Posts from Walkthroughs for custom maps.

Good afternoon. I was suddenly surprised by a scenario from a standard set of maps. It's called "Just A Visit." I found it by chance, saw mentions of its difficulty on another forum, thought it couldn't be that bad, and tried it – it's really tough. I can quickly complete author-made maps, like the Paragon mentioned above, but here, there's not even a plan for the game unless you generate a special layout with "needed" spells and artifacts. In short: M - size. Few or medium resources. 4 players. 3 have 2 castles each, with earth, stone, snow, or grass as options. One is on swamp terrain, and it's always the computer with three castles. In each of this computer's castles, +5/3/1 creatures of level 5-6-7 are generated every week. If you play according to hw-rules at 200%, it turns out that you clear the respawn point in a week (if you calculate the battles correctly). You go to your neighbors with level 5-6 creatures; there's simply no more experience to be gained. You take the castles of the other two computers with losses (but there's no resurrection). Then, the red computer arrives with legions of creatures, and that's it... You could probably generate a map with a town portal and flying, and run around, leveling up your hero (but on what?), then reduce the army using Blindness or Tit-for-Tat. But these spells are forbidden, and it's not certain that they will be in the guilds at all. There are no dungeons to rely on for artifacts. Starting with Necropolis is not an option – you won't have time to produce enough skeletons (the map is small). I think starting with Demonology is even worse than starting with skeletons, but I might be wrong. Diplomacy... I haven't tried it. Has anyone played it? Maybe you can share a plan for the game? I'm looking at it purely as a chess puzzle. Under what conditions is the map almost guaranteed to be completed? For example (I haven't checked, just thoughts): 1) If all the cities are of the same type, the map is easy to complete. 2) If there is resurrection and town portal in the guild in the starting city, the map is easy to complete. 3) If you start, say, as the Tower, and the computer is given a swamp, it's also easy. and so on. What do you think?

Good afternoon. I was suddenly surprised by a scenario from a standard set of maps. It's called "Just A Visit."

If you play according to hw-rules at 200%,

You can probably generate a map with a town portal and flying, and run around the map, leveling up your hero (but on what?), then use Blindness or Tit-for-Tat to reduce the enemy army. But these spells are forbidden, and it's not certain that they will be available in guilds at all.

There are no Mermaids, so you can't rely on artifacts.

Starting with Necropolis is not an option - you won't have time to gather enough skeletons (the map is small).

I think starting with Demonology is even worse than starting with Necropolis, but I might be wrong.

Diplomacy... I haven't tried it.

What do you think?

I looked at it - it's a tricky map in the sense that the size is small, and a red computer with a fairly large, level 6 army arrives quite quickly, so either in the second week you need to start attacking other computers and taking their cities, and win by constantly running around and taking castles from the AI, gradually reducing its troops.

And playing at 200% with the computer is more fun without gw-rules - then there won't be 2500 gold at the start.

Necromancy won't work on this map, and skeletons will slow down the army on the map, and Demonology won't work on this map either...

Here, you can only rely on magic and running around the map, and quickly capturing the AI's home cities.

But in general, I don't like playing on small maps

Added 11 minutes later
so I think those who play better on small maps will be able to help with advice

Has anyone played the "The Lone Knight" map? I encountered a very unpleasant bug, and it seems to be caused by a clever design choice by the author (i.e., the author probably didn't intend to create a bug, but their idea was supposed to make things more difficult for players – and as a result, it turned out even worse than planned).
The prison with Ignissa in cell 77.38 is located on water, so freeing her isn't that simple. In my case (since I'm playing as Necromancers, and the guard only allows Xeron to pass), the AI enemy, Pink, was able to free her, but then she just stayed there. After a while, I sailed over there and defeated Xeron, but when I tried to attack Ignissa, I suddenly saw the trade screen with a duplicate of my Necromancer prince instead of the battle screen. I tried different options: pure SoD, pure Complete Collection, WoG, I turned Fast Battle on and off, but the same thing happens everywhere.
The author warns the player about the problem in the events before the prison:

Ignissa: "You'll need either the Boots of Levitation or the Town Portal spell before you even think of rescuing me."
Author: Due to map design and a glitch in the game, in order for the Elemental Lord to learn all the spells, you will have to have her trade spells instead of your hero.

The first part is clear: Ignissa herself can only move if the hero teaches her Town Portal or gives her the Boots of Levitation. As for the second part, I didn't quite understand it, but these words prove that the author is aware of the problem.
Here is my save file. If you don't mind, please check: does the bug repeat for you, and especially in the latest version of the HD mod (I haven't updated it in a long time)? If it can be overcome somehow, please tell me how? If not, then what should I do? The Fire Sphere will be needed later, but it's even more annoying that Ignissa has the Berserk spell, which I really need, because some of the attacking enemies are already too strong. There is a second Sphere on the map, but it's still far away and very well guarded.

Yes, the bug exists, whether with HD or without it.

Funny bug. I'm curious, is the fact that you can place a Dungeon on water in the standard game, without modifying any objects, a bug or a feature? Ideally, when you defeat the Pink Dragon, and the hero disappears after a week, you should be able to hire him in the tavern. But if not, you'll have to kill 1000 Crystal Dragons.

Yes, after some time, everything worked out: Pink lost all his cities and disappeared from the map, Ignissa appeared in the tavern, and I hired her (thanks to Baratortch for the HD mod, which allows you to find and invite the heroes you need!). Now I have all 4 Elemental Spheres. I will tell you what happens next later.

A funny bug. I'm curious, is the fact that in the standard game, without modifying objects, you can place a Dungeon on water – a bug or a feature?

Ignorance. A Dungeon on water is always a glitch. And it might not be immediately apparent. But it almost always ruins the game.

There's a question I have. I decided to start playing this map, but the peasants and crossbowmen won't join my army from the very beginning of the game. The message saying they want to join appears, but then either they are immediately thrown into battle, or they run away. Has anyone else encountered this?

I finally found the time to play Paragon 2.0 through to the end. I have a few questions for its author. 1. After several dozen (or maybe even hundreds) of "fair" attempts, i.e., with game restarts, I never managed to generate 4 angels in the stronghold near Stonehelm. And I never found the "Intelligence" skill in the skill tree – as a result, in the final version, I had to pay 5000 to learn this skill from the scholar near the capital. Is this a bug or a feature? 2. At the end of the game, after meeting with Vael, you can exchange troops with him, take his boots of levitation, leave the necropolis troops in the devil city, fire Mograine, and then buy him back on "your" side to easily deal with the orange necromancers. Then you can return to Vael using the same boots. Was this option intended? Although, in principle, defeating the same necromancers with Vael is unlikely to be more difficult, but for some reason, I wanted to use Mograine instead. 3. Etheria is easily defeated with the loss of a dozen archangels. We buy heroes in all cities, and as a result, only a few heroes remain available for recruitment. Then we take a weak hero, load him with unnecessary artifacts, and attack Etheria. We give Mograine one archangel and a vulnerability sphere, attack Etheria, and cast berserk. Mograine is killed, but he can be resurrected almost immediately in any city with 2-3 attempts, and with all his artifacts. Then, we use a portal to Infinitum and repeat the attack. As a result, after a dozen times, only 1200+ phoenixes remain from Etheria's troops, which are then easily defeated. I think it would be better to give Etheria an artifact that protects against berserk. upd At the very end, in the last scroll, the author hints that we may see the heroes of this map in the future, which gives some hope... I suggest creating a thread here or on Heroes Portal about funding future development. Given the number of enthusiastic reviews about Paragon, I think there will be many people willing to provide financial assistance to the author to create a new map (possibly a campaign where Paragon will be the first map).

I want to respond to two players at once. MinD_ControL, 1. Please provide a save file made before the described situation – we’ll take a look at it. 2. Which version of “Heroes” are you playing this map (“The Lone Knight”) on: The Shadow of Death, Complete Edition, In The Wake of Gods, Horn of the Abyss, or some other, rarer mod? Where did you download your version (if you downloaded it, and can find the link)? The first thing to check is whether “fast combat” is enabled (see the screenshot). Here, I suspect that the reason is most likely related to your version of “Heroes,” meaning one of the following three possibilities: a) one or more game files are corrupted; b) settings (files containing numerical characteristics and other data) have been changed compared to the standard version; c) a mod that changes the gameplay is being used (compared to the standard gameplay of The Shadow of Death / Complete Edition). 3. What is your skill level in “Heroes”? This map is not for beginners; it is quite difficult in places. I am playing it for the first time myself and don’t know if I will reach the end or how long it will take. But I like the map; it’s interesting to play. By the way, here is a rough translation of the author’s instructions to help you (translated by Google and “polished”): see the attachment. Read all the texts – there is a lot of important information there. Nasos, you asked:

After several dozen (or perhaps hundreds) of “fair” attempts, i.e., with game restarts, four angels never spawned in the starting area near Stonehelm. And the Intelligence skill never appeared in the skill tree – as a result, in the final version, I had to pay 5000 to learn this skill from the scholar near the capital. Is this a bug or a feature?

It doesn’t seem like it was intended this way: the editor shows that the Intelligence skill is allowed – I think you were just unlucky. It is more convenient to use the ProspectorRT utility to check the initial setup: you will immediately see a lot of important information. It is also useful at the very beginning (after saving!) to use cheat codes to increase the level and check which skills will appear, and if you find a good option, it is even useful to take a screenshot of it so that you can follow it later (by reloading that save).

It's also helpful at the very beginning (after saving!) to use cheat codes to increase the level and check which skills will appear. If you find a good option, it's even useful to take a screenshot of it so you can follow it later (by reloading that save).

That's what I did.

You can't attribute this to bad luck; the theory of probability doesn't allow it.

The map description states that this is an enhanced version of the “Vanadia’s Ruler” map. If you want to play it, I recommend trying the improved version: there were several limitations in the RoE editor that deprived authors of some important features (more on this later), and in the new version, the map became much better.
You can find information about the map on a signpost along the path to the main secret:

Map Maker: SMIRNOW Stephane (M.23),
Origin: Hody (Belgium),
edited by boon.

If I had to describe this map in three words, I would say it’s a warm, classic experience. Such maps were created in the early years after the game was released, and sometimes they still appear now. The map isn’t difficult but is interesting.
Plot: the bad guys kidnapped and hid the Wizard's Hat, starting a 300-year war. To restore peace, the relic must be found and returned.
In terms of genre, this is a strategy-RPG map with a focus on the strategic aspect.
To make things more challenging, the Vulnerability spell is prohibited on the map. Also, presumably to complicate exploration, the author has banned the View Land and View Air spells (later I realized: this is necessary to make it harder to find the “secret” city).
There is an original authorial concept.
The map is very well thought out and carefully designed and filled.
Replay value. You can choose any of the 8 available factions for the game, except for Conflux (although there are also cities belonging to Conflux).
Two victory conditions: obtain the Wizard's Hat or destroy all enemies – give you the opportunity to choose your preferred playstyle, focusing either on RPG elements or strategy.
The map is quite balanced and can be used for tournaments with 2-8 players.
There are no overly powerful enemies or mega-defenses made up of legions of dragons – accordingly, you won’t have to spend weeks accumulating troops or leveling up your hero in order to overcome some obstacle standing in your way.
Also, there are no tricky tricks that could put you in a dead end: everything is quite simple and straightforward.I will mostly talk about the main "feature" of the map. The City Portal spell is prohibited on it, and it can only be obtained in a specific place at a specific time. But this isn't implemented perfectly. In the Dungeon, there is a small zone consisting of 8 “flower petals,” where the cities of all 8 opponents stand. Initially, there are only level 7 dwellings, and nothing can be built. But on the great “Day X,” which we are told about in advance and warned about a week before its arrival (this is day 100, i.e., month 4, week 3, day 2), the cities are fully completed: they acquire level 5 mage guilds and all dwellings. Stronghold and Fortress also won’t be left out: next to them are prisons where heroes with City Portal and Literacy are imprisoned. It seems like everything is fine, but the implementation of this idea has several significant drawbacks:
1) for the momentous event to occur, the city must belong to its owner on day 100!
2) You can get to your city in the “flower” easily and quite quickly: through a blue one-way monolith, but returning to your land before obtaining the City Portal will be very difficult: the dungeon gate in the center of the “flower” leads to a closed sandy area on the surface with 3 Confluxes, and the one-way monoliths leading from there outwards are heavily guarded – in my opinion, this is wrong, and it would be better if there was no such guard (you could put border gates there).
3) The entrances to the "petals" are blocked by guards of four colors, so the enemy can also capture another's city. The reason is clear: the other four colors are used for other purposes. Border gates did not exist in RoE yet – they would be much more appropriate.
Since sitting and waiting in a city with only one level 7 dwelling is unreasonable, because during this time enemies can capture your cities on your native land, you have to accept that your city (as well as others) will change hands many times.
As a result, it may turn out that the City Portal never appears in any of the cities in the “flower”! (In my case, it appeared in 2 out of 8 cities – unfortunately, belonging to opponents)
However, if you’re really unlucky, there is another way to get the City Portal: the Tome of Earth, lying under heavy guard in the sands.
Therefore, the only correct approach is to settle into your city in the “flower” 1-3 days before day 100 and wait for the super bonus.
If you dare to suggest improving the map, I would make the appearance of the City Portal not in the “flower,” but in your "own" city behind the second border gate – enemies might reach it, but perhaps only once (in my playthrough, no enemy took over such an "own" city; only Purple reached it and captured the nearby angel dwelling, but did not attack the city). In the existing version, it would be better if “Day X” came earlier: approximately on days 50-70.
Now about the other shortcomings:
The protection of the Wizard's Hat is frankly weak, especially compared to the protection of the Tome of Air.
After taking the Tome of Air, you don’t need to look for the rest of the tents; you can simply jump to the place where the Hat lies (it can be seen by a hero with expert scouting from near one of the nearest cities), defeat the easy guard, and victory will be yours!
The protection of the Tome of Air is exactly the same as that of the Tome of Earth – the Tome of Air should be guarded more strongly.
In general, the guard consisting of 900 rusty dragons isn’t so strong when you consider that they have absolutely no immunity to magic – here, azure, gold, or black dragons would be better.
I played as Tower (Blue). To get maximum enjoyment and fully reveal the possibilities of the map, I aimed for victory according to both criteria, but in the finale, I had to choose something. Here, I also observed anomalies in the behavior of AI players: Pink (Fortress) sat in his first city for a very long time and didn’t venture out, although he accumulated quite decent troops. He didn’t even capture the lumber mill, which was guarded by miserable peasants! Only on day 4-3-4 did he finally crawl out of his lair! It seems this happened after an event giving him additional resources and troops.
When I became strong enough, I could take the Tome of Air, but I only did it closer to the very end and only to avoid spending many days traveling through the system of yellow one-way monoliths; I needed the Grail (fortunately, it lay where enemies couldn’t reach it), and I also wanted to capture the “secret” city.
I reached the Wizard's Hat, honestly defeating all the guards, but I didn’t take it and instead focused on finishing off the enemies.
Victory was achieved by destroying the last hero of Pink on month 8, week 1, day 5. Result: 201 days, 492 points. The Grail was dug up and placed in the capital, and all cities, including the "secret" one, were captured.
The author also created a sequel map called “Freedom of Vanadia,” already in WoG, where the action takes place in the same universe but in another location, many years after the events of “Vanadia’s Ruler.”

Marmot Congratulations on completing it! I remember that map; for me, it's hard to call it an RPG-style map. It's just a strategic map, and it doesn't have many difficulties.
P.S. I might post a walkthrough of some map next month. I don't feel like playing anything right now, and there aren't any particularly interesting new maps.

You can't attribute this to bad luck; the theory of probability doesn't allow it.

Actually, neither luck nor probability plays a role here. As I noticed (using the example of starting artifact drops), regardless of the settings in the editor, certain artifacts often drop repeatedly, while others don't drop at all.
In the fourth game, the situation is even worse when, during a level-up, only one unwanted skill drops (instead of one of four, according to the theory of probability).
In short, probability in Heroes differs from the generally accepted one. :D

Found the time to finish Paragon 2.0.
I have a few questions for its author.

1. I have no idea what this might be related to, but all scholars with useful skills are placed in such a way that this shouldn't happen.
2. Of course, that wasn't the intention; the question is, what did this give you?
3. Ethernia can be completed quite easily in one go. You can experiment in various ways; it all depends on what you're up to.
Regarding money and a sequel – I've already answered this, including here: I don't have the audacity to ask for money for a map for a game that's 17 years old. Although, yes, I have ideas for another map, and yes, I have much less time to implement them now.