Posts from Ideas and suggestions.
And also, Vic, I don't understand why you think you always know what the community needs best, even though you haven't played in a long time? You were strongly against the option to rebuild structures in SoD during the voting, but thankfully, they didn't listen to you. And what do we see now? All commercial games include the rebuild option, and the same applies to tournaments, at least on higher difficulty levels. All skilled players are completely in favor of it. But in HotA, you have more direct influence on the HotA team, and that's why we still don't see this absolutely necessary option.
However, recently there have been some developments on this topic, so in the future, it's possible that some functionality with a similar effect will appear.
In the SoD poll, I didn't have a preference, so I took the position that was weaker in terms of rhetoric – to balance the chances of the sides.
As for "what the community needs," experience from numerous polls shows that this concept doesn't have a physical representation in reality; different members of the community need very different things, and consensus is usually absent. Therefore, the "do nothing" option almost always has a numerical advantage, even if the current state of affairs doesn't satisfy the community.
Oh, enough about the "scary banks"; the balance changes for the Conflux and Necropolis, as well as the ban on the aforementioned Mullich and Galtran, which most players rely on, have already caused enough tears. But so far, there haven't been many complaints about the artifacts and objects.
There's still a type of player (I don't know how many there are, whether it's a lot or not), let's call them "home players." I'm one of them. I don't play Tournaments, I don't play online (although, I won't argue, it's all very interesting). I don't have much free time, so I only get to play for a little while.
So, here's what I'm getting at: some of the changes made by HotA (as I think) are specifically for games against real opponents or for tournament games.
I think 85% of the changes are positive (especially the map sizes and the collection of artifacts).
But personally, I would like to have the option to remove some of HotA's new features. That is, there should be (for example) some kind of checkbox (like in HD+), allowing you to edit the changes.
...As for "we need a community" - the experience of numerous polls shows that this concept does not have a physical representation in reality; different members of the community need very different things, and consensus is usually absent...
I can argue that if we create a poll right now on the topic of "is a restructuring needed," 90+% of players from the top 30 will be FOR it. At the same time, the number of top players playing HotA is increasing, not decreasing. For example, Bishop, Lucky, and Falcon have started participating regularly in HotA tournaments. And they would be even more satisfied with a restructuring. At the same time, I am sure that they will not play SoD any less. For example, Lizard plays both versions approximately equally (in terms of both time and skill).
I bet that if we set up a poll right now on whether a remake is needed, 90+% of the top 30 players would vote YES.
The reaction to untested innovations (of which there are 90++%) is exactly like this.
Why is there not a single player in the jury of peers who decides which innovations should be implemented and which should not? - this is my main and long-standing question to the HotA team.
And nothing prevents these discussions from being held publicly - comments from the forums are carefully read and analyzed. You can also always ask the team members - what do you think about a particular idea - would you like to implement it, and if not, why?
I'll add my 5 cents.
There is still another type of player (I don't know how many there are, many or not), let's call them "home players." I am one of them. I don't play tournaments, I don't play online (although, I won't argue, all this is very interesting). I don't have much free time, so I can only play for my own enjoyment for a very short time.
So, here's what I'm getting at: some of the changes made by HotA (as I think) are specifically for games with real opponents or for tournament games.
I think 85% of the changes are positive (especially the map sizes and artifact collections).
But personally, I would like to have the ability to remove some of HotA's innovations. That is, so that there is (for example) some checkbox (like in HD+), allowing you to edit the changes.
Therefore, at one time, it was decided that the HotA gameplay should be one and indivisible, that there should be a minimum number of settings in it, approximately as in SoD - timer, difficulty level, template settings.
There are modules that can be connected to HD to change the gameplay; you can try to persuade Baratortcha to make what you need. Or do it yourself (if you know how to program).
I'd like to add my two cents.
There's still a type of player (I don't know how many there are, whether it's a lot or not), let's call them "home players." I'm one of them. I don't play in tournaments, I don't play online (although, I won't argue, it's all very interesting). I don't have much free time, so I only get to play for a little while.
So, here's what I'm getting at: some of the changes made by HotA (as I think) are specifically for playing against real opponents or for tournament games.
Actually, the Crew does not hide that they work primarily for the online community
HotA is positioned as a universal addon — for both online and offline, which is partly why the implementation of many things is not happening as quickly as one would like.
Where did that idea come from? :)
Although it's positioned as a universal add-on – for both online and offline play, which is why the implementation of many things isn't happening as quickly as we'd like.
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This is a rare exception, possible only because it has already been tested in SoD. And I think you remember what was in the SoD poll. And this is despite the fact that the issue was really "painful."
The reaction to untested innovations (of which there are 90%++) is exactly like this.
Probably because there is no such jury. Decisions are made collectively, after lengthy discussions, even if they are not always quick.
And no one prevents these discussions from being held publicly – comments from the forums are carefully read and analyzed. You can also always ask the team members – what do you think about a particular idea – would you like to implement it, and if not, why?
The main problem with this wish is that an abundance of settings leads to an abundance of gameplay – some players like one thing, others like another, and all this provokes arguments and flame wars. This has been repeatedly tested on TE and VT.
Therefore, at one time, it was decided that the gameplay of HotA should be one and indivisible, that there should be a minimum of settings in it, approximately as in SoD – timer, difficulty level, template settings.
There are modules that can be connected to HD to change the gameplay; you can try to persuade Baratortcha to make what you need. Or do it yourself (if you know how to program).
I don't know about the abundance of settings. Here, everything seems quite clear: there's a menu, and you can tinker with it and choose what you like. On the other hand, it's clear that this brings some difficulties.
But that's why I was talking about HD+, that by activating it, you get certain possibilities (although, considering that I've never checked this box and played like that, I might be very wrong).
I bet that if we create a poll right now about whether HotA needs an overhaul, 90+% of the players from the top 30 would vote YES. At the same time, there are more and more top players playing HotA over time, not fewer. For example, Bishop, Lucky, Falcon... have started to regularly participate in HotA tournaments. And they would be even happier with an overhaul. At the same time, I am sure that people won't play SoD less. For example, Lizard plays both versions roughly equally (in terms of time and skill).
I have seen many games where one of the players on HL+U simply explores half the map and takes several outposts, but can't find TP/DD anywhere.
Without an overhaul, I see HotA as a fan mod for playing on L templates; with it, it is a very promising discipline.
It's unlikely to be universally beneficial. For example, what harm did the Fortress on a hill do to offline players in its old form? Or the map editor on randomly generated maps? (Although, even for me, the question about the map editor is debatable: I wouldn't say it's necessary, but I occasionally used it, so it's not entirely clear why it should be removed).
For example, Lizard plays both versions at roughly the same level (in terms of time and skill).
It would be strange if you played poorly in one game and then showed god-like skill in another :D
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and replace the scrolls with gold.
If the problem lies specifically with the objects, then in the future, an extended template format is planned, where the list of generated objects can be customized manually. This will include adding those that are not currently generated.
PS: After reading the "Rules for online games in Heroes III and the seasonal Ranked Tournament," I became even more convinced that HotA is not a universal expansion, but rather one that is much more geared towards online games. (This includes the ban on Fortress, Cartographer, and Conflux with Necropolis. All these things are present there.) That is, the thoughts about ordinary players (I repeat, I don't know how many there are) in Heroes were somewhat further from the mod developers.

