Replacing "incorrect" adventure map objects with new H3SW objects

While converting maps I have often stumpled upon objects in H2 maps that doesn't quite fit their surroundings. For instance this grass hill fort on swampy terrain.


In the H3SW editor we have a swamp version of the hill fort and my I thinking about changing it to the swampy one.


I think it looks much better with the swampy version, but it also makes the map different from its H2 version, which is not the goal for convertion of H2 maps to H3SW. On the other hand you could say it is just a version of the hill fort that wasn't created for H2, but could have. Many other objects have different version in H2 for instance wells, hill forts (there is a dirt version), obelisks and others.

The thing is how much we should change with what new objects we have and also if a "wrong" version of a object is placed on purpose or not, should we then fix it or leave it. Here are some examples of what I am talking about. First is a picture of the original H2 object and next my suggestion to what we could have instead.

First some objects that have recieved new version to fit certain terrains in H3SW:

Fountain:


Gazebo:


Sawmill:


Sand objects:


Now some objects placed on the wrong terrain, which is hard to say is done on purpose or not.

Dirt well on grass terrain (the opposite is also seen a lot):


Wasteland obelisk on desert:


Grass hill fort on sand:


We also have additional version of other objects in H3SW as seen here:


Another thing I am in doubt about is what to replace the Freeman's Foundry with. The sprite of this object is now the dwelling for iron golems (since it depicts a foundry) which would be reason to simply use the golem dwelling, but on the other hand the function of the H2 object is maybe closer to the war machine factory from H3.
Freeman's Foundry:

Iron golem dwelling in H3SW:

Placeholder War Machine factory in H3SW:


Let me know what you think about this

I would change all of objects that seem to be placed wrongly because of lack of a substitute, e.g. hill forts, snow objects, desert mountains on a sand. I've got trouble with an obelisk - it's base is bad, but sometimes I would like to have obelisks in different colours on one terrain (It makes me think I will have job to do ) Well with yellow shrub looks good, I think it's placed here for a bigger diversity.

I like the idea with replacing golem's dwelling with a war machine factory. It's a bit out of place for me because I was playing Broken Alliance hundred times , but it will be probably more functional for all factions.

Feel free to replace any object with a more specific-looking one. That was one of initial ideas about using WoG map editor. I personally planned to make a lot of sawmills for any type of tree/terrain, but the lack of free time got me.

I'm going to fix that War Machine Factory personally right now.

Thank you very much for your opinion guys. I agree with replacing all objects that now has more specific version of them. I will do this with all existing maps and further ones

I will keep wells looking as they do in H2 unless it is really clear that it is not placed on purpose. Every other object mentioned will have its new, more fitting version.

I have a dream about a birch tree sawmill, but I am not good enough to create one

I love screenshots! <3

Fountain: I prefer the H2 version. The H3SW one seems to be a "god fountain" or so, seems to be another kind of fountain for me. (maybe because the water is white... because of frost? But if it's frost, how hero and army will drink it?...)

Gazebo: I like
Sawmill: Nice
Sand objects: good! The obelisk <3
Dirt well on grass terrain (the opposite is also seen a lot): I don't see the difference xD
Wasteland obelisk on desert: That's cool !

Grass hill fort on sand: I would have see more sand on the bottom of the fort.
We also have additional version of other objects in H3SW as seen here:

Freeman's Foundry: yeah the "Placeholder War Machine factory in H3SW" seems to be the good choice.

Thank you too dear GodRage for giving me your opinion I find you like the new objects just as we do, so you will probably be happy to see familiar H2 maps with some of these objects in them. I can tell you they look better than ever before

The question about the well was, that a type of well has dried out (yellow/orange) grass at the buttom and another well has green, fresh grass at the buttom instead. The one with green grass should (most of the time) be place on grass, while the one with dried out grass should not (meant for dirt, wasteland etc.). That was the case with the first screenshot of the well, where the yellow/orange variant was placed on grass. Even though it isn't placed on the most propper terrain, I decided to leave it as it is, since it makes the well stand out as Uhm said while also not looking too out of place

With pleasure!!

Sir Albe wrote:

The question about the well was, that a type of well has dried out (yellow/orange) grass at the buttom and another well has green, fresh grass at the buttom instead. The one with green grass [...]

I never knew there were dried well... But dried well and "filled" well refill all the mana, right? (omg maybe not in H3...). I am colorblind, I guess it's why I can't get the difference of such little grass color... if dried has a gameplay effect, the visual effect should be stronger (such as birds on the well when there is water..)

I guess the difference is so small that you might have trouble seeing it due of your colorblindness. It is simply the grass at the buttom of the well that is either brown/orange or green

Sir Albe wrote:

ohhh good, when they are one next to the other one, it's easier
In my eyes, the right well is just more bright. Not only the grass, but the rooftop too.
(more bright, or maybe like if we put more contrast on old TV ^^)

Very cool! This will definitely add to the atmosphere.

A little something to play with

Yaahh! It is almost like christmas again Thank you so much Uhm!!! I will provide screenshots of these in some of our H2 maps

Looking nice! But don't forget about the shadows

As promised The new sawmills look fantastic!

H2:

H3SW:


H2:

H3SW:

Very cool. That's what I dreamt about all the time and this is what makes H3SW maps more special.

That's the main reason I really this project. You guys are perfectionists and it really shows. This is obviously what the designers of the game had in mind. Hence the terrain/seasonal difference for some objects. I love it.

Should we add shadows to the sawmills or not? In H2 they weren't shaded at all.

Yeah, add shadows.
Their absence for sawmills looks like inaccuracy or haste (unlike that for the vampires' shadows however), especially while the original sprites were drawn as "self-shadowed" but still don't have outer shadows.

For the objects that already done...
I don't understand how frozen-water objects on a snow terrain work. By magic or whatever?

Just a small update on some new objects provided by Uhm that now enrich the classic H2 maps

Market place:



Graveyard:



Birch sawmills:






Various sand objects:






Hill forts:






Sphinx: (he also got his head fixed)

Screenshots are always a real pleasure to see!

Them sand objects! ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Uhm created even more beautiful objects which now enriches the classic H2 maps

First of all new Hill forts for wasteland terrain and swamp:

In Dominion:
H2:

H3SW:


In Alteris 2:
H2:

H3SW:


In Arrax the Jerk:
H2:

H3SW:


We also got a swampy Oracle!

In Merry Men:
H2:

H3SW:


In Mineral Wars:
H2:

H3SW:


Lastly we got palm sawmills for grass terrain!

In King of Death:
H2:

H3SW:


In Mineral Wars:
H2:

H3SW:


H2:

H3SW:

I guess I have an addiction to H2ish screenhots

I think we all do I really enjoy our new objects very much. They kind of complete the H2 maps for me.