4. Patch Notes
- Reduced maximum number of players from 24 --> 20,
- Monsters don't stop moving and clog up anymore,
- Fixed the scoreboard.
Developer notes 1.1 (SimonMossmyr)
One thing that bothered me over the years is why the game required four computer controlled players to control the monsters (two for each side). Before MT Edition 1.90 these were respectively Player 9-12, and after 1.90 Player 11-12, Neutral Victim and Neutral Extra. Why bother with two computer players for each side to control the monsters, and not just one per side? MTE Edition 1.0 remade the system so that monsters are controlled by Player Neutral Extra and Neutral Victim respectively, which freed up two player slots for a total of 24.
Well, as it turns out these extra computer controlled players were good for something. As I understand it, the WarCraft III engine runs in cycles and schedules a certain amount of computing time per cycle for every player. This scheduled time is not tied to CPU computing power, but some fixed value, so having a more powerful CPU doesn't solve the issue. Each cycle lasts for a few seconds, and during this time around 60-70 units per player is allowed to move across the map, while the remaining units of that player (if any) just stand motionless.
In Enfo's TS, we're expecting a lot more than 70 monsters being present at the same time at certain times. Having just one (computer controlled) player in MTE 1.0 controlling 200 monsters simultaneously means that they start bumping into each other and get stuck. You can really notice the monsters clogging up in bottle-necks when the team isn't killing fast enough.
As sad as it is, the solution is having more computer players control the monsters (like they did in MT Edition), which means removing some player slots. I opted to reduce the amount of players to 20 and having six computer players (three per side) control the monsters. On the plus side, this means the monsters now move across the map more smoothly than ever.
The scoreboard is now fixed. WarCraft III 1.29 introduced a glitch where Multiboards wouldn't show up if they were created at the same time as a timer dialogue window, which happens to be the case in MTE Edition 1.0.
- Added 24 player support,
- Spellbringer's maximum mana reduced from 2000 --> 1000,
- Spellbringer's mana regen increased from 1 --> 1.2,
- Cabalist's Ethereal Shield changed to Combat Mastery,
- Greater Darkrift cost increased from 475 --> 650
- Nexus mana restored reduced from 50 --> 40,
- Map is now open-sourced.
Developer notes 1.0 (SimonMossmyr)
The Spellbringer and Greater Darkrift mana changes should encourage more use of offensive spells and discourage hoarding of mana for late-game Darkrift spam. This should create more interesting games.
Cabalist has had a rough time being a melee Hero with low health, no evasion and a bad armor type. He needed a buff to his survivability, and the low cooldown and availability of Ethereal Shield means he can get it from other players.
Bard's Nexus ability is simply too strong, even with the increased cooldown in MT Edition 1.93. This small mana gain decrease together with the Spellbringer changes means Nexus is now worth 33 seconds of Spellbringer mana instead of 50 seconds, which is a considerable nerf.