VCMI project is gaining momentum recently. Thanks to extraordinary activity of developers and supporting community we are able to present you the biggest release yet, containing tons of new features as well as bug fixes. This time we definitely focused on user experience, trying to polish all the features and rectify the issues encountered in the past.

The rendering engine got a rewrite, resulting in smooth and correct animations, as well as overall better performance and lower CPU consumption. All the animations should have exactly same timing and order as in original game, and adventure map scrolls smoothly.

We introduced a number of quality-of-like GUI improvements known from popular HD Mod, as well as custom features and options that will make the game more accessible and fun to play. All the features are customisable and can be disabled depending on your preference. There is new in-game menu with more options than ever before. The highlights include expanded RMG options window, optional display of adventure map rewards in Status Window as well as extra tooltips on adventure map and in the battle.

VCMI now supports translations - both with original game content and mods. Game will automatically pick preferred language configured in Launcher and enable translations of the content that allows it. Many existing mods from our repository have already been translated thanks to combined effort of the community.

Following numerous reports and complaints, our Launcher got complete overhaul. New players will now be guided through installation and configuration process, which should reduce confusion and help you get the game running quickly with the best configuration possible.

A lot of effort was spent on fixing and polishing the game as much as possible. Hundreds of issues were found and fixed, especially in battle visuals and mechanics. We did our best to ensure players' experience will not be disrupted by unexpected bugs. Of course you may also observe tweaks in Random Map Generator and AI, as well as about any aspect of the game.

Mod system got a few subtle, but significant extensions. Capabilities of configurable adventure map objects were expanded, as well as secondary skills and related bonuses.

Please note that save games from v1.1 are incompatible with v1.2!

The list of changes is too big to fit here, please refer to the detailed backlog on Github.

But the journey doesn’t end here, more features are already scheduled for 1.3 release.

We also launched official VCMI Discord channel, join us here:
https://discord.gg/chBT42V

For more details our website and wiki:
https://vcmi.eu/
https://wiki.vcmi.eu/Main_Page
Release versions also available on GitHub:
https://github.com/vcmi/vcmi/releases/

Three months passed since our previous release and we observed many downloads and quite big interest to the project from the community. We want to say thank you for that and willing for more! Such support really motivates us, thus we were able to increase our efforts towards new features and would like to share with you one more big update this year.

VCMI supports one more platform! Now you can play heroes on your iPad or iPhone and it’ll have all game mechanics, including mods. Installation is not so simple as it could be using the official AppStore but it’s definitely worth to make several simple steps from this instruction and it will be easier than expected!

We have overcome most of challenges on a way to multiplayer so it’s finally possible to play VCMI with your friends or with random people at Windows, macOS, Linux or iOS. You can play over local network or use lobby mode from Launcher to play over internet.

Map editor for VCMI was rewritten in order to be cross-platform (currently works on Windows, macOS and Linux) and support mods. Map editor is included into installation package so everyone can create and share their own scenarios.

We continue investing into the game stability, tons of bugs were addressed, but don’t forget to report about problem if it appears. Version 1.1 has many aesthetics improvements, among them long-awaited ray shooting, tower icons, fixes for battle effects. Music isn’t playing from the beginning while switching active screen and you can listen to the legendary soundtracks in the same way as in original game. Worth to mention that performance of random map generation got severe boost as well.

Please note that save games from v1.0 are incompatible with v1.1!

Nullkiller AI in combination with Battle AI is not only more stable but also gets smarter on the battlefield. Enemy hero may consider winning chances as poor and prefer to escape.

Update is not limited to highlighted improvements, almost every game aspect has undergone some changes, the detailed backlog is on the release page. Of course, new features and the game in common are still not in ideal state but we want people enjoy them and our team will continue doing the best we can. In turn, we are looking forward for feedback or even better contribution into this wonderful project from anyone!

VCMI team wishes you happy New Year and will meet in 2023!

For more details check news on our new website and wiki:
https://vcmi.eu/
https://wiki.vcmi.eu/Main_Page
Release versions also available on GitHub:
https://github.com/vcmi/vcmi/releases/

Several years have passed since VCMI 0.99 and it’s about time for a new release. Tons of changes, improvements, and fixes have been introduced during that time, so it’s hard to recall all of them. However, we’d like to highlight several major changes.

Lodestar grail finally can reveal all the map! We were working hard to track down and fix crashes that severely affected VCMI gameplay. Now they are rare beasts but if you manage to find one do not hesitate to report it!

Hero exchange window has got a few additional buttons and keyboard shortcuts to ease army and artefact exchange. If you do not see them after installing the release make sure you have the latest VCMI extras mod installed.

You are welcome to try an alternative AI algorithm called Nullkiller which shows itself well on small and medium sized maps. For larger maps you should better go with classic VCAI computer player which was also significantly improved. From the launcher settings you can always choose the AI you like and enjoy the most.

VCMI was built for modding, but with this release we significantly enhanced the mod system. Among various gameplay tools we introduced support for adding new terrains. It is a natural evolution of new town support as they need to have unique terrains, battlefields, mines and map objects. This feature required deep refactoring of the game engine so unfortunately saves you made before release 1.00 will not be compatible. It’s a good reason to make new ones!

RMG also has undergone huge changes. First of all, normal and island water options are supported now. Secondly, as mods can introduce new terrains and objects, RMG has got powerful algorithms to generate new terrain patches and to place new objects provided by mods. And finally, we improved the generator in terms of aesthetics, obstacles placement and stability as well.

Good news! We reconsidered our release policy to make releases more frequently and introduced an update notification system into launcher in order to make everybody aware about new features and fixes. In addition to that, launcher works now with our new mod repository on GitHub that will be used to follow for updates in your favorite mods too!

The project is now actively maintained once again. There are several active contributors working on new amazing features. Not everything made it into this release so stay tuned for next announcements!

On top of a shorter release cycle we also want to announce that we slowly started using GitHub built-in tools for bug tracking and project management. Now development activities and release milestones will be more transparent. As always we are open to all contributors who wish to help us move VCMI forward. You can help with both programming or contributing new mods to the repository. Let’s make VCMI better together!

We recommend you first make a copy of clean Heroes Complete / Shadow of Death folder. Extract VCMI zip package there.
WoG is not needed. All recommended mods and files can be downloaded via Launcher included in the package.

For more details check news on our new website and wiki:
https://vcmi.eu/
https://wiki.vcmi.eu/Main_Page
Release versions also available on GitHub:
https://github.com/vcmi/vcmi/releases/

We're updated our website and forums!
New builds are available for macOS and Android!

For more details check news on our new website:
https://vcmi.eu/news/news-from-september-2017/

We're back with new major 0.99 release!
A lot of work has been done to ensure game stability. A number of "impossible" crash bugs were tracked down and fixed. This opens up chance for better multiplayer support in the future.
RMG has undergone huge improvement, it is now not only closely resembling OH3, but also works much faster. Bonus is about 150 random map templates ported from original game and fan favorites.
Pretty much every aspect has been improved. Pay close attention to spells and cheat codes. Flying spells and artifacts have been restored as well as ability icons in Creature Window.

You can download VCMI 0.99 for Windows on official website. For Linux see wiki page[wiki.vcmi.eu]

Since 0.98f over 100 bugs[bugs.vcmi.eu] have been fixed. Since 0.98 it's difficult to count. For the first time in history more bugs are being fixed than reported ;)

We also have daily builds for Windows[vcmi.arseniyshestakov.com] up and running.

We recommend you first make a copy of clean Heroes Complete / Shadow of Death folder. Extract VCMI zip package there.
WoG is not needed. All recommended mods and files can be downloaded via Launcher included in the package.

GENERAL:
* New Bonus NO_TERRAIN_PENALTY
* Nomads will remove Sand movement penalty from army
* Flying and water walking is now supported in pathfinder
* New artifacts supported
- Angel Wings
- Boots of Levitation
* Implemented rumors in tavern window
* New cheat codes:
- vcmiglaurung - gives 5000 crystal dragons into each slot
- vcmiungoliant - conceal fog of war for current player
* New console commands:
- gosolo - AI take control over human players and vice versa
- controlai - give control of one or all AIs to player
- set hideSystemMessages on/off - suppress server messages in chat

BATTLES:
* Drawbridge mechanics implemented (animation still missing)
* Merging of town and visiting hero armies on siege implemented
* Hero info tooltip for skills and mana implemented

ADVETURE AI:
* Fixed AI trying to go through underground rock
* Fixed several cases causing AI wandering aimlessly
* AI can again pick best artifacts and exchange artifacts between heroes
* AI heroes with patrol enabled won't leave patrol area anymore

RANDOM MAP GENERATOR:
* Changed fractalization algorithm so it can create cycles
* Zones will not have straight paths anymore, they are totally random
* Generated zones will have different size depending on template setting
* Added Thieves Guild random object (1 per zone)
* Added Seer Huts with quests that match OH3
* RMG will guarantee at least 100 pairs of Monoliths are available even if there are not enough different defs

Please report any found bugs and issues on Mantis bugtracker[bugs.vcmi.eu]

Also welcome our latest contributors Dydzio and Chocimier.

This is re-post of original announce by Warmonger available on official website[forum.vcmi.eu]