Project: Phoenix

Project: Phoenix is a JVM-based runtime patching framework for Heroes of Might and Magic III.

It provides a foundation for mods that can be embedded directly into the map and executed at runtime — without any external plugins or patch managers.
The modification code is shipped together with the map and loaded dynamically, making each scenario fully self-contained.

Demonstration

In the demo build, three new artifacts were added to the game:

• Ring of Phoenix — grants phoenixes full resurrection after battle.
• Token of Coward — alters combat behavior by affecting fear and cost evaluation in battle logic.
• Phoenix Forge — a configurable creature bank that replaces graphics and behavior directly from map events.

These examples demonstrate how the engine can be patched and extended from within a map script, without modifying the game binaries.

Each map can define it's own new artifacts, creature banks, etc entirely through embedded Java modules.

Features

• Embed mods directly into .h3m maps.
• Fully open-source — no closed libraries or proprietary dependencies.
• All mods and projects built on Phoenix must remain open-source and use a compatible license.
• Supports runtime engine patching and extensions without modifying the original binaries.

Purpose

Phoenix enables map creators to define their own mechanics, rules, and logic — all within a single file, fully under the author’s control.
Each map becomes not just a scenario, but a complete standalone modification.

Philosophy

Phoenix was built for fun — a technical experiment to see how far Heroes III can be pushed.
Its main goal is already achieved: proving that the game can be modified directly from the JVM.
If the project gains interest from the community, future development will focus on technology — improving tooling, simplifying patch creation, and expanding framework capabilities.

License

• Core (src/) — GPL-2.0
• Build tools (buildSrc/) — Apache-2.0
• All derivative projects must remain open-source under a compatible license.

Running

To start Phoenix, make sure you have JDK 17 installed, and then:

./gradlew phoenixRun

And follow the instructions.