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| Thread: Total confusion regarding all the mods/different versions of HOMM3 |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 · NEXT» |
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Avatarius
Tavern Dweller
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posted February 13, 2012 10:33 AM |
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Total confusion regarding all the mods/different versions of HOMM3
I started my HOMM experience with Tribes of the East and I easily spent more than 100 hours playing the game enthusiastically.
Finally, it was time to try something new, so I tried HOMM IV and VI, both of which were fun, yet lacked strategic depth and replay value.
Thus, I tried the vanilla version of HOMM III and it looks quite promising. However, I would really appreciate improved graphics and a larger number of creatures, towns and options. Apparently, there are countless mods, expansions etc., but I am unable to figure out how these different mods interact and what version version of the game I have to install to make them work. Moreover, some of these mods seem to be more or less unfinished.
As a consequence, it would be really great if someone could tell me how I can improve my HOMM3 experience without running into too many problems.
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Cepheus
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Far-flung Keeper
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posted February 13, 2012 02:52 PM |
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Well, first of all, welcome to the WoG forum!  You remind me that we need an updated guidebook to all the mods and things around here. I'll try and get on that case.
As a general point, I suggest that you keep one folder with the vanilla H3, and create a second copy of this folder for any modding ventures. It prevents you from having to reinstall the game from the disc if you're ever dissatisfied with a modification.
A very crude description of WoG: it's more or less an extremely powerful modding platform for H3 which, among everything else, includes a flexible scripting language, which allowed mapmakers to dynamically mess with the rules of the game in all sorts of ways. While it arguably has a few remaining aesthetic issues, and is not necessarily for everybody, some of the best Heroes maps you could ever play require WoG. I highly recommend giving it a try just to experience some of those scenarios. Apart from that, almost everything you see in this forum is built on it in one way or another. 
You're correct that the majority of projects here go unfinished or unreleased, for various reasons - only in the past two years or so have a large number of ambitious mods finally gotten done. This means that, while the future is bright for WoG, there simply aren't yet many "clean" packages of towns and new creatures available. The extremely strict technical limits of H3 mean it's been difficult to ADD new content to the game, so many mods will simply replace content with other stuff. The only exceptions are WoG itself, which added creatures and some other stuff (no towns though), and...
...Horn of the Abyss, which - though still very much under construction - also serves as a good entry point into H3 modification. It's the only mod in HoMM's history which adds an all-new, all-original town to the game (the Cove - pirates). While not much can be done with it yet, since it's only available in Russian, it's sure to become something amazing in time.
My recommendation to you as a person new to WoG is this: install WoG from the (safe!) download here, then install this map pack over it (also safe!), and just get playing - it's best to begin with the maps "Cave of Gerfrex" or "THUNK", which are absolute masterpieces when it comes to blending challenge, initiation to WoG, pacing and fun. There's just no substitute to simply giving it a try. If you need any further help or instruction of any kind, or encounter any problems, feel free to ask here and I'll answer.
Enjoy!
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"Those who forget their history are inevitably doomed to repeat it." —Proverb, Might and Magic VIII
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Warmonger
Promising
Legendary Hero
fallen artist
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posted February 13, 2012 03:01 PM |
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Salamandre
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
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posted February 13, 2012 03:52 PM |
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted February 13, 2012 04:04 PM |
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Quote:
My recommendation to you as a person new to WoG is this: install WoG from the (safe!) download here, then install this map pack over it (also safe!), and just get playing - it's best to begin with the maps "Cave of Gerfrex" or "THUNK", which are absolute masterpieces when it comes to blending challenge, initiation to WoG, pacing and fun. There's just no substitute to simply giving it a try. If you need any further help or instruction of any kind, or encounter any problems, feel free to ask here and I'll answer.
While I won't disagree that they are masterpieces, I'd suggest you start with Last Hope rather than THUNK, given that the latter is the sequel to the former.
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Cepheus
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Far-flung Keeper
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posted February 13, 2012 04:11 PM |
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Though it is the second map, I always tend to recommend THUNK to WoG's newcomers simply thanks to that initial island scene, where you are immediately required to think *differently* in H3 terms before you can progress anywhere - or you dry out and die.  It's a perfect introduction to everything WoG can do.
H3's Last Hope is an excellent map, but the use of ERM and the WoG features in it is much less prominent - you can finish the map simply by playing with the same tactics used in standard H3. THUNK serves as a better showcase/magnum opus map for WoG, or at least IMO.
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"Those who forget their history are inevitably doomed to repeat it." —Proverb, Might and Magic VIII
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted February 13, 2012 04:39 PM |
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Alright, I'll let you win this argument.
But just this once....
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Salamandre
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
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posted February 13, 2012 04:44 PM |
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He is right, if someone asks me "what is WoG", Thunk is the first thing coming to my mind. There are several mods or maps more complex out, but none achieved such perfect fusion between pure Heroes mechanics and WoG improvements. The WoG part of Thunk is the icy on the cake, unlike others, where the story and plots are added after the scripting part, which makes them finally look more or less like a forced game. Less realist, less fluent.
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Era II mods and utilities
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SKPRIMUS
Promising
Supreme Hero
The One and the Prime
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posted February 13, 2012 06:17 PM |
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Since vanilla H3 was mentioned, I thought I'd ask a silly question - what exactly does WoG require as a pre-requisite?
The FAQ I don't think states this exactly & I only have H3 RoE & H3 AB [don't have H3 SoD]...I thought it requires SoD?
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Hope defeats despair - "a blatant clue"
too many idiots in VW
"to lose is to win, and he who wins shall lose"
bashing orcus 
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Cepheus
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Far-flung Keeper
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posted February 13, 2012 06:21 PM |
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It requires either version of H3 that has Shadow of Death. That is, either SoD on its own, or H3: Complete.
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"Those who forget their history are inevitably doomed to repeat it." —Proverb, Might and Magic VIII
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athis
Adventuring Hero
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posted February 14, 2012 10:58 PM |
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Hi Folks. I want to play some HoMM3 and was interested in WoG. I have a couple of questions and though I would place them here rather than begin a new thread since they have to do with WoG. Hope that's ok?
I have HoMM3 Complete installed. If I instal WoG can I still play the original campaigns...Restoration of Erathia etc.
Will WoG make any difference to those campaigns?
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Cepheus
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Far-flung Keeper
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posted February 14, 2012 11:27 PM |
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The Restoration of Erathia and Armageddon's Blade campaigns are almost completely unaffected, but you won't be able to play the Shadow of Death campaigns. Those are replaced by some experimental WoG campaigns instead and can't be accessed.
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"Those who forget their history are inevitably doomed to repeat it." —Proverb, Might and Magic VIII
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Salamandre
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
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posted February 14, 2012 11:36 PM |
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Not true entirely, WoG CAN screw original campaigns, by ignoring specific win conditions. Already happened to me and heard many reports about.
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Era II mods and utilities
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yasmiel
Supreme Hero
Former Chessmaster
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posted February 14, 2012 11:58 PM |
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Yes I would recommend either passing the campaigns first then installing wog. (if campaigns are your main focus)
Or 2nd option of separating your standard installation and wog, so you can use both without affecting each other.
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athis
Adventuring Hero
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posted February 15, 2012 05:01 AM |
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Edited by athis at 05:02, 15 Feb 2012.
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Thank you folks...
I do want to play the campaigns...so just in case I will play them without WoG.
One more question. I know that Restoration of Erathia came out before Shadow of Death; but that SoD is a prequel.
But even so, I have the notion I should begin with RoE...?
I would appreciate any comments on this or advice about where to begin from those who know the games.
Also...is there any way to change the difficulty level on the RoE campaigns. I fired up 'Long Live the Queen' and it is fixed to easy! I want to play at a higher difficulty.
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Corribus
Hero of Order
The Abyss Staring Back at You
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posted February 15, 2012 05:11 AM |
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My opinion, fwiw, is that you play them in the order they were released. H3's expansions offer a lot of extra content that RoE doesn't have, and you might be disappointed by playing the expansion campaigns first and then going back to RoE's campaigns.
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athis
Adventuring Hero
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posted February 15, 2012 04:09 PM |
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Quote:
My opinion, fwiw, is that you play them in the order they were released. H3's expansions offer a lot of extra content that RoE doesn't have, and you might be disappointed by playing the expansion campaigns first and then going back to RoE's campaigns.
That's my own thoughts too...thanks.
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laucian
Hired Hero
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posted February 28, 2012 03:07 AM |
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I have ROE, AB, and SOD, and I want to install WOG. My problem is that my computer won't read the SOD disk, so I've been unable to play SOD's scenarios and campaigns. I have been told that with WOG installed, I don't need the game disks in order to play.
So I create the duplicate folder for all my HOMM3 games, then install WOG in that duplicate folder. Now, can I still play the original SOD campaigns from my original HOMM3 folder, without needing the SOD disk?
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Salamandre
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
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posted February 28, 2012 08:13 AM |
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No. If you have the original disk, but game can't detect it, then I suppose would not harm anyone if you download H3 via torrents, there are some available. They come often with "no CD" option.
WoG replaces SoD campaigns with its own.
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Era II mods and utilities
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athis
Adventuring Hero
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posted February 28, 2012 05:26 PM |
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Edited by athis at 17:27, 28 Feb 2012.
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Or you could buy a DRM-free copy of HoMM 3 from GoG...it's only $6.
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