Heroes V Deconstructed #1

[Corribus]

@Caradoc

Surely you cannot mean that the biggest reason developers put money and effort into visuals is to impress other developers? That doesn't seem right ot me.

@stefan

Really, you think Ubisoft skimped on production values for the visuals? Do explain.

[WretchedGnu]

Very nice article. But why not just call it "Heroes V analyzed"? or "Heroes 5, impressions?" So often with the term "deconstructed" I have to chime in with that Princess Bride line, "...you keep using this word... I do not think it means what you think it means..."

[ThunderTitan]

They're showing FMV cut-scenes and in-game screenshots and videos, not to showcase good gameplay, but to get people buzzing about fancy visuals.

Just because it's the most used strategy doesn't mean it's the best. There's a reason why innovation is so highly regarded.

[asandir]

Well C, in a word yes

lemme explain:

for starters the finished graphics are definately not that good, the cutscenes are absolutely woeful, animation in the cutscenes sucks (though the adventure map is decent), bear in mind that I understand someone coming from 5 years without seeing new you beaut graphics, it could look pretty sweet, but check out some more recent releases and you'll see that the graphics are definately not that flash

so yes I'd say that I think the production values for are not what they either coulda been or perhaps shoulda been

[Corribus]

@TT



I didn't say that it is the best strategy, or that good visuals make a good game. I said it is the easiest and most often used way to attract potential buyers.



@stefan



This is why I put sort of a disclaimer in the beginning of the article. I've been out of modern PC gaming for a little while, as I said, so that influences my opinion to be sure. Also - as you will find shortly, I am not done on graphics yet. These 10 impressions are written in pseudo-chronological order. As you'll see, my opinion on the graphics has become somewhat tempered after having played the game a bit more. Also - while I'm sure any game lends itself to nit-picks, I don't think you can call H5 ugly by any means. Excusing some rough areas, by and large the game does look very nice.



@WretchedGnu



The title is borrowing from a modern trend in fancy restaurants to take a dish, a break it down into its components, and then call it Generic Dish, Deconstructed. For instance, Black Forest Cake, Deconstructed would consist of a bit of chocolate cake, some cherry compote, a glass of kirch, whipped cream, etc., all separate but artfully arranged on a decorative plate. The point being: I'm going to try to discuss H5, one component at a time.

[ThunderTitan]

"@TT I said it is the easiest and most often used way to attract potential buyers."

No, you said, and i quote: "Nevertheless, it is no secret that graphics sell games."

I countered with the PS3.

But yes, it is the most used, that's why Blizzard and the Wii are doing so well, coz everyone else uses the sHINY at the expense of everything else.

[Caradoc]

Surely you cannot mean that the biggest reason developers put money and effort into visuals is to impress other developers? That doesn't seem right ot me.



It's a little more complicated than that. There are also marketing reasons to court industry status. If graphics give a product 'buzz' it will be better promoted and that will boost sales. I would also include reviewers in that jaded minority that sometimes think best graphics = best game. When you have to evaluate 10 RTS clones, you go with the one that looks best. The trap here is that customers usually have no direct experience with the product to go on, so they look at the pretty pictures, read the reviews, and listen to the developers' hype.

[Corribus]

"It's a little more complicated than that. There are also marketing reasons to court industry status. If graphics give a product 'buzz' it will be better promoted and that will boost sales. I would also include reviewers in that jaded minority that sometimes think best graphics = best game. When you have to evaluate 10 RTS clones, you go with the one that looks best. The trap here is that customers usually have no direct experience with the product to go on, so they look at the pretty pictures, read the reviews, and listen to the developers' hype."

How's that different from what I said originally?

[ThunderTitan]

How's that different from what I said originally?

You said that graphics sell, but it's really hype that sells. And guess what the devs/publishers like to hype.

[rdeford]

I wasn't going to comment, but this is such a great discussion that I had to join in. Our family has loved playing HOMM from the HOMM II on up. My kids grew up playing hotseat with us. I remember buying HOMM II and not being able to play it right away because I had to work. My daughter called me up to say how good it was, how you could discover treasures and artifacts and build your heroes up. Later on, she began enjoying the strategic elements, but it was the thrill of discovery and building towns, heroes and home territory that hooked her and all of us. We snapped up every new release, but the thrill slowly faded. HOMM IV, frankly was a disappointment. It had every new feature we said we wanted as die-hard fans, but, over all, the game just didn't play well. We sort of gave up hope on HOMM when the creators died.



Then along came HOMM V. For my wife and I, the thrill is back. We love the 3-D adventure map, and the battle field pulls you right into the action. (We tend to skip the intro cut scenes. Who cares if they suck? HOMM is not a spectator sport. You want to watch a good video, then go rent a DVD.) The hero development in HOMM5 is the best of any HOMM. You can really develop unique heroes with a wide range of strengths and weaknesses, unlike HOMM 1--3 where every hero, be it might or magic, could end up with identical stats. And, the map editor is a cartographers dream come true.



Yes, I KNOW the scripting is hard to learn, but, it pays off big when you master it. I've just finished my first two maps and I've done all the the things I never dared to dream of doing with HOMM3 such as custom behavior for map objects (e.g., moving lava cracks, animated explosions, vanishing trees, gates that appear and reappear, slave traders, fortune tellers, casinos, etc.) And, the 3-D terrain editor, while a bit quirky and inconsistent, makes creating mountains, valleys, and radical landscapes a joy. Yes, I KNOW that making bridges is not straightforward, but the technique was quickly posted on the CH forum. So, do the tutorial, read the CH forums, learn the scripting, and create your own worlds. Life is good my friends, very good.



The HOMM5 graphics for the towns are good, and the various creatures are artistically very well done even if I personally would have drawn a few of them differently. They add personality and character to the game and unique feel to it.



As for graphics in games as a general topic -- well great graphics do not a great game make. Period. But if you have a great game, and great graphics, then you have a classic. I remember my first experiences with Morrowind. Wow. Yes you can have your cake and eat it too. Oblivion has few peers graphically, and it has pretty good game play. It is already considered a classic. That's what it takes these days.



Okay, to sum it up, I love HOMM5. I can hardly wait to see what they do with HOMM 6. HOMM forever!!!