Bought The "Official" Strategy Guide..Isn't that B

Sir Alock · Unread postby **Sir Alock** » 01 Jun 2006, 00:26

Hi All: Well...I had a $10.00 Gift Coupon from Best Buy & picked up the Prima Strategy Guide. First off....I'm not some lame gamer that needs a strategy guide to make it thru campaigns missions! I'm simply a HoMM "nut-job" & I own every game & add-on since HoMM1, plus I have all the strategy guides as well. Guess...I needed to make that clear.

Anyway...The manual is so damn bad that the guide is a welcomed friend! It covers all the details in terms of spells, heroes, units & "week" list. I didn't have a clue what meant..."The Week of the Cuckoo" which means no special effect BTW. It's 330 pages...Geez...Almost takes Master of Magic strategy guide!

To me, if you spent $49.99 (CD) or $59.99 of the LE version (DVD) version. Save your money & score the CD version & pay the extra $10.00 & get the guide. It's great "bathroom & bedtime" reading material IMHO.

It's B&W printing, but in terms of stats, it's not bad. I haven't used it yet for the campaign (I'm half-way thru) on Hard AI & I don't need it yet. I think that the link on this website was a bit harsh in it's assessment on the guide. Just my two cents worth.

Alex

Vision · Unread postby **Vision** » 01 Jun 2006, 00:33

So you enjoy having :

Rehashed information found in the manual
Outdated information concerning stats, buildings, even names

and more? Check out that "not so bad" POS strategy guide as reviewed by Sirc Charles of The Genies Lamp

Sir Alock · Unread postby **Sir Alock** » 01 Jun 2006, 01:02

Vision wrote:So you enjoy having :

Rehashed information found in the manual
Outdated information concerning stats, buildings, even names

and more? Check out that "not so bad" POS strategy guide as reviewed by Sirc Charles of The Genies Lamp

Vision: Ok...You have a point! The thing is that it will change, like any game that the strategy guide is produced "before" it's release! I'm just saying that for an extra $10.00 vs. the LE edition, it's worth it to me.

"Rehashed Info" Please...Sorry...The manual doesn't even give us a remote clue on many things! Next time you're in retail store, pick-up the guide & there is PLENTY of info in there that you & I wouldn't have a clue about! Also...I don’t know about you, but I spend $20.00 in the 1st hour @ my local pub on a Thursday or Friday night!

Alex

PS: The link you provided is the one I have an issue with. Yes...The guide isn't perfect by any means...But it's all we have! I would love to quiz you on the certain weeks that are produced! You won’t know until somebody posts them on the web!

Vision · Unread postby **Vision** » 01 Jun 2006, 01:05

I think that the weeks, and the artifacts, are two of the main points that Chuckles actually said the guide had going for it.

I personally wont buy it, and looking back at my Heroes 3 manual (which looks like a strategy guide itself!), I wish they would have devoted more time to the manual and its creation.

But, if you find it worthwhile, then cool. As long as you dont feel like you wasted your money, it is a good transaction!

HodgePodge · Unread postby **HodgePodge** » 01 Jun 2006, 01:08

Sir Alock wrote:
PS: The link you provided is the one I have an issue with. Yes...The guide isn't perfect by any means...But it's all we have! I would love to quiz you on the certain weeks that are produced! You won’t know until somebody posts them on the web!

Thank, Sir Alock, for the "heads-up".

Since the manual is so deficient in giving information, I may look into purchasing the Prima Guide for HoMM 5 as well. I'm glad to hear someone has a positive word for it.

Paradox · Unread postby **Paradox** » 01 Jun 2006, 01:30

Just ordered it from Amazon.co.uk for £8.11, new, thanks for the heads up.

PhoenixReborn · Unread postby **PhoenixReborn** » 01 Jun 2006, 01:38

My original feeling was to get it as an actual manual. Upon reading that the information is incorrect because it's from the beta I decided not to bother. Also, the patch may change things. Why did they need to have a strategy guide done prior to release?

Paradox · Unread postby **Paradox** » 01 Jun 2006, 01:40

PhoenixReborn wrote:My original feeling was to get it as an actual manual. Upon reading that the information is incorrect because it's from the beta I decided not to bother. Also, the patch may change things. Why did they need to have a strategy guide done prior to release?

great. 30 seconds after i order it, i find out the info is from the freaking beta? *sigh*

Extrakun · Unread postby **Extrakun** » 01 Jun 2006, 03:05

Most 'guides' are written with the help of documentation that the developers have. Take for example, the Oblivion's guide -- which are written by developers from Oblivion. It's decent, but it doesn't include the "min-maxing power character build" which you can find on GameFAQs.

I guess that's the only way they can get a guide out 2 weeks after the game just launched.

Inoko · Unread postby **Inoko** » 01 Jun 2006, 03:13

On the point of weeks -- if you hover over the end turn button (or right click on it) on the adventure map, it will tell you the current week, and what effect it has.

PhoenixReborn · Unread postby **PhoenixReborn** » 01 Jun 2006, 03:59

great. 30 seconds after i order it, i find out the info is from the freaking beta? *sigh*[/quote]

Well that's what it says at the genies lamp...nevertheless you still get charts and info which is more than regular manual people have...I've started compiling my own with help from the age of heroes site.

DaemianLucifer · Unread postby **DaemianLucifer** » 01 Jun 2006, 06:17

$10 for a guide?Sounds like a ripi off.But still,considering that this is heroes,lots of fans are willing to pay that.So why isnt it with the game?

addicted · Unread postby **addicted** » 01 Jun 2006, 06:41

Bought together as a pkg with a discount.. I am not ashamed nor regret it and naturally a little changes come as patches, etc. are released, but the overall of the guide covers a lot that we would otherwise not have and it's all at my finger tips. I personally wouldn't call it a beta guide.. it seems to cover the released version pretty good. The map features/legends, out of several other features, to me is worth its weight in gold showing me exactly where everything is located. This is one out of several reasons I like these guide books even tho I have never bought one of these guide books for the Homm series before (& I own them all), but I have bought these guides for the Might and Magic series (which I also own that whole series too).

I personally feel this guide covers a lot of things and sure it may not have some things everyone wants but thinking of new people to the HOMM world, if I were new to HOMM (which I'm not), this book would be a great benifit, especially introducing one to HOMM (which the game manual failed completely to do)..

But hey, each to their own, right!

Ethric · Unread postby **Ethric** » 01 Jun 2006, 14:15

Personally I can't see any use in buying a guide if you have access to the net, and maybe a printer so you can have it on paper while playing. Sadly, it seems what was previously called a "manual" and came with the game, is now labeled a "strategyguide" and sold separately. With no lessening of the games price due to not botherng to make a manual for it of course.

Buying a strategyguide made by the developers seems to me to be to reward them for scamming you out of the guide that should have come with the game in the first place.

The above probably doesn't hold true in all cases of course, but it seems to in the case of H5.

Paradox · Unread postby **Paradox** » 01 Jun 2006, 14:35

DaemianLucifer wrote:$10 for a guide?Sounds like a ripi off.But still,considering that this is heroes,lots of fans are willing to pay that.So why isnt it with the game?

$10 for a 350 odd page guidebook? i could find the equivelant in sterling of $10 in the street, thats nothing and is well worth it.

DaemianLucifer · Unread postby **DaemianLucifer** » 01 Jun 2006, 14:44

Paradox wrote:$10 for a 350 odd page guidebook? i could find the equivelant in sterling of $10 in the street, thats nothing and is well worth it.

As I recall HIII manual had somwhere around 150 pages,and it came straight with the game,free of charge.So yes,this one is a rip off.

ThunderTitan · Unread postby **ThunderTitan** » 01 Jun 2006, 15:03

DaemianLucifer wrote: As I recall HIII manual had somwhere around 150 pages.

144 to be exact. And it had Spell, Town, Creature and Hero Reference in it.

Sir Alock · Unread postby **Sir Alock** » 01 Jun 2006, 23:20

Guys...All that I'm saying is, for "me" I think it's a fine purchase. Look...Taking a dump? Well then...Grab that HoMMV guide & take your time! No reason to rush it!

On a lighter note...There is kind cool information in there, like it gives you a breakdown of every HoMM game that was every made & plenty of other stuff. Let's face it, the retail game manual is horrid! This gives you plenty of insight with pictures & stats etc.

It's a "Ritual" for me with all the HoMM games. I own every strategy guide that was made. So, in the end it's not for everyone. But..Hell we paid $50.00 for the game, what's another $20.00?

For those of you that think it's worth it, then you feel like I do. Those of you who dont...No problems! Just that I have a handy book that I can peek @ all the time! Just me.

Paradox · Unread postby **Paradox** » 02 Jun 2006, 00:06

DaemianLucifer wrote:
Paradox wrote:$10 for a 350 odd page guidebook? i could find the equivelant in sterling of $10 in the street, thats nothing and is well worth it.
As I recall HIII manual had somwhere around 150 pages,and it came straight with the game,free of charge.So yes,this one is a rip off.

this isnt a manual though, its a "strategy guidebook", i do agree the actual manual should have been more like this though.

DaemianLucifer · Unread postby **DaemianLucifer** » 02 Jun 2006, 07:17

Sir Alock wrote:It's a "Ritual" for me with all the HoMM games. I own every strategy guide that was made. So, in the end it's not for everyone. But..Hell we paid $50.00 for the game, what's another $20.00?

May I remind you that some people have lower income then yours?$20 is about 10% of average sallary in my country.$50 is 25%.And in other countries it is much worse.So its not just "another" $20.Some people dont sleep on money,you know.

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Bought The "Official" Strategy Guide..Isn't that B

Bought The "Official" Strategy Guide..Isn't that B

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