Factions line-up

[Panda Tar]

Aye. My complaint is basically regarding too much armor and glowing, shiny, floating lights, eyes gleaming, auras here and there, and tons of armors. I miss the simple opaque and dead layout for the dead.

[mr.hackcrag]

I'm already half expecting a vampire being like this:

The shoulder pads will end up bigger.

I can't believe they actually wrote:

"You’ll quickly notice several creatures of the Heroes VII Necropolis are very similar to their Heroes VI counterparts. If one faction should remain very similar, art-wise, from one game to the next, it’s the Undead. The H6 models were already very detailed, so there was no point in doing new models for essentially the same designs."

This is so lazy, incompetent, and depressing to hear.

Also, why can't their spiders ever actually look like spiders? As one commentator pointed out: http://savepic.su/4757288.jpg

[Panda Tar]

The spider did lifted my spirits in gameplay fashion, however I know not how they'll behave - I was kinda tired of ghouls and zombies. These were one of those units I never used much in any of the Heroes games, although they were beefy in the beginning of the quests.

Seeing spider as a core unit makes room to have not that spider lady from H6 as top tier. I don't know, I just think that unit might not return (YAY, imho).

Regarding design, this spider almost looks like a set of fresh armor for Dota 2's Broodmother.

[mr.hackcrag]

Holy hell, that's almost a direct copy.

I think that the spider theme is bad for the necro faction. I don't quite envision spiders fitting in with undead and it doesn't help that the spiders always look like cyborgs and unnatural.

[Panda Tar]

Well, seeing the other units now, the Lamasu (which is the only unit that looks undead, or a bit undead), the spidery lich (glowing - again... - resembling their banshee, but with armor), the armored vampire (oh, god, why... since H5, I did hope that sword was a graphical glitch, and yes, glowing), the candy-made dragon (the first thing that came in my mind when I saw that dragon were candies, then I guess it resembles candies), and the reaper (glowing, glowing, glowing, but less dreadful than the rest - and so much armor, of course), I lost all hope in the designs for Necropolis to be dead, dread, scary and lifeless. It just won't happen.

[mr.hackcrag]

I don't have a problem with the skeletons that everyone else seems to flipping out about, but most of the necro town was jank before and the opportunity to do something about it for H7 is gone now.

Lamasu resemble sphinx and alive ones would fit better with Academy.
Vampire design has been wrong since H5.
Lich is still ugly in the bad way.
Spiders should not even exist for any town; neutral at best.

Those are my biggest problems. My wish is that they would have just used 3 classic and 4 new units for every town. It's REALLY hard to get excited about playing with factions that have been virtually identical for the past decade.

Kill me now.

[Groovy]

Just face it Panda - yours is a lone voice in the wilderness.

[BlackDragonSlayer]

As a self-declared connoisseur of the Necropolis, I will critique these units.

Skeletons: Look too much like an "Elite Skeleton Royal Guard" than mere foot soldiers. 5/10 would not use for army fodder.

Ghosts: They're too "glow-y." I can't even tell what's going on with their head (they apparently have a fog machine hidden in their hair)! I remember when ghosts were scary and non-glow-y (see: Heroes 2 ghost and Heroes 3 Wraiths). 6/10 they don't have fashionable hair.

Spiders: Uhh, spiders? They actually look pretty cool, but I'm not too certain of spiders (like, actual spiders) being part of the Necropolis. 7/10 they tried?

Lamasu: Personally, I think they should have gotten rid of the Lamasu, putting Zombies as the second unit. However, considering that there's not much else they could have chosen without using zombies, I think this is a fair design. 7/10 it's like a creepy undead sphinx.

Lich: Oh dead lord what's wrong with its face? What's wrong with its body? 5/10 Lich tries to be hip but just isn't. Ghostly tentacles out of the back? That's what the kids are doing these days, isn't it?

Vampire: Oh... bleh... ohh... face... BLAARGH (those are supposed to be vomiting noises btw). 4/10 looks like it tried to vacuum seal its own face with an industrial-strength vacuum packer and was left with horrid scarring as a result. If I was told that was the lore behind the Vampire, I would believe it. Maybe it's just the hair, but that face looks unnaturally gaunt, even for an undead.

Bone Dragon: This is actually pretty good. Although it doesn't necessarily look skeletal, it's easily recognizable as both a dragon and an undead creature (and I prefer it slightly to the H5 Bone Dragon). 9/10 this is necropolis.

Grim Rider: Holy (REDACTED). This is like the Black Knights from Heroes 3 came back and got serious. 10/10 they blew the entire art budget on this thing.


Overall Rating: 7/10
Definitely a "Work in Progress"

[mr.hackcrag]

I liked this review.

Your score averages come out to 6.5 or 65% percent though. Disagree with putting zombies in though... well, compared with spiders maybe not.

Ghostly tentacles out of the back? That's what the kids are doing these days, isn't it?

Yes, they're watching Japanese pron.

[BlackDragonSlayer]

I liked this review.

Your score averages come out to 6.5 or 65% percent though. Disagree with putting zombies in though... well, compared with spiders maybe not.

Why thank you.

I think the actual score was 6.6-something, but I rounded up because I wasn't doing decimals.

[Pitsu]

Grim Rider: Holy (REDACTED). This is like the Black Knights from Heroes 3 came back and got serious. 10/10 they blew the entire art budget on this thing.

I'd disagree with this one. Which serious black knight rides a horse(?) who glows in white light? It is probably an undead sun rider, or whatever those haven horsemen were called. I am also puzzled by the rib-like objects. Does the steed have costae on cervical vertebrae? Is it some kind of fancy armor? The place where rib cage should be looks empty though (but hard to tell).

[Avonu]

I wonder, why we can't have new/old desing for liches? If fans can do better work then developers, there something seems to be not right:

[mr.hackcrag]

That "Work Done" logo was a nice touch.

[Kalah]

Personally, I'd like liches to look different from normal skeletons.

[Panda Tar]

Just face it Panda - yours is a lone voice in the wilderness.

Aye, although many people also seem displesed. Not that many I saw truly like this vamped up armored glowing like the moon Necropolis.

The grim reaper design could be less glowy, armored or else. Dunno. I would restart this faction line-up from scratch.

Even Abaddonfrom Dota 2, with a special set, looks more like a reaper that fits better what I'd have in mind, however, not considering all that blue glowing.

Or thisand guess what: nothing is glowing!

[parcaleste]

Personally, I'd like liches to look different from normal skeletons.

Ditto. It doesn't even look mean or menacing. Just a skeleton with an "fancy" outfit and a book. Liches must be MEAN mofos. That's it.

[Groovy]

Just face it Panda - yours is a lone voice in the wilderness.

Aye, although many people also seem displesed. Not that many I saw truly like this vamped up armored glowing like the moon Necropolis.

The grim reaper design could be less glowy, armored or else. Dunno. I would restart this faction line-up from scratch.

Even Abaddonfrom Dota 2, with a special set, looks more like a reaper that fits better what I'd have in mind, however, not considering all that blue glowing.

Or thisand guess what: nothing is glowing!

I agree with you, Panda. Of all the factions, the undead would be the last one I'd use a glowing art style for. That undead knight looks far more suitable, in my opinion. In a similar vein, this and this do a good job of showcasing the Reaper look and feel that I'd like to use for Heroic. I prefer the ragged look of the former, but it needs wings since my reaper is an angel.

[mr.hackcrag]

The reaper kind of looks like a palette swap of a necro hero model.

[BlackDragonSlayer]

It's amazing how by getting rid of the excess stuff in the back, reducing the glow, and adding an intimidating face, the design becomes so much better. Unfortunately, I don't think the Vampire will be so easy to fix!

[Panda Tar]

Unfortunately, I don't think the Vampire will be so easy to fix!

Yes, it is.

Just select the whole thing, delete, and make a new one.

I agree with you, Panda. Of all the factions, the undead would be the last one I'd use a glowing art style for. That undead knight looks far more suitable, in my opinion. In a similar vein, this and this do a good job of showcasing the Reaper look and feel that I'd like to use for Heroic. I prefer the ragged look of the former, but it needs wings since my reaper is an angel.

Even the ragged one from H5 would be ok, being more aggressively looking and, of course, less shiny when upgraded. This reaper unit is one unit I would like inheriting the deadly gaze effect Mighty Gorgons had back in H3.