HoMM5

[dteowner]

Has anyone heard rumors of a "gold edition" being planned? While I want features presented in the expansion (random maps!), I don't particularly want to drop $30 for the game plus another $30 for the expansion when I can keep playing my copy of HoMM3. I'm willing to wait if it's likely I can buy the whole shooting match in one box for one decent price. Tanx.

[txa1265]

From CelestialHeavens (http://www.celestialheavens.com/):

Also on Amazon is the Silver Edition of Heroes of Might and Magic V (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heroes-Might-Magic-Silver-DVD/dp/B000KKNC3M/sr=8-6/qid=1167404765?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&tag2=celestialheav-21), which appears to be out already. Like the huge Complete edition of the game earlier, this is another UK exclusive. I wouldn't be surprised if a similar package came out in North America as well in the future. Also, the Silver reference screams for a future Gold edition, doesn't it?

The Silver edition contains the game and expansion - but as it says is UK only right now.

[dteowner]

Sounds like a second expansion is in the plans, doesn't it. Thanks for the info, Mike.

[GothicGothicness]

Don't get Heroes 5, it sucks.

[dteowner]

Don't get Heroes 5, it sucks.
Since you seem to have decent taste in games, would you care to add some detail to that opinion?

[txa1265]

I never played much of any of them, and only a bit of this but I lost interest after a bit ...

[Maylander]

It's fairly decent in my opinion. We're not talking the glory of HoMM3 here, but it is still better than most alternatives today. Gameplaywise it's closer to 3 than 4, but is far from as polished as 3 is.

[dteowner]

If the biggest complaint is the poor campaigns, I couldn't care less since I never play them anyway. I stick to scenerios and random maps.

[magerette]

I think it's pretty faithful to the series; like Maylander says, the gameplay is pretty unchanged fundamentally from Heroes3. Scripting and cutscenes and the 3d world make it look much prettier, tho the camara angles especially underground can be irritating. It has some nice twists in the (admittedly juvenile) campaigns. I liked it, but I 'm a Heroes junkie.

I think it's a safe guess that Ubi is going for the franchise here, and we can probably expect to see more expansions and a Gold. I agree that it might be worth your while to wait, or try for the import.

[Maylander]

Indeed, the gameplay is decent, and fairly similar to that in HoMM3, altho not as good. The camera, especially, is annoying since the game is in 3D and you need to rotate and change angle quite a bit to spot everything.

[magerette]

Yes. it took me quite a while to get the "feel" of the camera--but after about 60 hours I had no problem ;)

dte--if you aren't going to play the campaigns, you might want to wait for that package--there are only about a dozen scenario maps with the patched game, tho I'm sure there are a few more with Farmers of Hate. Fan maps are coming along nicely tho-I've played several good ones from Celestial Heavens.

[GothicGothicness]

Since you seem to have decent taste in games, would you care to add some detail to that opinion?

I love Heroes 1,2 and 3, four doesn't exist :D, 5 was a bit better, but it doesn't have the heroes magic, yeah the poor campaign is a big complaint. However far from the only ones, the bugs in multiplayer was extremly annoying... granted it might have been fixed a bit in the latest patch, there was also many bugs with the spells. Besides I don't see any reason to get it if you have heroes 3 since it is superior in everyway.

The "new" features they tried to add, doesn't make the game better.... in fact I think it just makes it worse. The interface to do some things are way to complicated I tried to split my army of archer into two groups.. if I remmember correctly you did this by shift clicking! Why change it it was so easy in the other heroes games. The 3d-effects are time consuming, I really don't like to wait... yes it is cool the first XXX times... but you get tired of it, some can be disabled but not all. The game sucks up memory after extensive playing it becomes slower and slower. The 3d-map is not that good of an idea, I missed important places or items or monsters because I didn't pan rotate and zoom in every possible direction on every move.

hmm, should I make a longer post? or is it enough?

[KazikluBey]

I agree that HoMM 5 is quite annoying to play due to the 3D camera, but I'm personally more interested in knowing why most HoMM fanatics despise the fourth game so. I loved 2 and 3, so when I heard 4 was supposedly not any good I stayed away from it. Last year my curiosity got the better of me when I saw it with the expansions in the bargain bin so I decided to give it a try.

I was somewhat surprised by the fact that I liked it. The campaigns were quite good (mostly well written), you can have multiple heroes in a single army and they take part in battle, the level/skill system was improved and the towns require you to choose which units you can and cannot build. I don't really see what there is not to like about it.

[txa1265]

Last year my curiosity got the better of me when I saw it with the expansions in the bargain bin so I decided to give it a try.
Hehe ... now I'm watching from the sidelines - I have walked by the bargain version countless times thinking the same thing :)

[Delirious Nomad]

I guess this are the 3 main reasons why many disliked HoMM IV:

- Too colourful / childish
- No multiplayer support for month after the release
- Some hero-buildts unbalanced the multiplayer part (combat heroes were able to destruct large armys with a dozen black dragons alone / well, it's called Heroes and not Creatures of Might & Magic :) )

I loved the campaigns, making it my favorite Heroes
4>3>5>2>Kings Bounty (never played 1, does it exist or is KB 1 ?)

[KazikluBey]

Well, both HoMM 2 and HoMM 1 (http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/heroes-of-might-and-magic) were colorful/childish, and I don't care much about multiplayer - I tried HoMM 3 with my brother over LAN, but waiting for your turn is just boring.

My favorite HoMM is number two, but that is largely due to nostalgia, I suspect.

[dteowner]

Thanks for all the opinions, folks. Let me ask one more-

Since I don't campaign, don't have a problem with HoMM3 graphics, nor do I play multiplayer, is there any real change between v3 and v5? For reference, upgrade-able units would be an example of real change between v2 and v3. Based on limited time with the demo, it looks like heroes in combat and the initiative stack (which I like) may be the only real changes which might not be enough to justify the purchase.

[Delirious Nomad]

Well, there are big differences in the factions, their units and abilities (like crafting artifacts for academy units). If you are looking for a modern 3D turn based strategy game it'll be hard finding something better. And if you are having a better rig than mine (1,8 Ghz / 1 G Ram / low end 128 MB gfxcard = running it all on minimum), the game is looking really sweet.

[dteowner]

My rig is a bit behind yours-- AthlonXP 1.7 / 512MB RAM / 128MB GF3

I'm itching to buy a shiny new rig, but I've got to plan the bank robbery first. :(

[VPeric]

The dislike 5 because the atmosphere, and that Heroes "feel" is just gone. Remember how, back in 3, visiting buildings gave you that little bitty text about what's happening there, and then told you what you got from it - that's gone; now it's just a floating number showing which resources you got. Same for the artifacts. In my opinion, this lessens the game's value considerably - now it's just another strategy, and not //Heroes//.

On the other hand, you can see that HoMM 4 was made by 3DO, because they DO have all those fun little things. I suspect HoMM 4 was mostly disliked because it was such a drastic change. Also, the initial release was plagued by bugs, crashes etc. I, personally, quite enjoyed it for what it is (ie. not a "regular" Heroes game).

In the end, HoMM 5 gives less attention those little important details, and the only innovation it brings is the initiative thingie. Everything else is just plain recycled from old games (I don't consider allowing heroes to attack a major change, since it's virtually the same as casting a spell, which was always present).

[Maylander]

KazikluBey - I actually enjoyed HoMM4 quite a bit. Most people didn't like the heroes entering battle, or being able to make redicilously power armies consisting only of heroes and no actual units. I, however, enjoy the variation. Making every game identical will eliminate the fun in them, as you might as well just play the "best" of the almost identical versions (for most people, that would be replaying HoMM3 over and over and over).

[GothicGothicness]

is there any real change between v3 and v5? For reference, upgrade-able units would be an example of real change between v2 and v3. Based on limited time with the demo, it looks like heroes in combat and the initiative stack (which I like) may be the only real changes which might not be enough to justify the purchase.

There are some changes, but IMHO like I said nothing that makes the game better..... just worse. One really neat idea they did have though is to give all the units a special ability! They didn't balance it out however and it creates many problems, if you use this special ability right, you can do a lot better in many battles. Could have been great had they but more work into it!

Some hero-buildts unbalanced the multiplayer part (combat heroes were able to destruct large armys with a dozen black dragons alone / well, it's called Heroes and not Creatures of Might & Magic )

The graphic in Heroes 4 was a big step down IMHO, it doesn't matter that much for a strategy game though. The largest problem is the one you mentioned... and this is not only a problem in Multiplayer.... my hero completed the main campaign by himself LOL.... that is right I didn't use any units. It was an enormous problem the idea with heroes entering the battle was nice and all...... but it eliminated the need for any units! 3DO was on the brink of going bye bye at this time, so probably they just didn't have the time to do the balancing the game really needed.

[magerette]

I liked HoMM4 as well, but it isn't a game I've gone back and replayed like 3--I actually liked many of the ideas, tho, like the caravans- and had fun with it on a one-time through play.

AFA is there anything really different in H5, I think it does have a few improvements as well as the defects of 3D. I liked the new skill system, which allows you to build a hero toward an "ultimate skill"--the ranger's is Nature's Luck, which gives you triple damage on a luck hit. The battlefield grid allows you to place your units before battle like the old tactics skill, the Inferno faction has a skill called gating which allows your troops to gate in other demons(double your cerberi,double your fun), the Sylvan faction outTolkiens Tolkien with pointy-earedness, and the Necromancers have a fat zombie.

What more can I say?

There were also things I didn't like, such as the Town Portal spell being much less effective. Not all of the ultimate skills were especially "ultimate" and it takes a very large map or campaign to acheive them, plus the interface is somewhat clunky especially at first, etc.
I have definitely written enough:) --as always,in the end it boils down to personal taste. I don't know if they made a demo for Homm5 or not, but if so, that might be a way to check it out.-
Edit-OOps, you have the demo-my bad.


Edit--sorry to echo some of your post GG-posted at same time-I remember that H4 campaign! My hero was wiping out dragons.:)

[dteowner]

Looks like I should wait for a silver/gold edition to hit the bargain bins and then see if the mood strikes me. Thank you all for the info. The discussion of v4, which I didn't buy based on the community outrage I heard, was informative as well.