Anyone still enjoying the world of H5?

[markkur]

Recent history=The release of H6 (not going there), at a time when H5 was sadly (to me) winding-down... along comes a surprise; Quantomas and his wonderful A.I. work.

I still enjoy Five. My only real disappointment with it ; is that I came along so late in the day. e.g. I got into map-making but found most folks had already left the scene; so I had to learn "most" solo and of course, review a lot of old posts. Hence my "Beginning Map-making Guide" (at HC). I was surprised by some decent interaction early-on but slowly that ebbed away. Now, the only real interaction (life) etc. I've found, is within Q's "E.E." vision and his reworking of the H5 A.I. If you've not tried it...you should.

So here I am @CH & browsing about, wondering a couple of things:

Are there still folks that enjoy FIVE?
Anyone wanting to learn to make maps or share in mapmaking?
Anyone here using the latest "J" A.I.?

My community-work-offering was my guide, it's not quite finsihed but I ran into the hard-stop of a year. I've have left HC more or less because I moved on from H3 and most of the rest there is not even HoMM.

So, now, I am debating if I should post it here and "tweak-it"? Or am I nearly alone with my continued enjoyment and it would not be worth my effort?

Any thoughts from these halls?

[ShadowLiberal]

I still enjoy heroes 5, I've been playing through all the heroes original campaigns with the all campaigns in TOTE mod.

I've never really played anything other than the campaign maps though in 5, I don't know why, I just don't feel like it. I used to really enjoy the custom maps back in the heroes 3 days.

[markkur]

I still enjoy heroes 5, I've been playing through all the heroes original campaigns with the all campaigns in TOTE mod.

Is that the Mod from the French site?

I've never really played anything other than the campaign maps though in 5, I don't know why, I just don't feel like it. I used to really enjoy the custom maps back in the heroes 3 days.

Sounds like you enjoy the Story/Plot the most, to enhance the game-play. Nothing wrong with that. But I'm not there anymore. I have not played campaigns since AB and SoD from H3, guess I'm not big on UBI's main focus (only focus?) these days

Edit= I meant to explain a thought; <imo> back in the H3 heyday that appears lost these days; Campaigns while important...fade quickly and the real life of an HoMM game originates within the editor. WoG testifies to that and why UBI/whatevercompany fails to see that, I don't get. I can only guess that they do not want that, since there is NO money to be made from the fans turbo-charging the game, making maps and campaings etc....on their own. And that's a sad tale


With H3, those Developers gave the fans...both a powerful and easy (at the time) Map-Editor and great campaigns. Ah, the good ol' days

[ShadowLiberal]

I still enjoy heroes 5, I've been playing through all the heroes original campaigns with the all campaigns in TOTE mod.

Is that the Mod from the French site?

I've never really played anything other than the campaign maps though in 5, I don't know why, I just don't feel like it. I used to really enjoy the custom maps back in the heroes 3 days.

Sounds like you enjoy the Story/Plot the most, to enhance the game-play. Nothing wrong with that. But I'm not there anymore. I have not played campaigns since AB and SoD from H3, guess I'm not big on UBI's main focus (only focus?) these days

With H3, those Developers gave the fans...both a powerful and easy (at the time) Map-Editor and great campaigns. Ah, the good ol' days

Yeah it's the mod at the french site.

Also the thing I enjoy a lot more in heroes 5 then 3 was building a good hero across multiple missions.

I stopped enjoying custom maps as much when I got SOD in heroes 3. Back in ROE there was nothing special with your heroes, other than they got carried over to the next mission (usually). The campaigns in ROE weren't as fun either because they started out ridiculously easy (to the point of most enemy towns not having tier 6 or 7 creatures while yours did), to things becoming insanely rigged against you (with giant stacks of monsters next to your starting area, while the computer's monster stacks are almost a joke).

[markkur]

Yeah it's the mod at the french site.

Working well?

Also the thing I enjoy a lot more in heroes 5 then 3 was building a good hero across multiple missions.

I played 3 for over 10 years but I can't go there anymore. I can load a game and enjoy it still but the world seems too flat to remain there like i used too.<L> I really like the 3D world much better.

H5 (even while hosing up the editor} is still a better game to me. I like the skill systems a lot too. Heroes really can be quite different and it is fun experimenting. I wish they had perfected H5 and added some more width to the game.

Once you finish the campaigns, you should try Quantomas' new A.I. (the work is on-going) and some custom maps. I find the game is quite different and enjoy it more now.

[ThunderTitan]

Heheehehe.... still he says....

[markkur]

The effects of too many Moonshine nights I guess.

Are you "continuing to power-up" HOMM 5?

[Variol]

I still generate a random map now and then. I mostly find that the base heros' mostly suck though.

[intipacha]

I'm still playing H5 because imo it's the most balanced game of the series.
I play 1vs1 in multiplayer without AI. I use the IRMG random generator with very detailed templates.
I also use my own "no random ATB" patch that removes the most annoying thing ever invented for Heroes - the random ATB at combat start.

All in all, it's a good gaming experience. Yeah the game's real ugly and I have sound turned off, but the game as a game - very good and balanced.

[markkur]

@Variol

I still generate a random map now and then. I mostly find that the base heros' mostly suck though.

Just curious; what's your idea of a good Hero?

@intipacha

I'm still playing H5 because imo it's the most balanced game of the series.

I tend to agree with you there, though over time Necro seems a much easier faction to play and Fortress with both Magic & Runes (when resources are no issue). I thought H3's was very good but I read many think not. Opinions on balance seems to vary as much as about best looking game or best campaigns etc.

I also use my own "no random ATB" patch that removes the most annoying thing ever invented for Heroes - the random ATB at combat start.

You are the one that posted about this a while back at HC? I think it a good idea, even though I did forget about the mod.

Yeah the game's real ugly and I have sound turned off, but the game as a game - very good and balanced.

What is a good looking HoMM game? I've seen MM6 but although the textures look nice, when looking at a video of the Necro fashion they all looked like they were colored exactly the same.

I like most of the music in all of the HoMM games but there is never enough variety for my tastes and H5 is probably the worst at "endless-looping". To get a break from ,you have to have a campaign Hero on the map<L> H3 overall had my favorite-tunes and I've heard 4's music was good from some fans but I've never played that game.

[intipacha]

@intipacha

I'm still playing H5 because imo it's the most balanced game of the series.

I tend to agree with you there, though over time Necro seems a much easier faction to play and Fortress with both Magic & Runes (when resources are no issue). I thought H3's was very good but I read many think not. Opinions on balance seems to vary as much as about best looking game or best campaigns etc.

To attain almost perfect balance between factions, you limit the total XP a player can gain before meeting the other player (in 1vs1), using RMG templates. That way, you avoid Haven trampling over you with 200 horsemen or Necro one-shotting you with a vampire stack-of-death.

I also use my own "no random ATB" patch that removes the most annoying thing ever invented for Heroes - the random ATB at combat start.

You are the one that posted about this a while back at HC? I think it a good idea, even though I did forget about the mod.

Yeah, but I'm kinda sad I only came up with it just then, almost everyone already having ditched H5.

What is a good looking HoMM game? I've seen MM6 but although the textures look nice, when looking at a video of the Necro fashion they all looked like they were colored exactly the same.

Well, looks are mostly a matter of personal taste. I admit I'll never get used to 3D Heroes, at least not the way they're done right now.
The level of fine and subtle hand-drawn 2D graphics from any previous version is just far superior to any of these sterile, skeletal renderings in 5 or 6. And yes, 6 is even worse in style.

... I've heard 4's music was good from some fans but I've never played that game.

What game?

[markkur]

What game?

It had a lot of support from all I've read.

About the 2D , 3D issue. We differ greatly there. I want a river to be a river. In H3 it's only "suggested", it's nothing more than a animated squiggly line. In 5, they can be done very well. A map called "The Great Canyon" is a fine example of what is possible.

Another aspect of 5 that is very powerful to me is...lighting. Even with many hours working in the Editor; I continue to find new ways of working with a scene.

Anyway, you came late and so did I but I am hopeful that more folks will come back (I know that some have) and give the new A.I. a go. It is a changed game with more to come.

[Mozared]

I don't exactly play anymore, but your mention of mapmaking got me thinking; I've got two perfectly fine maps laying around I never released. Maybe the community will consider them to be dreadfully terrible, but I guess I should put them up here somewhere so folks can at least have their fun with it.

One is a 1v1 map on a snowy tileset, the other is a really big 3v3 map with lots of room for every individual player to expand, and only one entrance leading to the opponents lands. I'm rather proud at how I made them look, even.

I shall find a location to upload them, and will report back if I've got something useful to share!

Edit: I figured that this site has rather strict rules for uploading maps and since I don't have H5HOF installed I can't atm double-check my maps, playtest them or even screenshot a minimap I uploaded both maps on these links, for anyone interested:

http://www.crocko.com/05BB348D24314A3C8 ... /Chill.h5m

http://www.crocko.com/ABED6E7BFD5341B1A ... te_HOF.h5m

In regards to the OP; they were the first maps I made for H5, and you might find them interesting to look at to learn my MO. If anybody bothers checking them out, upload me a pic or two so I can be sure I uploaded the right maps.

[markkur]

I use Mediafire. I think you have to watch one ad but <imo> the delay is pretty short compared to that one.

HoF, so you never tried TotE, or just played it and didn't make any maps?

[Mozared]

I think HoF is the last one I completed the campaign of. I did play TotE, and some of its campaign, but not more than one or two levels in it - I did actually remake Forged in Hate for TotE though, replacing the... necromancer position, iirc, with an Orc position. It's just that I can't find the file of that in my backup folder, and with me not having access to the editor I can't double check any of it.

For the larger part, though, I made one big map that I played hot seat with a friend. Iirc that was Forged in Hate, but I'm not completely sure anymore; I've got a total of about six different maps in the backup of which two or three aren't mine either.

[Variol]

In response to your question markkur:

I think it's that fact that, they're really all the same and some factions seem to have so few of them.

[markkur]

I agree with that. It would be nice to see some real changes in the future(good ones). I liked the %'s used in Hero development in H5 but there is seldom deviation within a faction.

I'm not sure what would be a good fix but another added "game-start-choice" for a player, might be an option for a rapid start with more significant differences. i.e. leadership or a school of magic @ full blown etc.

I think what we most need in TBS gaming is a lot more depth and width to skills and abilities etc. You know, make it hard to end up with Heroes with only a couple of differences on the adventure or battle maps. However, instead of adding and improving a "decent" system (like H5 was to H3)it was scrapped and <imvho> another created in a different shallow way.

I may be the only one who wants this route...but I hope not.
Oh, and remove "Luck" as a skill:D

[saugeen123]

Yes I play Heroes all the time using the random map generator. I have n o complaints about Heroes 5.

[markkur]

Always good to find another fan of H5. Even though it could be improved in several ways, <imo> it's still the best.

Since you prefer RMG maps you might not care for anything I've made but <jic> here's a link to my creations. And if you've not tried Q's A.I....you should.

http://forum.eternal-essence.com/showthread.php?tid=129

[Yurian Stonebow]

"Anyone still enjoying the world of H5?"

Well, I am. All thanks to Q's wonderful AI mod and some pretty darn good fan made maps, including yours markkur. I have yet to play the not so well written and coded Heroes V official campaigns by Nival but I guess I will eventually get there. Hopefully Q will find the time required to do research into and fix that minor (but at the same time oh so annoying) Flying Gremlin Bug I reported here elsewhere in the H5 forum. And as I said in the EE web site's own forum, please keep the good stuff coming up my friend. Your H5 maps certainly offer a lot fun and challenge. I rank them among the finest.

With solidarity,

Yurian