Horn of the Abyss (Changelog)

Full changelog:

[!] Important Information.

[-] Bug and error fixes and changes to previous elements.

[+] Innovations.

Version 1.5.1

HotA bugs

[-] Fixed a potential crash after right-clicking objects

[-] Fixed a potential corruption of the Shipyard after a turn review

[-] Fixed a bug where a stack of Archangels could resurrect itself

[-] RMG: Fixed a potential crash while generating a map, caused by the zone repulsion mechanic

[-] RMG: Fixed a bug where wide zone connections could disrupt the mandatory road structure

[-] Fixed a bug where spell research would become unusable after a siege in an online game

[-] Fixed a number of graphic artifacts in online play for the inactive player during an ally's turn

[-] Fixed a bug in online play where an inactive player would have the minimap rendered in windows where it's absent

[-] Fixed the wrong Faerie Ring sound clip

[-] Fixed the impassable hex layout for one of the Highlands combat obstacles

In-game experience

[-] Creatures generated on beginning of a new month now won't be spawned closer than two squares from existing creatures on the adventure map

[-] RMG: Maximum per zone for Taverns and Hermit Shacks is down to 1 (except on the Jebus Cross, mt_Jebus, and mt_TeamJebus templates, where the maximum is still 3)

[-] RMG: Maximum per zone for Mineral Springs on the Jebus Cross, mt_Jebus, and mt_TeamJebus is up to 3

Graphics

[+] Added 5 new Puddle decorations for the highlands terrain

[-] Fixed portraits for the following heroes: Gem, Coronius, Marius, Olema, Gunnar, Alamar, Sephinroth, Zubin, Merist, Aenain, Brissa, Labetha, Gelare

[-] Fixed the male Cleric hero sprite on the adventure map

[-] Fixed one of the highland obstacle sprites in combat

[+] Lightning spell animation has been increased in duration

Map editor

[-] Fixed a potential crash on startup

Template editor

[-] The original Hill Fort is now marked as banned by default

[-] Fixed the incorrect default values displayed for Fly/Town Portal/Dimension Door/Water Walk spell scrolls

Miscellaneous

[-] A number of new scenarios has been introduced. New scenarios in v1.5 include: With Sword and Fire, Talent Shortage, Before the Storm, A New Day Tomorrow, The Devil Is in the Detail, Dead Man's Tales, Island of Dust, Broken Compass

[-] Added the Boomerang and Apocalypse templates

[-] Waterfall ambient sound has been changed

[-] Map and text fixes

Version 1.5.0

[!] If you prefer launching the game using the HD .exe file created by the HD mod, we recommend you to delete this file and recreate it after upgrading your game to 1.5.0

[+] The game has a built-in savegame converter. Games saved in previous versions will be compatible with the current one.

[+] Introducing the random map template editor, a tool allowing any player to create his own template using extensive formatting features.

HotA bugs

[-] Fixed a critical bug where incorrect creatures were spawning on the map on beginning of a new month

[-] Fixed a bug where upgraded creatures received incorrect specialization bonuses calculated with non-upgraded stats

[-] Fixed a bug where the effect of Watering Place didn't wear off under the simultaneous turn setting

[-] Fixed a bug where AI had limited possible moves while executing the Tactics skill

[-] Fixed a bug where the game would possibly crash if a dialog window was opened while a unit was on the move

[-] Fixed a bug where the heroes exchange button was sometimes displayed as being "on" while exchange was not possible

[-] Combat speed buttons now work correctly after the settings have been restored to default

[-] Fixed a bug with the Visions spell where its radius was displayed incorrectly (it can never be fewer than 3)

[-] RMG: Fixed a bug where it was occasionally possible to bypass guard, if another guard was generated nearby

[-] RMG: Fixed a bug where mandatory roads wouldn't generate on wide connections

[-] Fixed a bug where the chat window would be displayed over the map description in the map selection menu

[-] Fixed the incorrectly animated Cannon in the unit overview window

[-] Fixed a bug where the body would disappear shakily while raising Demons or calling Fangarms

[-] Fixed a bug where AI would enter a cycle while exchanging creatures between two heroes, or a hero and a town

[-] Fixed a bug where it was possible to attack creatures over impassable object entrance borders using Fly

[-] Fixed the Pirate death sound clip that wasn't playing

[-] Fixed incorrect stack behavior while entering creature banks

[-] Fixed the memory leak during online combat between two players

[-] Fixed the memory leak in the artifact overview window on the map

[-] Fixed DEP incompatibility issues

In-game experience

[+] Added a new terrain, the Highlands, which serves as home for the Conflux; no movement penalty

[+] Added new combat features: shooters now can go melee; Harpies now can strike and stay; Faerie dragons now can attack instead of casting; Archangels and Pit Lords can now move instead of interacting with bodies. Action can be changed with a dedicated button or the Alt key

[+] Two-hex units now may move back one hex in combat

[+] Spell research mechanic has been introduced, allowing for replacement of spells in your Mage Guild at a cost

[+] The player now can refuse the secondary skill offered in a Witch Hut or by a Scholar

[+] Orb of Inhibition and Recanter's Cloak are now banned by default

[+] On recasting Fly after improving your Air Magic skill or equipping Angel Wings, the spell level will now go up and spell points will be spent

[+] A new neutral creature, the Leprechaun, has been introduced, along with its dwelling, the Alehouse

[+] A new object has been introduced: the Ruins. Defeat Skeletons/Wights/Wraiths/Skeleton Warriors/Power Liches in quantities of 10/2/2/10/1 — 20/3/3/10/1 — 30/5/5/20/2 — 40/7/7/20/2 to get reward of 1000–2000–3000–4000 gold and reveal the map within a radius of 10. RMG value is 10, density is 100, spawns only on Highlands terrain

[+] A new object has been introduced: the Mineral Spring. It gives +1 to Luck and +600 movement points until the end of day. RMG value is 500, density is 50, spawns only on Highlands terrain, no more than one per zone

[+] A new object has been introduced: the Hermit's Shack. It improves a random secondary skill once for each hero. RMG value is 1500, density is 80, spawns only on Highlands terrain, no more than three per zone

[+] A new object has been introduced: the Gazebo. It gives 2000 experience for 1000 gold once for each hero. RMG value is 1500, density is 50, appears on Highlands terrain

[+] A new object has been introduced: the Junkman. It allows for selling artifacts (excluding spell scrolls) at half theif face value. RMG value is 200, density is 40, spawns only on Highlands terrain, no more than one per zone

[+] Dragon Utopia's passable square pattern has been altered

[+] RMG: Pandora's boxes now contain 150 peasants instead of 330, value is unaffected

[-] Experimental Shop is now guarded by 40/80/120/160 Iron Golems, down from 50/100/150/200

[-] Artifact levels in the Temple of the Sea reward have been altered. It now yields 4 artifacts at all times, and at least one relic

[+] RMG: Pandora's Boxes and Seer Huts now can be spawned with any creatures, provided sufficient object value

[-] RMG: Ancient Lamp is now banned

[-] Scrolls containing the spells Fly/Town Portal/Dimension Door/Water Walk now have their face value increased to 20000 from 15000

[-] RMG: Raider Picket density is down to 70 from 80

[-] RMG: Skeleton transformer density is down to 15 from 20

[-] RMG: Elemental Conflux and Golem Factory have their density set to 20, Elemental Conflux now doesn't influence the spawning of other Elemental dwellings

[-] Jeremy now has Attack instead of Logistics in his starting skills

[-] Miriam now has Logistics instead of Attack in her starting skills

[+] Heroes now receive 6-8 harpies in their starting armies, up from 4-6

[-] Fangarm AI Value and Fight Value have been reduced

[-] Nix Warriors now have their Attack skill down to 14 from 15, defense down to 17 from 20, AI Value & Fight Value have been reduced accordingly

[-] Cannon now has its damage down to 4-7 from 5-8, AI Value and Fight Value have been reduced accordingly, price is down to 4000 from 5000

[-] Pirates/Corsairs/Sea Dogs have their speed changed to 7/7/7 from 6/7/8, their price is up to 225/275/375 from 225/250/300, AI Value has been increased slightly

[-] Sea Witches and Sorceresses have their speed down to 6/7 from 7/8

[+] Aurora Borealis now doesn't grant spells that are banned for the Conflux, barring the case when they are set as mandatory for a specified city

[-] Pub now grants +4 to Crewmate growth, down from +6

[-] Gunpowder Warehouse now costs 5 of mercury, sulfur, crystals and gems to construct, up from 2

[+] AI now takes less time to complete its turns, as it doesn't calculate magic usage for battles where it's not needed for the win

[+] Town Gate now has an improved interaction window, and AI can now use it

[+] AI now can use the Scholar skill to exchange spells between heroes in cities

[+] AI now can make use of the Fangarm special abilities

[+] AI now can use the Horn of the Abyss

[+] AI now can cast spells with its Storm, Ice, Energy, and Magma Elementals

[+] AI now considers the damage non-randomized while executing the Tactics skill or targeting the Teleport skill

[+] AI now correctly calculates the number of turns needed to reach enemy units while executing the Tactics skill

[+] New objects are now considered when calculating the map reveal value, or determining the objects to be visited by the closest hero

[+] A hero now will automatically learn new spells if his Wisdom skill has been improved while in a town

[+] RMG: Units guarding potentially path-blocking objects now are limited to one third of total zone value

[+] RMG: Unpickable objects now can't be spawbed on roads

[+] RMG: Long, winding roads are now less commonly generated

[+] RMG: While generating mandatory roads, only the shortest one of multiple interzone passages is now used

SoD bugs

[+] A hero's primary skill value now can't overflow or zero out

[+] A hero's stack number now can't overflow (partial fix)

[+] Fixed a bug where AI could fly using the Water Walk spell

[+] Water events now won't trigger while passing over them using Fly or Water Walk

[+] Fixed a bug where creatures could be granted multiple times from a one-time local event

[+] Fixed a bug where a unit of upgraded creatures could vanish after defeating a hero

[+] Fixed a bug where a bonus to movement points would be gained from Lighthouses in towns under enemy control

[+] Fixed a bug where a guest hero's last stack could be disbanded in the Kingdom View mode

[+] Fixed a bug where creatures under the Berserk spell effect could attack a stack that was not the closest to them

[+] Fixed a bug where stacks could be slain using the Earthquake spell. Arrow tower AI is now calculated correctly while casting the spell.

[+] Fixed a bug where the game could crash on visiting a Hill Fort

[+] If Magic Mirror reflects a spell into a stack that's currently on the clock, the stack will now end its turn

[+] A stack that was blinded, turned to stone or paralyzed after a retaliation now won't get a high-morale based second attack

[+] AI can now cast Berserk

[+] AI now calculates the Hypnotise spell duration correctly

[+] AI now can raise upgraded creatires usung the Necromancy skill

[+] Fixed a bug where winning hero could still lose his army after winning an AI vs AI battle

[+] Fixed a bug where AI determined the objects to be visited by the closest hero incorrectly

[+] Fixed a bug where AI would miscalculate whether a hero controlled by enemy could pass through Border Guards or Gates

[+] AI now considers the presence of Aurora Borealis in towns

[+] AI now calculates correctly whether it needs to summon a ship or not (previously a potential cycling issue)

[+] AI teleportation is now not displayed if showing enemy movement is disabled in the settings

[+] AB/SoD objects are now considered when calculating the map reveal value, or determining the objects to be visited by the closest hero

[+] Fixed a bug where a catapult could fire at a stack after the tactical phase in an online battle

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where sunk areas and water tiles could still be spawned on waterless maps

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where a rectangular area of the map could be isolated and filled with water on spawning

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where vast plots could be either completely filled with obstacles or left empty

[+] RMG: Fixed a number of bugs involving misplaced guards and faulty passages

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where several guards could be spawned nearby for a single passage

[-] RMG: Fixed a bug where incorrect interzone packages would be spawned, this doesn't influence object placement

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where objects with impassable triggers could block other objects

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where an object could be spawned inside a wrong object group

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where objects could block unguarded passages

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where an object could be spawned in a position that didn't allow to render it correctly

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where roads within a zone could be not interconnected

[+] RMG: A partial fix was introduced for some zone squares occupying incorrect territory

[+] RMG: Fixed a bug where purely ornamental isles could have passable squares

[+] A number of visual bugs and misalignments was fixed in the map selection dialog

[+] Fixed a bug where the client would crash on startup before map headers could be loaded

[+] Fixed a bug where the game could crash after using PgUp/PgDown in the map selection dialog

[+] Multiplayer savegame list now doesn't display games with a single player remaining

[+] Fixed a bug where the game would crash during a turn review, if an object was picked up after a hero had been defeated

[+] Minimap is now updated correctly during a turn review

[+] Ships are now displayed correctly during a turn review

[+] Fixed a bug where a part of the map would become unexplored after a turn review on the first turn

[+] Revealing the map by the Cartographer is now displayed during a turn review and sent to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Summoning and sinking ships is now displayed during a turn review and sent to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Capturing creature dwellings, garrisons, and shipyards is now displayed during a turn review and sent to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Change of a town's appearance after constructing buildings is now displayed during a turn review and sent to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Digging is now displayed during a turn review and sent to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Spawning creatures on the map on starting a new month is now displayed during a turn review

[+] Fixed a bug where the fog of war would blink after closing the map during a turn review

[+] Fixed a bug with sending info about a deleted object to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Fixed a number of bugs concerning turn reviewing during an opponent's turn

[+] Fixed a bug with transferring the map being closed to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Fixed a number of bugs concerning transferring all map reveal scenarios to an inactive player in an online game

[+] Fixed a bug where a hero would be rendered in front of the top part of another hero or ship located on a squere below the former

[+] Fixed a bug where it was possible to build a new ship on the square that's already occupied by the active hero in another ship

[+] Fixed a bug where it wasn't possible to embark a ship immediately after building it at an external shipyard

[+] Active hero/town wont't now be switched after building a ship at an external shipyard

[+] Fixed a bug where inactive player wouldn't get his minimap rendered at the start of an online game

[+] Fixed a bug where the cursor wouldn't be rerendered after casting a spell on the adventure map

[+] Fixed a bug where inactive player would see his gold as zeroed out after active player attacked his town without a garrisoned hero

[+] In online play, inactive player will now receive information on partaking towns and heroes after a combat

[+] In online play, inactive player will now hear the waiting music again after a battle ends

[+] Fixed a bug where ambient sounds sometimes wouldn't stop playing during the enemy's turn

[+] Fixed a bug where damage inflicted by the Armageddon spell would be recorded incorrectly in the battle log

[+] Fixed a bug where casting or shooting at the walls would be animated incorrectly in some directions

[+] Fixed a bug where a creature's shooting animation would stop after releasing the projectile when shooting at the wall

[+] Fixed a bug where a creature wouldn't turn around if shooting at the wall that is behind it

[+] Fixed a bug where obstacles would be displayed incorrectly when fighting aboard a boat on magical terrains

[+] Fixed a bug where some texts wouldn't fit standard floating windows

[+] Fixed a bug where text wouldn't center properly in standard message windows

[+] Fixed an issue with clicking or hovering over inactive Mage Guild spell slots, if Aurora Borealis is present

[+] Fixed the faulty win trigger that wouldn't engage if an attacking hero would die defeating the designated monster

[+] Fixed a bug where a player's designated starting hero for which a portrait picture isn't set wouldn't be displayed in the map selection dialog

[+] Fixed a bug where some win conditions would be recorded incorrectly in the savegame

[+] Fixed a number of issues where shadows and terrain particles would be rendered in front of the objects

[+] Fixed a number of issues with rendering object shadows, map borders, and fog of war in the world overview

[+] Fixed a bug where pictograms adjacent to screen borders would be displayed incorrectly in the world overview

[+] Fixed a bug where Ore Mines didn't have flags in the world overview

[+] Expert View Earth spell now doesn't display any active objects, just the ornamental ones

[+] Fixed a bug where many battle animations missed the first frame

[+] Fixed a bug where the University of Magic dialog window wouldn't be centered

[+] Fixed a bug where a hero visiting an ally's garrison could become the ally's property

[+] Fixed a bug where the Lookout Tower would be displayed as a campaign bonus

[+] In online game, gossip will now be displayed in the Tavern during enemy's turn

[+] Fixed a bug where the Tavern's dialog window would be displayed incorrectly if only one hero was available in the right slot

[-] Fixed starting armies for the campaign heroes

[+] Fixed a bug where several players could have the same starting hero generated for them in the field

[+] Fixed a bug where AI's heroes would be generated incorrectly if restarting a scenario

[+] Fixed a bug where handicap settings would be reset after loading the game

[+] Fixed a bug where the map hiding cheat code would hide just a circle in the top left corner

[+] Fixed a bug where the interface wouldn't refresh correctly after using some cheat codes

[+] Fixed a bug where switching towns while the stack splitting button is active would crash the game

[+] Fixed a potential issue with the game going unstable after summoning a creature in battle

[+] Fixed memory leak caused by tread sounds while flying

[+] Fixed memory corruption when loading a Prison from the map

[+] Fixed a potential issue with animation executed through palette modifiction

Graphics

[+] Each town now has four sprites for each hero class and gender; two missing sprites were added for each town, both for the adventure map and the combat screen

[+] Fixed a number of issues with the original hero sprites, both for the adventure map and the combat screen

[+] In combat, heroes now have a permanent standing animation

[+] Fixed a bug where a projectile released by a hero's spell would be placed incorrectly

[+] Heroes' casting animations have been slightly slowed down

[+] A hero's gender displayed in combat is now determined by a settingin the map editor

[+] Portrait pictures for Sir Mullich, Luna, and Inteus have been altered considerably

[+] Portrait pictures for a number of Inferno, Fortress, and Conflux heroes have been altered slightly

[-] A new portrait picture for Vey has been introduced

[-] Fixed palette for the Pendant of Downfall

[+] A new puzzle map for the Cove has been introduced

[+] Multiple ornamental objects have been added for the new Highland terrain, such as Mountains, Spruce trees, Lakes, Waterfalls, Rocks, Flowers, etc.

[+] A Churchyard sprite for the new Highland terrain has been added

[+] Four Sea Portals (red, blue, light green and yellow) have been added

[+] 8 sets of ornamental Rubble for sea tiles have been added

[+] A new Seer Hut has been added

[+] Two one-square Oak trees have been added

[+] Two one-square Snow pine trees have been added

[+] A new tree for the Dirt terrain has been added

[+] Fixed the Dirt terrain mountain sprites

[+] Fixed the pallette for one of the Snow Pine forest variations

[+] Fixed the Refugee Camp sprite

[+] Fixed the shadows for the Shrine of magic gesture/thought

[-] Fixed the Shrine of magic mystery sprite

[+] Fixed the Conflux siege screen

[-] Fixed the Conflux map sprites

[-] Fixed the Fortress map sprites

[-] Fixed the one-square Prison sprite

[-] Fixed the Wineyard sprite

[-] Fixed the Colosseum of the Magi sprite contrast

[-] Enhanced the War Machine Factory sprite

[-] Fixed the Snow terrain hill sprites

[-] Animated lakes have been removed

[+] Cursors for movement and visiting objects on the water have been altered

[+] Fixed the Gold Golem magic death animation

[+] Fixed the Halfling sprites

[+] Pit Lord casting animation use scenarios have been added

[+] Fixed the Swordsman and Crusader sprite contrast

[+] Fixed the Minotaur King combat sprite and shadows

[+] Fixed the Manticore and Scorpicore death animation and body sprites

[+] Fixed the Stone and Obsidian Gargoyles' portrait pictures

[+] Fixed the pallette for the ornamental Grass tiles

[+] Fixed the extra pixel in the river sprite

[+] Magical terrains are now rendered below every object, road, and river

[+] Fangarm calling animation from several stacks is now played simultaneously

[+] A hero now doesn't cover his face if Fangarms are called from slain stacks

[-] Fixed the attacking frame for a number of new creatures on the map

[+] Fixed a number of combat interface graphic issues

[+] Fixed the faulty cancel button in the stack splitting window

[+] Fixed the minimap colors for the Brown and Green players

[+] Fixed the ship flag colors for the Blue player

[+] Fixed palette for flags in combat

[+] Fixed the combat backgrounds for the Dirt terrain with hills and dead vegetation

[+] Fixed the combat backgrounds for Inferno and Necropolis siege

[+] Fixed the background for neutral creatures in the creature overview window

Map editor

[+] Spells set as mandatory for a town will now spawn even if generally banned on the map

[+] A "Different from player" setting for towns has been introduced; these town types will be randomly selected from a list specified for the player

[-] Fixed a number of bugs concerning new win conditions and settings for the Plague/creature weeks

[-] Fixed a bug where template sizes smaller than XH couldn't be selected if the template in question was bigger

[-] Fixed a bug where Portals or Exit Monoliths couldn't be searched for

[-] Fixed a bug where Cove wouldn't be included in the Random Faction setting for the player

[+] A new logo has been introduced

Interface

[+] In online play, it is now possible to plan your heroes' movement and switch towns during your enemy's turn

[+] Hold Alt and hover over an adventure map square to see a hint stating how long it will take your selected hero to arrive there

[+] Hold Shift and click a hero on the map to select him, even if another hero has already been selected

[+] Hover over a hero on the map to see his movement points in a hint

[+] Fixed a number of issues with maximum movement points for heroes and travel length calculation

[+] Stables and Watering Place effect wearing off is now considered when calculating the required travel time

[+] Last player to visit the Black Market can now review its inventory

[+] Last player to visit the Ancient Lamp can now review its inventory

[+] Last player to visit the Refugee Camp can now review its inventory

[+] Fixed positioning for the "can't build" message in an external Shipyard; resources will now be recounted properly after a successful build

[+] The dialog to buy a Spellbook is now displayed on the Mage Guild screen

[+] E hotkey now stands for exchange between heroes on the town screen

[+] A hint for the spell learned in a Shrine is now displaying the spell status rehgardless of the equipped artifacts

[+] It is now possible to dismiss heroes visiting towns

[+] It is now possible to dismiss heroes on the town and kingdom overview screens

[+] A hint for the Stables and Observatory effects has been added

[+] Casting the spells Earthquake, Teleport, Remove Obstacle, Clone, and Berserk is now recorded correctly in the combat log

Miscellaneous

[+] New map has been added: Before the Storm

[+] Obstacle brush has been improved, along with the RMG obstacle placement

[+] Obstacle brush now won't spawn several instances of the same object next to each other

[+] RMG: Standard templates have been reworked, fixing bugs and improving playability

[+] RMG: Fully passable ornamental objects can now be spawned

[+] RMG: A map is now centered correctly depending on the actual zone layout

[+] It is now possible to place more than 32 Black Markets on a map

[+] Every spell now has its effect formula in the description

[+] Creature dwellings introduced in AB and SoD now have appropriate ambient sounds

[+] Beholders, Evil Eyes and Gold Golems now have magic death sound effects

[+] Faerie Dragons now have a casting sound effect

[+] Sacrifice spell now has a resurrecting sound effect

[+] In hotseat multiplayer games, a special sound effect will now be played when a player attacks another one

[+] Combat casting animation speed has been altered for a number of creatures

[+] Music now can be set to play in 22kHz mono or 44kHz stereo

[+] Record point calculation formula has been altered

[+] HoMM3 HD: If object messages are switched off in the settings, object hints will now be always displayed, as opposd to after visiting only

[-] Multiple maps and texts have been fixed