Looking backward: First impressions on HoMM4

[Metathron]

Excellent!

I'd be interested in seeing you keep this thread alive as you either play fan made maps or Equi.

He still has the expansion campaigns before him, for what it's worth.

[Akul]

He still has the expansion campaigns before him, for what it's worth.

I still get creeps when I remember the expansion maps. Especialy when I look at the original campaigns.

[Qurqirish Dragon]

Excellent!

I'd be interested in seeing you keep this thread alive as you either play fan made maps or Equi.

I'll think about it. I am continuing straight on into the Gathering Storm campaigns. I've just started the first (only a few weeks in), and it seems interesting with a dedicated magic hero. I am probably going to get basic life magic for the might hero, just for the bind wounds spell, but otherwise concentrate on combat and tactics for her. Maybe pick up some free magic skill levels from appropriate sites as I go on. I haven't decided on the other two primaries yet (maybe nobility and scouting, but another magic may be useful.)

As for fan maps, I'll get to those once I finish all the campaigns (at my current rate, that may take until the end of the year - and then I'll have the H5 campaigns from that expansion. I'm also playing more of Zelda on my Wii the last few days, and I have a few other games backlogged there)

I plan on getting Equilibrus once I have finished the campaigns.

@HP: I would be very surprised if you did agree with everything I wrote
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

@everyone else: Since I have now placed my main opinions out there, I am no longer worried about other people's comments affecting my views. Feel free to discuss my points. Just try to refrain from spoilers for the expansion campaigns until I have gotten through them

[HodgePodge]

@HP: I would be very surprised if you did agree with everything I wrote
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

I only thought the Graphics weren't so bad in Heroes 4, maybe they just grew on me after awhile … and/or after I enjoyed playing the game so much through the years.

[Pol]

It kept me some time, but I had got used to homm4 graphics. Some of its elements are excellent - however it's like with 3d chess for me, I'm loosing concentration from all that angles. So Homm3 "flat" graphics is remaining best for my playing style.

[Akul]

I only thought the Graphics weren't so bad in Heroes 4, maybe they just grew on me after awhile … and/or after I enjoyed playing the game so much through the years.

Me too. I still like the graphics in H4 the most. Looks the most fairy tale like, just what HoMM is.

[ThunderTitan]

I only thought the Graphics weren't so bad in Heroes 4, maybe they just grew on me after awhile … and/or after I enjoyed playing the game so much through the years.

I always found the graphic engine good, but the design of most creatures rather uninspired...

[pacobac]

sure nice graphics !!
juste see:

http://equilibris.celestialheavens.com/ ... tavern.jpg

http://equilibris.celestialheavens.com/ ... ehenge.jpg

http://equilibris.celestialheavens.com/ ... henge2.jpg

[Humakt]

Town graphics and some unit graphics are lacking, but IMO adventure map graphics are best of the HoMM series.

[ThunderTitan]

Damn you HoMM4... how can you look so good and so bad at the same time?!

[Humakt]

Damn you HoMM4... how can you look so good and so bad at the same time?!

Maybe you should try higher resolution?

[Orfinn]

It is THE best adventure map graphics in any Homm game indeed. To a isometric 2D map to be.

[Qurqirish Dragon]

Due to the large number of pictures that have appeared in the discussion, I have split off the portrait discussion into its own thread, with a pictures disclaimer. There was nothing wrong with the discussion, just too many pictures. The portrait discussion can be found
here now.

[Corribus]

Nice analysis Qqd. I can't say I feel it is fair to try to rank each game against the others, as they are different and span a long period of time where technology has greatly changed. There's also a nostalgia factor which will make it hard for me to rank H2 very low, even though later games were deeper and probably more fun.

I am wondering, though, if you would mind commenting on whether you think your comparative perspectives (relative rankings?) of H4 and H5 (and H3 perhaps) would be different if you had played them in chronological order rather than the reverse way.

[ThunderTitan]

H2 was way funner, and i've only played it 2-3 times before i got H3, when i wasn't any good at anything. It just has a better atmosphere to it.

[Qurqirish Dragon]

Nice analysis Qqd. I can't say I feel it is fair to try to rank each game against the others, as they are different and span a long period of time where technology has greatly changed. There's also a nostalgia factor which will make it hard for me to rank H2 very low, even though later games were deeper and probably more fun.

Considering the whole thread is my opinion, fair is what I say it is.

Seriously, however, Part of my point with this thread was to see how H4 stacked up against H3 and H5 (since the biggest controversies were the transition from H3 to H4, and then "backwards" to H5). I threw in the first two simply because I could.

Also note that these are all relative rankings. A low ranking should not indicate that I thought it was lousy.

As for nostalgia, I am aware of that, and tried not to let that influence too much of my decisions. More likely a bias was the fact that it was very hard to recall exactly how much I enjoyed the earlier games, since it has been so long since my first time playing. Particularly the growth of the "one more turn" factor. I do not recall if I had that from day 1 of HoMM2 or not. Since I went straight on to H3 from 2, it was there directly, but the long time between 3 and 5 may have partially effected how long it took H5 to reach that point.

I am wondering, though, if you would mind commenting on whether you think your comparative perspectives (relative rankings?) of H4 and H5 (and H3 perhaps) would be different if you had played them in chronological order rather than the reverse way.

I don't know if this is possible to do. How would I have felt about the loss (and later return) of the caravan, for example? I cannot say, and can't even speculate. Heroes on/off the battlefield might have pushed H5 either way, relative to H3 (up, due to the 'variety' of styles - and thus looking for H6 to be on again, H7 off again, and so forth - or down, due to having gotten used to heroes on the battlefield after playing H4 for several years.)

In any case, although I generally avoided H4 discussion before (not having the game, it didn't interest me), I was aware of many of the opinions out there - particularly in discussions when H5 came out. This gave me a few points to focus on while playing. They may not have had as much impact if nobody had ever seen it before.

I'm certain my views would have been different in many places - particularly the borderline decisions - but whether for the better or worser of H4, I cannot say.

[asandir]

nice work QD, excellent analysis

and TT I agree with your point, H2 for me was the most fun, by a long way

[Omega_Destroyer]

Same here. I'll never forget the fist time I booted it up and heard the theme music. Still makes me smile.

[Qurqirish Dragon]

Well, I have now seen the danger of not having combat skill. I just began map 4 of Bohb's campaign, and my archmage was by himself. I saw a moderate stack of level 3s nearby, and figured I could take them out alone. Of course, without combat I had lousy attack/defense skills and without the artifacts from the last map, no armor. Unfortunately, I did have enough levels to get GM life in the last map, so I couldn't cast guardian angel (If I could, then I probably would have won the battle anyway). I might try the battle again, casting fortune on turn 1 to reduce damage, but it does appear I have to rethink my strategy this map (at least until I can produce some good creatures and get some armor.

This is the first time since starting H4 that I couldn't get combat for a hero, and so now I can see the problems that others had mentioned about it in the past. Hopefully, this just requires a different strategy to be used, but I will find that out soon enough.

[wimfrits]

I might try the battle again, casting fortune on turn 1 to reduce damage,

Cast summon leprechaun instead to buy you some extra time. Fortune + fodder. One of the best spells in the game