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Blood of Arkain (18.02.2024 Custom AI and Chapter 2 massive rework)


BLOOD OF ARKAIN
(Demo)


This is a fan campain for Shar Dundreds Legends of Arkain
PLAY THE LEGENDS OF ARKAIN!!!


WHATS NEW IN THIS VERSION?
This Version includes Script fixes for all missions (done by @DjSSPECTRE ) , custom AI (MASSIVE thanks to @raypack ) and a rework of mission 2 "Empyra falls.

I also want to apologiese for updates to this campagin taking so long but I sadly have less time till Autum of this year and the campagin will be on hold during summer.

Despite this rework Im still open for suggestions on how to improve the current chapters. After all thats what this whole demo thing is for.
The next mission is already on the way with 3/4rds landscaped and the Exxen roster for the other Exxen factions expanded.

Thank all of you for downloading and playing this campain so far I would have never thought that more than 2000 people would download it.

I will keep working on it and reworking everything that does not feel the way it should feel: FUN.

HELP WANTED:
I am currently working on 2 custom units that will appear in the next mission. I have done the 3d work and I am finalizing the animations. But I cant replicate the warcaft 3 texture style. If anyone is willing to colaborate on these models I will be more then happy to adjust them to fit and whoever helps me will of course be credited.


ABOUT
This campain will let you take control of a new Exxen faction and its later sub factions in their struggles to prevail against the dangers of Arkain and beyond.
There are 6 missions planned out so far with sadly only 3 mission (and one interlude) completed. Gameplay can be compared to vanilla warcraft 3 campains, with micro and macro missions followed by an occasional Interlude.
3.png

1.png

2.png



Models and textures in this campain come from the talented:
Doom Wolf, tillinghast, Cavman, Kitabatake, Gluma, Jhotam_3Dcool&create, Ujimasa Hojo, HerrDave, Uncle Fester, kellym0, Chucky, AndrewOverload519, crl, Remixer,
Mike,
Jhotam_3Dcool&create, Null, Kehel, Kellym0, Mister_Haudrauf, Kwaliti, diosilva16, .KC, Sellenisko and Retera, sagi5533 (Play the Arthas campains btw), Explobomb, Hueter, manasou, kola, Rhapsodie, olofmoleman, stan0033, Villagerino, johnwar, Tarrasque, Direfury, icewolf055, Naga-Meister, Blood Raven, Assasin Lord, loktar, Stefan.K, Tauer, Poluroslik, ChevronSeven, Tamplier, Dark Hunter1357, Kwaliti, Syroco, Mephestrial, Elrat, Nilas Aran, Wandering Soul, eubz, Jab1z

Music used:
Spellforce 1: On the Godwall, Settlements of the Rune
Spellfroec 2: Plain in Suffocation

Im very open to criticism, as it helps me improve upon this campain.
If you have any, or encounter any bugs, then please share it.
Previews
Contents

Blood of Arkain (Campaign)

Reviews
deepstrasz
By the first level, I wasn't impressed, it just gave me the feeling it's gonna be a very simple gameplay experience but chapter two was neatly designed. Approved.
Level 9
Joined
Apr 12, 2018
Messages
65
I don't have much to say, you should look into the following things though;

Campaign*

You should give heroes some custom spells, as the Chosen's skillset in particular feels pretty bad imo as the only thing I used was Wind Walk and Critical Strike. Both the Bronze people and the lizard races are practically vanilla races on steroids so they don't really feel interesting, even the sound sets are the same and the upgrades are practically the same. Spirit Walkers are neat, although OP. Shamans have regular shaman description, despite not having the typical shaman skillset. The meme mission is titled only Defense of Jaybrad in the campaign mission selection screen, on the map's loading screen its Defense of Strahnbrad, so i'd suggest editing that so its more obvious its a meme mission. I didn't really pay attention to the story as I mostly came for the gameplay, terrain's nice tbh, although in the river section i think you should remove some of the brushes near the end of the river as its rather difficult to tell apart terrain you can actually traverse, at least for someone like me who is a little vision impaired. Didn't encounter any bugs. Also, if this is gonna be a standalone mission campaign, I think getting full access to the techtree would be nice. Also the Bronze Warriors feel stupidly weak. Oh and you should grant heroes custom titles, instead of just having their name also be their title, it feels cheap imo, but that's a nitpick. I.E give the hero with windwalk the title of 'Chosen' instead of just having his name repeated. (When I say title I mean the name that appears next to the experience bar).
 
Last edited:
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
I don't have much to say, you should look into the following things though;

Campaign*

You should give heroes some custom spells, as the Chosen's skillset in particular feels pretty bad imo as the only thing I used was Wind Walk and Critical Strike. Both the Bronze people and the lizard races are practically vanilla races on steroids so they don't really feel interesting, even the sound sets are the same and the upgrades are practically the same. Spirit Walkers are neat, although OP. Shamans have regular shaman description, despite not having the typical shaman skillset. The meme mission is titled only Defense of Strahnbrad in the campaign mission selection screen, on the map's loading screen its Defense of Strahnbrad, so i'd suggest editing that so its more obvious its a meme mission. I didn't really pay attention to the story as I mostly came for the gameplay, terrain's nice tbh, although in the river section i think you should remove some of the brushes near the end of the river as its rather difficult to tell apart terrain you can actually traverse, at least for someone like me who is a little vision impaired. Didn't encounter any bugs. Also, if this is gonna be a standalone mission campaign, I think getting full access to the techtree would be nice. Also the Bronze Warriors feel stupidly weak. Oh and you should grant heroes custom titles, instead of just having their name also be their title, it feels cheap imo, but that's a nitpick. I.E give the hero with windwalk the title of 'Chosen' instead of just having his name repeated. (When I say title I mean the name that appears next to the experience bar).

Thanks for the Feedback!

Updated the Titles just now. Thanks for bringing this up, I totally missed that.
The Shaman still had the custom map data instead of the custom campain data (had to redo every unit 2 times cause I didnt know that :cry:) also thanks for that, he wasnt intended to be on this map anymore.

I played a bit with the soundsets and gave Terrec my own cringey voicelines but with voice generation tools I hope to make more in the future, getting the missions out first however, will be a priority.

I got some idears to make the faction more interesting and building focused but havent moved beyond the base units jet.
Ill try to spice things up with other gameplay soon that will involve everything from "the floor is lava" to tower defence like missions.
The hero abilitys for Terrec are on the boring side for the first 2 missions but after that the player will hopefully be able to choose the abilitys for the missions he will re-appear in (if i manage to code that in that is). Either way he will get an upgrade but the windwalk is good at keeping him alive until then.

Thanks for playing and your feedback, it really helped.
--Updated now--
 
Last edited:
Level 9
Joined
Apr 12, 2018
Messages
65
It's still a demo, so my opinion on it will change depending on the changes you make. There aren't many lizard based campaigns(at least that I know of) so this has gotten my interest. Also, if you wish to make this as a standalone campaign, with your own lore and what not since this isn't cannon to the Arkain universe, I suggest you remove the title of it being a fan campaign and instead just mention that you've taken inspo from it (which TBH is mostly noticed in the easter eggs, I'm looking at you notorious doom guard).
 

deepstrasz

Map Reviewer
Level 68
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
18,706
The credits list doesn't seem complete: Resources in use by Blood of Arkain
You can also upload your map here to generate a list: Asset scanner
Please include models, skins, icons, custom spells, systems. Also, sounds, music and everything outside this site.

Also, please write a description about the campaign. Right now it doesn't say too much about gameplay etc.

Awaiting Update.


If you want more reviews, you should participate in the The Grand Review Exchange!

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Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
Sorry about that.
I was in a rush to post it before the dead-line and the file included the jet unfinished version of map 2 with more assets.
The creators are now all listed with the exeption of 2 that are not present in the current version which will be uploaded later this month.
If I still missed something Im happy to add it.
 
Last edited:
Level 27
Joined
Nov 25, 2021
Messages
480
You mentioned a deadline and so I can understand why it's not polished yet, so overall, you did a decent job. A 2/5 or 3/5 should do.

Although, the terrain is better than anything that I could possibly dish out, so I'll make it a 4/5 for encouragement purposes.
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
You mentioned a deadline and so I can understand why it's not polished yet, so overall, you did a decent job. A 2/5 or 3/5 should do.

Although, the terrain is better than anything that I could possibly dish out, so I'll make it a 4/5 for encouragement purposes.
Thanks man.
And sorry there should have been an update as well as one new chapter almost 3 weeks ago but the AI was really stupid. Broke the game cache too so Ill make an option for people like you who played it before the update. And thanks alot for the high rating. Doesnt deserve it right now but after mission 6 Ill go back and fix that mission up with a proper rts segment.
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
I can try to help you with the JASS AI scripts. Unless you know how to make them yourself.
Thank you for the offer.
I may take you up on it but I already got an explanation on why my first attempts crashed the game. Will try some more in 1-2 weeks when I got time to put into w3 again, but if you help me I would love to repay you with some models or some other kind of work in return.
 
Level 11
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
268
i can t see the hero in the mission for some reason

also is the bronze empire supposed to be the Persian empire or the arab because you took the Persian warriors and arab names so that confusing
 

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Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
i can t see the hero in the mission for some reason

also is the bronze empire supposed to be the Persian empire or the arab because you took the Persian warriors and arab names so that confusing
This is defenetly the old Terrec.
I didnt think that that one would endure with my failsafe.
The game cache is borken since I didnt know about how to make them properly.
You have to play thro the first mission again to overwrite the data.
If you want to speed that up you can type "cinematic 2 test" to skip the first micro segment and if you want to skip this mission entirely you can type "cinematic 4 test". I highly recommend to play tho parts of this mission with god mode tho, since the hero needs to be leveled and theres some items that carry over.

Also the models are haradrim and the man of ruhn from lord of the rings if you are referring to them (most by herr dave but I dont know all at the top of my head). I am thankfull to have found all the models that were needed for this map but it ranges form different groups. Originally I wanted to have all the nomads and a elite guard to have a tent town inside an old Arkainian city but I am happyer with Empyra that way. (minus the narrow streets maybe)

The name are arab tho, yes (minus sharim).
 
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Level 11
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
268
This is defenetly the old Terrec.
I didnt think that that one would endure with my failsafe.
The game cache is borken since I didnt know about how to make them properly.
You have to play thro the first mission again to overwrite the data.
If you want to speed that up you can type "cinematic 2 test" to skip the first micro segment and if you want to skip this mission entirely you can type "cinematic 4 test". I highly recommend to play tho parts of this mission with god mode tho, since the hero needs to be leveled and theres some items that carry over.
i see well then i think i will just wait for the release of the third mission and then play them all
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
i see well then i think i will just wait for the release of the third mission and then play them all
I am currently also working on a better AI for all the enemys (the editor has its limits without scripting). So if you want to have the full experience then I would wait for the 4th mission that I will defenetly release with a JASS scripted AI.

The next update "Servants of the Dragon" will be there to smooth the waiting time, should the learning of JASS scripts and mission 4´s special mechanic not work.
 
Level 11
Joined
Aug 1, 2019
Messages
268
I am currently also working on a better AI for all the enemys (the editor has its limits without scripting). So if you want to have the full experience then I would wait for the 4th mission that I will defenetly release with a JASS scripted AI.

The next update "Servants of the Dragon" will be there to smooth the waiting time, should the learning of JASS scripts and mission 4´s special mechanic not work.
ok bro i will wait for the 4 mission np
 

deepstrasz

Map Reviewer
Level 68
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
18,706
  1. Sindweller the Hokan? I think you switched the hero with the unit name.
  2. Downsides: linear gameplay and 100% original Warcraft III mechanics.
  3. You can see your troops disappearing and the hero being moved and remaining selected right before a cinematic scene starts.
  4. Mini Progaderas the Puffin the Mini Progaderas the Puffin?
  5. The First Flame looks like Orb of Fire.
  6. An allied Shaman returned to the south spawning point and stood there instead of going further north into the human base. A Warrior also did the same.
  7. War Beasts use hero models with glow and no decay animations which means their bodies remain on the battlefield.
  8. Vaar doesn't appear in the end scene of the first chapter.
  9. First he tells him to follow orders then he says he's not under his command. Well, that's confusing.
  10. Wood Pit's selection circle is too low.
  11. Funny, I killed lots of pigmen in the previous chapter.
  12. The Worker message is spammed and so is the question if to build the barricade or not.
  13. Not sure if intended but towers or buildings or units that are near the cliff edge can be attacked by Spearmen from below due to their 180 range.
  14. One of the caravan nomad warriors came alone way after the second caravan passed.
  15. I like it that this Black-Fang knows so much about the city with such intelligence that as if he was born there and studied at a university.
  16. Some, actually most of the enemy heroes don't have glow. You can simply add it: How to add Hero Glow without Modeling
  17. Najala's guardians don't attack the pigs if you send them to her, probably because the group treats both you and the pigs as neutral until your forces trigger them to be enemies.
  18. There's a gate right to the right/east of the red enemy base far north in their fortress. The pigs can get in the base, circumventing the gate through the doodad walls to the north of the gate when the lever has not yet been lowered.
  19. Vaar stays in his base rather than coming to help out with the conquest.
  20. Just after the chapter 2 ending scene was about to finish, you can briefly get another glance of the terrain with no units on it anymore.
  21. At the end of the interlude, you can briefly see the two heroes two times like in two blinks before the map ends.
By the first level, I wasn't impressed, it just gave me the feeling it's gonna be a very simple gameplay experience but chapter two was neatly designed.

Approved.
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
  1. Sindweller the Hokan? I think you switched the hero with the unit name.
  2. Downsides: linear gameplay and 100% original Warcraft III mechanics.
  3. You can see your troops disappearing and the hero being moved and remaining selected right before a cinematic scene starts.
  4. Mini Progaderas the Puffin the Mini Progaderas the Puffin?
  5. The First Flame looks like Orb of Fire.
  6. An allied Shaman returned to the south spawning point and stood there instead of going further north into the human base. A Warrior also did the same.
  7. War Beasts use hero models with glow and no decay animations which means their bodies remain on the battlefield.
  8. Vaar doesn't appear in the end scene of the first chapter.
  9. First he tells him to follow orders then he says he's not under his command. Well, that's confusing.
  10. Wood Pit's selection circle is too low.
  11. Funny, I killed lots of pigmen in the previous chapter.
  12. The Worker message is spammed and so is the question if to build the barricade or not.
  13. Not sure if intended but towers or buildings or units that are near the cliff edge can be attacked by Spearmen from below due to their 180 range.
  14. One of the caravan nomad warriors came alone way after the second caravan passed.
  15. I like it that this Black-Fang knows so much about the city with such intelligence that as if he was born there and studied at a university.
  16. Some, actually most of the enemy heroes don't have glow. You can simply add it: How to add Hero Glow without Modeling
  17. Najala's guardians don't attack the pigs if you send them to her, probably because the group treats both you and the pigs as neutral until your forces trigger them to be enemies.
  18. There's a gate right to the right/east of the red enemy base far north in their fortress. The pigs can get in the base, circumventing the gate through the doodad walls to the north of the gate when the lever has not yet been lowered.
  19. Vaar stays in his base rather than coming to help out with the conquest.
  20. Just after the chapter 2 ending scene was about to finish, you can briefly get another glance of the terrain with no units on it anymore.
  21. At the end of the interlude, you can briefly see the two heroes two times like in two blinks before the map ends.
By the first level, I wasn't impressed, it just gave me the feeling it's gonna be a very simple gameplay experience but chapter two was neatly designed.

Approved.
DAMN I am always suprised how much I miss.
Ill fix the names and the unit issues aswell as the cinematic (that should be easy with an extra wait time).
Wanted to see how people reacted to the gameplay mechanics so I released the second chapter without the JASS AI but yeah its way too easy and theres a 50% change that Vaars everburning do nothing.
I also wanted to introduce Black-fang earlyer with "red sands" (the original chapter 2) but making 3 missions for each chapter and having 3 to go thro till the Arkain timeline is reached is way too long. Tho youre right I will have to remove the pig men with some other beasts. (sand scorpions or something could be nice)
As for the warcraft 3 gameplay, I actually wanted to somewhat emulate the feeling and not stray to far from it but your the 6th pesron who told me that, so I really need to see how to spice gameplay up.

Thanks for plaing it and giving it that high of a rating despite the rough demo status.
 
Level 6
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
27
So, I just finished the demo and although I had a pleasant time there are things that I'll like to point out to. There is a bunch of stuff, some more important, some not so much so here we go.
General stuff:
1. Terrec's item doesn't give give stats properly. The Endurance Aura works fine, but the +5 to agility actually goes to strength (+4 to strength). This is only in mission 2. In mission 1 the item only gives the endurance aura and the plus stat isn't even mentioned.
2. During the first two missions Terrec is titled "The Chosen" even though Vaar is supposedly the Exxen leader. Do they have like a two-king system or does Hokan just prefer Terrec over Vaar?
Now the missions themselves.
Mission 1:
1. Spirit walker's mastery training is bugged. It shows as though you need two of the same building.
2. I'm not certain about this one, but I think AI just didn't attack. On my first playthrough it worked just fine, even providing a decent challenge but on the second one it just didn't bother attacking.
3. From a historic point of view, viziers were always the second most powerful man in the Ottoman empire right after the Sultan. With that in mind, the ones in game are not only powerful, but even weaker than some regular units. You could increase their HP, attack, etc and perhaps give them some spells or an aura.
4. When Terrec clears the canyon and summons that gigantic Exxen zigurat, he joins Vaar. However, even after joining Vaar's base, he still has to survive to the very end.
5. Exxen Impaler and Exxen Trapper and practically identical. They have same hp, armor, damage. They do have different skills, but we never get to play with Trappers so it's hard to say which one is actually better.
Mission 2:
1. You did mention this, but yeah, Coaltusks just do not attack at all. I think it would be better not to give the player the ability to just click on their tent and click Q. They should cost like 500-1k gold so that it looks like you are supplying them. Adding a gold cost gives another dimension of strategy because you'd want to pay for them when you want to move against a base and not just overwhelm bases with infinite number of boars.
2. Speaking of bases, enemy bases do not revive heroes. This isn't such a big deal, their heroes are easily killed anyways.
3. Above the gray base that lies north of our starting base there are invulnerable rocks that lead to a goldmine. It would be cool if Vaar made his base there and sent attack waves or maybe even Coaltusks having a base there. Just a thought.
4. The Exxen shop's ability to regen mana is nice, it sets it apart from any other shop in the game. However, I think it regenerates mana a bit too quickly. A nerf might be in place.
5. In mission 1 we had Shaman which were next to useless and then on mission 2 they were removed when we could actually make good use of them (purge cripple, skeletons, slow etc).
6. Speaking of units and abilities, Exxen Archers have an ability called The Poison Tips but we never get to research it.
7. When you destroy yellow and wheat bases there is a massive lag spike after which someone says something, but in both instances it feels very abrupt, as if there is more dialogue that we couldn't read because of the lag.
8. This isn't a huge issue, but main objectives take time to show up so you kinda just go blind until you stumble upon what you were supposed to do.
9. With so much area covered by water at the top of the map, you could possibly convert that into more land for the capital city. I get that it looks and feels like Medieval Middle Eastern city but it's kinda very hard to navigate around with a large army.
10. Aside from Impalers and Trappers, there are no long range siege units so you are always forced to brute force the towers and poke buildings with arrows/swords. Also Impalers die easily because of their medium armor.
11. Towers are just basic Orc towers. However, those towers that spawn in the canyons to camp the caravans are really neat. You could make them a separate tower or perhaps an expensive upgrade for existing ones just nerf their attack speed ever so slightly.
12. As was the case with previous mission, this mission AI once again just decides to not attack at all. However, once they do, all of them attack at the same time.
13. Another one of those not so important things, but there are Empire heroes that appear multiple times (Osman appears again inside the capital city, Henec appears again in green's base)
14. I believe the emperor says to raise the drawbridges or something along those lines. It would be cool if they actually dropped those bridges into the water so you'd perhaps have to take the boats from Yellow and Wheat's bases or tame those bats in bottom right corner.
Mission 3:
1. While standing, Zissrik always appears to be invisible, but sometimes he is visible.
2. There is a glitch where the shadows will spawn into houses or such environment when Zissrik is too close to them. They are unable to move out of them but they can still attack.
3. Might want to put those Black Priests in the beginning section on hold position so that the army doesn't get overwhelmed and you lose for no reason lol
4. Speaking of that position, enemy melee units can hit Advanced Flame Towers in the water from the bridge. You could push them back a bit so that only arches can hit them.
5. During that cutscene where those 2 Zyainor noblemen go to the wall to watch the dragon raze the rebel camp, the rebels keep on spawning so it eventually looks something like this.
6. Zardas should be first when you select multiple units since he is an important unit and a demi hero.
7. This is more out of confusion than anything, but, my understanding is that we are helping the Army of Zyainor, right? Shouldn't we be allied with them if that's the case?
8. Not really important, but Black Bowman have the same description and icon as Riflemen and Black Spearman have the same icon as the Black Swordsman.
9. Zardas' Chain Lightning is bound to Q but it is in position where W would be and Fireball is bound to W and in position where Q would be. Kinda confusing and annoying when I want to cast Chain Lightning but instead I stun a random dwarf lol
10. The second main quest's objective is "Get to her". Although it creates a mistery surrounding this "her", I don't think it's all that necessary.
11. This mission probably has the buggiest quests of all 3 missions. You can actually not do the first main objective. You can skip the barracks section which is probably why those rebels keep on spawning. You can even finish the entire mission without finishing that quest first.
12. You know that lever near the end of the mission, the one which floods that narrow corridor and kills your units instead of enemy units? Yeah i think you can remove the water. It's a cool mechanic like the second to last mission in Legacy of the Damned, but it's ultimately pointless when the gate closes either way. Both water and gate is kinda excessive.
13. I LOVE the The Violet Gate easter egg since it's my favorite campaign. However, without vision cheat or perhaps accidental mousing over the destructible wall, it's practically impossible to find. You could add a line of dialogue by Zissrik or Zardas like "Do you hear that" or "I hear something nearby" to kinda poke at player's curiosity.
14. Just wanted to quickly go back to point 11. If you don't complete the first main quest, the 3rd quest just doesn't show up at all so you are left to wander for yourself (thankfully it's just a dungeon crawler from that point until the end lol)
15. I also want to use this opportunity to talk about the Amalgamation. It's an interesting model, kinda reminds me of The Dehaka from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. However, i don't exactly see the point of it being unstoppable force when 5 minutes before that you kill an undead dragon which has double the hp, and idk how much damage (not just kill, but outright perma stun with rusty mining pick and fireball)
I hope I wasn't too nit-picking and that this will help you in improving your campaign! :)
 

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Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
So, I just finished the demo and although I had a pleasant time there are things that I'll like to point out to. There is a bunch of stuff, some more important, some not so much so here we go.
General stuff:
1. Terrec's item doesn't give give stats properly. The Endurance Aura works fine, but the +5 to agility actually goes to strength (+4 to strength). This is only in mission 2. In mission 1 the item only gives the endurance aura and the plus stat isn't even mentioned.
2. During the first two missions Terrec is titled "The Chosen" even though Vaar is supposedly the Exxen leader. Do they have like a two-king system or does Hokan just prefer Terrec over Vaar?
Now the missions themselves.
Mission 1:
1. Spirit walker's mastery training is bugged. It shows as though you need two of the same building.
2. I'm not certain about this one, but I think AI just didn't attack. On my first playthrough it worked just fine, even providing a decent challenge but on the second one it just didn't bother attacking.
3. From a historic point of view, viziers were always the second most powerful man in the Ottoman empire right after the Sultan. With that in mind, the ones in game are not only powerful, but even weaker than some regular units. You could increase their HP, attack, etc and perhaps give them some spells or an aura.
4. When Terrec clears the canyon and summons that gigantic Exxen zigurat, he joins Vaar. However, even after joining Vaar's base, he still has to survive to the very end.
5. Exxen Impaler and Exxen Trapper and practically identical. They have same hp, armor, damage. They do have different skills, but we never get to play with Trappers so it's hard to say which one is actually better.
Mission 2:
1. You did mention this, but yeah, Coaltusks just do not attack at all. I think it would be better not to give the player the ability to just click on their tent and click Q. They should cost like 500-1k gold so that it looks like you are supplying them. Adding a gold cost gives another dimension of strategy because you'd want to pay for them when you want to move against a base and not just overwhelm bases with infinite number of boars.
2. Speaking of bases, enemy bases do not revive heroes. This isn't such a big deal, their heroes are easily killed anyways.
3. Above the gray base that lies north of our starting base there are invulnerable rocks that lead to a goldmine. It would be cool if Vaar made his base there and sent attack waves or maybe even Coaltusks having a base there. Just a thought.
4. The Exxen shop's ability to regen mana is nice, it sets it apart from any other shop in the game. However, I think it regenerates mana a bit too quickly. A nerf might be in place.
5. In mission 1 we had Shaman which were next to useless and then on mission 2 they were removed when we could actually make good use of them (purge cripple, skeletons, slow etc).
6. Speaking of units and abilities, Exxen Archers have an ability called The Poison Tips but we never get to research it.
7. When you destroy yellow and wheat bases there is a massive lag spike after which someone says something, but in both instances it feels very abrupt, as if there is more dialogue that we couldn't read because of the lag.
8. This isn't a huge issue, but main objectives take time to show up so you kinda just go blind until you stumble upon what you were supposed to do.
9. With so much area covered by water at the top of the map, you could possibly convert that into more land for the capital city. I get that it looks and feels like Medieval Middle Eastern city but it's kinda very hard to navigate around with a large army.
10. Aside from Impalers and Trappers, there are no long range siege units so you are always forced to brute force the towers and poke buildings with arrows/swords. Also Impalers die easily because of their medium armor.
11. Towers are just basic Orc towers. However, those towers that spawn in the canyons to camp the caravans are really neat. You could make them a separate tower or perhaps an expensive upgrade for existing ones just nerf their attack speed ever so slightly.
12. As was the case with previous mission, this mission AI once again just decides to not attack at all. However, once they do, all of them attack at the same time.
13. Another one of those not so important things, but there are Empire heroes that appear multiple times (Osman appears again inside the capital city, Henec appears again in green's base)
14. I believe the emperor says to raise the drawbridges or something along those lines. It would be cool if they actually dropped those bridges into the water so you'd perhaps have to take the boats from Yellow and Wheat's bases or tame those bats in bottom right corner.
Mission 3:
1. While standing, Zissrik always appears to be invisible, but sometimes he is visible.
2. There is a glitch where the shadows will spawn into houses or such environment when Zissrik is too close to them. They are unable to move out of them but they can still attack.
3. Might want to put those Black Priests in the beginning section on hold position so that the army doesn't get overwhelmed and you lose for no reason lol
4. Speaking of that position, enemy melee units can hit Advanced Flame Towers in the water from the bridge. You could push them back a bit so that only arches can hit them.
5. During that cutscene where those 2 Zyainor noblemen go to the wall to watch the dragon raze the rebel camp, the rebels keep on spawning so it eventually looks something like this.
6. Zardas should be first when you select multiple units since he is an important unit and a demi hero.
7. This is more out of confusion than anything, but, my understanding is that we are helping the Army of Zyainor, right? Shouldn't we be allied with them if that's the case?
8. Not really important, but Black Bowman have the same description and icon as Riflemen and Black Spearman have the same icon as the Black Swordsman.
9. Zardas' Chain Lightning is bound to Q but it is in position where W would be and Fireball is bound to W and in position where Q would be. Kinda confusing and annoying when I want to cast Chain Lightning but instead I stun a random dwarf lol
10. The second main quest's objective is "Get to her". Although it creates a mistery surrounding this "her", I don't think it's all that necessary.
11. This mission probably has the buggiest quests of all 3 missions. You can actually not do the first main objective. You can skip the barracks section which is probably why those rebels keep on spawning. You can even finish the entire mission without finishing that quest first.
12. You know that lever near the end of the mission, the one which floods that narrow corridor and kills your units instead of enemy units? Yeah i think you can remove the water. It's a cool mechanic like the second to last mission in Legacy of the Damned, but it's ultimately pointless when the gate closes either way. Both water and gate is kinda excessive.
13. I LOVE the The Violet Gate easter egg since it's my favorite campaign. However, without vision cheat or perhaps accidental mousing over the destructible wall, it's practically impossible to find. You could add a line of dialogue by Zissrik or Zardas like "Do you hear that" or "I hear something nearby" to kinda poke at player's curiosity.
14. Just wanted to quickly go back to point 11. If you don't complete the first main quest, the 3rd quest just doesn't show up at all so you are left to wander for yourself (thankfully it's just a dungeon crawler from that point until the end lol)
15. I also want to use this opportunity to talk about the Amalgamation. It's an interesting model, kinda reminds me of The Dehaka from Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. However, i don't exactly see the point of it being unstoppable force when 5 minutes before that you kill an undead dragon which has double the hp, and idk how much damage (not just kill, but outright perma stun with rusty mining pick and fireball)
I hope I wasn't too nit-picking and that this will help you in improving your campaign! :)
This is very much helping me on improving the campain.
Thank you for taking the time and putting this together.

Once I end my break I will implement most of these points. I sadly have to admit that while I missed a lot, some of the things you mentioned like the coal tusk camp or improvements in the 3rd mission were left out do to me being demoralized about the whole AI thing.

The Chosen thing will come up again but I could have explained it better:
The wearer of the stone is the "emissary" of Hokan. While the Exxen can act independant to some extend, Hokans Chosen is following his direct orders.
Originally, Vaar was meant to already lay siege to the city and make the approach harder by "buring the savages" and destroying the outer ring. That would have lead to the player using ships. But AI started to be a problem even then so I scrapped that idear. Would have been the first instance of Vaar putting his own way of approaching things over Hokans wishes. But later story stuff doesnt support such disrespect to a man that Vaar sees as a demi god.

The trapper in that mission is just a set dressing for now. Will get a new skin and become the shadowscales "mounted choise".

The towers that spawn in the canyon are silverscale/firescale tower models. The firescales are Vaars followers after a time-skip and the Silverscales still have to be created. The first 6 missions will set all of them up. The player will then be able to chose between them in the following missions. (if I get to that point)

The above mentioned points aside Ill defenetly implement the things you mentioned.
One thing that would interest me tho:
Have you played the Legends of Arkain? If not do you feel confused/left out by the characters appearing in mission 3? While im keen on mixing the campain with whats going on in the ture story of Akrain I want the story to be understood by everyone playing it.

And thanks again.
 
Level 6
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
27
The wearer of the stone is the "emissary" of Hokan. While the Exxen can act independant to some extend, Hokans Chosen is following his direct orders.
I see. Hokan's reaction makes more sense now.
But AI started to be a problem even then so I scrapped that idear
Hmm, might want to remove that dialogue if it's hard for you to implement it. Perhaps give the boats to the player when they destroy yellow and wheat so that they wouldn't be forced to take only one approach but have the ability to choose. Although you would then have to introduce the objective to kill emperor's children sooner so that we wouldn't kill them before we discover they are a part of the quest. You could also make them drop an item as a reward for player actively searching through the city and not just A-moving directly to the palace. Just a thought :)
The trapper in that mission is just a set dressing for now. Will get a new skin and become the shadowscales "mounted choise".
So, Impaler goes to Terrec and his Exxen and Trapper goes to Zissrik's faction?
The towers that spawn in the canyon are silverscale/firescale tower models. The firescales are Vaars followers after a time-skip and the Silverscales still have to be created. The first 6 missions will set all of them up. The player will then be able to chose between them in the following missions. (if I get to that point)
I see. That is a nice touch to have each faction slightly different from one another. Really adds to the diversity of the Exxen. I was really intrigued when I saw Vaar's Fireborn. Hopefully you'll have the will to continue the campaign.
Have you played the Legends of Arkain? If not do you feel confused/left out by the characters appearing in mission 3? While im keen on mixing the campain with whats going on in the ture story of Akrain I want the story to be understood by everyone playing it.
I have played it. However, I haven't finished it entirely. I got to the second orc book, maybe about half way through it and stopped. That was maybe last year I'm not sure. And I still haven't played the True Story Campaign. Out of all Arkain campaigns I've played, second human book is my favorite, so I'm pretty familiar with Zyainor and their story. This mission serves as a nice backstory as to how Gardon found his second in command (can't remember his name now lol) and that dragon. Also we could potentially get more background for Val.
You're welcome. I wish you all the best in your endeavor
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
Started AI work today and im starting the work on one of the 3 custom units that are needed for the next chapter.
Theres 6 missions planned before I will ask for someone or even a team to co-develop this with. (triggers/map landscapeing/concepting)
If it works out then the people working with me will decide on how long the rest of the campain will be and design future chapters with me as well as the story. I have 2 Jobs and one of them demands of me to make an unreal game until the next year and that projects scope is pretty big. It doesnt help that I will soon work 9 hours a day in the other for 6-7 weeks so sadly some time will pass until I make a bigger update.

Im currently also making changes to missions 2 as per DjSSPECTRE´s suggestions.
I have worked on skyrim mods, animation projects and smithing stuff. So far I have finished 90% of them with the 10% currently being worked on.
So I can at least tell you that the 6 missions will get finished and if noone wants to work with me then I will make one final mission to wrap it all up.

Sorry that I cant give out dates but Ill try to get mission 2 more fun and engageing as fast as I can.
Thanks for showing interest and playing it I promise to not disappoint.
 

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Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
Someone had a similar idea I had with that model I see. Though I tried to port over animations too.
Interesting.
Re-modeled it and it still needs a texture. Its suprisingly hard to make textures in the warcraft 3 style. Substaince painter wont help me here. But Im using the golem animation set and re-posing every key-frame. The "Boxer putting his hands up" -thing is looking pretty goofy when you got giant blandes mounted to your arms. Cant wait to see what I can do with the Lich skeleton tho.
 

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Re-modeled it and it still needs a texture. Its suprisingly hard to make textures in the warcraft 3 style. Substaince painter wont help me here. But Im using the golem animation set and re-posing every key-frame. The "Boxer putting his hands up" -thing is looking pretty goofy when you got giant blandes mounted to your arms. Cant wait to see what I can do with the Lich skeleton tho.
You might check out the Infernal or Revenant. :D
They might be better to work with.
 
Level 5
Joined
Feb 16, 2021
Messages
76
Started AI work today and im starting the work on one of the 3 custom units that are needed for the next chapter.
Theres 6 missions planned before I will ask for someone or even a team to co-develop this with. (triggers/map landscapeing/concepting)
If it works out then the people working with me will decide on how long the rest of the campain will be and design future chapters with me as well as the story. I have 2 Jobs and one of them demands of me to make an unreal game until the next year and that projects scope is pretty big. It doesnt help that I will soon work 9 hours a day in the other for 6-7 weeks so sadly some time will pass until I make a bigger update.

Im currently also making changes to missions 2 as per DjSSPECTRE´s suggestions.
I have worked on skyrim mods, animation projects and smithing stuff. So far I have finished 90% of them with the 10% currently being worked on.
So I can at least tell you that the 6 missions will get finished and if noone wants to work with me then I will make one final mission to wrap it all up.

Sorry that I cant give out dates but Ill try to get mission 2 more fun and engageing as fast as I can.
Thanks for showing interest and playing it I promise to not disappoint.
Thank you very much for this information, I didn't tell you to throw everything away to work for a company and I'm kidding bro. And good luck to you in your projects and your new companies

I'm kidding Bro

Of course in your free time you will work on a company and don't give up on it. We believe in you and hold our hands that you will succeed in the end
 
Level 26
Joined
Aug 18, 2022
Messages
637
Hi There, Sam The Arkainian.

I pretty like your little campaign here. The Exxen is a very intresting species to have. The story is pretty good, even if it's not canon - or it's sounds like a cannon? If you working on this campaign, I have some stuff to report. Hope see you 'round!
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
Hi There, Sam The Arkainian.

I pretty like your little campaign here. The Exxen is a very intresting species to have. The story is pretty good, even if it's not canon - or it's sounds like a cannon? If you working on this campaign, I have some stuff to report. Hope see you 'round!
Always happy for bug reports
I miss alot and sadly even the most obvious.
Also thanks for the follow
 
Level 7
Joined
Oct 22, 2004
Messages
67
i enjoyed your homage to shar. it was well crafted, and each chapter was challenging by its own merits. as others said, minor grammer issues, but nothing too bad.. keep up the great work, at your leisure
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
i enjoyed your homage to shar. it was well crafted, and each chapter was challenging by its own merits. as others said, minor grammer issues, but nothing too bad.. keep up the great work, at your leisure
Thanks for the review.
I hope the future mission and additions/fixes to the existing ones will be out before the end of this year.
 
Level 20
Joined
Dec 19, 2013
Messages
1,083
So i found about this from a random YT video suggested to me, and it spiked my interest gave it a go and played the first chapter half way through... Lemme start by saying did the bronze people and the lizard people got inspiration from the Rhun/Khand Lotr lore and Lizardmen from Warhammer?

Their tech trees are abit convoluted i dont see the reason for having two rider units both with siege attacks but one having the bloodlust spell and the other having nothing when you can much more easily leave only one and make the bloodlust spell an researchable upgrade.
Lack of towers to be build in the second phase of the mission is kinda offputting
The spearmen and warrior choice i dont understand the spearmen cost as much as the warrior has less damage same armour same supply limit slightly less damage but the same damage type. The shaman and spirit walker both having access to bloodlust spell seems overkill imo.
Regarding the heros kits i would say using vanilla spells isnt bad it might be bland but nothing wrong with that. The chosen skill set is actually good if you actually chose to skill warstomp and crit strike and ignore windwalk.

The fire also has a neat skillset.

Now unto some bugs i found (Keep in mind i played this on 1.29 ver as opposed to 1.30 as suggested so maybe what i am seeing the others on 1.30 aren't)
Screenshot_1.png
I get it this isn't supposed to be seen since its in on an inaccesable area but still having tauren chieftain on a lizard folk its weird.


Screenshot_2.png
A small typo through

Screenshot_3.png
The read clouds have healthbars.



Screenshot_4.png
The spirit walker also has the tauren label.


Screenshot_7.png
It says it requiers two temple halls but it only needs one.



Screenshot_8.png
And the last one despite upgrading my town hall i cannot research my tier 3 upg for my spirit walkers.
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
So i found about this from a random YT video suggested to me, and it spiked my interest gave it a go and played the first chapter half way through... Lemme start by saying did the bronze people and the lizard people got inspiration from the Rhun/Khand Lotr lore and Lizardmen from Warhammer?

Their tech trees are abit convoluted i dont see the reason for having two rider units both with siege attacks but one having the bloodlust spell and the other having nothing when you can much more easily leave only one and make the bloodlust spell an researchable upgrade.
Lack of towers to be build in the second phase of the mission is kinda offputting
The spearmen and warrior choice i dont understand the spearmen cost as much as the warrior has less damage same armour same supply limit slightly less damage but the same damage type. The shaman and spirit walker both having access to bloodlust spell seems overkill imo.
Regarding the heros kits i would say using vanilla spells isnt bad it might be bland but nothing wrong with that. The chosen skill set is actually good if you actually chose to skill warstomp and crit strike and ignore windwalk.

The fire also has a neat skillset.

Now unto some bugs i found (Keep in mind i played this on 1.29 ver as opposed to 1.30 as suggested so maybe what i am seeing the others on 1.30 aren't)
View attachment 451313I get it this isn't supposed to be seen since its in on an inaccesable area but still having tauren chieftain on a lizard folk its weird.


View attachment 451314 A small typo through

View attachment 451315 The read clouds have healthbars.



View attachment 451316 The spirit walker also has the tauren label.


View attachment 451318 It says it requiers two temple halls but it only needs one.



View attachment 451319 And the last one despite upgrading my town hall i cannot research my tier 3 upg for my spirit walkers.
Thanks for reporting those. I was aware of the tech issues. But the Tauren I sadly missed.

The Bronze models are from all over hive and yeah there arent any big "arabian" sets out there. The Ruhn models were too good to pass up tho.
The Lizard models are from @Gluma and I would guess that they are inspired from Warhammer fantasy but I dont know.
The first mission doesnt provide all the tech tree upgardes jet that make the different units unique. But theres 2 sub factions comming to the Exxen that make use of the models that you see in the first map. The plan is to make the player be able to choose the factions in future missions.
The Tech issues have been fixed in the newest (unreleased) version but most of these maps need overall fixing.
Good news is that @DjSSPECTRE has joined the team as a tester and (do to my lacking writing skills) as a proof reader among other things.
The blood clounds and such are only cinematic space and the upper part isnt explorable anymore (the stealth segment made the mission way too long).

Im working on the next mission to test AIs before adding better ones to the second mission aswell but after that I might redesign most of the first map, to make it less.......shit.

But thank you for playing anyways. If you still want to play the rest and find any bugs/things that annoy you, dont hesitate to tell me.
 
Level 4
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
19
So, my dear friend! I played this campaign and I can say that I really enjoyed it! I like the idea of "backstory" before the main events. How did the kingdom of dragons begin to collapse, the mysterious and last Arkain man, who has ulterior motives and is followed by lizards due to the fact that he is an Arkain? That they were witnesses of his power and miracle? That lizards are a race that follows balance and are subsequently the secret servants of dragons, proving their loyalty to them in protecting them from the gaze of people? I like the lizard models, I saw them in the custom game "Survive in Chaos", where is the Saurok race. Unfortunately, I’m not a modder and I don’t know how to create maps, but if I wanted, I would love to see cool lizards in many maps and especially in epic campaigns.

I would love to see more of the back story to this campaign and OH MY GOD why so fast? Two missions (not counting the interlude) are very few, I wish for MORE! It will be very cool if Shar Dundred will connect to your idea, as the True Story of Arkain's books comes closer to the end. It will be cool if we see more updates and progress in the campaign, where instead of 6 (presumably) missions there will be more than 30-35. Your idea is amazing, I played with complete pleasure and I’m looking forward to your other parts or new products and modifications with surprises and twists of events)))
Now about the game, balance and other topics that I found. Just my opinion, maybe this will help))

1. Units. They are cool, amazing, everything I saw in Survive Chaos. The only thing I would add is more variety of units. If you play Survive Chaos or similar maps where you can see similar models of lizards, then this will improve the gameplay for new strategies. Perhaps the first mission contains an “introduction” to the race, but in general it’s nice to see a cool composition of the diversity of lizards, like in Warhammer, for example. Plus or minus nagas who can be allies in naval battles.
2. Commander towers. As you already know, in the Books of Arkain you can choose one or another commander class with bonuses that can diversify the game and affect the plot of the game. This is not the case here, and I think it will be possible in the future)

3. I’ll probably start with mission 1.
3.1. As I understand it, you still haven’t fixed the bug related to the fact that Priests need to build a Temple twice. I really took the time to build a second temple and upgrade to Tier 3, but it didn't happen. It was very difficult to heal units. The only thing he did was stupidly recruit soldiers and send them into the attack. It's strange that this mission didn't have the option to build towers. But the fact that the bug with the Priests upgrade still remains is a huge minus.
3.2. I REALLY liked Vaar's ability when he let out a fiery breath, pushing away enemies and causing damage. If there is an obstacle where the enemy is not pushed away, he takes unrealistic damage. A very good idea, considering how many warriors of the Bronze Empire attack in large numbers. With elephants this problem is solved perfectly.

4. Mission No. 2.
4.1. Razormanes are practically useless in this mission. For the most part, I played on my own and took the rap for EVERYONE. Of course, if you stop the caravan three times, you can use a tent, where you periodically send 5 pigs - 2 shooters, 2 warriors and 1 healer. And in my opinion this is a ridiculous help, since it was possible to add even more and there was an opportunity to buy some troops. For example, a leader, a shooter, or a warrior. And not just one doctor, where I bought it once and that’s it. The funny thing is that when you send pigs into battle, they go exactly to the main gate, and not to the purple or gray base, which are located next to your base. I had to cut them out myself.
4.2. When we move on to the second stage of the invasion of these nomans, here you are on your own. You are asked to visit the pig villages, where supposedly they will gather troops and attack. NOTHING LIKE THIS. I visited everything, but the razor manes did not attack. Because of this, it turns out that while the lizards were suffering and fighting, these pigs were just sitting and chilling (Sasrogarm would be proud of their politics). Just seriously - what's the point? This task is included as an option, but you don’t have to complete it; there are no rewards or actions and there won’t be any.
4.3. The Vaar base did nothing either. Maximum served as a watchtower to keep everyone out. She took the blow on herself. Maybe it was an idea, but as for me, if you participate, then act kindly.
4.4. I was confused that there is a gold mine where you can build an additional base for gold mining. But the stones cannot be broken, and there is no air transport
4.5. Quite strangely, in the campaign before the start they hint to us that we can use the harbor to use ships to invade the kingdom. But the idea was not implemented. Did you overlook it? After all, lizards can also build dams and it is easier to get to the green’s base, so that from there they can launch the next attack on the red one.
4.6. Respect for Kasrkin the bear, I laughed when I decided to open the card with a cheat code
4.7. Quests work well, but with a long delay. When one quest is completed and there is a long silence, I begin to worry that the game is bugged or that I did something out of order. It is activated immediately when you begin to destroy something or destroy your opponents.
4.8. I like finding cool artifacts and I think I could add more
4.9. There were times where in many palaces there were neutral units such as captives of lizards and quillmanes. In my opinion, it would be cool if you freed them and there was a massive army of slaves ready to tear everyone apart. And then there’s a scene where I practically killed the guards, the slaves were like “WOW SAVIORS!” and... that's it, you leave, and they remain in the bars. A funny "liberation" operation

5. Mission No. 3
5.1. In my opinion, the killer lizard (I forgot his name, let's just call him Assassin). In general, half of the mission is stealth. And a very cool stealth that made me think about how to spend mana correctly and wisely, when you need to leave, go around, and so on. At the very beginning of the game, the Assassin is very hungry for mana. I would have criticized this, but then I thought that this was a good level where you need to sweat and think logically. I managed this three times while wandering around the city (it's big!). The most likely criticism here is that I consider the ability to summon shadows to be useless. I practically used a maximum of 4 times and relied on invisibility and a shadow Shuriken pumped up to lvl 3.
I think that instead of summoning these shadows, add Evasion, which allows you to dodge all attacks with a chance and reduce the magic damage received (Assassin as Amari shadow follower Brian). Evasion + passive crit (helped me out many times!) + found Pickaxe with a stun = a magnificent unkillable assassin monster!
5.2. There was a funny, but small bug, where after the escape of a huge golem, not all units teleport behind a pile of stones. I left some of the warriors behind a distant closed gate (I specially sacrificed it so that the golem would waste time on them while I ran past the gnomes and undead). There was a bug that even behind the rubble, the red Sorcerer ended up next to the golem and it was necessary to carefully bring him and the Assassin first to the passage. One of the warriors actually got stuck in the rocks))
5.3. In my opinion, lvl 10 Mountain King against a level 5 Assassin together with 5 or at best 13 warriors is too strong. He instantly killed everyone, and with the ult and his Bash, my chances are reduced to zero. The only thing I did was throw him Shuriken and suddenly go invisible to hit him with Stormbolt

And it's all! If you are reading, I will be glad to receive your feedback! I look forward to your updates! Please don't give up, I see your campaign is a fresh exclusive! :goblin_yeah:
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
So, my dear friend! I played this campaign and I can say that I really enjoyed it! I like the idea of "backstory" before the main events. How did the kingdom of dragons begin to collapse, the mysterious and last Arkain man, who has ulterior motives and is followed by lizards due to the fact that he is an Arkain? That they were witnesses of his power and miracle? That lizards are a race that follows balance and are subsequently the secret servants of dragons, proving their loyalty to them in protecting them from the gaze of people? I like the lizard models, I saw them in the custom game "Survive in Chaos", where is the Saurok race. Unfortunately, I’m not a modder and I don’t know how to create maps, but if I wanted, I would love to see cool lizards in many maps and especially in epic campaigns.

I would love to see more of the back story to this campaign and OH MY GOD why so fast? Two missions (not counting the interlude) are very few, I wish for MORE! It will be very cool if Shar Dundred will connect to your idea, as the True Story of Arkain's books comes closer to the end. It will be cool if we see more updates and progress in the campaign, where instead of 6 (presumably) missions there will be more than 30-35. Your idea is amazing, I played with complete pleasure and I’m looking forward to your other parts or new products and modifications with surprises and twists of events)))
Now about the game, balance and other topics that I found. Just my opinion, maybe this will help))

1. Units. They are cool, amazing, everything I saw in Survive Chaos. The only thing I would add is more variety of units. If you play Survive Chaos or similar maps where you can see similar models of lizards, then this will improve the gameplay for new strategies. Perhaps the first mission contains an “introduction” to the race, but in general it’s nice to see a cool composition of the diversity of lizards, like in Warhammer, for example. Plus or minus nagas who can be allies in naval battles.
2. Commander towers. As you already know, in the Books of Arkain you can choose one or another commander class with bonuses that can diversify the game and affect the plot of the game. This is not the case here, and I think it will be possible in the future)

3. I’ll probably start with mission 1.
3.1. As I understand it, you still haven’t fixed the bug related to the fact that Priests need to build a Temple twice. I really took the time to build a second temple and upgrade to Tier 3, but it didn't happen. It was very difficult to heal units. The only thing he did was stupidly recruit soldiers and send them into the attack. It's strange that this mission didn't have the option to build towers. But the fact that the bug with the Priests upgrade still remains is a huge minus.
3.2. I REALLY liked Vaar's ability when he let out a fiery breath, pushing away enemies and causing damage. If there is an obstacle where the enemy is not pushed away, he takes unrealistic damage. A very good idea, considering how many warriors of the Bronze Empire attack in large numbers. With elephants this problem is solved perfectly.

4. Mission No. 2.
4.1. Razormanes are practically useless in this mission. For the most part, I played on my own and took the rap for EVERYONE. Of course, if you stop the caravan three times, you can use a tent, where you periodically send 5 pigs - 2 shooters, 2 warriors and 1 healer. And in my opinion this is a ridiculous help, since it was possible to add even more and there was an opportunity to buy some troops. For example, a leader, a shooter, or a warrior. And not just one doctor, where I bought it once and that’s it. The funny thing is that when you send pigs into battle, they go exactly to the main gate, and not to the purple or gray base, which are located next to your base. I had to cut them out myself.
4.2. When we move on to the second stage of the invasion of these nomans, here you are on your own. You are asked to visit the pig villages, where supposedly they will gather troops and attack. NOTHING LIKE THIS. I visited everything, but the razor manes did not attack. Because of this, it turns out that while the lizards were suffering and fighting, these pigs were just sitting and chilling (Sasrogarm would be proud of their politics). Just seriously - what's the point? This task is included as an option, but you don’t have to complete it; there are no rewards or actions and there won’t be any.
4.3. The Vaar base did nothing either. Maximum served as a watchtower to keep everyone out. She took the blow on herself. Maybe it was an idea, but as for me, if you participate, then act kindly.
4.4. I was confused that there is a gold mine where you can build an additional base for gold mining. But the stones cannot be broken, and there is no air transport
4.5. Quite strangely, in the campaign before the start they hint to us that we can use the harbor to use ships to invade the kingdom. But the idea was not implemented. Did you overlook it? After all, lizards can also build dams and it is easier to get to the green’s base, so that from there they can launch the next attack on the red one.
4.6. Respect for Kasrkin the bear, I laughed when I decided to open the card with a cheat code
4.7. Quests work well, but with a long delay. When one quest is completed and there is a long silence, I begin to worry that the game is bugged or that I did something out of order. It is activated immediately when you begin to destroy something or destroy your opponents.
4.8. I like finding cool artifacts and I think I could add more
4.9. There were times where in many palaces there were neutral units such as captives of lizards and quillmanes. In my opinion, it would be cool if you freed them and there was a massive army of slaves ready to tear everyone apart. And then there’s a scene where I practically killed the guards, the slaves were like “WOW SAVIORS!” and... that's it, you leave, and they remain in the bars. A funny "liberation" operation

5. Mission No. 3
5.1. In my opinion, the killer lizard (I forgot his name, let's just call him Assassin). In general, half of the mission is stealth. And a very cool stealth that made me think about how to spend mana correctly and wisely, when you need to leave, go around, and so on. At the very beginning of the game, the Assassin is very hungry for mana. I would have criticized this, but then I thought that this was a good level where you need to sweat and think logically. I managed this three times while wandering around the city (it's big!). The most likely criticism here is that I consider the ability to summon shadows to be useless. I practically used a maximum of 4 times and relied on invisibility and a shadow Shuriken pumped up to lvl 3.
I think that instead of summoning these shadows, add Evasion, which allows you to dodge all attacks with a chance and reduce the magic damage received (Assassin as Amari shadow follower Brian). Evasion + passive crit (helped me out many times!) + found Pickaxe with a stun = a magnificent unkillable assassin monster!
5.2. There was a funny, but small bug, where after the escape of a huge golem, not all units teleport behind a pile of stones. I left some of the warriors behind a distant closed gate (I specially sacrificed it so that the golem would waste time on them while I ran past the gnomes and undead). There was a bug that even behind the rubble, the red Sorcerer ended up next to the golem and it was necessary to carefully bring him and the Assassin first to the passage. One of the warriors actually got stuck in the rocks))
5.3. In my opinion, lvl 10 Mountain King against a level 5 Assassin together with 5 or at best 13 warriors is too strong. He instantly killed everyone, and with the ult and his Bash, my chances are reduced to zero. The only thing I did was throw him Shuriken and suddenly go invisible to hit him with Stormbolt

And it's all! If you are reading, I will be glad to receive your feedback! I look forward to your updates! Please don't give up, I see your campaign is a fresh exclusive! :goblin_yeah:
Thanks a ton for the kind words and your feedback!

Im sad to say that I had alot of stress the past 2 months and I needed to focus mainly on my Unreal engine job. Learned alot about coding logic in general and with the help of @raypack and the last puzzle piece from @Shar Dundred I finally got AI to work in the newest map.... and then did nothing for weeks.
Yesterday I finally picked it up again tho. The next update will take longer tho since I promised that It would include Campaign AI in Empyra falls.

As for the bugs/problems:
3.1: Thanks for reporting that. I thought it fixed but I must have not saved it.
3.2: Oh god the "unrealistic damage" has me worried, is it insta killing enemys?
4.1: Yeah razormains were meant to have their own base behind the rocks. AI knowlage was not enough tho so I didnt add them in. Will be in the next version with more units unlocking/attacks getting stronger for them, when the player finds the camps. Currently the camps only add more units to the spawnable attack.
4.2: They will soon be more useful but theyll remain "static" and only make your allys attack stronger.
4.3: Yeah Vaar plays russian rulette with the player. The bad meele AI sometimes decides to attack and sometimes does nothing. Will be fixxed in the next version.
4.4: Soon itll be an allys base.
4.5: I was feeling pretty low when my AI plans faild so I got the city done as soon as I could and delivered a bad city fight experience. That has now changed. Empyra gets bigger and the ships will make the choke-points a tactical option for the player instead of a nightmare.
4.6: Yeah @Kasrkin did alot of testing and I wanted to honor him in some way. Feel a bit bad tho since he tested maps that were unfinished one to many times. Also a reason why this demo exists. Now I can torture all of you guys with unfinished maps and get feedback.
4.7: Ok since youre the 3rd person telling me this ill finally lower the timer till the next objective triggers.
4.8: Really have a problem with them since theres too much already. Should have spread them out more and future missions will make finding unique items more unique.
4.9: Originally that was the plan but I scrapped the "Desert Lizard" faction do to a lack of models. With @Gluma making more lizard models tho, I might get around to them. Will need some civilian Exxen in the future so I get back to them once I find someone who can make low poly textures. Its something Im incredably bad at.
5.1: Wanted to make a hero that had more active abilitys and since hes one of the (soon to be) 4 Exxen that got imbued with the scooped up power of "the four", I though giving him the shadows was the right choise in a narrative way and a gameplay one. The Shadows get kinda op on the 3rd level so next mission you might have the oppotunity to use that.
5.3: Noted. The shadows made the fight easyer but I might need to tone it down. Will decrese by 2 levels and take his ult. Should do the trick.

All points were or are now on the fixing list. Thanks again for playing.

Oh and if you want to get into map making please tell me. Theres 3 people so far that want to make maps in the future and I migh just hop into some community discord channel and stream/help out if theres interest.
 
Level 4
Joined
Jan 22, 2019
Messages
19
Thanks a ton for the kind words and your feedback!
Great, I'm looking forward to it! Because your campaign impressed me VERY much and I want to play for the lizards longer! I'm looking forward to new chapters! I see great potential in this campaign both for development and for developing the backstory of the Books of Arcane themselves.
And further. No matter how bad your life is, no matter how stressed you are, you are a wonderful and good person. And you deserve better! And especially for myself. You will cope with everything, you just need to slowly, over time, “heal your wound” and be distracted by other matters and topics. This should help, trust me.

Regarding the rest, I will try to answer you in order.
3.1. Unfortunately no, the bug is still there. Here you need to check whether you saved the correction correctly, since a lot of time has passed.
3.2. No, no, not an instant kill! More like increased damage! For example, an elephant goes to attack the hero, he shoots a flame and pushes the elephant away. His ability does normal damage based on its description. BUT! If the elephant is close to trees, as if they are acting as an obstacle, and Vaar's Fire Breath cannot (of course) push through the trees, then the animal takes even more damage, about 2x in my observations. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but I personally think it’s an interesting idea and it does it in an original way. It's like being trapped and completely caught in the middle of a volley of fire. This also works great against a huge number of enemies, where you try to surround them, pin them to the trees and start burning everyone like a Byzantine Boat

4.1. - 4.2. - Yes, definitely try to add them, since so far they are in the campaign purely for the sake of beauty and pathos. There are 5 times more warriors of the Bronze Empire.
OH! I forgot to add something! You shouldn't have removed the Shamans in the second mission. The fact is that the Empire has magicians with polymorph, slowdown and Cripple, and it is extremely difficult to resist these negative buffs. Shamans, with the help of Purification, could greatly help in this situation and at the same time reduce the time of completing the mission itself.
4.5. - The more Empire, the more robbery. I like it puts on Viking helmet and grabs ale

5.1. - Got you, maybe they will be useful in future missions. I was still thinking based on the last chapter and thought that the shadows seemed to be “useless” to me. How about the fact that the Assassin is a follower of one of those “great four”, logically yes, shadows have a place
By the way. If the Assassin has the passive ability Crit, then it’s also an option with other heroes to add more passive abilities or special abilities in addition to the abilities that we level up at the level. Terrek doesn't have any additional ability, but I think it's great and made the game easier and more fun. Because the story is about ancient lizards who have a lot of potential and hidden skills. + it might be a good idea if, after saving the dragon queen, the lizards received special abilities from the dragons, and in return swore an oath to protect the line of black dragons until their last breath. After all, lizards are not pathetic little people, right? ;)
5.3. - Well, I didn’t try to attack the Mountain King with lvl 3 shadows, but here they may be useless. The king is lvl 10 => he has a lvl 3 Klap. Boom and the units don’t have 50-60% HP, but the hero still has enough mana, plus an ult. Therefore, I had to throw (sorry for the tautology) Shuriken and wait for Stormbolt while leaving for Inviz.

As for your proposal, I will definitely think about it. I dreamed of creating maps, but the last time I sat in the Editor was 10 years ago and I almost forgot all the skills. I need to practice first. You need a person with experienced hands, not an amateur, so I’ll start with myself first. As soon as I’m sure that I can figure it out, I’ll click on you with a letter, like Gandalf on a white horse, ahahahahaha :infl_thumbs_up:
 
Level 8
Joined
Mar 15, 2023
Messages
28
Hey, @General Frank
I just changed the texture of one of your models to fit with the other ones in my campagin.
Just wanted to know of thats ok with you?

Hey, @Gluma
I changed some of your Lizardmen models to have variations for my campagin.
I have a few of them in the currently uploaded version. In my next update there will be even more and now I relized that I never asked if thats ok with you?
If not then I can remove the models already in the campagin.
 

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