1. What is HotA?
HotA is a global expansion for the Heroes of Might & Magic III game, expanding upon the classic gameplay elements and adding brand new ones.
2. What is HotA on a conceptual level? What is its goal?
Conceptually, HotA exists to support the traditions of the HoMM game series, taking over from the original set of expansions made by New World Computing. In general, it strives to be the ultimate rendition of the game:
Restoration of Erathia > Armageddon’s Blade > Shadow of Death > Horn of the Abyss.
In a way, HotA is meant to be the addon the original developers could have made after Shadow of Death. We try to stick to the classics in everything: gameplay, graphics, campaign story, music, sounds — down to the seemingly irrelevant things.
3. Is HotA a fanmade expansion, or an official one? Are you keeping in touch with the original developers of HoMM?
New World Computing, the original developers of HoMM, and 3DO, the game’s publisher, both went defunct many years ago, hence the lack of any official development for the game since 2000. Ubisoft acquired the rights to the Might & Magic brand in 2003. We are unaware of the stance of the current copyright holder towards our project, but the crew maintains communication with some of the former developers at New World Computing.
4. Is HotA anything like WoG? Are you in any way connected to the WoG developers or the mod's technical capacity? Is HotA compatible with WoG?
HotA is in no way connected to WoG. HotA is its own expansion, based on the original Shadow of Death, without leveraging any material or know-hows from WoG. There is zero overlap between the developing teams of the two mods. HotA and WoG are in no way compatible: no WoG features are available when playing HotA, and vice versa.
5. Is HotA a commercial project? Does the crew earn money from it?
No; HotA is a fundamentally non-commercial project, and it has not earned them a single cent over the entire course of development. We do not accept donations or any other kind of financial assistance. The crew keeps working on it out of sheer enthusiasm.
6. What version of HoMM III is required to install HotA?
We strongly recommend installing the official version of the expansion over Russian or English Shadow of Death. HotA also works correctly when installed over the Complete edition. We cannot guarantee the correct performance of HotA when installed over any kind of repack, where some of the original files, deemed unnecessary by the compiler, might be missing. HotA will not install over Restoration of Erathia, Armageddon’s Blade or any fan-made mods, including WoG.
7. Does HotA support the random map generator?
The random map generator is fully supported. It has been considerably improved as compared to the original edition, and many bugs have been ironed out. HotA has also introduced a brand new tool, the RMG Template Editor, where templates can be created and added to the playable list (by pasting them into the HotA_RMGTemplates folder), just like fixed scenarios.
8. The original SoD game is peppered with issues, inconsistencies and bugs, both aesthetic and game-breaking. What steps does HotA take to fix that?
A considerable part of our work is to apply fixes where the original is broken by ironing out technical bugs and introducing visual improvements.
9. Among the existing unofficial modding projects for HoMM III, many are visually and technically flawed. What is your approach to the content quality?
The content quality is most crucial for HoTA developers, along with staying within the existing tradition. Every 3D model, code element or sprite is being polished until it reaches perfection, as far as we are concerned. Top notch quality sometimes comes at the cost of not releasing new versions as quickly as many would like, but we are still fully dedicated to delivering flawless content.
10. What is the crew's stance towards online tournaments, effective multi/single-player gameplay and HoMM III as a cybersport? What does in-game balance mean to you?
We pay much attention to in-game balance. All new elements coexist in harmony with the original game, never attempting to alter status quo. Moreover, HotA fixes the widely acknowledged balance issues with the original game. We keep in touch with members of the online gaming community, so HotA could be the most convenient option for tournaments.
11. Is HotA compatible with the High Definition modification for HoMM III (HD-mod)?
HotA is fully compatible with HD-mod and is proven to work correctly under any settings. The developer of HD-mod is a member of HotA crew.
12. Is the current HotA version stable, or is it still under construction? Is it prone to errors or crashes?
The current HotA version is completely stable; with all improvements over the original game, it is quite a bit more stable than Shadow of Death or the Complete edition. This is not to say that crashes are absolutely impossible, but all new issues generally get ironed out very quickly, thanks to community-provided bug reports.
13. What happens to Shadow of Death files after installing HotA?
When installing the official version of HotA, all new files will be added without replacing any original ones. This means both HotA and SoD will still be fully playable.
14. HotA has introduced two new towns: Cove and Factory. I read somewhere on the Web that other new towns are in development, like Cathedral, Kronwerk etc. Should I expect these to emerge in future versions?
Many of the information on the web is outdated, and the actual development in most cases is not public. Nevertheless, in the distant future, the possibility of development other new cities is not excluded. Any news and information about potential new towns must only be considered serious when released as official announcements by the crew.
15. What is the crew's stance towards the use of HotA-specific content in other mods? Are there any plans to port the expansion to other platforms than SoD or the Complete edition?
HotA is delivered as an integral entity, and all elements of it are closely intertwined. We do not condone the use of HotA resources in any other projects. We do not have plans to release any features introduced in HotA as standalone patches or mods. Porting HotA to any other platforms (WoG, ERA, VCMI etc.) does not strike us as a sensible idea, and it will be disapproved by us if carried out by any other parties.
16. Where should I refer to if I want to read the project's latest news or get feedback from the developers?
HotA official channels:
A VK group: https://vk.com/h3hota
Our reference section that contains documentation and other info: https://h3hota.com
HotA community:
Discord server: https://discordapp.com/invite/mvKnkVp
HotA threads on forums:
Dedicated section at the DF2 forum: https://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showforum=90
A topic on the English-speaking HeroesCommunity forum: http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=39830
Dedicated section at the HeroesWorld forum: https://forum.heroesworld.ru/forumdisplay.php?f=319
17. Are you in search of help with developing the expansion?
The current team covers all the areas of development, and we are not looking for new people purposefully. However, we will always welcome a new specialist with a deep background in any close to us area of development (e.g. 3D/2D graphics or reverse engineering) and with strong enthusiasm.
You can contact the team members on Discord on the help with development:
- On graphics: balkron (Balkron#1435)
- On code: weakref. (weakref#6198)
- On other issues: tevyehota (Tevye#4267)
18. In 2015, Ubisoft, the current copyright owner to Might and Magic, released the so-called HD reissue of HoMM III. Is HotA going to support this reissue at some point? Are there plans to take advantage of its visual resources or move the expansion over to that platform?
HotA cannot be installed over any version of Restoration of Erathia. There are no plans to support the reissue by Ubisoft or improve upon it. Using the updated visuals from it is absolutely out of question, as they are below the quality standards maintained by HotA. Anyone who wishes to play HotA in high definition is advised to use the HD-mod instead.
19. When will the next version be out?
Exact release dates for HotA updates are never announced. HotA development is a closed process. The crew does not consider it necessary to advertise their plans, except for the rare publications going over certain upcoming features. The lack of news in the form of announcements or other activity from the crew members does not mean that the development has been halted or the project canceled. Generally, the crew sees public stunts as a thing of lower priority as compared to actual work on the content.
20. Does a campaign editor for HotA exist? Can the original campaigns (Restoration of Erathia, Blade of Armageddon, Shadow of Death, the Chronicles series) be played in HotA?
Starting from version 1.7.0, an updated campaign editor is included in HotA. HotA campaign editor supports all the options of the original campaign editor and allows creating custom campaigns. It also has a number of new features.
The original campaigns are not available at the time either, but plans exist to introduce them in the future, after reworking them to leverage the new features introduced in HotA.
21. I cannot enter the online lobby; the server is unavailable. Should I complain about it in the official HotA channels?
No, you should not. HotA crew does not provide technical support for the lobby server. It is up to the developer of HD-mod of which the online lobby is a part. Trying to report issues with the lobby to HotA developers is not only futile but also detrimental to the cause, as it may disrupt the flow of actually important discussions. Keep in mind that the online lobby is still a developing project. Its 24/7 stability is not guaranteed, and you should be understanding about the server shortcomings; they are likely to be weeded out in due time.
22. The interface elements are too small; the town and combat screens look like windows. Is it how things are supposed to be? What is the recommended resolution for playing HotA on the current generation of computer displays?
The town and combat screens are actually supposed to look like that; this is how the HD-mod handles them. Seeing as the original game was developed for the 800x600 resolution, placing certain game menus in windows rather than blowing them up to fullscreen is the only way to maintain the correct scale. For the current standard of screen proportions, the one resolution closest to true fullscreen mode would be 1066x600; in this case, only vertical bars on the sides of the screen will appear.
For generic widescreen displays (16:9), it is generally recommended to set the 1180x664 resolution in the HD launcher, regardless of your screen’s native resolution. 1280x720 and 1285x723 option also keep the scale acceptable. We strongly recommend not to use resolutions higher than that, let alone the display’s native options like 1920x1080, as this will make the interface elements uncomfortably diminutive. You should also keep an eye on the Stretch filter settings options in the HD launcher. These filters will allow the game to look most aesthetically correct when launched in stretched mode.
23. In the HD launcher, there is a number of options in the Mode section. Which one should I use?
We recommend to use the (stretchable) 32-bit OpenGL mode. This is last mode in the list which provides the most accurate transmission of the game palette and the most aesthetic image mastering through the use of Stretch filters. The user can choose the appropriate Stretch filter independently, choosing an option with acceptable performance and sufficient image stretching quality. The smooth movement of the hero on the map, available in OpenGL mode, is configured in the Tweaks section, in the line
In rare cases, the game may not run in (stretchable) 32-bit OpenGL mode. In this case, you should select the (stretchable) 32-bit GDI mode.
24. Why do I seem to get lower scores in the table of records than I used to?
In HotA, a new formula for calculating these scores has been introduced. The updated formula is more fair, as it is now harder to attain the highest ranks; the time penalty has been increased considerably, the difficulty and map size coefficients introduced, and the Grail bonus reduced. The exact formula has not been made public, but still, to get a higher score, you must complete the map quickly and conquer as many towns as you can. As in the original game, the maximum is 500 pts, but in certain scenarios, it cannot be reached.
25. What does the Arena checkbox in the map editor stand for?
The Arena checkbox enables a special game mode for maps where the players use dedicated areas to prepare for a single battle that will decide the game’s outcome. This mode is still in development. A description of this game mode’s features can be found in the documentation: https://h3hota.com/en/documentation#arena-mode
26. Why do AI-controlled players take so long to make their moves?
The AI may take longer to complete its turns due to its evaluating of spell usage in combat when many spells and targets are available to it. In HotA, this process has been optimized; the AI now gets slow only when it does not have a powerful enough army and is forced to use magic. In the original game, it would use magic whenever possible, even if the hero had a sizable army at his/her disposal.
To help us further optimize the AI, feel free to upload your savegames where the AI takes minutes to make its moves to our bug report channels.
27. Why cannot I create a random map or complete saving a game? Why do I encounter issues with updating the game or other file system-based errors?
The game can sometimes work incorrectly when installed in a system folder. Avoid installing it in the Program Files or Program Files (x86) folders.
28. Why cannot I launch the map editor?
The map editor may not start if it does not have full access to the files in the game folder. You should avoid installing the game in system folders like Program Files or Program Files (x86). As a last resort, launching the map editor with the ‘Run as administrator’ option should help.
29. My antivirus software warns me of potential issues with the installer file, or during updating HotA/HD-mod. Should I be concerned?
Since HotA is a modification that injects its code into the code of the original game, its files look unusual and may seem suspicious to some antiviruses. Most antiviruses usually have no issue with these files, but some antiviruses use heuristic analysis mechanisms, potentially causing false alarms with applications that in fact do not contain any harmful code. Over time, most often, antiviruses ‘get used’ and stop reacting to HotA files.
The HotA team does not contribute any malicious code to the project and treats antivirus triggers for HotA files as erroneous (false positive). You may refer to virustotal.com and get confirmation that the bulk of existing antivirus programs find our files safe for use.
30. Can I install HotA on Mac, Linux, Android or other platforms?
HotA and HD-mod are still essentially the same HoMM III game, if considerably improved, that was developed solely for Windows. The crew does not possess the original source code, and we cannot modify the game to run on other platforms. That said, a wealth of emulators and other software exists to create a Windows environment on other OS’s, such as Wine for UNIX-based systems, or ExaGear Strategies for Android. You should also keep in mind that emulators sometimes cannot guarantee applications to be completely stable, thus some of the HotA/HD-mod features can be unavailable. However, using the fine-tuning options of your preferred emulator or switching to another one can usually help with that.
31. A checkbox designated as “Tournament rules” appears before starting a game and in the “More options…” menu. What does it do?
The “Tournament rules” checkbox is a temporary solution that comes with the HD-Mod and implements a number of unwritten restrictions widely accepted as the standard in online play, namely:
- A restriction on the use of the Dimension Door spell: a player can only use it once per turn (twice per turn on XL+U-sized maps with Expert Air Magic);
- Abolition of the Cloak of the Undead King effect, meaning the assembled combination will merely work as sum of its parts without any extra features;
- On the Impossible (200%, King) difficulty level, players will start the game with 2500 Gold and 5 Ore.
32. Diplomacy functions differently in HotA starting from version 1.6.0. Only half of neutral troops can join, and it is never for free. Is it possible to choose the old settings again?
Briefly speaking: yes, it is. But note that no changes are made to the Diplomacy secondary skill itself, just more flexible tuning is added and default values are adjusted. Chance of joining the neutral troops is regulated by their Disposition value, ranging from 1 to 10. Original presets comprised the following ranges: Compliant (always join), Friendly (1–7, likely to join), Aggressive (1–10, may join), Hostile (4–10, not likely to join), Savage (10, never join). But HotA enables to set exact custom values. Besides this, “Join only for money” and Joining Percent options are added.
On fixed maps: Default disposition is Aggressive (1–10). “Join only for money” is disabled. Joining Percent is 100%. You can set it for every separate neutral monster in the map editor.
On random maps: Default disposition is Hostile (4–10). In HotA “Join only for money” is enabled, Joining Percent is 50%. In original games “Join only for money” is disabled, Joining Percent is 100%. You can set it for every separate zone in the template editor, in “Monsters” section. Multiple zones batch editing is possible, to do so select multimple zones by dradding a box around them, right-click and select Zone Settings. Note also that the original defaults are set on Anarchy template, which has Diplomacy identical to original HoMM III games.
33. HotA 1.7.0 introduces a new campaign. Where can it be found?
The new campaign “Forged in Fire” obtains its place in HotA campaign menu: New Game > Campaign > Horn of the Abyss > Forged in Fire.