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Psychobabble's Picks

Introduction

These maps represent what I believe are well made and enjoyable Heroes IV maps in their respective categories. The inclusion criterion is that I or another reviewer has reviewed the map and given it a score of 7 or higher. The higher the score the better - read the full review if you want to know more about the map and the reasons for the score.

If you would like to see a map picked, nominate it for a review here. Any comments, feel free to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave comments at the bottom of the page.

A full list of reviews is on this page.

Contents

Key

Size:

  • S, M, L, XL – Single map scenario size
  • C – Campaign

Version:

  • STD – H4 standard
  • TGS – The Gathering Storm expansion
  • WoW – Winds of War Expansion
  • EQU - Equilibrius unofficial mod

Score:

      The score is the "overall" rating which the reviewer gave the map. Rating scores which are

bold

      indicate that the map scored an award (

    ).


Single player

 

These are maps which are primarily designed to give the player a good single player game, whether or not there is potentially more than one human player. Maps in this category will give a solo player a fun and challenging game and often some sort of story. Single player RPG maps are not included here

Map Name Map-maker Size Version Score In short
A Beautiful Land Veldrynus L STD 10 Veldrynus has said this is the last map he will make and, if so, it is a glorious way to top of his excellent collection of maps. Practically flawless.
Burn ‘Em ScarlettP L STD 8 An enjoyable single player map from a promising first time map-maker.
Charmers’ Diplomacy Thunder L STD 9 This is a great map in every respect and I recommend it very highly for players looking for either a fun single player or an unusual and highly interesting multiplayer game.
Charragaust Veldrynus S STD 7 As a 1v1 multiplayer map, this is fairly poor and limited but as a fun single player challenge map, it works pretty well.
Conquest of the New Land Link XL STD 7 For the XL map lovers. This map is huge, good looking and well designed. Lots of effort has gone into making this!
Dark Son Laelth M STD 8 This was a great map which used the editor to nearly its full potential through coherent, thematic, terrain and interesting scripts and events.
Dusk of Technics Ururam Tururam M STD 7 This is a really good map if you are looking for a well-themed, quite unique, high-story single player experience.
Elemental Isles Lort Arturius L TGS 8 A very enjoyable map with good exploration and gameplay.
Fanelia’s Plague Kane S STD 7 A good small map with a good concept and pretty fun, challenging, gameplay.
Final Exam Ungo S STD 8 This was a fun, focussed map which benefited from its small size. Well worth checking out.
Garvant Sarvi L TGS 9 An awesome single player map, fun, challenging and a good story to back it up.
Malcom in the Middle Tim S STD 7 This was quite a fun, small, map. The impression of being under siege was quite strong and the map comes recommended if you want a challenging, short, game.
Pirates L.T.D. Ururuam Turuam XL STD 7 Well worth playing if you’re looking for a single player experience with a great, and novel, concept. Truly a swashbuckling adventure of piratey proportions!
Power of the Dragonflame Ethric M WoW 8 A good single player map which unfortunately lost steam right towards the end.
Prince Valiant Sarvi L TGS 9 If Sarvi doesn’t have a reputation for making enjoyable single player maps... he should!
Resolution, Part One Rife C WoW 8 A refreshing and entertaining campaign.
River’s End Mikey XL STD 7 At it’s heart this is a fairly well constructed map which XL aficionados should have some fun with.
Robin Hood Rakne Fne C TGS 8 A great campaign which I can recommend to all players looking for a fun, challenging, gameplay experience.
Shadow of the Dragons Qrystal Dragon L WoW 8 An enormous and well make map which could have used a bit more focus.
Sunken Empires Aczl XL STD 8 This is an excellent map for those who like XL maps and a map well worth checking out even if you don’t love them.
The Economists Rakne Fne L EQU 10 A novel and fantastic map which uses the strengths of the both the H4 editor and the game itself to provide a great playing experience.
The Menace Bernhard Kiessling L WoW 9 A highly enjoyable map, one of the best out there.
The Final Stand Arturius M TGS 7 If you want a challenge then this is a good single player map to try out.
Trills Sarvi L STD 7 If you like single player maps with a decent story line to back them up then you will certainly enjoy this one. It has some flaws, but is still an enjoyable map.
War of the Wastelands Zealot M STD 8 While this map probably wouldn’t work well as a competitive multiplayer map, it does provide a good quest-heavy single player game.
Water Wyrd Qrystal Dragon L WoW 8 A quality and fairly unusual map best suited for a single player game
Yamuna Sarvi M STD 8 This map was a blast to play, the story was fairly good, the difficulty was perfect and the epic battles were cool!

 

RPG

 

These are single player maps with a particular focus on a single hero, creature or party. They have strong stories, heavy scripting and large armies are not central to the map.

Map Name Map-maker Size Version Score In short
A Wind of Thorns Wimfrits C WoW 10 A definitive campaign. It has everything a campaign needs, and more. I don’t see how a campaign could get any better. Hail to the king!
Alexandra the Great Mike Johnson XL WoW 8 A good RPG map which might have been more enjoyable if the maxim ‘less is more’ had been applied.
Bulbo’s Adventure Sarvi L TGS 8 Another quality map from single player specialist Sarvi!
Champions Crusard C STD 9 A fantastic campaign from a rookie map-maker with a lot of promise.
Demonic Dream Zealot M TGS 8 An enjoyable single player map with a well implemented, two pronged, story and well used scripting.
Draconic Veldrynus XL STD 10 Possibly the best H4 map I’ve ever played, map-making perfection!
Draconic 2 Veldrynus XL STD 8 A great combat-oriented early game and good exploration in the mid-late game can’t hide the fact that this map is too big and lacks focus for much of the game.
Hero Wanted Kalah S STD 8 A good, small, single player map.
Ky Pitsu M STD 7 An attempt at a somewhat novel take on single player map design is let down at times by scripting glitches and obtuse directions.
Lunch Chris Tiahrt S WoW 8 An enjoyable, if slightly short, single creature RPG map.
My Brother’s Keeper Psychobabble M TGS 9 For the RPG lover this is a MUST-GET map. They will have the time of their life when playing it. For other HoMM players I can recommend this map as well. [Ed. this review and these comments were written by Arturius]
Plan B Chris Tihart S WoW 8 An odd little map - enjoyable and refreshing.
Planeswalker Thomas Robenhagen C WoW 7 The groundwork for a great campaign was here but the gameplay let it down a bit.
Planeswalker II Thomas Robenhagen C WoW 8 A confounding campaign – very impressive on the map-making side but (sadly) mediocore on the gameplay side.
Taming the Brew Qrystal M TGS 8 This map easily transcends its relatively minor flaws, providing a good single player RPG game.
The Adventures of Wren Jorgen Linde C STD 8 It’s a shame this campaign was never finished, the first two maps are an excellent early experiment in heavily scripted RPG maps.
The Last Chance Ansy M STD 9 This was a great single player RPG map which impressed at every turn.
The Life of Hobbit Thunder S STD 7 The first attempt at a single creature-only RPG map, this doesn’t hit on every point but it’s still a great map.
Trapped Inside the Beast Thunder S STD 8 This map built beautifully on the creature-RPG idea of The Life of Hobbit and the result is a really fun map.
Truth and justice Vlaad XL WoW 9 This map provides novel and enjoyable gameplay that pushes tactical battles and hero-led combat to the limit.

 

Multiplayer

 

Well balanced maps designed for competitive hot-seat, LAN or online play.

Map Name Map-maker Size Version Score #Players In short
After the Flood Laelth M STD 8 2 Another fine map from Laelth, characterised by stunning grasslands terrain and a nice flood theme.
Agathon Laelth M STD 8 2 A well made, simple, small, 1v1 tournament map.
Battle for the Pine Barrens Laelth L STD 8 3 Another polished and fairly enjoyable map from Laelth.
Barbarian Duels Mike_B20 M STD 9 2 A thematic and well designed 1v1 map.
Beyond the Bastard’s Reach Thunder M STD 9 2-6 An extension of his previous work, this is a great refinement of a good concept.
Charmers’ Diplomacy Thunder M STD 9 2 This is a great map in every respect and I recommend it very highly for players looking for either a fun single player or an unusual and highly interesting multiplayer game.
Coastland Jewels Blue Camel M STD 8 4 A very good design ensures hectic and enjoyable player interaction.
Confrontation Hunter M TGS 8 2 This is a simple 1v1 multiplayer duel map which has enough interesting features to stand out from the crowd.
Dry County Blues Laelth M STD 9 2 Time will tell whether or not online players appreciate Laelth’s attempts to balance the game, but regardless of that this map is an outstanding achievement.
Eruption Laelth M STD 8 2 Another extremely professional and competent map from Laelth.
Fierce and Furious Thunder M STD 9 2 Potentially a stunning multiplayer map.
Insanity IV Insatiable M STD 9 2 This map has almost flawless design and near perfect implementation of that design, making for a 1v1 multiplayer map which stands out from the crowd.
Iopiou Blue Camel M TGS 8 2 A map which uses scripts and Gathering Storm objects to enhance the multiplayer game.
Mud is Browner Thunder M STD 9 2-3 A tightly scripted map which allows the player unprecedented control over the way the map plays.
Mystic Vale Laelth M STD 8 2 This map is interesting, well presented, (possibly) ideal for a 1v1 multiplayer match up and polished in every respect.
Pearls and Shells Zutus M STD 8 2 A very solid 1v1 multiplayer map which does enough to stand out from the crowd.
Phoenix Island Veldrynus M WoW 9 4 A superb multiplayer map.
Round the World Weap0n M STD 8 2 Great multiplayer design with some nice twists.
Quattro Karyll & Psychobabble S STD 8 4 A swift and fun multiplayer map with more depth than it seems to have at first glance. [Ed. This review and these comments were written by Wimfrits]
Unknown Lands Max_Apes M STD 8 2 An innovative multiplayer map which has many randomised elements.

Allied

Maps which can be played with a team-mate. Some are designed for single player and some for multiplay.

Map Name Map-maker Size Version Score Allied Map Type
Boggle Laelth M STD 9 2v2 multiplayer, one version has four human player the other has two.
Emperor’s Game Ururuam Turuam M STD 7 2v2 multiplayer.
Eyes Sarvi L STD 7 2 human players co-op vs AI.
Shallow Be Thy Game Blue Camel M STD 8 2v2 multiplayer.
Spiritmongers Thunder M STD 9 2v2 multiplayer. Human players can remove surplus AI players and have the human player on that side control both player’s areas.
The Menace Bernhard Kiessling L WoW 9 2 human players co-op vs AI.
X Never Marks the Spot Thunder M STD 9 2v2 multiplayer.
Yamuna Sarvi M STD 8 2 human players co-op vs AI.

Innovative

These are maps which fundamentally alter the game through changed victory conditions, an unusual central concept or massive amounts of scripting. They are generally better in solo play than in multiplay.

Map Name Map-maker Size Version Score Innovation
A Beautiful Land Veldrynus L STD 10 The “void” terrain.
A Wind of Thorns Wimfrits C WoW 10 Extensive use of carryover variables in the campaign.
Demonic Dream Zealot M TGS 8 Can play either evil or good character paths.
Draconic Veldrynus XL STD 10 Customised hero skills, numerous side quests, extreme level hero battles.
Duel Arena Thunder S STD 8 Dedicated hero combat.
King Bounty vs King Burger Insatiable M STD 7 Extremely complicated multiplayer design which links in with multiple quests.
Mud is Browner Thunder M STD 9 Deathmatch, King of the Hill or Domination modes, customisable number of players.
Pirates L.T.D. Ururuam Turuam XL STD 7 The pirate-raid scoring system.
Poker Veldrynus S STD 9 You play poker!
Trapped Inside the Beast Thunder S STD 8 Single creature RPG elements, branching ending, text-RPG script.
Treasure Hunt in Charragaust Veldrynus M STD 8 Very involved artifact collection script.
Unknown Lands Max_Apes M STD 8 Randomised adventure objects.

Psychobabble's Top 10

My 10 favourite maps for Heroes IV, in descending order. I only play single player and the list reflects this. I have so much respect for these maps that it’s difficult for me to see how a new map could break its way in, but I’d love to be proved wrong!

Favourite map lists by other map-makers are found here

Map Name Map-maker Size Version Score Comment
A Wind of Thorns Wimfrits C WoW 10 Any of the 8 (!) maps in this campaign would be a great map on its own, but together they’re unstoppable. Extremely fun and challenging, this game showcases Heroes IV as it can be at its best. Pepak wrote the review, but I’ve played the campaign and I agree with it entirely. Truly a masterpiece.
Draconic Veldrynus XL STD 10 This map just floored me. I had an inkling that Veldrynus had great things in him, but this map blew all my expectations away. It “wowed” me on so many levels - the combination of innovative elements and extremely fun, high level, game play was a winning combination.
The Menace Bernhard Kiessling L WoW 9 It’s a shame the ending to this map was somewhat frustrating and disappointing. It would have taken out my first 10 score otherwise. Still, it’s a great classic-style Heroes map where you’ll find yourself attacked by an uncharacteristically aggressive AI and complete wide ranging quests.
The Adventures of Wren Jorgen Linde C STD 8 My emails encouraging (ok, begging) Jorgen to finish this campaign were ultimately in vain, but what we have is two highly professional maps which show a map maker - very soon after the release of Heroes IV - realising the potential of the new editor. The second map was a bit unforgiving to play, but so many scripting techniques which would become commonplace were trialled here. These maps are truly an outstanding achievement.
A Beautiful Land Veldrynus L STD 10 A recent map, but an awesome one. The general polish and enjoyment sucked me in and then the void made me go all crazy and give the map a 10. But if I can’t find any faults with the map including “it didn’t contain something I’ve never seen after almost three years of playing custom maps”, then what choice do I have? :)
The Last Chance Ansy M STD 9 This map was sent to me out of the blue for submission and help with the translation. As I played it I realised that it was an absolute gem. I think its a hint of the map-making talent English speaking players are often missing out on.
Garvant Sarvi L TGS 9 Sarvi is like the Laelth of single player maps. He has churned out a large number of fundamentally similar maps which might be a bad thing, but they’re so good that in the end you’re just grateful that he has found what he is good at and is sticking to it. I think this is his best to date, it's like two fantastic maps in one. Challenging and well constructed - Sarvi at his best!
Yamuna Sarvi L STD 8 Ummm, ditto :) Actually, I did have one of my most enjoyable Heroes experiences ever playing through this allied with my wife against the computer. I even rescued her from the big mean AI attacker! A enjoyable and challenging map, even if it is a little rough around the edges.
Trapped Inside the Beast Thunder S STD 8 Looking back I don’t know why I only gave this an 8. I suppose my initial reaction was the same as a lot of players, the frustration of dying in the early parts because you don’t know what’s going on. But looking back (and playing through it many times for the Round Table battles) I can appreciate the true beauty of this map. It’s now a fairly old map, but to this day there’s hardly any map as well scripted as this, and that’s an impressive achievement.
My Brother’s Keeper Psychobabble M TGS 9 I know there’s nothing more narcissistic than nominating your own baby as your favourite, but I can’t help myself! I made this map the way it is because I saw a gap in the market for extremely tightly controlled RPG maps, the advantage of which was that hopefully some of the battles could be made super tough and require specific battle tactics (with in-game tips if the player asked for them). I’m very proud of this map even if I recognise that I can’t do graphics or build a map as well as a lot of the people I review :)
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