Masters of Sighisoara - a whole new continent!

[Yurian Stonebow]

Update, Friday 15th of May 2009


Good news! We are back on track with a solid foundation now laid for the the first part in the series of Sighisiora campaigns, called Masters of Sighisiora 1: The Murdered Inn-keep. We have prepared what could be considered a Demo version, with a working (basic) storyline and some guidelines and hints for next parts of the upcoming campaign.

To tease you off a bit, but not revealing extensive information (you see we're secretive guys with our work-in-progress type of maps), here's a ReadMe for "The Murdered Inn-keep", written by yours truly.

"Map Name: Masters of Sighisoara 1 - The Murdered Inn-Keep

Map Maker: HeroOfPunk - Yurian Stonebow

E-Mail Address: olavi.valimaki(@)helsinki.fi

Map Difficulty: Normal

Map Size: Medium

Underground: No

Multiplayer: No

Map Style: Campaign

Map Type: Singleplayer

Map Version: Demo only

Map Date: May 13th, 2009

Human-playable Red (Castle)

Computer only: None

Language: English

Game Version: Shadow of Death

Special Win: Acquire Artifact (Pendant of Dispassion)

Special Loss: Lose the Hero Yurian

Special Other: None

Play-Tester(s): Virtually not tested (as of 15th of May)

Map Description: The Inn-Keep of The Howling Champions Inn, Yulgar,
has been murdered by an unknown assassin. It is
your mission to find out who could have murdered
this widely loved man. "

You shall play as the Hero Yurian* ( ! ), a young Adventurer from other parts of the realm, who has just recently arrived in Visby, Aurolas to investigate the murder of the local Inn-keep, Yulgar. The story revolves around a gang of menacing criminals called the Minotaur Mafia.

More information shall be revealed later on, as HeroOfPunk is still in the middle of revising and checking the story for consistency, which means that we can expect to see new, detailed information added soon. The Demo itself remains unreleased before we reach a version that is of satisfaction to all parties included in creating it.

On a related note, we are simultaneously working on another Sighisiora based campaign map referred to under the working title "A Quest for no Mortal"**. It is our most advanced Demo at the moment, and in its current state, already quite ready to be tested by general audience here at CH and the Map Testing departement. I feel strongly about releasing it as a stand-alone map, but as this is team work we're talking about, I can not push things to happen, and do so all by myself. (although my hunch tells me that releasing the said map could attract more people to our project)

Work on the Sighisiora project continues sporadically, but much more intensive on weekends. This is unfortunately the current state of affairs due to real life related stuff (who said "working"?). Expect to see new stuff such as screenshots, story bits and a new presentation on the powerpoint released on our next update. Friday? You guessed it.

We may also do so called in-between updates, and not just those Friday updates, so stay tuned for more! And don't change the channel...

On behalf of the group,



Yurian







* thus named by HeroOfPunk
** part of a campaign taking place way after events in Sighisiora part 1

[maygwan]

hiya all i have now found time to help out on the map...
updates added so far-

the first map of the campaign looks pretty good and i have made some additions to add more of a challenge to it.

will go over these additions with yurian and max

thanx
si

[Salamandre]

You both should use WoG and give to your maps another dimension. You can change you map into a WoG one in a click then ask for help here

http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=8288

There are a lot of people who will help you with scripts or anything, you can even use new creatures. And the possibilities are endless, without changing the basics.

If you spend so much time to make a valuable story, why not use it and update it according to the player actions. This can be done only with WoG. You can choose from it only to use custom events and story updates, and leave out all the options you dislike. SoD mapmaking is outdated today.

Not speaking about the +400 new objects which you can use, some are fantastic.

It is time to make a step. I am pretty familiar with WOG and I will give you any script you desire. And no, this will not change your map into something chaotic, but will suit anything you wish for it and leave out anything else.

[Yurian Stonebow]

I think I have already made quite clear my opinion about WoG.
-Yurian

[maygwan]

I am with yurian on opinions on WOG

not to mention that yurian and myself work well on homm3 maps
and punk is adding the story so we are good. its just a case of time now
but the first campaign will be defnately out this year.

[ByteBandit]

WoG can either be very powerful or slightly subliminal. I like a more lighter version of WoG when I play anymore nowadays. Too much scripting overwhelms the game and the AI can be overdosed on what it can do. I know most of the WoG maps I've released are script heavy and sometimes it's too much. But maybe just a script or two is quite okay as long as it's not too global. I do prefer a WoG style of map over vanillia. But once in a while I do play Standard as a change of pace. (But it does seem so unusual not to have commanders though....)

[Salamandre]

I second everything ByteBandit says. I was talking about a subliminal WoG version. But when opinions are binded mostly because of lack of real infos, there is not much to do.

WoG is dynamic, while SoD can only poorly simulate it by using the same old tricks which do not surprise anyone, anymore.

Good luck in making your map, guys.

[MadMax]

Do not worry about us not making a good map or so we have all the ingredients we need to make a really nice map. We have an AWESOME story-line which will truly captivate you and make you more intrested in what is acctually going on in Sighisoara. We have stories behind everything. And we are matching up with the stories of Might and Magic Thats how good we are!
Also we have 2 awesome map-makers and 1 that I guess will do fine (Me) and atm we have spent like 40 hours+ totally on making this map! It is indeed very graphically developed and have a very nice story-line attached to it and at the same time it is indeed a challenging map and you will have the option to explore parts of the two nations Aurolas and Gulael!

Also I wonder what you lads think about the rest of the continent? Not just the first map of the first campaign but about the rest of Sighisoara?

-HeroOfPunk

[Salamandre]

and atm we have spent like 40 hours+ totally on making this map!
-HeroOfPunk

You lucky:) I started my last WoG map 6 months ago and I work on it 3-4 hours every day. No exception, unless some top model calls me. But it does not happen every day...

[MadMax]

Well we do not work with wog so we do not need to waste time on scripts and such

[ByteBandit]

40+ hours on map is okay. I wish I could make a map in 40+ hours. That's about how long it took me to do an H2 map. But I include storyline and everything else behind the scenes of the map. Good luck to you fellows.

[maygwan]

The map is a meduim size map and its being worked on by 3 people.
Its part of a 3 map campaign.

As for wog for me its too in depth there are too many elements to make a good balanced map, computer players can become incredibly strong early on and late on in a map and can overwelm you hero. so it takes a lot of work.
Not to mention most wog players add there own custom additions which can spoil a map from the get go.

And of course homm3 is my favourite out of all the heroes released.

[Salamandre]

Being WoG or SoD does not change the amount of time needed. If we scan deeply famous SoD maps as Unleashing the Bloodthirsty, The Empire II, Lord of War, there are custom message from the mapmaker saying it took 8-9 months of intense work. And those scenarios are history. A 40 hours scenario will be forget in no time.

But Heroes is also for spending fun time, not only making masterpieces. Up to anyone. Personally I dislike having in my scenarios things that you can find elsewhere, and getting the original ideas takes the longest, not scripting or the layout. There are many things to be discovered in Heroes for those who know how to look.

The danger is that when more than 1 people working on a scenario, the result will hardly be good. I am not saying this to discourage you, as certainly you know what you have in mind. But there are slight chances that every one of you is waiting from other progress and so on. Maybe thats why we have until now only power point previews and not a single screen, which helps more to have an opinion.

[MadMax]

We have a ppt WITH screens! Do not worry about that you can believe me that there is hard work and alooot of effort being put into this and also there is a incredibly worked out story behind every campaign! We are 3 good map-makers and are all making our rounds on the map always increasing it and improving it and we are working hours on the map everyday!
We don't need no wog let the motherfucker burn!

[maygwan]

In many cases 8-9 months means 100 hours tops. people don't sit there 18 hrs a day for 9 months doing maps. They do 2-3 hours a day. dragon riders unite took me 7 months to finish but i didn't spend all those hours per day, it was a few hours every few days sometimes few hours a week.

i have played the 3 maps you mention and there good maps and i am still learning with every map i produce.
I just don't like the depth of a wog map and as i already mentioned most folk
pick there own custom settings and it totally spoils a wog map, due to the fact that the mapmaker as spent hours balancing the map so it needs to be played the way they built it.

I enjoy playing some wog maps myself but i hate commanders, this doesnt mean that others hate them too some players love them.

anyway 40hrs is only time spent so far on the first map. punk as spent probably close to 2 years working on the new continent and story.
and 40 hrs isnt the first map finished its 40 hrs worked on the map more like 50 hrs+ now and we are still tweaking it.

some people will enjoy it some will hate it and some just wont download it
either way its a new campaign to play which yurian,punk and myself are working hard on.

cheers
simon

[MadMax]

Yes indeed Maygwan, we have spend endless hours of concentrated hard work on this, we have the map over all of Sighisoara and we have a first map and have started working on the second map too, I just wrote down my opinions in a textfile about this map for example!
But you guys what do you think about Sighisoara overall and do not answer: Use WoG blablabla

[Salamandre]

ok, use a spelling checker then.

[MadMax]

oh nice opinion there, if you are not going to write such stuff you can just not bather writing at all instead.

[Salamandre]

I was serious. I read the powerpoint, and it is full with spelling errors, everywhere. I know you are not english, and me neither, thats why a constant use of a translator is needed when creating a story.

[MadMax]

I thought you ment my comment sorry then
Well acctually Yurian is going over all grammatic errors and such in the campaign and scenarios And also he adds and removes bad spellings and good texts etc. We will also try to get a real english person to look over all spelling and such before the final release
Right now I am also adding and deleting some good/bad things about the first map (for like the 100th time) and believe me we have surely putted like 60+ hours on the campaign as it is atm