Heir 2 the Throne [Mainline Campaign]

[Dalas120]

After eighteen months of development, I’m proud to announce the 1.0 release of...

---- Heir 2 the Throne ----

Battle loyalists, orcs, undead, trolls, drakes, saurians, dwarves, gryphons, yetis, and more, as you fight to free Wesnoth from the terror that is Asheviere! Available on the 1.19 add-on server ONLY. Requires 1.19.14 or better.

This Heir to the Throne campaign revision includes:
- Unparalleled replayability: 33 branching scenarios, each offering Konrad unique recruits, companions, items, and more.
- Explore the Great Continent via an overworld map. The season of the year changes after each battle, so plan carefully!
- Includes all classic locations from the original (Elensefar, for example) plus new ones like Glamdrol and Dan’Tonk.
- 6+ unique companions, each with their own dialogue and events.
- 34 achievements, ranging from easy to hard to probably impossible.
- Dozens of secrets and special events to discover.

I am planning to add this campaign to mainline for 1.20, but I’m NOT planning to replace the original HttT — it’ll still be available as "Heir to the Throne, Classic"

[tsunami_]

An Orcish incursion, the South Guard, Liberty, The Eastern Invasion, The Hammer of Thursagan, Descent into Darkness, Delfador's Memors, Under the Burning Suns - and now Heir to the Throne.
Wesnoth becomes the ship of Theseus.

(Well, it is only an observation - carry on).

[Dalas120]

---- Heir 2 the Throne BUGFIX ----

Version 1.0.2:
- Fix a serious issue where Lisar 'cup of bitterness' event would trigger multiple times, and too early.
- Improved support for earlier 1.19 versions (include {UNDERGROUND_WEATHER} with the addon instead of relying on core). 1.19.14 is still recommended; I haven't tested things on earlier versions.

I recommend getting this newest version to avoid confusion and issues with the Lisar event. Sorry about that, everyone!

[Dalas120]

---- Heir 2 the Throne v1.3.0 ----

New version ready and released! I recommend always playing on the newest version for the best experience.

v1.3.0: Change enemy spawns and AI in 'Plunging Into Darkness' to fix map being unwinnable in certain situations.
Reduced 'Memory Magic' effect from 80% to 75%
Improve Li'sar's defenses in 'Sceptre of Fire'.
Fix Soradoc event icon reappearing even after it was already triggered.
Fix Mages being allowed to advance White Mages while playing 'Isle of Alduin'.
If Seimus joins Konrad in 'Isle of Alduin', he's now no longer a leader.
Fix 'Fort Tahn's enemy leader awarding double XP when killed.
Fix missing 'Bay of Pearls' preview image.

v1.2.4: Fix a few minor typos and bugs.
v1.2.3: Fix ally sides being unable to raze drake villages in 'Cliffs of Thoria'.
v1.2.2: Li'sar's side now changes colors as soon as she becomes allied, instead of afterwards.
v1.2.0: Fix a serious issue in 'Dan'Tonk' where Li'sar's units would duplicate.
Fix an issue in 'Swamp of Dread' where some important dialogue with a Lich would only play if Konrad spotted him first.
Fix an issue in 'Swamp of Dread' where your ally could sometimes deploy their reserves to early.
Add a few villages (mostly for upkeep) to the undead side in 'The Lost General'.
Added a small amount of water to the southern entrance to 'The Lost General' to improve merfolk access.
'Isle of the Damned Part II' made slightly easier; difficulty rating reduced from 2-skulls to 1-skull.
Changed order of rewards in 'The Highwaymen' to make Spearmen easier to recruit.
Add one extra castle hex for Konrad in 'Glamdrol'.
Fix replays not getting saved in 'The Battle for Wesnoth'.

v1.1.3: Fix improper tracking of Galdrad and Ethiliel's fates in the first scenario.
v1.1.1: Fix 'Flight of the Elves' sometimes failing to end.
v1.1.0: Slightly reduced difficulty on 'Blackwater Port', 'Flight of the Elves', and 'Bay of Pearls'.
Delfador's familiar is no longer auto-recalled.
Fix bug causing Li'sar to flee too early in 'The Siege of Elensefar'.
Attempt to fix OOS replay issue caused by Li'sar's 'exacting' ability.
Add missing seasonal map variations to 'Blackwater Port'.
Split music out into a separate addon.

v1.0.6: Fix 'Crossroads' ambush spawns occasionally failing to trigger.
v1.0.5: Add 'Road Less Traveled' achievement.
v1.0.3: Add warning in Scenario 1 if player is using older Wesnoth versions.

[ZIM]

Hello, just want to share my initial feedback, I haven't finished the campaign yet

First of all, I really like the idea of an open-world campaign like this, it really brings a fresh feel to the gameplay. I also like the season mechanics, as it adds a layer of strategy, as I can choose winter to attack the lawful enemies, and summer to attack chaotic enemies. As for the difficulty, I see now it has raised to intermediate, but I feel like the time limit on some scenarios are a bit too harsh, like Siege of Elensefar. I know it's supposed to be 3 skulls, but I don't think two battles is enough to gather enough gold before it disappears. It would be fine if we have one more turn on lower difficulties, imo. Also, I want to report a bug. For some reason, my Chantal disappeared only after using her in one scenario.

[Dalas120]

Thanks so much for your feedback! I'm glad that you like the campaign.

Your point about Elensefar makes sense. I'll make the time limit a little less harsh on lower difficulties. And sorry about that Chantal bug - I'll get that fixed!

[Dalas120]

---- Heir 2 the Throne v1.4.0 ----

New version ready and released! I recommend always playing on the newest version for the best experience.

v1.4.0 Increased scenario count on Easy (13->16), Normal (12->14), and Hard (11->12).
Add explanation for gold pickups in 'Test of the Clans'.
Replace Bears with Spiders in 'The Sceptre of Fire'.
Show more useful objectives after Konrad uses the whirlpool. Clarify that the whirlpool is not a scenario.
Fix Chantal not staying on Konrad's recall list.
Fix an impassable recruitable hex in 'The Lost General'.
Slightly reduce difficulty on 'The Dwarven Doors'.
Slightly reduce saurian speed training cost.
Fix Jotha not joining your recall list. Reduce Jotha recruitment cost from 80 to 40, and add him to the epilogue.
Fix some incorrect dialogue in 'Fort Tahn'.
Fix Harper Dallben/Delwyn event triggering multiple times.
Fix Harper reappearing on the overworld after being recruited.
Replace a few Merman Civilians with Brawlers in 'Bay of Pearls' on higher difficulties.
Fix some missing dialogue that could happen when Konrad has no companions.
Fix ToD sometimes showing 7 out of 6.
.

[ZIM]

Hello, I want to report an error I encountered in the Crossroad, my guess it has to do with the ambush mechanic?

Also, I forgot to report this yesterday, sometimes the companion talks initiated even without them being present, an example I encountered yesterday is Moremirmu suddenly talks with Delfador without Delfador being present.

Lastly, it seems the Void Armor for Li'sar have the wrong values set for it?

[Dalas120]

Thanks for the report! I've fixed the Moremirmu/Delfador issue and the Void Armor.

What H2tT version were you on when you got the Crossroads error? I think I fixed that in v1.0.6, but if it's still an issue I'll need to take another go at fixing it.

---- Heir 2 the Throne v1.4.1 ----
v1.4.1: Add 'Canon' achievement for completing Elensefar and the 'The Dwarven Doors'.
Lionel now charges out of his keep at the end of 'Lost General'.
Change 'The Dwarven Doors' and 'Lost General' messages when Konrad is going to the Sceptre of Fire.
Reduce 'Ford of Abez' toll from 50 to 20.
Fix Void Armor applying the wrong resistances to Li'sar.
Fix Moremirmu speaking to Delfador without Delfador present.

[ZIM]

Thanks for the report! I've fixed the Moremirmu/Delfador issue and the Void Armor.

What H2tT version were you on when you got the Crossroads error? I think I fixed that in v1.0.6, but if it's still an issue I'll need to take another go at fixing it.

---- Heir 2 the Throne v1.4.1 ----
v1.4.1: Add 'Canon' achievement for completing Elensefar and the 'The Dwarven Doors'.
Lionel now charges out of his keep at the end of 'Lost General'.
Change 'The Dwarven Doors' and 'Lost General' messages when Konrad is going to the Sceptre of Fire.
Reduce 'Ford of Abez' toll from 50 to 20.
Fix Void Armor applying the wrong resistances to Li'sar.
Fix Moremirmu speaking to Delfador without Delfador present.

I'm playing on 1.3.0, and to add more info, the ambusher spawns just fine despite the error message, but I don't know if it's intended that sometimes only two ambusher spawned instead of three ambushers

Also I have a question, in scenarios like Old Friend, where it is stated you can neither gain or lose gold, is it intended that we don't get any early finish bonus despite the objective saying so while still losing money to the carryover?

[ZIM]

Hello, I want to report an error that I found, it seems there's a typo in the code?

-And it seems the Memory Magic isn't working, my units still have the same xp modifier.
-Another bug is that dying elemental summons still trigger the Horn of Glamdrol.
-And another bug, I think the Horn of Glamdrol effect can sometimes still persist after the scenario ends, in the Swamp of Dread, when my ally's unit dies, my side also get regenerates, but it doesn't disappear even after the scenario ends.

Also, I noticed some scenarios that are supposed to be "survive till runs out" (Glamdrol and Valley of the Death part 2) doesn't finish if I somehow managed to defeat all the enemy leaders. Maybe either add an early finish bonus? I think maybe it's supposed to be not doable, but I'm trying the whirlpool feature on this playthrough and managed to gather much gold and exp, so it definitely made it doable.

And, I don't know if this is limited to myself, but I noticed the game started to get laggy the more scenarios I finished, it almost gets to the point where it gets unplayable, perhaps because there were so many variables that are getting tracked?

[Reavy]

Great improvement on the campaign! Love the additional scenarios like pre-fallen Elensefar, and the Weldyn map from 'Eastern Invasion'. Much more satisfying seeing the culmination of your choices at the final battle, with your choice of allies + defeated foes. I especially liked the changes to the sceptre of fire and how it is acquired. The choice between giving it to Konrad or Li'sar was my biggest pet peeve in the original, as the choice did not make much sense to me. Now it feels a lot more organic. The only thing I found kind of awkward, in terms of plot, is how you meet with Delfador right outside the cave into the sceptre of fire, and there isn't really the same sense of a 'hero's journey' in-between, which I kind of liked in the original even if the scenarios themselves weren't the best.

I suppose what I would have wanted is maybe an additional scenario or two fighting your way through the mountain. Make Dwarven Doors or the crypt w/ the Lost General mandatory, with Delfador in tow? You could make it 'optional' in the sense that Delfador will wait for you at Lost General and/or Dwarven Doors, but if you neglect to do them he will wait at the entrance to the sceptre of fire. It would be nice to have Delfador with you during Lost General as he would recognize Lionel I assume, which could give you some dialogue. I don't know. You can certainly do those scenarios at your own volition, but without the motivation of the sceptre it's basically by coincidence that you went that way.

I had some mixed thoughts on the 'time limit' but I think it works without feeling too restrictive, at least on normal difficulty. I quite liked the open world but in some ways I wish it was a little bit more linear. Rescuing the Aethenwood elves and Blackwater port feel almost mandatory to me, and from a 'roleplaying' perspective it doesn't make much sense to abandon either of those. I think it would have been interesting if there were scenarios you had to pick between, you can only do Aethenwood or Blackwater for ex, the former unlocks Fort Tahn into Crossroads and beyond, and Blackwater unlocks isle of Anduin and a shortcut into skipping Bay of Pearls. Going the land route to Bay of Pearls could always be available (and the secret route).

Of course that seems to go against the whole philosophy of the open world, nor is it well balanced for it in its current state, but I just think it'd be more fun if you couldn't backtrack in a sense and just have to keep going in the direction you picked (or maybe you could backtrack, at some cost. If you did both Aethernwood and Blackwater, Elensefar would be impossible to save as you've wasted too much time here). You could still allow for some liberty of movement to discover secrets etc by locking the routes with the same map icons as is done with scenarios.

Sorry for the tangent, haha. Here's something more useful: As mentioned by someone else, the XP boost your veterans get from picking the 'memory magic' is bugged and only seems to affect new units. Same with the XP debuff. So, it is is kind of a bad trade since you cannot recruit veterans, haha. As I couldn't tell any difference at first I just went ahead and assumed units gain more or less XP from now on, it was only a little later that I noticed. If you manage to acquire any of the horse lords during the clans scenario, they will have the proper XP buff.

[ZIM]

Of course that seems to go against the whole philosophy of the open world, nor is it well balanced for it in its current state, but I just think it'd be more fun if you couldn't backtrack in a sense and just have to keep going in the direction you picked (or maybe you could backtrack, at some cost. If you did both Aethernwood and Blackwater, Elensefar would be impossible to save as you've wasted too much time here). You could still allow for some liberty of movement to discover secrets etc by locking the routes with the same map icons as is done with scenarios.

I noticed when exploring the world, but it seems encountering Elensefar on the first turn of the open world will force Delfador to immediately leave your party, as opposed to leaving after playing 1 scenario with him, so I guess it is considered. I personally approve disabling backtraking, but I think it would be nice if it was made into an achievement.

Also I have a question for you, did you ever try using Jeniver? I don't really know how to use her, currently I feel spending a scenario to get her is not worth it

[Reavy]

Also I have a question for you, did you ever try using Jeniver? I don't really know how to use her, currently I feel spending a scenario to get her is not worth it

I have not, but I found all of the companion scenarios that I tried to not really be 'worth it' to be honest, other scenarios are more rewarding both in terms of length and what you receive, they are a lot more interesting. I think Moremirmu's companion quest is especially underwhelming; it's just several turns of moving towards him and then killing the necromancer and his zombies. I don't hate it or anything but it's not very memorable. I didn't find him to be that good of a companion either. Chantal's very useful, and I like her scenario since we get to meet a 'close friend' from previous campaigns, but it's very short (on that topic, I didn't really feel the connection between Deoran and Chantal, considering it's all off-screen, but that's kind of an issue from other campaigns).

Don't really know how to balance this out, but I wonder if some scenarios could 'cost' more points than others. Example: Rescuing Moremirmu - 1 scenario point, Elensefar - 2-3 scenario points. Seems like it would be awkward to implement though. Don't know if any of this would be applicable with Jeniver, but I suppose I would find the scenarios more satisfying if they were fleshed out more, and I think it would be fine if they rewarded more than just a companion.

[Dalas120]

Thank you both for your comments and for the bug reports! I've been reading these as they've been posted, but work's been keeping me really busy this week and I haven't had a time to release a new version yet. I'll fix these bugs as soon as I'm able.

Regarding companions: personally, I feel they're fairly strong. Unlike new recruits, new companions are recalled for free and thus increase your army size. Each companion also has 1-3 events/scenarios where they can get a special bonus - for example, bringing Harper to Dallben will net you some gold, or bringing Moremirmu to his home at Valley of Death will give him an AOE attack.

For Jeniver specifically: poison is fine, and smoke is excellent, but IMO her real strength is her gold generation. 4 gold per turn works out to an extra 40-60 gold at the start of every scenario.

Also, per some feedback on the discord, I'm going to take a look at making Elensefar a mandatory scenario for Easy/Normal/Hard. Instead of getting rewards for liberating the city, you'll instead have an option on the overworld to pay gold and gain Thieves and/or the item. Deadly has too few scenarios to do this, and will remain as it is now. Just an update on my current plans!

I suppose what I would have wanted is maybe an additional scenario or two fighting your way through the mountain. Make Dwarven Doors or the crypt w/ the Lost General mandatory, with Delfador in tow? You could make it 'optional' in the sense that Delfador will wait for you at Lost General and/or Dwarven Doors, but if you neglect to do them he will wait at the entrance to the sceptre of fire.

That's a really interesting idea! I'll think about that, thanks.