Hammers of Fate, Patch 1.4, its Effect in Multiplayer  [11/21/06]
With Each Patch Things Get Better with Multiplayer
The random de-synching bug seems to have been eliminated entirely with 1.4, which is good news for all players who take time to play multiplayer homm5 online.  Hammers of Fate Expansion, now available in all stores, is well worth the purchase -- not just because of new Campaigns & Maps, but for its enhancements in Multiplayer.  One of the most important being simultaneous turns -- reducing player wait time significantly.  The new faction (Dwarven Fortress) has some unique strategies behind it, with the runic spell system to discover.  Caravans, originally implemented with homm4 is now available, along with new terrain tiles make for improved aesthetics.  The random map generator is not all that good however, but player-made templates may change that in the future.

Subtournaments:  Warlords, Speeddeamon, Hero  [10/24/06]
With over 700 games on record, its time for Subtourneys
Many players have asked about the subtournaments, and clans.  Unfortunately because of the generally lower activity for homm5 (than was expected) -- there isn't enough player power to make subtournaments truly competitive.  The simpler ones, however, may work.  So Warlords is now open, where players challenge each other for 'the shields', and its very limited on rules.  Then, in the next few weeks, Speeddeamon & The Hero will open, both which reduce playtime length and are more realistic for tourney play at this point (especially with the sync errors still plaguing players on UBI's matching servers).

500 Games, Patch 1.3, New Maps Page  [09/21/06]
With 1.3 comes the Map Editor, so We Can Make Multiplayer Maps
With the 1.3 patch out last week, we now have a fully working map editor.  Players are starting to experiment with the mapmaking tools, and Jb239 is already busy putting out H5 versions of popular H3 maps.  Therefore there is a new Maps Page link to the right, where new maps for ToH multiplayer can be downloaded.  Instructions on how to submit maps or install them, visit the Maps Page.
ToH has passed the 500 games mark for Homm5, but we hope that the rate of games played will only increase once new multiplayer maps become the norm.

AT LAST! The Multiplayer Patch Is Out  [07/20/06]
The Multiplayer Bugs are Gone -- Full Complete Games are Possible Now
You can download the version 1.2 Patch HERE.  Tried and tested it -- there are no more crash bugs, de-synching bugs, or save bugs with the new patch.  So you can expect to start and finish a multiplayer game without worrying about any of these issues anymore.  Take note though that any saves you have under version 1.0 or 1.1 will not work with the 1.2, it will revert the game back to the older version.  So go to UBI's matching service and GET GAMING!  Perhaps the Tournament can truly begin as of today.
Other Modifications include a few gameplay tweaks, along with a Hall of Fame so you can actually get a score when you finish the solo maps or campagins, making it worthwhile to push for the higher difficulty levels.

New Players & Veterans Meet -- Some Tips and Rules  [06/22/06]
Land of the Outcasts Map & Quick Combat Mode
As we wait for the multiplayer patch to facilitate improved connections/gaming, several players have discovered that the Land of the Outcasts map is a quick and easy way to play & defeat new more inexperienced players.  In many cases, rushing on the 5th day of the first week, thus winning a game in less than an hour.  Because this trick is being abused, all squire or higher ranked players get their ranking points adjusted on playing this map -- to max of 5 points per win.
Quick Combat -- a great new feature that all players should enable on their multi games, because each time you have a battle, it will calculate if you win or lose, and how many casualties.  It allows for faster gaming, and if you don't like the quick combat results, it lets you play it manually.  Sometimes the quick combat can do you a better battle than if you did it yourself :)

Gaming Still Slow... Waiting for the 'Right Patch'  [06/09/06]
The First Patch Is Out, But No Multiplayer Fix
It is now available on the mainsite of UBISoft -- however it is all about single player fixes.  So the problems players report on finishing games in Multiplayer is not fixed with this patch.  Rumor is set that the big multiplayer fix will be sometime in July.  Multiplayer Games are still playable to finish in many cases, but for many, the crash bugs ends games early.  Many hardcore veterans wait for this fix, as well as the map editor, where Tournament-specific maps will spice up the game.  Then we can hope for the Random Map Generator...

***Also, it seems that the patches are only available at the annoying subscription and money-hungry banner-heavy sites, so for those who want the US patch, its available Here, fast, and trouble free.

Multiplayer ToH Games on the UBISoft Servers  [05/26/06]
Helpful Ways to Sift Through the Chaos
Now with most people getting their pre-orders of Homm5, the multiplayer gamerooms are filling up with over 200 players at any time.  Most are not very serious about playing a full game, and pop in & out of rooms without any real desire to spend more than an hour playing.  Here's some suggestions on getting a game started:

• When signing up an account to the Ubi server, wait 5 minutes or reboot after install of the game, because the password file on the Ubi hosting server might take as long as 5 minutes to write your account to it to allow you to login.  Even when you try to log in, the servers are starting to get bogged down, and it may take a while just to get into the Ubi rooms.
• Once there, lets make Ranked Room 1 the place ToH players meet -- why?  Because it is the always the busiest room, but also the best way to introduce new potentially serious player to ToH's advanced ranking system.
• If you're hosting, open a room with 'ToHeroes.com Game' and password protect it with 'toh' if you want.  The problem is that you cannot be in the chat area when you open up a room, which is a weakness of the Ubi matching rooms compared to what veterans were used to (Zone, Gamespy, etc).
• Its strongly recommended that you make sure you have at least 5 hours time to play when you decide to open a room, so you can finish the game in one sitting.  Continuing from saves is troublesome for now, as the host must email their saved game to the guest and then the guest must place it in their saved game directory.
• Fortunately, it is somewhat impossible to cheat by looking at saves or using trainers for now, which is a plus for hardcore ToH gamers. 

Do they even know what they are holding in their hands?

Let the Games Begin!  [05/19/06] Multiplayer Gaming is Now Officially Open For Homm5 ToH Players may report their games for ToH rankings points now; while most people will get their copy in a few days, there is already some multiplayer gaming trickling into the Ubisoft Gamerooms.  There are currently 5 'Ubi Ranked' and 5 'Training' rooms for Homm5 gaming, it is recommended to play in the ranked rooms, so you have not only stats here on ToH, but on their own rankings server.   Remember that Duel games are NOT played for rankings on ToH. As activity increases over time, the first subtournaments Clans & Warlords will open.  Play with honor, and enjoy the game, even if there are balance issues that may need patching over time.

Welcome to Tournament of Honor - Heroes V  [05/15/06]
A new season:  THE place for Heroes Multiplayer Online
So it begins, a new game, to bring an influx of new players with potentially unprecedented activity.   New players visiting ToH for the first time or veterans refreshing themselves should visit the New Player Rules & Info Page.  ToH has been updated with a new look, more streamlined/efficient setup, automation enhancements & improved aesthetics.

For those returning, notice some changes/advancements:

• Player Lookup & Statistics now show a registration # -- This is to allow players to see how new or old the player is to ToH.  The lower the registration number, the longer the player has been with ToH.
• The great Hall of Fame returns -- Top 100 most prestigious players are listed there.  It is automated in real time.  Visit this page to see some of the top players in Heroes III-V history, whether they are active or not.
• User Profile Access -- You can now change your name, email address, password, and most importantly, add an avatar to your rankings & statistics.  You can also visit this page if you forgot your password.
• The side counter -- Keeps track of how many games reported & players registered in the database.
• Cash Prizes -- At end of season, the Caesar Grand Finalist will win $1000 in Cash.   The top ranked player at the end of season will win the ToH GrandMaster's Award of $500 in Cash.  There may be more prizes as well, for other subtournaments including the Clans.
• ToH Clans -- New clans system allows for full freedom in play -- top veterans of past clans get some perks.

Once it is figured out if there is a user-friendly map generator, and players do start building multiplayer maps, there will also be a new maps page present in the sidebar menu.

Veterans:  Also check your veteran icons, make sure they are all accounted for, and prestige values are correct.  Use the Records & History page to cross-check your past.  Note: The Veteran icons addition will not be completed until the 19th of May.

Heroes V Has Gone Gold! [4/20/06]
So... the wait is over.  The released date is confirmed for May 19th.  Expecting a tremendous influx of activity the in the first few months after the release of the game -- ToH will be closing on April 28th, and reopening a few days before the release of the game.  Expect a new look, and automation prepared for homm5.  All records & history will remain intact as it has since the first season in 1999.  Expect to be awarded the following Dragon/Wyvern icons for this season's standings:

Emperors

Lords 1800 & over

Lords 1799 & lower

	Legionnaires 1600 & over		Legionnaires 1599 & lower
	Barons 1400 & over		Barons 1399 & lower

Waiting For Heroes V [4/06/06]
As activity goes down in Homm3 & 4, both new players and veterans alike wait for the release of Homm5.  Once news arrives that the game has gone gold, ToH will close for 2 weeks to prepare for Homm5.  There will be a new look & some modified automation when it opens a few days before Heroes V's release.  ToH is expected to burst with renewed activity, with a tremendous influx of new players, and veterans returning to the scene.  As for the art contest, submissions will remain open (extended) until ToH closes for its new look.

ToH Homm5 Art Contest [3/01/06]
With Heroes V's release no earlier than May, ToH is preparing for the new game with improved automation and a new look.  Inspired by Nival's art contest, we are looking for some good artists to submit homm5-related artwork for the mainpage image map, and subtournaments.  As for a general idea of what we are looking for in a mainpage image map, simply look to the mainpage image above, or our older black dragon image for the past season.

Prizes are $500 if the image is used for the mainpage, and $200 for every image used for subtournaments.  The new look will revert to a 'darker' feel with a black background, so keep that in mind, as well as keeping the image not too cluttered, as space will be needed for text and menu buttons.  Contest ends on March 31st, and payment is made via check or western union.  Contact admin@toheroes.com for any more details & artwork submission.

Some amazing talent was shown in Nival's art contest, and it would be nice to have some original work applied to the upcoming Homm5 ToH Season.

The future of ToH and Online Heroes Gaming? [09/20/05]
Players have asked as to what will become of ToH when Homm5 arrives.  Well definitely a lot of good things, the site will once again have a new look to it, along with a brand new season that should usher a tremendous amount of new activity.  

The automation for this site was designed to handle a lot of traffic, but the dissapointment called HeroesIV never allowed ToH to rise to its full potential.  Now with HommV we have high hopes of a return to the days of Season III where 100s of games were being played a day.

Right now the player database has nearly 22,000 members, with all records & history intact.  So when the move is made to Heroes V on its launch (realistically sometime around February 2006) all veteran dragon/wyvern icons will follow through for those concerned (along with Caesar titles).  But we expect a tremendous influx of new players by that time...

Looks like Ubisoft will have its own matchmaking service (like zone, gamespy) so most if not all ToH gaming will go on there.  It is also rumored that they may have their own ladder setup as well.  But ToH is where its at... we promise :)

Ensuring Heroes V Will Be The Game We Want to Play! [1/25/06]
According to the community of Beta Testers and Fans following the development of HommV, there is a lot of balancing, bugs & gameplay changes needed before the game is released.  But the corporate pressures to release the game on time before March is up may risk the quality & playability of the game.
So the communities have set up petitions to hopefully get enough pressure to direct the attention of the powers-that-be to extending the development time.  Here is a list of the forums supporting the petition:
Ubisoft Forums
• The Genie's Lamp Announcement and Forum Thread
• Celestial Heavens Announcement and Comments
• Gamespot Forums
• La Torre de Marfil Announcement and Comments
• The Oracle League Announcement and Comments
• Guardian's Grove Forums