Posts from Heroes of Ashan: Antares

No, I completed the map, and he wasn't there :smile21:

It can't be that he self-destructed. Maybe you were so busy crushing everyone that you didn't notice when you defeated him))) Did you capture the Necropolis Castle?

NİKOLAY
I conquered everything; after capturing the Necropolis, I took the key nearby, and a message appeared: "Beware of Giovanni." After that, no more undead were visible.

NİKOLAY
He conquered everything; after capturing the Necropolis, I took the key nearby, and a message appeared: "Beware of Giovanni." After that, no more undead were visible.

So, I can only assume that when you took Giovanni's city, he was somewhere hanging out in vampire lairs and didn't have time to take the city in seven days. And, as a result, he disappeared without giving you the pleasure of defeating him. I replayed the map today. Everything seems fine. He wasn't in the city. It turned out that he was visiting Utopia, feeding on dragons.

NİKOLAY
He's really been exploring the map!
I'll replay it from the beginning.

I tried to quickly complete the map, but it didn't work. However, after I started approaching it more thoroughly, I managed to finish it, although there were some difficulties. Thank you for the excellent map.

I tried to quickly complete the map, but it didn't work. However, after I started approaching it more thoroughly, I managed to complete it, although there were some difficulties. Thank you for the excellent map.

You're welcome, and thank you for the feedback!

I played through the scenario with a hero. Dark magic of enslavement and berserk were crucial, and I won by using them to my advantage, taking refuge in a city and defeating demon troops with a "high" threat level. The only problem was with the mages – I had to replay the scenario about ten times because of their ability to reflect magic, as well as their defensive tactics in the city. I didn't complete any secondary quests, and I didn't fully explore the map. I defeated everyone in this way. The map is excellent, but I think it's a drawback that the Necromancer Giovanni behaves passively and doesn't attack the cities of Haven, which allows you to ignore defense and "divide and conquer." Demons are extremely passive towards dark magic castles, making them easy prey.

By the way, it was possible to "customize" the behavior of each player in the editor – Nikolay, did you do that, or am I mistaken?

I completed the scenario with this hero. Dark magic of enslavement and berserk were a great help; I won by hiding in a town and using high-threat demon troops. The only problems were with the mages – I had to replay the scenario about ten times because of their magic reflection ability and their defense in the town. I didn't complete any secondary quests and didn't fully explore the map. I defeated everyone like that. The map is excellent, but I think it's a drawback that the necromancer Giovanni behaves passively and doesn't attack the towns of order, which allows you to ignore defense and "divide and conquer." Demons are extremely passive towards dark magic spells, making them easy prey.

jjjoker777, thank you for your feedback! That's a valid point. I noticed that myself when replaying. I think I should make some adjustments. As soon as I get through the pre-New Year work rush, I'll make a new version.

Added 2 minutes later

By the way, it was possible to "customize" the behavior of each player in the editor - Nikolay, did you do that, I don't remember anymore?

No, I didn't customize it. But should I? Thanks

I'll be waiting for the new "hard" version.

Since there's a desire to make some changes to the map, I'll add my two cents.
I completed the map in 96 days on the "Hero" difficulty. I really liked the geography: the location of objects, the routes of movement, and the depiction of the terrain. Everything is well thought out. The choice of heroes (Anteresse, Rutger) is pleasing. The map turned out to be dynamic. What I didn't like was the hero receiving very large reinforcements from joining units. The first unit – archers – seems reasonable, but then there's a huge number of monks (if I remember correctly, more than 150) and 10 archangels, creating an imbalance of power in favor of the player with no limits. Artifacts are added to this. After Greystone, the player already has two rings (+30 Initiative) and the Unicorn Bow – where can the unfortunate Giovanni go? He is forced to huddle in his Castle, where he is practically unpunished (the biggest irreversible loss is 20 red archers) and is completely destroyed. Anteresse, with the army received after Greystone, crushed everyone without receiving any reinforcements from the cities. Only Orlando was able to resist, and even then mainly due to his demon stronghold. After Rutger arrived with the main army, the battle with Orlando became a mere formality. The second point. There are so many external dwellings around the human cities that I couldn't even buy all the growth from two cities with Solmyr (and I also had Ellaina – my "darling"). As a result, the demons were extremely passive – they launched only one full-scale attack on Greystone, delegating it to Deleb. The attack failed. For the rest of the game, the demons timidly sat in their stronghold, where Rutger would occasionally visit and crush them. A new demon, appearing through the teleport, was very reluctant to do so.
So, I wrote all this and thought, do I even want a "hard" version? And the honest answer is, on this map – "no." The image of a hero, flying like the wind with "Path of War," across seas, deserts, and fields, passing through enemy ranks like Moses through the waters of the sea, is wonderful. Many thanks to the author for the "smart" map.

Dear 13ga! Thank you very much for your time and feedback! Especially for the assessment of the map design. I tried my best. I can't disagree with you on some points, especially when looking at the situation from the perspective of a player-hero flying around any map, regardless of its difficulty. But there are many reviews from players who play more often at the "Warrior" level. And based on those reviews, the decision was made to provide more reinforcements for Antares. I agree with you about the balance between "Dwellings - Gold." There is an overabundance of dwellings. So the map still needs to be refined. That's why the version is still 0.9.3. And now, with the help of all those players who took the time to leave their feedback, I will be able to do this – release a new version with optimal characteristics. Thank you again for your valuable "two cents" :)

I tried playing on Veteran difficulty. I enjoyed it (despite the faction I dislike). At first, I was a bit hesitant – I thought the sought-after Rutger was in the prison on the island. I gathered my strength, fought him off, and was surprised (by how the prison changes people!). I sailed on. I landed where possible, searching for the mythical yellow tent; since the border guard can look like a pile of rubble, the tent could be anything. I reached the demons, but I couldn't defeat them all at once (three armies, difficulties: high, medium, medium, Deleb, Grog, Nibros, and some minor creatures). I defeated two, opened a passage, and with reinforcements, I crushed the remaining ones. By the way, Grog had already returned with a more substantial army. The losses were significant. I didn't have time to find the Tear, I defeated Hafiz (lost 7 archangels), and then... Orlando appeared. Mid-month 4, with an army of 400 archers, 160 monks, and 30 angels. The game reached a stalemate.
Is it normal that this overfed guy pays such a timely visit?

Tried playing on Veteran difficulty. I liked it (despite the faction I dislike). ...The game reached a dead end.
Is it normal that this overfed creature pays such a timely visit?

Déjà vu :smile07:

Excellent map. I beat it on my second try. The first time, I played as a Warrior, but since the map was still unfinished at the time, the Demons freed Rutger and dashed all my hopes of combining the armies of two castles. So, even though I managed to repel all the attacks and deal with the mages, when Orlando arrived, it was game over for me. (I lost my second Human hero along with the Mage hero – I lost the Mage hero due to a mistake, and a Mage killed the second Human hero when he defeated the Titans). I mainly focused on archers and paladins for my troops, and that's why I lost.
The second time, I started as a Recruit: 1) I immediately freed Rutger and sent him to gather an army. 2) I killed Jovana as quickly as possible (he didn't even have upgraded undead). 3) Throughout the game, I managed to gather a huge number of Archangels – this is a guarantee of victory. 4) I eliminated all the mages and repelled all the Demon attacks. 5) Orlando appeared, and I killed him – after that, it wasn't that difficult. 6) I destroyed all the Demon outposts and finished off their castles.
Did I understand correctly that the one-way portal, guarded by the priests, leads to the Tear of Ashi, or is it in the Dungeon next to the Mentor? (These are the only places I haven't explored).
What can I say: this map is only missing cutscenes (but it would be better to add them to your next map, which we are looking forward to).
I advise the author to become an architect.