2002: Heroes III at its highest activity, Heroes IV begins.

Maps page at 50. [12/8] The Maps Page now has 40 unique maps and 10 more variants listed, all tested and reviewed by the map council.    Not bad for only 4 months of multiplayer. The unlisted map option when reporting your games has now been removed; all ToH games must be played on ToH listed maps only.  Skacik/Overlord1 (Center) at fragapalooza 2002 Player Photo Page [12/3] The ToH Heroes community has grown over the 5 years, and the photo page has grown with it.  Right now at nearly 500 pictures of heroes players!  Melissa want those of you who haven't submitted a photo yet to do so, especially photos of you in front of the computer playing Heroes 4!

A minor H4 Bug - Oracle [11/27] When using the oracle to identify the marker 'X' to dig up the artifact, there is approximately a 10% chance that the X will not show up on the map.  A minor bug, but be aware of it nonetheless.  Sometimes the X will be under a tree or inaccessible area, therefore cannot be dug. A first Clan War Victory [11/24] Congratulations to Wisdom Empire for successfully defeating Chaotic Nation in the first Clan War victory.  Wisdom Empire now holds the Valley of the Dead, utilizing the poison pustule crust. Celestial Heavens Map Making Contest [11/19] A mapmaking contest has been opened at Celestial Heavens for Heroes ofn Might and Magic IV. Maps will be judged primarily on innovation, design, presentation and overal professionalism. The grand prize is a copy of Disciples 2: Dark Prophecy, courtesy of Strategy First Inc, and a Baldur's Gate 2 T-Shirt. The Map of the Year will be announced in late December or January.   Also, ToH will donate a second copy of Disciples II for the best Multiplayer Map. Maps Page Ratings & Popularity [11/15] Now on Maps Page you will find two ratings for each map:  A player rating from 0 to 4.0, which is from the ratings submitted by players on the player maps ratings page.    Possibly just as important, there is a popularity rating as well, which is factored on how many times each map has been played. Clans of Axeoth [11/12] Clan wars can begin as of today.  5 clans have opened up.  Also as per request, leader now submit custom images for their clan homepages.   Unfortunately, most of the barons have bunched up with each other, and thus a side effect limiting the number of leaders available for clans, since only barons or higher rank can start a clan.   Clans of Axeoth is a massive tournament that will run for about 1 year.  It is a hybrid of Clans and Divisions. Congrats to our first Addict Madman [11/07] Player Bobntamr1 is now awarded the Heroes Addict Madman Award, for playing the most games in ToH so far.  He has over 50 games on record now.  Former Addict Madman Zud is also playing diligently, but will have a hard time catching up!  For more info on various medals & awards, visit the Medals Page. ToH Maps now can be Player Rated [11/05] On the ToH Maps Page, notice the new link 'Rate Maps'.  There you can select any map you have played, and rate it from 0-4.   I recommend all members participate in rating maps they have tried in multiplayer for a more realistic rating assessment of maps on the maps page.  Your ratings will reflect on the gold stars next to the maps on maps page. Congrats to our First Legionnaire [10/28] Heroes4 addict and tactical strategist madman _Hidden_Dragon has been a veteran of HeroesIII for 2 seasons, and now dominates in Heroes4.  He made Legionnaire today :) Hot Seat Heroes IV? [11/04] Announcing in advance, homm4 players interested in coming down to Phoenix, Arizona, we are planning to hold a hot seat week during June 2003 with Rob and Melissa.  Contact Vesuvius if interested. Also as a side note, Melissa will be at the Glamourcon in LA on Nov 16-17 signing autographs, promoting heroes, etc... etc... Data Transfer Lag Issues [10/23] With the 2.2 patch, pretty much all evident problems have been solved, but the lag issue in data transfer remains.  ToH coordinator Bobntamr1 contacted 3D0 with that issue, as gaming with 56k modems is near impossible.   This was the reply by 3D0 customer support:   "We have noticed a trend envolving the lag issue between turns.  However HoMM4 was coded from the ground up and did not use anything from the HoMM3 code.  Which in turn makes the problem a little harder to solve since it's not the same thing causing this issue.  I have informed the developement team about this issue." So it looks like we may get a patch to fix this in the future :) Clans of Axeoth [10/20] ToH's first tournament for Heroes4 opens today for registrations.  Clans of Axeoth is a massive tournament that will run for about 1 year.  It is a hybrid of Clans and Divisions from Heroes3 ToH.  Read all the rules and information before registering.  It is a tournament designed to be very competitive, and addictive.  Clan Wars can initiate when the first 5 clans are opened.  Success is not only based on how you play in your game, but who you fight, how you upgrade and what lands you conquer. 2.2 Patch .... great news for online players.  [10/17] A patch to fix some critical bugs is most welcome, and will help remove some crash bugs and gameplay issues.  You can use the games built in gameupdate program to install it.   The patch fixed:  Rare siege combat crashes in Multiplayer during AutoCombat.  The "Waiting for Remote Player" Multiplayer gameplay freeze when a hero gains a level using the Stealth Skill.  The Multiplayer gameplay freeze during combat in when a smaller army attacks a larger army and is given the options to surrender during AutoCombat.  The Multiplayer gameplay freeze when a player 'Retires'. Players can no longer create duplicate unit stacks using the [Shift] command with the [Space Bar] hotkeys in the garrison screens.  Players can no longer move unit stacks to other towns in the Kingdom Overview screen. Welcoming a new Member to the Map Council ... Some Reflections [10/15] 99.9% of you would not know of him... Sir_Alkis.  He however, was one of the greatest players of Heroes2 tournaments, and kept very active in participation and volunteering.   He is now part of the Map Council, reviewing and increasing our database of quality multiplayer homm4 maps. To reflect back, Sir_Alkis was one of the few who did not care for heroes3, and missed a whole generation of heroes gaming.  Now the same goes for heroes3 fans; some are moving on to heroes4, others keep to heroes3 only, and some have quit entirely.  But always remember that ToH will keep the history alive by being here as long as heroes exists in some form. 10,000 [10/11] Today, the 10,000th player registered to ToH, since the new automation database opened up for registration on Sept.6th,2001.  So there are lots of players wanting to play heroes4, though many who unfortunately cannot due to bugs, high system requirements, or slow connections.  We hope that many of these problems get addressed in the next patch. A nasty BUG all players should know about [10/6] Through the kingdom overview, you can transfer troops & heroes from garrisons, to town and such.  Hence it allows for transfer of creatures or a hero to another town or hero instantly.  Play only opponents you know or trust and deem honorable. Save daily, as any attempt by opponent to cheat via this bug will be easily caught. Or wait until another patch is made! The Old Generation ... and the New [10/4] Heroes4 has created an interesting player dynamic; old veterans back after tired of Heroes3 (some who are Heroes2 vets who did not like homm3) and an entirely new generation of players who may not have played the old series in multi at all.  Take a look at the top ranks right now; its a mix of both. Randomly Generated Maps?  [9/29] The powerful map editing tool allows for far more comprehensive scripting and randomness if desired by the mapmaker.  Maps can be created with enough randomness in towns, creatures, structures and artifacts that the map will be different enough each time.  An example of such a map is now avaliable on the maps page, called Unknown Lands. New Maps Being Added [9/22] The multiplayer map list is growing bigger, and we suggest that you play the maps on the ToH Maps Page where maps have been playtested and confirmed.  6 more maps added to the maps page today, thanks to one of the best map makers, Jb239.    Eventually, 'unlisted maps' will no longer be allowed for ToH games, and you will have to play approved maps only.  This is to eliminate abuse of certain maps designed to quick kill newbies :) The New Aspects of Homm4 Multiplayer [9/18] Heroes3 veterans and newbies to heroes alike should know some of great things Heroes4 has done to make multiplayer better: All saved games can be password protected now, so players cant drop and view the saved game. The thieves guild gives you realtime information about your opponent, and is a far more realistic and fair way to gain information as opposed to the cheap tricks and methods used in heroes3. With elimination of unrealistic chaining and abuse of hit and run, games can be less 'cheezy' with no pattern tactics. The map editor, though more difficult to learn & use, is far more powerful with scripting abilities that go far beyond heroes3's editor.  Maps can be made to remove or modify any aspect of the gameplay, and therefore very useful for future specialty tournaments. Gamespy is Active now for Heroes4 Gaming [9/15] Players looking to find opponents and get set up for multi in ToH should go through their gamespy link from their multi option when they start their game.  I expect that things will start slowly, but grow in the next few weeks as people get a taste of multiplayer :) Heroes IV Multiplayer... 1 Year later!!!!!! [9/13] Finally, Heroes IV multi is here, and ToH is ready to support the next generation of Heroes gaming.   Registered members can start playing games at any time -- some are playing IP, and gaming on gamespy should start in a few days.  New players and veteran players, visit the following pages: Rules & Info - Learn about how the ranking & honor system works, and the general rules of ToH. Heroes III Rankings & History - See your old records from Season I to IV.  Players who are veterans from past seasons will be having their veteran Dragon/Wyvern Icons  with prestige updated in the next few days. Heroes IV Maps Page - Just starting now, download and play the maps currently worthy of competitive gaming.  Also, if you have made comparable maps, submit them to the Map Council. ToH Clans - Will open in 2 weeks. Heroes IV Seasons BEGIN Welcome to another Season of Heroes III ToH [7/5] We now have a Season V of ToH, in the same format as past seasons.  New players can register, and start playing free challenge games on the microsoft gaming zone through the button on the right.   If you are a player who has registered since August of 2001, you should be in the database.   Use the player search & statistics button to find out about your record or your opponents. Myths and Heroes is now joined with ToH and will run all Heroes III subtournaments for this and future seasons!   This includes their own heroes Clans, Myths Kingdoms, Wake of Gods, Battlefest, and Native Heroes.   Down the line they will support popular ToH subtourneys like Addicts, Speedeamon, and Casualties of War.    Myths and Heroes participation,  medals and awards will reflect on the main ToH rankings. Titans of ToH is now closed, but players can visit the tournaments link, see their records and such in Classic and other subtourneys.   The top teams who choose to participate will be competing in several tournaments based on The Hero, Allied and Random. For Returning Veterans [7/5] Welcome back, to those who have records since 1999!   If you do not have your prestige points, or dragon/wyvern veteran icons on your record yet, contact Vesuvius to have them added.   Some Questions on Heroes IV TOH [7/5] Many have emailed me regarding certain elements or parameters of Heroes IV ToH, and Ive decided to summarize the most common Q&A Here: When will ToH become Heroes IV ToH?  When the multiplayer patch is released, and playtested.  This can mean this season V ToH supporting heroes III can be as short as 1 month or as long a 6 months, depending on when this 1.4 patch is released with a bug free multiplayer.  The multi will be playtested for viability before switching to homm4. Is there going to be Homm3 gaming in TOH after Homm4 multi is released? Yes, it will solely take place in the Heroes III Myths and Heroes sections. Do I keep my medals in the Homm4 Season?  The Veteran Dragon & Wyvern Icons carry over only.  Players with rank of Baron or higher this season will also have new Icons carrying over showing veteran status.   In theory, a player who has been a veteran in all 5 ToH seasons, will carry over 5 dragon/wyvern icons to the homm4 rankings. Do I keep my record in the Homm4 Season?  No.  ALL wins, losses, points, maps and opponent lists get reset.   Take note however, that in homm4 TOH, all your win/loss record & medals stay with you through all future homm4 seasons permanently.   Also, you can always visit the Heroes III Rankings page history, and see all 5 seasons of rankings history.  Registered TOH players will not need to reregister however.   June 26, 2002 Game maker 3DO on Wednesday disclosed it is not in compliance with NASDAQ's minimum bid price requirement because its common stock price has remained below one dollar per share. Its securities are subject to delisting as a result. The company intends to request a hearing on this matter that will suspend the delisting action until the NASDAQ board reaches a decision. The company said it might do a reverse stock split to avoid being delisted. 3DO also announced it would return to profitability in the quarter ending June 30 and expects to publicize the details of a planned credit facility of up to $15 million within a few days. 3DO CEO Trip Hawkins said in a press release that previous "right-sizing" and a strong game line-up should keep the company going strong. May 29, 2002 Version 1.3 Patch for Heroes IV is out, which allows European users to patch their versions like US users have several weeks ago with the 1.2.   The 1.3 also completely(?) fixes the memory leak issue.  The Multiplayer patch 1.4 should be out in late June, when Homm4 ToH opens. May 28, 2002 Major updates to the site today, Titans of ToH Tournament updated in all categories, including listing members teams accoding to rank, and Player Photo page updated. May 24, 2002 Thanks to Kuma no Tsume, he has constructed an all-time top 100 players in ToH, based on their rank in all 4 seasons.   Take a look at it here; It will eventually be linked on the ToH history page. Thegenesi has offered Heroes IV fans a nice link for detailed walkthroughs for the Homm4 campaigns.  Visit it at this link:  http://www.runge.ws/~court/ May 21, 2002 Many Heroes 3 fans are requesting that there be a ToH Season V, and to ignore support of Heroes4 by ToH.  This especially due to the fact that the upcoming 1.3 patch will not include multiplayer.   Take note however, that the 'Anticipated release date' of the Multi Patch is in Late June, and so ToH will remain dormant until that time passes.  If there is still delays beyond that time, then the possibility of holding another season of Heroes III ToH is possible.

April 29, 2002 While you are waiting for heroes 4, or are in middle of a long heroes 3 game, visit the Player Photo Page, and browse through the 100s of player photos submitted, and its fun commentary.   Get the courage to submit your own picture to Melissa and I will post it for you :)    -Melissa Simyar
See what happens to people who go  without Heroes for a week...	See what happens when  people  apply Heroes to Real Life....
Titans of ToH tournament is now fully operational and manual updating has been streamlined. April 24, 2002 Titans of ToH has become more active than expected; make sure when you report your games you report to the right volunteer as designated on the pages.   Lichking takes over classic for ranking updates and game reports.  All material in this tournament is updated manually.   Remember you must be part of a team for this tournament. Titans of ToH will remain open until the multiplayer patch is released for homm4.  Classic will then remain as a subtournament for Homm4 ToH. April 21, 2002 Due to request from the Heroes community, a new tournament opens today, for those who still wish to play Heroes III on ToH.   Titans of ToH, is a mix of free challenge, random map, and allied tournaments, in a 'clan' format.  You must form a team to participate in any of the subtourneys! Records of veteran players are being updated, with prestige values and veteran icons in place. April 17, 2002 The Record Reset will be initiated today, which means everyone's record (winloss, points, rank, honor) resets to default, Recruit.   The volunteers will then, in the next few days, modify the records who get veteran icons, along with the associated prestige. April 15, 2002 Links to the History section on Season IV rankings completed.   Next project is to update Top100 for Season IV. Hommportal.com is holding a Heroes III tournament, called 'Heroes Land', held in Krasnodar, Russia, which begins on May 1st, 2002.  There is a $2000 dollar prize. April 13, 2002  ToH is now closed for the season.  You may visit any of the links above;  Players who have not registered yet may preregister for Heroes IV.    The player search & info will allow you to check your record or others' records, will soon reflect all past season veteran icons and associated prestige values. You may also check your record history in Heroes III rankings & history section. Heroes Classic Tournament opens on April 20th, 2002, where players can still play Heroes III for a simpler ranking system, but applies bonuses to the main ToH record. Player Photo Page and Message Board links remain active and available throughout ToH's dormancy. Heroes IV ToH will open on the day of the multiplayer patch release. ToH Season closes Friday April 12th [4/6] It is time to close the season, and prepare for Heroes IV.  Heroes IV ToH will open on release of multiplayer for homm4.  We can hope the patch will be coming soon, but it remains uncertain at this point.  All player records and season one through four rankings history will remain intact, however to be viewed for reference.  There will also be a heroes classic tournament that will open up thereafter, where players can stjll play heroes III for ToH.  Those of you who need a more hardcore Heroes III fix, visit the Myths & Heroes site, where there is more than enough tournament variety to keep you satisfied! It has been fun, watching the community grow over the past 3 years, and Heroes IV will bring in many more years of competitive gaming to ToH. Homm4 ... now you've got it, do you like it?  [4/5] It looks like most first impressions and reviews are out, most of it positive, but some negative, mostly of its new systems & ideas.  After playing both Disciples II and Heroes IV campaigns to the end, here is our brief review, but in comparison the the popular Disciples II.

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Gameplay has been greatly improved, from the combat, allowing heroes into battles, creatures to move independent of them, a more intuitive spell system, more realism to movement and growth rates, fog of war, and so on.  More strategy both on development and in battles, and more RPG elements to the Heroes that make the core of the game.  The game is more fun and addictive than ever, making you thirst for the multiplayer, whenever it comes out.  Conclusion:  Excellent		Gameplay has been brought up a notch, similar to the original, but with several fixes and addons to which the fans requested of the original.   The game is fun and immersive, but it does get boring and tedious after a few weeks of gameplay.  Conclusion: Good
Graphics are greatly improved, especially on the land, with so many terrain features and the addition of elevation.  Creature animations are improved, and the isometric perspective is a step up.  For its competition, however, it does look dated.  Conclusion:  Fair		Graphics are exceptionally beautiful, the artists must be commended for some of the best looking creature animations and spell animation ever done in a game; the creatures themselves are plenty and gorgeous.  Cutscenes for campaigns were also top-notch.   Conclusion: Excellent
Combat is the heart of homm4, and it is so diverse and improved, that a lot of the game's multiplayer fun will be in the player vs player battles.  So many strategies and tactics are available, in combination with an arsenal of useful spells.  Conclusion:  Excellent		Combat is static, up to 6 units that cannot move, there is isnt much tactics in the actual battle, just limited spell casting.  Battles after a while become boring after the eye candy is over.  Conclusion: Poor
Music is more like what it was in homm2, with many great musical scores.  A little overkill though on celtic themes, I find myself wanting to tapdance sometimes.    Conclusion:  Good		Music is limited to a few tracks, but very well done.  However, once again, since the music is limited, it does get tiring in the long run.  Conclusion:  Fair
Bugs, there are several, but the biggest problem is how the game demands a lot on system resources, and after several hours of gaming most systems will crash or exit to windows. Conclusion:  Fair		Bugs, there were none, except in multiplayer, which have been fixed in the patch.  The game is seamless and very user-friendly. Conclusion:  Excellent
Overall, this game will become a favourite for many, I recommend all old heroes fans to get it if they have not, though it will alienate people with inadequate systems.   We also hope the multiplayer patch will be out soon, so that the game will be played the way it should, interactively amongst human opponents.		Overall, it is an acclaimed game, and a good followup to its predecessor.  However, still very much a heroes-themed clone, and in comparison to Homm4, it loses on most counts.
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Jb forgot where he put his copy of homm4

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Heroes IV in most stores [3/29] In many major stores across US, and in some other countries Homm4 is now availble for purchase.  ToH prizewinners Zud, Jb239, Lichking, Lord of Kaos, Greystole, Montegoma, Flamingo, Destro23, EliteDewd, Jinxer, Pandora will all be shipped their free copy of Homm4 tomorrow.  I plan to install the game and fire up the campaigns, and play till morning.  Too bad I have to work.  -Vesuvius

Heroes IV Multiplayer Patch... Extension to the Season  [3/26]
It looks like 3 to 4 weeks before the multiplayer patch will be available for Heroes IV.  With it, has come heavy demand from the players to extend the ToH season until this patch is made available.  So ToH Season IV will be extended for several weeks longer, until we have a confirmed date as to when this patch will enable Homm4 ToH to open.  ToH will continue to support Heroes III gaming until the multiplayer option is available online.

Heroes IV Release Update [3/23]
Since there was a minor delay in going gold, the release of homm4 has been delayed to Friday, March 29, 2002.  Expect it available then, to most U.S. gaming stores.
There has been some pre-emptive activity in the warez sites, for people to steal homm4 off the internet.   Piracy, as we all know is illegal.  However, consider this:  If you are a hardcore addict of heroes, and love the game, make it honorable and buy the game.  The greater number of sales inevitably means success for the team that developed it, and a positive future for Homm.

	Congratulate The Highest in Honors..... [3/20] After considering many candidates for the highest and most prestigeous honor in ToH, Destro23 is awarded the Most Valuable Player Award.  He has shown honor above all, love for the fun of the game, and a true heroes addict in every way.   He joins other greats from past seasons, Zud, JB239, Greystole, Lord of Kaos, and Lichking, with the prestige that carries over to the next season, and best of all, a copy of Heroes IV waiting for them. Others who stand out in great honor in ToH this season and were amongst the short list for recieving this medal were Eliogabalus, Uncoatedtitan, Jinxer, Wiggy_Wam and Tim554, all whom have shown great spirit this season.
	.... And Leave those with no Honor to Shame. [3/20] With seasons' end coming, many players who have shown dishonor in either cheating, or fake reporting, are being removed and banned for good.   Some of them are, Death_Dealer33, Virileboy, Ch_Goodluck and several others.  In fact two high ranking players are also being investigated, and if found to have fake reported, will lose their accounts by season's end.
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Heroes IV Has Gone Gold! [3/15] So... no more delays!  Expect Heroes IV to be on store shelves by March 28th.  Im sure they will sell fast, so if youre a true addict, best to preorder.  It will be the next evolution in Heroes, and the next big one for ToH. This confirms it, ToH, after supporting H3 gaming for over 3 years, will shift to Heroes IV.

Music from the past. [3/16]
Once a week, from now till seasons' end in Late March, we will be posting mp3's of some music from Heroes II and its expansion, as well as from Might & Magic VI/VII.   For many it will be nostalgic and bring back fond memories, and others it will be new listening to the musical style of heroes that will be back in Heroes IV.  Download, enjoy, and even replace your H3 music with them.   Three Mp3's for this week are:
Barbarian- Barbarian town music for Heroes2 expansion.  Opera style, possibly the best of the songs from the Expansion.
Swamp- Swamp terrain music from Heroes2.  Its music was (in my opinion) the best of the terrain themes, and has such relaxing ambiance. 
MMVII- Theme song for Might & Magic VII.

A World of Heroes [3/11]
Thanks to MJL Microsystems' Media House Statistics, we have a nice summary of all the ToH Season IV players' origin:

Re: "Is 3D0 for Sale?" [3/8]
A current news item on Celestial Heavens discusses the possibility of 3D0 being bought out by a company such as microsoft.  In editor Vox Clamant's opinion, this would be a bad thing.  I beg to differ.  If the whole Might and Magic franchise was bought out by a company like Electronic Arts or Microsoft, they would most likely put more resources and dynamic efforts in such a popular franchise, and most importantly, have far more fan support.  Not only this, NWC, like Bungie,  was already bought out, by 3D0.  Some would say thats when the whole Might and Magic franchise went downhill.  3D0 has certain policies, if not rectified will lead to the wasting of the Might & Magic franchise, and 3D0's demise in the PC gaming arena.  These are:

• Opening up to player/fan support, allowing programmers, developers of the franchise to interact with dedicated fans, and allow external playtesting.  As it stands, 3D0 holds the NWC employees shut like a Ghestapo, and thus eliminates any form of interaction between those who make the game, and those who play it.   A successful PC game in these times supports large fan bases, external beta testers, and a healthy, open relationship with its designers.
• Old & static company policies that do not hold in these dynamic times, still carrying over from the days when the ill-fated 3D0 console made its debut and failed.  3D0's company history would make a good case study for undergraduate Managerial Accounting.  
• A CEO whom has had a history of poor leadership, since his infamous days in EA, and has constantly demonstrated a lack of innovation or skills in managing a large corporation.  If anything, always one step behind, a step too late.
  A classic example:  Homm4, when released, will be 'half-finished', that is, it will have a multiplayer patch released several weeks after game is out.  This was devised as an 'ingenious idea'.  It shows again, how little the company feels the pulse of the PC gaming community, and it will negatively effect the success of the game.  Why?  Well, when major magazines like PC Gamer or Computer Gaming World frown upon half-finished patched games, they will downgrade the review of the game.  When it could have been rated 92% Editors' Choice, it will be much lower instead.  The Company does not have the foresight to see how this will reduce the games' viability in the long run.  

Obviously, these comments are not made to 'kiss up' but to state factual problems that other fan sites do not address.  For 3 years ToH has supported 3D0 and been upbeat about its future.....  I personally put a lot of faith into 3D0, down to buying $8000 in 3D0 stocks when it was at $1.7 a share.  I still have faith that Homm4 will be a great game, one we will come to love.  However, the facts speak for themselves;  Today, 3D0 (THDO) sells at $0.6 a share, Electronic Arts (ERTS) sells at $60.0 a share.  I'll let you figure out why.
 -Vesuvius

Season IV's End Approaches with Release of HommIV [3/5] With Heroes IV on the horizon, if the game is to be released as expected on March 27th, ToH Season IV will end on March 30, 2002.  ToH will then be closed for a week, and reopen awaiting for the multiplayer patch to start the new Heroes IV ToH.   Players who achieved certain points this season will carry over veteran medals to Heroes IV ToH.  It is possible for some who have been veternans for all 4 ToH seasons to carry over 4 veteran icons.  Prestige points will be activated in Heroes IV ToH and carry as much importance as rank.
	Barons up to 1399 points +10 prestige points		Barons 1400-1499 +15 prestige points
	Legionnaires up to 1599 +20 prestige points		Legionnaires 1600-1699 +25 prestige points
	Lords up to 1799 +30 prestige points		Lords 1800-1899 +35 prestige points
	Emperors over 1800 +40 prestige points

Download High Quality Version - Low Quality Version	Heroes IV Creature Card [2/17] A nice summary card has been created with all the Heroes IV creatures that exist in the game.  Download it, and print it out!   With it you can see how each town has its strengths and weaknesses, based upon the creatures.
A big thanks to http://www.heroes.ag.ru/ whom have an increadible site with everything you need to know about Heroes IV, and helped with the source of the images and data needed for this creature card to be realized.
Some things to note from the creature statistics: The strongest creature is the Black Dragon of the Asylum, and the most expensive as well. The fastest creatures are found in the Preserve town, but quite expensive. The Stronghold may not have magic, but it makes up with hordes of tough creatures, especially very strong level 1 and 2 units, with the lowest in costs. The Necropolis has some weak units initially but they all have special resistances, and cheap, with the toughest level 3 units. The Sea Monster, a powerful neutral and unusable creature bests most top monsters of the towns. Shooters have varying number of shots, and some deliver more damage at long range than others Spellcasting creatures have a certain amount of spell points, and come with an arsenal of spells. The Haven town, once the Castle town of Heroes3 (considered strongest) is now the weakest of the towns?

Clan Grandfinals, Might vs Magic Tournament [2/16] The clan grandfinals is now set up, for the top 8 clans. Good luck to all, some will need it! The Might vs Magic subtournament has become very popular, with over 200 games played for it in less than a week.  Thanks to all who report properly, those who do not, however, get no credit for their games in M vs M.  Jinxer takes over as the tournament volunteer for M vs M.

Welcome a new member to the Honor Council. [2/12]
After considering many esteemed TOH members the Honor Council has made a great new addition to their ranks; Prometheus.  As always they will do their best to serve in areas of disputes amongst players. Please make sure to read the guidelines for dispute submissions to make sure you provide the HC with required information needed if an honor issue of yours arises.

The Might vs. Magic subtournament has become extremely popular, the 128 are completely full.  So any players who do not report their games on time or improperly, or remain inactive for a week will be removed to make room for other players wanting to join

Multiplayer Patch Confirmed, Season will be extended. [2/7]
It looks like Homm4 will be 90% finished product when it is released in March, basically ending up without multiplayer support for online players.  A patch will be released later, 2-6 weeks after release.  This means this season of Heroes III will be extended; possibly through to mid-April.  Looking at the positive side of things, the patch may include some of the fixes we have requested in the past.

3D0 Earnings Conference Call. [2/6]
3D0's third quarter loss widens, revenues plunge more than 50%, and the stock now trades at $1.00.   But CE0 Trip Hawkins is positive, that 3D0's new releases of successful games will reverse the losses.  One of the games strongly emphasized was Homm4, slated for a successful worldwide release.  The Unclear, Scary Part:  There is a mention of a multiplayer patch 'for online internet support' to come in a month or more later.   Its unclear as to whether Homm4 is shipping without multiplayer online support?  I will speak to Mr. Hawkins tomorrow about this for clarification, before the online community comes to conclusions, for it truly shocked me.  -Vesuvius

General Tournament News Updates [2/2]
Clans ToH free challenge ends 2/15/02.  All clan wars must end then, or they get calculated as an unfinished clan war.  Clan finals follow immediately thereafter, 8 top clans participating in the finals.  Those in 9th or 10th place may still have a chance, as one or two of the top 8 may not end up participating in the finals.
Battlefest Free Challenge is now over, finals have begun.
Warlords will be the only remaining active subtournament to the end of the season.

Prestige in ToH [1/29]
Some of the minor tweaks in the automation & player rating system in preparation for homm4 is the prestige points.  Currently Prestige is tracked by the Hall of Fame;  It will become obsolete in Heroes IV ToH, as the prestige will be viewable directly on the players' record.  Currently all prestige reads as 0, and will not be activated until Heroes IV ToH opens, on March 26th.   Prestige points can be as valuable as points, it valuates all medals and distinctions the player has -- Honor values and veteran history will have greater meaning in the new ToH.

A New ToH Message Board, a Request to Gus Smedstad [1/28]
We now have new second Message Board, supported by Celestial Heavens.  The first post is a request to Gus, programmer for Heroes IV.   The requests are simple; and the veterans of online multiplayer would agree.  Password protection of saved games to block viewing saves, and checksums on maps, so map editing can be easily detected.   Visit the new message board for more info.

The first Heroes IV 'review' [1/26]
Visit ToTheGame.com, where a preview of Heroes IV gives the first real impressions of what the game is about.  And there are no disappointments, only excitement.   Some screenshots are included, including the first shot of a Town Siege, and some elementals in battle.  Notice artifacts like the Heavenly Helm and Equestrian Gloves are back.

Heroes Classic Subtournament [1/25]
Upon the end of Homm3 ToH season IV in late March, many of you who still will want to play homm3, ToH will have a Heroes Classic subtournament.  It will bring back nostalgia for some ToH vets, where the cadet/sergeant/captain ranking system returns and will be a integral part of ToH but will not affect the main ranking system of Homm4 ToH.  Darxion will be taking charge of this entire subsection.  Put commentary or suggestions about this subtourney on the message board Here.

Contact Email Changes [1/25]
The current contact email to Vesuvius is vesuvius@simyar.com    However, a new email has been set up, admin@toheroes.com  which will still go to Vesuvius, but is also then available for all the other volunteers to utilize when Vesuvius is unable to answer his email.     So for all ToH correspondances in the future, use the Admin email and not the Vesuvius email.

Medals Info - Something useful you may not know. [1/23]
When on rankings page or looking up a player account, try putting your mouse cursor over a medal.  It will then give the name of the medal, and the date it was awarded.   It is especially useful on the Rankings Page, when you want to know when a player was promoted to that specific rank, by putting your cursor on the Rank Medal Icon.  Eg. The_Vinz is the next new Emperor, promoted on 1-22-02.

Breaking some ToH records...  [1/21]
Today ToH Season IV breaks a record... 10,000 games played since the season started on September 6th.   Also, in anticipation of Heroes IV, activity has risen to an all-time high, with record numbers of ToH games played and hits to the site than ever before.
...Melissa Wants more Photos!  [1/21]
The Player Photo Page now holds over 350 player photos, but with all the new players joining ToH -- Melissa wants more of the new members of this community to submit photos of themselves on the computer, outdoors or doing anything at all!

Exact Heroes IV Release Date Confirmed? [1/18]
I just spent $583.81 to prepay/order 12 copies of Homm4 Special Elite edition from Electronics Boutique for some of the ToH prizewinners.  They said it will arrive for me to pick up on March 26th.  Cross our fingers it is so.    -Vesuvius

Juicy Tidbits: Heroes IV Interview [1/14]
Thanks to H3trio, an email interview was accomplished with Jeff Blattner (Executive Producer) & Trip Hawkins (CEO).  You can read it all here, but the gist of it was:

• PII 400 minimum requirement with 128 megs of RAM
• There is a creature fold-out card
• Music is in CD format, not MP3 (Which means better quality!) and has 'opera' like in Heroes 2.
• Caravans allow you to transport creatures built in one town to another town owned by you.
• Some Neutral creatures are:  Mummies, Troglodytes, Pirates, Satyrs, Mermaids, and Peasants :)
• No Random map generator, but perhaps one in expansion pack.
• Some Level 5 spells:  Chain Lightning, Hypnotize, Raise Vampires, Gaurdian Angel, Summon Mantis.
• Five skill levels instead of 3 - are now basic, advanced, expert, master, and grandmaster.
• Your defeated hero can no longer be used against you.
• Map terrain deformation to create a more realistic landscape.
• A new creature AI scripting system.

Financial Tidbits: 3D0 & Stock [1/16]
3D0 will host a conference call this afternoon to discuss the 2002 fiscal year outlook; it will give the public a brief insight into the financial future for 3D0 through this year.  Bad financial news from Intel today downs spirits, but we shall see....
Right now the stock averages $1.85 a share, (I have 4000 shares bought originally at $1.7).   Good buy at this time?  I think so, especially if the news is positive.

New Question & Answer thread, and Clan Update [1/11]
On the ToH Message Board a thread has been opened up for players to ask any questions regarding ToH, or where interesting emails sent to me that have good questions will be posted there.  I recommend everyone to visit that section if ToH matters interest you, or you have more curiousity about the inner workings of ToH and its future.  The Link will remain on this news section indefinitely for quick access.
ToH Clans free challenge is now extended to Late February, to follow Arena's grandfinals before Clan season end.

Some Questions on Heroes IV TOH [1/5]
Many have emailed me regarding certaMany have emailed me regarding certain elements or parameters of Heroes IV ToH, and Ive decided to summarize the most common Q&A Here:

• Is there going to be Homm3 gaming in TOH after Homm4 is released? No, however, there will be a ToH subtournament called 'Heroes Classic' which will be in a free challenge format, allowing players to play Homm I through III for the tournament.
• Do I keep my medals in the Homm4 Season?  The Veteran Dragon & Wyvern Icons carry over only.  Players with rank of Baron or higher this season will also have new Icons carrying over showing veteran status.   In theory, a player who has been a veteran in all 4 ToH seasons, will carry over 4 dragon/wyvern icons to the homm4 rankings.
• Do I keep my record in the Homm4 Season?  No.  ALL wins, losses, points, maps and opponent lists get reset.   Take note however, that in homm4 TOH, all your win/loss record & medals stay with you through all future homm4 seasons permanently.   Also, you can always visit the Heroes III Rankings page history, and see all 4 seasons of rankings history.  Registered TOH players will not need to reregister however.
• What happens to Clans?  Clans end for finals Feb 1st, and should conclude in time when Heroes IV is released.   The Clan Finalists all get to have first pick in homm4 clan spots;  though consider that  there will be more than 5 spots per philosophy.  Homm4 TOH clans should be open about 2 weeks after release of homm4.   That 2 weeks will be a period in which anyone can pitch in their opinion on what each of the 10 philosophies & their upgrades should be, by posting on the TOH message board.  Take note that homm3 Clans was a short 'beta' version of the true clans setup for homm4.  Homm4 Clans will run as long as a year before there is a finals to close it.
• I see Divisions, but it has been closed all season.  Is it open in Heroes IV TOH? Most definitely.  In fact, it is the largest subtourney and the true core of TOH.  Once a player is a Legionnaire they can open up a division, and recruit players into the division.  It is similar to clans, but each division holds up to 10 players, and is based on taking lands and huge division wars. These Legionnaires or higher rank will also have the option to set up a Player Profile and apply 'roleplaying' characteristics to this profile, used for benefit in TOH.  
• I notice TOH mainpage has a new look every season.  Will it get a facelift in Homm4?  Possibly, though the look and design I have achieved in this season is my favourite, and graphically pushed to the max.   We have been working on some new look ideas, but each one does not approach the aesthetic and functional value of this current mainpage.   A test example under works of a TOH image map that may possibly incorporate itself to the mainpage, click here.
• Will the rankings system change in Homm4 TOH?  No.  This season IV ToH rankings was originally designed for homm4, it just ended up being used for heroes 3 thanks to the delay on the release.
• What Kind of Activity Do you Expect in Homm4 TOH?  Extreme.  New volunteers will be needed then; right now we get about 50-100 games played daily, expect that to go up to as much as 400 games played daily; registrations are about 1000 a month, expect that to go up as much as 5000 a month.  Hits to the mainpage average 2000 a day, can see it peak at 10,000 a day sometime in mid homm4 season.
• How long will each Heroes IV ToH season be, and how many seasons?  Each season will be approx. 1 year long, and as long as Homm4 exists, TOH will continue to support it.

Happy New Years, Back to business. [1/2]
ToH ends a 3rd year supporting Heroes 3, and the season is going well.  Flamingo is now the first to make it to Emperor, with several Lords tagging behind.  In the past 4 months there has been nearly 10,000 individual games played in TOH, and addicts like Stuff who have played over 150 games in that time period.
Clans Grand Arena is now open, clan leaders may submit registrants to participate.   Winners of the Grand Arena will get a decent boost for the finals.  Take note that all regular clan games end on February 1st, and clan finals then begin with the 8 most prestigeous clans.