Additional Options Suggestions

I suppose that traditional menu of Heroes 3 should be redone. It is quite strange actually, with unnecessary things at first sight and necessary things forgotten.
First, “Records” and “Credits” menu things are unneeded. This can be put to the corner with small icons, but usually noone gives a freak to it.
Second, Player needs whether single player stuff or multiplayer (to play hotseat) or load game, where everything is already configurated, just load and go. And then he needs options - its freaking strange that only way to setup options for game, for sound, for battle is to get to battle, to game. Why not setup everything at one place?
Third, everything else is quite traditional - single player is campaign, tutorial and scenario. I only added Duel mode to list - select faction, hero, setup level, buy units for certain sum and fight. Actually, quite good place to train AI. Or for fast hot seat… Multiplayer is about Duel and Scenario. That’s all.

Single Player
** Campaign
** Scenario
** Tutorial
** Duel
** Back

Multiplayer
**Hot Seat
**LAN
**WAN

Load Game
** Back

Options
**Video
**Audio
**Gameplay

Exit

Of course, this UI is outdated very much. So i consider, as all we need is graphics, then UI can be even made in Battle for Wesnoth style - native OS windows with some theme upgrade. And it’s quite obvious at large resolution screens, where UI is so small that requires glasses to watch this insect life. We need some scroll-down zoom-in for comfort play, I guess… And completely moddable inteface so it could be turn into something like H5 or H6 minimalism with only info required to play and grand map…

But not let’s talk of minimalism, if menu windows don’t use effectively their space. What if these were not windows but new fullscreen? So much space!

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But I was trying to think of additional options for Heroes3. Like WoG. Actually, there is no need to create separate button for WoG options. Everything can be combined in one, with tabs:

Click another tab - and you have such options:

So another things, that are like mutators, and that I suppose to get to main pack of VCMI options.

== Combat ==

  • Squad size: 1…7 Max number of stacks in hero army
  • Battlefield size: …]x…] Size of battlefield cannot be less then squad size multiplied by 2
  • Move and Attack [x] King’s Bounty style movement, when your archers can run away and attack
  • Cursed battle land [x] After battle land turns into cursed land
  • Not single war machine [x] Hero can fill 3 slots for medicamp, ballista and cart with same war machine;
  • Simultaneus hits [x] Heroes4 style battle, when unit responds to attack in the same time

== Economics ==

  • Upkeep [x]
  • Bank [x]
    Both ideas should be thought well, in fact they are quite similar to market thing

== Skills ==

  • Open skill tree [x]

  • Necromancy disabled [x] Necromants have no superpower anymore.
    ** Necromancy unit type [x] Units turn to undead according to their level (every enemy dead stack gets its percent of undead)
    ** Necromancy global [x] Necromancers can’t get more units in a week, then percent of their weekly army income from all towns
    ** Necromancy growth [x] Instead of revival necromancy grants castle unit growth: Beginner: 1-3 (3-2-1); Advanced: 1-5 (5-4-3-2-1); Expert: 1-7 (7-6-5-4-3-2-1);

  • Basic Tactics everyone [x] Heroes5 style: every hero has basic tactics ability as hidden skill

  • Faction Basic Skill [x] Heroes5 style: Necropolis - Necromancy; Castle - Leadership; other have to be invented;

== Commanders ==

  • Commanders [x] Enable commanders
    ** Hero-commander [x] Hero is commander
    ** Magic spell at com turn [x] Cast spells only at commander turn. Force enabled when “hero-commander” option is enabled
    ** Commanders in army 1…7 Commando possible number in hero army
    ** Revive commanders [x] Commanders are ressurectable
    ** Commander squad [x] Commander gives bonuses to joined stack, and is revealed as last stack unit when stack is dead;
    ** Commander stack [x] Commander as separate stack;
    ** Battle death [x] In case of commander death battle lost;
    ** Battlefield artifacts [x] Potions, scrolls and other specials of commander are enabled

== Heroes ==

  • Hero strike [x] Heroes 5&6 style. Attack based on commander stats. Disabled with “hero-commander”.
  • Hero turn [x] Heroes 5 style. Magic spells or hero strike can be done only at abstract hero turn;
  • Lost heroes [x] Heroes lost in battle cannot be bought in tavern by ex-master;
  • Mortal heroes [x] Heroes lost in battle cannot be bought in tavern at all;
  • Sudden death [x] In case of death of main hero, game ends;
  • Only native heroes [x] Only 16 native heroes available
  • Heroes w/o army [x] Heroes 4&6 style. Hero can travel w/o units. Automatic loss when attacked.
  • Heroes max hired simult. 1…16 Maximum number of heroes can be hired at the moment
  • Heroes max hired 1…0 Maximum number of heroes can be hired at all (from 1 to infinity)
  • Hero starting level …] Starting level
  • Hero max level …] Max level hero can achieve

== Army ==

  • Army w/o heroes [x] Heroes4 style. Looks like usual hero but no hero there and his bonuses and experience
  • Caravans [x] WoG, Heroes5 style. Automatic gathering from captured dwellings
  • Set guardians [x] Set stack at any map place as guardian unit.
  • Daily army [x] Heroes4 style. Buy your units daily, don’t wait week to end!
  • No upgrades [x] Heroes2&4 style. Units are the way they are. Just buy and fight
    ** 2nd level creatures [x] Heroes2&4 style. Units are the way they are upgraded. Just buy and fight even more

== Map ==

  • Fog of War [x] Heroes4, WoG style. Enable FoW in game
    **Transparent FoW [x] Heroes4 style. Recoinassanced territory is visible but no updated actual info. If disabled, everything is like in veil of darkness mode.
  • No FoW at Start [x] If FoW is disabled, then game is like chess now. If transparent FoW is enabled then all map reveiled.
  • Moving creatures [x] Heroes4 style. Units attack hero, if he has stopped too close;
  • Dwellings w/o creatures: [x] Heroes6 style. Dwellings only increase town units to be hired.
  • Rebuild dwellings [x] Heroes6 style. Dwellings can be rebuilt to the same level of your faction creatures.

== Towns ==

  • All army bought at castle [x] Heroes6 style, should be calculated like hero has basic castle growth + unit dwelling growth + other town dwellings like global map growth;
  • Castle control zone: 0…7 Heroes6 style. Number of abstract logistic units till the object on map (ALU - default hero movement w/o improvements; 0 - no territory control);
    ** Automatic gathering [x] Auto gathering from windmills etc from controlled territory
  • Town rebuilding [x] Heroes 6, WoG style. Player can rebuild any town to his race type;
  • Building destruction [x] WoG style. Towns can be destroyed too…
    ** Destruction reward: 0…100% Player can get resources input into building.
    ** Destruction cost: 0…100% Player must pay to destroy building.

== Other ==

  • Switch player to be first weekly [x] Make multiplayer more random and balanced.
  • Player turn time 1…0 Turn time: from 1 minute to infinity.

Well, there could be little bit more rules, like removing certain skill, towns, spells or heroes from game, saving lists for future use. Or reverting back to H3/H4/H5/H6/H3Pro list options. Or else.
Heroes_improvements.txt (7.01 KB)

WoG options are in fact no longer needed, everything can be configured via Launcher.
The actual problem is to enable changes in running game. Current modding system doesn’t allow that, mods are all loaded and configured during launch.

And no, we don’t need even more ridiculous wogification scripts. They only confuse players. Certainly not as a part of core game.

The option for modifying number of allowed heroes was added in 0.96, though. Check configs.

He does have one interesting point - main menu.
Currently two out of five options are pretty much useless. Besides - it would be more logical to have single/multi switch in main menu instead of new game/load game.

Good point is that main menu UI is already configurable so this is something anyone can do if he wants to - check config/mainMenu.json IIRC.

I think these options can be made later by Python script support.

Or you can fork VCMI and make version with these options taking place:-) But i think forking will be reasoned only after API and modding format will be stable, and all features from HMM3 will be made.
Before it it will be too many work to implement features to every new build of VCMI.

I’ve decided to develop my idea of Main Menu change and I"ve made few pictures.

MAIN MENU
So, my idea was, that Main Menu should consist of:

  • Single Player - if player knows he’s alone, he just goes into and selects what he needs. Actually for single player nothing changes, except it was “New Game” (well, it is).
  • MultipPlayer - if player knows he will be playing online, he launches game, clicks this and goes to lobby. Actually, hotseat can be set at single player area, as it is nothing but few more human non-AI player creation (with different name);
  • Load Game - if player have wants to continue game, he has no need to think of where to go in menu, as saved game will send directly to game, whether if campaign, scenario or tutorial. Actually, it is so already.
  • Options - for now options are divided in two screens, which are accessible only in-game. So it would be good to have at least one of the windows accessible from menu. To remove extra-sound at least.
  • Exit - nothing good to say here :slight_smile:
    https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/XV-CzCYWtTmRBkv6GcShKA8cQqybwSbr9oZmURY7BEQ=w844-h643-no

Well, as main menu icons are made of skill icons this can be perfect solution for the menu translation to another languages: there was already thread where some talented guy was remaking HD HoMM3 icons. So these can be used for Main Menu: icon + text in golden over it with border black overdraw for both.

For Single Player menu I think of such structure:

OPTIONS
There are two options screens right now, one is System Options window, other is Combat Options window:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iwNdFX42etT42uL_hFH2WIrUu_6vObCAivxtYrvJqrk=w1013-h512-no

Some suppose to enlarge options by additional usefull buttons (H3+ - load game, restart, main menu):


But for now VCMI lacks options yet:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kmSABgWJr9pA4bR7dY2Z2NDSaO8WRZbj4YEqXmYHv18=w489-h495-no

So, I suppose to join both windows in one, so all options are in one place:
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/eE51R10QRgTcQIPXp0zOmE3W9lbhus7KmyjHNkzOWvg=w1024-h768-no
Or, a little bit another, more classic view, with place for more system options:

“Restart scenario” should simple “Restart”, so it both logical for global map and battle. “Save” button in combat is disabled.

On options menu - IMO using tabs to group options is always a good idea to avoid turning window into minesweeper.

Not sure if I like all those buttons - usually games have separate windows for main menu & settings.

Hmm, but these buttons are part of H3 UI… They are very convenient but yes, but getting more options can ruin initial design. So, to have more options, there is need for a new way to organize things. Like options button for options window and menu button for menu options - load, save, restart, to main menu, to desktop… Or “Options” option should be amond these menu options…

Well, according to Ivan proposal of tabs, I’ve made another views to think about:
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/e6q9UQ_XM6Mr0Y_oVIlhXW9GCQL4PVHv_4Qb0KhRRlc=w488-h492-no https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tZsomNqp_R0/U_m9px6912I/AAAAAAAACKk/n14Prlye5Dg/w488-h492-no/OptionWindow02.png https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-wmz7DVt4B28/U_m9wBuAEgI/AAAAAAAACKs/fHhzKLUPaCA/w489-h492-no/OptionWindow03.png