Posts from [Testing] [M] "Harpies Rule!"

Title: Harpies Rule!
Map name: Harpies Rule!
Two-level map: yes
Number of players: 1
Size: Medium
Map difficulty: Normal
Map author: Larisa
Map description: You play as the leader of harpies who have decided to leave their native cave and set out to conquer the terrestrial world. However, you will encounter other creatures there, with whom you will either have to fight or find common ground. There are different ways to complete the map. The map contains quite a lot of text in Russian that is worth reading (although it is not strictly necessary).



It is planned that this map will become the first mission of the campaign about what happened after the events of the last "Whirlwinds of War" campaign. This is my first map. Please express any comments and suggestions. Is it worth continuing the work?

Download link:

This map is a good starting point for a beginner mapmaker. I was especially pleased with the presence of events with dialogues; they clearly demonstrate the author's excellent writing skills. The main focus of the map is on developing the scenario; although the landscape and objects are not overly abundant, the landscape is close to reality.
Among the drawbacks, I noticed only one: starting from the Master difficulty, it is almost impossible to complete the map; on the Apprentice difficulty, it is very difficult to defeat the Cerberus in the dungeon, and the elves are virtually unbeatable; however, on the Novice difficulty, the map can be completed without any particular difficulties.

Thank you for your feedback!

The main focus of the map is on developing the scenario; the landscape and objects may not be very diverse, but the landscape is close to reality.

That's exactly the impression I was trying to achieve! I'm glad that something worked out.

Starting with the Master difficulty, the map is almost impossible to complete; on Apprentice, it is very difficult to defeat the Cerberus in the Dungeon; the Elves are impossible to defeat; but on Beginner, the map can be completed without any particular difficulties.

Yes, I messed up with that. I tested it on Apprentice, and everything was completed without any particular problems. Now I tried it on Master. I managed to defeat the Cerberus with almost no losses, but not the Elves... I also couldn't defeat the Cerberus on Champion. I thought about a solution, and I will probably just make a fixed number of key mobs at the beginning of the game for difficulties starting with Master. For Beginner and Apprentice, there will be fewer. And I will leave the rest of the mobs as they are.

I haven't examined it in detail, but my first impression is that the landscape is too sparse. The desert – at least some dunes should have formed (as in reality). The Dungeon – a wide road, as if it were carved out by a bulldozer. It wouldn't hurt to scatter some more things around the area; otherwise, traveling becomes boring. As for the scenario itself, based on the number of events, it should be quite good. I can't say much more for now, but in any case, I wish you good luck.

dnaop-wr, thank you for your feedback and constructive criticism! In the desert, dunes would definitely be a good addition. And in the dungeon, there are problems with navigability if you make the path narrower. Maybe we should keep the same width but just make it look better, adding some rocks and stones? As for scattering objects randomly, I don't really like that. I don't like senselessness and I believe that every object should be consistent with its surroundings, and there should be an answer to the question of why and what this object is for, and what its function is. This means, in particular, that a desolate wasteland should be empty and desolate, and nothing else. However, I agree with you that the number of desolate wastelands on the map should not be too large :), so I will try to come up with some justification for the existence of more objects.

The skeleton of a deceased traveler or an abandoned campfire doesn't make the wasteland any less bleak, but you might find an artifact or resources there, which are always useful. After all, it's not the main objective, but a game that allows for freedom of action. Otherwise, you're thinking correctly.

Excellent Map!!!
I had a great time.
The plot was very enjoyable.
I played it on the beginner difficulty.
Now I'll try it on the apprentice difficulty. It's clear that the creator put a lot of effort into it.

Kadagen, thank you for your interest! Unfortunately, I permanently lost the improved version of this map, as well as about 80% of the work on its sequel. Naturally, doing the same work twice is incredibly tedious, especially considering that the second map was size L and much more complex than the first, containing a branching storyline, a lot of scripts, and text... I don't know if I'll have the motivation to rewrite all of that from scratch. If anyone wants a sequel and will actually play it, please let me know; this will increase the likelihood of it appearing.

A very good and high-quality map! I played it on the beginner difficulty, but that didn't diminish my interest. Both the plot and the visuals are good. I only found two errors in the script: in the Dungeon, the script for the captured squad of mages (in the Goblin lair) doesn't work (the message that appears when you encounter them). Perhaps the error is in my game, I don't know. But there is a second error: this same squad of mages is removed using a bomb. Squads cannot be removed using a bomb – they can be removed using a trigger event "Battle," by arranging a battle with an unbeatable army.
Despite these insignificant drawbacks, it's an excellent map! I would like to play the second part.

Silos Zanj, thank you for reporting the bugs! I remembered that there was something wrong with this quest, and I had fixed it before, but now, thanks to you, I know exactly what it was. The second part is being worked on, albeit slowly.