Ashan - Best of all possible worlds?

[Tobius]

Hey Folks!

The Heroes V saga has ended. Peace rules in Ashan (apart from the storyline of Dark Messiah). Now I want to know what you think about this (more or less) new universe. Do you miss Antagarich? Or do you think Nival has created the best Heroes world ever? Where do you see the future of HoMM? Lies it in Ashan or should we go back to Erathia, Palaedra, etc.?

Well, I'm curious about it!

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After you vote, feel free to post a comment to explain why you feel your particular way about Ashan - or bring up other things, you think should have been different!

[parcaleste]

Seems to me you hadn't played Messiah...

[Tobius]

Why do you think so? Did I commit a crime in cold blood if I hadn't played it?

[Ohma]

I personally feel that the HoMM series is much stronger when the game isn't getting deeply involved with the M&M universe. For instance, I prefer the campaigns from the expansion for 2 to the campaigns from the basic game, because the expansion campaigns were much more fantastic, which fits with my own perception of HoMM as being set in a big nebulous fairy tale fantasy world where the only history is from the campaign or scenario you're playing.

[Akul]

Why do you think so? Did I commit a crime in cold blood if I hadn't played it?

Peace rules in Ashan.

After DM, demons rule in Ashan.

[parcaleste]

Why do you think so? Did I commit a crime in cold blood if I hadn't played it?

Peace rules in Ashan.

After DM, demons rule in Ashan.

Well, actually it will be decided when that guy (forgot it's name, Ceres or smt. ) make his final choice of the two paths he can choose. Hm, actually I am really curious of what it will be, he seemed to me like a nice guy, even though that bitch did fed the Spiders really good in Arantir's tomb, tower or whatever it was

[Tobius]

His name was Sareth, I think. Well, I've edited the first part of post. I did focus on Heroes V not DM, but it's good that you pointed out this ambiguity.

[MattII]

Personally I'd rather go back to the old world, I want to play Gem, Sandro and Crag Hack again

[Tobius]

I fully agree with you Matt. I really don't like the universe created by Nival. It's absolutely boring and ordinary fantasy stuff. I also didn't like the Heroes IV storyline, because it was way. The mix of Science fiction and Fantasy made the series unique - that's what I loved it for.

[Akul]

I fully agree with you Matt. I really don't like the universe created by Nival. It's absolutely boring and ordinary fantasy stuff. I also didn't like the Heroes IV storyline, because it was way. The mix of Science fiction and Fantasy made the series unique - that's what I loved it for.

Only H1 had SF/Fantasy elements and that only thanks to the manual.
For HoMM in general, it was a classic Fantasy storyline.

[Tobius]

There should have been SF, too, if the Forge was implemented in H3 AB. But sad to say this step was prevented and that was the first moment in the history of HoMM and MM, where we had problems with the storyline continuity. You know, HoMM was only a part of the MM universe and there is a mixture of SF and Fantasy thus it was in the HoMM series, too.

[Akul]

There should have been SF, too, if the Forge was implemented in H3 AB. But sad to say this step was prevented and that was the first moment in the history of HoMM and MM, where we had problems with the storyline continuity. You know, HoMM was only a part of the MM universe and there is a mixture of SF and Fantasy thus it was in the HoMM series, too.

HoMM community, unfortunately, showed in those days that they do not want any SF elements in HoMM thus HoMM officialy became a fantasy game, no matter if it happened in the same universe as M&M. If Forge was excepted, Ubisoft might have decided to keep the old universe. But since SF elements are hated by HoMM fans, and HoMM is now the leading M&M game, SF elements are not wanted in Ubisoft's eyes, and old universe with it.
And they don't need to worry about fans liking it. Newer generations shall start HoMM in Ashan and Ashan shall mean more to most of theme than the Old Universe shall. I alredy know few people who like Ashan more then the Old Universe.

As for me, I don't care as long as the story is good. And Ashan, for its beginnings, does have a good story and TotE shows that their storyteller's grew in experience.

[Tobius]

I alredy know few people who like Ashan more then the Old Universe.

Can you give reasons why they like Ashan more than the old universe? Is it because they don't really know the series' history? I wonder how you can find such a oridinary Fantasy story interesting at all and even more interesting than the old one.

[Mlai]

In the end, the background mythology of the game world doesn't really matter to the quality of a game (unless you're LOTR). It's the characters and their in-game adventures which truly matter. I don't care about where dragons came from, as long as they're there.

So, what can I say about the characters in the game?

HoMM5: Most are boring. Probably because their faces never move. I do like Raelag, cuz he's pretty badass. Even an unmoving face can't overshadow how badass he is.

HoF: Wow, BOORING-! But the female knight chick is kinda cool.

ToE: Awesome characters. I love Zehir now, and Arantir is very cool, made even more cool because I'm not sure if he's a good guy or a bad guy. The orc heroes remind me of Conan and Valeria, and that's cool in a stupid and nolstalgic kinda way.

[Corlagon]

Though I vastly prefer Axeoth and its universe (agree with Tobius), I am happy with things as they are... henceforth may Nival never lay hands upon the world of Axeoth lest they drag it down to Ashan's gloomy level with the mockery they call storytelling.

Btw Morglin Ironfist travelling from VARN to Enroth through a portal does not count as sci-fi in my book.

[Ya5MieL]

I personally feel that the HoMM series is much stronger when the game isn't getting deeply involved with the M&M universe. For instance, I prefer the campaigns from the expansion for 2 to the campaigns from the basic game, because the expansion campaigns were much more fantastic, which fits with my own perception of HoMM as being set in a big nebulous fairy tale fantasy world where the only history is from the campaign or scenario you're playing.

When i think of it, you are right in a way. I mostly enjoyed those times where only the setting of certain campaign mattered. Thus, you could have million of universes and un-conected stories with same game engine. Price of loyalty was nice indeed.