Posts from Walkthroughs for custom maps.

Only luck with random encounters is needed to complete it.

"The distribution" plays a role, but it's difficult to assess how big of a role it plays. As you progress, the artifacts that you didn't find earlier will eventually appear, and others – even in multiple copies.
I've attached my starting save; you can start with it if you're still interested in this map. Let's see your own; we can compare. Did you try to complete it once, or did you replay it? I can try to complete it again, but later: I've just started playing one of the old best maps that I hadn't read anything about before ("Vanadia SoD edition").
My luck (I also made detailed notes about my playthrough) was as follows: in the sea, near the drowning men, I found the Sword of Justice, the Tome of Earth Magic, and 2 parts of the Well of Magic (I bought the 3rd on the black market). What did you find?
In general, I'm a very "average" player – "pros" can probably complete this map 2-3 times faster.

I'll try to fix the issue with this map over the weekend. If I finish, I might post a walkthrough.

Gates of Time

So, let me present my walkthrough of the "Gates of Time" map. The map is in Polish, but there is no need for a translation, everything is clear. (This is an epic story about fate, war, and betrayal, which also affected you.)
In the initial stage, we have 2 heroes and a Castle, which will be attacked by our hero the next day (the scoundrel who did this to us should be destroyed). The main thing is not to forget to go to the cell to the left of the starting Castle and get 30 Archangels (if you forget, they won't be needed at the end). The other hero already has all the skills (one slot is empty), and most importantly, he has the Hat of the Orator, which greatly simplifies the walkthrough. We reach the first of the Towers without any problems. With a low amount of resources, we can't build much, so we will get help in building the Castle and providing reinforcements. It is important not to rush into every corner in the initial stage until we have a decent army. The goal is to free the hero from the prison near the second Tower. He is important because he has magic and air magic; if our starting hero did not get air magic, then feel free to transfer the artifacts and troops to the new hero. Again, with an expert in air magic, spellcasting, and the Hat of the Orator, the walkthrough is simplified; we can quickly capture all available Castles, without opening passages, and even without touching the enemies. And considering the presence of spellcasting, we get a huge number of skeletons (this meat will always be useful). If you think that the bonuses end here, then look at cell 106;142 – this is a prison, but there is a hero with a good army and skills of 99.
You can consider this map to be a cheat map, both in the start and in the development, but it has some pros and cons.
Quests: by going into the map settings, you can see that, in addition to the clover, no other artifacts are available (which means that any chest will drop a clover). But it is better to complete quests; for example, for the Titan's Gladius, you get the Sword of Justice, and for another – a spell;
Reinforcements: some of the Castles will give an increase in creatures, especially the Dungeon (4;130), as well as any enemy Castle, but there is a BUT;
Design: yes, it is well-filled and packed with events that are sometimes very useful;
Long walkthrough: even if you act quickly, namely, free the hero from the Prison (106;142) to get troops, everything comes down to mana.
AI stupidity: after entering the Dungeon and destroying the Tea Lord, he took the unhired warriors (200 Dragons and 600 Minotaur Kings);
Gathering troops: it is very difficult to gather troops; the distance is huge, and sometimes there is no way to quickly return;
Mana: due to the lack of other artifacts and the frequent use of the spells Dimension Door and Haste, mana runs out quickly;
Artifacts: yes, they are disabled, but why leave the Clover of Luck then? Fortunately, we have a shrine, but it is inconvenient to run to it all the time or sell it at the market; you could simply disable the artifacts.
Spells: it's funny, but we don't have access to the spells Haste and Slow on the initial stage. Also, the map includes a town portal, but I didn't find it, even though I captured half of the map on the surface and below in the Dungeon. You could have hidden the Book of Earth Magic somewhere, which would have solved the three problems described above;
Neutrals: a huge number of neutrals (from 1000 and more); if you take a Necromancer, you can gather a good army of skeletons;
Ease: all the bonuses are already on the map; we just need to collect them and use them.
You can talk a lot about what the author of this map intended, but the simplicity of the walkthrough speaks for itself. Even evaluating the map is difficult for me; I don't set goals for a quick walkthrough, but still, I got bored with it, and I decided to finish it, albeit late. But the map is really boring. I didn't save the start. Here are screenshots of the main battle and the result.

tr[NEC]yo, thank you for the feedback and the map!
After opening it in the editor, I want to add excellent detailing to the list of obvious advantages: although there are many mountains or swamps in some places, they still look great - unlike some maps that were made in a hurry.
I visited the Polish website http://mapy.heroes.net.pl/szukaj/3, which you mentioned earlier, and downloaded a dozen maps of size L and XL that seemed worth attention. Of these, 4 particularly stood out, and I need to try playing them; one is quite new, from February 23, 2016, and is called something like "Wrota Chaosu," but it's completely different; it just has a lot of story text, so I'll have to work on translating it. Here's what a commentator wrote there:

Google Translate: This is probably one of the most interesting maps made for Heroes III. You must obtain three "Gates of Chaos" within 5 months, otherwise the land will face destruction... This cannot help other players who will have to overcome it; it only allows you to calmly prepare for the final battle with the Demon Lord. During the game, you can gather armies of unprecedented size, generally engage in huge battles, and explore a beautifully prepared surface. I would recommend it!

I'll write about The Lost Empire (Zagubione Imperium) this weekend or next week, after I've started playing it, and I'll have something to share. But I'll finish it and add something to your walkthrough.

Marmot completed the The Lost Empire (Zagubione Imperium) map on the third try (the previous two were unsuccessful) thanks to the described strategy. Unfortunately, I didn't save the game, even though it was a successful run. I was lucky in that by the middle of the second month, the blue player reached the garrison but didn't attack it. The blue player quietly stayed in their territory and gathered troops, but didn't have enough activity to pose a real threat. However, the red player was very active, and I had to spend a lot of time dealing with them.
I'll add something to your advice: in the first and second months, it's better not to upgrade the troop buildings in your castle. It's important to break through to the Azure Dragons. But the best time to reach the shipyard and start collecting resources is at the beginning of the second month or earlier. It's good if you find the City Portal and Berserker artifacts; they will solve the problem with the Naga. As for artifacts, I was lucky enough to collect the Well and the Horn. After that, it's important to observe the blue player's activity in the middle of the second month. They will either pass through the garrison and go left (but will return and destroy the Archangel legion) or leave, as happened in my game. Therefore, immediately after the naval phase, you need to upgrade the troop buildings and break through to the dragons. Then, with a secondary hero, go and capture the castles in the upper right corner of the map. They are important, even if you don't develop them (I only built the Guild and the Town Hall), because they have events for reinforcements and resource income, and money is always useful. Then, accumulate your forces and crush the Archdevil legion (give the King of the Undead's Cloak to the necromancer you hire in the Necropolis; he will deal with the pink player in the Dungeon). With the Berserker spell, this won't be difficult, as there are 1000 locations. After that, gather and capture the castles in the area. As a result, I had 150 Azure Dragons and 100 Archangels (I tried to save the game), as well as over 1000 horses, and 4 Horns of Abundance and the Legion Statue. Therefore, by that time, I had no problems with money.
Again, I repeat that the initial randomness is important (a little bit for the artifacts, but mainly for the blue player and their actions) and the speed of your development.

tr[NEC]yo, thank you for the addition! It turns out that the variation in the map layout also causes a very large variation in the behavior of the AI players, which is, of course, not good: ideally, it should differ slightly from time to time, but here it's like this... :(
I'm currently continuing to play "Vanadia SoD edition". The behavior of the Pink player was surprising: he stayed in his Fortress in the corner and only ventured out on turn 4-3-4! The map is good, but there are some specific complaints. I'll write more about everything when I finish.
If you find and play (or can't play) some obscure maps, be sure to tell us about it, because offline is practically dying out.

The "Lord of the Rings" theme has always been a record-breaker in the world of Heroes 3; you can find at least 25 different maps and authors dedicated to it. But usually, it was limited to map design and hero names, so I didn't take these maps seriously. However, the map's high rating caught my attention.

Pros
1. Difficulty.
The difficulty is quite moderate; you don't have to spend too much time figuring out the author's tricks, but there are still plenty of interesting moments. I assume that this map is designed for the widest possible audience due to its difficulty level.

2. Well-thought-out.
Interesting quests, all elements (artifacts, heroes) are presented logically, and there is absolutely no time to get bored. Overall, it's safe to say that this is a map of the highest quality.

3. Help.
The author provides help to the player in an interesting way if they get stuck.
In a separate area of the map, there are all the gate guards and seers, with text hints. If you have a problem, open the gate guard you visited recently.

4. Design.
Objects have been replaced (and this is without WOG), and everything is recognizable.

Cons.
The only drawback of the map is the help provided to the player in the final stage.
Before the final battle, we are given a Berserker, and this is with an Expert-level Fire skill. After that, the battle becomes extremely easy.

Also, the Ring of Life seems to disappear somewhere; it looks like the AI sells artifacts. But since the author gives us the Grail at the end, we place it in Conflux and teleport the gate guard, who requires this ring.

Rating: 9 / 10
It would have been an even better map if not for the ending.

Lord of the Rings 3.0
Author: vallex
Download link: http://heroesportal.net/maps/view/3407

The theme of the "Lord of the Rings" series has always been one of the most popular in the world of Heroes 3; you can count at least 25 different maps and authors. But usually, this was limited to drawing the map and naming the heroes, so I didn't take this map seriously, but the high rating of the map caught my attention.

Pros
1. Difficulty.
The difficulty is very moderate; you don't have to spend a long time figuring out the author's tricks, but there are enough interesting moments. I assume that with this level of difficulty, this map is for the maximum audience of players.

2. Well-thought-out.
Interesting quests, all elements are presented logically (artifacts, heroes), and there is absolutely no time to get bored. In general, you can confidently say that the map is of the highest quality.

3. Help.
The author provides help to the player in an interesting way if he gets confused.
In a separate area of the map, there are all the gate guards and seers with hint text. If there is a problem, open the border guard that you visited recently.

4. Graphics.
Objects have been replaced (and this is without WOG); everything is recognizable.

Cons.
The only drawback of the map is the help provided to the player in the finale.
Before the final battle, we are given a Berserker, and this is with an Expert-level Fire skill. After that, the battle becomes very easy.

Also, the Ring of Life disappears somewhere; it seems that the AI sells artifacts, but since the author gives us the Grail at the end, we place it in Conflux and teleport the border guard, who requires this ring.

Rating 9 / 10
It would be a better map if it weren't for the finale.

I played this map, and I have a different impression....
I would add the orator's hat on Gandalf at the beginning of the game to the cons – we get it after killing the gold dragons.
(This immediately makes almost all quest towers meaningless because Gandalf with expert-level magic skills + spell power with intelligence, archangels, and wizards + the book of fire, which is located on Gandalf's starting location, destroys everything that needs to be destroyed, jumping and flying around the map, ignoring most tents and guards, which allows you to significantly weaken enemies (including hit-and-run with a berserker or explosion). On such maps, air control greatly simplifies the task for the player and disrupts the sequence of the walkthrough according to the author's logic

Pomazok1329, thanks for the feedback! I'll have to give it a try. I'm a bit concerned about the presence of modified object images, and even more so about this (from the description on HeroesPortal and in that archive):

Copy all files from this "Data" folder into your game "Data" - http://heroesportal.net/files/information/34/LOTR3.rar
If any of you use HoMM3 HD 3.0 copy all *.def files into your _HD3_Data/Common
Uninstall: Just delete them.

This is done when some numerical characteristics have been changed compared to their values in the original game, so their values are taken from the added files (and then you also need to remember to delete them when you play other maps). There are 66 other hero portraits and 2 def files. Did you copy the modified files or play without them?

Added 3 minutes later

I would add Gandalf's orator hat from the very beginning of the game to the disadvantages.

That's probably where the properties of the Hat were changed so that it wouldn't be possible to fly!

I played this map and formed a different impression....
Among the drawbacks, I would include Gandalf's hat at the beginning of the game - you get it after killing the golden dragons.
(This immediately negates the meaning of almost all quest towers because
Gandalf with expert magic skills + spells, intellect, archangels, and wizards + the Book of Fire, which is located on Gandalf's starting respawn point, destroys everything he needs, jumping and flying around the map, ignoring most tents and guards, which allows him to significantly weaken enemies (including hit-and-run tactics with berserk or explosion). On such maps, air control greatly simplifies the task for the player and disrupts the sequence of gameplay according to the author's logic.

You can find similar flaws in many other maps... for example, Lord of War (Marmot's Review). The map creator indicates that it takes about 300 days to complete, while offline players have found ways to finish it in either one month or 20 days... or even the masterpiece To kill for power. The map can be completed in just a couple of turns because we are given the Book of Air Magic at the beginning.
However, this does not make these maps worse; perhaps only for very critical offline players who don't perceive Heroes as a game but as something else.

Added after 3 minutes

There are 66 other hero portraits and 2 def files. Did you copy the modified files or play without them?

It only changes the appearance of the Ring (in inventory and on the adventure map) and the portraits. I played with them, but they do not affect the gameplay.)

Pomazok1329, I partially agree, and partially disagree. It was probably possible to complete "Lord of War" very quickly, perhaps also in the original RoE version with dragon utopias: if you got the Wizard's Hat, you could "fly wherever you want!". It's unsportsmanlike, bordering on exploiting bugs, just like in "To Kill for Power," where you can jump diagonally through "holes" to reach the final goal in 20 minutes. On the one hand, the developers should prevent players from doing this. But if it happens due to an oversight, you should act in accordance with the intended design. In the case of "The Lord of the Rings," the player is probably obliged to play out the RPG elements of the map, that is, the main plot actions. Giving the Wizard's Hat almost immediately is a strange decision. But overall, the map looks very well-made and well-thought-out. By the way, I'll eventually post my notes on the map "The Pen and the Sword": the main problem there is the Wizard's Hat (belonging to the enemy), but there are also several other flaws. I completed it, wrote a lot of notes, made a version with minimal corrections, and thought about what else could be improved. If anyone is interested, I'll create a separate thread where I'll post my "essay" with all the details.

I agree. Bolotnik seems to be looking for meaning where there isn't any. The topic is called Walkthrough of custom maps, not speedrunning maps. We're not having an offline tournament; the interest lies in enjoying the process, not in completing it quickly. Even if you weaken all the guards and finish the map quickly, what's the point?
Especially for a theme like The Lord of the Rings, where the plot plays a significant role.

If possible, I'll take a look at "The Pen and the Sword" and see what kind of map it is.

That's exactly what I mean. Bolotnik seems to be looking for meaning where there isn't any. The topic is called Walkthrough of custom maps, not speedrunning maps. We're not having an offline tournament; the interest lies not in quickly completing the map, but in enjoying the process. Even if you weaken all the guards and quickly finish the map... what's the point then?
Especially for a theme like The Lord of the Rings, where the plot plays a significant role.

If possible, I'll take a look at "The Pen and the Sword" and see what kind of map it is.

I completely agree, and during the walkthrough, I happily gave the orator's hat and the book of fire magic to the passage guard. But, I could have flown across the entire cursed land and landed in the boat, bypassing the guard, which would have allowed me to disrupt the beautiful logic of the walkthrough with a terrible imbalance....
I'm not looking for any hidden meanings; I'm just saying that if the author places border guards and introduces a storyline walkthrough, then any possibility of disrupting that walkthrough should be excluded

...if the author places border guards and introduces a storyline walkthrough, then any possibility of disrupting that walkthrough should be excluded.

Correct!:smile19: