PC/CD Gamer UK 44/PCGAMER44.bin/walkthru/heroes.txt

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Heroes Of Might And Magic II - Playing Guide

Heroes Of Might And Magic II is a very impressive game - managing to keep all
the good aspects of its predecessor, Heroes Of Might And Magic, while at the
same time improving upon and adding to it in almost every respect.
One of the key changes was the newly upgraded Artificial Intelligence of the
computer opponents, making the game much more challenging than the original.
Beating the AI on the higher difficulty levels is very tough - and this playing
guide will help you to do just that.
Unfortunately, as Heroes Of Might And Magic II has so many random elements
that modify each game, itÆs impossible to detail a single route to victory that will
work on every level, every time. Even the character type you choose can have a
great effect on the correct strategy to use.
As such, this guide is a combination of advice and tips, rather than a straight
walkthrough. Therefore we canÆt guarantee youÆll win every game of HOMMII
you play, but we can help you to feel as if youÆve made fewer mistakes.

ItÆs a game of two halves
To be successful requires you to master the two aspects of the game - strategy and
tactics. Strategy is all important on the main adventure screen, where you must
capture, develop, and protect castles, deciding how best to use your heroes.
Tactics, on the other hand, come into play when youÆve made the decision to fight
or an enemy attacks you.
The strategic side of Heroes Of Might And Magic II is by far the most important,
as the stronger army tends to win most fights, but in close battles your skill at
deploying and using your troops on the combat screen can make the difference
between victory and failure.

Strategy - the Adventure Screen
The main Adventure Screen is where most of the key action in HOMMII takes
place. ItÆs here that you build your castles and move your heroes. And itÆs here
where the game is normally won or lost.
Strategy revolves around three key concepts - heroes, castles, and resources. Of
these, castles are the most important. Castles not only form your key source of
gold (they, of course, generate the 1,000 gold pieces a turn), but are also the
places that will generate most of your troops and provide spells for your heroes.
Resources and heroes are a means to an end - and that end is to capture more
castles.
The whole aim of the game, then, is to capture castles, collect more gold, use it to
fortify these before advancing to capture more. Never forget that this is what
youÆre aiming to achieve - everything else is secondary. Because castles are so
vital, if you let your opponents get more than you, theyÆll probably win the game.
Balancing the rate of your expansion without over-extending yourself is the most
crucial skill in the game but only comes through experience.

First steps
Of course, at the start of the game, everyone is in possession of one castle (on
most maps, anyway). As such, your first (and probably most important) strategic
decision is which class of hero to begin the game with. Your starting hero is likely
to end up being your strongest, and your starting castle will become the centre of
your empire.
The HOMMII manual covers the strengths and weaknesses of each type of hero
(and their associated castles) in a fair amount of depth, and the game is fairly
balanced. The stronger heroes tend to have castles that cost more to develop,
while the weaker ones tend to be cheaper, and thus have an advantage at the start
of the game.
Barbarians, Knights, and Sorcerers have the cheapest castles, requiring less gold
and fewer resources to develop. In addition, Barbarians and Knights tend to have
limited spell-casting ability, and thus save you the expense of developing high
level mage guilds. All three are good choices for small maps, where the other
classes donÆt have time to fully develop their castles. None of these classes have
particularly good high level creatures, but they get them early, and theyÆre cheap.
On larger maps, they need to take an early lead and build on it quickly, playing an
aggressive game and taking the fight to the enemy. The computer frequently opts
for a longer term approach to success and by focussing mainly on the military and
going for a series of quick strikes at the start you can sometimes hit him before it
gets going.
Necromancers are the intermediate starting hero. As such, they are a good all-
round choice (being fairly cheap but at the same time having some powerful
creatures). If youÆre a beginner, they are possibly the most simple and rewarding
as they allow for mistakes, but after a while their Jack-of-all-trades qualities can
become annoying.
Warlocks and Wizards are the most powerful of the heroes. At high levels, with
access to the best spells in the game, they can be potent forces in their own rights.
Their units are also the toughest - thereÆs some argument as to whether Dragons
or Titans are the best - but the forces they have to draw on make them a
formidable force once established.
The problem with Wizards and Warlocks is that, like all spell-casting heroes, they
are weak at low levels. Also, their castles cost lots of gold and resources to
develop and their units cost lots to buy. They also require mage guilds to make the
best use of them, which likewise costs lots.
As is often the case, the type of hero you play is largely a matter of personal
playing style and taste. Remember also that your starting hero is just that - at later
stages you can capture castles of different classes and gain access to the units and
resources that they can build. A Barbarian, for example, should make every effort
to capture a Warlock or Wizard castle in order to gain access to the powerful units
they can build. Therefore, you are not railroaded by your first choice, but it does
establish some fairly strict guidelines to begin with.

General hints
Heroes Of Might And Magic II is too complex to provide a complete guide to the
strategic side of the game, but here are some factors to bear in mind...
The key to winning in HOMMII is to expand as fast as you can, while still
maintaining a strong defence. Because the computer opponents normally gain
more resources than you anyway (see æKnow your enemyÆ on page 132), if you
play a waiting game youÆll lose. Like Civilization, Red Alert and all the best
strategy games, you must ensure that the enemy doesnÆt get too far ahead or youÆll
probably never be able to catch up. DonÆt be too cautious - play aggressively at
first, and make use of saved games. If youÆre not sure you can win, save and give
it a try (see æSave, save, saveÆ on page 133). ItÆs not cheating as long as you donÆt
reload too often, and this approach also provides valuable experimentation
experience.

Using heroes
The Superhero: One strategy is to invest in one hero, making him as powerful as
possible, and then use him as your main army. YouÆre unlikely to be able to make
all your heroes as tough as the computerÆs, so concentrate instead on building up
one - the computer doesnÆt specialise like this, and one really tough hero is more
than a match for several medium level ones. Although it sounds like a simple
tactic itÆs the best way to win, particularly at higher levels.
The right hero for the job: Another way to optimise your heroes is to specialise.
Have one hero with only your fastest units, and build up his movement skills. Use
this one to grab all the resources you can, and explore quickly. Follow up with a
powerful superhero-esque character to take on lair monsters and cities as you find
them. Likewise, hire Knights to defend your castles - even a first level Knight is
better than the captain of the guard you can hire, and heÆll go up in level over
time. Also, use weaker heroes to æferryÆ units to your superhero, preventing him
from having to æreturn to baseÆ to restock, wasting valuable time. This co-
ordinated approach is much harder to master.
Save up: DonÆt buy creatures to defend your castles until you have to. Rarely will
you be able to buy enough defenders to protect every castle all the time. Instead,
let the units build up, and wait until an enemy hero makes a move - then buy the
units in the target castle.
Let the computer help: At the start of a week, move away from one of your castles
and let the computer attack it. Wait a few days, then recapture the castle - the
computer will nearly always have upgraded the place for you.
Timing: Always try to attack a castle at the end of a week - preferably on day
seven. That way, on your next turn youÆll be able to stock up on units to defend it,
freeing up your hero.

Tactics - the Combat Screen
Because of the limited size of the battlefields in HOMMII, thereÆs not a great deal
of influence you can have over the outcome - the biggest, toughest army tends to
win. However, good tactics can still help you to win with fewer losses (or inflict
the most losses on an unbeatable opponent), and these are the deciding factor in
close fights. The HOMMII manual explains the mechanics of combat very clearly,
but it doesnÆt give you any help with tactics or tell you how the computer fights.

The computerÆs tactics
The computer has a fairly simple approach to combat and you can exploit this if
youÆre careful. The computer always attacks ranged units first, then fliers, then the
strongest and/or nearest of your units. The only time it alters this plan is if the unit
it wants to attack is out of range, and another is closer. As such, the computer is
fairly easy to predict, and tends to charge in immediately in every fight.
You can take advantage of this in several ways. The simplest is to always bring
along some ranged units, scatter them about to use as bait for the computer and,
while itÆs attacking them, move your stronger units into a better position before
properly laying in.

General hints
Once again, there isnÆt space to cover everything, so here are some key points to
bear in mind...
Planning: Your troops are arranged on the combat screen from top to bottom in
the order they appear on the hero screen from left to right. In an army with strong
ranged attacks, but the ranged units at each end, and strong, slow units next to
them, put your fast units in the middle. In this way you can protect your ranged
units, letting them pepper the computer as it advances.
Planning (again): In an army without ranged units, put the fast units at the edges,
with the slow ones in the centre. This lets the fast units sweep in from the sides
while your slower units push forward.
Planning (last time): As a rule, the æspread outÆ formation is better than the æclose
rankedÆ one - it prevents the computer from hitting lots of your units with area
affect spells.
Strike first: Try to time your movement so that your units always get the first
attack. In many battles this will be the deciding factor in who wins or loses - a few
hundred peasants can actually kill a dragon if they get the first strike, but the
dragon will wipe them out in a turn if the situation is reversed. Because the
computer tends to charge in, simply wait until its units are within range, and then
go for it.
Tie up the archers: When facing an army with good ranged units, use fast-moving
units of your own to close in as quickly as possible and prevent the enemy from
firing while your slower units move in. Fliers are particularly handy here.
Choose your targets: Identify the enemy unit that poses the most threat, and pick
on it first. ItÆs no good wasting time with goblins or peasants while the dragons or
crusaders tear your army to pieces.
Ganging up: Try to take out big, tough enemies by ganging up on them. Most
units only get one retaliation attack a round, so strike first with either your
toughest unit or the one you donÆt mind sacrificing (depending on what is
available), then follow up with the rest of your army, allowing them to attack
safely without being hit back in return.

Spells
Most of the HOMMII spells that affect the adventure screen are less than critical,
but the combat spells can mean the difference between success and failure. There
are two broad types of combat spells - those that directly inflict damage, and those
that affect a unit in some other way.
Knights and Barbarians should steer clear of damage spells, as their Spell Power
stats will rarely be high enough to inflict significant damage. They should stick
with unit spells such as Bless and Curse.
Spell-casting heroes, on the other hand, can be devastating, with damage spells at
high levels. As a rule, those that target a single unit are better than the area affect
ones because they have greater damage potential.
Towards the end of the game, though, when units consist of large numbers of the
toughest creatures, damage spells become less efficient again.
There are several combat spells in the game that are best to focus on. Bless and
Curse (especially Mass Bless and Mass Curse) can easily turn a battle when
properly used - never underestimate their effects. Stoneskin, Steelskin, and
Bloodlust are often more powerful than you think, especially when used in
conjunction with baiting units.
Blind and Paralyse - use them to negate the enemyÆs best units, mop up the rest
(for once), and then gang up on the big guys.
Lightning and Chain Lightning - the best combination of damage for spell points.


Know your Enemy
One of the keys to beating HOMMII is understanding the computer opponent and
how it thinks. If you can predict what your enemy is likely to do, your plans have
a greater chance of succeeding.

The difficulty levels
Although the AI is largely the same regardless of the difficulty level you choose,
it does change in a couple of important ways as the difficulty increases:

Easy: The Easy level is the only one that actually limits the computer AI. As such,
it will often make bad decisions, typically attacking when it canÆt win and
ignoring resources that it should collect or secure. In addition, while the human
player begins the game with 10,000 Gold, 30 Wood and Ore, and 10 of each of
the rare resources, the computer starts with only 7,500 Gold, 20 Wood and Ore,
and 5 of each rare resource.

Normal: On Normal level the computer AI is more or less identical to that used on
higher levels, although not quite as cautious. Its only regular failing is to start
fights that it might not be able to win. On this level the human player starts with
7,500 Gold, 20 Wood and Ore, and 5 of each rare resource, while the computer
opponents have 10,000 Gold, 30 Wood and Ore, and 10 of each of the rare
resources, giving them an early advantage.

Hard: Playing at Hard level is much more of a challenge. Although the AI is
largely the same as on Normal difficulty, it wonÆt attack you unless it has a 60-
40% hit point ratio advantage over your forces. It does take into consideration
other factors, but itÆs the total hit points of each army that plays the largest part in
its thinking. As such, it only makes occasional mistakes. The computer also starts
with an even larger resource advantage, having 10,000 Gold, 30 Wood and Ore,
and 10 of each of the rare resources, while the human player only gets 5,000
Gold, 10 Wood and Ore, and 2 of each of the rare resources. In addition, it
receives a 10% bonus to its Gold income and 1 free Wood and Ore each turn.

Expert: Things start to get really tough here. The computer only attacks when it
decides it has a 75-25% hit point advantage, meaning that if it starts a fight with
you, youÆre probably going to lose. Making matters worse, the human player
starts with only 2,500 Gold and 5 Wood and Ore. The computer, on the other
hand, gets 10,000 Gold, 30 Wood and Ore, and 10 of each of the rare resources.
The computer also gets a 25% bonus to its Gold income and 1 of every resource,
every turn.

Impossible: An aptly named difficulty level, Impossible is often just that - no
matter how good you are, youÆre unlikely to win more games than you lose at this
difficulty. The computer only attacks if it has a 90-10 advantage, so you will lose
any fight it starts. The human player starts the game with nothing, nada, zip. The
computer, on the hand, gets 10,000 Gold, 30 Wood and Ore, and 10 of each of the
rare resources, plus it generates double the Gold, and gets 2 of each resource free
every turn.

How the AI thinks
As well as the income benefits that the computer AI enjoys at all but the Easy and
Normal levels, it also knows more about whatÆs going on than you do. For a start,
it always knows the exact military strength of your heroes, towns and castles, and
their locations. This means that it wonÆt overlook any weakness you might have,
but will instead always make use of it.
In addition, as the difficulty level increases, so does the computerÆs knowledge of
the map. It knows the locations of all resources and treasures without having to
explore the map, which is a huge advantage in itself. ItÆs one of the last remaining
problems with computer opponents.
So, that covers the computer AIÆs advantages over you. But how does it actually
play the game?
The answer is æannoyingly wellÆ. The computer doesnÆt attack unless it feels it has
an advantage, always goes for your weakest heroes or castles, and is careful to
always guard its own territory well. Rarely, if ever, will a computer opponent
leave one or more castles weakly defended - it tends to spread its attention (and
resources) equally,
meaning that it has few if any weak spots
for you to exploit.

Beating the computer
Despite its advantages, though, the AI is far from unbeatable. As it doesnÆt have
many weaknesses, you have to learn to use its strengths against it.
The computerÆs greatest strength is its consistency and its knowledge. The AI will
always know more about the current situation than you, regardless of how many
thieves guilds you build and how much exploring you do. Likewise, the AI always
tends to do the logical thing, and tends to protect all its territory equally. Potent as
these strengths are, they are also the two things you can exploit.
The computer is always quite obvious about its intentions, and isnÆt sophisticated
enough to bluff. For this reason you should always play with the æshow enemy
heroes movesÆ option on. Simply by watching the computerÆs heroes and seeing
where they go you can learn a great deal about its plans. If the computer sees a
weakness, whether a hero or a castle, it will move directly towards it. By watching
where (and in which direction) the computer moves, you can normally spot its
target early enough to try doing something about it. Likewise, if an enemy hero is
within range of one of your heroes but doesnÆt attack, you know that the computer
isnÆt happy about the odds. This is especially useful on the higher difficulty levels
- the computer simply wonÆt attack unless it has an overwhelming advantage.
Thus you can prevent attacks without needing huge armies.
You can also use the computerÆs directness to test your defences. Not sure if your
castleÆs garrison of units is strong enough to prevent an attack? Move your hero
out, and if the computer makes a beeline for the castle, you know itÆs too weak.
You can even tie up the computerÆs big armies by moving away from one castle,
then the next turn moving back and moving away from a different one. The
computer will get stuck moving towards first one and then the other castle.
The other way to exploit the computerÆs strength is to concentrate your efforts on
building one æsuperheroÆ. As most of the computerÆs castles and heroes tend to be
of fairly even strength, concentrating your forces means that you should be able to
defeat any one of its castles or heroes on a one-to-one basis. The concept of the
superhero was covered earlier in this guide, but it becomes more and more useful
at the higher difficulties.