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Imperial Castle Defense v1.22

Despite the name, Imperial Castle Defense is a hero siege type map. Select a hero, and defend the base at the bottom while attacking the base at the top. The main catches are twofold, one: You do not level up. You must improve solely through items. All four of your abilities are learned at the beginning. To compliment this, your abilities do more damage the higher your Primary Attribute is. Second: All of the shops, the fountain, the mercenary hubs, etc., can be killed. If the shops die, don't worry, tomes, potions, and the most powerful items can be found at the Citadel.

When the Citadel dies, you lose. The enemies receive armor and damage proportionate to the number of players. As of now, there are eleven distinct heroes, which to the best of my knowledge are balanced.

Of course, no map is ever finished. ICD's constantly being updated, so PLEASE report all bugs, imbalances, and errors you encounter. Thank you!

Now compatible with WarCraft III's 1.24 patch!

Keywords:
Dark Fantasy, Demons, Portals, Crusade, Castle, Castle Defense, Imperial, Imperial Castle Defense
Contents

Imperial Castle Defense v1.22 (Map)

Level 8
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
544
Good map,
but It is very hard, I tried it with just two players.
We were slaughtered, maybe a difficulty chooser?
The game is very good overall, but not much character customization.
Maybe make secret spells for each class that you can learn?
Just throwing Ideas out there, Good map.
Keep working.
-Calvin
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Thanks for your kind words, Darken. :) You'd be surprised how little feedback I get, much less good feedback... I have considered an "easy mode" for a while, which might actually be a good idea. Also the damage/armor bonus the enemies get per player might be a bit too steep... I'll take this into consideration, definitely.

Anyway, this update fixes the Greater Tome of Strength (It was 10 gold instead of the 50 gold it should have cost), and introduces a bounty-sharing system: Whenever a hero is within 600 range of an enemy killed by another player, they receive gold equal to one half of the amount the killer receives. This lets heroes like the Cleric and Shaman, who might not get enough opportunity to make kills themselves, get enough gold to keep up.
 
Level 4
Joined
Jul 15, 2005
Messages
89
Love the map, people who left the game shouldn't be spawned back, because they are just taking those extra gold from us. Unless its from a different system where the gold doesn't split and we all still get the same amounts except extra. I find it impossible how we can buy items from the 4 building shopping center when we are constantly being bombbarded and overwhelmed.
 
Level 8
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
544
Whoo!
After getting a few really good clan mates together, we finally beat it.
It was a really fun map, the Pit Lord was a bit dissatisfying. But Put up a good Fight.
It was challenging but possible, =]
Keep working on this great map!
Its fun and I love trying all the classes, =]
The Marksman seems a little powerful Tho.
Keep Working. =]
-Calvin
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Okay, this update ever-so-slightly nerfs the amount of damage and armor the demons get per person, and introduces Easy Mode. Easy Mode doubles the time it takes for demons to upgrade. Also slightly changed the loading screen, and tweaked/replaced a couple abilities. I also nerfed life steal by a large margin.

Also, what're your opinions on replacing the pit lord with a massive swarm of no-bounty enemies? Or what about nerfing the pit lord and having him come out WITH the swarm? The reason I'm considering this is because stuns might not do much harm to regular mobs, but to this guy they're kinda over powered.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Hope this helps...

The boss now spawns either an Imp or Familiar every 2-4 seconds at his current position. They do virtually no damage and have very little hit points, but they gain bonuses from the demon's upgrades, so hopefully by the time you encounter them they'll have ~350 hp. They also have feedback. I also substantially reduced the boss's collision size, my logic is that if you're that freakin' big you'll have an easier time walking around.

If anybody thinks I'm updating too often and bumping the maps list too often, feel free to say so.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
The reason I haven't been updating much lately is because nobody's found any bugs, and I've been hit with a massive case of mapper's-block, and had no ideas until recently. It also has absolutely nothing to do with buying Diablo. Nope. <.<

1.05 introduces the Barbarian hero, a melee support fighter who uses AoE taunts and shouts to aid his allies or deter his enemies. Loosely based on the Diablo II Barbarian. Also some ability tweakage.

I, unfortunately, will not be able to accurately determine whether the Barbarian is balanced or not until tomorrow, so if you think he's underpowered, overpowered, or has too little mana (my big concern) please say so. Thank you!
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
It makes me happy to hear such good words about my game. :')

I've been pondering the idea of a recipe shop in the upper left corner, in the midst of the burning village riddled with corpses for a while, actually. I've been putting it off for a while because I think I'd have to individually trigger the recipes... but it's definitely do-able. I'll get right on it, then.
 
Level 8
Joined
Dec 10, 2006
Messages
544
Kay. =]
Also, I've noticed a Bug Already,
Is the Crushing blow Suppsota be ranged? xD
If not, Eh, >w<" Might wanna fix that, also, it plays no Animation, Maybe make it the Attack Slam? Or was it the Spell Slam,
Not Sure,
Anyways, Keep Working on it! =]
Great map. ^_^
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Hehe... whoops.

Quickfix which makes the Barbarian attack air, like all melee heroes, fixes the problems with his shout-buffs, and makes Crushing Blow melee (thanks for reporting that, the one bug I didn't catch).

I also nerfed the rather ridiculous range of the Ballista towers and Archers.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Not an incredibly major update, but I buffed the Stalker somewhat. She now has increased attack speed on-par with the other heroes, her Throatslash does a random but high amount of damage, and Deadly Strike got buffed all-around. Also, the Barbarian's Crushing Blow got nerfed damage-wise.

I also significantly buffed the last boss, whom now takes reduced damage from all attacks, has higher armor and hit points, and his Imps are more powerful as well. Also, the Marksman got a nerf in damage and movement speed, as did her Rapid Shot ability, in cooldown and duration.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm also currently learning how to do recipes, so they're on their way, albeit slowly.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
EDITEDIT: v1.08 brings many item fixes, including the ability to sell items now (Why people couldn't sell things had always been a mystery to me until now...). A new item recipe is available, and the Stalker's Deadly Strike really deals 150% of her Agility as damage as opposed to 200%. Also the camera angle is now what it always used to be... sorry 'bout that, one of those things you change as a "hey, this'd be neat" then forget about it after it turns out that it's just kind of weird.

EDIT: I am aware of the borked camera angle, and am working to fix it.

v1.07 introduces a new shop in the upper left hand corner, in the middle of the ruined village. This shop sells only three (will definitely expand in the future, but for now it's just three) recipes. Simply buy the items listed under "Components" and the Recipe and they will automatically combine into the recipe item. This is the only shop that is invulnerable, and ironically, the only one not being attacked.

The Stalker got nerfed, Deadly Strike has been reduced in damage, duration, and armor-penalty, while the cooldown of Throatslash has been increased.

Fictional quotes from the heroes have been added to their tooltips. Some item tooltips have been changed due to grammar or spelling errors, and the prices of all items have been added to their names in the shop, but not the item name itself, so that you do not need to travel somewhere to get a price check on it.

The last boss now takes 10% damage from all attacks, rather than 25%. Imprisoned Aether Spirits summoned by the Aether Crystal and Aetherblade (new recipe item) now gain bonuses from demonic upgrades, so they have at least some scaling, although they are still rather weak.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
1.09 introduces a better bounty sharing system, a new spell for the Necromancer (Corpse Explosion!), a new item recipe (I hope to expand on the "X% mana is expended to deal Z damage to Y" genre of items), and a new item in place of the Stone of the Swarm at the Citadel.

For 1.10 I hope to introduce a new class and a Random Hero option, and perhaps some improved and less cheesy dialog... although I kind of like the cheesiness, it's like watching really bad horror films because of how bad they are. :p
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
1.10, after much procrastination, is finally here! While this doesn't introduce as much as I had hoped, it DOES introduce a Random Hero option at the tavern, fixing of a few typos, and the revamping of the Cleric, who is now a fast moving ranged healer, as opposed to a slow moving melee healer. Also the bounty sharing system has been removed entirely, as it seemed to not work at all, and was merely taking up space.
 
Level 2
Joined
Nov 21, 2007
Messages
12
just one little thing. the archers defending the town are called 'BogenschützIN' in the german warcraft version but they are not female.
i know that's nothing important but you wanted all bugs reported^^
otherwise a really good map!
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Thank you. :D

I'm sorry, but, uh, what? This was made with the American version of WC3, and I don't speak German... does Bogenschutzin mean "Female Archer"? I only named the archers "Archer", which IIRC is the default name of the NE and HE archers, so I could see how that could get lost in translation... but it'd be kinda stupid to call them Male Archers when there are no Female Archers as well. :p
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
ICD is back! Nothing major-huge, but changes include:

-The return of the bounty-sharing system
-Re-working of a couple spells including Rapid Shot, Scorch (now Ignite), and Adamant Defense
-Fixing of a couple bugs including one that made Corpse Explosion kill your own units (and the Citadel :ugly:) and one that didn't destroy dummy units
-Ghouls, Conscripts, Church Servants, and Siege weapons now scale as time goes on, although at a slower rate than the Demons
-Potions and potion-like items (Arcanisteel Ingot, etc.) now scale with Strength/Intelligence
-And more!

I've had reports of the infamous rez-bug (people not resurrecting after death), and I've looked at the trigger and can't find what would be wrong with it. If anybody has an answer I'd love to hear it.
 
Level 3
Joined
Jun 14, 2008
Messages
46
em... dunno why, but sometimes after death heroes just dont respawn

also church servant doesnt heal, he sets friendly units hp to 15% from max
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
Ah... okay, fixed the above healing issue and fixed a typo in the respawn trigger that should *hopefully* fix the rez bug.

EDIT: Also, for whatever reason buying items makes this little colored dot thingy appear on the ground... I can't figure out why it does that, and it only started happening after the 1.22b patch for Warcraft... huh.

EDITEDIT: Okay, I found out how to fix it. I don't want to bump this map and make you guys re-download it TOO much, so I'll release the patch fix later or tomorrow. For now it just appears to be a leak and shouldn't be game-breaking... unless you guys don't mind me putting out ANOTHER fix.
 
Last edited:
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
This map is broken. Won't start. Syntax error most likely.

Hmm... downloaded the file from this very page (v1.15, not the new one) and I got the same error, which is weird since I swear it worked when I uploaded it. However, the new version (v1.18) seems to work fine, at least on my end. Not sure what I changed to make it work, but if it works, I'm not complaining.

---

v1.18 introduces a number of new elements, including an eleventh hero (the Minstrel). The Minstrel is planned to be the last totally new hero; existing ones may be tinkered with but no more new heroes, mostly because I've filled the last slot in the tavern and don't wish to add a second one.

In addition, the final boss fight has been changed. The Demonic Entity's War Stomp spell's duration has been reduced, but it has a new ability which stuns players in a frontal wave, somewhat like Shockwave. He'll always target the spell in front of him, so it's advisable for most players to stand behind him.

Recipes have been moved from their spot in the top-left to the Scribe store in the castle. To make room, many scrolls which had seen very little use (in my playtesting, anyway) have been removed.

The Mage's Ignite skill has been changed somewhat so that it can now potentially deal area-effect damage.

The Shaman's skillset has been completely re-done, except for Summon Aether Spirit, which has been buffed.

Apologies for the jump in versions (v1.15 - v1.18) but I had deemed the previous updates too minor to warrant an update on the Hive.
 
Level 8
Joined
Sep 18, 2008
Messages
298
very nice map, one little problem when i played this with my 2 buds was when i was the cleric my passive healing aura healed them rediculously to much... Ooo and i love the items and how you made them reflect to your heroes attributes as it makes items powerful throughout the game! +REP
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
very nice map, one little problem when i played this with my 2 buds was when i was the cleric my passive healing aura healed them rediculously to much... Ooo and i love the items and how you made them reflect to your heroes attributes as it makes items powerful throughout the game! +REP

Thanks! :smile:

This version fixes the aforementioned Cleric bug in addition to various balance changes and code improvements. In addition, Agility's attack speed bonus has been reduced yet again. Also some other small things that I can't remember off of the top of my head.

In 1.20 (which may take a while yet, I have a few projects going on at once) you can expect to see the Gatekeeper minibosses play a much much more significant role in the game and some changes to a few heroes with only 1 attribute based ability (like the Barbarian).
 
Level 2
Joined
Jan 15, 2009
Messages
10
alright well just got done playing it and not to bad

the people i played with all complained about the only one lvl thing (me didnt really mind)

annihilation tanks were a little over powered one guy had 5 and we used those for a shield, all the other mercs for the most part were useless cuz of death to fast or didnt seem to do anything (architect) and the little healer guy needs a auto cast.

enjoyed the item set up

there is one path the enemies follow but 3 areas they can cross, u should put something out there in the destroyed areas or more paths the enemy units follow

I really did like this map i give u a 3/5
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
alright well just got done playing it and not to bad

the people i played with all complained about the only one lvl thing (me didnt really mind)

annihilation tanks were a little over powered one guy had 5 and we used those for a shield, all the other mercs for the most part were useless cuz of death to fast or didnt seem to do anything (architect) and the little healer guy needs a auto cast.

enjoyed the item set up

there is one path the enemies follow but 3 areas they can cross, u should put something out there in the destroyed areas or more paths the enemy units follow

I really did like this map i give u a 3/5

Alright, thank you for your feedback. :wink:

I'll look into the mercenary balance issues; I rarely ever see them used so I haven't had much opportunity to balance them for when they are.

I'll give some thought to the multiple path thing - currently it's there to provide a bit of a strategic element, either you can fight your way through the mob going through the center and thus help protect the Citadel or you can circumvent it to get to the middle more easily but also make defending the Citadel more difficult, though I almost never see anybody stray from the center path so there should probably be some incentive to it to at least make it a valid strategy.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
1.20 is here! Because of how massive this version is I'm going to write up the changelog in a fancy, professional way, if only because I've always wanted to do that.

-ICD is now compatible with the 1.24 WarCraft III patch.

-The Cleric's Healing Ray spell has been reworked slightly.
-The Barbarian's Envigorating Cry spell now scales with Strength.
-The Necromancer's Corpse Explosion spell now scales with Intelligence.
-Minor changes such as cooldown tweaking made to several other spells.

-Gatekeepers are more powerful, spawn more often and now come in 4 varieties, one of which is randomly selected each time they spawn:
--Stone Gatekeepers are very durable and have War Stomp.
--Fiery Gatekeepers are heavy damage dealers and have Permanent Immolation and conjure runes around themselves that explode after a few seconds.
--Shadowy Gatekeepers are heavy debuffers and reduce the armor of those they attack and can temporarily disable the inventories of nearby heroes.
--Chaos Gatekeepers are very volatile and deal area-of-effect damage to nearby units that attack them (except the attacker itself) and can temporarily enter a brief rage that gives them god-like strength for all of 8 seconds.
-The Demonic Entity now has Cleaving Attack instead of Pulverize and the damage and area-of-effect it deals has been scaled down.

-All heroes now have hero glows.
-Tooltips have been streamlined with different colors for attribute-based variables such as damage and healing.

-Raised the cost of the Annihilator Tank mercenary.
-Architects can now repair structures for free and far more quickly.

-Fixed a bug that granted infinite mana potions in a stack
-Fixed a bug involving the Rogue Bracers of the Fox setting your mana to 14 instead of adding 14.
-The Mage no longer has a slight delay between casting a spell and when the spell takes affect. This also fixes how the Electrical Nova spell would sometimes not deal damage to moving units.

EDIT: Sorry 'bout that - a quick hotfix was needed to fix a bug with the Fiery Gatekeepers and a somewhat major balance change for the Stone Gatekeeper.
EDIT2: Or... not. Hmm. I'll fix the Fiery Gatekeeper bug in the morning, I'm too tired to do it tonight.


OKAY: This version, 1.22, changes the functionality of the Fiery Gatekeeper from spawning explosive runes to spawning ranged Fire Elementals every few seconds. They are weak but magic resistant and can build up over time if not killed. In addition, the bounty of all Gatekeepers has been raised from 75 to 200.
 
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Level 12
Joined
May 30, 2009
Messages
829
WOW, we were overwhelmed by the undead with a full house. Sometimes, some people just aren't that skilled with nerves of steel. Make it a bit easier with perhaps a variety of difficulties? Also, the dwarf warrior's buff (The one with the red hands) is totally imbalanced;

Dwarf Warrior Buff + Ally's Creeps and Summons = Uber

And perhaps the map could focus less on scarfing down potions and more on healing/tanking.
 
Level 10
Joined
Jun 10, 2007
Messages
557
WOW, we were overwhelmed by the undead with a full house. Sometimes, some people just aren't that skilled with nerves of steel. Make it a bit easier with perhaps a variety of difficulties?

There are: player 1 (red) can type -hard to double the base hit points of all enemies or -easy to cut their upgrade rate in half. This is said so via in-game announcement within the first minute or so.

It's actually been quite a while since I've lost with a large group - most of the losses I've had are with smaller ones. The Gatekeepers were an effort to subvert this. And they are demons, no undead in the map are ever hostile.

Also, the dwarf warrior's buff (The one with the red hands) is totally imbalanced;

Dwarf Warrior Buff + Ally's Creeps and Summons = Uber

I'll take this into consideration; I haven't had an opportunity to test this version with a large group yet but I will tomorrow.

And perhaps the map could focus less on scarfing down potions and more on healing/tanking.

Erm, the Druid and Cleric are both capable of healing others and both of them do it very well. A skilled and well-prepared Druid can nearly eliminate the need for health potions altogether (except during particularly difficult encounters) and 3 of the 4 Cleric spells are all based on healing large groups.

The Guardian is a dedicated tank who can Taunt enemies to him and who can also become invulnerable for a short time (but enemies will continue to attack him unlike Divine Shield). Most Strength-based heroes can tank adequately as well; the Inquisitor is good at aggroing lots of enemies with his Righteous Fury (cleaving attack) and can Divine Shield if he gets in over his head.

You CAN do nothing but guzzle potions but if you get a balanced team potions become less critical (but still a very good investment).
 
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