If this is in a extra large map, it can be a bit difficult. Bit if you want to ramp up the difficulty you should only be allowed one hero. Then it might be a bit more interesting.
Thumbs Up for the Worst Hero Possible challenge! - Upon every level-up, pick the "worse" option of the two secondary skills offered. - Artifacts cannot be equipped (except for War Machines). - Using map objects that boost your hero (e.g. Learning Stone or Marletto Tower) is prohibited.
I'd revamp rules a little. Not wearing artifacts at all is too harsh i think even the stupidest ai wears them after all. Maybe limit it to max tier2 artifacts? In exchange you should also play like AI and compeltely disregard army's composition and morale, meaning that one single zombie is always welcomed :D For this challenge i recommend either tower's alchemists or fortress'es witches they have the worst skill pool available.
After "no recruiting" and "ballista only" recent challenges don't seem that hard. If you wanna up the difficulty, disable the right mouse button (KidKeyLock freeware). So you have to sacrifice a hero to scout an enemy army. No right-click challenge!
Judging off video titles alone, you might immediately assume that No Recruiting and Ballista Only are tougher than recent challenges, but I think it worth pointing out that One Stack Per Hero was a nightmare compared to both of these challenges. I can understand why it might seem rather backwards that I would jump to "less difficult" challenges after having done comparatively tougher challenges like Tier 1 Units Only. However, as I explained in this video before I began the match, my current goal is to touch upon challenges that viewers have been regularly requesting in the past year before I kick it up a notch. One such challenge that fits into this category is No Right-Clicking. It doesn't seem as difficult to me as some of my past challenges since I can estimate reasonably well how difficult some fights will be, yet despite this, several others have requested this one anyway. Rest assured that some of the challenges that I plan to do in the future will not be as "easy" to complete as the next two that I plan to do!
@@TheKnownWorld I'll be looking forward to that. In my own experience the AI sometimes just defeats itself by running into creeps or it gets stuck or AIs kill each other. And then sometimes (espeacially on large maps) they get that one super strong magic hero and start teleporting around with a huge army, so I cant beat them (without grinding them down with cheese). I wish there was a way to make the game more consistent.
***Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):**** *1. What mods do you use for Heroes III? / What version of the game are you using?* I usually play Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death with the HD mod (downloadable from sites.google.com/site/heroes3hd/). Sometimes, I'll also use Horn of the Abyss (also known as HotA), but I'm not using it in this video. The HD mod is responsible for most of the features that you see in my videos. Note that the Heroes III HD mod is not compatible with Ubisoft's HD Edition on Steam. *2. How do I get your version of the game?* Shadow of Death is functionally the same (e.g. there are no gameplay differences) as the Heroes III Complete Edition, which you can get from www.gog.com/game/heroes_of_might_and_magic_3_complete_edition for relatively cheap. Horn of the Abyss can be obtained from download.h3hota.com/HotA_setup. *3. How do you see how far units can move in combat?* This is one feature of the HD mod (see FAQ #1) and can be done by mousing over a unit and holding down the CTRL key. *4. What are the hotkeys that you use?* This is one feature of the HD mod (see FAQ #1). The most frequent hotkeys that I use for army management are: - CTRL+Click to create a 1-stack - ALT+Click to group up all units of the same type into one big stack - SHIFT+Click to split a stack into two halves - CTRL+SHIFT+Click to fill up all remaining empty slots with a 1-stack A full list of the hotkeys that the HD mod provides can be found at sites.google.com/site/heroes3hd/eng/description/extended-ui. *5. How do you display the extended hero details while setting up a map?* This is one feature of the HD mod (see FAQ #1) and can be done simply by right-clicking on a hero's portrait while selecting a hero. Note that Single Scenarios do not support this feature. *6. How do you step through Two-Way Monoliths and Subterranean Gates without moving your hero?* Pressing the Space Bar key will cause your hero to step on the same square that they are currently on, allowing them to move through Two-Way Monoliths and Subterranean Gates at will. The Space Bar key can also be used on Water Wheels, Windmills, Mystical Gardens, and other map objects. Note that this feature is only available in versions of Heroes III that come later than Restoration of Erathia, meaning that this cannot be done in Ubisoft's HD Edition on Steam. *7. How can I get my unit animations in combat to be as fast as yours?* To get accelerated unit animations, download crAnim.txt from heroesportal.net/getfile.php?file=/files/information/16/Cranim.txt and put it into the Data folder of your Heroes III directory.
I'm currently re-watching all your videos and only just realised that this challenge is exactly how I used to play HoMM3 when I started playing it. Obviously not on Impossible difficulty, however, I did play with only one faction and did not add army from any other factions. Good old memories coming back up at the moment! Just wanted to say thank you as well MK! I've been watching you for 5 years now and have to say that ever since then you have not disappointed me, ever. Only problem is that I can barely watch your streams as I currently live in Australia and, thus, the time difference prohibits me from watching most parts of your streams. I do watch them when they're done, though. Keep it up and I cannot wait for the rest of your "Sinister Six"!
Now that I think about it, I did this a lot in my earlier years of playing the game, too! I was glued to Castle and its units and I was pretty adamant about not using units from other factions. Back then, I even went as far as only using one hero (and even later on, just two or three heroes at the most) since I was too lazy to move more than one hero at a time. Regarding streams, at least you're able to watch them after they're over! Even so, I do apologize about how inconvenient it is for you to catch them live. But unfortunately, there's very little I can do about that, of course. Thank you for watching my videos and commenting! I'm glad that up until now, my playthroughs have not been a disappointment to you. I truly appreciate you supporting me over the past five years :)
TheKnownWorld Yeah I was pretty much the same. Loved playing Castle with Christian, loved his Ballista but then swapped to Tower. Back in the day I used to play “Realm of Chaos” a lot with my best mate and my brother and I always played Tower with Solmyr. Yep that’s right. Sometimes I’m able to check out the last hour or two of your streak when I just wake up so that’s always nice! Enjoy the rest of your week and hopefully see you at your next stream!
Thank you for having these videos, it's been a while since I was last watching, but they really are something nice. It helps alleviate a lot of stress, and getting me into Heroes 3 once again, which is really helpful due to me recently losing a lot of interest in things.
I'd love to see a time challenge video. Perhaps a 1v7, sub 1 hour win? Usual rules of no fly, TP, water walk etc. Just a straight defeat all enemies with little to no thinking time. Happy to donate on stream or via paypal for this.
ayyy let's go for the 1v7 ffa only conlux cpu. Other than that no restrictions except the obvious ones (portal and flying). After seeing you play with restrictions so many times i just want to see you go all out. I think the challenge can be trying to push a really good time.
MeKick, Love watching the videos and I have learned a ton. I would really appreciate a new Conflux and Necro 1vs7 FFA played on HOTA with the changes to see how you do early game. It seems like nearly every game is won in the first couple of weeks. Keep up the good work! I also second The Grail Challenge!
Hello! It's nice to hear that you're enjoying my content so far :) Sorry, but at this time, I have no intention of doing a playthrough of Conflux or Necropolis on HotA as part of my Let's Play Heroes III series. With the limited time I have to make videos, I want to keep the focus on random map challenges in SoD. However, since I play HotA from time to time on my weekly Heroes III streams, you might catch me playing Conflux or Necropolis every now and then during my matches against other players (albeit probably not against the AI). As an aside, I'm not sure where you got the impression that every game is "won in the first couple of weeks", but that generally isn't the case unless you're playing smaller-sized maps or you're up against another human player. Cheers!
Awesome video, I was just wondering recently what happened to you, haven't seen you streaming or new youtube videos for a while. Glad you're "back", best way to spend the weekend is with a half-day long MeKick challenge video :)
There is this challenging XL map called back for revenge in Homm3 SoD. It is time restricted also, where you have to beat 300 ancient behemoths. Would love to see you doing this map with swamp fraction. (I have done it with castle and its way too easy as you have the means to produce shit tons of angels)
Interesting! At this time, my to-do list is already pretty full with other videos that I want to do first, but I'll keep this idea in mind for the future. Cheers!
If you weren't aware, Chris67132 aka AbsoluteZero is streaming and playing multiplayer now on Wednesdays. He is still shaking off the accumulated rust since 2000, but you should play him sometime.
I gotta say I love this challenge. Going through the game getting stacks from multiple towns balances the weaknesses of your army. I would love to see a update for the HD mod which automatically converts conquered towns to your faction (like H7). To add some realism maybe you lose out on 500 from them or something instead of having to choose to pay for it.
Made a earlier suggestion but have some potential ideas for future videos: Conflux - no using upgraded units, no level 7 units. Maybe a no flying unit match. (No necromancy or demon farming stipulation) Or maybe flight units only. (Might be too easy so no Sprites either - otherwise conflux with sprites and firebirds could make it too easy)
I can't say I agree with this kind of 'Worst Hero Possible' challenge. Might as well have a challenge to 'win despite playing very badly'. EG go to every fight with troops from 7 different factions, have no morale and luck bonuses, insist on laying siege to a castle with zero ranged troops on your side so the first 10 turns consist of being massacred by the towers, insist on casting armageddon when only the enemy has fire immune troops, etc.
I'm not entirely sure I understand what you mean. Are you suggesting that the "Worst Hero Possible" challenge is bad because I'm deliberately playing suboptimally? If so, by this reasoning, all of my other challenges are far worse offenders. I've done things like sit in my starting zone, have only one stack per hero, not use a spell book, avoid purchasing units, and the list goes on. How are these challenges any different?
Hi! So glad you're back! In your absence I actually started watching a lot of Age of Empires II YT and twitch... So I guess I'll have to watch both AoE2 and HoMM3 :D i don't really play Age of Empires 2 (too stressful for me :D) but i do play HoMM3 with my dad and still beating him with strategies I learned from you :) Can't wait for your stream!
Hello! It's nice to know that you've made use of the strategies that I've demonstrated on my videos. Good on you for picking up a new game while I've been away!
I have idea for challenge. "No creature transfer/dismiss" That means once hero get creatures from city or in any other way they can't be throw out in any way but death in battle
new challenge you can do, not allowed to pick up any resources on the ground(including fireplaces, flotsams). artefacts are still fine as are treasure chests (but you have to take exp, or if you want it harder no chests at all) and you can still go to buildings that give resources as a bonus such as gardens. you can still flag things that give resources too. should be a good challenge for your resource management.
I suggest the road runner challenge After week 1 ( day 1 if you want it even harder ) you are only allowed to move a hero his full distance at once . Only exception are subterranean gates / portals / entering your town . I would love to see you overcome such a challenge . No combat challenge can stop you ( no recruiting/ no might / no magic / one stack / tier 1 only ) , but restricting you in another very important area of the game ( aka 1 resource pickup per day/ no good chaining possibilities ) could be a real challenge for you . If that’s too hard you can just change it to 1 action per hero / day
Interesting idea! If I understand correctly he has to 1) move only once per day and 2) go as far as he can go, right ? Meaning, he's not allowed to a) travel less than maximum movements points (besides what you mentioned) in a particular day or b) not move at all in a particular day, right ? Also, how would exploring go ? Let's say that in turn 10 you go near the edge of what you can see. On turn 11 you can't go explore more, since you'll use only about 1/2 of movement, meaning you have to go back, then to the front again and so on.
Winnetou17 yes 1 move per day Either maximum move distance or right next to fog of war . Edit : Or an different idea if that would be almost impossible. Only move in a single straight line per day
I start playing this game when I was 4 years old , and I don't rlly understand Whats the game about because I used my Instinct to play this game when I was a kid.
Hello again! At the moment, I'm not interested in doing a challenge based on time, especially since I already have other challenges on my to-do list that I would prefer to complete first. However, if you're looking for a playthrough where I manage to win by Month 3, then perhaps you might be interested in ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0aPsDb9UAYs.html. I wasn't doing a challenge in this match, but I finished it just as Month 3 began.
I’ve been watching your videos for about a year now, I like your play style! Didn’t know if ya have done it or am capable with the parameters (AI and time constraints); would you consider doing a 100% clear of a map (all fights, utopias, naga banks, treasuries, etc)? May be making a large request, but worth a shot! Thanks for the entertainment! Keep up the hard work!
Conflux is really OP... which means it could be kinda cool to see match against 7 conflux AI and without recruting units from captured towns. :D Pretty nice job anyways.
here is an idea for a challenge. What about fighting against AI with only heroes below certain level (let´s say 5lvl)? Or the other way around that you could fight them only with heroes above certain level? sorry for possible grammar mistakes
Hey Mekick, big fan of your heroes series! It brings me good memories of my old heroes gameplays. Can you came up with a challenge using “eagle eye” skill? It would be awesome as I`ve never seen anyone using this skill .. or any good reason to do so tbh.
Hello! It's nice to hear that you've been enjoying my content so far :) Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I would be hard-pressed to do a challenge where I somehow make use of Eagle Eye. As you've even observed yourself, there are very few situations that aren't horribly contrived where Eagle Eye can actually be useful. Intuitively, we might come up with the idea of doing a playthrough where I can only use spells learned via Eagle Eye. But since I've already completed the No Magic challenge where I didn't even have the option of using any spells at all, nothing new would be gained from a playthrough using only spells gained from Eagle Eye.
last game i started on homm3 my town/area was completely closed off from the rest of the map. absolutely no way to leave at all. had to wait around for the enemy to come to me and kill them in the hopes of getting an artefact that let me escape. also kept buying tonnes of heroes in the tavern to find defeated enemy heroes to shuffle around some decent spells through scholar and acquire some artefacts. at about month 10 there was finally a hero in the tavern (one i'd just killed) that finally had fly in her spellbook so i could swap my army to her (luckily she also had better stats than my hero and really good secondary skills) and can now leave to explore the map. be interesting how farmed up the ai is now.
- When my girl asks to go out on date night, but MeKick just released a new video. Me: I have a better idea! How about NO!? - Good to have you back sir! Many thanks for the new content! Later edit: OMG! The streams announcement really made my day!
@@Winnetou17 We tried for a while to play but she loses her patience quickly (and then dies on a random fight). I like to take my time and play every step carefully, the MeKick way :)))
Good job. I'm looking forward to next challenge. But Sorrow and Water walk arent't two most useless spells in the game. These are Summon boat and Magic mirror.
Thanks! Sorrow and Water Walk may not be the most useless spells in the game, but they're certainly two of the most useless spells in the Level 4 category of spells.
this was a really nice video and it focused and expanded a lot on Inferno play, more than your usual in-game analysis. would you consider doing the same challenge but with different factions in other videos?
So, are challenge videos going to be a thing now again, or is this a temporary thing for now? Or is it simply a "I dont know yet" situation? Anyway, glad to see you made another video man :)
I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Unlike with my Twitch streams, my video releases aren't bound to a specific schedule, but I try to release an episode once per month. Sometimes, I have the time to do two videos in one month and then I don't have the time to do another video in the following month. It's not like I decided to put these challenge videos on hiatus, but I can't always release new episodes at a high rate of frequency either. If all goes well, the next video should be coming out either next week or the week after.
Bringing up the real challenges here! To be honest, I already did this in my first-ever Let's Play Heroes III episode, the Necropolis 1v7 video (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xDCM4FxjaMg.html if you're interested). It was painful, to say the least. ;)
ha has said that it's very unlikely for him to play any other heroes since 3 is his absolute favourite. the only one i'd think he would do a video on other than 3 would be 2 since he has mentioned 2 several times in the comments
@@TheKnownWorldonly hour into the video and i must say, for a man who always hates on morale, you sure did get a nice share of it here:") And i was just about to ask if you would play full grail game and you suggested it. You are a mind reader my friend. Hope you'll stream sooner than those two weeks, cheers!
Loving these videos! I'm glad they're back. I have a question, in a lot of videos he is talking about power stacks but I can't seem to find an explanation of what it is. A lot of other homm3 prone use it too, though what does it mean?
Larweigan it is referring to the primary damage dealing unit stack. Units of the same type can be stacked and their damage is combined when used to attack. The player will protect this stack from attacks in particular as any units lost weakens the power/ attack damage. This is why the player might focus on getting as many of a particular type of unit as possible but surround it with single units of a different type. The enemy has to waste its attack on the single units to get at the large (power) stack and the player will use the large stack to take out the enemies units.
@@MikaelBlade thanks so much for answering! I thought it had something to do with getting a certain number of units, some threshold thing like. Did defender combine at all in unit stacks or is it just attack?
How about playing a random map without roads? Just add that into one of your challenges, that way finding the AI's towns can be a bit trickier since you can't just follow a road to their front door.
nice game, don't know if you mentioned it or not, i can't remember, but the cerberi powerstack could've worked since you had bless at lvl 1 shrine just outside your town
Good catch! To be honest, I didn't think about using Bless from that Shrine of Magic Incantation at the time. Fortunately, the Cerberi stack was still a formidable force against Wandering Monsters even without Bless.
What about a challenge where you make every AI as good as you can before start? I mean best hero in each starting town? All AI to start with gold and ofc each AI differant fraction?
I really dislike the extra spell restrictions. Removing fly/dd/tp is fine in my opinion, but by making Earth and Fire useless I feel like we're emphasizing Heroes of Might and no Magic even more than the game does already.
This isn't a bad idea, actually! However, I think that others who have commented on my videos in the past have brought up a similar challenge idea. Their request was that I do a challenge where if I lose any units as a result of combat, then I lose the match. I'm still playing around with their idea, but I'll definitely keep yours in mind!
Have you done any vids on maps with lots of water (I know you usually turn water off) but I’d like to see if it changes the strategy and with HotA some of the water units?
Correct me if I am wrong... But all the unupgraded units on the map face to the right and all the upgraded ones to the left, and if AN UNUPGRADED UNIT faces to the left then that means they have at least 1 stack of upgraded units in it... Am I on the right path or is my mind imagining things...? MeKick will tell me. :D
Fair enough! Usually, I'm accustomed to making use of the other players' towns (e.g. for reinforcements and for more attempts at getting better spells), so this challenge took a bit of time for me to get used to. I hope you enjoy the video!
