Heroes of Might & Magic: Olden Era unveiled at Gamescon

[Galaad]

I am just really, really hoping that Ubisoft fired that weirdo guy who has a Spider fetish and they won't be forcing Spiders and knockoff Lolth and Driders into the Necropolis lineup.

*Shivers*

[Pol]

I am just really, really hoping that Ubisoft fired that weirdo guy who has a Spider fetish and they won't be forcing Spiders and knockoff Lolth and Driders into the Necropolis lineup.

*Shivers*

There will be necro dogs.

[reeeload]

First of all, Might and Magic 8 lore will be ignored by HoMM8/HoMM0. If it is a good thing or a bad, we will see.
Second, it's a prequel to HoMM1 and HoMM1 takes place ca. 35 years before HoMM3/MM6-8.
Third, demons are not the same as the Kreegan/devils (Inferno from HoMM3). We had Gogs and Ifrits in MM7-8, which had nothing to do with the Kreegan.

Also, Dungeon in HoMM3 was an anomaly as a Warlock's town, as it has been a swamp terrain faction since HoMM1, where it was more a mix of mountain and swamp terrains with night sky (night = evil ).
I'm disapointed that we once again get a copy o HoMM3 Dungeon with a copy of Ashan's Dark Elves no less. No major changes in line-up too unlike in HoMM3 and HoMM4. When you have the same line-up (more or less) for the fourth time in row, you probably will be a little disapointed too.

Karloth's Needle - where does this name come from? Do they fear Shiva's Rocs (who in turn fear Astral's Paper)?

Did they confirm that lore will be ignored? Cause that is already a big minus.
Well if it's a prequel then it fits for kreegans to exist cause some of them landed or migrated to Jadame after the night of shooting stars.
Well gogs and imps are lesser kreegans as stated in the lore just for front lines and slave labor. What do you get when you build a grail in inferno town? Every week is a week of imps. Lore says that kreegans breed until the world cannot support their numbers and then they move to the next one. Why there were no imps or gogs in MM6? Everything comes with time. The main landing force is pure kreegan cause you need only the strongest to start colonizing a hostile land. Later other ones appear. Most believable version is that they have low numbers of them kept in the spaceship so that later they could be bred and used for a specific purpose. Remember Xeron? Son of succubus and human. He was still considered greater kreegan despite mixed. Ifrits are not kreegan but have contracts to serve them just like genies for mages. They are mercenaries. You can see in M&M88 a dark elf summoning one in the temple and YES we see gogs too running around when Escaton stated that kreegans are no more. Lesser kreegans without generals are no danger to any world and can safely be ignored or used for hunting. It's the greater ones that have the knowledge to conquer it.

Dungeon wasn't anomaly in H3. It's just that warlocks in Antagarich live mostly underground. It was a swamp town cause H1 and 2 take place in continent of Enroth. Where is castle Darkmoor? Pretty swampy area. Same with mages. Why no snow? Where do we encounter a lot of titans? Pretty sandy area.

[Avonu]

Well if it's a prequel then it fits for kreegans to exist cause some of them landed or migrated to Jadame after the night of shooting stars.

Night of the Shooting Stars was 7 years after HoMM 2. There was no Kreegan on planet Enroth before this event, as far as we know so far.
HoMM8 takes place before HoMM1, so long before Night of the Shooting Stars.

Well gogs and imps are lesser kreegans as stated in the lore just for front lines and slave labor.

Where is this stated exactly?
IIRC MM8, gogs are native from Plane of Fire, same as ifrits.

What do you get when you build a grail in inferno town? Every week is a week of imps. Lore says that kreegans breed until the world cannot support their numbers and then they move to the next one.

You forgot one or two things: in MM6 team of adventurers killed the Kreegan Queen (which looks very much like Alien Queen from "Aliens" and probably had the same function in Kreegan hierarchy - to breed new "devils") and destroyed thier main lair. Even Xenofex, Kreegan King who was on Antagarich, wrote that it was a powerful blow to their race and plans on this world.
And two, you can encounter Imps in MM9, which takes place on different planet, where there are no Kreegan, only (Major) demons.

Why there were no imps or gogs in MM6? Everything comes with time. The main landing force is pure kreegan cause you need only the strongest to start colonizing a hostile land. Later other ones appear.

MM6 and HoMM3 took place in the same time. When you are killing the Kreegan on Enroth in MM6, they are attacking Erathia on Antagarich in MM7, when you fight them too.
Besides it was already 3 years since they landed in Sweet Water and in Eeofol.

Remember Xeron? Son of succubus and human. He was still considered greater kreegan despite mixed.

His bio in AB manual says he is an ifrit.

Dungeon wasn't anomaly in H3. It's just that warlocks in Antagarich live mostly underground. It was a swamp town cause H1 and 2 take place in continent of Enroth. Where is castle Darkmoor?

Then I invite you to visit Nighon, warlocks native island from HoMM3, in MM7 and see yourself, how they live.
Castle Darkmoor is a hunted/necromancer castle, full of liches.
Dungeon was an anomaly, as HoMM4 again place warlock/chaos town back on swamps.

[Pol]

Long awaited F.A.Q. was released as promised. Thanks EvilP

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 1815155307

[Labyrinth]

Long awaited F.A.Q. was released as promised. Thanks EvilP

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 1815155307

I find it really striking how well this is written. Already in the Q&A video streams I was amazed by alphyna's eloquence. She's super good with words, and I am looking forward to playing the campaigns she is writing.

[Pitsu]

Long awaited F.A.Q. was released as promised. Thanks EvilP

Kind of deja vu with times when Ubisoft just started. They had fan councils and of course all the developers were long-time fans of series. Looks like NWC was the HoMM developer who paid the least attention to feedback and fans. If they still want a game that is easy to learn, but difficult to master, addition of active battle abilities and subskills might not be the best way. Homm1-2 had essentially rock-paper-scissors (tank-flyer-ranged) battles, battles were won by those who mastered the acting order and chosen targets better. Active abilities, making each unit unique, most likely will transform the system into complicated to learn, and difficult to master.

[Pol]

Kind of deja vu with times when Ubisoft just started. They had fan councils and of course all the developers were long-time fans of series. Looks like NWC was the HoMM developer who paid the least attention to feedback and fans...

They haven't almost four years of development already done. Unfrozen started/were approven by Ubisoft in 2021, silently preparing for their chance. Also not being it 3D allows to save development time to things more useful for a strategy game.

Which reminded me, that there was rumour about some studio doing it but I never get slightest hint, which one.

Anyway IMHO best start under Ubisoft, was with Fabrice and Heroes V. These were Heroes done right.

And the worst was Ubisoft leaving Black Hole to go bankrupt. Burying all the ideas from the alpha testing and in the finale game too.

Also the council turned out to be a bad idea rather quickly. Likely more a PR attempt than a real thing. Still, there were good people, like Irina.

[reeeload]

Well if it's a prequel then it fits for kreegans to exist cause some of them landed or migrated to Jadame after the night of shooting stars.

Night of the Shooting Stars was 7 years after HoMM 2. There was no Kreegan on planet Enroth before this event, as far as we know so far.
HoMM8 takes place before HoMM1, so long before Night of the Shooting Stars.

Well gogs and imps are lesser kreegans as stated in the lore just for front lines and slave labor.

Where is this stated exactly?
IIRC MM8, gogs are native from Plane of Fire, same as ifrits.

What do you get when you build a grail in inferno town? Every week is a week of imps. Lore says that kreegans breed until the world cannot support their numbers and then they move to the next one.

You forgot one or two things: in MM6 team of adventurers killed the Kreegan Queen (which looks very much like Alien Queen from "Aliens" and probably had the same function in Kreegan hierarchy - to breed new "devils") and destroyed thier main lair. Even Xenofex, Kreegan King who was on Antagarich, wrote that it was a powerful blow to their race and plans on this world.
And two, you can encounter Imps in MM9, which takes place on different planet, where there are no Kreegan, only (Major) demons.

Why there were no imps or gogs in MM6? Everything comes with time. The main landing force is pure kreegan cause you need only the strongest to start colonizing a hostile land. Later other ones appear.

MM6 and HoMM3 took place in the same time. When you are killing the Kreegan on Enroth in MM6, they are attacking Erathia on Antagarich in MM7, when you fight them too.
Besides it was already 3 years since they landed in Sweet Water and in Eeofol.

Remember Xeron? Son of succubus and human. He was still considered greater kreegan despite mixed.

His bio in AB manual says he is an ifrit.

Dungeon wasn't anomaly in H3. It's just that warlocks in Antagarich live mostly underground. It was a swamp town cause H1 and 2 take place in continent of Enroth. Where is castle Darkmoor?

Then I invite you to visit Nighon, warlocks native island from HoMM3, in MM7 and see yourself, how they live.
Castle Darkmoor is a hunted/necromancer castle, full of liches.
Dungeon was an anomaly, as HoMM4 again place warlock/chaos town back on swamps.

Well if it takes place even before the nigh of shooting stars then i don't know where does the demon lord come from. Is this like anime where anyone powerful and evil enough can declare themselves to be a demon lord by not being an actual demon?

There was a scroll in M%M 6 stating that there are simple and elite kreegans. Imps have a very high growth and combined with grail make the conditions for lore where they breed until the world cannot support their numbers. Based on Fiery Moon and Clash of the Dragons it seems like sometimes everyone in that faction are called kreegans or demons even if some creatures aren't purebloods.

Good point about the queen. She already might have made new breeds and sent them to Antagarich before death. Enroth was already heavily infiltrated and weakened. Kreegans probably thought that they didn't need much more to take down continent. Axeoth has them because it seems some of them fled Enroth through the portals either before or after AB vs SoF. "Many thought the Kreegan demons had perished in the Reckoning, but I knew the truth. Their numbers have been diminished, for sure, and they are disorganized and weak, but some retreated to the safety of another realm. That's where I would find my Master!"
—Gauldoth Half-Dead

About Xeron i just googled and found what he is.

Nighon has a tiny settlement outside but there is a lot of action underground. A lot of mountains make little land for cities outside. There is a library underground an The Maze has a whole fort inside. So it was probably 50/50 either outside or a dungeon town. No swamps in Nighon.

Darkmoor is abandoned after Roland vs Archibald. It was allied with Archibald cause it had Memory crystal safely kept inside and he was Warlock/Necromancer so undead make sence. H4 take place in Axeoth. The warlocks probably settled in more swampy lands when fled through the portals.

[Pitsu]

Well if it takes place even before the nigh of shooting stars then i don't know where does the demon lord come from. Is this like anime where anyone powerful and evil enough can declare themselves to be a demon lord by not being an actual demon?

Aren't Kreegans just called "demons", while there are actual native demons (e.g homm2 daemon cave object or kings bounty demon units). In any case it is pretty clear that NWC was not punctual in their lore. Situationally fitting naming/graphical design/backstory had higher priority than the overarching MM lore until the very latest games.

[Pol]

Whereas the first wasn't officially FAQ, this is:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 9959746180

How many factions will the game feature?
Six factions will be available in Early Access: Temple (Classic Knights), Necropolis (Undead and Vampires), Sylvan (Nature and Fey Folk), Dungeon (Dark Elves and Underground Creatures), Hive (Demonic Insectoids), and a sixth mysterious faction that will be revealed as you progress.

Will there be map templates like in HoMM III?
Yes, the game offers a variety of templates, which we will rotate regularly in official matchmaking. Additionally, you’ll be able to play on any template by creating a custom game in the official lobby.

Will the game feature underground and sailing?
We plan to introduce both during Early Access.

[Galaad]

Whereas the first wasn't officially FAQ, this is:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 9959746180

So to summarize the main points for me :

- The game is set on the continent of Jadame, which is under threat from a mysterious demonic power, prompting the rulers of Dungeon to seek alliances with other factions despite deep-seated grudges. Players will navigate a non-linear campaign where their choices influence the fate of Jadame.

- The Early Access will feature six factions: Temple, Necropolis, Sylvan, Dungeon, Hive, and a mysterious sixth faction, with more factions planned for future updates.

- The game includes three singleplayer modes (Campaign, Randomly Generated Maps, and Skirmish) and three multiplayer modes (Classic, One-Hero, and Arena), with additional features like matchmaking, leaderboards, and a map editor.

- Combat is conducted on a hexagonal battlefield with unique abilities for creatures and heroes, and the game also promises features like an observer mode, a random map generator, and plans for underground and sailing mechanics.

- The developers have no plans to explore other worlds like Ashan, focusing instead on Enroth, with ongoing post-launch support and community-driven content in the works.

This is getting better and better.

[raekuul]

No plans to explore other worlds like Ashan, nope. Just plans to shoehorn the Ashan factions into Enrothian history.

[Pol]

More from the game exploration & this is not in-game music, through is stricking nostalgic.

[Galaad]

No plans to explore other worlds like Ashan, nope. Just plans to shoehorn the Ashan factions into Enrothian history.

Hopefully we'll mod that out.

I know it sucks, but hey, if the gameplay gets like better than h5...

[Avonu]

Well if it takes place even before the nigh of shooting stars then i don't know where does the demon lord come from.

I don't know either. Just wait and see and then judge.

There was a scroll in M%M 6 stating that there are simple and elite kreegans.

I don't remember any of such scroll. Can you quote it?

Based on Fiery Moon and Clash of the Dragons it seems like sometimes everyone in that faction are called kreegans or demons even if some creatures aren't purebloods.

The Heroes Chronicles were meant to be more stand-alone than anything. Honestly, it was marketing who had the greatest hand in driving the products. We were slipping on Heroes IV and they wanted our fan base to have more maps to play. So I was asked to create 8 campaigns that could stand alone and be played in any order, without any reference to each other or the other products in development. So we created a series of titles that could do just that. Each original story & maps was written by one level designer and then I cleaned and polished them until ship. Each one was supposed to take place in 'the distant past' and we didn't create a specific order to their events.

Whereas the first wasn't officially FAQ, this is:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app ... 9959746180

What does the title mean?
The title reflects, on one hand, our return to the classic world and lore of Enroth, and on the other hand, the 'classic' gameplay based on the beloved mechanics of HoMM II-III.

OK, that sounds promising.
HoMM2 has a few mechanics which, while inferior to HoMM3, are IMO still better than in next game (for example: mass spells as higher level spells in mage guild, available number of troops in hero army restricted by lack of gold, stackable neutral growths in exterior buildings).

How did Unfrozen and Ubisoft decide to work together?
Unfrozen as superfans of Heroes of Might & Magic approached Ubisoft about making a new game in the series. We came up to them with the idea of the game and a demo.

And it's gone.
If anyone calls themselves "a true fan" or in this case "a superfan" this looks as a waring sign to me. As they are better then other fans.
I hope it's just a figure of speech.

[Galaad]

No plans to explore other worlds like Ashan, nope. Just plans to shoehorn the Ashan factions into Enrothian history.

Hopefully we'll mod that out.

I know it sucks, but hey, if the gameplay gets like better than h5...

I also completely dismiss anything Ubisoft as not canon anyway.

[reeeload]

Oh god it would take me a lot of time to go though the whole game again but it was stated even by oracle that there are normal ones and elite.

[Pol]

And it's gone.
If anyone calls themselves "a true fan" or in this case "a superfan" this looks as a waring sign to me. As they are better then other fans.
I hope it's just a figure of speech.

For sure, that's a hyperbola.

On the other hand, one can be happy that they are not iconic fans of the series...

Seeing alphyna, I would guess that they are creating their own lore, being it loosely tied here and there. Destiny is enormous replaybility and eSports.

[Pol]

Dzikawa is drawing ..a minotaurus hero, for Heroes Olden Era?
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2239054019