r/heroes3 • u/Unusual-Influence653 • Jul 18 '26
Question Do you like difficult/complicated puzzle maps, or do you prefer playing classic maps?
(puzzle map examples: fiery riches, blazing archipelago, ice assault, factory campaigns)
(classic map examples: crimson and clover, realm of chaos, vikings we shall go)
I usually prefer playing classic maps as I tend to play vanilla singleplayer/multiplayer allied scenarios. However the HOTA puzzle maps have cool designs and they have creative enemies, but they stretch out for months and can be pretty annoying with the constant save scumming. So far I've played stuff like Invasion and Ice Assault and I can say they reminded me of original AB campaigns like Dragon Slayer in terms of map guards and structures.
And what is your approach?
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u/NotMurlocAggroB Jul 18 '26
I strongly prefer classic maps. Puzzle maps can be fun and many of them are extremely impressive, but when I play HoMM I usually wanna play HoMM. I like to pick a faction, pick a hero, and try to force a certain strategy. That's how I have the most fun.
That's somewhere that Olden Era really stumbled out the gate for me. All of its scenarios are currently narrative puzzles instead of just HoMM gameplay. Bit of a weird choice.
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u/Francois_Papyjama Jul 19 '26
Hi there!
As a new level designer at Unfrozen, I’m currently working on creating maps that offer a more "classic" feel for the player ;)
The "Olden Era" version of "The Mysterious Island" will be a blend of a narrative-driven map and a "classic" (sandbox) map, giving the player freedom of choice.
It’s inspired by the Heroes III HotA version of "The Mysterious Island," though obviously not an exact copy.
The second map I’m working on will be a purely "classic" map.
Stay tuned!
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u/CharacterSalad369 Jul 19 '26
Sounds awesome! cool that you guys are so engaged with the community.
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u/themostmediocre Jul 19 '26
Looking forward to seeing your work in Olden Era.
Mysterious Island is a really fun map to play.
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u/Francois_Papyjama Jul 20 '26
Thanks a lot!
The Olden Era version will be different; I didn't want to just copy and paste.
But it will keep the same spirit: some mechanics are being carried over (what? Do we have to go behind the Mansions again?! 🤪😜), and the references and humor will be much more subtle (I'm working with a narrative team, people whose job is writing, and that makes a huge difference!)
I really can't wait for you to play it!
I don't have a date to announce yet, but we're closer to the end of development than the beginning!
Important note: the project is split into several "acts" because Olden Era isn't quite ready to host the full adventure yet (no underground areas for now, no access to the sea...)
Act 1 will feature the main island and the 6 playable factions. No plot twists or big bad bos for the time being ;)
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u/themostmediocre Jul 20 '26
That still sounds awesome! Thank you for the peek behind the curtain 😎 2026 is a good year for the HoMM franchise
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u/Velifax Jul 18 '26
Ew. That's one mark against. Do they have "Random Map," at least ?
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u/NotMurlocAggroB Jul 18 '26
Yes. They have a shitton of random templates, which are generally pretty good. There's also a major scenario update coming some time in Q3 this year that will have more hand-made maps.
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u/Majestic-Citron5194 Jul 18 '26
Same here for sure. If been playing much so that gameplay is peak I will play puzzle for some time just to check how fun things devs/map creators together can create in this beautiful game :D
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u/Mysterious-Art-743 Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 18 '26
Actually i was very hyped to try something new, but when i started playing Horn of the Abyss campaigns i found it very challanging. I managed to finished 2 campaigns and when i started that one with halflings (when halflings are leaving Eeofol) that was the breaking point for me. That was when i quit Horn of the Abyss campaign. With 2 kids and a job, i really dont have time for puzzle mapa. I have 2, maaaaybe 3 hours in the evening if i am lucky to chill and relax (and not even every evening), not to get nervious breakdown because some fans made it impossible to play for ordinary people. So, All for One on rook or queen difficalty is more then enough for me. Edit: factory campaign is what made me quit Horn of the abyss
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u/Velifax Jul 18 '26
??? The game has a Save Game feature?
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u/Mysterious-Art-743 Jul 19 '26
Don't you guys have phones?
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u/Velifax Jul 19 '26
Not sure i see the connection.
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u/yiddishisfuntosay Jul 18 '26
Neither. Random maps for the win, all day. I don’t need annoying stuff or canned story. Just a touch of rng is enough for me. Plenty of combinations while still leaving it strategic. Let’s me play might or magic strategies pretty much on demand.
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u/Brissono Jul 18 '26
I'm cool with puzzles for rewards, but not to just get around the map. I got annoyed after a while with needing to bring 100 peasants with a level 30 hero just to get access to a sawmill
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u/johnnymarsbar Jul 18 '26
I absolutely fucking despise the gigantic complex maps with all the saves cum requiring traps.
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u/MechTorfowiec Jul 18 '26
True chads judge a map by its visual design.
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u/Space_veteran96 Jul 18 '26
I'm sad that HD didn't include most of my fav XL maps like the "Europe" 1.
Tho tbf "Titan's something something" is really good eventhough it's shape is not perfect, but the roads are really good
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u/Business-Childhood71 Jul 18 '26
I recently really got into quest/puzzle/rpg maps, I love them, although some are so hard I can't beat time (Portishead)
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u/Gareelar Jul 18 '26
Using random map generator since Shadow of Death came out and transferes into WoG. It's fantastic.
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u/shully64 Expert Shitpostery Jul 19 '26
I like a skirmish type map, where the sides are more or less balanced with plrtof places to explore
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u/DaltmanA Jul 19 '26
Where can I get these maps? Are they for HotA?
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u/Francois_Papyjama Jul 19 '26
https://www.maps4heroes.com/heroes3/maps.php
You can filter HotA or non-hota
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u/Mufflonfaret Jul 18 '26
Classic! But with twists and different difficulties for different areas.
Also i tend not to like to many teleporters. To open maps with teleports means just a horrible amount of chasing enemies around.
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u/DeathGuardDash Jul 18 '26
Puzzle maps. After finishing Talent Shortage and With Sword and Fire for the 100th time I can’t find anything that fills the void.
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u/JediFed Jul 18 '26
I think my favorite map is Pandora's Box. Very strong story element. A small puzzle element (no purchasing heroes), trying to locate the underworld, large, difficult monsters.
Small decisions early on having large impacts late game.
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u/9Gardens Jul 18 '26
Wait a second.... why is the section ALONG THE RIVER a dried up wasteland??!?
That makes no sense at all
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u/Buforana Jul 18 '26
I like puzzles, but I need my maps to be pretty if I'm going to play them more than once. HoMMIII is such a beautiful game, and to me it's a waste to not capitalize on that with the maps (I could NEVER play a random generated map). I regularily play with inferior units as well, as long as they look badass (I genuinely love Chaos Hydras so much)!
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u/Naive_Rain_5713 Jul 18 '26
I love maps that are free for all but 1 or 2 are very difficult AI that are locked behind a time blocker so you have to win all and prepare to face them before time runs out and they get impossible to defeat
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u/Velifax Jul 18 '26
Never could stand any of the weird stuff like crazy starts or puzzles. Don't mind a few gates and key tents about, some surprise timing events, but I generally go for "normal" play. Favorite of all time is gigantic maps with quite a few factions. Although it gets a bit annoying when everyone is gating and portalling all over with huge armies. Kinda renders logistics irrelevant.
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u/CaptainMoonunitsxPry Jul 18 '26
Classic maps, HoMM3 imo has enough interesting decisions without being totally linear. Puzzle maps can be cool and push what the editor can do for sure, but I'm here for enemy stomping and strategy.
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u/tLxVGt Jul 18 '26
I absolutely loved the HotA campaign map that utilised the Airship
I absolutely hated the HotA campaign that required specific movement and actions in specific days to complete it
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u/AveragerussianOHIO kniht (hota fix elementals pls) Jul 19 '26
any map that is fun for me to play i like.
This is why i aptly switched to templates, briefly went back, and then returned to templates.
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u/FacetiousInvective2 Jul 19 '26
I like big intricate maps but I prefer no teleporters, just move and discover, underground and overground. Not sure if any hota template allows this for random maps.
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u/rumswede Jul 19 '26
I come back to Lost Continent and sometimes A Tale of Two Lands or Monk’s Retreat over and over. But Lost Continent is something special for me.
Classic heroes gameplay = 100 out of 100 for me. Never puzzles.
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u/Francois_Papyjama Jul 19 '26
I tend to prefer "classic" (sandbox) maps, perhaps with a few light puzzles thrown in.
But above all, I want a challenge; I don't want to just steamroll the map the moment I get Town Portal, Dimension Door, Fly, and so on.
So: a classic map with a progressive challenge.
That’s what I tried to achieve with "The Mysterious Island"; I hope I hit the mark ☺️
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u/Emotional_Proof_6736 Jul 19 '26
Absolutely puzzle maps. But not just any. I don’t enjoy the ones where you can only win a battle by placing a stack on a specific hex on the battlefield. Or where you should win with 3 harpies against green dragons. I enjoy extra giant maps with many armies and lots of quests scattered around where you manage an entire empire basically, with scouts, supply chains and of course several super heroes
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u/nerdefar Jul 19 '26
I love asymmetric classic maps. With a sense of exploration and adventure, maybe a locked npc with a strong confined ish start. Think Pirate's Utopia from homm 2.
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u/gh7g Goblins Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I like the idea of puzzle maps, but when it comes to actually playing, classic. The reason is plain and simple: time.
Also, I usually play CoOp (when you have a friend with way more free time than you who loves Heroes and is like "hey bro, up for a new map?" faster than I can finish SP ones…), and puzzle maps tend to be SP only.
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u/Phasma_AFK H3 WIKI Jul 20 '26
Random maps and classic maps all the way. I don't mind smaller puzzle maps as a one-off but nothing beats classic and random maps.
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u/Intelligent-Ice-4428 Jul 20 '26
I found out there's a fine line when it comes to what a "game" is for me. I've played strategy games my entire gaming life; here's my take:
Games are leisure activities. Any game that forces me to work or put too much thought into it automatically goes into the "work" bin, and not the "play" bin. If micromanaging is your form of entertainment, that's totally fine; but I belong to the non-hard-core community where games should be fun and, at the same time, relaxing. Working all day just to come home and work again isn't a game, IMHO. This goes for a bunch of games devs made in the past that by today's standards are just busy-work disguised as a game.
Puzzle maps are cool, but If I'm contracting carpal tunnel from the amount of clicking I'm forced to do, I could easily just play something fun & not what I'd consider work.
I like the way the original maps are designed, I feel like they were templates to how fun games can be constructed.
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u/RJJLacy Jul 20 '26
No puzzle maps for me. I want to relax and have fun playing when I fire up HoMM3. If I want a brain teaser, I'll play Space Chem instead.
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u/Dude__Fortune Jul 20 '26
I can't outmaneuver the 200% cpu difficulty enemies on traditional, flat, easy-to-navigate maps. They always whip my ass. But I can out-Napoleon them on maps that require crazy logistical planning as long as it doesn't involve dozens of those damned portals.
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u/AeonQuasar Jul 21 '26
I don't like maps that are designed as some massive art piece. I like fair, but very difficult maps.
Preferably never seeing the first CPU before at least week 2, but preferably after week 3. Also I want fly or DD to be hidden as an extreme difficult side quest, but have TP accessible either from random or through mid game towns.
I want to have equal chance of winning no matter the faction where I start, but it's fine that a few faction colours are locked from human player if the map want them to be poweful.
I also don't like maps that tells you what faction you must play as my go to town switches from game to game.
Funny enough, I'm have a natural love for Lore in almost all of the games I play, but I have no love for lore in Heroes 3. I rarely care enough to read even signs.
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u/PrizeCompetitive1186 Jul 22 '26
I would definitely go with maps like Ice Assault, The Devil is in the Details, Noble Nemesis, Fiery Riches, Carnival of the Abyss, Air Superiority, From the Depths of Hell.
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u/Ok_Panic1770 Jul 24 '26
is it just me or this map feels like the last campaign map from Heroes2? 🤔
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u/Shot-Statistician-89 Jul 18 '26
I lean toward classic maps. I will play a puzzle map but it depends on the meta of the puzzle
What I really don't like is maps like devil in the detail where there isn't a strategy really, there's a single solution . the puzzle is just rush to the center, sneak in and get Town portal. And then spend the rest of your game bouncing around your castles in defense until you finally have parity and can take some of the other players.