Open Letter to Brett Todd

[Angelspit]

Dear Brett,



We were heartbroken to learn that you had a tough time playing the Tribes of the East expansion. It must have been very difficult for you to be so honest about your skills with strategy games. Especially after having said a year earlier that <i><a href="/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/her ... iew">"most missions aren't very challenging"</a></i> in the Hammers of Fate expansion. But don't despair, as the Heroes community is always happy to help: you will find a <b><a href="/https://www.celestialheavens.com/709">detailed walkthrough of the prologue scenario</a></b> where maltz explains what the Stronghold faction is all about and how you can use the Blood Rage ability. The article also provides tips for your skill selection and a step-by-step procedure to finish the very first mission. We understand that all this information can be a bit too much for a neophyte, so we made sure to include pretty pictures for you to look at. Please, feel free to contact us if you need additional help -- frustration can make you say things you might regret later sometimes.



The Celestial Heavens Team

If you would like to take a look at the original page visit this link:
https://www.celestialheavens.com/709

[ArchangelGabriel]

Oh come on ... don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit?

I mean: Yes, you're right it's somewhat strange why HoF would have been much to easy while TotE is that hard ... but: The game is repetitive, there are few new elements, most secondary upgrades of the creatures are in lack of ideas, the game is long as hell, and if you did a mistake early on you waste hours of gameplay just to replay the whole mission.



Take me for instance. I really arrived the last day in the second Necro mission at the doors of the city to capture. One lousy game-day later I would have needed to play the whole mission again.



So looking at the great story of HoMM the game improved very much but didn't change at all. I think it is a good game with a few very annoying flaws ... others think that it isn't that great any more ... with a few very annoying flaws. So I can absolutely understand why one would give that game a 5.5.



Come on, live with it. To be honest: Heroes VI doesn't need to be produced if the core game doesn't change radically. At least in my opinion
Edited on Mon, Oct 22 2007, 10:16 by ArchangelGabriel

[PhoenixReborn]

For example, the new bloodeyed cyclops plays much like the Sylvan treant,

@archangel gabriel: This is what the reviewer wrote. That is why he is up for ridicule.

____
I like the pictures. Funny.

[herorocks]

ToArchangelGabriel:



If you think S/L is annoying, you don't really like this type of game. If you just want the story, go for RPG.

[ThunderTitan]

>>Too bad it isn't windy.<<

Those are so fake...

[Angelspit]

I had a walkthrough ready to post and I took the opportunity to throw a few punches at Mr. Todd, just for fun.

[ArchangelGabriel]

How kind of you that you know which type of game I prefer. *rolleyes*



No, really: HoMM is one of my favourites and that's the point why I don't like certain situations during gameplay. But these are things I can ignore even if it hurts sometimes ... but I do understand people who cannot. And that's not ridiculous but criticism which should be taken seriously. Age of Wonders 2: Shadow Magic was a great game, too. It had its weaknesses (just like HoMM) but wasn't that damn slow especially not during multiplayer. And if you failed a mission you knew right away and not hours later. No, SM is not better than HoMM, but it had potential which HoMM after so many years doesn't use.

[rdeford]

Open letter, eh? ROTFLOL Think he'll read it?

[arturchix]

Heh, I didn't see this coming - nice!

[Muszka]

Nice. Congratulate guys. I think that was needed

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

Oh come on ... don't you think you're exaggerating a little bit?

I mean: Yes, you're right it's somewhat strange why HoF would have been much to easy while TotE is that hard ... but: The game is repetitive, there are few new elements, most secondary upgrades of the creatures are in lack of ideas, the game is long as hell, and if you did a mistake early on you waste hours of gameplay just to replay the whole mission.

There are quite a few new things. New artifacts (and now there are artifact sets), new buildings, new spells, new creatures, new skills, revamped skill trees, and a whole new faction. TOTE in fact adds quite a bit more than most game expansions.

You say the game is long as hell. There are tiny maps if you just like really quick game play.

No, you can make make mistakes and still recover. However, if you are making big mistakes on higher difficulty levels you will probably lose. But there are easier difficulty levels to match your game skills. I only play on heroic difficulty level, but I have been playing heroes ever since HOMM1.

If you are a beginning player you might want to play some solitary maps first so you'll know how to develop your heroes and make sure you use the skill wheel and read the user made manual.

So looking at the great story of HoMM the game improved very much but didn't change at all. I think it is a good game with a few very annoying flaws ... others think that it isn't that great any more ... with a few very annoying flaws. So I can absolutely understand why one would give that game a 5.5.

I honestly can't understand a 5.5. I am on map 5 of the necro campaign (playing on heroic) and have played a few of the single maps. The maps look a lot better that previous developer maps and IMHO play better too. The AI is also taking less time for its turn.

Come on, live with it. To be honest: Heroes VI doesn't need to be produced if the core game doesn't change radically. At least in my opinion
Edited on Mon, Oct 22 2007, 10:16 by ArchangelGabriel

Nah, the core game play is good. HOMM5 is a good game. I am looking forward to HOMM6. I do hope that there are some balance changes in HOMM5 before they stop working on it though.

I also hope that Ubi/Nival is committed to making a more user friendly map editor for HOMM6.

Edit: Oh yeah, the reviewer had it coming.

GOW

[Infiltrator]

This should be amusing

[Omega_Destroyer]

Has anyone tried an impossible-sized map yet? They barely run on my rig.

[CloudRiderX]

"Age of Wonders 2: Shadow Magic was a great game..."



I disagree. The intro scene made no sense, the graphics blew, and they didn't tell you how to pay the freaking game.



But that's a little off subject. I'll be playing TotE in about a week. I am hearing good things both from fans and from developers, so I'm hoping its got what its predecessors were missing. Oh, and I hope its actually fun. That's usually important.

[Nebs]

ToTe is way easier than either original or HoF. Campaigns, that is. And, to me, that is. :-)

[Muszka]

Difficulty can't be reason for badness of a game anyway.

[Elvin]

Nice Angelspit

[Moragauth]

"I disagree. The intro scene made no sense, the graphics blew, and they didn't tell you how to pay the freaking game. "



True, not true, and as it was an expansion, why should they? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know how to play it, plus it had a nice manual.

[grimogre]

My only complaint is what if Brett can't read?For example,the cyclops plays much like the treant.Should Brett go back to school and learn to read?Yes!Should an intelligent human being review the game?Absolutely!Is Brett a crackhead?Brett stop smoking crack!It's bad for your brain, dude!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[grimogre]

Kick Brett when he's up,kick him when he's down!!!Kick him all around:)