VCMI 1.6.6 released + full changelog

VCMI 1.6.6 is now available. This small update brings some AI improvements, some minor features and fixes for reported bugs. Update via Heroes Launcher.

Download

VCMI

How to install VCMI and recommended mods via Heroes Launcher (YT video)

Heroes 3 Complete GOG version (works only with this version)

or try WoG Folder – online source of Heroes of Might and Magic mods (not only Heroes 3 mods, but not Heroes 6 😀 ) and various goodies (like “Did you know” series) that I have managed to collect over the last 10 years for everyone who contributes to the running of the Heroes 3.5 Portal.

Notable changes:

• The game no longer requires a local network connection in singleplayer mode. This should fix an issue where a game in progress would stop after switching to another app on iOS, and in some cases on Android.
• Upscaling filter xbrz x2 is now enabled by default on mobile systems. Manual selection is not affected.
• Reduced size of obstacle-filled junction zones in Coldshadow Fantasy template
• Added support for importing Chronicles using the old All-in-One installer from gog.com
• On mobile systems, clicking on a blocked tile of a visitable object on the quest map will now build a path to that object.
• It is now possible to activate the adventure map overlay using the two-finger tap gesture on mobile systems.
• Added a right-click context menu for mods in the launcher.

• Fixed possible crash on opening unit description with unavailable upgrades
• Fixed crash on winning game after last player loses the game due to not controlling a town for 7 days

• Pressing Q during hero exchange will now swap both army and artifacts and will no longer trigger a quest log
• Spellbook search is no longer enabled by default, allowing standard h3 shortcuts to work. Search can now be activated by pressing Tab
• Ctrl/Shift + click on arrow buttons below creature slots during hero exchange now works in the familiar way from hd mod
• On mobile systems, clicking on a blocked tile of a visitable object on the adventure map will now build a path to it
• It is now possible to activate the adventure map overlay on the mobile system using the two-finger tap gesture
• Fixed incorrect pinch event calculation that caused problems when zooming with touchscreen gestures
• Game now displays both total cost in movement points and estimated time to arrive in turns when hovering over an accessible location
• Artifact sort buttons in the Hero Backpack window now have correct text describing the sort order
• Fixed non-standard color handling for shadows under selection highlight in creature animations from mods such as HotA’s Iron Golem
• Effects such as Bloodlust, Clone, and Petrify will now display correctly when xbrz is in use
• Fixed broken Chronicles campaign screen available with new main menu themes mod
• Fixed empty bonus shown in unit info window when unit is in Necropolis with Cover of Darkness built
• Right-clicking on the difficulty button will now display the difficulty description popup
• Fixed regression causing two minus signs in Fountain of Fortune description
• Added option to upgrade all creatures in the radial menu when in town
• Added option to display remaining unit health in the form of a health bar
• Fixed regression that caused unavailable tiles to be displayed on the left and right sides of the battlefield when hovering with the mouse
• Fixed regression that caused all spells to be displayed as having a duration of 16 rounds
• Scrolling in the lobby window now only happens when hovering over the appropriate item, instead of scrolling all scrollable widgets at once
• Fixed regression that caused black pixels on some hero portraits in mods that use 8-bit palette images
• Fixed memory leak when upscaling images with xbrz filter
• Fixed creature windows text align and buttons background

• It is no longer possible to attack heroes standing on a visitable object from blocked tiles or from water when the attacker uses Fly
• Fixed regression from 1.6 that caused multiple taverns in towns of the same faction to not be counted towards the level of information available for the thieves’ guild
• Fixed regression that caused Cove towns placed on map to be replaced with Castles on HotA maps
• The amount of gold a player can receive from a bonfire is now always equal to the amount of rare resources received multiplied by 100
• Disabled default victory conditions on all Elixir of Life campaign maps that require an artifact to be found, in line with H3

• Improved scoring of town buildings by the AI
• AI will now prefer to give faster units to its scout heroes to optimize their movement points in future turns
• Fixed AI not constructing prerequisites for town buildings in some cases, like not building Stables when attempting to build Training Grounds
• AI will now avoid recruiting heroes if AI is low on gold or if the town is threatened by an enemy hero
• AI will no longer attempt to use more than one hero to defend a town
• AI will now devalue non-flying units when attacking towns with fortifications to prevent suicides against castles
• Increased the priority of building unupgraded dwellings, as they provide units that can be hired immediately, rather than next week like citadels and castles
• When multiple cities are threatened, the AI will now prefer to defend the one that takes the least number of turns to reach
• Fixed AI attempting to restore mana points in town without a mage guild built
• Reduced AI prioritization of army merging to the same level as general gathering
• AI will now prioritize army merging before attacking enemies
• Increased AI defense prioritization
• AI will no longer leave the defense of a threatened town in order to bring the army to another hero
• AI will no longer send heroes to die outside of towns that already have a garrisoning hero inside, if there’s a stronger enemy hero lurking around the town
• AI will no longer focus excessively on reaching Keymaster tents
• AI will no longer rush towns that don’t have a citadel or better if there is a strong enemy hero in the area
• AI will no longer try to maximize defenses by using the strongest defender possible, but will instead try to use the most appropriate defender
• Heroes that are currently threatened will be braver and not worry about attacking things that are also threatened if nothing safe is in range

• Added context menu for mod lists that allows disabling, enabling, installing, uninstalling, updating, opening installed mod location, and opening mod repository