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Scenarios » Drums of Death V1.30 (Multi- Player)
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Drums of Death V1.30 (Multi- Player)
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| Author |
File Description |
| Swolte |
Posted on 01/06/05 @ 05:39 PM (updated 12/11/06)
| File Details |
|---|
| Ruleset: |
AoW: SM - Unofficial Patch 1.4 |
| Map Size: |
XL |
| Levels: |
2 |
| Single Player?: |
No |
| Co-Op vs. AI?: |
No |
| PBEM/Hotseat?: |
Yes |
| Multiplayer Online?: |
Yes |
| # of Wizards: |
5 |
| # of players: |
5 |
| Skill Level: |
Advanced |
| Password Protected: |
No |
This is the Multiplayer version and how the map was designed in the first place. Do not play this version for fun against the AI, it will be incapable of dealing with the important starting events.)
RULES (IMPORTANT!!)
- No trading of spells allowed (Balance: mana/gold and helpful casting is ok!).
- The life-spell ‘resurrect hero’ is banned (Balance, story + scripting conflicts).
- Agree to NOT abuse the migration-trick!!! (Balance: those that don’t know what it is, are fine).
- Make ALL players aware of these rules before starting and post these rules in the header.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
- Surrender off and allied victory on!! (this has to be done manually!!).
- Do not sell the 'extra-pretty' wizard towers on Eregion (as Emperor). I put them in because they make it look pretty mostly, not as Goldbonusses.
- I would also ban the Mastery Spells (added 27-nov).
- Read the Tips and Notes section.
TIPS & NOTES
- Very high load on computer-system and large file-size (get a new computer and gmail-account!!). Else, seriously consider not starting on this map. XL with loads of tricks!
- No deliberate experimenting with the scripted events in a pbem game. Just follow the instructions. Punishments can be tougher than expected or regarded fair.
- Option to build outposts and teleporters is disabled.
- Map is designed for good to expert players.
- In a very exceptional situation, some elevations might give some problems to selecting your units, or even moving them properly. Use the ‘select next unit’ button, take your time and be extra careful avoiding misclicks in those areas.
Further you are strongly advised to:
- READ ALL signs, story and events! They not only help you understand the world but they warn you for mistakes! Area guards that can kill a healthy hero exist but you will be warned, for example.
- NO heroes will join you, you will have to quest them! Be very careful with your heroes. Do not let them wander alone! The Call hero-spell is worthless.
- This world is ALIVE. Certain terrain will change in unpredictable ways, animals roam and will keep roaming AEDORA throughout time. Defend your villages and build walls if you want to keep them! One or two archers should do.
- SCOUT ahead!! I cannot say this often enough! Build and use those expendable units. Only players that know what is coming and where to go, deserve to win this game! It may take some time, but better slow than dead!
V1.01
- Defenders at Nerull can not be bought anymore.
V1.10.
- Corrected defenders Frall'zeh and Xentor.
- Stronger defenders central maze.
- Sword and Wand of JUSTICE removed.
V1.20.
- East watchtower of Eregion easier to defend.
- Sergius gains 'Mountaineering'.
- Birtwistle Outpost able to become village.
- Some (spelling) errors from signs.
- Added some signs and stories.
- Freed a lavapass that was blocked by a mountain.
- Tweaked some recruitment structures so that they have evil and good units.
- Tweaked some heroes
- Added some watchtowers near Obrynn, better gate-defense + roaming minotaur indies.
- Removed some items (spellcasting abilities don't work!).
- Corrected Whelan.
- Corrected Trollshaw.
- Added Heroes: Rowena, Bork, Myrphu, Lady Ellen, the Admiral, Abernoth.
- Guarded waterdancer Vault near Neapolis.
- Heavily guarded harbour near Emperor.
v1.3.
- Several cities received upgrades or had their building capacities elaborated.
For example:
Palace Mork -> + WT-I. + Siege Workshop, + HPool.
Amstel -> + WT-I
Sifra (Fairy Queen) -> + MGuild, + Sanctuary
Archillios -> + Siege Workshop
Ardovan -> + WT2
Minstrel -> + Builders Hall
Minestone -> Start Outpost - allow Town.
Myrne Ring - + Siege Workshop
...and some more.
- Balance: After feedback and observation of multiple games, exploits like excessive succubes seducing were made harder and the Emperor and Omah were strengthened a bit by various means.
- All cities are now named.
------------- STORY ------------
When the legendary 'Fight for Light' ended and the Shadowgod was defeated, the dark clouds that had envellopped ERTRIA slowly left the world. Once again, sunlight touched the impoverished lands and hope emerged amongst the people! But not only in ERTRIA. The ShadowGod had it's dark claws aimed at more and it's voiding had consequences for other realms then ERTRIA.
Unchallenged, after the threat of the ShadowGod disappeared from ERTRIA, an archon empire in the realm of AEDORA, grew like never before as unknown lands were explored, conquered and cultivated! These Archons, led by Emperor Purius XI, were to be the ultimate keepers of order and balance in this world, shaping it to their perfect vision. Never allowing the rise of a Shadowgod again was only a single justification.
High tolls, trade embargos and several restrictions were imposed upon the 'impure' races travelling through Eregia, as the empire was called. It started with the Tigrans and soon involved humans, dwarves and elves too. Enforced by a great military might, no one dared to stand up to this Emperor.
And so the wondrous city of Eregion towered high above all others, it's white shining spires almost reaching to the Gods above. The gods, however, were less appreciative. Orditan, the God of Balance, was especially displeased. His influence lessened and traditional sacrifices and feasts to honour Him diminished as worships to the emperor increased. The Archons believed they could shape the world as they wished and understand it without the help of a God.
Angered, Orditan showed His might when a giant fist struck from the sky and hit the large city of Archillios. The warning shook the inhabitants and brought fear and doubt back into the hearts of the Archons of Eregia. Archillios was soon abandoned and was left to the swamp to reclaim it.
For once, the expansion was stalled.
On his mighty throne in Eregion, the Emperor's fear was blurred, as anger and vengeance raged through his head! Nothing would stop his reign, NOTHING!! Not even a God...
And so he called upon his most powerful of priests, his most educated of teachers, and his most knowledgeable of librarians. In deep secrecy they worked on plans to 'silence' a God. Years passed when no solution was found. Only then did the Emperor turn to Obrynn, the wisest and oldest living being of AEDORA.
Obrynn was the last remaining wizard of the Elder races, namely the Dwarven, Elven and Draconian kind. Yet, supported by the Draconian King Shankar, the legendary sage refused to aid the Emperor as soon as he felt the hunger for more power behind it.
As a result of their refusal, war was declared on the Dwarves and the Draconians. Obrynn was unprepared and he felt he had no choice but to give in and prevent a bloodbath of his people. By revealing limited information, but leaving out essential parts of the ritual, Obrynn managed to win some time to strengthen his defences and seek help.
But just when things started to look better for Obrynn, disaster occurred!
Lady Godiva, the seductive sorceress of the darkelves, had been following all his plans with great interest. Her magical seeing-pools allowed her to see and hear all that happened and she found a keen way to use it to her advantage...
Deep in the night important scrolls were stolen from Obrynns great library at Dembar by one of Godiva's spies. Some say her lost sister, Dalviana, did it, others suggest it was the work of shades. In any case, Lady Godiva sold the scrolls to the Emperor, who then knew what to do.
The Emperor collected three Aesthir, extremely rare divine crystals, the only objects that can store and trap celestial entities. The high priests of Eregion performed an elaborate and powerful ritual at the Great temple at Mount Ergos and enslaved the god of Order and Balance. Flashes of light could be seen throughout AEDORA! The sky turned dark for three days and all living beings trembled in awe. The three pieces of Aesthir were then spread out across AEDORA in dark and sinister places. No one would dare or even contemplate searching for them.
Emperor Purius XI of Eregia could not supress a smile as he sat on his throne! After all, everything was going as planned!
Obrynn knew he had to act. He gathered armies to march against Eregia, acting as a distraction, in order to organise a search for the Aesthir crystals. His armies of dwarves and Draconians, however, were easily slain by superior imperial forces.
But...
Just when the end seemed near, help came from an unexpected side!
Stefanus, the youngest and most respected son of Emperor Purius XI rebelled against his own father, seeking the throne of Eregion for himself! As riots spread, several cities within Eregia joined Stefanus in his quest, expressing their anger with Purius' rule! The Emperor was furious and immediately dispatched forces to suppress this revolt. Troops carrying the imperial flag marched from Eregion in all directions, even Pannovar, the elven capitol.
He called for a war that will end all wars!
Meanwhile, in underground places that have been silent for ages, the Goblin Queen, Omah, is confronted with an ancient prophecy, the prophecy of the Vaug Han. The one warrior that would lead the races of darkness to an era of prosperity and domination.
Her Orc and Goblin are restless and demand change, they have been quiet for too long!
Change will happen, but if it is Omah fulfilling the prophecy, Stefanus seizing the throne, Obrynn restoring order or the lady Godiva scheming another devious plan, remains to be seen!
Only one thing is certain, though.
At sunset, brave armies march from the darkest bowels of the earth to the deep elven forests and long barren deserts. Fleets gather at dawn on the rough sea of Nurn as numerous imperial troops parade out of the mighty city of Eregion!
Today, the Drums of death sound everywhere..
-------------- STORY -----------------
-> Playable are:
Emperor Purius XI
Expect to play with Archons/summons only (you hate all other races).
Strongest starting position and with the best potential if unhindered! Handle superior forces and be a good organiser, as attacks to your empire may come from all sides. Comparable to the ShadowGod (but just dont tell that to the Emperor! ).
Lady Godiva
Expect to start with Darkelves.
A seemingly comfortable spread out backseat position, that allows influencing/manipulating many events! Lots of choices for expansion and stuff happening!
Obrynn the Wise
Expect to start with Dwarves and Draconians.
Close to the action, but in a strong defensive position. Expand slowly but steady. For the patient player.
Omah Krimhogde
Expect to play with Goblins and Orcs.
This attractive lady came from far. A realm that hasn't stirred itself in ages. Slow building up and change the course of AEDORA at a later stage. Balanced on a knife but with great potential, this is for the careful player that likes to fool around with dangerous AI first.
Stefanus
Expect to start with humans and elves.
The most tough position from the start. A player that likes to be thrown right into the action and that can take a beating! Be willing to make tough decisions and risks (and bear the consequences)! Not for the weak of heart!
-> This map can play like you want. A FFA, team or whatever. I would only advise to not team up with the Emperor, though. The most likely storywise combination is Obryn&Stefanus vs Omah&Godiva vs Emperor, but in the end it's up to the players! It's about having fun in the end, basically!
CREDITS
Aerjen for helping out with some hero descriptions!
Alex mars for getting me started (unintentionally).
Chascal for some last minute testing and detailed feedback!
Falagar for testing, a cool hero description and feedback!
King David, for allowing me to use his heroes and wizard names from Race to Death and his inspiring maps!
Sarah for some spelling correction and putting up with me.
Talonthorn for his excellent advice on certain scripts and his scripting database!
The biggest challenge when finishing a large map is staying focussed and inspired. This is a lot easier when you have friends around you that help you with that. If only as an outlet for frustrations and challenges! Three persons in particular I want to thank for that. They were involved during a large part of the process (a very long time)!
Psykitty, for his huge amounts of feedback and testing!! You all wait until his NCL-map comes out!
Wonderbeast (Lady Bane) for loads of feedback, testing (Hocus too, I heard!), a hero description, awesome portrait and inspiring conceptual design!
Last but not least, JamieJME that helped me out with numerous events and mapmaking tricks! (I heard he started mapmaking again..) |
| Author | Comments & Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
|---|
| fromage67 |
Posted on 02/07/05 @ 11:11 PM
(Insert Playability analysis here)
Balance: 5
(Insert Balance analysis here)
Creativity: 5
(Insert Creativity analysis here)
Map Design: 5
(Insert Map Design analysis here)
Story/Instructions: 5
(Insert Story/Instructions analysis here)
Additional Comments:
The best map I have tried bar none. Swolte has made gold out of lead with this one. Huge amount of possibilities. The storyline and the creativity are unmatched by other maps I have tried. Great atmosphere.
Not for the beginner. |
| potbellytoad |
Posted on 02/10/05 @ 06:30 PM
(Insert Playability analysis here)
Balance: 5
(Insert Balance analysis here)
Creativity: 5
(Insert Creativity analysis here)
Map Design: 5
(Insert Map Design analysis here)
Story/Instructions: 5
(Insert Story/Instructions analysis here)
Additional Comments:
This map is extremely fun and challenging. With the depth of background and history, one can guess that the "mythology" behind the map is the work of more than one person. Gorgeous scenery and terrain. Great use of indies to make the world come alive--and keep "safe" cities on their toes! Excellent scripted events and options as well. I played it with Dwiggs mod, and between the mod and the incredible map, it was like I was playing an expansion game almost. More please... :) |
| hiranu |
Posted on 08/04/05 @ 08:31 AM
(Insert Playability analysis here)
Balance: 5
(Insert Balance analysis here)
Creativity: 5
(Insert Creativity analysis here)
Map Design: 5
(Insert Map Design analysis here)
Story/Instructions: 5
(Insert Story/Instructions analysis here)
Additional Comments:
A little bit too dense, but otherwise a marvelous map. Can be done multiplayer with dedicated players, and if so is a really good pbem game. Not sure I'd do it 2 player. |
| Final Bolt |
Posted on 06/25/06 @ 03:05 PM
The map is outstanding fun to play and no severe functioning problems were encountered. Playability receives a beating because of the following aspects: a) the map is too big (there is no game known that has ended regularly) b) recruiting of troops is very lopsided through recruitment sites and seduction/domination tricks, but is extremely crippled through city based production c) there are too many difficult to work-out event scripts.
Balance: 2
Balance I deem rather out of balance. The author is fond of strained situations (as was already clear with his map "Fight For Light"). Obviousely he suffers a deep-rooted father complex and lives it out through playing his maps. Anyway, there are lopsided parties. Emperor Purius (father) is extremely difficult to play because he not only is surrounded by enemies, but also has to suffer very bad race relationships. Together with production-crippling, Mana shortage and unfortunate recruition-site settings, this makes him very ineffective and vulnerable. (What more could have been done to punish the father?) Only the top-cream of AoW players can play this role with fun. On the contrary Prince Stefanus (son) has countless opportinues to recruit powerful units with a lot of striking ranger abilities (swimming, mountaineering) making him strong in all terrain. He has Neutral orientation and can take advantage of almost every race on the map throughout the game. He seems the designed winner from the start, making the entire map a bit curiuos.
Creativity: 5
Creativity is undoubtedly outstanding. Plenty of refreshing scripting ideas have been developed for this map and the locations of both surface and underground are well set and in excellent relation.
Map Design: 5
Map design is outstanding with top-ranking composition and cunning usage of elevated hexfields.
Story/Instructions: 5
Large story background.
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| torfteufel |
Posted on 08/02/06 @ 05:41 AM
Balance: 4
we just finished playing a pbem game, took us about 14month :] we played teamed up (2on2on1) and prince stefanus and obryn the wise complained about not having fair chances of winning (after a quick rush they had all the borders to defend with the emperor, while me and my mate playing the evil ones had a nice chance of developing). i didnt like the tree where you can resurrect heroes. late in the game with lots of powerful items around, heroes are so strong they easily slay an entire army on their own. and of course the other players did not realise this early. but when you track down a powerful hero for the 5th time you start wondering...
Creativity: 5
Amazing!! so many things to discover it was hard to keep track of the multiplayer game :B
the idea with the ancient god bound by the emperor ages ago was brilliant! took us some time to find all the pieces but when we set him free again we were able to defeat the emperor for good! unfortunatly i could not try out the dwarfen blacksmith but a very nice idea as well. i liked the items a lot too! like the whiches broom, the left handed berserker and and and...gorgeous!
Map Design: 5
Swolte has done it again! a huge world with different feeling each area. perfekt map design with lots of things to discover. nothing more to say
Story/Instructions: 5
Very detailed nice story and the plot works very well while playing.
Additional Comments:
make another one like this for maybe 6 players and the 1.4 patch ;) |
| Timelord |
Posted on 01/29/09 @ 01:50 AM
The use of the cave systems to connect the vast areas together, the little sub-stories in the map (mostly present on signs and hero descriptions), the references to earlier works (Waikiti, Goldrush, FFL, River Arne) and the huge collection of heroes simply set this map apart in the amount of work put in.
While the city limits might seem imposing during the first run-through (it certainly did to me!), subsequent games have shown that it is really needed and is an important factor in the balance. The huge amount of heroes is a big plus for this map too.
Simply the best map for multiplayer out there and I can't seem to get my fill of PBEM games on this map! Good job! |
| Watschenbaum |
Posted on 03/26/10 @ 02:44 PM
"Drum of Death" was an excellent map for a two player competition. I lost to my friend however (:
Can you help me about another question? I remember a comment by a map-makers saying "Indies and/or AIs were set to 'aggressive'". Some time ago I started the AoW map editor for the first time in my life. I opened a random AoW map to manipulate the corresponding trigger but I didn't find any.
Regards
Watschenbaum
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
| Rating |
|---|
| 4.8 | | Breakdown |
|---|
| Playability | 4.7 | | Balance | 4.3 | | Creativity | 5.0 | | Map Design | 5.0 | | Story/Instructions | 5.0 |
| Statistics |
| Downloads: | 5,855 |
| Favorites: [] | 0 |
| Size: | 1.00 MB |
| Added: | 01/06/05 |
| Updated: | 12/11/06 |
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