SP Difficulty

Official forum of the Equilibris mod to Heroes of Might and Magic IV (Russian forum)
User avatar
Horath
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Apr 2007

SP Difficulty

Unread postby Horath » 12 Apr 2007, 17:48

I've just installed Equilibris on IV vanilla, and played a solo game on standard difficulty on a large map. I was underwhelmed by the AI, to say the least. Does the AI get better? Should I play on smaller maps? Higher difficulty? Both?

I'm used to II and III, where normal difficulty or one up would yield a nice, long, entertainingly challenging but still winnable game for a casual player.

Thanks!

User avatar
Grumpy Old Wizard
Round Table Knight
Round Table Knight
Posts: 2205
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Location: Tower Grump

Re: SP Difficulty

Unread postby Grumpy Old Wizard » 12 Apr 2007, 20:42

Horath wrote:I've just installed Equilibris on IV vanilla, and played a solo game on standard difficulty on a large map. I was underwhelmed by the AI, to say the least. Does the AI get better? Should I play on smaller maps? Higher difficulty? Both?

I'm used to II and III, where normal difficulty or one up would yield a nice, long, entertainingly challenging but still winnable game for a casual player.

Thanks!
Try a higher difficulty setting. If I recall correctly it is the expert setting that gives the player and computer an even playing field, so on normal difficulty you are getting an advantage over the computer. Also diffulty is highly dependent on the map design.

GOW
Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

User avatar
Gaidal Cain
Round Table Hero
Round Table Hero
Posts: 6972
Joined: 26 Nov 2005
Location: Solna

Unread postby Gaidal Cain » 13 Apr 2007, 08:30

Since creature stacks grow for the AI with difficulty, and the AI uses the sucky quick combat, higher difficulty doesn't necessarily mean better AI. What you really should do is to try some custom maps, where mapmakers have used tricks to make the AI play better.
You don't want to make enemies in Nuclear Engineering. -- T. Pratchett

timagalant
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 41
Joined: 28 May 2006
Location: Israel

Unread postby timagalant » 14 Apr 2007, 16:07

An easier thing to do would be opening the map in the map editor and giving the computer plays some nice starting boost of creatures/resources, so they will have a chance of not killing themselves fighting neutral armies.

User avatar
Grumpy Old Wizard
Round Table Knight
Round Table Knight
Posts: 2205
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Location: Tower Grump

Unread postby Grumpy Old Wizard » 14 Apr 2007, 18:29

Click here for my HOMM4 maps (shameless plug.)

All 4 of these maps were designed for single player and have at least an introduction storyline. The Dancing Crusader is specifically an Equilibris map and has an extensive storyline and tons of scripting.

You will find that the computer gets advantages in each of these maps, particularly in Against All Odds. Combat and exploration are emphasized in my maps.

Against All Odds -all factions playable
Wishes and Dreams - wizards playable
The Price of Liberty- Nature playable
The Dancing Crusader - Nature (primary) but you'll have access to human troops later.

GOW
Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

User avatar
okrane
Round Table Hero
Round Table Hero
Posts: 1786
Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: Paris

Unread postby okrane » 14 Apr 2007, 18:36

cool maps all of them

User avatar
Horath
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Apr 2007

Unread postby Horath » 15 Apr 2007, 05:14

Awesome, thank you GOW! I will try those maps and let you know how I like them.

User avatar
pacobac
Pixie
Pixie
Posts: 110
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Location: france
Contact:

Unread postby pacobac » 15 Apr 2007, 17:14

if you want playing hard game, try multiplayer game !!!

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/

http://www.toheroes.com/

timagalant
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 41
Joined: 28 May 2006
Location: Israel

Unread postby timagalant » 15 Apr 2007, 20:12

Grumpy, I've had a bug with one of your maps. I'm fairly sure it's a bug with the game itself, but I just thought I'd ask.
In Against All Odds, the orange player never leaves the castle. All the other players are fine and so far they're much stronger than me, so it's cool.

User avatar
Grumpy Old Wizard
Round Table Knight
Round Table Knight
Posts: 2205
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Location: Tower Grump

Unread postby Grumpy Old Wizard » 16 Apr 2007, 01:03

I've never had that happen and I've played Against All Odds many many times, so I'm not sure what the problem is. At what point in the game are you? Sometimes the AI can decide to do some weird things.

GOW
Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

timagalant
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 41
Joined: 28 May 2006
Location: Israel

Unread postby timagalant » 16 Apr 2007, 10:45

Nah, I guess that's a game problem, as I've had an AI which just refused to move at some other game once.

I'm pretty far out in the game, and I'm fairly sure all the military you gave him can take out those sprites with no problem.

User avatar
Horath
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 8
Joined: 12 Apr 2007

Unread postby Horath » 17 Apr 2007, 20:38

Multiplayer requires rather more time than I have.

User avatar
Humakt
Swordsman
Swordsman
Posts: 582
Joined: 06 Jan 2006

Unread postby Humakt » 18 Apr 2007, 23:43

I have some rather difficult/challenging maps. Click on the link in my signature to get them.
Thundermaps
"Death must be impartial. I must sever my ties, lest I shield my kin."

User avatar
BrennusWhiskey
Pixie
Pixie
Posts: 134
Joined: 23 Feb 2007
Contact:

Unread postby BrennusWhiskey » 19 Apr 2007, 10:26

Beating AI is like beating child;
too easy...

timagalant
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 41
Joined: 28 May 2006
Location: Israel

Unread postby timagalant » 19 Apr 2007, 13:41

BrennusWhiskey wrote:Beating AI is like beating child;
too easy...
Try those maps GOW posted earlier.


Oh, and if I'm already here, Grumpy, why is it that in Against All Odds the computer moves incredibly slow? I mean, it's like it suddenly decided not to use quick combat, and actually fight all the battles. It's making me fat.

Yeah, I'm damn impatient, so I go grab something sweet like every turn. The law suit is pending! :)

User avatar
Grumpy Old Wizard
Round Table Knight
Round Table Knight
Posts: 2205
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Location: Tower Grump

Unread postby Grumpy Old Wizard » 19 Apr 2007, 15:08

Well, for a while the computer is kind of held at bay so the earlier turns go quicker. When it is cut loose it gets free heroes and armies so it has to make a lot more decisions. When you take out a couple of opponents you'll see the turns go back down a lot.

Eliminating heroes in the oceans can help too. Navigation and capturing lighthouses can help you quickly sail the oceans to eliminate or escape from enemy heroes. If you sent out some hereos early to explore the seas and gather the floatasm you'll be able to track them down easier obviously.

Otherwise speed of turns is dependant on your computer specs.

GOW
Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."

User avatar
okrane
Round Table Hero
Round Table Hero
Posts: 1786
Joined: 01 Sep 2006
Location: Paris

Unread postby okrane » 21 Apr 2007, 23:00

AI sucks big time in heroes 4.
You should just play special made scenarios or multiplayer.

timagalant
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 41
Joined: 28 May 2006
Location: Israel

Unread postby timagalant » 21 Apr 2007, 23:37

I don't know what I would do in Against All Odds without that captain hat and summon ship.
Town gate scroll is extremely useful as well.


Though the nature quest didn't work for me.. any idea why?
I've had "the druid's chain" and went there, but it didn't work.

User avatar
pacobac
Pixie
Pixie
Posts: 110
Joined: 01 Feb 2006
Location: france
Contact:

Unread postby pacobac » 23 Apr 2007, 11:02

AI h4 is bad, AI equil is better, but the h4 editor is very big !!!
So it's very easy to script big opposition with editor....
Finally, the better difficulty is trying multiplayer game here:

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/

AC come soon in english.......

try this big maps:

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/cartes.php

http://www.vandea.com/homm/maps.html

http://www.archangelcastle.com/h4/ligue/coffretmaps.php (off map, and off save are difficult)

good play........

User avatar
Grumpy Old Wizard
Round Table Knight
Round Table Knight
Posts: 2205
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Location: Tower Grump

Unread postby Grumpy Old Wizard » 23 Apr 2007, 12:45

timagalant wrote:I don't know what I would do in Against All Odds without that captain hat and summon ship.
Town gate scroll is extremely useful as well.


Though the nature quest didn't work for me.. any idea why?
I've had "the druid's chain" and went there, but it didn't work.
What exactly is not working? To get the quest you must get there the same day that you get the quest message. If you are not getting the creatures that the chain is attuned to, make sure that the chain is in the inventory of the druid, not the archer.

GOW
Frodo: "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
Gandalf: "So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us."


Return to “Equilibris”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest