Posts from Another balance mod for Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East.

What's new in your mod? Or did you fix some bugs? The mod is very fun. It's interesting to play duels, but it's inconvenient to play as Dungeon in Heroes of the Epoch (the demonic terrain is a pity).

And what about blue? There it's... cold and snowy. It's suitable for humans, dwarves, and even mages. You, like me, "don't like demons," but what about a Necromancer? In any case, the map is random. It just has some features: a mentor, many treasure chests, a Fortress on a hill, armies of several stacks (from 2 to 7), artifacts on random creatures, rewards for quests...

Gemnod was created with the idea that it could be used for maps and, why not, for other mods as well. If {0TT@6bI4 agrees, I have no problem with that, although I haven't downloaded the mod and don't fully understand the changes. I leave it up to {0TT@6bI4 (since the mod belongs to both of them) to decide whether to use it in this thread.

The changes should be described in detail; lengthy artistic descriptions are better left to fan fiction... If you don't quite understand what "detail" means and think I'm not reading carefully, I can provide a link to servers with multiplayer games. And I assure you, the questions will be: what exactly has been changed? And yes, this will be a significant obstacle to the mod's distribution.

Since xuxo doesn't object, I don't object to using GEMNOD.

Changes, again, should be outlined specifically, rather than leaving vast swathes of artistic text to fanfic writers... If you don't quite understand what "specifics" means, and think I'm not reading carefully, I can drop a link to a web fiction server.) I'm sure the only questions you'll have are: what exactly was changed? And yes, that would be a massive hindrance to the mod's distribution.

Since xuxo has no objections, I have no objections to using GEMNOD as well.

Thank you!

There are enough changes to consider the mod a game distinct from the original. Want me to list them? Well, if someone understands modding, they can just open the balance.h5u file (I can upload it separately). But if a casual player is content with the original and only needs a bit of cosmetic tweaking, this mod isn't for them, as the author long ago abandoned that line of thought. Without the mod, the scenario will still work, though it might prove too hard to handle enemy creatures (some units might completely wreck unskilled heroes at certain stages).

In broad terms:
- added abilities (among known ones) for certain units, in line with a logic of greater realism (for example, Enhanced Arrow for Grenadier Gremlins and Crossbowmen, stopping arrows for Wizards who cast Lightning; Storm Titans gained Storm Strike with half damage; Cavalry gained Swift Strike and Maiming Strike; Angels gained Child of Light; Rangers gained No Retaliation and Stunning Blow; Dragons and Vyrants gained Regeneration, etc. I hope the logic is clear?);
- some units have been buffed (for example, Master Archers gained +1 initiative, Hell Hounds and their upgraded forms gained damage, Vampires and Griffins gained damage, spellcasting creatures had their spells replaced/improved (overall, they became more useful), etc.);
- experience points for killing creatures changed, especially for high-level ones (tied to health and initiative (average initiative is considered 10));
- the skill tree is based on the Extra Mod (I liked the idea for its simplicity and logical skill progression), meaning to unlock a Special Ability, a hero just needs its three prerequisites (simple as that, no need to take useless perks and skills just to get a Special Ability);
- magic skills of all schools became more useful (for example, Slow and Haste effects scale with Spell Power and skill level, Phoenix summoning and Hives from Magic, Chaos from Magic, perks, and skills);
- the abilities themselves in the DefaultStats.xdb file have been adjusted (for example, Hymn and War Cry - +20% initiative, Master of Cold - freezes for 1 turn, Master of Shock - initiative reduction by 0.8, Stunning Blow - cooldown reduction of 0.4, Sharp Mind - grants +80% initiative at the start of battle, etc.);
- artifact buffing (since the balance shifts toward epic battles... artifacts are harder to obtain on one hand due to increased scaling, and on the other, heavily guarded treasure vaults)... Overall, artifacts are buffed with additional stats (Morale or Luck or all attributes, depending on rarity/value);
- campaign heroes (some with modified classes to avoid duplicates);
- buffed War Machines skill.

In other words, as you can see, there are a ton of changes, so it's fair to call this modification a different game. Meaning it's for people who aren't afraid of change, who move forward without looking back (they'll play for a while and maybe find another game). For example, many people say Heroes 6 is too, too... [something extreme], yet look how many people play it.
To reiterate, the core of the mod is balance adjustment to support and encourage epic battles, and accordingly, adjustments to abilities, skill expansion, and artifacts. That's why the attached scenario includes special settings. The whole thing is set up to ensure you've got enough endurance to play for at least 5 in-game months.

Stopped reading after 8 skills and 100 levels for the hero.

Stopped reading after 8 skills and 100 hero levels.

If you don't like 8 skills and leveling up to 100, it's not a critical issue. Then just launch it from the regular original Heroes shortcut, i.e., the bin and data folders are not needed, but most likely you will get bored with the mod quickly, because sometimes you might encounter a treasure that immediately maxes out your stats in case of victory. I understand that you prefer a slower progression? Freedom of choice. Good luck.

The mod has reached, perhaps, its final stage. I’m uploading the fix file, and at the same time, as planned, those who are interested can take a detailed look at the balance.h5u file (so they don’t have to download such a large file for this). The changes in the latest balance.h5u are of a cosmetic nature (a correction is needed due to the large gap between updates, so to speak, a consolidation), although it does affect some artifacts, so there may be incorrect characteristics for heroes in old saves. Place it in the UserMODs folder, replacing the files.

Good morning, forum users! I have a few free minutes, so I decided to share my adventures in the world of swords and magic. As in any game or mod (it doesn't matter), the player, at any point in the game, agrees to the principles and rules of the game. Just like in life... The rules of the game exist, and this must be acknowledged as a fact, and these principles should be used to their full extent. The choice of race, hero, strategy, etc. The random map in Heroes of Might and Magic isn't perfect. There are some flaws, but they aren't critical. However, in just 5-10 minutes of creation using the RTMG_1.5.6_en program to process a random map, it provides dozens of hours of gameplay. So, I chose the Barbarians. I became interested in how they would cope with enemies without full-fledged magic (primarily mobs). I only used one option: 8 skills. Difficulty: Champion, maximum money. Since the goal of the game was clearly defined – to level up a Barbarian hero to level 100 as quickly as possible. Without a goal and tasks, there's no point in starting anything, right? Therefore, it's logical that for these purposes, you need to choose the most suitable hero and assemble a worthy army. Out of 3-4 heroes, I decided to choose Gothag. I think he is the most useful as a leader for his army, as he will provide more points of wrath, but perhaps the strongest leaders in the long term would be Hagge and Krag. But the task was to assemble a mighty army. And in a short time, this can only be done by conquering in battles. Let strong leaders help the main hero level up, and the excess warriors should be sacrificed to the altar (according to the rules of the game). So, the hero collects chests, visits witch huts and sphinxes, and gains useful skills (specifically for this hero, I consider the following skills to be essential: attack - stunning blow, war machines - ballista, and logistics - keen mind). By choosing suitable opponents, you can level up quite quickly (initially, the goal is 2-3 units, preferably of the same race). When the army is assembled, it's time to plunder treasure vaults and rely on fate (I often found demons in treasure vaults, so I can say I was lucky). If you're lucky enough to see them and not die before the strong guard, then the goal will be achieved according to plan. The result is what it is. Screenshots are attached. It would have been possible to try to achieve the goal even faster by using a hero with the "scout" profession, but here it depends on luck. Of course, the best option is a game between two players with their own internal rules.

Dear r6b75dfk, how do hero specializations that scale with the hero's level work (is there a bonus after level 40)?

Fellow forum members! If you've tried the modification, please describe (or better yet, post a screenshot) how the battle replays work. I would be very grateful.

It didn't work on my version, which is messed up with all the junk from the modding process.

By the way, KoB, you don't have a mod, but a whole separate game. Even more than a game. The classification like "heavily changed balance = new game" doesn't hold up to criticism, but now it seems to be trendy.

Dear r6b75dfk, how do hero specializations that scale with the hero's level work (is there an increase after level 40)?

Hmm... It certainly does. You can check by playing, for example, with the "Aura of Speed" specialization; you can immediately see the initiative increase on the squad. And, of course, since there are more levels and it's easier to level up, the bonus has become smaller (i.e., specifically for the "Aura of Speed," the constant bonus is 0.5% + 0.6% per level).

Latest update: bug fixes + a random new map. Place the files in the Heroes folder, replacing the existing ones. The changes affect spells. The duration has been reduced, and in some cases, the power of spells has also been adjusted, such as acceleration and deceleration. Phoenix and Avatar of Death are now immune to magic and have been slightly adjusted, but they can no longer be buffed with magic. The adventure template (2P_Travel_L) for a large random map has been changed. A randomly generated map based on this template, with a small number of additional objects, is included. I recommend that everyone who has played a similar mod install this update. The previous update (fix.zip) is not necessary to download. Enjoy the game!

P.S.: The latest update is in the first post of the thread.