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Dark Ages Zombie Incursion 1.45.1

Dark Ages: Zombie Incursion (DAZI)

DAZI_banner.png

About:
Dark Ages: Zombie Incursion (DAZI for short) is an assymetrical PvP assault/defense map. Goal of the map is for the 2 undead players to destroy a team of 10 human players tasked to defend their lands for 1 hour.

• This project was inspired by maps such as M.Z.I/MZA with my own take on the genre.
• An intended game of DAZI will require a fullhouse (12 players, for the 10 vs 2).
• The game's learning curve might seem steep at first but the general game rules are simple and unchanging, which allows new players to quickly learn the ropes while leaving a lot of room for improvement.


Alliance:
Human team consists of 10 players, each leading a unique faction and are expected to cooperate together to achieve a victory. They all have a choice of unique, non-revivable heroes to help them with that, alongside special faction specific units.

Your lands are under the assault from a terrifying foe, which cannot be stopped. Emerged in great numbers, from seemingly nowhere, the undead grow in numbers and strength by the minute. How long can you hold out for?


Eaglehaven - biggest city in the region, with all the riches but also rags that come with it. They control the great wall of Bulwark, once a ward against the barbarian tribes, now against the hordes of more bloodthirsty kind. Should those defenses fall - and they will - prepare to fight for the city. Will you protect the poor, or enclose yourself in seemingly safe city walls?

Hero choice: King of Eaglehaven or Palace Guard Captain
Special units: Guardsmen - stronger than your usual conscripts, those are the common folk ready to defend their home, with basic training and gear.
Palace Guards - elite force, bodyguards of nobles and royal family, those polearm-wielding warriors wreak havoc from second lines with ease.


Image of Eaglehaven's richer part of the city.
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Image of poor district outside the main city walls.
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Image of Bulwark wall - frontline defenses.
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Ithoria - coming from a foreign empire, your troops are here to aid your allies against upcoming threat. You don't have a main foothold in the region, but your outposts are located in strategic settlements and at the fronts. If they fall, you all do, so cooperate with them and know when to fight and when to fall back.
Hero choice: General of Ithoria or Prince of Ithoria
Special units: Ithorian Footman - better geared, more experienced soldier from an empire with long-lasting military traditions.
Ithorian Veteran Footman - a grizzled veteran, more capable than Ithorian Footman.
Ithorian Grandmaster - a soldier that has earned a rank of a grandmaster has seen many campaigns and slain uncountable amounts of foes.


Image of main Ithorian camp.
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Image of Ithorian outpost.
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Guild of Mages - most of wizards, sorcerers and all other kinds of magic-users gather under the Guild's banners in this part of the world. Highest level of education, widespread teleportation system and prestige are only few of the reasons of why the Guild is so powerful. What they lack in brawns, those mages make up for in firepower, utility spellcasts and omnipresence. Sanctums and their accompanying vaults are located in every bigger city or fortress and usually guarded by golems.
Use your versatile casters to neutralize threats and decide - will you protect the famous Shifting Spire or the cities?


Hero choice: Guardian of Spire or Archmage

Special units: All of your units are unique - there are no ordinary footmen under your command. Guardian Golems, Adepts, Sorceress', Magical Wagons, Mage Guards, High Mages and Arcane Sentinels cannot be trained by anyone else. Use them wisely.



Image of main headquarters of the Guild.
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Image of one of many sanctum outposts.
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Emberwood - city erected on a mountain, located in a northern side of the region, with many farmlands and villages located below. Those fertile lands allow Emberwood to field a sizable cavalry unit. Initially, a fortified river ford is where defenses are laid out, but should it come to worst, stronger footholds are available on the mountain climb and Heirloom river.

Hero choice: Lord of Emberwood or Emberwood General
Special units: Light Cavalry - troops made for rapid response, should a need arise or enemy bypasses the frontlines somehow. Excellent shock troops.
Heavy cavalry - immovable bastions, those ironclad knights will stand their ground no matter what, with horses armoured just as heavily. They are respected even amongst their enemies.


Image of Emberwood's mountain city.
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Image of farmlands of Emberfield.
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Order of the Dawn - devout followers of the Light. An order of both religious and military origins, they guard Sanctum of Light and its' Sacred Source. They spread their faith with priests travelling the lands and templars helping peacekeep and aid the kingdoms against outside threats. Their goal is to keep the flame of hope burning high and eradicate the monstrosities of shadows with Light. Recently, however, some unknown crypts have been discovered south of their headquarters...
Hero choice: High Templar or High Priestess
Special units: Templar Initiate - lower rank templar, capable of blessing allies and holding the frontline.
Templar Knight - high-ranked templars, capable of not only blessing but revitalizing allies to fight longer.
High Priest - highest ranking officials in the order, unparalleled healers, capable of even reviving fallen allies. With their abilities and faith, nothing is impossible.



Image of Sanctum of Light.
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Image of order's outpost at Eaglehaven.
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Dwarves of Irongarde - humans are not the only ones inhabiting these lands and anyone travelling to the mountains in the west can see it for themself. These proud dwarves combine tradition and runic magic with advanced technological improvements to create an impressive fortress. Workshops, gold mines and spacious halls are all found in this domain. Soon, the undead hordes will find out how Irongarde earned its' name.

Hero choice: Mountain King or Elder Rune Mage
Special units: Runic Battle Mage - dwarven magic user, using runes for offense and defense alike, can burn down hordes of enemies with ease.
Sharpshooter - skilled soldiers, equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to shoot enemies from a distance. However, do not be deceived as they can be just as deadly at melee combat, should the situation require it.
Dwarven Catapult - unique machine launching giant rocks, ready to squash any target unfortunate to stand in its' line of sight.
War Golem - giant, towering golems ready to go toe-to-toe with any abominations thrown at them. It takes incredible amounts of strength to destroy those contraptions.


Image of Snowmelt village.
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Image of inside of Irongarde.
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Pearlcoast - a rich port city, ruled by a ruthless lord. It's citizens are fortunate enough that it's located far away from the frontline, however with every day the threat of undead hordes looms closer. To protect its' interests, the Pearlcoast leader will have to send the troops to aid the allies. Or perhaps the illusion of safety from within inner fortress walls is enough to guarantee his safety?

Hero choice: Tyrant of Pearlcoast or Fleet Admiral
Special units: Hired Thug - it's not easy keeping peace when every peasant could be a potential revolutionary. Fortunately, hired muscle is easy to find - evasive and strong, they can stand their ground.
Bodyguard - experienced soldiers, with best equipment that money can get. Heavy armour does not hinder them - their precision and strength is unmatched in close combat.

Image of Pearlcoast's inner fortress.
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Image of Pearlcoast's poor districts and outskirts.
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Mercenaries - a group of loosely organised warriors looking to earn some money. No land is under their control and their numbers aren't big - however their unique skills can tip the scales in favour of whoever they support. These heroic mercs aren't afraid of fighting and should always be on the lookout for allies in need and great foes to slay.

Hero choice: Shrouded Hunter or Spirit Guardian
Special units: Ranger, Barbarian, Druid, Arcanist, Magi, Priest, Mortar Team and so on. Each mercenary is unique and has its' own strengths. Decide wisely which ones you need and hire them!

Image of hideout and mercenary camp.

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Legion of Nightfall - order created to patrol the borders, maintain strongholds and fight the invaders against the kingdom - with fortress to the east and controlling part of the Bulwark on their own. Even though the threat has changed to an unusual one and of sinister origins, the legion's purpose remains unchanged and they will valiantly stand at the borders of the kingdom, guarding the humanity they swore to protect.

Hero choice: Commander of Nightfall Legion or Gray Watcher
Special units: Nigthfall Footman - geared better and trained longer those footmen are usually also more experienced than their regular counterparts.
Nightfall Archer - marksmen with more experience and training than common army archers.
Manticore - a machine shooting multiple iron bolts at once, capable of dealing heavy damage to multiple enemies at once, basically impaling them with the missiles.


Image of Nightfall's inner fortress.
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Image of Bulwark side controlled by Nightfall Legion.
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Lakeburgh - technically advanced but isolationist city located on an island. Gunpowder technology from dwarves and control over the surrounding river and lake allowed it to stay somewhat independant. Undead threat looms close but the barricades have already been raised. Should the initial front get overwhelmed, the city itself should be safe, with only a single bridge leading into this stronghold secured by cannon towers. Until then, the trade shall continue and enrich the city.

Hero choice: Iron Vanguard of Lakeburgh or Lakeburgh Engineers
Special units: Elite Spearman - these elite troops combine the deadliness of pikemen with strength of a footmen, capable of inflicting great wounds upon their opponents while remaining protected by the armour and shields.
Rifleman - marksmen highly proficient with modified dwarven rifles, can fire at the opponents with great accuracy. Capable of punishing intruders from the safety of city walls and towers.



Image of city of Lakeburgh.
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Image of Lakeburgh's trading outpost.
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Undead:
Undead team consists of 2 players, each leading identical zombie horde. They share upgrades and benefit from cooperating with each other, communication is key. They get a choice of unique, revivable hero to help them break through the resistance - with cunning spells, control over the battlefield or pure brute force. They have an hour to destroy 8 main human buildings in order to succeed.

These lands are soon to be yours, you cannot be stopped. Humans bravely stand against you, but deep down you know how futile that is. How fast can you break them?



Hordes of Undead - you are death. You are the flood that will come and wipe out the pathetic pest calling itself humanity. You start off weak - but soon will evolve. The more you kill, the faster you will be able to advance into the human territory. As time passes, you will also be able to utilize deadly and cunning events to bypass defenses, start chaos and wreck havoc between the humans. Normal risen corpses aren't your only tool either - many horrors will gladly help you destroy anything bold to oppose you.

Hero choice: One for each player, cannot have two of the same. One more for each player once Dark Crypts in the middle of the map have been destroyed.
Death Knight, Lich, Dreadlord, Elder Dreadlord, Dark Templar, Grimbasher and Life Consumer.


Special units: Spiderling - quick creature that can pin down opponents.
Dreadguard - extremely dangerous creature of demonic origins, can cut down elite soldiers and heroes as easily as knife does butter.

Abomination - heavy and big unit, whose only weakness is magic. Damages multiple enemies at once and can endure a lot of damage.
Damned Spirit - animated skeleton in enchanted armour, specialized in slaughtering mages.
Mutated Wolf - demonic animal disrupting from afar.
Shade - invulnerable spirit aiding the undead.
Gargantuan Zombie - pinnacle of evolution, these nightmarish creatures wipe out dozens of troops with a couple of hits. Legendary strength and tenacity.

Events - infect ships, civilians or whole cities. Break solid rock and raise dead. Enshroud the land in nightmarish fog. Creativity and timely use of the events alongside precise assault shall bring you victory.

Image of undead starting location.
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Image of undead starting location.
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ver. 1.45
General:
Removed difficulty votes (-easy, -medium, -hard). In the hundreads of games I have played, these commands have mostly been used as a BM tool and rarely served the intended balancing function. Moreover, the game is at the development stage where those crutches shouldnt be necessary, provided both teams are at a similar skill level.
New patreons have been credited and their critters added.

Human:
Ranged units now also get affected by demoralised debuff.

Red:
Entrance to red's main base reworked.

Blue:
Blue main camp terrain has been reworked.

Teal:
Teal main base chokepoints made wider.

Yellow:
Terrain changes to Yellow's crypts.
Terrrain changes to an outpost near light blule.
Yellow priestess hero absolution does not affect inorganic anymore.

Orange:
Small change inside orange base, pathway leading from south.
Gold mine gold amount decreased from 7000 to 6000. Mining station moved slightly further away.
Runic Battle Mage runic defense damage reduced decreased from 50% to 35%.

Green:
Adjusted placement of two guard towers in front of the gate.
Light Blue:
Rework of light blue's initial choke (again).

Undead:
Fixed a bug where Life Consumer would receive less health than intended after reaching level2 of his ultimate.
Passive gold income every 5 minute increased from 750g each to 850g each.
Infected Claws gold cost decreased from 1500 to 1400.
Mutated Wolf and Hound of War gold cost decreased from 250g to 150g.
Shade movement speed increased from 250 to 280.
Spiderling health increased from 2000 to 2500.
Scroll of the Unholy Fog gold cost decreased from 50g to 40g.
New unit added for the undead frigate - skeletal buccaneer.
Infest, Disease, Ship, Flank and Ambush event names are now colour coded to easier distinguish between them at a glance.
Attack range of mutated wolf/hound, abomination and gargantuan lowered to avoid them attacking up the walls.
Extra crypts added south of bulwark.


1.45.1 hotfix
Terrain hotfixes at teal/orange, some changes to red's three chokes, wall added at purple's village. Fixed hotkey of skeletal buccaneer, tooltip of runic defense, missing water pathway, fixed unit placement at purple/blue first choke.



Discord: Like the map? Join us on MZI/DAZI discord server! https://discord.gg/Aw9wfJy4KA



Patreon: Want to support the project? Check out my patreon! patreon.com/dazi




Chaos Warrior by Horn
Dwarven warrior by General Frank
BTNMountaineer by Norinrad
Dwarven Phalanx by Tranquil
Unholy Presence by Champara Bros
BTNRavage by 8512590215848
BTNMountedFootman by Lelling
Either or all of the following:
Footman Campaign by Jhotam_3Dcool&create
High Necromancer & Deathguard by A.R., PROXY
BTNUnholyPower by KelThuzad
Bandit Lord by Stefan.K
CrossbowFootman by Wandering Soul
BTNbloodpresence by Blizzard Entertainment, Kawaii Stain
Prisoner by The Weird Human
Flash by JetFangInferno
BTNLastWillAngel by JollyD
Breeland Militia (Lord of the Rings Online) by HerrDave
BTNFootmanHero by Scias
Khadgar_Young by Stefan.K
BTNArrowShower by The Panda
Monk by Tranquil
Dwarven Catapult by Tranquil
Singularity Vol. I by Vinz
BTNAllianceLionProtectShield by JollyD
Footman Hero by Flute, Stefan.K
Anduin Lothar by loktar
Dwarven Battlepriest by Tranquil
Dwarven axe thrower by General Frank
BTNShackle by KelThuzad
Vanguard by icewolf055
BTNBattlepriest by Norinrad
Arcane Familar/The Archivist by Direfury
Templar Knight by Direfury
TCCathedral by takakenji
Unstoppable by San
DwarvenShieldBreaker by Norinrad
Brutal Lord by Tarrasque
Gnome Dragonrider by Direfury
BTNCWDemonHunter by CloudWolf
BTNSpell_Holy_AshesToAshes by Blizzard Entertainment
Hero Geomancer by Tranquil
Rain of Fire Vol. III by Vinz
Death Guard by CloudWolf
Halberdier by Wandering Soul
Either or all of the following:
Dire Berserker by Direfury
bladewitch by Em!
BTNunholypresence by Blizzard Entertainment, Kawaii Stain
Pikeman by Wandering Soul
BTNBattleArmor by PrinceYaser
Manticore by Mechanical Man
BTNPD3WizMeditation by Palaslayer
BTN_PlatedFootman by Muoteck
Dreamhuntress(Bloodbr) by Redsteel1
Medieval Trebuchet by olofmoleman
Dark Soldier by Freddyk
Mountain Dwarf Runebreaker by Direfury
Demon Hunter by CloudWolf
RoyalFootman by HateCrew
Calia Menethil by kangyun
Blood Presence by Champara Bros
BTNfrostpresence by Blizzard Entertainment, Kawaii Stain
BTNCWArchmage by CloudWolf
Divine Edict by Vinz
DwarvenMountaineer by Norinrad
Elf Magi by Direfury
Watch Post by HerrDave
Templar Exemplar by Direfury
Frost Presence by Champara Bros
Barbarian by Terem
Ranger by HappyTauren
Farstrider Huntress by Himperion
Royal Archmage by CloudWolf
Dwarf Rifleman by Direfury
BTNGloryAura by PrinceYaser
Mine by Mike
HeroGlow by assasin_lord
Militia and Derivatives by Ujimasa Hojo
BTNPoisonArrows by DeathKnight
Warden Strike by Sun gate
BTNWarriorAura by PrinceYaser
Longbowman by wingednosering
Mounted Bandit by Wandering Soul
MountainGiant.blp by halo
Abomination by horusrogue
Ballista v1 by Kitabatake
Santa model by IanMclovin

Contents

Dark Ages Zombie Incursion 1.45.1 (Map)

DAZI Winter Edition 1.44 (Map)

Reviews
deepstrasz
A nice Strategy/Risk+Defense/Survival mix of a map suited for multiplayer only. Approved. If you want more reviews, you should participate in the The Grand Review Exchange! R U L E S Site Rules Map Submission Rules M A P - D E S C R I P T I O...

deepstrasz

Map Reviewer
Level 68
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
18,706
A nice Strategy/Risk+Defense/Survival mix of a map suited for multiplayer only.

Approved.


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

R U L E S

Site Rules
Map Submission Rules


M A P - D E S C R I P T I O N
BB CODES
BB Codes | HIVE

MELEE MAPS
Description Guide - Melee Maps
Describing Your Melee Map
Melee Map Description Generator v1.3


MAPS IN GENERAL
The importance of a Description
Description Guide - Maps
Map Thread Guide
Map Description Making: Good & Bad
Map Description - Templates
Map Description Generator [1.2]

How to Add a Screenshot to your Map Description


ADDITIONAL NECESSARY INFORMATION
  • A credits list in the map thread description is required where the names of the resource (models, skins, icons, spells, sound etc.) authors are mentioned along with the specific resource. It would be a luxury to have links leading to the used resources. Credits in the Quest Log would be appreciated too.
  • A detailed changelog in the first post would be helpful to reviewers and notify fans about the newest implementations to your map.
  • Map thread tags are important. Please use those that fit and not more or none.


M A P - C R E A T I O N - G U I D E S

If you're not satisfied with the review and wish another opinion, contact the other reviewers or use the staff contact:
https://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/staff-contact.692/
 
Level 4
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
16
A nice Strategy/Risk+Defense/Survival mix of a map suited for multiplayer only.

Approved.


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

R U L E S

Site Rules
Map Submission Rules


M A P - D E S C R I P T I O N
BB CODES
BB Codes | HIVE

MELEE MAPS
Description Guide - Melee Maps
Describing Your Melee Map
Melee Map Description Generator v1.3


MAPS IN GENERAL
The importance of a Description
Description Guide - Maps
Map Thread Guide
Map Description Making: Good & Bad
Map Description - Templates
Map Description Generator [1.2]

How to Add a Screenshot to your Map Description


ADDITIONAL NECESSARY INFORMATION
  • A credits list in the map thread description is required where the names of the resource (models, skins, icons, spells, sound etc.) authors are mentioned along with the specific resource. It would be a luxury to have links leading to the used resources. Credits in the Quest Log would be appreciated too.
  • A detailed changelog in the first post would be helpful to reviewers and notify fans about the newest implementations to your map.
  • Map thread tags are important. Please use those that fit and not more or none.


M A P - C R E A T I O N - G U I D E S

If you're not satisfied with the review and wish another opinion, contact the other reviewers or use the staff contact:
https://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/staff-contact.692/
Hello, thanks for the review. Can I ask why did you rate map 4/5? What is it missing for a 5/5? Thanks!
 
Level 4
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
16
Hello. There are numerous maps similar to this one and they are all based on the game's core gameplay mechanics with little to no custom ability scripting or battle mechanics.
Numerous similar maps - well, I believe that's what we call a genre so it feels weird to me you point it out as a fault. Perhaps in this case you can point me to a map with this core gameplay mechanic that has received a higher rating?
I'm not sure what kind of custom battle mechanics you would like to see however I'm ready to hear them. For no custom ability scripting - some abilities are scripted, however the reason many abilities look close to default ones is because I want players that have only played campaigns/melee to be able to ease into the game faster with familiar spells.
 
Last edited:
Level 4
Joined
Nov 24, 2016
Messages
16
Fun game but could use better explanations in F9 menu for events and basic gameplans for each faction.
Thanks for the review. You are somewhat meant to learn as you play as I personally think not many people like tutorials and so on. Every faction gets a short description at the start and the very basics are explained in F9. It's a PvP game so every game is different in terms of events and gameplans.
 
Level 1
Joined
Aug 31, 2023
Messages
1
This customized Warcraft III map definitely stands out to me. It's notable for achieving a commendable balance between the humans and undead factions, creating an accessible and enjoyable experience for players.
The gameplay caters to a broader audience, and the strong replay value ensures that each match is different and interesting.
The map is a solid choice for anyone looking for a consistently captivating gaming experience.
 
Level 2
Joined
Dec 14, 2023
Messages
4
I'm tired of playing TD, defense maps, and no longer want to see any maps that build walls to resist the enemy, DAZI did that, so appealing to me.
In just a few short months I've played this map almost 200 times, that's over 200 hours spent on this map, and I'd say guys, this map is really damn fun.
It has an extremely low barrier to viewing and getting started, humans vs zombies, simple as that.
But has a game mechanic rich in depth, with each color having its own thing to do and excellent numerical balance.
There is very little garbage time in games where both sides are evenly matched.
Instead of being AFK, tediously waiting for some event to happen, or repeating boring tasks, players can experience a whole hour of fun.
 
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