Add the Waterhole object

[Districh-ru]

Many thanks to @PusshPop for the Waterhole object sprites and for the underwater battlefield background!

fheroes2.2026-02-01.09-43-51-373.mp4

To properly represent the objects the water cycling colors were duplicated in the game palette to the non-cycle palette part. The same is done also for the lava cycling colors (it includes changes from #10287):

The new colors are placed in the unused part of palette (color IDs 246-253).
All engine palette conversion tables are updated to support the new colors (the values are mostly taken from their updated cycling colors in the corresponding table).

The Barrel object is also updated with the new palette colors.

TODO:

• Add the logic for human player for the Waterhole object;
• Add the logic for AI player for the Waterhole object.

[github-actions]

⚠️ Clang-Tidy found issue(s) with the introduced code (1/1)

[ihhub]

This is a must object for the upcoming release.

Hi @Districh-ru , do you think we can rework this pull request or would it be better to just from scratch? Also, we go updated images.

[Districh-ru]

Hi @ihhub
A little later (probably tomorrow) I'll try to resolve conflicts for this PR. If it'll be hard, I'll open a new PR.
But we should determine the logic for this object.
And also what updated images should we use?)

[ihhub]

Hi @ihhub A little later (probably tomorrow) I'll try to resolve conflicts for this PR. If it'll be hard, I'll open a new PR. But we should determine the logic for this object. And also what updated images should we use?)

Hi @Districh-ru ,

We should use images provided in this message on Discord - https://discord.com/channels/733093692860137523/1070399399127167106/1456756481612316693

I am attaching the archive here:
Waterhole close 2.zip

[github-actions]

⚠️ Clang-Tidy found issue(s) with the introduced code (1/1)

[Districh-ru]

Funny MSVC/clang-tidy errors:

• clang-tidy says error: lambda capture 'waterholePartsX' is not required to be captured for this use [clang-diagnostic-unused-lambda-capture];
• if I please Clang then MSVC says error C3493: "waterholePartsX" cannot be implicitly captured because no default capture mode has been specified
  So I used [&] to please them both.

[Districh-ru]

Hi @ihhub, should we also apply the underwater palette to the armies and hero?)

Current WIP:

fheroes2.2026-02-15.13-36-41-850.mp4

[ihhub]

@Districh-ru , looks way better! Let's keep the troops as it is for now. I see one big problem - the resource file has grown a lot. We might need to add compression there.

I will come back to this ticket once I finish Haunted Mines addition.

[PusshPop]

@Districh-ru Looks good! Nice to see that the random objects also came out nice. A question though, is it possible to set the background animation at 8 fps, regardless of what battlespeed one might choose?

should we also apply the underwater palette to the armies and hero?)

I would say no for the players own armies. However, it might worth experimenting with the underwater palette on attacking monsters so you can basically add all units, create a custom roster and it would make sense. The lore can be that you are now fighting monsters/mobs that have fallen overboard & drowned over the years and reanimated by the sea gods 😆.

[Districh-ru]

Sure, @PusshPop

fheroes2.2026-02-16.20-14-20-772.mp4

But now we have an issue: previously we had no (fast) background animation and now we need to make all battlefield animations (movement, attack, spell, ...) to properly render the background with its own render rate along with the animation of the action)
I'll try to fix it soon

[ihhub]

Hi @Districh-ru and @zenseii ,

I would like to hear your opinion about the name of the object: we cannot use waterhole as an object name since we already have Watering Hole object. I am suggesting one of the following:

1. Water Chasm
2. Ocean Rift

Please feel free to suggest different one.

[zenseii]

@ihhub, I gave some thought to these two suggestions and neither really fit well since it's neither a chasm nor a rift.

Then I realized we have the more violent type of whirlpool called maelstrom. In my opinion that would be better since it also sounds more fantasy-like and frightening.

[ihhub]

maelstrom

I like it.

[ihhub]

I am also inclining towards an idea to modify monster stats for the battle exclusively for this object. The reasoning is that this is literally underwater so it makes sense that Water Elementals have more advantage there. What do you think?

[Districh-ru]

I am also inclining towards an idea to modify monster stats for the battle exclusively for this object. The reasoning is that this is literally underwater so it makes sense that Water Elementals have more advantage there. What do you think?

@ihhub, we can keep monster stats, but apply some spells with very long duration time to hero's army and to the monsters. Like

• Slow (it is hard to move and even fly under the water),
• Stoneskin (monsters are covered with corals that made them stronger).

Doing so we'll keep the game creatures stars and logic but make this battle unique.

[Mr-Bajs]

How about fire spells under water?

[zenseii]

Lots of cool ideas here. I think any one you decide on will fit. Here are some more ideas you can take or leave:
Hp Regeneration for water elementals(we)
Increased speed for we

We'd also need to decide if and how these changes should apply to we in hero's army, both hired and summoned.

I also think we don't need to limit ourselves to reusing pre-existing spells and effects, in other words, we could make a new maelstrom-specific status for these we, and this status could, or could not, ensure the changes are exclusive to the neutral we.

As a side note in case anyone brings it up, these effects don't make sense for we in the moat since there's less water or some magical explanation 🤷

[Alucard648]

Go ahead, set time limit, i. e. 6 turns. If it expires, all living troops (undead and elementals not count) are insta-killed.
"ALL YOUR LIVING TROOPS HAVE DROWNED!" - the last entry in combat log, if it happens.

[ihhub]

Let's push these changes to the next release as it still needs a lot of refinement.