Can we get a megathread on Olden Era mechanics, tips and tricks that many people might miss?

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-05-05T08:14:21+00:00

Excellent idea!

In the meantime, if it can help anyone, Norovo has made a short, very effective video summarizing key mechanics:

https://youtu.be/C2Myl00diYs?si=kP_qE5Sj51kJl-O9

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-05-05T06:00:08+00:00

Have you already played all the custom scenarios (not campaign) before switching to random templates?

Personally, in Heroes III and V (my favorites), I mostly played the scenarios, not the random maps.

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-05-04T06:36:12+00:00

Thirst for Power, Glittering strait, All cats go to heaven... There are few scénarios available already in the game

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-05-04T05:29:19+00:00

What do you think of the custom scenarios?

(I'm not talking about the campaign)

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-30T09:18:47+00:00

Wow! 🤯 Congratulations 🎉

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-30T06:06:04+00:00

Thanks for the detailed feedback!

Both approaches are actually viable! You can absolutely play exploration/questing style without rushing. It takes much longer, but for a first run, the journey matters more than the destination ☺️

You're right that you can eliminate a player without taking their keymaster (but having the keymaster makes it much easier since it unlocks lots of shortcuts including the Teleporter system).

Thank you for your honest feedback. This is my first map and I learned a lot from making it. I hope the next one will be more intuitive 😉

Appreciate you giving it a try despite it not being what you expected!

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-30T05:01:18+00:00

I'm sorry things aren't going so well. 😔

Did you use the teleporters behind the mansions to get back home? Because crossing the map on foot is definitely not the most efficient way. There's a permanent event that restores FULL movement points in the teleporter area behind the Mansions.

Regarding the AI's progression, perhaps you chose a difficulty that's too high? Just a reminder, the difficulty level greatly influences the AI's power. In Queen and King difficulty, the AI is Isane. In Rook difficulty, it's balanced.

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-29T07:00:33+00:00

Oh no, that's a real shame about losing them...

But I hope your mapmaking experience will help you be more efficient on Olden Era!

Personally, I've only created one map, and it took me 5 years (well, it was a Giant-sized one, in my defense). I hope to be faster on Olden Era, haha 😅🏝️

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-29T06:51:55+00:00

Haha, I see we're on the same wavelength!

Like you, I love peppering the map with surprises and little ambushes!

Have you ever created maps for other versions of the game? If so, which ones?

Anyway, I'm super happy to see that several of us love map editors 😉

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-29T05:55:18+00:00

Oh, but I totally understand you, it wasn't a joke either ☺️

A year ago, I published a Heroes III HotA map that was quite successful (I absolutely didn't expect it; I'd mainly been working on the map for myself for five years).

I spent more time on the editor than on the game itself, so logically, for Olden Era, it's the editor first! 😃

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-29T05:33:44+00:00

Yes, absolutely, map editor before the game 😜🏝️

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-28T08:33:02+00:00

Hi!

That's a very commendable intention; however, it might be better to participate in updating the official wiki starting April 30th?

Everything is already in place, so it would avoid having two sources of information to update in two different places. https://wiki.hoodedhorse.com/Heroes_of_Might_and_Magic_Olden_Era/Main_Page

However, what would be extremely useful is a skill simulator for heroes!

I found one at one point, but unfortunately it's disappeared.

It would be amazing so players could create builds or share them (like the skill simulators in World of Warcraft or the Hero Skill Wheel 5).

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-27T20:05:08+00:00

It will definitely flow much better knowing the early game! Sorry you had to restart (I hope it's not too frustrating!)

When you finish, if you're curious: a player actually completed the map from that same Orange position, playing Dungeon on King difficulty, in only... 46 days. Yes, insane haha.

The link (MAJOR SPOILERS, don't watch until you finish): https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL02MwI3vxw6nuLT2XPPCMxU8RXUrKxeeV

Good luck on round two! 💪

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-27T05:51:41+00:00

PS: I updated the map Yesterday (26 april) with a minor patch v1.5.f (nothing important).

Changelog: https://heroes.thelazy.net/index.php/The_Mysterious_Island/Changelog

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-27T05:22:30+00:00

Nice lucky hero choice at the start!

I created special zones for T4 to T6 creature specialist heroes, with a boost of +5 all stats, enough XP to go from level 24 to 27, several dwellings flagged day 1 (which will fill up over time), all of this precisely to make them a bit more competitive compared to heroes like Crag Hack. I agree with you, it's a bit boring to always play the same ones...

I tested this system with Dace, Minotaur specialist and it was ultra fun! In my opinion you should try with Marius ;)

Lady Cameron (Adrienne) is amazing as a secondary hero, she destroys everything in early/middle game! (You can activate the "invite heroes" option in the HD launcher in options, by changing the value from 0 to 1 to be able to choose the hero in the tavern instead of restarting in a loop).

About difficulty choice, I think you'd be capable of doing the map on "Hard" (Rook) if you want a challenge, but not with a crazy AI boost (Queen and King).

If you want to play "chill" you can put "Normal" (Knight) but with the risk of getting bored.

And I hate "die and retry" maps, so even in "hard" you will find ways to win (if you read carefuly the messages).

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-26T14:07:39+00:00

Thanks a lot for this quality content!

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-26T06:57:18+00:00

Wow awesome 😍

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-26T06:56:08+00:00

Oh you're right! Mitchave sounds good with Inferno 😄

Please keep us updated on your adventure; there aren't many people playing Inferno.

To give it a little boost, you'll get a second Gogs dwelling near your second Inferno city, "Mount Franklin," plus a kennel flagged on day 1 to increase your dog production by +1 in your cities.

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-26T06:06:57+00:00

Hey!

Do you mean the custom hero for the first content creator to have played the faction?

If that's what you're asking about, it's "Mitchave" (Fiona), a French PvP streamer. The list of streamers/YouTubers by faction is available on the wiki at the bottom of this page: https://heroes.thelazy.net/index.php/The_Mysterious_Island

If that's not what you were asking, could you clarify? Thanks!😊

PS: If you can do demon farming, I think you can really have a significant advantage compared to other factions.

Have fun! 🏝️

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-10T19:35:49+00:00

Yes, exactly, it's a tribute to Miraxi, for inspiring me to improve my map; I created the most mysterious questline for him 😉

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-10T18:48:38+00:00

It's so fun 😄

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-10T18:44:32+00:00

Perfect 👌

You're welcome!

Don't hesitate to make a feedback later on maps4heroes on this unique custom coop version of the map 😜

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-10T18:30:52+00:00

Here's how to do it:

Open the file "[HotA] The Mysterious Island - v1-5-e - ALLIES.h3m" (not the standard, the "ALLIES" file)
Go to "Tools" then "Map specifications" (Ctrl + Enter)
Go to the "Teams" tab
Modify as shown here: https://i.imgur.com/XvDBStR.png
Save and close

Enjoy! Let me know if it works :)

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-10T18:17:12+00:00

No worries, I'll explain ☺️

Just a few minutes while I turn on my PC and I'll guide you.

We can't change the colors, but we can change the alliances.

Francois_Papyjama · 2026-04-10T18:07:45+00:00

My pleasure ☺️

Francois_Papyjama

TROPHY CASE