10 NEW maps + multiplayer versions of old and new maps

[JamaY]

These are completely new maps that I discovered in the data files. I salvaged them and modded them to be able to play them, and here they are! There are FFA versions and custom multiplayer versions so you can play with your friends. There are also multiplayer versions of the old maps so you can play them with your friends against the AI.

Here's a list of all the maps:

New maps:
Allies (2v2v2)
Battle of the Sexes (2v2)
Battle of the Sexes (4 FFA)
Blood Lakes (6 FFA)
Island of Desire (6 FFA)
Last Hope (2v2)
Last Hope (4 FFA)
Master of the Seas (2v2)
Master of the Seas (4 FFA)
No Man's Land (2vs2)
No Man's Land (4 FFA)
School of Sword and Sorcery (2v2v2v2)
School of Sword and Sorcery (4v4)
School of Sword and Sorcery (8 FFA)
War of the Worlds (2v2v2v2)
War of the Worlds (4v4)
War of the Worlds (8 FFA)
Windrose Valley (2v2v2v2)
Windrose Valley (4v4)
Windrose Valley (8 FFA)

Multiplayer versions of old maps:
Divided Loyalties (2v2)
Heritage (2v2v2v2)
Heritage (4v4)
Land of the Outcasts (2v2)
Neighbors (2v2)
Rise to Power (2v2v2)
Rise to Power (3v3)
Subterranean Treasures (2v2)
Warlords (2v2v2v2)
Warlords (4v4)


Download them here:
New Maps: http://elrath.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=43
Multiplayer maps: http://elrath.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42

Feedback and comments are appreciated

[asandir]

will have to check this out when i get home .... hope it works like you say it does

fingers crossed

[Minmaster]

so these maps were already in the game but not enabled? hmm..i wonder why. anyways thanks for finding em out. ill give em a try.

[DaemianLucifer]

so these maps were already in the game but not enabled? hmm..i wonder why.

The same reason cheats and score table have been disabled(at least I think I read someone mentioning score table being disabled,not just completely out of the game).

[Purple Sky]

Maybe them demon run publishers wanted to make a few extra bucks on those maps. Those money sucking fiends always come up with new schemes.

[unreal_az]

Well the maps that are disabled don't have the ai on them. So this are just for multiplayer playing.
The team maps work.

[Lord Zeus]

Well the maps that are disabled don't have the ai on them. So this are just for multiplayer playing.
The team maps work.

So if I play them in singleplayer the A.I. won't do anything?

[DaemianLucifer]

Well the maps that are disabled don't have the ai on them. So this are just for multiplayer playing.
The team maps work.

So if I play them in singleplayer the A.I. won't do anything?

It sounds like AI is scripted for the other maps then,which is pretty weird.

[addicted]

So, wonder what the 'Real' purpose of these maps hidden on the CD disk, but block, are really there for!!! hmmmm.. Could it be they will be implemented with the patch, making us 'think' they were working hard making the patch with more maps, or worse, implement them with an expansion that we have to pay for, making us pay double for these maps! Because I am sure they never expected anyone to find them!!!!!! hmmmmm... I for sure am not impressed with Nival and I am really sorry ubi went with Nival for this game.. can't believe they block the cheat codes, etc and now secret maps! Kinda of deceptive in a way.. what's next?

[omegaweix]

Well the maps that are disabled don't have the ai on them. So this are just for multiplayer playing.
The team maps work.

Ehm... so what does THAT mean?
If (or when) we finally get the map editor, we would be able to create marvellous maps.... that can only played in multiplayer because the AI does not know what to do on them?

That would be the worst news (for me) so far!

Or will there be some kind of "AI script editor" as well?
Is something like that with a certain scale of "userfriendliness" possible???
Cause i'm not really into programming and stuff!

Or will we have to send our maps to Ubi/nival and they nicely compile an AI script.... for 2.99 each (Oblivion beckons) ???


I know, all that's just pessimistic speculation..... but i'm quite alerted right now!

[Asjo]

omegaweix, I think he just meant that they hadn't been made as single players maps, but as they weren't classified, they would still show up in single player. So, if you try to start a single player game and play them, the other players will be listed as human players as well. However, you can just start a multiplayer hot seat game and choose to have one player only and set the rest to AI.

[Orfinn]

If they thought that players couldnt find them, they are truly underestimating us.

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

My guess without having seen them would be they are maps that were being worked on when management decided for the game to go gold.

GOW

[ryanmax51]

in other words to cut things short they are idiots.

also when making a map where you can either play against your friends or have computers set to play againts will automaticaly have ai its not as if you make a map with computers and they just sit there that would be utterly pointless, its the same as the other editors from previous versions the ai isnt a set thing you can choose easy normal or hard when creating the game that chooses the ai lvl of the computer chars.'


correct me if im wrong.
'
or if someone would like to put it in more technical terms then go ahead

[Bob Morane]

The fact is, we know nothing about how the game works. I took a look inside the data.pak and quickly got lost in all the subfolders

Well, i finally found the maps, they are in a map folder, but inside this folder there's subfolders and the maps are not one file, but several files inside a folder named something like **<size>nn where ** is one or two letters that differentiate campaign, multi, singe scenario ... maps <size> is either S M L or XL and nn is the map's number. How the hell are we supposed to know wich number to give to maps we create when the editor will finally be released

Inside this folder are some files, there is a groundTerrain.bin and UndergroundTerrain.bin A large xdb file (1000+ pages when opened in a text editor) with the same name the folder has, some XXX_pic.xdb and XXX_pic.bin files, probably the images displayed when you have to select your map, and sometimes additional files, such as .lua scripts, not always, and not always big when present. Here is the content of one of them, maybe someone with programming skill will be able to understand it

Code: Select all

function mi_vse_umrem(player)

	if GetObjectiveState("obj1", player)==OBJECTIVE_FAILED then

		SetObjectiveState("obj2", OBJECTIVE_ACTIVE);

		Trigger(OBJECTIVE_STATE_CHANGE_TRIGGER, "obj1", nil);

	end;

end;



Trigger(OBJECTIVE_STATE_CHANGE_TRIGGER, "obj1", "mi_vse_umrem");

Maybe those lua files are just scripts like the ones we had in heroes IV, maybe the AI can work without them. Maybe some are ai related, just like scripts that gave ai bonuses in previous heroes maps.

My guess is when they will release a map editor, all those funtions will be put inside a handy UI, with script editor, terrain "painter" and the like, but this probably must still be done, that explain why the map editor have not been released yet (that does not excuse them for releasing an unfinished product, but that explains)

[jeff]

Assuming the ai does not work on these maps, but also assuming the map editor will actually create maps where the ai does work, big assumption I know. Then it might be possible to open these maps with the editor (of course we don't know when or what it will be able to do) then perhaps just editing it and resaving it will activate the ai.

[karacha]

Actually, someone on the official forums posted the file to enable all these maps long time ago (Still, good work and thanks, we appreciate it).

I played almost all of them. And there is AI. I'm not sure if there's AI for every player, but those players I noticed, certainly tried to take my castles and stuff. They were far from brain-dead.

Of course, I still defeated them , only to be greeted by the standard, worst victory "screen" in the HoMM history: a "Mission Completed" popup. What a disgrace.

[JamaY]

I haven't played the new maps extensively, but I assume the AI does work on them. The problem is the AI was scripted to do better on the maps that were released...not by giving it ressources but by making it more intelligent in that particular map. Probably Nival didn't have the time to work on the AI for those maps, yo ensure it's bugfree, so they went for quality over quantity.
The maps still work with human players, and the AI seems too work to, so you can get used to those maps so you can play them fully once they are released in a patch.

By the way, everything except the actual terrain is modifiable, so you could change available heroes and spells, artifacts and creatures, what moons (weeks) will be choosed each week and how many birds fly in the sky
That means a map editor will be really easy to implement from the map point of view...as for the AI doing well on those maps I can't guarantee anything

[akrav]

these files were posted on the 19th already last month, and they appear in the thread "download team maps here" end of first page.

but since they dont work that well with a.i(3 a.i will not move a hero, while the 4th might) its pointless enabling them.

[unreal_az]

What i've said is i think the main reason for the editor delay. The ai script isn't game related it's map related.

As akrav said the maps have some ai on them but not all the scripts. Can only be played in mp and still might be bugged.

Another issue they have to fix before the map release is converting the map to a one file only. Or make the editor save them as PAK files and they would just be added to the game dir which i think it's the best solution.