Posts from Variety.

Had fun. The map is indeed amusing. I cleared my square in a month and a half, found 3 dungeons (with almost a complete dragon set, only instead of a necklace, there's an extra ring, with mines and dwellings - is part of the latter inaccessible on purpose? and with a bunch of kibitkas). I can see a piece of another one, but I haven't found the entrance. 5 hints - I didn't understand any of them, except maybe the one about the truth - from the comments, I see that I had to kill the phoenix. Is that it?
And I was very pleased with the necropolis area:

Had fun. The map is indeed amusing. I cleared my square in a month and a half, found 3 dungeons (with almost a full dragon set, only instead of a necklace, there's an extra ring, with mines and dwellings - is part of the latter inaccessible, as intended? and with a bunch of kibitkas). I can see a piece of another one, but I couldn't find the entrance. 5 hints - I didn't understand any of them, except perhaps the one about the truth - from the comments, I see that I had to kill the phoenix. Is that it?
And I was very pleased with the necropolis corner:

I don't understand where you got so many legions of archers and other units with a small number of dragons and no creatures of other levels?
And the message "the truth is somewhere nearby" hints that there is a secret nearby. And it doesn't relate to the phoenix.
Also, you could provide the coordinates of the place from which you saw the other piece of the dungeon.
As for the inaccessibility of some buildings, yes, it's a bug. It simply wasn't displayed in the editor where they should be accessible.

I played for about a month and a half and then quit – I got bored. My main hero was level 30, and judging by the tavern, he was the strongest, but defeating the remaining neutral creatures was just a matter of time. It's unclear what the point of the gameplay is, and why they're turning "Heroes" into a different game with some kind of secrets and a lack of strategy as such. Aren't there enough other games already? And the presented map, although it seems to be made with love, looks like... a pointless grind with an unknown ending. In short, my condolences to the author, and hello to everyone else.

Antik, your entire argument boils down to one thing: you downloaded the map and didn't even read its description. That's all.
Currently, the map is 20% complete, and you expected it to be 100%?
This was repeatedly mentioned in the map's description.

I don't understand where you got so many legions of archers and other units with a small number of dragons and no creatures of other levels?
Also, could you provide the coordinates of the location from which you saw the other part of the Dungeon?

The secret is simple and is called Markel:D
The Dungeon is visible from the Dungeon near the castle. A narrow strip with resources lying in a row is visible.

Added 12 minutes later

I don't understand what the point of this is, and why turn "Heroes" into another game with some kind of secrets and a lack of strategy as such. Aren't there enough other games? And the presented map, although it seems to be made with love, looks like... a mess with an unknown ending. In general, my condolences to the author, and hello to everyone.

You're wrong. One of the advantages of Heroes is the ability to create various types of maps, including RPGs (see the Sword and Sorcery map on the forum). And this map is interesting precisely because it forces the player to think outside the box. My only wish for the author is to figure out the scripting. Then, with his imagination, it could turn out really great:)

The Dungeon is visible from the Dungeon near the Castle. A narrow strip with resources lined up can be seen.
From the Dungeon with the dragon set?
The only wish for the author is to sort out the scripting. Then, with his imagination, it could turn out really great.
Thank you for your support; I need to work on the scripts. Then something completely unexpected might come out (in a good way).

Okay, this Friday I will post the coordinates of all sectors or how to get to them here. After that, I think you will be amazed at how much you didn't notice. Although, in essence, it's my fault; I hid it too well.
I also received the required number of reviews to start working on a new map. But I have one question for the respected mapmakers.
What map size would you recommend to eliminate the bug that causes the game to freeze when loading during a session, and also to make the map as large as possible?

I also played Markel's map )))

Crashes aren't a problem if the map is interesting!

I also played with Markel )))

Crashes aren't a problem if the map is interesting!

I got the hint, next time all the units in the Necropolis villages will be set to attack.
Otherwise, when players compete, they can take advantage of this oversight to gain an unfair advantage in battles against humans.
What a bunch of Markel fans. Or maybe we should ban him in Heroes of Might and Magic?

What map size would you recommend to avoid the bug that causes the game to freeze when loading during a session, while also making the map as large as possible?

The largest possible size is [L], but considering the scripts and the lack of skill in using them, the map size should be smaller.

I got the hint, next time all units from Necropolis villages will be set to attack.

They will still join Marcell regardless. As an alternative, you can add creatures from outside Necropolis to the squad, such as mummies, black knights, or death knights.

They will always join Marcell anyway. As an alternative, you could add creatures from outside of Necropolis to his squad, such as mummies, black knights, or death knights.

I was an idiot for not knowing this feature of Marcell. I thought I had played through the campaign as him.

As I wrote previously, on Friday I will post the coordinates of all secrets on this map. So, if you wish, you can start the game over and find the secrets as you progress through the map. The secret coordinates will be given in order along the routes from the town to a certain location. I understand that to show the coordinates under the cursor during the game, you hold ctrl.
Route: from the town to the burial ground
#1. The first secret is located almost immediately by the town; to the right of an incredibly powerful garrison, there is a secret underground tunnel at coordinates 50:274. This secret takes you underground to 2 gold mines + an almost complete dragon set + an elven archer set.
#2. Go below the town and kill the squad, after which a message appears: "The truth is somewhere nearby." And it actually is very close. Go 3 squares down (coordinates 39:260) and a secret portal transports us underground to a secret neutral town (which will be of the same race as the player). However, the town is guarded, so you won't be able to play with two towns right at the start.
#3. Almost right there at the portal entrance, one phoenix is visible to the right (45:260), who offers to join your squad. But if you kill it, resources + Ashi's Tear will drop from it.
#4. A bit closer to the burial ground stands a squad of angels and their upgraded versions; killing them triggers the message "Do you know the recipe for the 'Angel Wings' artifact? I do, you just have to take them," which hints that the Angel Wings are nearby. They are hidden in the forest two steps away from the angels (51:258).
#5. Continuing toward the burial ground, an abandoned mine is visible with undead guards led by V. Vampires; killing him triggers the message "Look to the right." If you hover the cursor 2 cells to the right of the squad at point 58:258, you will see the cursor change, and there you enter a portal that teleports you to a dungeon with a large number of artifact shops.
#6. Let's go back to the phoenix with Ashi, to be precise. If you go strictly down from it toward the level 1 creature recruitment building, you can notice that the texture to its left (43:245) doesn't quite fit in with the local vegetation. Click on the specified coordinates and find Silanna's tree for a level increase.
#7. A Sphinx is hidden very close to the aforementioned tree (46:243). The question he asks is non-standard. By the way, this is my second profile on this site; I lost control over the first one. I had to add another letter to the nickname, but I listed my real nick in the authors of this map.
#8. The next Silanna's tree is nearby, in square 32:250. So again, right under your nose.
Route from the town to the "Academy Settlement".
#9. Passing by the sawmill guarded by a level 4 unit, you can find another secret portal (27:261). This, in turn, transports you to a dungeon with many buildings for increasing "knowledge" and "magic".
#10. A secret within a secret. In the cache described above, another secret portal is hidden; you'll find it in square 10:290. It transports you to a cache with a large number of arenas.
#11. Now please don't beat me up :D . Because in the aforementioned cache (where the arenas are), there is also a secret portal in square 16:238. This will transport you to a large number of mines.
Of course, hiding a cache within a cache of another cache is pure overkill. And this experimental map demonstrated that clearly. I will keep this in mind for the future.
#12. In square 8:261, there is another Silanna's tree.
#13. Slightly higher, in square 14:278, there is another Silanna's tree.
#14. In one place, there are 8 buildings for increasing magic. They are arranged in an "L" shape, starting from the bottom in square 5:285 and going up to square 5:289 (there are 5 buildings here). After that, there are another 3 such buildings lined up until square 8:259 inclusive.
#15. Return to the road and go toward the top of the map. Reach the crossroads where the roads split up and right. There is a Silanna's tree here, in square 27:295 to be precise.
#16. Almost at the same crossroads, but now in square 36:291, there is another Silanna's tree.
#17. Almost right there, kill a squad led by "Princess Rakshas," after which you see the message "If something isn't visible, it doesn't mean it's not there." Above (in square 40:293) and below (square 40:291) are shops for buying spells.
#18. Return to the crossroads and go up to square 29:312, where another Silanna's tree is located.
#19. If you go in the "Academy" settlement to point 2:301, you will find a cartographer. He, in turn, will open the map, though not cheaply.
Route: Academy settlement to the right part of the map.
#20. Exit the "Academy" settlement and take the upper road to point 43:316. There you'll find a secret descent underground to a gold mine and an artifact set for magic. And, of course, a guard squad for all this loot :smile19: .
#21. Continuing along the road, kill a squad of manticores, which triggers the message "An income of 70,000 gold per week sounds nice? The only problem is finding such a vein." They were guarding the road to square 51:317. This, in turn, teleports you to a dungeon with 10 mines (10 mines times 7 = 70k gold per week) and many more creature recruitment buildings. It's just a pity that I oriented some buildings incorrectly, making some of them inactive.
#22. Continue along the road and arrive at square 53:303, where there is another Silanna's tree.
#23. Very close by, in square 55:296, is another Silanna's tree.
#24. Go into the forest to the right, toward square 74:303, where there is again a Silanna's tree.
#25. Return to the road. Go down to square 57:277, where once again there is another Silanna's tree.
#26. Kill the squad in square 58:285 and continue along the road to the astrologer. The astrologer building itself is on the 3rd tier of the hill. However, on the 1st and 2nd tiers, to the right and left of the road, are magic increase buildings. There are 14 in total (7 on each side of the road: 6 on the first tier and 8 on the second tier).
#27. Go to square 72:272, where the last Silanna's tree I hid is located.
By the way, slightly below, using alt, you can see an end-thicket in the forest that is somehow unavailable here. I must have overlooked it while planting the trees. And for the record, even though all thickets are in the forest and cannot be found without alt, I don't consider them secrets. This is because I placed them where they belong.
Total: 27 secrets on this section of the map. Some of the secrets were removed during map testing, so they could have easily exceeded 30.
And now I declare the second stage of map testing open, since you now know where and what secrets are located. Now I ask you to run through the map again using the secrets, and then write your opinion on:
1) How the secrets are hidden (you don't have to write about the secret in a secret of another secret; I know I overdid it :smile10: ).
2) How easy they are to see knowing the exact coordinates.
3) The idea of the secrets themselves.
4) The influence of the secrets on the game.
5) Any of your thoughts (any: starting from :eek: , continuing with :D and ending with :mad: ), which I will consider in the future when designing a new map.

And since all secrets are already known, you can examine the map in the editor (though I think you've already done that, haven't you :D ?). I'll describe the dungeon separately. In the lower part of the dungeon, there is a technical section divided into departments (department names are written on road signs, which in turn are surrounded by experience stones). If during map creation I need some special effect or non-standard object, I don't search for it through hundreds of letter strings; I simply descend into the dungeon, find what I need, copy it, and return. This significantly speeds up the map creation process. And this is also where I conducted experiments with pillars of light. In the "Hybrid Sowing Department" room (approximate coordinates 120:30), I combined only 4 pillars of light in different combinations, which allowed me to create pillars of light with different glows. Some of them you saw at the "Academy Settlement".
Also, by any chance, do you know what wonder stands in underground square 47:45? A Fallout easter egg or something?

The map launched successfully with the EPIC WAR AGE V.2.6.2 mod installed. I suggest the author consider using this mod to continue developing the map – with your imagination and the abundance of additional content the mod provides, something very interesting could result. I haven't completed the map yet, so I can't say whether all the teleporters/secret passages work. But the idea is very good, although I agree with the message above that with such an abundance of content on a map of this size, performance issues may occur.

Thank you for your feedback and for mentioning this mod; I'll see what can be done with it.
Regarding the map size, I initially planned to create a map for 4 players. But after analyzing this map, I decided to reduce the number of players to 2 (which will reduce the map size) while preserving the idea of variability.

The map is very interesting, but out of 27 known secrets, I was only able to find 23.