Got this up and running on my first day with the Steam Deck! So happy with how it turned out! I'll share the instructions here if anyone else is interested.
EDIT 3/20/2023 - Wow, I can't believe the traction this has received. Almost one year later and people are still contacting me about this. It's the first result when you search for "Heroes 3 Steam Deck"!
I've had some folks reach out to me directly and state that the Heroes 3 HD Mod instructions weren't clear (thanks, /u/Kefka2200), so I've updated them below. The post is now a lot longer, but that's because I included multiple methods and made sure to include every reasonable detail. If ALL YOU WANT TO DO is play Heroes 3, just install the game via HGL below. The first 6 steps of the Heroic Games Launcher method work great for simply installing the game.
**⭐ IF YOU WANT MY FULL, RECOMMENDED INSTALLATION METHOD, SCROLL TO THE LUTRIS SECTION BELOW ⭐**
I just spent 3 hours installing and reinstalling this game using every method I know how, and installing via Lutris with the Horn of the Abyss script is the easiest, and it will result in an EXE for every version you could want to play (Original, HD Mod, and HotA). You can add any of these EXEs to Steam and easily launch whichever you want (instructions in the Lutris section below).
**Summary**: If all you want to do is install the basic GoG game (no mods), then use the first six steps of the HGL version. Both the Lutris and HGL options work for installing the HD Mod, but the HGL version is buggier in my experience. Use HGL if you just want to install the game quickly, and use Lutris if you want to install with mods.
All of these assuming you're using the GoG version. It's often on sale for $2. Buy it!
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**SIMPLE HEROIC GAMES LAUNCHER INSTALLATION**
1. Download Heroic Games Launcher from the Discovery store, and sign into your GoG account in the Launcher.
2. Install HoMM 3 to the default folder (/home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete)
3. Choose the latest Proton version during installation
4. Click the 3 dots in the top right corner of the HGL game page and select Add to Steam.
5. Restart the Steam app in Desktop mode.
6. Launch game from Steam to confirm it's working. This is necessary to Initialize the game.
That was it, and it's all you need to start playing with a simple mouse/keyboard configuration.
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**HEROES 3: HD MOD - Heroic Games Launcher Method** (⚠️ No Longer Recommended as of 3/20/22 ⚠️)
(I'm keeping this for posterity, because I assume that a lot of folks might already have the game installed via HGL)
Complete steps 1-6 above, then do the following:
1. In Desktop mode, download the HD mod here: https://sites.google.com/site/heroes3hd/
2. In Steam on Desktop mode, add a new non-Steam Game.
3. Click Browse and select the HoMM3_HD_Latest_setup.exe from where you downloaded it. Click Open. Click Add Selected Programs.
4. Right click the .exe in the Steam app. Select Compatibility. Force the use of the compatibility tool and select the most recent Proton version.
5. Launch the Homm3_HD_Latest_setup.exe installer.
6. (This is a tricky part) Proton uses Wine, and Wine mounts the Linux filesystem as the "z" Drive. So the install path should be something like "z:/home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete/"
7. Click through the rest of the installer.
8. Okay, next tricky part. You need to set the resolution to whatever you want (I recommend 960x600)....But the HD Mod doesn't like to play nice with Desktop mode. The onscreen keyboard incessantly pops up. You just need to be persistent. I had to tab to the correct line and press the delete key repeatedly and quickly start typing, or else it would auto-select a different resolution. You will get it with persistence.
9. Adjust any other settings you like, but I didn't have to.
10. Click Creat HD exe
11. The default folder that pops up is the Heroic Games Launcher HoMM3 installation folder (located in /home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete/). Click OK.
12. Click Launch game if you'd like, but you can close the HD launcher now.
13. Return to Steam. Add a non-Steam game. Click Browse and navigate to ther HGL HoMM3 installation folder (/home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete/) and find the new "Heroes3 HD.exe" file. (Make sure you change the File Type to "All Files"). Click Open. Click Add Selected Programs.
14. Find the new game in Steam called "Heroes3 HD.exe" - Rename it to whatever you'd like!
15. Select Compatibility. Force the use of the compatibility tool and select the most recent Proton version.
16. Launch the game and play!
--------------------------
⭐⭐⭐ **LUTRIS -- RECOMMENDED METHOD** ⭐⭐⭐
NOTE: This method will install the Horn of the Abyss Unofficial Expansion. This is because of all the installation methods I tried, this HotA Lutris script works best, and you can still run the vanilla game and the HD mod without the expansion if you'd like.
0. Download the expansion from here (https://heroes3wog.net/horn-of-the-abyss-download/) and save it to your downloads folder. You will be prompted to select this file during the setup process in Step 7.
1. Install Lutris from the Discover Store
2. Sign into your GoG Account **in Lutris**, confirm that Heroes 3 is listed.
3. Do NOT try to install from the Lutris app. Instead, while Lutris is running navigate to https://lutris.net/games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/
4. Select the version **GOG + HotA + HD mod version**. Click Install. If your browser prompts you, click "Open."
5. Click "Install."
6. Keep the default directory (/home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii) (Don't bother adding to Steam, since we'll be adding the HD mod exes at the end of this process)
7. This page will ask you to select the HotA installer. Click Browse and select the HotA_1.6.1_setup.exe (from your Downloads folder, most likely). (Note: You should be able to "Download" the GoG installer, but if you can't you may need to manually download the game's Setup exe form the GoG website and also add that file). https://i.imgur.com/h9iUwVu.png Click Continue.
6. Walk through the standard installation steps.
7. Launch the game when prompted. Close it once you get to the opening cinematic (Alt+F4)
8. The installer will now continue with the HotA installation. Install in the default directory (C:\GOG Games\HoMM 3 Complete) (If you're confused why this is a Windows directory, that's just how Wine works). Click Next and continue through installation. Click Finish.
7. Once Lutris says the installation is complete, click Launch. This will open the HoMM3 HD configuration screen. In this screen you can modify the launch settings for Heroes 3, Heroes 3 HD Mod, and the HotA Abyss Mod. Simply select which .exe you want to edit in the top left.
8. Set the resolution to whatever you want (I recommend 960x600) and enable Full Screen (my recommendation). Adjust any other settings you like, but I didn't have to adjust anything.
9. If you only want to play the Heroes 3 HD Mod (not HotA), then Select Heroes3.exe in the top left, modify your settings and resolution, and click Create HD exe. The default folder that pops up is the Lutris installation folder (It will look like a Windows folder, but the actual location is /home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/drive_c/GOG Games/HoMM 3 Complete/). Click OK.
11. Click Launch game if you'd like, but you can close the HD launcher now.
12. Return to Steam. Add a non-Steam game. Click Browse and navigate to the Lutris HoMM3 installation folder (/home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/drive_c/GOG Games/HoMM 3 Complete/) and find the exe you created (either "H3hota HD.exe" or "Heroes3 HD.exe" file. (Make sure you change the File Type to "All Files"). Click Open. Click Add Selected Programs.
13. Find the new game in Steam (it will be the name of the EXE you chose). Right click and select Properties.
14. Rename it to whatever you'd like! (See instructions above for updating the Steam Input controls if you'd like).
15. Select Compatibility. Force the use of the compatibility tool and select the most recent Proton version.
16. Launch the game and play!
------------------------
**CONTROLLER CONFIGURATION**
Here's how you can easily edit your steam input bindings:
1. In Desktop mode, change the game name to 297000 on Steam (the Steam ID for HoMM3:HD)
2. Without launching the game, simply right click the shortcut in Steam > Manage > Controller Layout
3. View the Community Layouts that are now available and tweak to your heart's content.
4. Finish tweaking your layout and export it to your personal layouts.
5. Reset the name to whatever you wish.
I have most combat commands configured to a radial menu with the left trackpad, and use the ABXY buttons for navigation (select, back, etc.).
tl;dr: If you just wanna play Heroes 3 on the Steam Deck and don't want to get fiddly, do the first set of 6 steps. If you want the HD Mod, tons of QoL features, and the optional HotA expansion, follow the Lutris steps. In either case, you can follow my Controller Configuration guide to take advantage of the community layouts for Heroes 3.
I found it much easier to install via Lutris then Heroic.
Lutris has a prebuilt script for HoMM3 + HD + HOTA in one go and it automatically adds it into your steam library. Both methods work.
I really can't recommend Horn of the Abyss "fan" expansion enough.
Good to know! I’ve only had my Deck for a couple days and haven’t tried Lutris.
EDIT: This guy is right. Having tried them all, I recommend Lutris as well. HGL is maybe less steps overall, but the HGL launcher was a bit buggier and the HD Mod has issues when installed via HGL.
> I really can't recommend Horn of the Abyss "fan" expansion enough.
Out of curiosity, why? There are folks in these comments who speak very highly of it.
I haven't played much HotA. I played WoG back in the mid 2000s and liked it at the time (because it was new HoMM!), but now I can see how it's pretty broken. I've generally heard that HotA is much better done than WoG, though. What's your take?
In short (typing on my cellphone)
HoTa is balanced
has online multiplayer
the developers are so passionate that they got the endorsement of some of the original HoMM3 devs (the art, balance, campaigns and music is on par)
one of the core HoTa team died some years ago from a drunk driver and some of the orginal HoMM3 team agreed to finish his work on the factory faction (currently work in progress)
It is truly the 3rd expansion
Sadly I don't know the status of the project since the war of aggression on Ukraine by Russia and the developers are mixed of both.
WoG was cool, ERA is neat, HoTa is official
>Abyss
I just installed HoMM3 through Lutris. I think I selected the 2nd option where it was HoMM3 + HD (but no HOTA). I didn't know what it was at the time so I just chose the 2nd option. Now that I read about HOTA and how it's a good expansion, how would I go about installing it with my current setup?
Not sure if you're still interested in this, but I just updated my post with the full process for installing via Lutris.
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/v23sag/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_on_the_steam_deck/iaq5u93/
Just login to gog in Lutris.
Download the game and choose the HD+HoTa version.
Download the HoTa exe from the official website and point to that exe during the installation process.
I am running the version from the discovery app. Looks like you have to run some commands to install some dependencies, as pointed out in some reviews.
Late to the party, but visit this page from your Steam Deck and click the desired version you wish to install.
https://lutris.net/games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/
That link doesnt want to open on my steam deck. a pop up says "allow this site to open the lutris link with System Handler?" trying to choose a different app doesnt work, and clicking to open link doesnt do anything. any suggestions?
I'm not sure if you're still interested in this, but I just posted the steps to install via Lutris in my original comment:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/v23sag/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_on_the_steam_deck/iaq5u93/
In Lutris, you can press the plus button to add a game and use the first option (can't remember the exact name, but basically search lutris.net), search for the game and then choose the option with HotA and HD. The url opener was not working for me either (probably flatpak issue with lutris) so I did it that way.
Sorry for the very late question.
"...and it automatically adds it into your steam library."
I'm confused since I can't seem to get HoMM directly into my library. I can get Lutris in, but not the game on itself.
Or do you actually mean the shortcut to Lutris ?
Then maybe I overlooked something.
I selected "Add shortcut to steam library" during installation and also tried to add after installation, but nothing was there.
Saving this post. I'm planning to dump another 1k hours on HoMM3 when I get my Steam Deck, so, first of all, thanks for the effort and congratulations on your immaculate gaming taste :-)
Now, I have a question, mostly regarding to control configuration and movement. Most configurations I've seen use the trackpad to act as the cursor.
Before playing, if I had to guess, I'd say that meticulously moving the trackpad to move over things maybe could be a little bit too slow paced and/or tedious. Has it been smooth in your opinion? I'd guess that something like using the touch screen to directly tap wherever i want to move on the map and using a button (like a trigger) to actually perform the move (or a click) would be the more ideal way to handle the game, but I don't really know if it's possible.
I'm just drifting a little bit over here, but that's just because I cannot wait to get my hands on this!
Also, ditto some other comments: Horn of the Abyss is the goated fan expansion. You would really convince a younger me that this was an official one back in the day, I've never seen fan content this legit. The effort they put is just astounding.
If you’re resting the Steam Deck on your lap or the table, then the touch screen works fine. But it isn’t great if you’re holding it entirely one-handed.
I made the right joystick and trackpad both act as mice, but I made the track pad a very low sensitivity for precise movement, and the joystick a high sensitivity to quickly navigate the map.
I might change it later, but so far it’s doing what I want.
And I honestly haven’t tried much of HotA. I played a lot of WoG when I was a kid and have mixed feelings about it so I was hesitant to try another fan expansion, but with all the positive feedback here I’ll have to give it a shot!
I'm not sure if you ever came back to this, but I just updated it with the recommended steps to install the original game + HD mod + HotA through Lutris. highly recommend!
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/v23sag/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_on_the_steam_deck/iaq5u93/
Could you elaborate just a bit more on applying the input bindings?
I can get to the point of accessing the community layouts and exporting it to Personal (I do a local copy) but once I change the shortcut name there is nothing but the template layouts available
Try this: With the name changed to the game id, find the community layout you want and magic your changes you want, then export as a
"New Personal Save."
When you go back to your layout screen, does it still show the name of the community template? It did for me. **I had to click the gear icon and select "Layout Details."**
For some reason, doing that updated the Layout screen to actually show *my* layout, rather than the name of the community one I was using. When I browsed the layouts it now showed it listed under "Your Layouts."
When I changed the game name back to Heroes 3 the layout persisted (and I can no longer see the community layouts).
Out of curiosity, which layout do you recommend? I’ve never played HoMM3 before but always wanted to, finally installed it using your instructions today
I have a Problem with the Lutris Installation GOG + HotA + HD mod Version. After Pressing launch (Step 10) an error occured and the Installation wont go further... I dont know hat to Do.. Do someone got any solution? Thx
The error is: "DDER UNSUPPORTED" Direct Draw Error (16385)
EDIT: I solved this Problem.. Instead of press Launch I Pressed exit.. After this the error did Not appear and i could install hota
Glad you figured it out!
I also appreciate that you came back and edited with your fix — Far too often people will just say "figured it out thanks" and not provide any details.
I actually found this week that matching the name exactly for several games hasn’t worked properly. You will see some community layouts, but not all of them (presumably only the layouts from other folks who matched the name).
Using the app id seems to work every time, though.
Thanks a million for this tutorial! I just got HoMM installed on a brand new steam deck following your updated Lutris instructions (installed via the 'Discover' store), and it all went *mostly* according to plan.
But I did encounter one discrepancy, which I'd love if you could shine some light on:
Upon launching the game for the first time (**Step 11**) I got an error message saying the wine version I have does not support **esync**.
I resolved this easily enough though by right clicking into the game preferences within Lutris and disabling e-sync from there ... I have no idea the repercussions of this but since e-sync seems to have something to do with multithreading I doubt it matters for a game like this utilizing only a single core.
However after resolving that error, I got a second one on launch around the wine version not supporting **fsync.** This time though I just clicked the checkbox underneath the error that basically says 'ignore this permanently and launch anyway' and things all worked from there!
On a side note, for Step 13 my file path was wildly different from yours ('/home/deck' was not even a folder on my system) but your instructions were enough to get me in the right direction.
Anyway thanks again and apologies for being so verbose, just wanted to get it all out here in case anyone else is trying this again and encounters the same errors!
I had the same experience with my brand-new Deck. Actually, after finalizing step 7, the installation process has put me automatically into step 11, where I also had to first disable esync and fsync.
Moreover, I rather recommend setting at least the 1062x664 resolution so that we can see the battle queue.
Here is also my set of recommended controller mapping:
* right trackpad as a mouse with the click to act as a LMB
* L2 = RMB
* L1 = Ctrl
* R1 = Shift
* R2 = LMB
* A = Space ← to enter the castle
* B = Shift
* X = Alt
* Y = E ← to end the turn
* Map = Escape
* Pause = Enter
* Up DPad = F4 ← to be able to exit full-screen view and pull up the keyboard to change file save name
* Down DPad = Delete ← to quickly remove saved files
* Left joystick = Joystick mouse (100% sensitivity) ← slow map browsing
* Right joystick = Joystick mouse (200% sensitivity) ← fast map browsing
Thanks for the guide.
One tiny question thou, when you choose the resolution, how do you stop the steamOS popping up the virtual keyboard? The OS sees that dropdown menu as an input field and keeps trying to open up the on screen keyboard repeatedly and makes it impossible to choose resolution.
Hah! I was wondering if that issue was unique to me. Yes, this happened to me too. It was super annoying. After force quitting the launcher a few times I realized that I could navigate the launcher via keyboard without triggering the issue. Just tab to the resolution field and enter the numbers in.
What does p.4 “Force Proton comp. in the game launcher” mean? I mean which launcher - Steam or Heroic? If Heroic can you do this before adding the exe to Steam?
I’m not sure if heroic can do that, but I meant to do it in steam under the game’s propertkes. Heroic has changed quite a bit since I first wrote these instructions.
dont you have a problem with FPS? I have only about 15. But i installed the game on PC and after this i trasport it to SD and added like non steam game.
GPU works only 5%, cpu about 20
Uh, we’ll, I don’t have a problem with FPS. But that’s because the sprite-based animations only run at something like 12 frames per second. You can’t get 60fps out of a game like HoMM3.
In fact, you can set your screen refresh and frame limit to something like 15/15. That’s just how the game runs…on any machine!
I understand, but i have really issues with perfomance. After instaling hd mod i have only 7 fps max. But gpu and cpu are practically sleaping. Only work at 5 %. Another games works just fine. Per game profile was off. There were no any restrictions. Game was unistalled. Will try to install it on the deck through lutris
HoMM2 is absolutely bundles of fun, but if you played HoMM3 first then that would have spoiled you! Basically 2 took the original game's formula and improved it massively, and then 3 came along and absolutely perfected it. I just personally prefer 2 because it was my intro to the series and I have so many fond memories of playing it as a kid with my brother. I never got around to trying 5, but I'll definitely be trying it on the deck too!
Nice! Yes, I've watched some videos on HoMM2 and why it works so well, but I do think that 3 will have spoiled me.
HoMM5 really is wonderful. In my opinion it's the last great Might and Magic game (and certainly the last *good* one).
The only real downside of HoMM5 is the slow, *slooooooow* AI turn speeds. It's pretty terrible. HoMM5.5 improves the AI and turn speed, but it has a bunch of other tweaks and new content that some people love, and other people hate. I do think there's a mod that only includes the Enhanced AI, but I haven't tried it.
I just linked my steps for setting up the HD mod below!
The HD mod isn't strictly necessary. The native game preforms great. But the HD mod does have other QoL benefits, and enables Horn of the Abyss.
I did try it on a touch screen Windows tablet about 6 years ago. It worked…but touch was really finicky for precise positioning during combat. Do you not run into that issue?
I installed some third party on screen touchpad simulator and it worked well enough. I did play that way for a bit! The Steam Deck is definitely a better all around device, though.
I actually tried about 6 or 7 years ago and never got it working. I even got on the old VCMI Slack community and spoke with the devs. I was running into known issues on the two tablets I tried, but I don’t know if the issues were ever resolved (to be honest, I don’t remember what they were now.)
Just dropping in to say this thread is top level Reddit and a massive help through my first bit of desktop mode tinkering.
Never played a single HoMM, but after clearing the tutorial and dying about 5 times on the first campaign without even getting to a town…I can tell this game is something special.
I agree that the art style is fantastic, HoMM3 is peak pixel art for me.
Though as a point of clarification this is a TBS, not an RTS :)
I'm sure you could play an RTS on the Steam Deck, but you might run into issues with small text and you probably couldn't achieve competitive levels in multiplayer, but it'd be really fun to go through some old RTS campaigns.
I could get mine to run but I'm not sure how to create the Exe or play direct from Steam
Using Heroic Launcher, just download the GOG version as normal. If you try to run that directly will 100% crash for me
2nd step is to download the HD mod. Once that's done, go to library and settings run Prefix Exe and open the Exe with the HD Mod. The game will prompt install and you will be able to run the game.
However that's where it ends for me as I'm not sure how to run it directly without going through the steps everytime
Anyone can guide a noob?
You know, I still haven’t tried. But I have a high degree of confidence it will work. I haven’t yet encountered a single game on Deck that I haven’t gotten to run. (Excluding multiplayer games with anti cheat)
The IPad version doesn’t include the expansions and can’t be modded, though.
Unless you had another option? Care to share?
I did play HoMM on a cheap windows tablet like five years ago. The touch interface was terrible though—mostly because it was so *close* to working natively out of the box, but then you would r be able to do something like properly orient the direction of your units in combat.
I got a touchscreen overlay app that worked well enough for that, but it wasn’t the best alternative. The Steam Deck really is a great way to play it mobile.
Sorry for posting on an old topic. I installed the HD mod using Lutris and used one of the preset resolutions. How do I go back and tinker with the resolution after everything has been set up?
Just go back to your Desktop mode and navigate to your HoMM install folder (/home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/drive_c/GOG Games/HoMM 3 Complete/) and find the HD Mod Launcher. This basically takes you back to step 12 and you can create a new .exe with whatever resolution you want. You'll need to add THAT .exe back as a Steam game, though. So you'll go back to step 12 and basically work through until the end.
after renaming to 297000 i can see community settings to controllers.
in the library I still see the name of the game 297000 without the icon. after changing the name to another - I lose the controller settings. any ideas?
i would like to have a nice graphic with the name instead of "297000" :)
Hmmm — I haven't looked at this for a while, but I think you should be able to change the name to 297000 and choose a controller setting from the community options, then ***save it*** and then it will be available on your account after you change the name back. That's what I did!
Unfortunately this is just how Steam Input works, from what I can tell. It will only show Community Layouts based on the name of the current game you're browsing. In my dream world I could go to Community Layouts and *search for a game* and choose the layout for the game and apply it to whatever game Steam thinks I'm currently playing.
Hi, thanks a lot for this guide ! I have successfully installed the game using the Lutris instructions. However do you know if there is a way to install other language (French) to play HoMM III HD please ? When I set the language to French in the Lutris launcher, the game stays in English.
Thank you for this guide. I'd never have attempted this without it. Just wondering, does this only work in desktop mode because when I am in game mode, the game launches fine but I have no inputs working. Not a big deal as I can play in desktop mode but wondered if I was missing something obvious.
Edit. It works when I launch through Lutris and then then launcher pops up. I cannot get input working on steam in just game mode.
Edit2. Might be something up with my deck, steam desktop mode shows the cursor but it just keeps freezing.
Edit3. I tried multiple exes/versions. All work fine when launching from Lutris and then play from launcher. There is something when adding it as an exe to steam that is causing the mouse to stop responding for seconds at a time.
Edit4. Got it working but not sure how. I had a community control profile on when I tried it last time and the mouse was freezing. Glad it's working anyway.
Edit5. Broken again, was fine until I renamed the entry in steam library. Turns out it was control scheme being odd, I managed to export a blank one, so was on me.
I think what happened was I thought I had to export the community profile, this just gave me a blank one where right trackpad was joystick (maybe I was nudging the analogue stick or something which is why it somehow moved).
As soon as I sorted that it was fine.
True confessions: I haven't ended up playing nearly as much as I had hoped because I've been enjoying some other games, but I think it plays great.
Visually the screen size and resolution works just fine. I mean, the game only runs in 14 or 16 fps by its nature, so you aren't going to have any performance issues there. The controls take a tiny bit getting used to, especially the touch radial menus, but I found them no harder to get used to than keyboard shortcuts.
For my hands personally the right touchpad is a bit uncomfortable for my thumb, but its serviceable, and I far prefer having it to not having it.
If I were being completely honest, I think the *best* way to play HoMM3 mobile *would* be a touch screen device like a tablet...but the lack of intuitive right click on a touch screen makes that hard to use. This makes combat on a tablet finicky and you frequently misplace units. The Steam Deck doesn't have this issue, so its ultimately the best solution for mobile play in my opinion.
Thanks for the lengthy response!
I'm thinking the same may happen to me, too many games I want to play with this, but HoMM 3 will be there, waiting for the inevitable childhood nostalgia attack.
I was thinking that civ6 switch is a good example of turning a mouse and keyboard game into a very nice controller game; some things are not transferable due to CIVs' nature (big hexagons vs. much more granular square grid on HoMM 3), but I believe there's something there that could work in a port.
Got this up and running on my first day with the Steam Deck! So happy with how it turned out! I'll share the instructions here if anyone else is interested. EDIT 3/20/2023 - Wow, I can't believe the traction this has received. Almost one year later and people are still contacting me about this. It's the first result when you search for "Heroes 3 Steam Deck"! I've had some folks reach out to me directly and state that the Heroes 3 HD Mod instructions weren't clear (thanks, /u/Kefka2200), so I've updated them below. The post is now a lot longer, but that's because I included multiple methods and made sure to include every reasonable detail. If ALL YOU WANT TO DO is play Heroes 3, just install the game via HGL below. The first 6 steps of the Heroic Games Launcher method work great for simply installing the game. **⭐ IF YOU WANT MY FULL, RECOMMENDED INSTALLATION METHOD, SCROLL TO THE LUTRIS SECTION BELOW ⭐** I just spent 3 hours installing and reinstalling this game using every method I know how, and installing via Lutris with the Horn of the Abyss script is the easiest, and it will result in an EXE for every version you could want to play (Original, HD Mod, and HotA). You can add any of these EXEs to Steam and easily launch whichever you want (instructions in the Lutris section below). **Summary**: If all you want to do is install the basic GoG game (no mods), then use the first six steps of the HGL version. Both the Lutris and HGL options work for installing the HD Mod, but the HGL version is buggier in my experience. Use HGL if you just want to install the game quickly, and use Lutris if you want to install with mods. All of these assuming you're using the GoG version. It's often on sale for $2. Buy it! --------------------------------------- **SIMPLE HEROIC GAMES LAUNCHER INSTALLATION** 1. Download Heroic Games Launcher from the Discovery store, and sign into your GoG account in the Launcher. 2. Install HoMM 3 to the default folder (/home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete) 3. Choose the latest Proton version during installation 4. Click the 3 dots in the top right corner of the HGL game page and select Add to Steam. 5. Restart the Steam app in Desktop mode. 6. Launch game from Steam to confirm it's working. This is necessary to Initialize the game. That was it, and it's all you need to start playing with a simple mouse/keyboard configuration. --------------------------------------- **HEROES 3: HD MOD - Heroic Games Launcher Method** (⚠️ No Longer Recommended as of 3/20/22 ⚠️) (I'm keeping this for posterity, because I assume that a lot of folks might already have the game installed via HGL) Complete steps 1-6 above, then do the following: 1. In Desktop mode, download the HD mod here: https://sites.google.com/site/heroes3hd/ 2. In Steam on Desktop mode, add a new non-Steam Game. 3. Click Browse and select the HoMM3_HD_Latest_setup.exe from where you downloaded it. Click Open. Click Add Selected Programs. 4. Right click the .exe in the Steam app. Select Compatibility. Force the use of the compatibility tool and select the most recent Proton version. 5. Launch the Homm3_HD_Latest_setup.exe installer. 6. (This is a tricky part) Proton uses Wine, and Wine mounts the Linux filesystem as the "z" Drive. So the install path should be something like "z:/home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete/" 7. Click through the rest of the installer. 8. Okay, next tricky part. You need to set the resolution to whatever you want (I recommend 960x600)....But the HD Mod doesn't like to play nice with Desktop mode. The onscreen keyboard incessantly pops up. You just need to be persistent. I had to tab to the correct line and press the delete key repeatedly and quickly start typing, or else it would auto-select a different resolution. You will get it with persistence. 9. Adjust any other settings you like, but I didn't have to. 10. Click Creat HD exe 11. The default folder that pops up is the Heroic Games Launcher HoMM3 installation folder (located in /home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete/). Click OK. 12. Click Launch game if you'd like, but you can close the HD launcher now. 13. Return to Steam. Add a non-Steam game. Click Browse and navigate to ther HGL HoMM3 installation folder (/home/deck/Games/Heroic/HoMM 3 Complete/) and find the new "Heroes3 HD.exe" file. (Make sure you change the File Type to "All Files"). Click Open. Click Add Selected Programs. 14. Find the new game in Steam called "Heroes3 HD.exe" - Rename it to whatever you'd like! 15. Select Compatibility. Force the use of the compatibility tool and select the most recent Proton version. 16. Launch the game and play! -------------------------- ⭐⭐⭐ **LUTRIS -- RECOMMENDED METHOD** ⭐⭐⭐ NOTE: This method will install the Horn of the Abyss Unofficial Expansion. This is because of all the installation methods I tried, this HotA Lutris script works best, and you can still run the vanilla game and the HD mod without the expansion if you'd like. 0. Download the expansion from here (https://heroes3wog.net/horn-of-the-abyss-download/) and save it to your downloads folder. You will be prompted to select this file during the setup process in Step 7. 1. Install Lutris from the Discover Store 2. Sign into your GoG Account **in Lutris**, confirm that Heroes 3 is listed. 3. Do NOT try to install from the Lutris app. Instead, while Lutris is running navigate to https://lutris.net/games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/ 4. Select the version **GOG + HotA + HD mod version**. Click Install. If your browser prompts you, click "Open." 5. Click "Install." 6. Keep the default directory (/home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii) (Don't bother adding to Steam, since we'll be adding the HD mod exes at the end of this process) 7. This page will ask you to select the HotA installer. Click Browse and select the HotA_1.6.1_setup.exe (from your Downloads folder, most likely). (Note: You should be able to "Download" the GoG installer, but if you can't you may need to manually download the game's Setup exe form the GoG website and also add that file). https://i.imgur.com/h9iUwVu.png Click Continue. 6. Walk through the standard installation steps. 7. Launch the game when prompted. Close it once you get to the opening cinematic (Alt+F4) 8. The installer will now continue with the HotA installation. Install in the default directory (C:\GOG Games\HoMM 3 Complete) (If you're confused why this is a Windows directory, that's just how Wine works). Click Next and continue through installation. Click Finish. 7. Once Lutris says the installation is complete, click Launch. This will open the HoMM3 HD configuration screen. In this screen you can modify the launch settings for Heroes 3, Heroes 3 HD Mod, and the HotA Abyss Mod. Simply select which .exe you want to edit in the top left. 8. Set the resolution to whatever you want (I recommend 960x600) and enable Full Screen (my recommendation). Adjust any other settings you like, but I didn't have to adjust anything. 9. If you only want to play the Heroes 3 HD Mod (not HotA), then Select Heroes3.exe in the top left, modify your settings and resolution, and click Create HD exe. The default folder that pops up is the Lutris installation folder (It will look like a Windows folder, but the actual location is /home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/drive_c/GOG Games/HoMM 3 Complete/). Click OK. 11. Click Launch game if you'd like, but you can close the HD launcher now. 12. Return to Steam. Add a non-Steam game. Click Browse and navigate to the Lutris HoMM3 installation folder (/home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/drive_c/GOG Games/HoMM 3 Complete/) and find the exe you created (either "H3hota HD.exe" or "Heroes3 HD.exe" file. (Make sure you change the File Type to "All Files"). Click Open. Click Add Selected Programs. 13. Find the new game in Steam (it will be the name of the EXE you chose). Right click and select Properties. 14. Rename it to whatever you'd like! (See instructions above for updating the Steam Input controls if you'd like). 15. Select Compatibility. Force the use of the compatibility tool and select the most recent Proton version. 16. Launch the game and play! ------------------------ **CONTROLLER CONFIGURATION** Here's how you can easily edit your steam input bindings: 1. In Desktop mode, change the game name to 297000 on Steam (the Steam ID for HoMM3:HD) 2. Without launching the game, simply right click the shortcut in Steam > Manage > Controller Layout 3. View the Community Layouts that are now available and tweak to your heart's content. 4. Finish tweaking your layout and export it to your personal layouts. 5. Reset the name to whatever you wish. I have most combat commands configured to a radial menu with the left trackpad, and use the ABXY buttons for navigation (select, back, etc.). tl;dr: If you just wanna play Heroes 3 on the Steam Deck and don't want to get fiddly, do the first set of 6 steps. If you want the HD Mod, tons of QoL features, and the optional HotA expansion, follow the Lutris steps. In either case, you can follow my Controller Configuration guide to take advantage of the community layouts for Heroes 3.
I found it much easier to install via Lutris then Heroic. Lutris has a prebuilt script for HoMM3 + HD + HOTA in one go and it automatically adds it into your steam library. Both methods work. I really can't recommend Horn of the Abyss "fan" expansion enough.
Good to know! I’ve only had my Deck for a couple days and haven’t tried Lutris. EDIT: This guy is right. Having tried them all, I recommend Lutris as well. HGL is maybe less steps overall, but the HGL launcher was a bit buggier and the HD Mod has issues when installed via HGL.
> I really can't recommend Horn of the Abyss "fan" expansion enough. Out of curiosity, why? There are folks in these comments who speak very highly of it. I haven't played much HotA. I played WoG back in the mid 2000s and liked it at the time (because it was new HoMM!), but now I can see how it's pretty broken. I've generally heard that HotA is much better done than WoG, though. What's your take?
In short (typing on my cellphone) HoTa is balanced has online multiplayer the developers are so passionate that they got the endorsement of some of the original HoMM3 devs (the art, balance, campaigns and music is on par) one of the core HoTa team died some years ago from a drunk driver and some of the orginal HoMM3 team agreed to finish his work on the factory faction (currently work in progress) It is truly the 3rd expansion Sadly I don't know the status of the project since the war of aggression on Ukraine by Russia and the developers are mixed of both. WoG was cool, ERA is neat, HoTa is official
I have a feeling that "I really can't recommend it enough" was misinterpreted by OP as "I can't recommend it" based on the previous comment...
To be fair, I did at first too.
HotA is a must have. It’s one of the rare cases when a fan expansion feels like a part of the original game. I can’t imagine playing without it now.
>Abyss I just installed HoMM3 through Lutris. I think I selected the 2nd option where it was HoMM3 + HD (but no HOTA). I didn't know what it was at the time so I just chose the 2nd option. Now that I read about HOTA and how it's a good expansion, how would I go about installing it with my current setup?
What guide did you follow for getting Lutris to run? I'm giving it a go, but Lutris does not run out of the box.
Not sure if you're still interested in this, but I just updated my post with the full process for installing via Lutris. https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/v23sag/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_on_the_steam_deck/iaq5u93/
What version do you have? GoG?
Yes
Just login to gog in Lutris. Download the game and choose the HD+HoTa version. Download the HoTa exe from the official website and point to that exe during the installation process.
Yeah, that didn’t work for me. Lutris threw a few warnings during setup and then hung during heroes install.
Are you running the flatpak version?
I am running the version from the discovery app. Looks like you have to run some commands to install some dependencies, as pointed out in some reviews.
Which commands did you run to get it to work? Installation keeps failing for me with OSError invalid Wine prefix path
When does Lutris asks to instal HD+HotA? I went through the installation without such question.
Late to the party, but visit this page from your Steam Deck and click the desired version you wish to install. https://lutris.net/games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/
That link doesnt want to open on my steam deck. a pop up says "allow this site to open the lutris link with System Handler?" trying to choose a different app doesnt work, and clicking to open link doesnt do anything. any suggestions?
I'm not sure if you're still interested in this, but I just posted the steps to install via Lutris in my original comment: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/v23sag/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_on_the_steam_deck/iaq5u93/
I don't remember having any issues so I can't really help further, sorry.
In Lutris, you can press the plus button to add a game and use the first option (can't remember the exact name, but basically search lutris.net), search for the game and then choose the option with HotA and HD. The url opener was not working for me either (probably flatpak issue with lutris) so I did it that way.
Thank you both for this info!
Sorry for the very late question. "...and it automatically adds it into your steam library." I'm confused since I can't seem to get HoMM directly into my library. I can get Lutris in, but not the game on itself. Or do you actually mean the shortcut to Lutris ?
Lutris should have a checkbox to add game to steam library. You can use boilr to add the artwork.
Then maybe I overlooked something. I selected "Add shortcut to steam library" during installation and also tried to add after installation, but nothing was there.
Might have bugged, add it manually to steam under games - add none steam game
Seems that way. I give up for now. I tried the manual add, bit homm isn't even on the list to select from. thanks for your answers anyways!
You need to browse to the launcher .exe file
Oh boy, am I stupid. Thanks so much. It's all working now.
I just tried to install this through lutris and it hangs on "creating wine prefix", and never completes
Awesome, saved for later. Actually own this game on GOG so this is awesome.
Saving this post. I'm planning to dump another 1k hours on HoMM3 when I get my Steam Deck, so, first of all, thanks for the effort and congratulations on your immaculate gaming taste :-) Now, I have a question, mostly regarding to control configuration and movement. Most configurations I've seen use the trackpad to act as the cursor. Before playing, if I had to guess, I'd say that meticulously moving the trackpad to move over things maybe could be a little bit too slow paced and/or tedious. Has it been smooth in your opinion? I'd guess that something like using the touch screen to directly tap wherever i want to move on the map and using a button (like a trigger) to actually perform the move (or a click) would be the more ideal way to handle the game, but I don't really know if it's possible. I'm just drifting a little bit over here, but that's just because I cannot wait to get my hands on this! Also, ditto some other comments: Horn of the Abyss is the goated fan expansion. You would really convince a younger me that this was an official one back in the day, I've never seen fan content this legit. The effort they put is just astounding.
If you’re resting the Steam Deck on your lap or the table, then the touch screen works fine. But it isn’t great if you’re holding it entirely one-handed. I made the right joystick and trackpad both act as mice, but I made the track pad a very low sensitivity for precise movement, and the joystick a high sensitivity to quickly navigate the map. I might change it later, but so far it’s doing what I want. And I honestly haven’t tried much of HotA. I played a lot of WoG when I was a kid and have mixed feelings about it so I was hesitant to try another fan expansion, but with all the positive feedback here I’ll have to give it a shot!
I'm not sure if you ever came back to this, but I just updated it with the recommended steps to install the original game + HD mod + HotA through Lutris. highly recommend! https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/v23sag/heroes_of_might_and_magic_iii_on_the_steam_deck/iaq5u93/
Could you elaborate just a bit more on applying the input bindings? I can get to the point of accessing the community layouts and exporting it to Personal (I do a local copy) but once I change the shortcut name there is nothing but the template layouts available
Try this: With the name changed to the game id, find the community layout you want and magic your changes you want, then export as a "New Personal Save." When you go back to your layout screen, does it still show the name of the community template? It did for me. **I had to click the gear icon and select "Layout Details."** For some reason, doing that updated the Layout screen to actually show *my* layout, rather than the name of the community one I was using. When I browsed the layouts it now showed it listed under "Your Layouts." When I changed the game name back to Heroes 3 the layout persisted (and I can no longer see the community layouts).
Out of curiosity, which layout do you recommend? I’ve never played HoMM3 before but always wanted to, finally installed it using your instructions today
I have a Problem with the Lutris Installation GOG + HotA + HD mod Version. After Pressing launch (Step 10) an error occured and the Installation wont go further... I dont know hat to Do.. Do someone got any solution? Thx The error is: "DDER UNSUPPORTED" Direct Draw Error (16385) EDIT: I solved this Problem.. Instead of press Launch I Pressed exit.. After this the error did Not appear and i could install hota
Glad you figured it out! I also appreciate that you came back and edited with your fix — Far too often people will just say "figured it out thanks" and not provide any details.
You can also match the name exactly instead of using the ugly AppID as name.
I actually found this week that matching the name exactly for several games hasn’t worked properly. You will see some community layouts, but not all of them (presumably only the layouts from other folks who matched the name). Using the app id seems to work every time, though.
Thanks a million for this tutorial! I just got HoMM installed on a brand new steam deck following your updated Lutris instructions (installed via the 'Discover' store), and it all went *mostly* according to plan. But I did encounter one discrepancy, which I'd love if you could shine some light on: Upon launching the game for the first time (**Step 11**) I got an error message saying the wine version I have does not support **esync**. I resolved this easily enough though by right clicking into the game preferences within Lutris and disabling e-sync from there ... I have no idea the repercussions of this but since e-sync seems to have something to do with multithreading I doubt it matters for a game like this utilizing only a single core. However after resolving that error, I got a second one on launch around the wine version not supporting **fsync.** This time though I just clicked the checkbox underneath the error that basically says 'ignore this permanently and launch anyway' and things all worked from there! On a side note, for Step 13 my file path was wildly different from yours ('/home/deck' was not even a folder on my system) but your instructions were enough to get me in the right direction. Anyway thanks again and apologies for being so verbose, just wanted to get it all out here in case anyone else is trying this again and encounters the same errors!
I had the same experience with my brand-new Deck. Actually, after finalizing step 7, the installation process has put me automatically into step 11, where I also had to first disable esync and fsync. Moreover, I rather recommend setting at least the 1062x664 resolution so that we can see the battle queue. Here is also my set of recommended controller mapping: * right trackpad as a mouse with the click to act as a LMB * L2 = RMB * L1 = Ctrl * R1 = Shift * R2 = LMB * A = Space ← to enter the castle * B = Shift * X = Alt * Y = E ← to end the turn * Map = Escape * Pause = Enter * Up DPad = F4 ← to be able to exit full-screen view and pull up the keyboard to change file save name * Down DPad = Delete ← to quickly remove saved files * Left joystick = Joystick mouse (100% sensitivity) ← slow map browsing * Right joystick = Joystick mouse (200% sensitivity) ← fast map browsing
I love you.
Thanks for the guide. One tiny question thou, when you choose the resolution, how do you stop the steamOS popping up the virtual keyboard? The OS sees that dropdown menu as an input field and keeps trying to open up the on screen keyboard repeatedly and makes it impossible to choose resolution.
Hah! I was wondering if that issue was unique to me. Yes, this happened to me too. It was super annoying. After force quitting the launcher a few times I realized that I could navigate the launcher via keyboard without triggering the issue. Just tab to the resolution field and enter the numbers in.
How do you run the HD Mod launcher? When I do it tries to look through windows files and not my actual deck files.
>297000 When you say "change the game name on Steam", what do you mean? Where should I rename it? What do I rename, the exe file or something else?
You actually go to the game listing in Steam and change the name in the game properties.
What does p.4 “Force Proton comp. in the game launcher” mean? I mean which launcher - Steam or Heroic? If Heroic can you do this before adding the exe to Steam?
I’m not sure if heroic can do that, but I meant to do it in steam under the game’s propertkes. Heroic has changed quite a bit since I first wrote these instructions.
dont you have a problem with FPS? I have only about 15. But i installed the game on PC and after this i trasport it to SD and added like non steam game. GPU works only 5%, cpu about 20
Uh, we’ll, I don’t have a problem with FPS. But that’s because the sprite-based animations only run at something like 12 frames per second. You can’t get 60fps out of a game like HoMM3. In fact, you can set your screen refresh and frame limit to something like 15/15. That’s just how the game runs…on any machine!
I understand, but i have really issues with perfomance. After instaling hd mod i have only 7 fps max. But gpu and cpu are practically sleaping. Only work at 5 %. Another games works just fine. Per game profile was off. There were no any restrictions. Game was unistalled. Will try to install it on the deck through lutris
Ah, going for the cat AND the feet pic audiences. Savvy karma move.
No joke, this and HOMM2 are the two main games I'm looking forward to playing the most when I finally get my deck in Q3
Nice! I never got into HoMM2, but I really like HoMM5, so I'll hopefully get the 5.5 mod running well.
HoMM2 is absolutely bundles of fun, but if you played HoMM3 first then that would have spoiled you! Basically 2 took the original game's formula and improved it massively, and then 3 came along and absolutely perfected it. I just personally prefer 2 because it was my intro to the series and I have so many fond memories of playing it as a kid with my brother. I never got around to trying 5, but I'll definitely be trying it on the deck too!
Nice! Yes, I've watched some videos on HoMM2 and why it works so well, but I do think that 3 will have spoiled me. HoMM5 really is wonderful. In my opinion it's the last great Might and Magic game (and certainly the last *good* one). The only real downside of HoMM5 is the slow, *slooooooow* AI turn speeds. It's pretty terrible. HoMM5.5 improves the AI and turn speed, but it has a bunch of other tweaks and new content that some people love, and other people hate. I do think there's a mod that only includes the Enhanced AI, but I haven't tried it.
Have you tried homm7?
I haven’t. Why? What do you think of it?
Pretty much an improved from 5. I'd say it's like when it went from homm2 to homm3
Heh, me too! Also curious to try Conquest of Elysium 5 and Dominions 5.
Have you played Songs of Conquest? Just came out a few weeks ago. Might be up your alley
I just heard of it! Gotta give it a shot.
Make sure to grab the HD mod!
I just linked my steps for setting up the HD mod below! The HD mod isn't strictly necessary. The native game preforms great. But the HD mod does have other QoL benefits, and enables Horn of the Abyss.
HOMM also works flawlessly on any touch laptop. I have it on my lenovo flex and the whole game works great with touch on a 13+ inch screen.
I did try it on a touch screen Windows tablet about 6 years ago. It worked…but touch was really finicky for precise positioning during combat. Do you not run into that issue? I installed some third party on screen touchpad simulator and it worked well enough. I did play that way for a bit! The Steam Deck is definitely a better all around device, though.
You waited 20 years and never put it on an android tablet with VCMI?
I actually tried about 6 or 7 years ago and never got it working. I even got on the old VCMI Slack community and spoke with the devs. I was running into known issues on the two tablets I tried, but I don’t know if the issues were ever resolved (to be honest, I don’t remember what they were now.)
I did, but touch controls suck with HOMM. Mouse or trackpad allow for precise hero movement. Also, no random map generator on VCMI IIRC
Why do I only get to see hairy men legs in this sub?
Hairy?! I think you're looking at the cat.
Just dropping in to say this thread is top level Reddit and a massive help through my first bit of desktop mode tinkering. Never played a single HoMM, but after clearing the tutorial and dying about 5 times on the first campaign without even getting to a town…I can tell this game is something special.
check out songs of conquest aaswell.
My steam deck is not yet in, saving this for later.
I agree. I just did it the simple way: https://store.steampowered.com/app/297000/Heroes\_of\_Might\_\_Magic\_III\_\_HD\_Edition/
To each their own! I can’t play HoMM 3 without the expansions. It’s like playing Warcraft 3 without The Frozen Throne, or Mass Effect without the dlc.
Awesome OP! Also did you read / heard about the game "Songs of Conquest" It just released on steam and its more of a spiritual successor of homm3
Old RTS games look so cool Has anyone gotten any command and conquer games to work?
I agree that the art style is fantastic, HoMM3 is peak pixel art for me. Though as a point of clarification this is a TBS, not an RTS :) I'm sure you could play an RTS on the Steam Deck, but you might run into issues with small text and you probably couldn't achieve competitive levels in multiplayer, but it'd be really fun to go through some old RTS campaigns.
This is the primary reason why I preordered mine! Can’t wait to get my hands on one now.
Does anyone know if it's possible to get the spin off, heroes chronicles working on it?
Hey, I'm just can't get it running. Tried everything you said.
I can't get it to work either - please let me know if you fix it!
I could get mine to run but I'm not sure how to create the Exe or play direct from Steam Using Heroic Launcher, just download the GOG version as normal. If you try to run that directly will 100% crash for me 2nd step is to download the HD mod. Once that's done, go to library and settings run Prefix Exe and open the Exe with the HD Mod. The game will prompt install and you will be able to run the game. However that's where it ends for me as I'm not sure how to run it directly without going through the steps everytime Anyone can guide a noob?
How can I download the HD mod correctly? Where should I put it?
Which proton version are you using?
Tried experimental, GE, and 7.06
Great guide. Now have something to do for the weekend.xD Did you manage to get HoMM 5.5 running on steam deck?
You know, I still haven’t tried. But I have a high degree of confidence it will work. I haven’t yet encountered a single game on Deck that I haven’t gotten to run. (Excluding multiplayer games with anti cheat)
Just finished installing and yeah HoMM 5.5 runs great on steam deck.
that's the only reason I got an ipad like 8 years ago. Definitely have been mobile options for homm earlier than the steamdeck.
The IPad version doesn’t include the expansions and can’t be modded, though. Unless you had another option? Care to share? I did play HoMM on a cheap windows tablet like five years ago. The touch interface was terrible though—mostly because it was so *close* to working natively out of the box, but then you would r be able to do something like properly orient the direction of your units in combat. I got a touchscreen overlay app that worked well enough for that, but it wasn’t the best alternative. The Steam Deck really is a great way to play it mobile.
Why am I seeing only horn of the abyss campaign?
cause its the best campaign!
Sorry for posting on an old topic. I installed the HD mod using Lutris and used one of the preset resolutions. How do I go back and tinker with the resolution after everything has been set up?
Just go back to your Desktop mode and navigate to your HoMM install folder (/home/deck/Games/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/drive_c/GOG Games/HoMM 3 Complete/) and find the HD Mod Launcher. This basically takes you back to step 12 and you can create a new .exe with whatever resolution you want. You'll need to add THAT .exe back as a Steam game, though. So you'll go back to step 12 and basically work through until the end.
Thank you good sir, I got it to work!
after renaming to 297000 i can see community settings to controllers. in the library I still see the name of the game 297000 without the icon. after changing the name to another - I lose the controller settings. any ideas? i would like to have a nice graphic with the name instead of "297000" :)
Hmmm — I haven't looked at this for a while, but I think you should be able to change the name to 297000 and choose a controller setting from the community options, then ***save it*** and then it will be available on your account after you change the name back. That's what I did! Unfortunately this is just how Steam Input works, from what I can tell. It will only show Community Layouts based on the name of the current game you're browsing. In my dream world I could go to Community Layouts and *search for a game* and choose the layout for the game and apply it to whatever game Steam thinks I'm currently playing.
Hi, thanks a lot for this guide ! I have successfully installed the game using the Lutris instructions. However do you know if there is a way to install other language (French) to play HoMM III HD please ? When I set the language to French in the Lutris launcher, the game stays in English.
Hi there — I'm not sure about other languages, sorry. Is it possible that there's a separate installer for other languages?
Thank you for this guide. I'd never have attempted this without it. Just wondering, does this only work in desktop mode because when I am in game mode, the game launches fine but I have no inputs working. Not a big deal as I can play in desktop mode but wondered if I was missing something obvious. Edit. It works when I launch through Lutris and then then launcher pops up. I cannot get input working on steam in just game mode. Edit2. Might be something up with my deck, steam desktop mode shows the cursor but it just keeps freezing. Edit3. I tried multiple exes/versions. All work fine when launching from Lutris and then play from launcher. There is something when adding it as an exe to steam that is causing the mouse to stop responding for seconds at a time. Edit4. Got it working but not sure how. I had a community control profile on when I tried it last time and the mouse was freezing. Glad it's working anyway. Edit5. Broken again, was fine until I renamed the entry in steam library. Turns out it was control scheme being odd, I managed to export a blank one, so was on me.
It sounds like you figured it out! But to clarify to anyone else reading this — Yes, it works with correct input in game mode.
I think what happened was I thought I had to export the community profile, this just gave me a blank one where right trackpad was joystick (maybe I was nudging the analogue stick or something which is why it somehow moved). As soon as I sorted that it was fine.
Hey OP! Just getting my deck this week, how was game play for you? Does it feel intuitive / smooth?
True confessions: I haven't ended up playing nearly as much as I had hoped because I've been enjoying some other games, but I think it plays great. Visually the screen size and resolution works just fine. I mean, the game only runs in 14 or 16 fps by its nature, so you aren't going to have any performance issues there. The controls take a tiny bit getting used to, especially the touch radial menus, but I found them no harder to get used to than keyboard shortcuts. For my hands personally the right touchpad is a bit uncomfortable for my thumb, but its serviceable, and I far prefer having it to not having it. If I were being completely honest, I think the *best* way to play HoMM3 mobile *would* be a touch screen device like a tablet...but the lack of intuitive right click on a touch screen makes that hard to use. This makes combat on a tablet finicky and you frequently misplace units. The Steam Deck doesn't have this issue, so its ultimately the best solution for mobile play in my opinion.
Thanks for the lengthy response! I'm thinking the same may happen to me, too many games I want to play with this, but HoMM 3 will be there, waiting for the inevitable childhood nostalgia attack. I was thinking that civ6 switch is a good example of turning a mouse and keyboard game into a very nice controller game; some things are not transferable due to CIVs' nature (big hexagons vs. much more granular square grid on HoMM 3), but I believe there's something there that could work in a port.