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Necromancer 2: Priests of Ratheus

Submitted by Homor
Tags:
Role Playing Game / RPG, Medieval / Warcraft
Filesize:
17.79 MB
Rating:

(2 votes)

Downloads:
1532
Uploaded:
Sep 15, 2019
Updated:
Feb 23, 2020 at 7:04 AM
Resources:
2
Author(s):
Homor
State:
Approved
This bundle is marked as approved. It works and satisfies the submission rules.
Necromancer 2: Preists of Ratheus
Created by Homor and Watchilrage
The Aspect of Death, Acheron, my dark sentencer, has ordered us to purge this city of demons and cultists. We shall not allow the profane forces of hell to have a foothold anywhere in this plain of existence.

Please see "Changelog" for Important Notes


Introduction

Necromancers, powerful spellcasters with the ability to defy the apex predator of existence itself: death. For centuries they've raised undead armies, taken countless lives, and destroyed entire cities. But few known of the ancient order of heroes who harness the power of Necromancy to protect the world. Soon, the world will come to know them again...

The sequel to 2014's cult hit, "The Necromancer" created by Homor. Necromancer 2: Priest of Ratheus is a 1-4 player experience that pits a group of Necromancer anti-heroes against an army of demons, evil knights and vicious cultists, as well as a cavalcade of bonus enemies who want nothing more to slaughter anything that enters your territory. In this map, you'll have a limited number of minions, but you can use gold to upgrade their stats and abilities to forge your undead minions into unstoppable killing machines!

Story

It's been several years since the events of the "Gideon" trilogy, and the world of Angora is a vastly different place. Shortly after the fall of Desopath, the united armies of the world, led by Arthur Lightbron's Templar Order, launched a powerful offensive into the demon lord Balanor's domain, destroying his physical form and scattering his lieutenants. The mortal population has boomed in the years afterward, but fear of demons and other eldritch horrors is still strong.

During the war against Balanor, the city of Dunwatch, a massive trade hub on the western end of the country of Vargulf, was overtaken by demons when the town magistrate made a faustian bargain with a dreaded Pitlord. He hoped to ensure the city would be safe, but only ended up isolating it from the outside world and subjecting it to cruel, demonic tyranny.

Meanwhile, Amandus Cambria, a powerful Necromancer (the main character of "The Necromancer" and a supporting character in the "Gideon" trilogy) died in his sleep and awoke in a twisted purgatory world. There, the Angel of Death, Acheron, told him of a long lost order of Necromancers who served him and defended the world from evil. Cambria learned that Acheron was his new master, as ordained by the Holy Light itself, and he was tasked with rebuilding the ancient Order of Ratheus to defend the world once again.

Cambria, now a phantom, gathered the most powerful practitioners of the necromantic arts from the dark corners of the earth and made them his disciples. With the rebirth of the order now in its infancy, Cambria believes the perfect inaugural mission for the Priests of Ratheus is to liberate the lost city.

The Order Of Ratheus

The Priests of Ratheus (informally known as "The Cult of Ratheus" and alternatively called "The Order of Ratheus") are a Necromancer clan that are unique in that they aren't actively hostile or malevolent. While most Necormancer clans worship Aztaroth, the black god of Death and Undeath, the Priests of Ratheus do not have a personified deity and merely worship the concept of life and death, which they refer to as "The Cycle." The belief is that there needs to be an equal amount of life and death to perserve "the balance." Old life perishes and allows new life to exist.

According to scholars within the group, its origins date back to the ancient magus Ratheus, who founded the order over a thousand years ago. Ratheus was one of the seven Archmages who made up the Vizjaran Clan, a guild often credited with the discovery of modern magic. A clandestine group from a time before civilization, they were led by the great wizard Zendroth. Ratheus was an outcast among the group for his obessesion with death and dark magic. He eventually wandered away from the groups' temple one day, never to return. He set off on a quest to find the secrets to necromancy.

According to the Order, Ratheus' studies of decayed temples from before the time of man and artifacts made by hands of ancients eventually brought him face to face with Vy'Eth, an ancient and powerful undead Wyrm, and the servant to Acheron, the Archangel of Death. In ancient times, Vy'Eth was a proud defender of the earth who battled against demons to protect it. He was slain, but Acheron, showing favor on him for his bravery in battle, intervened and rebirthed the creature with his necromantic powers.

It is said that Vy'Eth trained Ratheus in the ways of life and death in his realm beyond existence, the realm of Acheron. Vy'Eth told Ratheus of Aztaroth, the usurper of the dead, a vile Netherprince who manipulated necromantic energy and bent death to his will, and how Acheron viewed his works as an abomination.

The spells, powers and beliefs he passed down to Ratheus would form the foundation of the Priest of Ratheus. For generations, the disciples of Ratheus' teachings refined and mastered his techniques. Ratheus swore himself to Acheron's will, and pledged his order would defend The Cycle, uphold The Balance and undo the evil works of Aztaroth.

Most of the outside world, especially followers of the Church of Light, distrust and even abhor the Priests of Ratheus. Their fear is reasonable, given that no other Necromancer clan is as benevolent as they are. Not to mention their strange, eldritch beliefs contradict most established religions. But in times of great crisis, just about everyone is willing to accept their help, if only to ensure their own survival.

Ranks
Deathlord
The Deathlord is the leader of the Order. Elected by the Arch Necromancers of each given sect, the Deathlord undergoes a long, painful ritual to fuse his body and soul with Vy'Eth's power, becoming one with him, and upon his death giving power to him. The Deathlord is said to speak directly to Acheron himself, using Vy'Eth as a conduit.

Arch Necromancer
The leader of a regional outfit or coven of the order. Arch Necromancers govern a large group of members in a city, territory or area. Specially apointed by the leader of the Order himself. These smaller splinter groups are refered to as "Sects." The ArchNecromancers are trusted to uphold the group's ideals and beliefs. Should they betray the order, the consequence is death.

Master Necromancer
High-Raking Necromancers who have studied all their lives. The only thing that sets these fantastic magus apart from the Arch Necromancers is merely their rank. Some use their powerful abilities to go on dangerous field missions, while others resign themselves to a simple life of teaching.

Deathspeaker
The preachers and teachers of the movement, Deathspeakers are ordered to spread the message of the Order wherever they go. They deliver sermons, recruit new members and recite speeches during rituals.

Necromancer
Simple spellcasters, agents of Acheron. They are the bulk of the organization.

Acolyte
Necromantic spellcasters who have not yet completed the ritual to become full necromancers. Nevertheless, they still know powerful spells

Disciple
New recruits in the group who can barely cast a fireball spell, let alone raise an undead army.


Cambria's Ascension

Amandus Cambria writhed on his deathbed, his entire body grasped by unspeakable pain and his heart anchored by a guilt he could never atone for. Years ago he single-handedly destroyed the town of Dunwatch and slaughtered everyone within it in a blind rage, only to become the thrall of an evil greater than himself. Even with the evil that once enslaved him defeated, he felt he could never redeem himself for the sins of his past. With his dying breath, he begged The Light to forgive him and passed away, as if slipping into an eternal sleep.

When he awoke, he found himself in an endless black void, surrounded by the souls of the citizens of Dunwatch. Every innocent person he killed staring at him, as well as his own father, whom Cambria had begun his genocide crusade for. He bowed his head in shame, and he could hear their ghastly cries.

"Murderer!"
"Coward!"
"Monster!"
"Warlock!"
"I can't believe what you've done, son. I couldn't be more ashamed of you."

But when he rose his head to face them, he saw that none were speaking. They were all now cowering, recoiling in fear and completely silent. Cambria did not know what to make of it. Behind him, he could feel a cold, painful chill. A terrible, icy essence only matched by what he felt when death overtook him.
It was then he turned around to find a great Revenant standing behind him. The Angel of Death, Acheron, with his glowing scythe gripped tightly in his skeletal hands. The angel raised a single hand, and the souls vanished and blew away like ashes against a gust of wind.

Cambria, the once great Master Necromancer of the Northern Kingdoms, cowered like a frightened child at the sight of Acheron. As he knees quaked and tears ran down his face, the Angel of Death spoke in a booming voice the rattled the Necromancer to his very core.

"You and your kind have defiled my gift. You have worked in the name of Aztaroth, my eternal enemy, to disrupt the balance of life and death for your own selfish desires. You have served dark, false gods with the powers I gave you. You have made me responsible for all of your inequities. You deserve nothing but eternal torment. Unfortunately, by order of the holy and omnipotent Light, I cannot punish you the way you deserve. Instead, you must be made to atone for your crimes."

The Angel of Death explained everything to Cambria. The hidden secrets of the Death, the way the Nether Prince Aztaroth defiled and perverted it, and the way Acheron sought to fight back. In ancient times, when the race of man were called Nephilim, Acheron bestowed the powers of Necromancy upon a great wizard named Ratheus, who used his abilities to smite evil and drive back the forces of darkness. He taught many how to cast spells to battle evil in all it's forms, but five generations after his death his order became lost to time, and the splinter groups that formed from it all turned to the dark one.
The fear and guilt that once enthralled Cambria would never leave him, but now it served an important purpose. Guided by Acheron and The Light, Cambria knew what must be done. His ghost would return to the world of the living under the strict supervision of the Angel of Death, and he would restore the Order of Ratheus once more. The power of death would once again be used to smite the wicked.


The Legion Occupation

The Magistrate of the city of Ruthorham Hold made a vile pact with a Demonic Lieutenant, promising to give him unlimited power, protection and immortality in exchange for total control of the city. Over the years, he formed a small cult that engulfed the city's nobles, and eventually led an innsurrection, making the city a sovereign territory of The Legion.

The Grand Alliance has been attempting to retake the city for months, as it was previously the only settlement in rural Vargulf still under their control. But the demonic forces put up too much resitance for them to break through. That's where the Priests of Acheron come in. Able to slip in behind enemy lines and raise massive armies right at their opponent's flanks, the Necromancer union is the perfect fighting force to counter the Legion invaders.


Gameplay Features

Necromancer 2: Priests of Ratheus is similar to its predecessor in many ways, but different in several others. You'll still slaughter your way through a massive amount of enemies with an undead entourage, but now your minion count caps at 10. Luckily, your minions can be upgraded to become stronger alongside your hero.

Features
- 1-4 player co-op! Gather some friends and reign hell down upon your enemies, or play solo!
- Four unique heroes to choose from! Each with their own special stats and abilities.
- QWER hotkeys for all hero skills!
- Hire special mercenaries that provide your units with auras to enhance their power! Maximum 3.
- Permanent undead minions.
- A MASSIVE amount of enemies. Battle against several full-scale armies of villains!
- Huge variety of original enemy units to fight against. 70+ custom units!
- Dialogue for all bosses.
- Enemy AI armies
- Choose your own hero! Now each player can choose whatever hero they want at the start. Note that only one player can play a given hero.
- Skills now have even more levels, so leveling up never gets boring!

Bosses

Delara the Wicked - A demonic Succubus Queen who delights in pain and suffering, she's made a home at the city docks, where she lures hapless sailors to her and torments them until their minds are broken, making them into foul cultists.

Alazard Venomscythe - The leader of the Black Council, he is a Dark Bishop who has devoted his life to pleasing his demon lords. His infernal spells will end the life of any would-be heroes who don't approach with caution.

Grand Marshal Vargoth - A man of honor and integrity, he was sworn to defend his city to the dying end. Though his heart is filled with guilt and conflict, he is still convinced his settlement can be saved.

Gordragonn the Gluttonous - A vile and brutal Pit Lord, Gordragonn rebelled against his demon master, Balanor, and wishes to make Rutherham Hold a sovereign territory of his own splinter group of demons.

Commander Tremble - A terrifying and brutal warlord, he was completely loyal to Balanor until his fall. Now he isn't sure whether to side with Gordragonn's new Legion or hold the line until his new masters arrive, and so he is stuck playing both sides until one end of the rope drops.

The Ascended - A horrific experiment crafted by the cult members of the Black Council. Demon blood and flesh were implanted into a human host to see where kind of mutations it would create. The horrific creation screams out in pain and lashes out at any who get near.

Bonus Bosses

Queen Var'axisis - A rural farm outside of the city gates has fallen victim to a strange infestation that has left the entire population of the farmland taken over by disgusting insects and turned into mindless killing machines. The creature all share a hive mind with their vile queen. Only slaying here will end the nightmare.

Jason Lecroix - A greedy bandit kingpin, he was a scourge to the city before the demons ever invaded. Now, in all the chaos and confusion, he's taking advantage of the situation by robbing the occupied peoples of the settlement blind while the demons torment and harass them.

Warlord Zul'Jekka - A cruel and cunning troll warlord, Zul'Jekka sees the demonic occupation of the city as the perfect time to seize control of it, both ridding the mortal realm of a demonic threat and claiming a new kingdom for a grand empire. He has big dreams, and the forces to make them happen.

Rethos the Glutton - The biggest, scariest Worgen this side of the Northern Kingdoms. He has no great plan, no grand strategy. He's just big, scary, angry and especially hungry. All the worgen in the outskirts of the city follow him. Take him out and you'll have one less threat to deal with.

Changelog

Changes

Update 6.5 Hotfix - 2/23/2020
- Computer now takes a longer time to produce enemy Doom Guards
- Due to a glitch where triggers overproduce enemies, the command "-TooManyDoomies" has been added. Player 1 can type it in to remove all Doom Guards controlled by Player 12 from the game. This is a temporary fix until a more permanent adjustment is made to the triggers.
Update 6 - 2/15/2020
- Expanded the NPC defenses at the starting base. While playtesting, I thought to myself "Why wouldn't the NPCs try to protect their base? It doesn't make a lot of sense." Now the base is much more well-fortified by friendly units. This makes early game easier, since when you're starting to get your butt kicked you and your pals can hang back and play defend the castle for a while. This also makes late and mid game a bit harder, since the base's defenses don't respawn and it won't build new ones.
- Hero abilities should have proper names, buffs and targets. Please inform me of any leaks or problems in this regard.
- Updated the model for the Doom Guard. Also added a few more to the map.
- Nerfed the Doom Guard's "Dispel Magic" ability to have a long cooldown and use more mana. Still extremely dangerous, but will also give them a disadvantage after using it.
- Infernals are a bit bigger, for no special reason
- Free Taiwan and fuck the Chinese Government.

Update 5 - 2/7/2020
Hopefully the last update for a little while.
- Chemical Rage *should* work properly now
- Added a special easter egg with a little frog friend
- New items added, including two very "special" ones. Look in the tents in the bandit's lair for some ill-gotten gains!
- New unique enemy added to give more flavor to the world. Now it's actually worth checking out the murloc camp.
Update 4 - 2/5/2020
- Legacy version of the old map included. Suck it, Blizzard!
- Bosses are now max level to match the new level cap
- "Void Embrace" now has a proper research icon
- Potion of Regeneration skill now has "Regeneration" buff
- The wonderful Watchilrage is now credited as co-author!
- Chemical Rage has a new, passive icon
Update 3
- Enemy armies with AI added
- Skills overhauled
- Level cap increased
- Feedback is more important than ever now. Please let me know what you think needs fixed and how! I appreciate your critique very much.
Update 2
- Level cap raised to 15, all bosses now at max level.
- All bosses now have Chaos damage, have new abilities, can use all their skills, their stats are buffed, and they have
resistant skin. Have fun, whimps!
- Every main boss is now equipped with their own powerful artifact that drops on their death. Wield these powerful
items to gain great stat boosts and abilities.
- Enemies now have more disruption based powers based on silencing your spells and hurting summoned units
- Inquisitors can no longer be possessed, and now have flame strike
- Several miscellaneous changes to item names and descriptions
- Crypt Flyers are now undead
- Preview map no longer hidden
- When the map starts, the camera will focus on the player's hero
- Summoning ability hotkeys all mapped to "S"
- Necromancer's ultimate ability now hotkeyed to "R" instead of "D" and now works properly.
- Grand Inquisitors have been buffed and can now summon demonic reinforcements
- Added a new secret boss! A little easter egg for Diablo fans. He's got beefy stats and attacks really, really fast.
Don't open up his lair unless you're sure you're ready for a fight.
- Gold coin descriptions fixed
- Terrain and Doodad alterations
- New Ultimate Skill for the Witch Doctor: Loa Spirit.
Update 1
-Hotkeys of heroes abilities readjusted. An oversight caused them to not be QWER compatible initially.
-Corpses of the Eredar Witch can now spawn minions
-Gold and EXP gain nerfed
-Several Bosses buffed for added challenge
-Human Shipyards no longer sell transport ships
-Oppressor now has proper abilities
-Necromancer has new skill, a custom version of Animate Dead
-Troll buildings are now owned by the Sekawan clan, while Murloc Huts are Neutral Passive
-Cooldown of Cannoneer's cluster rockets has been doubled
-Worgen Darkweavers now cast Shadowbolt instead of Death Coil
-Mana Regen upgrade nerfed. Now provides a x2 bonus instead of a x25 bonus.
-Custom loading screen and preview image added


Credits

Disclaimer: If your model was used in this map and you weren't credit, please inform me ASAP.
Credits

[Story, Characters and Setting]
Homor
[Level Design]
Blizzard Entertainment (Original Map)
Homor (Editing)
[Models]
Sin'dorei300 - Void Witch
PROXY - Necromancer
ironmaiden - Witch Doctor
Gottfrei - Apothecary
SuPa - Abomination Overlord
Lord_T - Dark Cultist
Ujimasa Hojo - Black Guard
Ujimasa Hojo - Royal Guard
Ket - Mage
paulH - Cannon
FerSZ - Inquisitor Demon
FerSZ - Jailer Demon
Dionesiist - Balrog
Sellenisko - Oppressor Demon
FerSZ - Shiverra
FerSZ - Eredar Sorceress
Rubellu Sidus - Dark Bishop
FerSZ - Shiverra Queen
FerSZ - New Pit Lord
FerSZ - Fel Commander
General Frank - Troll Warlord
Sxar - Defias Kingpin
MiniMage - Harvest Golem
Mister_Haudrauf - Feral Worgen
Direfury - Worgen Warlock
FrancK - Worgen Packlord
67chrome - Rotbrain Warrior
AndrewOverload519 - Crypt Flyer
-Grendel - Bug Queen
[Special Thanks]
Hiveworkshop
Blizzard Entertainment
Walichrage
Pyrogasm
My family and friends
God


NOTICE: This map was not made under the Reforged World Editor and neither the author nor any of the people involved agree to the conditions of its EULA. The author of this map strongly rejects the Reforged EULA and retains moral rights to all intellectual property within.
Previews
Contents

The Necromancer: Priests of Ratheus (Map)

Author:
Homor and Watchilrage
Suggested players:
1-4
Players:
18
Required game:
The Frozen Throne
Recommended version:
1.31
Size:
148x148 (160x160)
Filesize:
9.07 MB
Uploaded:
Feb 4, 2020
Updated:
Today
Map Info View Resources In Use Preview Triggers

Necromancer 2 (Legacy Version) (Map)

Author:
Homor
Suggested players:
1-4
Players:
11
Required game:
The Frozen Throne
Recommended version:
1.31
Size:
148x148 (160x160)
Filesize:
8.72 MB
Uploaded:
Feb 5, 2020
Updated:
Never
Map Info View Resources In Use Preview Triggers
Reviews
Kerael
Kerael
Hello! Playing the map solo right now as the Void Witch (red), I've came up with a bug report, as well as general observations and suggestions. [spoiler] Overall, you've made a quite nice necromancer-fantasy map! I dig it, although the power curve...
Read full review...
Shar Dundred
Shar Dundred
Still no update since the review by @deepstrasz, set to substandard until updated.
Read full review...
deepstrasz
deepstrasz
Berserk and Chemical Rage have the same icon. Seems like all heroes follow the same trend of summoning from corpses. Poison Nova doesn't say Q (hotkey) in its title. Chemical Rage should have a passive icon. Its buff is Endurance Aura, icon and all....
Read full review...
Reputation Statistics
Page 1 of 2
  1. Homor

    Homor

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2009
    Messages:
    446
    Resources:
    6
    Maps:
    6
    Resources:
    6
    This post is where you can find the latest patch notes and important news about the map.

    Changelog:
    Changes

    Update 2
    - Level cap raised to 15, all bosses now at max level.
    - All bosses now have Chaos damage, have new abilities, can use all their skills, their stats are buffed, and they have
    resistant skin. Have fun, whimps!
    - Every main boss is now equipped with their own powerful artifact that drops on their death. Wield these powerful
    items to gain great stat boosts and abilities.
    - Enemies now have more disruption based powers based on silencing your spells and hurting summoned units
    - Inquisitors can no longer be possessed, and now have flame strike
    - Several miscellaneous changes to item names and descriptions
    - Crypt Flyers are now undead
    - Preview map no longer hidden
    - When the map starts, the camera will focus on the player's hero
    - Summoning ability hotkeys all mapped to "S"
    - Necromancer's ultimate ability now hotkeyed to "R" instead of "D" and now works properly.
    - Grand Inquisitors have been buffed and can now summon demonic reinforcements
    - Added a new secret boss! A little easter egg for Diablo fans. He's got beefy stats and attacks really, really fast.
    Don't open up his lair unless you're sure you're ready for a fight.
    - Gold coin descriptions fixed
    - Terrain and Doodad alterations
    - New Ultimate Skill for the Witch Doctor: Loa Spirit.
    Update 1
    -Hotkeys of heroes abilities readjusted. An oversight caused them to not be QWER compatible initially.
    -Corpses of the Eredar Witch can now spawn minions
    -Gold and EXP gain nerfed
    -Several Bosses buffed for added challenge
    -Human Shipyards no longer sell transport ships
    -Oppressor now has proper abilities
    -Necromancer has new skill, a custom version of Animate Dead
    -Troll buildings are now owned by the Sekawan clan, while Murloc Huts are Neutral Passive
    -Cooldown of Cannoneer's cluster rockets has been doubled
    -Worgen Darkweavers now cast Shadowbolt instead of Death Coil
    -Mana Regen upgrade nerfed. Now provides a x2 bonus instead of a x25 bonus.
    -Custom loading screen and preview image added


    Coming soon: AI, Skills Rehaul
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2019
    Homor, Sep 15, 2019
    #2
  2. Kerael

    Kerael

    Joined:
    Aug 6, 2014
    Messages:
    98
    Resources:
    2
    Maps:
    2
    Resources:
    2
    Hello! Playing the map solo right now as the Void Witch (red), I've came up with a bug report, as well as general observations and suggestions.

    1. Hotkeys... Most of them aren't QWER (which isn't an inherent problem), but most importantly there are A LOT of hotkey-collisions. I'll list some of the Void Witch's and charmed units hotkey problems for you:
    1.1 Banish is [B], when it's advertised to be something like [W]
    1.2 Forked lightning [E] <-- tooltip looks like this (F is yellow, E is white)
    1.3 Raise Specter doesn't have a hotkey in the tooltip. I've found out that it's [C], which collides with [C]harm which is expected to have [R] hotkey. I suggest making the innate abilities (like Raise Specter) have [D] hotkey, if you're going for the QWER layout.
    1.4 Many-many charmed creeps along with the mercenaries have hotkey-collisions. Troll Healer has H[e]al and H[e]aling Wave, for example. Grand Inquisitor (who is definitely too powerful to be charmed, but oh well) has D[r]ain and Cha[r]m. There are more examples, but you'd really have to check it yourself.
    1.5 Please make the hotkeys colored (|cffffcc00 hotkey |r) for the visual consistency.

    2. You cannot raise your summons from the corpse of Eredar Witch, but her corpse is still there (can be fixed in can decay/be revived field).

    3. Charmed units consume supply. Since you mentioned that there are up to 3 mercenaries to have, it's better to set food used by all the other units to 0.

    4. A limit of 10 summoned units at the start is too large. When I started the game, I've gathered max army and steamrolled until the center of the city. Even then it wasn't that hard hence the powerful charmed units.
    4.1 I'd suggest making the limit scale with Hero level. The easiest example would be 1-10, equal to the hero level. It will set up a power curve and make the early game a little more challenging. It can be made with a simple trigger that increases the level of Raise Specter (and similar abilities on other heroes) each time a hero levels up.

    4. Gold is too abundant (edit: I've gathered 55k gold by the end of the game).
    4.1 There is an option to buy a Transport Ship, however there isn't any lumber on the map.
    4.2 Graveyards having 10 max corpses looks a little dirty visually. The quick corpse respawn prevents the Graveyard from 'drying out' anyway.

    5. I guess it's fine that most of the city buildings are neutral to players (even Frost Towers and Battleships), but villagers walking around like it's nothing is a little off.

    6. Maybe some Quests would be helpful to describe some of what is going on and the objective. Although it's kinda obvious to kill all enemies in sight, there's little to no story to guide the players through the game. And the boss dialogues are hard to pay attention to during battle.

    7. The progression stops as soon as you hit level 10 and get some decent items. I'm trying to charm some fancy units into the army, but that's it. Since there are tons of enemies, you could slow the Exp gain to make the progression feel more earned.

    Overall, you've made a quite nice necromancer-fantasy map! I dig it, although the power curve is relatively flat.

    EDIT: Found more bugs.

    8. Oppressor has Hardened Skin and Resistant skin locked by an upgrade (like a Mountain Giant) and thus able to be charmed.
    8.1 Also, he has a Life Drain ability, but no mana to use it.

    9. Some obelisks (near skull Shrine) in the city are neutral, unlike all the other ones.

    10. Hero's mana regen is way too high. I think it's an upgrade from Acheron Nexus giving +2500% (editor-value 25.00) mana regen instead of +25% (editor-value .025). However +25% mana regen is kinda low as a standalone upgrade. Maybe 25% per level with 4 levels it would be in line with the other upgrades.

    11. I think it would be cool for Specters to have magic attack type in order to be able to attack banished units. But in the current balance of things it isn't really needed.

    12. Some troll buildings belong to Sekawan Troll Clan while others are neutral. Murloc Huts belong to the Troll Clan as well.

    13. Apparently, Worgen Darkweavers have Death Coil, but it's hotkey is [Q] unlike what the tooltip suggests.

    14. Cannoneer's Cluster Rockets ability wanted to kill my soundcard. Consider reducing rocket spawn frequency or something, since it may result in loud irritating noises when cast.

    15. The final boss seems underwhelming, having just 1.6k health and a healing ability. Also I don't get the Free Play mode, maybe it involves some FFA PvP, but I don't know, been playing it solo.
    15.1 Wouldn't it be better to move the final boss to the end of his island, warn the players that the final boss is ahead while crossing the bridge, and actually finish the game after the ending cinematic?
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2019
    Kerael, Sep 16, 2019
    #3
  3. Homor

    Homor

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    That was some awesome critique, Kerael! Extremely helpful. A couple points:

    1. Charm consuming supply is a drawback I left in to make it more balanced. You can choose to Charm a big army, but if your food supply gets too high you'll lose the benefit of getting new auras unless you actively hunt out the monsters that have them. There's an element of choice and strategy there. The fact that they also have conflicting hotkeys is also something that you had to deal with in vanilla Warcraft. Again, there have to be some drawbacks to charm or people would only ever wanna play the void witch.

    2. Technically, there is no "final" boss. Once you kill the four main bosses, you trigger the win condition. I originally planned for a hidden boss to be revealed when the other bosses were dead, but this felt too much like my previous map, Finest Hour, so I left it out. In a later update, I may add a final boss. But that's icing on the cake to me.

    3. Worgen Darkweavers are supposed to have a custom ability called "Shadowbolt." Having Death Coil is a bug.

    I'll start sorting out all these issues, I've already fixed a ton of them, including nerfing gold and XP gain. I also plan on giving the Necromancer hero his own custom version of Animate Dead that permanently raises a single unit.

    Also, the map description needs polished a bit. I didn't write a description for the bug queen, and I forgot one of the main bosses.
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
    Homor, Sep 17, 2019
    #4
  4. Ardenaso

    Ardenaso

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    Wait I thought his father was murdered by the Scarlet Crusade?
     
    Ardenaso, Sep 17, 2019
    #5
  5. Homor

    Homor

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    Cambria's father was, indeed, murdered by the Scarlet Crusade. If I made you think otherwise it was a miscommunication and I'll clear that up asap if needed.
     
    Homor, Sep 17, 2019
    #6
  6. Kerael

    Kerael

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    Hello! It's cool to see a quick update! Testing the new version and gathered a bit of info:

    1. The thumbnail looks a little squished. I wonder if it can be cropped without 'chopping' the skeleton heads too much while still centering on the necromancers.
    1.1 I see that you've hidden the map preview image in Warcraft. You can import the thumbnail image into the map with the name "war3mapPreview.tga".
    1.2 The loading screen text is a little bit lost now on the bright background. I'd suggest coloring it with a darker shade. By the way, the text amount doesn't fit in the screen and it stops with "prepare to assault the".

    2. When the game starts, the camera is focused on the players' Acheron Nexus, rather than their hero. While I understand that those buildings can be overlooked by the players, I still think that it's better to focus on the hero and also select it at the start, so the UI isn't empty. For example, blue player doesn't even have his hero on the screen at the start of the game due to the Nexus being far away.
    2.1 In my opinion, Apothecary's selection circle is too large while Witch Doctor's selection circle is too small.
    2.2 For some reason, Acheron Nexus has the option to set a Rally Point, unable to train any units.

    3. The innate summoning ability still doesn't have it's hotkey in the tooltip.
    3.1 It could be nitpicking, but it seems that the color you use to highlight hotkeys is yellow (ffff00) and not golden (ffcc00), judging by the color difference of 'hotkey' and 'level 1' in the learn-tooltip.
    3.2 Necromancer's ultimate hotkey appears to be [D].
    3.3 Apothecary's Slow Poison [E] hotkey isn't colored in the learn-menu and is simply absent in the normal tooltip.

    4. I feel like there is a need for a main and an optional quest, tracking the Bosses you've killed. Some of the story can also be displayed in their descriptions. You see, I knew that there were several main bosses, but still got tricked that the one I killed last was the final boss.

    5. It's good that the Bosses are less squishy now, but for additional challenge, I'd recommend revisiting their abilities. There is no necessity in custom abilities really, just a fitting combination of default abilities (with modified values and maybe visual effects) will do.
    5.1 Disabling effects usually imply increasing difficulty, when the raw stats are already formidable. A simple silence/soul burn, roots, banish, strong mana-drain would boost the attention paid to the boss fight.
    5.2 You can also have some non-boss units channel a disarming field ability (modified Dragonhawk's Fog ability) since players rely heavily on their armies. EDIT: It would also be great to see more Purge/Dispel/Disenchant being used by the enemies. During my gameplay it was used rarely on my units, but felt as if the enemies 'have an answer' to my endeavors. Also reverse-Charm was quite fun!
    5.3 Oh and by the way, the Necromancers do not count as Undead (can be healed by Holy Light but not by Death Coil)!

    EDIT: I see that my previous post has become a Review, which is quite fun! :D I'll give a rating then.
     
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2019
    Kerael, Sep 17, 2019
    #7
  7. MaxHothhowzer

    MaxHothhowzer

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    'Hi playing the game on Solo and the one confusing thing I found is that there is no way to play the other heroes. Either I'm not doing something right or there isn't a feature for that yet. If so please let me know.
     
    MaxHothhowzer, Sep 18, 2019
    #8
  8. Homor

    Homor

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    Well, you can play one of the other heroes by switching players. To do that, select "Team 1" again and it'll move you down. If you want to control all four heroes, you can type "-SoloMode" if you're Player 1 and gain control of all four at once.
     
    Homor, Sep 18, 2019
    #9
  9. Ardenaso

    Ardenaso

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    I misunderstood at first, because it said Every innocent person he killed staring at him, among them his own father, implying he killed him with them
     
    Ardenaso, Sep 19, 2019
    #10
  10. Homor

    Homor

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    I'll edit that to make it a little more clear.
     
    Homor, Sep 19, 2019
    #11
  11. suhaild23

    suhaild23

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    I see what you did there with my salia the merciless... it's awesome XD
     
    suhaild23, Sep 25, 2019
    #12
  12. Homor

    Homor

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    I'm glad you appreciated it! I was worried you might be uncomfortable with me using your character but I really liked her and wanted to use her in this world. I'm glad I made her firmly canon.
     
    Homor, Sep 25, 2019
    #13
  13. suhaild23

    suhaild23

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    Well hey, she is already better than the one I put together.
     
    suhaild23, Sep 25, 2019
    #14
  14. deepstrasz

    deepstrasz

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    This is not a campaign. That tag has o place here. It's not Strategy/Risk either. It's more of an RPG.

    1. Generally, Warcraft III material: spells, items, units. You could use some custom spells or make/edit them with triggers: Spells | HIVE
    2. Creeps sleeping in the middle of the road.
    3. Finding Serathil on normal creeps few paces outside the base? This map should have its own thematic items.
    4. Even though spells seem to have QWERT hotkeys, the yellowed letters are still the ones in the original game.
    5. Intended for Salia's story scroll to be a Scroll of Restoration? OK, so all story bit items follow this trend.
    6. Linear gameplay.
    7. Random creep types. Things should make sense.
    8. All you do is kill units on the map.
    9. What after level 10? Some hero customization wouldn't hurt.
    10. There's no objectives in the quest log, no information at all. How about some optional quests, something.
    11. Make your own map. Using a melee one is a bad choice, leaves little gameplay design perspectives.
    12. Mask of Death is usually a bad idea especially with such a high percentage.
    13. Most of the items found on enemies, you can buy. No originality in that.
    14. Too bad upgrades don't apply on charmed enemies.
    15. The worgen hero is too weak. Most enemy heroes are in fact. Imagine all 4 player heroes using spells on them at once.
    16. Alazard has no hero glow. The worgen hero might too. You can simply add it: How to add Hero Glow without Modeling
    17. Scepter of Healing+Unholy Aura+Scourge Bone Chimes+Mask of Death=well, you can figure it out yourself.
    18. Some buildings are neutral (for example Demon Gates) others belonging to the enemy.
    19. The AI should train troops when players are in their base for more dynamic fighting. You could learn from altered melee maps how to create better techtrees. These also help:
      How to: Create a Full-working Custom Race
      Custom Race Creation: Advanced Mechanics
    20. Fountain of Health/Mana near enemy bases is not a good idea. Makes things too easy for players.
    21. Crypt Fiends are undead but flyers not?
    22. You can finish this map solo with Salia's permanent 10 Void Walker army+charmed units.
    23. Many spam-copy shops around.
    24. It's weird for villagers to stand idly in the midst of battle.
    25. Not sure if Charm should work on the Grand Inquisitor.
    26. Gordragonn has piercing attack type. It's weak against most armour types, especially hero.
    27. Free mode activated and an empty quest log?

    What this needs is difficulty settings, more things to do than move forward attack+ground. Some nice boss fights with triggered mechanics, not just stronger units.

    Awaiting Update.


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    Last edited: Sep 27, 2019
    deepstrasz, Sep 27, 2019
    #15
  15. Homor

    Homor

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    Hey @deepstrasz ! Great review, very detailed. Tell me, what are the most pressing issues you think need to be addressed before the map can become up to Hive standard? I want to hit the biggest points first and foremost and slowly work my way from there.
     
    Homor, Sep 28, 2019
    #16
  16. deepstrasz

    deepstrasz

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    Most, the big deal is the gameplay, it's just killing units on the map waiting for the players. They can take their time, regenerate, chat, before they even decide to attack an enemy and they can just kill units few by few until bosses might remain alone. It's too old school, feels like playing a Warcraft II map.
     
    deepstrasz, Sep 28, 2019
    #17
  17. Shar Dundred

    Shar Dundred

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    Still no update since the review by @deepstrasz, set to substandard until updated.
     
    Shar Dundred, Jan 20, 2020
    #18
  18. Homor

    Homor

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    Sorry about that. There are some behind-the-scenes technical difficulties I take full responsibility for. Last year was really hard on me and I had real life issues to deal with, so I couldn't focus on managing or updating the map with my co-creator. I'm waiting for him to get back to me so we can put the finishing touches. The map isn't abandoned, just having development issues.

    I think I have a newer build, but it has some unfinished quirks. The Void Witch's abilities are under-developed, but it's got a lot of fancy bells and whistles, as well as enemy AI. I think I'll upload that later just to show the map is actively being worked on.
     
    Homor, Jan 23, 2020
    #19
  19. Homor

    Homor

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    UPDATE 2/4/2020

    I managed to finally get Warcraft 3 working again, and I've been able to test out this map. It functions and is playable from start to finish. It's a little rough around the edges but I wanted to make it clear this map isn't dead and all the hard work me and Watchilrage put into it isn't going to waste.

    Feedback is very important, please tell me everything you think needs tuned up or fixed and how you think I should do it, because development hit a wall for a while and I need all the support I can get from you guys.

    ==[Old Message]==
    2/3/2020
    Development Update:

    Some bad news, but lately there's been a lot of bad news in our little community lately so I'll keep it brief. For right now, Watchilrage, my AI guy, is taking a hiatus from WC3 development. Any further updates will have to come solely from me. Unfortunately, due to the controversy of the recent update and the complications its change brought to the game, I have no choice but to take a temporary hiatus until the situation improves.

    This map is not abandoned, but it's "on hold" until things are fixed. I personally love it and think its one of the coolest concepts I've ever worked on, but real life has put up some obstacles we'll all have to navigate before we see progress.
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2020
    Homor, Feb 3, 2020
    #20
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