Heroes of Might and Magic 5

[DarkCloud]

Well Fed, I can't say anything about HommV, but there's no sure way to win HommIII- it's basically asdeep and coplicated and intriguing and offers as much replay value as Civ II ever did.

I'd also suggest the Total War series- it is much simpler than any of the games that you listed, but it has its points.

Europa Universalis 2 would be a better choice than the Total War series though, if you haven't yet checked that out.
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Standup- Thanks. Looks like I'll be delaying purchase until the expansion pack's release then!

[Standup]

Patch 1.1 out today but no map editor. Some bug fixes, bit of balancing on the campaign and an extra easy difficulty level (which i'm not going to complain about).

[DarkCloud]

Well, at least they're supporting the game.

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Question about the battle maps- are they only one level like in HommIV? Or are they dual level.

Are they generally larger/ as large as tehy were in Homm III or are they smaller?

[Standup]

When you say battle maps do you mean the tactical combat screen or just the general maps the hero is on?

Anyway to try cover all of that...

The strategic maps feel smaller than HOMM3. They are quite big but the 3D terrain takes up a lot of space. I've just finished one map the scenario described as big and it took my hero about 2.5 turns to move from top to bottom (with some logistics). There are underground levels but again the 3Dness makes them feel constricted. This is a very subjective view but the maps don't feel as epic as HOMM3 but i am still only in the second series of campaign scenarios so they may just be introductory so far.

On the tactical map there's just one level and from memory it's about 9x9 squares so the fastest units can get across in one turn. I'd like it to be bigger so tactics have more of a role. Some units like the griffin can move off map for a turn but you can't follow them and they reappear next turn.

[Standup]

So far replay value in the campaign is low.

The scenarios rely heavily on scripted events and cut scenes. The plus side is that they're more interesting than the capture all cities approach but feel very linear. You can also set off triggers at the wrong time or too early etc or sometimes your actions are irrelevant because you jump to cut scene that tells you you won/lost regardless of the effort you put into your army.

[Grumbold]

I gave in and bought V too. Unfortunately it lived up to the HoMM tradition. Tarted up graphics but poorer strategic AI. The graphics are so demanding the maps are pretty small too. I'm most of the way through the second campaign and there's only been one map big enough to have more than three towns.

Mind you, there's no point in putting more towns on the map when the AI hasn't got a clue what to do with them. So far it seems the AI can't build armies efficiently, can't build up towns and can't explore effectively. The random appearance of creatures at the start of each week seems to completely shut down its strategies, with resource sites right next to towns being ignored if the road is blocked by something unexpected.

Its so dumb it can't even make a fight-or-flight decision when approached by one of your heroes. Weak heroes will commit suicide by strolling too close, threatened towns will not be defended and powerful heroes don't chase your weaker ones or try to steal towns while your back is turned.

The animated storyline is quite amusing and the game will entertain me long enough to play through the scripted campaigns, but its going to gather dust afterward. There's nothing satisfying about fighting an opponent that can't fight back unless a script gives it a big army and puts it within melee range of your hero.

[DrSpike]

Does not sound promising - think I'll give it a miss for now.

[ZargonX]

Oh, and the AI cheats pretty blatently when it needs to

[DarkCloud]

On the tactical map there's just one level and from memory it's about 9x9 squares so the fastest units can get across in one turn. I'd like it to be bigger so tactics have more of a role. Some units like the griffin can move off map for a turn but you can't follow them and they reappear next turn.

That's odd. I heard in teh reviews that the tactical maps were larger than in HoMM III... odd.

And yes, you were right that I was asking about the strategic map... That's really disappointing in that case

I'd hoped that I would want to go out and buy HoMM V. Oh well, guess it's back to playtesting my custom-made maps again

If anyone's interested in having some fun- I've got some great HoMM III maps in ready-to-play mode!

[DrSpike]

Originally posted by ZargonX
Oh, and the AI cheats pretty blatently when it needs to

And it sounds like it needs it a lot.

[vmxa1]

In a way I am sad to hear it, but at least I know I can wait easier. Even if everyone said it was the best, I cannot see rewarding them with 60 bucks, for so little work done.

This game should have been 39.95, only special games should be asking for 59. I am not sure any special games have been released lately.

[DrSpike]

Only £25 here at Amazon. Seems a pretty standard price.

[Standup]

Patch 1.2 now out...but no map editor.

Mainly bug fixes and cosmetic fixes like adding extra tool tips. Looks pretty comprehensive in that respect.

But demand for a map editor is getting more and more vocal on the boards and play balance is still a bit off.

[Asher]

I want multiplayer modes other than FFA...

[asleepathewheel]

I must've been asleep the last two months and missed this release. Doesn't sound like I've missed much, I'll pass I think. maybe someday one of these will live up to its potential.