Posts from Lucifer's Return

Name: Return of Lucifer - Comeback of Lucifer
Number of scenarios: 6
Version: Armageddon's Blade
Recommended difficulty: Champion
Description: For many millennia, peace and tranquility reigned in this world. All explored lands were under the rule of a kind and just ruler, and with each year, the empire grew larger and larger. But one day, something terrible happened... Demons from the underworld began to invade the world, killing everything in their path. Ancient volcanoes awoke to unleash their fury upon us. The world was on the brink of destruction. But amidst this, there was room for a hero, ready to sacrifice everything to save the lives of other beings. Now, the fate of the planet depends on him...

1. Escape into suspense
Size: S
Dungeon: Present
Difficulty: Champion
Players: 2 (1 person)

2. Kingdom of ashes
Size: M
Dungeon: Present
Difficulty: Champion
Players: 4 (1 person)

3. Blood on snow
Size: L
Dungeon: Present
Difficulty: Master
Players: 6 (1 person)

4. Arrival into the capital
Size: XL
Dungeon: Present
Difficulty: Grand Master
Players: 6 (1 person)

5. Baron's lair
Size: S
Dungeon: Present
Difficulty: Champion
Players: 2 (1 person)

6. Epilogue
Size: S
Dungeon: Absent
Difficulty: Novice
Players: 1 (1 person)

I worked very hard on this campaign; I hope those who download and play it will be satisfied. Please vote and leave comments; it is important for me to know your opinion and whether I should post my next works on this forum. I think I fixed all the bugs, but if problems arise, please write in the comments as well. Regarding the walkthrough, I wrote a small text file that should help you avoid difficulties, but if any battle seems too difficult to you, or if you don't know how to complete a quest, please write in the thread, preferably without spoilers. Thank you for your attention.
Bonus quest: On each map, there is a sign with the inscription "666" and 6 more such numbers hidden in other places. Try to find them all!

Everything is great, I started playing – so far, everything is quite interesting, especially the presentation; among the drawbacks – on the first map, the purple faction recruits troops and wanders around the city, which takes time. But that's not how it's supposed to be, right? [br][/br]As I progress, I will write more bugs in this post; in any case, there will be few of them.

Everything is great, I started playing - so far everything is very interesting, I especially like the presentation; The downside is that on the first map, the purple player hires troops and wanders around the city, which takes time. Isn't that how it's supposed to be?[br][/br]As I progress, I will write more bugs in this post, but in any case, there will be few of them.

Actually, the first map is completed quickly, and this doesn't really interfere. In all scenarios, except the fifth and sixth, you will have allies, starting from the second, they will have stronger heroes and armies, in the third and fourth, they will simply be huge compared to your starting ones (if you don't take into account the strength of your heroes, which is calculated incorrectly in the thieves' guild and when checking the strength of a detachment with scouting). Also, in the third and fourth, they will be able to leave the city and wander almost everywhere, with the exception of those places that are vital for the player, but the AI still somehow messes up - they run around the city and the explored cleared areas, but they could greatly help you, for example, by killing those neutral creatures that block the way for caravans. When I was testing, I started to regret that I did it this way, but it was already too late to fix it. By the way, I forgot to write - it is recommended to start the game on Champion difficulty, as resources are taken away at the beginning of the scenario anyway, and the battles with neutral creatures will be more interesting.

A challenging tactical combat system. Also, a dynamic plot, engaging visuals, and a good amount of quests. Perhaps this is one of the best campaigns for the fourth installment that I have ever played. And one of the most difficult. It took a lot of time and nerves, especially on the last mission; it was unreal. Author, bravo! :smile49:
I will only add a small spoonful of something not so sweet to this barrel of honey.
1. I think it's unnecessary to force the main character to use Death Magic. I got tired of cleaning up piles of undead after each battle. They are of no combat use and only spoil the mood.
2. As mentioned above, there are problems with allies. For example, in the third mission, an allied unit stood motionless near the Gates next to the starting city for about 40 turns. Luckily, I already had a shipyard, so I sailed over by water.
3. I assume the last ambush was intended to be fatal, but I managed to survive. This, by the way, is easier than the fight with Lucifer. The plot feels a little weak as a result.

Irina19,
Thank you very much for the compliment!
Regarding the minor issues – in the third scenario, I blocked the computer's path with gates, so it can just sit and wait in its city. There's no point in it anyway. I strengthened the ambush so much that even three heroes won't be able to handle it, and as for death magic, I don't know. Personally, in the final battle, I needed to summon devils, and I learned necromancy only at the end of the fourth scenario; before that, I avoided it in every possible way. By the way, nature magic also gets a bit boring with its summoning, and you can't just give it up because of its incredibly strong buffs. It's a pity that you can't just disable the ability, like in WoG.

This isn't the most visited section for the 4th installment, and other commentators are currently absent, so I'll allow myself to add a few more words.
To be fair, in the 3rd mission, an ally captured a small enemy squad that was raiding my rear. However, as a result, my Hive of the Swarm went over to him. :rolleyes:
Regarding ambushes: instead of increasing the number of units, you can simply replace the creatures with undead. Hypnosis… you get the idea. :)
I used Death Magic very sparingly, and mostly in the early missions. After all, the player should have a choice; in the 2nd mission, there are plenty of corresponding altars, so you can take them or not. The main character didn't have Nature Magic at all. Summoning is not at all necessary for the final battle. By the way, I discovered an easy way to defeat Lucifer without it, although I heroically died repeatedly before that. :smile19:

P.S. It's a pity that there are few new and worthwhile things for the 4th installment. I would gladly play something similar again.

Irina19,
I enhanced the ambush as you suggested. I removed the Imps and replaced them with the same number of Undead as there were Demons, essentially creating a mirror image of the Demons using the Undead, and I placed 10,000 Dark Champions in the center.
I have two more questions, and it would be better to answer them in a private message: 1 - How did you manage to complete the game with only one Nature Mage (given the Dragon Strength skill!) and what method did you use to kill Lucifer? And 2 - I'm planning several similar maps and campaigns, but I usually get stuck on the idea. Sometimes I just don't feel like writing the story. This campaign took me a year and a half, although if I calculate the total time spent on it, it's only about 300 hours. So, I could have finished it in 3-4 months, but instead, I periodically abandoned it for periods ranging from 1 week to 2 months. By the way, if you're wondering, this isn't my first project; 3-4 years ago, I also did some Mapmaking, but there are only a couple of decent maps, and those are S-M level; I don't delete the rest from my hard drive just to remember the past. In general, we can start discussing this topic; if anything, you can motivate me and test my new creations. :)

It's clear this isn't their first work; a newbie wouldn't be able to create something like this. Testing it? Why not? Within the limits of my modest abilities, of course. Now, regarding specifics. As for the Druids, there's nothing spoiler-ish here. My main hero was equipped with the Tiger set and all its associated bonuses. Additionally, in the 4th mission, there was another Druid, Ivor, as support. I'll write about Lucifer in a private message.

I found myself in a rather awkward situation while playing the second scenario. It's hard to call it a mapmaking error, but I still feel obligated to report it. I took a quest from the elder in Woodrood, went out to the overworld, and was about to leave the town, but my path was blocked by a green player's hero who wasn't going to move. He was standing in a spot marked with a marker. Apparently, there's no other way out of the town, and I can't use this one. Maybe the passages near the dwellings should be widened a bit?

Nikitos Palitos,
I fixed it and also checked all the allied territories and expanded other passages. By the way, have you ever encountered a situation where the game starts to lag near a garrison or right inside it? Because in such a case, you can't expand the passage without removing the gate.

Judging by the description, the map should be quite good. But I can't download it – it says "Attachment not specified or does not exist...".

dnaop-wr,
That's strange, everything downloads for me, and for others too. Just in case, I re-uploaded the campaign; I hope it helps.

Nikitos palitos,
Fixed it, and also checked all allied territories and expanded other passages. By the way, have you ever encountered a situation where the game started to lag near a garrison or right inside it? Because such a passage cannot be expanded without removing the gate.

As far as I remember, the game shouldn't lag in garrisons. Unless it was a one-off issue in the original version.

I just downloaded it, thank you.

Question: Is it possible to reach the Elven city on the second map by escaping from the battlefield at the very beginning? Was this path intended by the author, considering that several of the initial posts imply that the hero is located in the destroyed valley?