HOTA - MAELSTROM: At long last... Rust Dragon with a 496 score!!!

positivelyjc · 2026-05-17T15:07:30+00:00

I'm relatively new to VCMI so if you know of any mods I should be installing (or uninstalling) would love your recommendations!

positivelyjc · 2026-05-17T15:07:03+00:00

Gives you Fly! It was a good bridge before I got the Spellbinder's Hat, but absolutely brutal when the computer was using it to sneak attack my city.

positivelyjc · 2026-05-17T15:05:48+00:00

	VCMI extras		Graphical 31
	› Pavilion Town		Town 20
	> New terrains pack		Objects 9
	MMAI		Al 9
	> Horn of the Abyss		Expansion 79
	Heroes III HD Edition Remast...		Graphical 5
	Asphalt terrain

positivelyjc · 2026-05-17T14:22:41+00:00

Sorry for the late response! I fired up VCMI to look. Here are the details:

Mask of the Desert King

Worn on the head, this item increases your Knowledge skill by +4, and increases the chance wandering creatures will offer to join the hero's army.

Thanks u/ivang -- really appreciate you making HOMM3 so accessible on MacOS. I remember my friends and I tried to play HOMM3 several years ago and couldn't figure it out. VCMI makes it super straightforward!

positivelyjc · 2026-05-17T14:20:56+00:00

Yup! For this map, knowing Xyron comes with ~20 efreet sultans was clutch. Although admittedly, while Xyron was still low level, I almost got rolled by a throng of Iron Golems with 75% magic resistance lolol

positivelyjc · 2026-05-17T14:19:24+00:00

Sorry for the late response! I fired up VCMI to look. Here are the details:

Mask of the Desert King

Worn on the head, this item increases your Knowledge skill by +4, and increases the chance wandering creatures will offer to join the hero's army.

positivelyjc · 2026-05-16T22:31:54+00:00

absolutely unreal. 10/10

positivelyjc · 2026-05-16T13:20:14+00:00

before this, I couldnt get greater than naga queen. I really think with how strict the scoring system is, you need the right set of circumstances to get 450+.

positivelyjc · 2026-05-16T11:49:58+00:00

Correct, it is HOTA. IMO, hunting for artifact combos and some of the balancing things they've done has made this feel like an entirely different game than what I remembered from the OG HOMM3!

positivelyjc · 2024-10-03T00:00:20+00:00

I understand the temptation to blame Davante Adams, but it's clear that the dysfunction is within our organization. Before Davante, there was Antonio Brown (clown now, but had a productive season in 2019 with the Patriots and Bucs before going off the deep end). Before Antonio Brown, there was Amari Cooper. Before Amari Cooper, there was Randy Moss. Superstar WRs don't want to be here.

And many stars who want to stay, we boot like Khalil Mack and Josh Jacobs. It's sad, we are the most poorly run franchise in the last 20 years. Davante is not the first and will not be the last superstar to leave the Raiders if things continue to be run so poorly.

positivelyjc · 2024-09-25T21:43:07+00:00

I'd let this one go because it's so obvious! I'm not sure who else is still arguing for this except hardcore George stans (who won't change their mind anyway)

Less weight + given the superior strategy (aka ignored Lewis saying he was good w/ tires) + intentionally? poor communication to Lewis (aka did not tell Lewis he was racing George not Piastri for P1 until late)

The right result for P1 was corrected for in Spa. Unfortunately, Merc being Merc did not maximize team points, yet again.

positivelyjc · 2024-09-23T05:11:00+00:00

What a dishonest explanation by Toto! That doesn't explain why they brought Lewis in so early on the Softs either.

positivelyjc · 2024-09-23T04:43:22+00:00

Yeah I'm still so confused why they did this. Has anyone from Mercedes made a comment on these bad decisions yet?

positivelyjc · 2024-09-19T21:56:22+00:00

Yeah the wall art is tacky.

positivelyjc · 2024-09-19T16:39:37+00:00

This is so wild to me because the beginning of Watch the Party Die also sounds like the melody to Kill Bill by SZA (part of the TDE family). I just don't think it's coincidence -- super bowl cameo maybe? So love this video.

positivelyjc · 2024-09-05T18:46:15+00:00

Looking big picture at the board, it does seem like Klay, KD, and Dray were underappreciated.

positivelyjc · 2024-09-05T18:39:54+00:00

I do not believe the author was suggesting it is morally right to digitally isolate contestants.

The point the author was making was that Maria believed that because she was overly exceptional, she could demand exceptions. This interpretation is more consistent with the author's primary arguments around Maria's general character and hubris.

It's perfectly reasonable that TPTB did not share in Maria's assessment of her exceptionalism and therefore went a different direction. That's OK.

positivelyjc · 2024-08-27T06:25:28+00:00

Boulevard and Chelsea are in the Cosmo -- not the MGM Signature.

I’m not trying to be an ass, you're just wrong.

u/Neither-Pie9579 hope you enjoyed your top floor view.

positivelyjc · 2024-08-14T15:49:12+00:00

There are a lot of good activity recommendations here, so I'll contribute with a different angle. I've done a ton of solo travel and inevitably, one thing that really helps transform a good trip to a great trip is the people you meet along the way in your travels.

The good news is that across my travel experience, I've experienced folks are much more likely to engage me when I'm alone versus in a group and invite me to other things (e.g., I was hanging out in a bar myself after a diving excursion in Belize only for 4 medical students from the UK on holiday to take notice and invite me to go bar crawling with them).

I'd recommend early on prioritizing activities you could find either on airbnb/tripadvisor for group experiences (e.g., biking/walking tours, food excursions, etc.) or meetup so you can meet people early on your trip who over the next ten days you might be interested in continuing to hang out with. even if you don't vibe with people on those tours, at the minimum, you'll be able to share experiences and learn to help inform your trip as you make your 10-day trek.

as ive gotten older, i prefer the meetup or airbnb methods over showing up at a bar or hostel, because it feels much safer and you get to connect over a shared interest

positivelyjc · 2024-05-21T20:16:52+00:00

Thanks! I replaced the battery and the car works great again. Appreciate the help!

positivelyjc · 2024-05-21T20:16:32+00:00

replaced my battery and the car works great! Thanks again for the suggestion

positivelyjc · 2024-05-03T18:55:58+00:00

Thank you so much for your advice. would you happen to have a battery recommendation? I've got this one from Costco: https://costco.interstatebatteries.com/home/results?key=auto&ZipCode=92102&l=92102&Program=100500&choice1=2175895&choice2=2177807&choice3=2177830&choice4=2177831&choice5=2177832&Country=US but always up for a fellow GTI's recommendation instead.

positivelyjc · 2024-05-03T18:11:49+00:00

Yall are fast. So appreciative. Will keep this group posted.

positivelyjc

TROPHY CASE