Maps only from Stone_Knight

[Stone_Knight]

New map:

Lord Wilhelm




Notes:

- Keeper in the last realm you have killed the lord pack except one - Lord Wilhelm.

- He saw your power and fled to his strongest castle which has a really good defence
so look out!

Hint:

- In this realm if you search you will find a lot of important items.


General:

- Best played with AI difficulty "Greyman" (same for the maps before, have forgotten to mention it!)

- If you load a saved game the AI will not work correctly so a restart will fix it


Version 1.3

1.3.7z

Version 1.7

1.7.7z

[Mdrxl]

I played some of your maps during the week and can gladly give some feedback.

The most important thing first: I had fun with your maps

At first I played Dangerous and Secret. I know it is meant to be played in multiplayer with another human player, but I tried it with an AI for blue anyway. Also I downloaded the first version you posted and did not use the one from your following post.
The difficulty was nice overall and I had a fun "slowly advance into enemy territory"-game. Since the AI keepers are quite bad (played V1.7) my blue "ally" wasn't much help and had no impact on the game. After a long game I finally cleared all hero armies and hero lairs but found no way to get to the green keeper. If you could clarify how it is supposed to be played or what I missed that would help me Since the map seems to be very big I had some crashes from time to time and at some points could not build any more rooms. I fear that is just the DK2-engine on big maps.

I also played Level10 and was in for quite a surprise While the other keepers very sadly too weak to pose any challenge the first half of the game was really really really challenging. I had to start this map several times because the hero armies would simply overwhelm me. After several weaker waves the heroes would start to invade with lvl5-9 units (for example 3 lvl9 bile demons, lvl5 skeletons or higher lvl knights) which spelled my doom many times. The heroes would also tunnel into my dungeon every time so hiding was not an option. When I finally managed to survive long enough to convert enough strong heroes to my cause I had practically won the game. Since I started the map several times I noticed an odd bug/feature: Every time I started the map from the skirmish-screen the spells I started with AND the spells I could research varied widly. Sometimes I had 2 spells from the start and could research 6 total. One time I started with no spells (no summon imp is harsh). Another time I started with 2 spells and could research 10 total. During the game I finally won I started with summon imp and heal - one of the reasons this time I managed to win.
Overall thought: While something seems to have gone wrong - I doubt you intended those lvl9 units to attack so early - I enjoyed the map surprisingly well. From time to time I like the kind of challenge that makes you restart a map several times and work out a suitable strategy.

I also started Twin Brothers, but since I played without the allied keepers the enemy waves became too much very quickly. Will probably come back to this one when I need another challenge.


Just bear in mind, that probably many ppl - like me - only play DK from time to time. It is possible, that some ppl will only enjoy your maps about 3 years from now

[Stone_Knight]

I played some of your maps during the week and can gladly give some feedback.

The most important thing first: I had fun with your maps

At first I played Dangerous and Secret. I know it is meant to be played in multiplayer with another human player, but I tried it with an AI for blue anyway. Also I downloaded the first version you posted and did not use the one from your following post.
The difficulty was nice overall and I had a fun "slowly advance into enemy territory"-game. Since the AI keepers are quite bad (played V1.7) my blue "ally" wasn't much help and had no impact on the game. After a long game I finally cleared all hero armies and hero lairs but found no way to get to the green keeper. If you could clarify how it is supposed to be played or what I missed that would help me Since the map seems to be very big I had some crashes from time to time and at some points could not build any more rooms. I fear that is just the DK2-engine on big maps.

Thanks for this informativ feedback!

Yes you are right unfortunately the AI keeper do nothing after he build all the rooms(Same in version 1.3). I had the same problem with the DK2-engine, becaue the map I think is really big that is the cause why the problem is coming up. I had solved the problem by doing claim enemy rooms, lairs etc. as low as possible.

I will give you some hints to go further:

- Have you killed all the bosses in each castle(vampire, giant, fairy and the knights/ with black knights). This are the five required targets if you killed them you will activate a trigger, which altered an impenetrable rock to a normal rock at one point(approximately at the center). And this place will activate a trigger again(approximately at the center too) if you killed the next important targets(I will not mention the names, it should remain a mystery stay for more tension). And after them the final castle will wait for you, but beware save before attacking this castle(I have spend much time to defeat this castle it is very hard!!!) and from this castle you will be available to enter to greens area. That's all.

I also played Level10 and was in for quite a surprise While the other keepers very sadly too weak to pose any challenge the first half of the game was really really really challenging. I had to start this map several times because the hero armies would simply overwhelm me. After several weaker waves the heroes would start to invade with lvl5-9 units (for example 3 lvl9 bile demons, lvl5 skeletons or higher lvl knights) which spelled my doom many times. The heroes would also tunnel into my dungeon every time so hiding was not an option. When I finally managed to survive long enough to convert enough strong heroes to my cause I had practically won the game. Since I started the map several times I noticed an odd bug/feature: Every time I started the map from the skirmish-screen the spells I started with AND the spells I could research varied widly. Sometimes I had 2 spells from the start and could research 6 total. One time I started with no spells (no summon imp is harsh). Another time I started with 2 spells and could research 10 total. During the game I finally won I started with summon imp and heal - one of the reasons this time I managed to win.
Overall thought: While something seems to have gone wrong - I doubt you intended those lvl9 units to attack so early - I enjoyed the map surprisingly well. From time to time I like the kind of challenge that makes you restart a map several times and work out a suitable strategy.

I have viewed about the code of this map again and yeah I have forgotten to change it. And the lvl 9 bile demon should come normally later, but I think it is much harder and challenging then before.

I also started Twin Brothers, but since I played without the allied keepers the enemy waves became too much very quickly. Will probably come back to this one when I need another challenge.

This map is awesome. I have solved this map by working together so if my friends under attack I gave my best to defend with him and traps and working fast are very important in this realm. I have said it before that this attacks are coming to a certain time(hint: more than 8000 seconds) and then it will be end.

Just bear in mind, that probably many ppl - like me - only play DK from time to time. It is possible, that some ppl will only enjoy your maps about 3 years from now

Glad to hear . By making maps I give my best for a good atmosphere in the game. And not all maps are very challanging some are more relaxed, some are more complicated as in "dangerous and secret" with the triggers.

[Mdrxl]

Happy to help AND get to play new DK2 maps

I just finished the lvl7 map and before I forget everything, here some feedback:
Overall one of the easier maps, although having no healing spellforced me to play careful and prevented me from converting enemy creatures. (Would it be possible to use the torture chamber without the heal spell? Like feeding the prisoner 50 chickens to keep him alive long enough? ). The Layout of the heroes' dungeon was nice and alowed extensive exploration. From time to time the heroes would atack with several weaker forces - sometimes tunneling right into my dungeon.
The big problem of this map, I realised only at the very end when I tunneled into the AI-dungeon: The AIs are set hostile to each other and for the whole time they seemed to have waged a never ending war at each other. When I finally arrived at the scene the yellow and green Keeper only had imps and lvl1 creatures left, which fought over the ruined dungeon heart of the blue keeper. Both had almost no dungeon rooms - either they were destroyed during the war or they never got time to expand their dungeon. The pink/violet keeper was on another "continent", but for some reason did nothing. He never started to dig or build anything, I have no idea why.

After what you told me, I will revisit the Secret and Dangerous map these days

A final question: Was the lvl7 map intended to be played with only the "summon imp", "symbiosis", "Lightning", "Turncoat", and "Rally Flag" (or whatever it is called) ?
I am asking because when playing the lvl10 map I started with seemingly random spells every time I restarted. I worry I might have missed something when starting DK2-maps. I copy the map files into the DK2\data\editor\maps folder, start the game, click on skirmish, select the map and add all possible keepers and set their AI to "Greyman".

Final final question: Has anyone tested the different AIs and can tell me what the differences are?

[Stone_Knight]

Happy to help AND get to play new DK2 maps

I just finished the lvl7 map and before I forget everything, here some feedback:
Overall one of the easier maps, although having no healing spellforced me to play careful and prevented me from converting enemy creatures. (Would it be possible to use the torture chamber without the heal spell? Like feeding the prisoner 50 chickens to keep him alive long enough? ). The Layout of the heroes' dungeon was nice and alowed extensive exploration. From time to time the heroes would atack with several weaker forces - sometimes tunneling right into my dungeon.
The big problem of this map, I realised only at the very end when I tunneled into the AI-dungeon: The AIs are set hostile to each other and for the whole time they seemed to have waged a never ending war at each other. When I finally arrived at the scene the yellow and green Keeper only had imps and lvl1 creatures left, which fought over the ruined dungeon heart of the blue keeper. Both had almost no dungeon rooms - either they were destroyed during the war or they never got time to expand their dungeon. The pink/violet keeper was on another "continent", but for some reason did nothing. He never started to dig or build anything, I have no idea why.

Yes I know, because the first posted maps of this thread are not programmed very well this is the most important cause why this maps have little bugs. And in this realm I wasn't very creative with the AI's but in version 1.7 they are not really strong too !

A final question: Was the lvl7 map intended to be played with only the "summon imp", "symbiosis", "Lightning", "Turncoat", and "Rally Flag" (or whatever it is called) ?
I am asking because when playing the lvl10 map I started with seemingly random spells every time I restarted. I worry I might have missed something when starting DK2-maps. I copy the map files into the DK2\data\editor\maps folder, start the game, click on skirmish, select the map and add all possible keepers and set their AI to "Greyman".

This some spells I have chosen with deliberate so I think all maps without lvl10 were changed with intention and the answer is YES. Next question with the AI's: I have tested all difficulties in the same map and came to the solution that "Greyman" train his creature with dropping they into the training room and they are not aggressive for example never attack me. That are the perfect option for my maps!

Final final question: Has anyone tested the different AIs and can tell me what the differences are?

I don't know all AI difficulties with their differences exactly- only that some are more aggressive, some more defensive, some are do nothing from beginning to end and so on. Hope this will help you further!

[Mdrxl]

I probably wont have much time for DK2 during the next week, but before I am busy another update

I played the lonely keeper map. The start was surprisingly challenging (yes I should not have been in a hurry to claim the gems - but I ran out of gold ) with the rest of the map of medium difficulty. There was alot of, lets call it, "close quarters fighting" almost all the time - my imps would try to claim the neutral ground and would always quickly meet some resistance from the neutral forces. When my core army was available I would then defend my imps while they claimed the new territory. Since there was only one portal and gold was limited in the begining my core army were 4 black knights, 5 salamanders, 2 goblins and 3 warlocks. There also were varrying amounts of skeletons first a few, then 30+ and then a few again. Symbiosis also helped alot. The final phase consisted of the atack on the blue keeper. There I met hard resistance - at least hard for a keeper AI (used Greymane AI). The neutral vampires and giants really helped the blue keeper in his defense and during the whole game I had to be very careful not to loose my strong units in enemy territory.
Summary: A hectic map that offers a medium challenge and fun

I also played the campaign from dk2player (thread "New campaign" atm at page 3 of this forum). It offered some backstory and consisted of 4 levels, the 2.level having 4 different versions to choose from (kinda in the campaign with lvlx a and b). The campaign started fun in the first level but the quality of the 3 other levels was considerable lower. During level2 two out of three keepers were killed by the heroes or other keepers and the third ne killed by my lvl8 fly since his imps were somewhere else and not defending/respawning at his dungeon heart. Level 3 and 4 finally were simple 1on1s against one other keeper, both times on maps which looked like they were drawn in 5 minutes.
If I sound too negative then thats probably because I had such high hopes after level1. Still I am glad dk2player took the time to create this campaign. And since I played all the way through it couldn't have been that bad

I also found (and replayed) an old map I played several years back, which I enjoyed very much. It was called "The Inquisition" and it featured many special conditions. This allowed the map to have several "quests" you have to finish and each quest will advance you towards the next one until you finally unlock the path to the King. A very interesting map in my opinion.

Wyrmcast: Thanks for the explanation of the AIs, really makes DK2 more enjoyable if one can avoid the worst AIs.
Since DK2 is now sold on GOG, do you think there will be some sort of revival for DK and DK2?

[Stone_Knight]

New map:

The strongest survived




Notes:

- Keeper your travel going very well and I think you are ready to beat harder challenges!

- So in this map you must act with much strategy and have a good defense at the same time!

Hint: - Kill your neighbour at the start, to become stronger!

Good luck Keeper!


Version 1.3

1.3.7z

Version 1.7

1.7.7z

[Stone_Knight]

New map:

BASES




Notes:

- So Keeper, you can see that in this realm we have a good defence for enemy attacks, but the defence alone
couldn't be enough!

- You are the only target here and the enemy Keepers and Heros, around you ,are waiting on you, so look out!

- If you destroy all enemy Keepers there will be open a secret realm to a castle - Here are waiting the lord on you.

Hint:

- A important hint for you - Beginn with the lowest Keeper, because any of them have different forces!!!

Good luck Keeper!


1.3

1.3.7z

1.7

1.7.7z

[Crafty]

love your maps! keep 'em coming!

[Hapuga]

Also they will very rarely use the combat pit now, if ever (they will normally never use the combat pit in 1.7 but there do seem to have been some strange exceptions). Basically the AIs are very weird in the 1.7 version.

This is incorrect. 1.7 AI is much better at managing its dungeon, and it actually trains creatures in CP to level 8 usually. It lets creatures to fight for longer times, and does not pick them up after 1-2 hiths like in 1.3-1.51.