Posts from The release date of the expansion pack is approaching.

I apologize, perhaps I missed something; it’s been a while since I was on the forum, but in my opinion, only a few options should be left enabled in the Town Editor.

Specifically:

1. Build dwellings of level 2 in all towns.

2. Selection of neutral town types.

3. Wild monsters.

4. Ban spells like summon/flood ship, walking on water; artifacts: captain's hat, sea necklace, boots of levitation, and, accordingly, the necromancer's cloak.

5. Leave the magic schools at their previous levels as they were. (Slow on level 1, Armageddon on level 4, Town Portal on the ground, etc.) (Place a text file in the DATA folder).

THAT’S IT!

Play and enjoy!

maybe you'll get lucky and at the start you have level 1 and 2 dwellings while your opponent only has level 1 :D

I actually started playing TE because of the constant starting armies and the built-up second level! Everything else is personally meaningless to me, like what level Slow is, which element Dimension Door is in, how much cyclopes cost, or how Eagle Eye works now!!! Is it really worth making this mod just for the chess clocks and army/artifact transfer buttons? :confused:
If I'm wrong - please correct me.... ;)

In my opinion, we can distinguish two categories of differences between TE and SoD: 1. Bug fixes, removal of obvious imbalances, and the addition of "hotkeys." 2. Balance adjustments and the addition of new features to the game. I fully support the first point. Most of this has been done in TE Light. I don't remember all the points, but the main ones are: - the ability to split/transfer units - chess clocks (in my opinion, an important innovation that doesn't disrupt the essence of the game) - a ban on joining and diplomacy - reduced Phoenix growth - limitation of Dimension Door - removal of Next Hero - a ban on the Artifact of Raising the Dead - changes to the number of Troglodytes for Shahti and Skeletons for Galthran - a ban on H/R (Hero/Resource) Everything related to the second point should be OPTIONAL, i.e., with the ability to disable it, as this changes the game's strategy. For example, the Bank, creature experience, the ability to rebuild the Guild of Mages, and disabling the Book of Destiny introduce significant changes in development and combat. And now, some comments on the features that discussions revolve around. A second level is built, and the hero arrives with full stacks of troops. This clearly falls into the second category, as the strategy for Stronghold/Fortress changes significantly. Fast roads. The same applies here. On slow roads and fast roads, the optimal route for heroes is different, so different strategies are possible. Therefore, starting on fast roads is a kind of reduction of the game. Bank. This also changes the strategy. Now, instead of visiting, for example, a Crypt, it may be more profitable to take out a loan. I personally have a negative attitude towards features that simplify the strategy and reduce the number of options. In general, the approach to balancing through the reduction of random elements is incorrect. Because if their number is reduced, the remaining random factors play an even greater role (e.g., the number of Angels in Confluxes). In the Bay, they have reached the point where they play without "morale." Now, with Devils, you can attack even a hundred Dendroids. Perhaps, on the contrary, it would be worth adding "randomness." Some changes in TE leave a mixed impression: the Necromancer patch, I don't know if this is the best solution to the problem of the Necropolis, and also ?? regarding the replacement of the specializations of Solmyr, Jeddite, etc. It seems that mages don't play a big role anyway. And about replacing water artifacts. Please leave the Captain's Hat and the ability to walk on water (even if not at level 4)! Sometimes it's so nice to play an XL map with water, and fixes haven't been canceled either. Make it an option. Regarding the ban on native secondary skills, I am in favor of the option of banning native secondary skills on neighboring resource nodes. I am against the option of banning them altogether. P.S. And if it were possible to come up with a way to prevent viewing saves, that would be just great.

For the most part, the features are optional.
Starting with three stacks and having a second-level castle built balances the castles at the start, which means:
a) many castles have returned to the game, which is a step towards diversity;
b) isn't it just nice to play with a powerful starting army?
The same goes for faster roads; you can get more done. Disabling morale is, of course, a controversial point. Some might say it's not interesting when neutrals become static fodder. But this is what fans of a chess-like approach advocate for: randomness should play the smallest role. And besides, the ideology of the TE (Tournament Edition) is a game of player vs. player, so they try to get rid of the hassle associated with fighting against unfair spawns and unpleasant blockades. Disabling morale, faster roads, and a uniformly powerful start are one way to do this.
Unfortunately, it is technically impossible to prohibit native secondary creatures on adjacent spawns. Either don't disable it, or disable it everywhere.
In general, I liked the interesting feature that Oelm pointed out: when the remaining random elements start to play a role against the backdrop of other stable elements. Indeed, which picture is more uniform: overall uniformity with some randomness, or a lot of randomness that, in total, compensate for each other and result in a kind of uniformity? It's interesting what mathematicians would say :) Hey, this is for you!

It would also be nice if this version used the same save format as in *The Shadow of Death*; otherwise, all of this won't be very useful.

In my opinion, we can distinguish two categories of differences between TE and SOD:

1. Bug fixes, removal of obvious imbalances, and the addition of "hotkeys."
2. Balance adjustments and the addition of new features to the game.

P.S. And if it were possible to come up with a way to prevent viewing saved games, that would be simply amazing.

Well said!

I didn't really notice that TE is more balanced; I played 50+ matches and then still chose Wolves as my favorite faction. :smile03: Unless you consider banning native secondary skills as more balanced.

If you eliminate the ability to view save files, I see a downside in that you won't be able to review your opponent's moves after the game and learn from them, or check if they played fairly.

But eliminating the ability to view the map is a good idea; you could even collect a prize fund for such a skilled player and ceremoniously award them a prize!

It would also be nice if this version used the same save format as The Shadow of Death; otherwise, all of this won't be very useful.

The save format is, of course, different.

However, saves from The Shadow of Death open correctly in the test environment.

But eliminating the ability to view the map – that’s something worth doing. You could even collect a prize fund for such a talented individual and ceremoniously award them a prize!

Is there a program that does this? Even if someone knows how it works, they’ll still be able to view the map.

The save format is, of course, different.

However, saves from The Shadow of Death open correctly in The Restoration of Erathia.

Can this be fixed somehow? To revert it to how it was.

Everything related to point 2 should be OPTIONAL, i.e., with the ability to disable it.

This would be the most convenient for EVERYONE.

Once the second level is built, the hero arrives with full stacks of troops... the strategy for the Stronghold/Fortress changes significantly.

Oh, if only after that, all the lovers of randomness wouldn't say it's unfair: you won because your starting army was stronger, or you had a 2nd level at the beginning, and I don't, if I had the same start, I would crush you - and there are many like that:(, and so that no one would say anything later, they put everyone in different conditions solely for this purpose, so that there would be fewer disputes. The residents of the portal, where the tournament is for 10000, amuse me the most. They try in every way to put down Bay+TE, but the guys from Bay are great, they said: we don't care about the rules, about the versions, we are ready to play under any conditions - that's the attitude, the mindset:smile20: :smile20:, the funniest thing is that I haven't seen the opposite, but what kind of excuses they come up with:smile31:. If everyone was like that, maybe they would have left a lot of randomness for more excitement.

Bank. This also changes the strategy. Now, instead of visiting, for example, the Crypt, it may be more profitable to take out a loan.

And the poor Necropolis with the patch that blocks the ultimate ability of Vampires is left without troops until sand falls from the sky for the Liches, although I understand those who are against the bank;).

I personally have a bad attitude towards features that simplify the strategy, reduce the number of options. In general, the approach to balancing by cutting out random scenarios is incorrect.

I also really like when everyone joins me:D.

On Bay, they have reached the point where they play without "morale". Now you can attack with Devils even on a hundred Dendroids). Maybe, on the contrary, it is worth adding "randomness".

The glitch remains and will remain forever as randomness (glitch = luck), and the principle of morale in TE has long been wanted to be reworked. But when playing with morale, have you ever had a case where you or your opponent, because the AI screwed you over, took a load or the opponent asked for it?! I have read a lot in offline tournaments how sometimes they specifically replay several times and wait:eek:, until the AI screws over the player, so that they can immediately hit twice and win the battle or just to reduce losses.

regarding the replacement of the specializations of Solmyr, Jeddite, etc.

Solmyr still has a chain, they changed the starting spells, but they are still banned, and so that they are not banned, they made it like this, and with fixes, mages rule:) + if there is also a class. Water artifacts in TE seem to be an option, there you can set checkboxes for many artifacts and spells yourself.

P.S. And if it were possible to come up with a way to prevent viewing saves, that would be just great.

Play fairly, friends, or play with an open map from the beginning:D, and in fixes, this is generally useless: due to the branching, you are always aware of what is happening;). This is not criticism (everyone has their own tastes, in my opinion, it's boring to play without a tax:D, and 10% is a great thing:smile03:, then the strategy becomes brutal and so many diverse options and tricks appear, you start to do such things), but just an opinion and questions:)

TO: StickyFingaz - thank you!!!:)

Thanks for the comments! By the way, people are often quick to blame anything and anyone for a defeat, except themselves. I'm not arguing that you can lose due to the lack of a level 2 building or poor stacks. But you can also lose because all the resource nodes were at their minimum. Still, having two restarts provides some choice. However, turning heroes into "chess pieces" might not lead to anything good. I prefer the comparison to bridge. There, too, there can be situations where the cards on one side are much better than on the other. But the element of randomness also adds to the "fun." My skill level doesn't allow me to judge how critical building a level 2 structure is for the game as a whole. But I know that there were players in SoD who dominated everyone, and various random elements didn't hinder them. /QUOTE Solmyr still has the chain; they changed his starting spells, but he's still banned. To prevent him from being banned, they did it this way, but fixed spells are still powerful, plus he has a good class. / And on World, they don't ban random heroes; they just limit them. /QUOTE And the poor Necromancer, with the patch that blocks ultimate vampires, is left without troops until the sand falls from the sky for the Lich. / Well, not being able to recruit Liches for the Necromancer is definitely not critical. By the way, the essence of the morale issue is that, in my opinion, the randomizer doesn't work correctly. I think that when morale triggers three times in a row with two checks, it's due to the algorithm. But in general, if morale triggers for neutral creatures, and you lose because of it, it doesn't mean you automatically lose the battle. If you lost, it means you took a risky approach. You could have chosen not to. /QUOTE Play fairly, friends. / Sorry, Andrey, but that's just funny, like, "guys, let's all live in peace." I myself have been present at a couple of tournaments, and I can say that most of the participants were ready to do anything for the result. Or when people are simply playing for money. And when you play online, there are many opportunities for various kinds of tricks. I'm for fair play. But there should be some guarantee of it. Let me explain: I watched the tournament saves of one player. I can't understand how he, without knowing the map, chose a difficult but optimal route. And while I'm thinking about it, I'm not thinking about "fair play." In fact, maybe we can come up with a way to save the game on a server, on a third computer, or something else. And finally, my IMHO on what can (should) be changed in SoD. 1. Replace sulfur in the Nagabanka. (done in TE) 2. Make an adequate random generator for morale and luck. 3. Change luck so that it simply doubles the damage, not the double pre-minimum. 4. Enable the possibility of negative luck (halves the damage). 5. Make it possible for despair to reduce morale to a negative value. 6. Create an alternative map generator (I understand that this is difficult, maybe even extremely difficult)

And finally, here's my IMHO on what could be changed in the Conflux. 1. Replace the sulfur in the Naga Bank. (already done in the Temple)

And finally, my IMHO. The sulfur in the Naga Bank can only be changed if the gems in the Leprechaun's Garden are changed at the same time.

I would add the following to SoD: --2 TE buttons – no comments needed :) – I fell in love with it from the first click :D --3 stacks at the start – have you ever played with a Vale faction that has 13 unbuilt archers and 20 gold at the start, and guards with a speed of 5-6 (and not faster, or ranged units)? What are your impressions? --Disable morale for neutral creatures (I'm not against 1-2 morale boosts per battle, but when morale is +1, neutral creatures get morale 10 times in 2 rounds, it's frankly NONSENSE!) --And you could consider having the 2nd level built, although this is debatable. Now about the unedited TE: Regarding the chess clock: Pros: There won't be battles that can be completed in 30 seconds but actually take 3 minutes; there won't be situations where you don't have enough time to finish your turn – often, with a chain of 6-8 heroes, you don't have time to pass the turn in 4 minutes, and you lose because of that. Cons: There is no communication during the game :) With small time reserves, you have to engage in "roach races" – for example, Shakti takes the maximum number of gnomes or Consul takes a level 2 creature on the first turn (this happens to me very often). The slightest mistake in such a battle threatens a loss, and therefore you need to play the battle with maximum concentration and care – and haste is the WORST ENEMY. Hero classes: Pros: A VERY interesting innovation – it expands and enriches the game, bringing back several secondary skills. Do you often take, for example, healing or eagle eye? I think only when there are no other options. In TE, there are many options for developing heroes – and the standard ones: earth, logistics, armor, and tactics may not work against, for example, a double-cast. Cons: I haven't found any as such. The only thing is that it's very difficult to master – playing against the computer is not an option, and it's not easy to find a TE opponent (for me). There is still a lot of interesting stuff that I haven't had time to try out yet – I've only been playing for less than a month :) Conclusion: SoD is definitely a classic online Heroes game – the game has an initial balance that was thought out by the developers and refined by the rules, but at the same time, there is also a large element of luck – we are still playing with random elements (in TE, the influence of luck is MUCH less). TE is something new that is usually very difficult to accept, but you can only understand it by playing it. Whether you like it or not is another question, but shouting that TE is garbage without even playing it, in my opinion, is not smart

Meanwhile, Vic has devised a terrible plan: http://forum.heroes.by/viewtopic.php?t=696&start=0 :eek:. TE-forum users better not read it to avoid possible fainting spells :).

Regarding the previous post: "amazing book" is just a platitude—one of many like it.
An attempt to console losers, which only makes them even greater losers.

As for the discussion of TE on the bay, I'm somewhat surprised by the approach where many obvious things are ignored. For example, in the chapter "why TE is better," it is claimed that in SoD you could play each race with 1-2 heroes. And now, supposedly in TE, you can choose from 3-4 equivalent ones.

This is not true, because it's fundamentally untrue. We are playing random, and naturally, there will be 1-2 heroes who are better than the rest! I mean, everyone has their own features, and these features can definitely be ranked by their significance. And at the top, in principle, there will be 1-2 heroes. A substitution simply occurred. Instead of Tazar, people play Broghild; Tiraxor became the best for barbarians, etc. Therefore, I don't understand why discuss the idea of how to make it possible to play several at once. On fixes, I understand that's a different matter. But not here.

I actually like the SoD feature where some castles have no good heroes, like Inferno for example; i.e., you take Pyrra and then look for various options from there. That is, you can try to compensate for the lack of good heroes with the strength of the castle, for instance. But I don't think the developers are going in that direction.

And generally, it's impossible to create an "ideal" game. I don't understand if people are trying to create some new game or simply working on fixing flaws. For example, there was a proposal to reduce the percentage of Necromancer. An absolutely sound proposal aimed at correcting imbalance. And there are several other useful ones like that.

But if you follow the path of creating a new game, you need to somehow separate it from the original. And overall, it's more logical to start with some general idea, preferably a new one. Because if there isn't one, there is a great risk of getting some kind of "monstrosity." A ton of effort will be spent, and the result will be zero.