Nival Answers, Episode IV: A New Hope

[Sikon]

Nival representative "Old Boy", who has been known to regularly post on the Russian Nival forums, has answered a few more questions. Here is the summary:<ul />

<li>The Skill Wheel won't be placed into the game.</li>

<li>It is unlikely that the combat camera settings in the beta, which allowed to use close-ups for absolutely all strikes, will return.</li>

<li>Official modmaking support is being "worked over" by Ubisoft.</li>

<li>The map editor will include a manual.</li>

<li>There are plans for major balance changes in Training, Necromancy and Gating, but it's too early to talk about that. When making changes, they consider both their own and fan opinions.</li>

<li>Considering DRM: distribution of pirated versions is first and foremost endorsed by those who buy them, and the presence or absence of protection of any kind is secondary. Ubisoft had "reasons" for dropping StarForce.</li>

<li>To enable duel mode with the AI, one can select two players and place one of them in autocombat mode.</li>

<li>Ubisoft is discussing plans to produce additional text materials about the history of Ashan.</li>

<li>It takes about a month to make one hero model, so female hero models were not made because of time constraints.</li>

<li>Combat replays are not yet planned.</li>

<li>Message boxes with story elements will not return.</li>

<li>Spells cannot be cast on heroes — it'sart of the system, and it makes no sense to make exceptions for initiative-modifying spells like Haste and Slow.</li>

<li>It is possible that the option to prevent the hero from using magic during autocombat will return.</li>

<li>Those who need a difficulty evel higher than Heroic can try playing without using save/load.</li>

<li>In version 1.3, cheat codes will return, but only for the singleplayer mode.</li>

<li>According to Ubisoft, Heroes V and Dark Messiah are only the first steps in the development of Ashan.</li>

<li>Patch 1.3 will add player ratings for the duel mode.</li>

<li>No levels besides the ground and the underground will be added.</li>

<li>Nival currently has no time to provide support for modding.</li>

</ul>

If you would like to take a look at the original page visit this link:
https://www.celestialheavens.com/1156332262

[Ethric]

Spells cannot be cast on heroes — it'sart of the system, and it makes no sense to make exceptions for initiative-modifying spells like Haste and Slow.

Right, same way it makes no sense to have heroes being able to attack troops from safety. Through castle walls.

[LordErtz]

Almost 100% of these announcements are "sorry, we're not doing that, we're lazy so you should turn off autosave or put on autocombat if you want to do a certain feature that we don't offer. Oh, and also we're 'working' on working on the support for mods."

Basically, everything he says is denied except the cheats.

Oh, and I'm very very scared to see what kind of MAJOR changes they do for training, necromancy, and gating :-/. No mention of academy lol.

[Vlaad II]

> Those who need a difficulty evel higher than Heroic can try playing without using save/load.



Was that irony?

[asandir]

nope, i think not .... which is rather depressing

[Alamar]

Hmmm ..

No skill wheel ==> No town build guide, etc. which means I get to keep the manual loaded so I can alt-tab ... lovely.

Mod making support is being worked over ==> This doesn't look promising.

The map editor will include a manual ==> God I hope it's a fan made manual!!

Balance changes to Training, Necromancy, Gating ==> It's about time. [Crosses fingers]

No female hero models ==> We don't care enough to do it

Message boxes with story elements will not return ==> GRRRR does this mean limited RPG sorts of maps????

If you don't want a higher difficulty just don't reload ==> That's a snotty answer.

[DaemianLucifer]

"It takes about a month to make one hero model, so female hero models were not made because of time constraints."

A month?That makes me go hmmm...There are so many talented artist out there.I mean fully functional scyscrapers are being built in a month,yet they cannot animate a single unit?Even though they have a base for it.

[Kareeah Indaga]

The Skill Wheel won't be placed into the game.

“…because we don’t want to be shown up by fans.”

Official modmaking support is being "worked over" by Ubisoft.

…with a chainsaw and a couple of sledgehammers.

The map editor will include a manual.

…because they couldn’t include either map editor or manual worth the name in the original release. *sigh*

When making changes, they consider both their own and fan opinions.

…but only when those fan opinions consist of ‘ZOMG th1$ g4m3 R0XX0RZ3Z!!!!111’ No criticism shall touch their monitors.

Ubisoft is discussing plans to produce additional text materials about the history of Ashan.

…so that it can clash with the in-game story even more.

It takes about a month to make one hero model, so female hero models were not made because of time constraints.

What, you only have one 3D modeler? Okay, fair enough, but if that is the case then why did you make special models for the campaign heroes, which are only being used for one hero?

Combat replays are not yet planned.

Er, weren’t those actually planned MONTHS AND MONTHS AGO? Of course, as I recall, so was the map editor.

Message boxes with story elements will not return.

Instead we get ludicrously bad acted cutscenes with blocky models, random spells all over the place and only slightly less atmosphere than the moon.

Spells cannot be cast on heroes — it'sart of the system, and it makes no sense to make exceptions for initiative-modifying spells like Haste and Slow.

Just like it makes no sense to have stacks or turn-based combat. Wait…

According to Ubisoft, Heroes V and Dark Messiah are only the first steps in the development of Ashan.

The next step is called “Ragnarock’s Sword”, and involves the half-demon Messiah and yet another type of elf getting into a big fight with the fate of the world at stake.

“Shades of the Doomed” will be a step back in time to the exile of the Necromancers and will explain why no one ever invites them to parties.

“Birth of a New Planet” will be about Ashan, because after all, we didn’t get a new faction, why should we get a new planet?

And in “The Gathering Snore” we’ll get to see a Necromancer try to corrupt the world, but get stopped by a bunch of heroes with a combination artifact or three.

“Breezes of Battle” will be about Elrath’s poor, much-abused followers being run over by six or seven armies all on their way to the bar in Nonnahc.

No levels besides the ground and the underground will be added.

But you’re adding another ground and underground. (:P )

Nival currently has no time to provide support for modding.

Which is why Ubi has their chainsaw.

[PhoenixReborn]

With all the sarcasm and vitriol in this thread it seems to me like celestial heavens doesn't want a manual with the map editor.

Personally given the choices
1. map editor
2. map editor with manual

I would take number 2.

[ThunderTitan]

“Birth of a New Planet” will be about Ashan, because after all, we didn’t get a new faction, why should we get a new planet?

A post-ragnarok Ashan, inhabited only by giant intelectual mushrooms and mutated sea crabs.

@PhoenixReborn

You do know that H5 did come with it's own manual, right?

[MrSteamTank]

Are the guys from nival mentally retarded? Seriously? You know nival you still have to sell an expansion? If this is the kind of crap support I can expect from nival forget it.

If you released your game relatively finished and polished then I can understand poor support but unfortunately that is not the case. Their are plenty of games that absolutely blow heroes V out of the water so I guess I'll just go play them.

It's a real shame that I had to spend 70 dollars(with tax) on your shoddy game.

[ThunderTitan]

It's a real shame that I had to spend 70 dollars(with tax) on your shoddy game.

Ouch.... i only spend some 45 euros for all the heroes games. Would have probably done it even if it didn't include H5.

[Campaigner]

I'm glad I lost faith in this game a month ago so I don't have to be disapointed now

Did you people really exspected something good from Ubi/Nival after patch 1.2 ? I'm surprised some people still believe in them and believe them to do a good job!

Hey! Who wants to bet that things will be fixed in the releaseversion of the expansion?? No one? How surprising

[Infiltrator]

I don't see much hope in that myself.

[King Imp]

There are plans for major balance changes in Training, Necromancy and Gating, but it's too early to talk about that.

While Necromancy does need to be nerfed, what the hell is wrong with Gating and Training?

Jesus Christ, once again they are going to change and screw something up that never had a problem in the first place.

STOP TOUCHING THE STUFF THAT WORKS NIVAL!

[Sathasarus]

You guys are so negative... I mean shit, they coulda made the perfect game you guys wanted and teased you by asking your opinion as they are now before they even released the game. But they had a decent playable game out, at the same price it woulda been if it was PERFECT, and have given the promise that it will improve w/o having to spend more money.

if you think even deeper about it, if they did release a perfect game, then eventually you would get bored, but as they add in new elements, it sparks new interest in the game each time, and keeps you excited about the game.

play w/ what you got, remain positive and look forward towards the next upgrades. EVENTUALLY, everyone will be happy.

fu guys thanks.

Sath,A mirror

[ThunderTitan]

Promises are cheap. I prefer seeing results.

[maltz]

> Those who need a difficulty evel higher than Heroic can try playing without using save/load.

This sounds very irresponsible. How about "try playing without using units higher than tier 1"?

[CloudRiderX]

"Message boxes with story elements will not return."



Piss me off why don't you, Nival. Why not just change the name of the game too?



"According to Ubisoft, Heroes V and Dark Messiah are only the first steps in the development of Ashan."



No ****. Where did you think the next Heroes game was gonna take place, Neverland? And I don't think that Ashan has been mentioned in any previous Heroes games, so what else would it be, the forth step?



"When making changes, they consider both their own and fan opinions."



Sure as hell doesn't seem like it.



"It takes about a month to make one hero model, so female hero models were not made because of time constraints."



Really? Somehow I doubt it, maybe we should ge the Equilibris team in there and show Nival how it's done.



I really can't sympathize Sathasaurus. Ask anybody and they will tell you I defended Ubi and Nival a TON before now when other people were complaining about little stuff. This is big.

Then slowly over time Nival anoyed me more and more with little stuff like I mentioned above. Trust me, don't bother, Nival isn't worth defending. They are lazy, inconsiderate, and warping the series with little changes.

[Justice]

Bah, no textbokses = me not getting myself anymore Heroes games developed by Nival.

And I had hoped for some good and catching fan made maps were you can read the story.- Without cutscenes and heroes screaming and shooting fireworks

Guess I'll be saving a bit of money the next years