[Campaign] Lamentations of Azeroth: Part 0

[SENMON]

I have replayed this and find that in Chapter 1, if you clean the spider after completing the optional, the game will crash. I think the reason may be the enemy in the west. They belong to the enemy outpost.
And I think there is a thing that I want to mention, it is the VOLUME of the soldier. For example, you have 50 mages and you will see it is hard to control the team. In this campaign, an important combo is Heigan-Q & Vella-W, which means limitless skeleton and ghoul, then it will make the troop foolish.
So, it is a good idea to make the volume of your soldiers smaller, so the troop will be easy to control.(Example: Blood elf campaign by Sevenblood, in this campaign you will never see your troop jammed together)

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

I have replayed this and find that in Chapter 1, if you clean the spider after completing the optional, the game will crash. I think the reason may be the enemy in the west. They belong to the enemy outpost.
And I think there is a thing that I want to mention, it is the VOLUME of the soldier. For example, you have 50 mages and you will see it is hard to control the team. In this campaign, an important combo is Heigan-Q & Vella-W, which means limitless skeleton and ghoul, then it will make the troop foolish.
So, it is a good idea to make the volume of your soldiers smaller, so the troop will be easy to control.(Example: Blood elf campaign by Sevenblood, in this campaign you will never see your troop jammed together)

Thanks for report, I'll rewrite all AI script in chapter 01.
Was there any problem in the other chapter?
I don't understand what is that exactly meaning of for I have not played SevenBlood's BE Campaign yet, I'll take the time to play it.

If you're pointing out a whole unit command issue that included the normal, I can consider a compromise by lowering the total food cap from 200 to 150.
This direction will also help improve the optimization of the maps. The only downside is that my workload increases significantly. (At the highest difficulty, in current AIs' attackwave increase up to 180~200 foods, so I need to adjust it accordingly.)

Or if you're pointing out too many summoned units, umm, honestly, I'm not sure what point of view to approach with it.
As for Black Arrow, that might be a big problem. If we succeed in summoning a level 2 or higher dark minion, it has a possibility of the potential to multiply indefinitely without additional costs or risk.
If this is what you pointed out, I think I'll have to adjust the black arrow greatly.
(It's powerful even when I test it myself, but I felt uncomfortable in terms of control)

Necromancer is going to be the worst in this, but I don't think it's going to make a very big adjustment (probably). That's because it was like that in the official campaign, and I think that's the identity of the Necromancer.
I understand that summoned Skeleton Warriors are restricted to only handle up to 24 skeletal warriors in hard-coded but Skeletal Mages have no limit. That's why I removed the restrictions of summoned Skeleton Warriors.

 

[SENMON]

This means that a unit costs less space, so they won't be stuck, and unable to move.
And I think summoned units do not need to adjust because it is a very enjoyable gameplay style. If necessary, you can make the time of the skeleton shorter.
In my opinion, It is not necessary to control the maxfood. By the way, The Necromancer is indeed a terrible design (in this campaign), but I think there is no need to make any adjustments.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

I could understand what you mentioned a little bit for I am playing BE Revamp.
I guess this reduced collision size of units greatly, for especially the cheaper and weakling minions.

Reducing collision size of the summoned and Cult's tier 0 units, is certainly expected to reduce inconvenience in terms of micro-control.

 

[deepstrasz]

While that sort of unit cluttering is nice for some type of maps, for regular RTS, it's annoying since you can't properly target single units when they are swarmed like that.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

While that sort of unit cluttering is nice for some type of maps, for regular RTS, it's annoying since you can't properly target single units when they are swarmed like that.

Yeah. I agree with that, so I am going to make changes to them, but not massive changes.

Skeleton units collision sizes are 32, which is the same as the Ghoul and Footman. As they're weakling, I think it's appropriate to lower it to 16.

 

[SENMON]

May I ask if you can update the latest progress on your first page?
Changing the volume of a skeleton may lead to a drastic change in difficulty. When guiding other campaigns, I noticed that reducing the size would greatly reduce the difficulty of the attack.
Of course, I am not sure how this adjustment will perform in this battle. Because the enemy has a large number of AOE skills, this may cause this modification to have the opposite effect.
Additionally, in the new attempt, I tried using Tier 1 units from Crypt, but they were too weak.
Assassin's health and damage are not as good as Headhunter's, and their range and attack speed are also very poor (even when choosing two buffs from the talent tree).
The other unit is even worse, with 655 HP unable to resist the enemy's massive AOE skills.(I cannot win chapter 6 if I use crypt troops. Blood Mage and Alchemist are my nightmare. )
Essentially, during the process of attacking enemy bases, soldiers other than Meat Wagon are unable to cause much damage. Their biggest role is to quickly create Dark minions, making them endless. The most capable person for this task is the Skeleton Mage, as the enemy's tank units are all heavy armor. So, this led to the dominance of the Skeleton Mage.
Due to the huge gap in the strength of the enemy and our own troops, the choice of troops is not as important. In battles, the continuous advance of ghouls, Dark minions, and Meat Wagons is the source of over 90% of damage in team battles. If you choose to weaken the duration of Dark minions, I think it is necessary to strengthen the current troops in terms of data. For example, adjusting the troop data in Crypt to be consistent with Grunt and Berserker, and it will also avoid imbalance.
By the way, zombies can be directly deleted because this unit has no meaning in existence and can not reborn. If you want to save this unit, you can use it as a skill for certain buildings by summoning some temporary zombies.
Additionally, regarding necromancer, I have a great suggestion to change Unholy Frenze to automatic. I'm not sure if the current technology can achieve this, but it's a good direction for change.
Finally, slightly increasing the number of items on the map is also a good idea. Collecting all the items is a great pleasure in battles, but too strong equipment can affect balance. The current equipment strength is acceptable, but make more items is better. After the end of Chapter 7, my two heroes didn't even have 6 items.
The last question, are the two diaries and notes in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Easter eggs or hidden item?
Thanks for reading.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

May I ask if you can update the latest progress on your first page?

I finished development of chapter 11 and I wrote it on the main post.

First of all I have to apologize. The development is delayed and derailed a lot because I started playing WoW Cataclysm Classic.
But now that I've achieved part of goal in it, I can invest a lot of time developing map again.

Assassin's health and damage are not as good as Headhunter's, and their range and attack speed are also very poor (even when choosing two buffs from the talent tree).
The other unit is even worse, with 655 HP unable to resist the enemy's massive AOE skills.(I cannot win chapter 6 if I use crypt troops. Blood Mage and Alchemist are my nightmare. )

I downgraded their stats for considering the battle on the blight - in the case of the assassins, its concept is dragging the enemy's RDPS down to the level of the assassins with poisons. - I admit it was too much.

By the way, zombies can be directly deleted because this unit has no meaning in existence and can not reborn. If you want to save this unit, you can use it as a skill for certain buildings by summoning some temporary zombies.

I also acknowledge that there is no reason for zombies to exist to pre-place corpses even while spending resources.

Let me combine the ideas you mentioned with the ones I just came up with.

It is about adding the new ability to create a few temporary zombies to cultists and confessors. But all cultists and confessors - even the units that are trained new - share the cooldown of that ability.
(It'll be easier to understand if you have the experience with StarCraft 2, Latest multiplay version of Protoss, Nexus and Battery Overcharge.)
However, It's my first time trying this type, I may have a hard time during in development.

Finally, slightly increasing the number of items on the map is also a good idea. Collecting all the items is a great pleasure in battles, but too strong equipment can affect balance. The current equipment strength is acceptable, but make more items is better. After the end of Chapter 7, my two heroes didn't even have 6 items.
The last question, are the two diaries and notes in Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 Easter eggs or hidden item?

The reason I didn't place many items on one map was to prevent the heroes from becoming overly strong.

In campaign design and plan, heroes can achieve up to 25 levels, with up to 3 levels of Ultimate, 5 levels of general abilities, and 5 levels of bonus stats.

Also, the rough storyboard I written is planning up to at least Chapter 18.
I thought it was necessary to adjust the hero to do not become too strong.

Letters from the early chapter were written to supplement LoA's background story.

Spoiler: little stories

These explain why Scourge manipulate some living human as a peasants and servants instead of killing them all, and why Sylvanas has living human bandits and rogues under her wing too.

But this storytelling method is abandoned. (But it might be used again later.)

 

[SENMON]

Actually, I really like this campaign, and it's enough that you are still working on it.
Have you already modified the collision volume of tier 0 units? I really want to play the version after modification, because it will be a new enjoyable play for me.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

Actually, I really like this campaign, and it's enough that you are still working on it.
Have you already modified the collision volume of tier 0 units? I really want to play the version after modification, because it will be a new enjoyable play for me.

Yes.
If you want, I'll work and check the confessor's new ability first, and then I'll give you another demo including Chapter 11.

 

[SENMON]

Yes.
If you want, I'll work and check the confessor's new ability first, and then I'll give you another demo including Chapter 11.

Yeah, of course.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

Demo version included Chapter 11 is updated.

Common:
Skeletal Mages
- Base Damage is decreased to 9 from 10.
Skeletal Warriors, Archer, Mages, Zombie
- Collision size is decreased to 16 from 31.

Cult
Zombie
- Zombie is no longer trained at Warehouse
Assassin:

• In Switching Stance, attack damage penalty is increased to 40% from 33%.
• In Switching Stance, Poison's attack speed reduction is increased to 71% from 61%.
• HP is increased to 360 from 355.
• Damage Base is increased to 25 from 23.

Fanatic:

• HP is increased to 665 from 655.
• In Switching Stance, attack damage bonus rate is increased to 26% from 17%
• In Switching Stance, armor penalty is increaed to 3 from 2.

Cultist and Confessor:
- New ability; can summon zombies in the target area. it costs corpses, or caster's hp. Cooldown for 180s.
It has global cooldown, so all Cultists and Confessors shares its cooldown same - even that trained afterwards -.

Talent
Cult
- Defensive Structures A, Abandoned Guard Tower's attack speed reduction rate is increased to 49% from 44%

CPUs
Retribution Paladin(Crusader)
- Cooldown and mana cost of its smash ability is increased.

 

[SENMON]

Already played all 11 maps.
I think it is necessary for adding a tip when bosses used high damage abilities in Chapter 10.
I think abomination buff is not useful as their attack speed is too low. My advice is: "produce 4 zombies when die"-4points or "Double the speed of eating corpses"-3points
Delete dark minions‘ abilities is not a good idea, because it will make her X inuseful. So, I think Z-C is a good strategy for dark ranger.
Lower collision for tier 0 units is very good. Consider enemies' AoE will cause more damage, the difficulty about c6 is even harder, but the troop is easier to control.
The nurf of mage don't have a big influence, as it is still the best option for killing heavy armor units.
Allies AI in C8 can have a modification, because now it's too silly.
I think a victory point permantly belonging to naga can add to C9, because now it's too easy.
I think in chapter 11, when time is 2 mins left, can add a huge troop using triggers to make the condition more crazy. Now if you play good, there is no pressure in C11.
My video about this campaign: 懒懒莫Tomato的个人空间-懒懒莫Tomato个人主页-哔哩哔哩视频

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

I think it is necessary for adding a tip when bosses used high damage abilities in Chapter 10.

I will work for that hints are printed when allies are wiped out by each boss's deadly ability.

I think abomination buff is not useful as their attack speed is too low. My advice is: "produce 4 zombies when die"-4points or "Double the speed of eating corpses"-3points

Abomination's talent build is purely based on my taste.
What I felt when I watched the multiplayer games of Undead before was that there were no top tier unit rosters to use as a mainline. Guo Zixiang "120" and Dmitry Kostin "Happy" also used only Ghoul, Statue, and Destroyer as the main.
So I gave Abomination talents that could be powerful without losing power even if we train them a lot.

Delete dark minions‘ abilities is not a good idea, because it will make her X inuseful. So, I think Z-C is a good strategy for dark ranger.

I remember I weakened their proliferation but improved Black Arrow's further attack damage. Of course, this proliferation is directly related to the efficiency of Black Arrow's Talent, so if other players conclude that the Black Arrow Talent are very weak in the future, I will promote it.

Allies AI in C8 can have a modification, because now it's too silly.
I think a victory point permantly belonging to naga can add to C9, because now it's too easy.
I think in chapter 11, when time is 2 mins left, can add a huge troop using triggers to make the condition more crazy. Now if you play good, there is no pressure in C11.

In Ch08, it is true that Ally AI needs so many our help. Even so when I tested it, it used Town Portal Scroll to support defense while I was away from base, etc. It was a solid ally when it came to dealing with purple.

I'm cautious about Difficulty level in C09. I was exhausted to deal with it.

In Ch11, I thought they have enough attackers in final wave, but it seems they weren't.
I will have to refer to the trigger of Official Original Undead 08 in its entirety... I haven't found anything special function on its AI script other than SuicideUnits(), but I must to find a way to amplify enemy AIs productivity very much.
Rather than creating and deploying additional units with triggers, Improving AI's production capability would not be incongruous.

 

[SENMON]

I'm cautious about Difficulty level in C09. I was exhausted to deal with it.

In Ch11, I thought they have enough attackers in final wave, but it seems they weren't.
I will have to refer to the trigger of Official Original Undead 08 in its entirety... I haven't found anything special function on its AI script other than SuicideUnits(), but I must to find a way to amplify enemy AIs productivity very much.
Rather than creating and deploying additional units with triggers, Improving AI's production capability would not be incongruous.

Actually in CH11, If players have a clear strategy, we can destroy two enemies in the right at least in 45 mins. If give me more time, it will be easy to destroy all 4 enemies.
魔兽争霸3自定义战役 艾泽拉斯的哀歌 C9 压制式流程_魔兽_剧情 shows my strategy against CH9. inferno will be a reliable ally with heroes to kill enemy heros, and other troops can deal with small groups of enemies.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

Actually in CH11, If players have a clear strategy, we can destroy two enemies in the right at least in 45 mins. If give me more time, it will be easy to destroy all 4 enemies.
魔兽争霸3自定义战役 艾泽拉斯的哀歌 C9 压制式流程魔兽剧情 shows my strategy against CH9. inferno will be a reliable ally with heroes to kill enemy heros, and other troops can deal with small groups of enemies.

Easily to defeat enemies on the right is intended. However, the following cases will be my planning mistakes and failures.
The optional quest is aimed at destroying teal base, to make blue fight ice giants. If you felt it easier to deal with blue than teal, it is my mistake.
In the case of the left team, it would be difficult to annihilate them in time in normal ways. - (except Light Blue's expanding base) - This is because I put a device for mutual defense cooperation.
However, as you mentioned in advance, the attackwave at the endgame is not threatening, so if the player has sufficient mechanics, it will be able to eliminate them. But it should be impossible to eliminate them in terms of direction and storyboard.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

Hi all, I apologize for the delayed update. I made another new attempt in Chapter 12, and a lot of time was spent addressing the issues that arose.
I have completed Chapter 12 and started Chapter 13.
The main themes of Chapter 12 are capturing beacons on high ground to escape the encirclement, and actively deploying gargoyles to continually harass enemy workers, thereby delaying the enemy's tech tree progression.

Spoiler: scrnsht

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

Hi all, It’s been a while since my last update. Chapter 13 has been completed, and I’ve started working on Chapter 13 Interlude. In Chapters 13 and 14, you will encounter new types of enemy factions.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

Hi Everyone, I have completed the development of Chapter 14 and updated the demo version to include it.
Reduced the difficulty of several chapters to minimize luck-based elements and removed some non-intuitive mechanics.
Notice: Only the latest version of Full HD graphics is supported. Please disable 1.36v old terrain and Classic HD options. While it is possible to play with non-recommended settings, various graphical bugs may occur, and these are beyond my ability to fix.

Spoiler: Stories from chapter 13

In Chapter 13, the story with Illidan comes to an end, and in Chapter 14, the Night Elves and their subfaction emerge as the new opposing force.

 

[SENMON]

How to beat Night Elves in Ch14 without speed-rushing Blue color? Although I can pass ch14 through destroying blue enemies at the begining, I still think this level's difficulty is unreasonable. If you drag the blue enemies into the later stages of the game, it becomes nearly impossible to defeat them while protecting the lumber camp under siege.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

How to beat Night Elves in Ch14 without speed-rushing Blue color? Although I can pass ch14 through destroying blue enemies at the begining, I still think this level's difficulty is unreasonable. If you drag the blue enemies into the later stages of the game, it becomes nearly impossible to defeat them while protecting the lumber camp under siege.

Spoiler: The direction I intended

Exploring the optimal time frame to eliminate the blue night elf is indeed the key tactics of this chapter. However, obstacles have been placed to prevent achieving this goal right from the start of the game.

1. The need for rapid lumber harvesting
2. Red elite recons stationed at gathering points
3. Red elite recons patrolling in a clockwise direction
4. Magnataurs obstructing the purchase of a Shredder

At the beginning of the game, secure an additional logging site and an extra gold mine base. Shortly after, or after repelling the first attack, eliminate the Magnataurs and immediately hire a Shredder once it replenishes. I hired up to two.

Before the enemy attacks, gradually clear out the red elite recons at the central entrances. However, before executing this, it is necessary to avoid engagement with the patrolling recon forces, so place a unit at the path to secure vision. They continuously move in a clockwise direction.

Securing the Fountain of Power is also highly beneficial.

Deploy multiple Spirit Towers and troops in the additional gold mine area to buy time, and station forces between the expansion site and the main base so that you can defend against enemy attacks from any direction.

Once the above steps are executed properly and the situation stabilizes, the optimal time to eliminate the blue forces will likely be when your food cap reaches 120 or higher (probably) and right after repelling the green forces' attack. The Night Elves will likely attempt to expand their base around that time, so concentrate your forces and destroy at least half of Blue's key infrastructures.

If Blue is nearly neutralized, you will gain two stable gold mining bases, making it a win-win situation.

Once Blue is annihilated (technically, when all their workers and town halls are destroyed), Green will increase their attack frequency accordingly. However, having one less CPU opponent to deal with is already a significant advantage, which is why I designed it this way.

Next, identify the location of the Red base and their current troop positions. Once their forces are far away, eliminate the Red base first. Since they do not have a Tree of Life, they cannot restore building damage.

If Green and Red cannot be defeated despite eliminating Blue at the right timing, it is indeed my mistake. Otherwise, consider the following:

I first design the Hard Level 2 difficulty and complete the chapter myself using what I consider the most optimal traits and hero ability builds. Then, I create the lower difficulty levels by reducing various parameters and values accordingly.

When I completed Chapter 14, I used the following build:

Hero Abilities:
Heigan: Z5 C3 V1 → Z5 C5 V1
Vellariah: Z5 X3 V1 → Z5 X5 V1

Hero Traits:
Heigan: Z, V, D
Vellariah: X

Faction Traits:
Servant: A, B
Assassin: A (Damage)
Fanatic: A, B
Confessor: B (HP Regen)
Meat Wagon: A (Heal)

I fully understand that rigid talent and hero ability builds can reduce enjoyment. If the mission becomes impossible to complete without following the exact same build, I am considering providing more Farms and Servants at the start of the game and slowing down AI Growth progression.

I'm surprised you didn't raise any issues with Chapter 12 and Chapter 13. I nearly threw my mouse while testing those myself. It was only after deliberately weakening certain CPU forces that I was able to complete the missions reliably.

 

[SENMON]

Spoiler: The direction I intended

Exploring the optimal time frame to eliminate the blue night elf is indeed the key tactics of this chapter. However, obstacles have been placed to prevent achieving this goal right from the start of the game.

1. The need for rapid lumber harvesting
2. Red elite recons stationed at gathering points
3. Red elite recons patrolling in a clockwise direction
4. Magnataurs obstructing the purchase of a Shredder

At the beginning of the game, secure an additional logging site and an extra gold mine base. Shortly after, or after repelling the first attack, eliminate the Magnataurs and immediately hire a Shredder once it replenishes. I hired up to two.

Before the enemy attacks, gradually clear out the red elite recons at the central entrances. However, before executing this, it is necessary to avoid engagement with the patrolling recon forces, so place a unit at the path to secure vision. They continuously move in a clockwise direction.

Securing the Fountain of Power is also highly beneficial.

Deploy multiple Spirit Towers and troops in the additional gold mine area to buy time, and station forces between the expansion site and the main base so that you can defend against enemy attacks from any direction.

Once the above steps are executed properly and the situation stabilizes, the optimal time to eliminate the blue forces will likely be when your food cap reaches 120 or higher (probably) and right after repelling the green forces' attack. The Night Elves will likely attempt to expand their base around that time, so concentrate your forces and destroy at least half of Blue's key infrastructures.

If Blue is nearly neutralized, you will gain two stable gold mining bases, making it a win-win situation.

Once Blue is annihilated (technically, when all their workers and town halls are destroyed), Green will increase their attack frequency accordingly. However, having one less CPU opponent to deal with is already a significant advantage, which is why I designed it this way.

Next, identify the location of the Red base and their current troop positions. Once their forces are far away, eliminate the Red base first. Since they do not have a Tree of Life, they cannot restore building damage.

If Green and Red cannot be defeated despite eliminating Blue at the right timing, it is indeed my mistake. Otherwise, consider the following:

I first design the Hard Level 2 difficulty and complete the chapter myself using what I consider the most optimal traits and hero ability builds. Then, I create the lower difficulty levels by reducing various parameters and values accordingly.

When I completed Chapter 14, I used the following build:

Hero Abilities:
Heigan: Z5 C3 V1 → Z5 C5 V1
Vellariah: Z5 X3 V1 → Z5 X5 V1

Hero Traits:
Heigan: Z, V, D
Vellariah: X

Faction Traits:
Servant: A, B
Assassin: A (Damage)
Fanatic: A, B
Confessor: B (HP Regen)
Meat Wagon: A (Heal)

I fully understand that rigid talent and hero ability builds can reduce enjoyment. If the mission becomes impossible to complete without following the exact same build, I am considering providing more Farms and Servants at the start of the game and slowing down AI Growth progression.

I'm surprised you didn't raise any issues with Chapter 12 and Chapter 13. I nearly threw my mouse while testing those myself. It was only after deliberately weakening certain CPU forces that I was able to complete the missions reliably.

The main problem with Chapter 12 is that you will encounter endless support and air attacks on offense, but the support itself is too fragile compared to the strength of the heroes. If you can take it in stride and stabilize your mindset, it's only a matter of time before you push out the three outer bases. level 2 hellfire is an overpowering skill, which allows both heroes to swim in the enemy base indefinitely with 1-2 statues, waiting for the hellfire every two minutes. Of course, dealing with tedious multi-line harassment is pretty sickening. Also, the game crashed on this level when I was wiping out two enemies, so I'm using whosyourdaddy to get through the level (since there's no chance of failure) Chapter 13 I haven't really started playing yet, since it looks like it might be too difficult. I'll try this level sometime.
As much as I support Cult's build strategy, it does seem rather boring to repeat the same strategy over and over again. In addition, our soldiers are virtually incapable of fighting when away from their heroes. So, it might be possible to introduce new skeleton soldiers, such as ice shooters, flame shooters, etc., which might be able to act as the core of the force.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

The main problem with Chapter 12 is that you will encounter endless support and air attacks on offense, but the support itself is too fragile compared to the strength of the heroes. If you can take it in stride and stabilize your mindset, it's only a matter of time before you push out the three outer bases. level 2 hellfire is an overpowering skill, which allows both heroes to swim in the enemy base indefinitely with 1-2 statues, waiting for the hellfire every two minutes. Of course, dealing with tedious multi-line harassment is pretty sickening. Also, the game crashed on this level when I was wiping out two enemies, so I'm using whosyourdaddy to get through the level (since there's no chance of failure) Chapter 13 I haven't really started playing yet, since it looks like it might be too difficult. I'll try this level sometime.

What were the two enemies you eliminated? Were they mountaineer forces with heroes?
When the game crashed, did a warning window appear, or did it not?
Providing detailed information would be a great help in fixing the issue.

Um, if the forces you eliminated were indeed the mountain troops, then in fact, I had failed to eliminate them myself. I arranged for another CPU to join in their defense, and they functioned properly in front of me, leading me to conclude that eliminating them through conventional means was impossible. This also aligned with the intended narrative and presentation, as it justified Anub’arak’s retreat to the main base rather than engaging in an all-out assault immediately.

Additionally, there are segments where multiple engagements are required to complete a main quest that involves acquiring loot dropped by enemies. Because of this, I did not consider the situation particularly unusual.

However, if eliminating the mountain troops causes the game to crash, then making key structures invulnerable might need to be considered. Preventing crashes is always the highest priority. Furthermore, adding extra reinforcements to ensure they are not wiped out naturally while still maintaining the intended narrative and presentation is not feasible. There is already a high number of objects placed, which risks exceeding processing limits or object restrictions. Moreover, since they are programmed to commit all available forces to defend the Beacon, adjusting their behavior would also be difficult.

As much as I support Cult's build strategy, it does seem rather boring to repeat the same strategy over and over again. In addition, our soldiers are virtually incapable of fighting when away from their heroes. So, it might be possible to introduce new skeleton soldiers, such as ice shooters, flame shooters, etc., which might be able to act as the core of the force.

Yes, it's understandable to feel that way since the core units provided in Chapters 0-1 haven't changed significantly, and only support units have been given afterward.

Spoiler: New Cult Units?...

To introduce a major shift in unit composition, I may consider giving the Cult access to Ember Wyrms in Chapter 16. (It is a derivative of the Frost Wyrm that contains a Chaos-type attack.) This was somewhat planned in the story progression, but I was also debating whether to introduce Abominations first.

 

[SENMON]

What were the two enemies you eliminated? Were they mountaineer forces with heroes?
When the game crashed, did a warning window appear, or did it not?
Providing detailed information would be a great help in fixing the issue.

Um, if the forces you eliminated were indeed the mountain troops, then in fact, I had failed to eliminate them myself. I arranged for another CPU to join in their defense, and they functioned properly in front of me, leading me to conclude that eliminating them through conventional means was impossible. This also aligned with the intended narrative and presentation, as it justified Anub’arak’s retreat to the main base rather than engaging in an all-out assault immediately.

Additionally, there are segments where multiple engagements are required to complete a main quest that involves acquiring loot dropped by enemies. Because of this, I did not consider the situation particularly unusual.

However, if eliminating the mountain troops causes the game to crash, then making key structures invulnerable might need to be considered. Preventing crashes is always the highest priority. Furthermore, adding extra reinforcements to ensure they are not wiped out naturally while still maintaining the intended narrative and presentation is not feasible. There is already a high number of objects placed, which risks exceeding processing limits or object restrictions. Moreover, since they are programmed to commit all available forces to defend the Beacon, adjusting their behavior would also be difficult.

Yes, it's understandable to feel that way since the core units provided in Chapters 0-1 haven't changed significantly, and only support units have been given afterward.

Spoiler: New Cult Units?...

To introduce a major shift in unit composition, I may consider giving the Cult access to Ember Wyrms in Chapter 16. (It is a derivative of the Frost Wyrm that contains a Chaos-type attack.) This was somewhat planned in the story progression, but I was also debating whether to introduce Abominations first.

I destroyed two mountain troop bases. Of course, I don't recommend altering this level because the enemy has six bases on this level and the harassment is continuous. Being able to free up your hands to destroy the enemy is a matter of skill players, not chapter design. (For example, the defense level always has people pushing back against the enemy)
Chapter 13 took me 1 hour and 40 minutes to get through. I have a question, do you really have no idea what kind of monster heroes you've designed? As soon as an enemy walks into your home and uses a skill once, all your troops are dead and the defense tower is gone. A frontal attack is absolutely impossible in this situation and terrain. Maybe the Dreadlord could still be handled with a Destroyer, but a 4500 blood Hellfire was GOD to our troops. i attacked the enemy's back with a lot of airpower, and the enemy's AI then started to turn in place. Once the main base was cleared, the base was quickly demolished under the cover of reinforcements, killing all the peasants and altars. I think it's a shame to win in such a way though. I think it's barely acceptable that that Lord's skill can be released once at most. Fact is, he can release his skills 3-4 times per attack. Vasquez and Karl are two losers in comparison. Any mishandling in that situation will instantly collapse the situation, and with the frontal terrain completely covered by that skill, your troops will be instantly decimated. I hope you change this skill, or even just remove it and replace it with something like Shockwave would be more appropriate. Also, you can try nerfing the Hellfire of two level 20 Dreadlords, as such a skill can instantly destroy the situation. At least, I can't stand a chapter like this. View attachment 518216

 

[SENMON]

I destroyed two mountain troop bases. Of course, I don't recommend altering this level because the enemy has six bases on this level and the harassment is continuous. Being able to free up your hands to destroy the enemy is a matter of skill players, not chapter design. (For example, the defense level always has people pushing back against the enemy)
Chapter 13 took me 1 hour and 40 minutes to get through. I have a question, do you really have no idea what kind of monster heroes you've designed? As soon as an enemy walks into your home and uses a skill once, all your troops are dead and the defense tower is gone. A frontal attack is absolutely impossible in this situation and terrain. Maybe the Dreadlord could still be handled with a Destroyer, but a 4500 blood Hellfire was GOD to our troops. i attacked the enemy's back with a lot of airpower, and the enemy's AI then started to turn in place. Once the main base was cleared, the base was quickly demolished under the cover of reinforcements, killing all the peasants and altars. I think it's a shame to win in such a way though. I think it's barely acceptable that that Lord's skill can be released once at most. Fact is, he can release his skills 3-4 times per attack. Vasquez and Karl are two losers in comparison. Any mishandling in that situation will instantly collapse the situation, and with the frontal terrain completely covered by that skill, your troops will be instantly decimated. I hope you change this skill, or even just remove it and replace it with something like Shockwave would be more appropriate. Also, you can try nerfing the Hellfire of two level 20 Dreadlords, as such a skill can instantly destroy the situation. At least, I can't stand a chapter like this. View attachment 518216

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

The main problem with Chapter 12 is that you will encounter endless support and air attacks on offense, but the support itself is too fragile compared to the strength of the heroes. If you can take it in stride and stabilize your mindset, it's only a matter of time before you push out the three outer bases. level 2 hellfire is an overpowering skill, which allows both heroes to swim in the enemy base indefinitely with 1-2 statues, waiting for the hellfire every two minutes. Of course, dealing with tedious multi-line harassment is pretty sickening. Also, the game crashed on this level when I was wiping out two enemies, so I'm using whosyourdaddy to get through the level (since there's no chance of failure) Chapter 13 I haven't really started playing yet, since it looks like it might be too difficult. I'll try this level sometime.
As much as I support Cult's build strategy, it does seem rather boring to repeat the same strategy over and over again. In addition, our soldiers are virtually incapable of fighting when away from their heroes. So, it might be possible to introduce new skeleton soldiers, such as ice shooters, flame shooters, etc., which might be able to act as the core of the force.

Yes... While it is important to respect the player's skill, I realized while working on Chapter 15 that this is nearly impossible in a chapter meant to depict a siege where the player's faction is on the brink of collapse. I realized it far too late. Or perhaps my skills in directing and storywriting are simply too lacking?

I suspect that in my project, which contains and executes an overwhelming number of scripts, the object limit is far tighter than the official limit. (Given the numerous crashes I’ve encountered in recent tests.)

There are multiple AI scripts in play, each featuring dynamic behavior that adapts based on resource acquisition and strategic movement to reclaim certain territories. As I mentioned before, increasing enemy strength to raise the difficulty ceiling for player skill is no longer my option. Even though I have implemented temporary measures to prevent crashes, they continue to occur, which is a major issue and will require an enormous amount of time to diagnose and fix.

However, if crashes never occur while the enemy mountaineer forces' base remains intact, then making them invulnerable would provide a fast and simple solution to every problem—except for disregarding player skill.

Granting them invulnerability may seem like an irresponsible and lazy decision, but I believe that those who experience crashes in the alternative version—vulnerable enemy buildings—would express even greater frustration than those who dislike the invulnerability mechanic.


I recall that when I conducted the final review of that chapter, it took me about 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete.

When facing the Demon Legion, the Fel Lord grants a CC-immune buff to himself and nearby allies to prevent crowd control, which can be dispelled using the Destroyer’s Devour Magic. Now that I think about it, I forgot to provide a hint about this mechanic. I will add it.

The powerful green fel fire pools(Ultimate) he generates being lethal to all units is intentional. However, it is possible to counter this by eliminating him in a chokepoint before he reaches the base, and since that’s what I did, I didn’t think too deeply about the Demons beyond that.

That said, when looking at it from a broader perspective, this ability could be considered poor design. If a hero with such an ability existed in the Alter melee, that was I originally directed, the moment the Fel Lord reached level 6, he would simply ride a Zeppelin and annihilate the enemy base non-stop. I will reconsider the balance values of this ability more carefully.
I have no reputation against objections regarding the black Undead and the Dreadlords—they are indeed extremely powerful. They have all unique Armory talent too, making them significantly stronger, and as hostile CPUs, they also benefit from substantial resource and Food Cap bonuses.

The black Dreadlord can maintain his CC Immune buff safely, and the orange Infernals are also immune to magic, meaning the key unit of the chapter, the Destroyer, is limited to dispelling Sleep. This aspect makes them feel far more frustrating to fight than even the Fel Lord. The only way to defeat them is for the player to minimize their army's casualties as much as possible, steadily build up their forces, and ultimately crush them with sheer strength.

These issues weren’t entirely overlooked. In lower difficulties, I had already adjusted the ultimate ability levels of both the Dreadlords and the Fel Lord. However, I will be re-evaluating the balance values of the Fel Lord’s ultimate. As for the Dreadlords, I plan to keep them at lower levels even in Hard Level 2, preventing them from reaching level 3 in their ultimate ability. However, to ensure they don’t become too weak, I may compensate by giving them such as building armor upgrades level 3 from the start, or exploring other balancing methods.

Even so, the original design direction of the chapter—‘Do not rely on defensive towers. Gather and preserve your forces as quickly as possible and eliminate the weaker enemies one by one.’—may remain unchanged.

 

[SENMON]

Yes... While it is important to respect the player's skill, I realized while working on Chapter 15 that this is nearly impossible in a chapter meant to depict a siege where the player's faction is on the brink of collapse. I realized it far too late. Or perhaps my skills in directing and storywriting are simply too lacking?

I suspect that in my project, which contains and executes an overwhelming number of scripts, the object limit is far tighter than the official limit. (Given the numerous crashes I’ve encountered in recent tests.)

There are multiple AI scripts in play, each featuring dynamic behavior that adapts based on resource acquisition and strategic movement to reclaim certain territories. As I mentioned before, increasing enemy strength to raise the difficulty ceiling for player skill is no longer my option. Even though I have implemented temporary measures to prevent crashes, they continue to occur, which is a major issue and will require an enormous amount of time to diagnose and fix.

However, if crashes never occur while the enemy mountaineer forces' base remains intact, then making them invulnerable would provide a fast and simple solution to every problem—except for disregarding player skill.

Granting them invulnerability may seem like an irresponsible and lazy decision, but I believe that those who experience crashes in the alternative version—vulnerable enemy buildings—would express even greater frustration than those who dislike the invulnerability mechanic.


I recall that when I conducted the final review of that chapter, it took me about 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete.

When facing the Demon Legion, the Fel Lord grants a CC-immune buff to himself and nearby allies to prevent crowd control, which can be dispelled using the Destroyer’s Devour Magic. Now that I think about it, I forgot to provide a hint about this mechanic. I will add it.

The powerful green fel fire pools(Ultimate) he generates being lethal to all units is intentional. However, it is possible to counter this by eliminating him in a chokepoint before he reaches the base, and since that’s what I did, I didn’t think too deeply about the Demons beyond that.

That said, when looking at it from a broader perspective, this ability could be considered poor design. If a hero with such an ability existed in the Alter melee, that was I originally directed, the moment the Fel Lord reached level 6, he would simply ride a Zeppelin and annihilate the enemy base non-stop. I will reconsider the balance values of this ability more carefully.
I have no reputation against objections regarding the black Undead and the Dreadlords—they are indeed extremely powerful. They have all unique Armory talent too, making them significantly stronger, and as hostile CPUs, they also benefit from substantial resource and Food Cap bonuses.

The black Dreadlord can maintain his CC Immune buff safely, and the orange Infernals are also immune to magic, meaning the key unit of the chapter, the Destroyer, is limited to dispelling Sleep. This aspect makes them feel far more frustrating to fight than even the Fel Lord. The only way to defeat them is for the player to minimize their army's casualties as much as possible, steadily build up their forces, and ultimately crush them with sheer strength.

These issues weren’t entirely overlooked. In lower difficulties, I had already adjusted the ultimate ability levels of both the Dreadlords and the Fel Lord. However, I will be re-evaluating the balance values of the Fel Lord’s ultimate. As for the Dreadlords, I plan to keep them at lower levels even in Hard Level 2, preventing them from reaching level 3 in their ultimate ability. However, to ensure they don’t become too weak, I may compensate by giving them such as building armor upgrades level 3 from the start, or exploring other balancing methods.

Even so, the original design direction of the chapter—‘Do not rely on defensive towers. Gather and preserve your forces as quickly as possible and eliminate the weaker enemies one by one.’—may remain unchanged.

your design style is not suitable for RTS, but in RPG it is good. You can feel, 90 percent of your damage belongs to your hero, and only meat wagon and support units are useful because players need meat wagon to clear the structure. Too overpowered skills will kill your troops immediately. For example, a lvl3 infernals can easily kill 50 food camp, and your attack strategy is AOE and AOE. This makes troops unimportant. In chapter 13, many time I just use heroes to defend enemies, and only when I need to speed rush an enemy i will use my troop. For RTS, it is not a good trend. There is another reason, my troops is definitely weaker than opponents, so every enemy wave i will lose many troops if I use them to defend. Nerf hero abilities may destroy early chapters, so design new troops or useful troop abilities will be a good way to adjust the balance, and early chapters will not be influenced.
For example：Necromancer is a trash unit. If give them a Mana Burn without damage, what will happen? You have a good strategy to deal with OP hero ultras, and it can be useful in skilled player. But do not give magicians skills that can damage enemies, it will IMMEDIATELY destroy the balance.
Use new troop abilities to deal with hero abilities, I think it will be a good way you can make your campaign more like a RTS.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

your design style is not suitable for RTS, but in RPG it is good. You can feel, 90 percent of your damage belongs to your hero, and only meat wagon and support units are useful because players need meat wagon to clear the structure. Too overpowered skills will kill your troops immediately. For example, a lvl3 infernals can easily kill 50 food camp, and your attack strategy is AOE and AOE. This makes troops unimportant. In chapter 13, many time I just use heroes to defend enemies, and only when I need to speed rush an enemy i will use my troop. For RTS, it is not a good trend. There is another reason, my troops is definitely weaker than opponents, so every enemy wave i will lose many troops if I use them to defend. Nerf hero abilities may destroy early chapters, so design new troops or useful troop abilities will be a good way to adjust the balance, and early chapters will not be influenced.
For example：Necromancer is a trash unit. If give them a Mana Burn without damage, what will happen? You have a good strategy to deal with OP hero ultras, and it can be useful in skilled player. But do not give magicians skills that can damage enemies, it will IMMEDIATELY destroy the balance.
Use new troop abilities to deal with hero abilities, I think it will be a good way you can make your campaign more like a RTS.

You are absolutely right. The maximum hero level of 25, along with ability max level set at 5/5/5/5/3, is an overly excessive concept. Strategically, it tends to render normal units obsolete in common situation.

I will adjust the maximum hero level to 18 and modify the skill caps to 4/4/4/4/2.

Thank you, as always, for your valuable feedback.

 

[SENMON]

You are absolutely right. The maximum hero level of 25, along with ability max level set at 5/5/5/5/3, is an overly excessive concept. Strategically, it tends to render normal units obsolete in common situation.

I will adjust the maximum hero level to 18 and modify the skill caps to 4/4/4/4/2.

Thank you, as always, for your valuable feedback.

I don't think so. Our troop is too weak, so two lvl5 aoe from two heroes can match on opponents troops and heroes. If 4/4/4/4/2, I think the difficulty of Ch8-Ch13 will be too insane. 5/5/5/3(Attributes)/2(max 20) may be better and will decrease the difficulty of Ch13.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

I don't think so. Our troop is too weak, so two lvl5 aoe from two heroes can match on opponents troops and heroes. If 4/4/4/4/2, I think the difficulty of Ch8-Ch13 will be too insane. 5/5/5/3(Attributes)/2(max 20) may be better and will decrease the difficulty of Ch13.

When adjusting hero levels, I will retest all chapters and rebalance the difficulty accordingly.

To be honest, I had subconsciously felt that while heroes kept getting stronger, normal units were becoming useless. In the past, I ignored this feeling due to both laziness and the brain fog from multitasking works. However, now that this issue has been brought to the surface through feedback, I can no longer overlook it.

Except for Chapter 1 and Chapter 10, all heroes were designed with the player's direct control in mind. If time permits, I plan to continue expanding the campaign to include other factions in series.
As the player's heroes grow stronger through leveling, enemies are also given high-level heroes that match the chapter and difficulty, most of whom possess multiple high-damage abilities. This naturally reinforces the perception that normal units are weak.

By applying a broad rebalance to all heroes, I believe there will be more strategic considerations regarding unit utilization.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

I am currently reviewing all hero abilities. All heroes' standard abilities beyond level 4 and ultimate abilities beyond level 2 will be significantly weakened, especially for enemy factions that rely on a single powerful hero (e.g., Chapter 11, 13). However, since weakening the player's hero should not result in an unintended difficulty spike, I will be re-evaluating the difficulty of all chapters.

How to beat Night Elves in Ch14 without speed-rushing Blue color? Although I can pass ch14 through destroying blue enemies at the begining, I still think this level's difficulty is unreasonable. If you drag the blue enemies into the later stages of the game, it becomes nearly impossible to defeat them while protecting the lumber camp under siege.

I have a question regarding Chapter 14. I suspect that the issue preventing a more relaxed playstyle stems from the player's gold mines depleting too quickly. Is that correct? When I reviewed the AI script, it didn't seem like they had an overwhelming number of troops (assuming both the blue and green factions remain intact).

I originally placed two small gold mines nearby to allow the player to expand their influence strategically while preventing an excessive gold income from drastically lowering the chapter's difficulty.

However, since many previous chapters already relied on a speed-rush design, I am considering adjusting this one to allow for a more leisurely approach. If my assumption is correct, I plan to significantly increase the gold reserves in surrounding mines, add more trees, and implement a system where AI forces start defending another gold mine once the player captures one.
The new AI will focus purely on base construction and defense, so there won’t be overwhelming attack waves.
or, I could ensure a stable gold and lumber income for the main base while leaving expansion areas untouched or making only slight adjustments.

If my assumption is incorrect, please share any additional insights you may have.

 

[SENMON]

This level is designed around wood gathering. I think it would be unreasonable to be able to win by harvesting woods from home just by defending. Adding gold reserves of all three mines might be a good idea.
Also, defending the base is pretty easy. As you said, enemy troop is not strong. But once I attack, it's very difficult to reasonably maneuver a force dominated by many Skeletons and Meat Wagons - so there's huge pressure for me to attack in the mid to late game. I can't imagine not having the collision modification at the beginning, how can this campaign play. I'm not sure how to adjust for this situation and Cult's design.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

This level is designed around wood gathering. I think it would be unreasonable to be able to win by harvesting woods from home just by defending. Adding gold reserves of all three mines might be a good idea.
Also, defending the base is pretty easy. As you said, enemy troop is not strong. But once I attack, it's very difficult to reasonably maneuver a force dominated by many Skeletons and Meat Wagons - so there's huge pressure for me to attack in the mid to late game. I can't imagine not having the collision modification at the beginning, how can this campaign play. I'm not sure how to adjust for this situation and Cult's design.

I considered adding the ability to control all Skeleton units at once. Cult’s Skeleton units have good opportunities to be used, but it is difficult to control them all individually. This is definitely far from 'skillful' and more about inconvenience.
I plan to add the ability to send attackwave all Skeletons into a target area at the Necropolis and Abandoned Hall. This will apply to Tier 0 units, zombies summoned by Cultists, and Skeletons summoned by Necromancers. And if this matter is positive, it will also apply to the Undead Scourge.

 

[SENMON]

I considered adding the ability to control all Skeleton units at once. Cult’s Skeleton units have good opportunities to be used, but it is difficult to control them all individually. This is definitely far from 'skillful' and more about inconvenience.
I plan to add the ability to send attackwave all Skeletons into a target area at the Necropolis and Abandoned Hall. This will apply to Tier 0 units, zombies summoned by Cultists, and Skeletons summoned by Necromancers. And if this matter is positive, it will also apply to the Undead Scourge.

Very good idea.

 

[FlorianGeyerGiebelstadt]

The text color for Hard and Hard Level 2 difficulties has been changed to red.
All hero abilities have been significantly nerfed across all chapters and factions. (Boss fights excluded.)
The maximum level for basic abilities has been reduced from 5 to 4, and for ultimate abilities, from 3 to 2.
If you have cached data from a previous version, it is recommended that you replay missions before reaching ability level 5 to avoid potential errors.
Using cheat codes like whosyourdaddy and warpten to speed through should not cause major issues.
The power scaling of ultimate abilities has been greatly reduced.
Revive time and cost for all heroes have been slightly increased.
Players can now use the "The Scourge" ability from town halls, which sends all skeleton units to attack a designated point or target. (Available from Chapter 04.)

Vellariah's Snipe talent now causes the mana burn effect to scale additionally with the level of the Snipe ability.

Chapter 07
Fixed an issue where enemy attack intervals became irregular.
Additional starting units and buildings have been placed.
All enemy forces have been weakened.
Chapter 11
Difficulty has been further reduced.
Enemy Vrykul units now have slightly lower health and attack damage.
Chapter 12
enemy core bases have been made invulnerable.
Drop rate of oil barrels has been slightly increased.
The allied Death Knight’s Orb of Darkness now summons a higher-tier Dark Minion.

Chapter 13
Difficulty has been further reduced.
Gold remaining of all mines have been slightly increased.
Removed a condition where the green CPU's attackwave interval decreased over time, even under normal conditions.
All enemy CPU attack intervals have been slightly delayed, and their growth speed has been reduced.
Due to major hero ability adjustments, enemy CPU heroes have been heavily nerfed.
However, a previous issue where the black undead faction would stop unit production after a certain time has been fixed—so the difficulty may feel higher depending on your playstyle.
The allied Death Knight’s Orb of Darkness now summons a higher-tier Dark Minion.


Chapter 14
Resource reposits have been slightly increased.
The 6 o’clock gold mine's has been greatly increased.
DarkGreen CPU’s attack intervals have been slightly delayed.
Fixed a problem where DarkGreen would launch attacks irregularly.
Lumber requisition intervals have been slightly slowed.
Additional workers have been placed at the start.
DarkGreen no longer protects Red, but Red’s Altar now has Town Hall classification, allowing Red’s hero to use a Town Portal Scroll to return instantly.
AI production behavior for DarkGreen and Blue has been slightly improved.

Chapter 15 has been added.