map to the Maps folder in the HoMM_V game installation directory.
Attention:
The map is a mod that modifies existing game files. To avoid various bugs and malfunctions, it is necessary to remove this map from the Maps folder after completing it.
I also strongly recommend reading the "Read_Me.txt" and "ISM.txt" files. These files contain brief information about the map, help with installation, and an update history.
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You can express your wishes, comments, and other feedback in the topic where this map is posted. They will not be ignored.
Just below, under the in-game screenshots, you can download the latest version of the map.
Have fun playing!
Sincerely,
Heroist
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That’s great! :smile13:

Thank you ;)

Downloaded. First impressions:
Everything is made very, very beautifully. I was very surprised when a titan appeared in place of the light, then I understood what was what. I noticed that during the video, the mage's legs "walked" under the ground (because the surface is uneven) and how the Titan slipped through the gate. I approach the mages, they are scared. I defeated the Rakshasa - they gave me some kind of key, what kind of key is it... In general, so far so good.

Regarding the videos, they are not yet polished. However, everything can be fixed.
To understand the map's content, you need to read all the messages carefully. Then it will be clear why a titan appeared instead of an angel.
They are scared – there is a hint that something might help them – this is understandable.
The key to the library – if you read the signs, it will be clear where it is. Remember games with loot collection – it's not always clear at first ;)

Added 6 minutes later
As for visual bugs, such as passing "through" the gate, I couldn't do anything about it, only remove that part of the model.

Regarding the videos, they are not yet fully polished. This can be fixed.
To understand the map's content, you need to read all the messages carefully. Then it will be clear why a titan appeared instead of an angel.
They are scared - there is a hint that something can help them - this is understandable.
The key to the library - if you read the signs, it will be clear where it is. Remember games with loot collection - it's not always clear at first ;)

Added 6 minutes later
As for visual bugs, such as passing "through" the gate, I couldn't do anything about it, only remove that part of the model.

No, well, all this is clear, of course. Another question: why is there a "Weakness" spell in the summoning magic section, and what is the "Ilm-Hijra" summon? After studying it, nothing was added to the spellbook.

So, random spells were assigned there due to the lack of suitable ones. And I forgot about Ilm – it’s a campaign spell of Zehir, specifically the Summon City spell, although it doesn’t work.

and a total of 2 raise dead spells. Is this random, or is it intentional?

Added after 31 seconds
That's it, no more questions for now.

Added after 4 minutes
Another interesting thing: I learned the lightning spell, and now I have 2 lightning spells in my spellbook. One is regular, and one is special. Maybe I should ban the first one on the map; I don't need it.

It could be banned. I'll think about it. Actually, there was an idea related to her, but then we managed to use that idea for a special unit as well.

I killed Death, but the quest wasn't completed. Is this normal?

I killed Death, but the quest wasn't completed. Is this normal?

You need to approach the Archmage at the gate.

You need to approach the Archmage at the gate.

Yes, yes, I figured it out later. By the way, I found a way to have as many Titans as you want in the hero's army! And how didn't I think of it before...? Question: is this intentional, or...?

Yes, this method is described in my own .txt file, where I keep track of potential bugs, errors, and possible issues that may arise while playing the map.

No, unfortunately, this is not a fixed bug, which, although somewhat tedious, is relatively easy to fix.

Overall, I completed the map, here are my comments: 1) Graphics: Everything is done to a solid 5, each area is well-developed, everything is beautiful and logical, no questions here. 2) Plot: A multi-stage plot, giving some freedom in actions, I would rate it 5-. The minus is because I constantly had to click twice for a quest to be completed; there was quite a bit of unnecessary running around (for example, when I activated 2 crystals, I had to go back to the prophet and then back to the devil, etc. My suggestion is to immediately register the completion). Also, I didn't understand which rainbow to follow; I had to find my way by touch. 3) Battles: There were quite a few epic battles. Especially at the beginning, when I entered the Inferno territory, and they ambushed me there with decent armies. The feature with reinforcements during battles was both liked and disliked at the same time. It was still manageable with the skeletons, but the elementals mercilessly shot down my army, and with the phoenixes, I had to wait half an hour for my turn. The battle with the boss was quite impressive, especially when he immediately killed most of my titans, and I saw the amount of health... But somehow I managed to defeat him with my hero; I had 300 gremlins and 1 lich left in my army. Also, a rating of 5. By the way, I remembered about saving battles a bit late; I only remembered to save the battle with the phoenix. Maybe I'll look for saves and replay the others. A few more comments: 1) The Rakshasas standing next to the bridge near the main city were inaccessible to me (I don't mean the ones standing at the gate). 2) All battles with bosses are completed much better with auto-battle than when I do it myself, no matter what! Perhaps this is because it ignores internal scripts. With auto-battle, my losses were minimal. 3) I was very, very disappointed that caravans from secondary cities could not reach the main city. They just got stuck at the very beginning. 4) At the end, I really wanted some kind of final epic cutscene, but it didn't happen. That's all I remember for now. The map is made at the highest level, especially since this is only a beta. The amount of work done by the author is amazing. I recommend it to everyone. If I remember anything else, I'll add it later... Oh yes, by the way... I completed it in 7 months with a warrior, with the druid badge.

Thank you for the thorough testing! ;)

1) Regarding the double-clicking – well, I used an idea from an MMORPG here: "accept quest" - "complete quest."
As for navigating the Abyss path – is it done by feel? It's quite difficult to go there randomly. ;) If you need clarification, I can send you a file with instructions and explanations in a private message. I didn't post it publicly because it contains a lot of help and exploits. ;)

2) Regarding reinforcements – the point is that the prophet's quest implies a certain amount of help with particularly difficult enemies. Weakening the Devil is indeed important.
Thank you for the feedback on the boss, even though it's still from the Beta. There's also an interesting point there about how to easily kill him with minimal losses.

3) Rakshasas are intentionally made unreachable.
If I can disable auto-battle – although I don't know how yet – I will.
Regarding the capital – yes, I'll have to move the city. I didn't think there would be such a bug there...
Regarding the final – perhaps I should have added it. In the future, I plan to add it.

By the way, did you use the Mentor after completing the Abyss path?
And also – did you use the bug to add a lot, a lot of Titans to your army?
And one more thing: Did you complete the prophet's quest in the Orcish lands? There was an untested bug there, and it's important to know if it works now.

Thank you very much for the testing! I will try to take all the suggestions into account and fix most of the errors.