Heroes of Might and Magic V Developer Diary #1

[bapenguin]

The Official Might and Magic website (http://www.mightandmagicgame.com/teaser/uk/archives.php?mois=7&annee=2005#11486) has the first developer diary up with Alexander Mishulin, Creative Director of Nival Interactive. 4. Etherlords, Silent Storm, and now Heroes… Your teams seem to enjoy turn-based gameplay a lot. Could you explain us why you appreciate this way of playing? What are - according to you - the advantages/disadvantages of it vs real time?

Turn-based genre gives you time to think the situation over and to implement the best solution possible. So I would call it the most thoughtful gameplay among all genres. Of course, real-time strategies also make you think but because you are tied with the time factor you have to do it fast – and usually you really can’t afford wasting the precious time on tactics, you think more global, building your strategy. Yet because TBS is so time-consuming it is not as dynamic as RTS, and this is its main disadvantage in our present era of speed. It is especially a disadvantage in multiplayer mode, when you wait not for the computer, but for another human brain, that is thinking over all possible combos. That’s why we are focusing on making the multiplayer in Heroes of Might and Magic V dynamic, smoothing the waiting time with various means.

Etherlords was a great game, I'm really looking forward to this.

[Ernst_Jager]

Silent Storm was a excellent game. Though once it got to playing with the mechs I lost interest. I would love to see a modern era game using this engine. Playing a delta force or SEAL team in Iraq or Afganistan would kick some ass.

[Heretic Machine]

I like turn-based strategy games quite a bit, though not in multiplayer. Just gets too drawn out in multiplayer.

[Scar]

How much of the original NWC team is on this? Last I heard they were all sucking dick for crack and leaving bags of flaming dog poop on Trip Hawkin's palatial home's porch.

[BleedTheFreak]

I like turn-based strategy games quite a bit, though not in multiplayer. Just gets too drawn out in multiplayer.

Yeah, that's sort of true. Though, many games can be great in TB multiplayer if done right and done on a smaller scale. Age of Wonder 2 is a fantastic TB MP game, just don't play on any map larger then Medium and you can actually finish a game. Same goes for anything. TB games really need to let the player stay in control while it's not his turn, so he can still be doing something, like planning his next move, checking on any stats or info he needs, that sort of thing. Many TB games don't do that, they force you to watch the other player play, and I think that's where they stumble. Watching the other player should be an option, especially if he's an enemy and he's knocking at your door, but it should never be the only option, especially in the early and mid-games.

[BleedTheFreak]

How much of the original NWC team is on this? Last I heard they were all sucking dick for crack and leaving bags of flaming dog poop on Trip Hawkin's palatial home's porch.

In the diary this very news post refers to, they mention that someone that worked on HoMMIII and IV is helping to put together the AI and work out AI strategies.

[Crimson]

Plus, the guys that have done the music for the series are back too. I'm looking forward to this one.

[Nameback]

Heroes was what got me started in gaming, I shall buy this title day 1.

[Oblivion]

eh, can I get some sort of response via PM why the news item I submitted does not got accepted? you know, to improve further submissions and not to kill enthusiasm.

[Kefkataran]

I've always liked turn-based multiplayer over e-mail, though that might not be able to be done with HoMM5. I'm super-excited about it though.