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Some Heroes 3 files

Heroes of Might and Magic 3 is a game from 1999; many fans consider this game on of the best turn based strategy games ever made. It is a combination role playing and strategy fantasy game; you build up your hero to win battles and defeat the enemy.

This page includes links to some files I have made for this game. To download a file, right click on the link and select “save link as.”

2020s files

My 2020 files require the free Horn of the Abyss expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic III. This expansion greatly improves the game, including random maps:
  • Giant map support
  • More items on the maps
  • Features added to random map templates
  • Easy to use graphical random map template editor
In this random map template (download, then install to C:\GOG Games\Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete\HotA_RMGTemplates, being sure to unzip the file. After the file is downloaded, select the template “Sam Desolation”. Also available is an example map made with this template and an mildly edited version of this map), an enroaching desolation has spread across the world, as punishment for its inequities. Most of the world has become a desert; the only remnant spared is a patch of grassland; even here evil has roamed the land and must be removed.

Vicious warlords have taken control in the desolate deserts, subjugating their people and bringing corruption and evil to the land. Your mission is to first restore order in the grassland, then go out in to the desert and free the people. The desolation has caused great impassible mountain ranges to come up. Legends of a vast cave network with extensive treasure have been heard; maybe one can go under the mountains.

This template is best played as a giant (252x252) map with underground. This template is only for single player games; be sure to play red in maps generated with the template.

Other templates

Another 2020 random map template for HOMM3 + HOTA. In this template, the first player has a significant advantage compared to other players. Example map made with this template. I also have another template.

2010s HOMM3 updates

Even though the last official expansion for Heroes of Might and Magic III (HOMM3) was released back in 2000, the game still is getting expanded by mods made by its fans. In late 2013, the latest update to Horn of the Abyss was released, which is just as good (if not better) than an expansion made by the original HOMM3 developers.

HOMM3 is legally available (without DRM) here:

GOG.com link for HOMM3 (Left click; do not save this one!)
The following two free unofficial mods greatly improve Heroes of Might and Magic III:
  • Heroes3 HD (again, left click). This mod changes the Heores3 binary to not need to run as an Administrator, and gives the binary support for displays larger than 800x600 in size.
  • Horn of the Abyss (Also a “left click” link) gives HOMM3 support for larger maps (maps can now be three times bigger), removes cartographers (which reveal the entire map) from random maps, adds a new town faction as well as a number of new structures for the map, and improves game balance. Compatible with Heroes3 HD.
Another promising project is VCMI, which is an open-source reimplementation of HOMM3's game engine.

2018 maps

Here is a collection of six small maps I made to play with my young daughter (the game helps give her better dreams). Note: These maps require Horn of the Abyss to play.

2017 maps

I made five small and easy maps for Horn of the Abyss in late 2017. The maps have the names “Munchkin”, “Tiny Munchkin”, “More Munchkin”, “Treasure Trove”, and “Dream Islands.” Note: These maps require Horn of the Abyss to play.

RMG templates

The random map generator for HOMM3 uses templates, which roughly describe how a random map will look.

My most recent template is Sam Mega Desert. This template is based on Jebus Cross, but all terrain is desert and there are a lot more towns on this map to get. Best for Helm of the Abyss 2-level giant maps, but can make a playable, albeit silly [1], small map. To install, first install Heroes3 HD, then put the zipfile's extracted contents in _HD3_Data\Templates

All other RMG templates here can be downloaded in a single .zip file.

Here are some RMG templates suitable for the recent patches to make extra-huge maps for Heroes3 (2014 update: There appears to be no active link to download the XXXXL patches, but the add-on Horn of the Abyss has giant map support). These RMG templates are based on the popular "Jebus cross" RMG template. While these templates will work with an unpatched HOMM3 (as long as one selects a two-level XL map), they are best for giant (252x252) maps, either with or without underground.

  • This template, unlike the stock Jebus Cross, has eight zones, one for each player, around the central treasure zone. The map gives the first two players an advantage (this map is for either 1-on-1 games with the computer as cannon fodder, or for two-player cooperative games against the computer opponents). (Added September 1, 2011)

  • This template is even more extensive. All eight players start with two towns in two different zones; there are two sets of eight zones each around a treasure zone, for a total of 18 zones; the two treasure zones are connected to each other. Like the other template, the first two players have an advantage.

    The template was generated from a Linux/UNIX AWK script.

    There is also a template for 3-player games as well as an AWK script (precisely one character different than the two-player AWK script). (Updated September 7, 2011)

  • This template is yet again more extensive. Each player starts out with four castles and there are four different treasure zones to explore in the map. While this map will build as an XL (144x144) 2-level map, it's a really cramped map unless it's a XXXXL (252x252) map; a full underground level will be made. Like the other templates, this is only for one or two players; other players start with a significant disadvantage.

    AWK source code. (Added September 3, 2011)

To install a HOMM3 RMG template, take a template (right click to download!), rename it rmg.txt, and place it in the HOMM3 data folder (such as C:\Program Files\GOG.com\Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete\Data). This will change how random maps are generated.

If using the HOMM3HD expansion, templates are actually placed in their own directory in _HD3_Data\Templates (so that you can choose the template when making a random map), but still have the name rmg.txt.

HOMM3 maps

Here are some Heroes of Might and Magic III maps that I have created. With the exception of the "Munchkin" campaigns, these maps require no expansion packs or anything beyond a stock RoE Heroes 3 game (and will work in Linux).
  • The first one was made as a joke for my friend Victor, back when he thought Heroes III was too hard of a video game to enjoy playing. The map is a very small one-level map that is about as challenging (or not challenging) as the tutorial. It is easy enough to win this game in under one week (in game time), even at impossible level, but can take as long as two weeks to finish if you go through the teleport to get the goodies.

    Download it here (Right click, save as) (September 2003)

  • The second map took me a little longer to make. In fact, I have been working on this map on and off for over a year. I think it is finally done. This is an extra-large two-level map, single-player only. It is an exploration map; it plays more like a role-playing than a strategy game, where your character gets more powerful and defeats more nasty baddies.

    I have deliberately made the goal flagging all creature dwellings so that the player can defeat all enemey castles and still be able to explore the map of the game.

    Download this map here (October 2004)

  • The third map was a one-weekend project; a very (and I mean very) easy map for my friend Jami who is a beginner at HOMM3. She thought the map was funny, and really enjoyed the map. Small, one-level. No real challenge, but look for all of the jokes.

    Download this map here (December 2004)

  • This map, released on December 6, 2005, is a modified version of a map generated with Heroes3's random map generator. This is a huge 2-level extra large map which took me over three days of playing to finish (over 300 days of game time). I actually found some ROE bugs when testing this map; for example, the amount of gold one gets "wraps around" and becomes a negative value if one acquires too much gold.

    This is a two-player cooperative map.

    Download this map here

  • roe-desert-maps.zip
    roe-desert-maps-02.zip

    This is a random map generator template ideal for games where you spend months building up your heroes and armies before fighting other players. You are in a vast desert in these maps. Best for four-way games (4 way free for all or 2 vs. 2) on extra large two-level maps without using dimension door nor fly. The first zip file includes the template and 12 maps made with the template for people without the Heroes 3 expansion packs. The second zip file contains the template and 15 more maps. (Released March and April 2007)

  • Munchkin.h3c (Uploaded October 15 2010) This is a 5-map campaign for expanded versions of Heroes 3, using maps randomly generated with the "Desert Maps" template above. The first map was modified a little to have witch huts near the starting castle with desirable skills (Logistics, Pathfinding, Earth Magic, and Wisdom), as well as the shackles of war. Ivor will become a mighty warrior in this campaign.

  • Munchkin-small-1.h3c (Uploaded Oct 25 2010) This is a 3-map campaign that is really, really, incredibly easy to win. For people who do not want to lose Heroes 3.

  • Munchkin-medium-01.h3c (Nov 1 2010) 7-map campaign, easy but not quite as easy as Munchkin-small-1. Same general idea as Munchkin.h3c, but more maps.

  • Munchkin-large-01.h3c (Nov 6 2010) 12-map campaign, "flag all mines" to make each map last longer. Same idea, even bigger.

External links

Footnote

[1] The reason the small maps made with the "Sam Mega Desert" random map template are silly is because there are a lot of buildings close together in the maps; these buildings (cities) are normally fairly rare in a Hereos of Might and Magic Map. For a huge or giant map, the cities are nicely spread apart; for a small map, they are crammed together.