SpellForce 3 Reforced + Soul Harvest & Fallen God standalone expansions

[Parabalus]

I've been saying Spellforce 3 is a semi-bad WC3 clone for a while. The units are missing the strong characterization, mechanical utility, and diversity WC3 offers and the types of heroes you can make pale in comparison to WC3's 24 different and memorable ones.

Makes sense that heroes with 4 fixed abilities are more readily differentiable compared to ones you can freely shape yourself.

Is the former really better though?

 

[Lacrymas]

Makes sense that heroes with 4 fixed abilities are more readily differentiable compared to ones you can freely shape yourself.

Is the former really better though?

It depends on whether you want to create your own hero with muuuuuuuuuuuuuuch fewer abilities, or have premade heroes with a ton of diversity (there are 96 hero abilities in WC3, units bring even more to the table). SF3's RTS section lacks mechanics that are present in other, better RTSes. If we are only comparing it to WC3, units lack strong characterization and mechanical utility. You just select them and point them at the enemy.

 

[Parabalus]

Makes sense that heroes with 4 fixed abilities are more readily differentiable compared to ones you can freely shape yourself.

Is the former really better though?

It depends on whether you want to create your own hero with muuuuuuuuuuuuuuch fewer abilities, or have premade heroes with a ton of diversity (there are 96 hero abilities in WC3.

How are there muuuuuuuuuuuuch fewer hero abilities?

There 7 main branches with 12 abilities each, and 9 companion trees with 6 each.

Add to that that you can combine them as you wish.

 

[Lacrymas]

I don't really count the passives which only give % increases to whatever. Sure, there are passives in WC3 too, but they are much more impactful (Critical Strike, Evasion, the Tinker passive that improves all his other abilities, various auras). The active abilities in Spellforce 3 are pretty same-y too. Is there really that much of a difference between ice storm and fireball? The companions have much more interesting and useful trees than the avatar btw. Sure, the abilities aren't muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch fewer, but they feel fewer because the trees abound in passives and the active ones aren't as impactful.

Btw, more impressions - the impact of intelligence on focus regeneration has been toned down or at least dumping it doesn't leave you with almost non-existent focus regeneration. Which is good for my build, but it decreases the value of transference from the white magic tree by quite a lot. I used Yria (who has a worse portrait now!) as a mana battery for everyone else. The loading times are impressively improved, they are almost instant now on an SSD (NVMe one). Props to the optimization team, not only did they fix performance in 99% of cases (there are still some drops in unusual places where a looooot of the map is on-screen or where it's really foggy like Greykeep's southern forest), but they also managed to deliver amazing loading times.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

who has a worse portrait now

What the hell

 

[Parabalus]

I don't really count the passives which only give % increases to whatever. Sure, there are passives in WC3 too, but they are much more impactful (Critical Strike, Evasion, the Tinker passive that improves all his other abilities, various auras). The active abilities in Spellforce 3 are pretty same-y too. Is there really that much of a difference between ice storm and fireball? The companions have much more interesting and useful trees than the avatar btw. Sure, the abilities aren't muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch fewer, but they feel fewer because the trees abound in passives and the active ones aren't as impactful.

Pretty sure a lot of this is nostalgia, WC3 heroes had lots of meh abilities as well.

The only skills in SF3 I'd describe as bland are the first in each tree. The other passives all have several effects, and often get additional ones with greater ranks. Many of them are also auras.

Is there really that much of a difference between ice storm and fireball?

One is a persistent AoE and the other is instant? Might as well ask the same for the BG2 spells.

 

[ArchAngel]

Makes sense that heroes with 4 fixed abilities are more readily differentiable compared to ones you can freely shape yourself.

Is the former really better though?

It depends on whether you want to create your own hero with muuuuuuuuuuuuuuch fewer abilities, or have premade heroes with a ton of diversity (there are 96 hero abilities in WC3, units bring even more to the table). SF3's RTS section lacks mechanics that are present in other, better RTSes. If we are only comparing it to WC3, units lack strong characterization and mechanical utility. You just select them and point them at the enemy.

I can tell you from playing MP you can take same character that has limited trees (as there are also classes) and you can make different builds with same hero. Not just do I start with Elemental or Ice Storm but noticeably different hero builds that affect battle differently.
Try the MP or skirmish, it is not same as singleplayer that has story heroes that are unique and scenarios don't challenge you at all.

 

[GloomFrost]

Just as I feared the REFORCED on GOG does NOT include the expansions even if you own them. So you have to install ALL 3 games separately to get the full package. Which is over 100 GIGs.

 

[Lacrymas]

Just as I feared the REFORCED on GOG does NOT include the expansions even if you own them. So you have to install ALL 3 games separately to get the full package. Which is over 100 GIGs.

They said they are working on this issue.

 

[GloomFrost]

Just as I feared the REFORCED on GOG does NOT include the expansions even if you own them. So you have to install ALL 3 games separately to get the full package. Which is over 100 GIGs.

They said they are working on this issue.

Who? GOG or Grimlore games?

 

[Lacrymas]

Grimlore, probably in conjunction with GOG.

 

[Parabalus]

They seemed to have shifted some artefact pieces around, Master of Life and Death - Knob is now in the 2nd map, Liannon.

If anyone notices any other changes be sure to post them.

 

[Lacrymas]

There is a new item from the spiders in the barracks that speeds you up when you aren't in combat. As far as I remember, there wasn't a ring of +10 focus in the possible rewards from Esme's fighting challenges.

 

[Lacrymas]

There are quest markers now that show optional side quests in areas of the map you haven't explored yet.

I turned off quest markers (the option is below the minimap), but optional quest markers don't go away. At least the marker for the thief quest in Liannon doesn't. Heroes are much more powerful now, a change I'm not in agreement with. All in all, I don't like half the changes I've seen, especially those to do with the UI.

 

[GloomFrost]

There are quest markers now that show optional side quests in areas of the map you haven't explored yet.

I turned off quest markers (the option is below the minimap), but optional quest markers don't go away. At least the marker for the thief quest in Liannon doesn't. Heroes are much more powerful now, a change I'm not in agreement with. All in all, I don't like half the changes I've seen, especially those to do with the UI.

So is Reforced a new REFORGED in disguise then? At least when you buy Reforged ALL of the single player content is available.

 

[Lacrymas]

After having finished Liannon, I'm going to say that my first impression about heroes being more powerful wasn't correct. It's more correct to say neutral mobs have been nerfed, like those giant bugs in the fields. Reforced is definitely not a Reforged-type situation, just the UI is worse. I have to see whether other optional quests show up on an unexplored map or it was only a bug with this particular quest.

 

[DeepOcean]

Did they fix the balancing? Previously, I made an aura bot and got Yria with that spell that heals you based on the amount of buffs you have, my heroes couldnt die after that.

 

[Parabalus]

Reforced is definitely not a Reforged-type situation, just the UI is worse.

New UI:

Old UI:

There really isn't that much of a difference. You can scale both.

Nobody needs half the information on screen and you have two sets of the exact same portraits in there.

The amount of portraits is the same?

 

[Lacrymas]

WC3 also technically has 3 portraits but it's not as noticeable, maybe because one of the is 3D. Either way, I didn't notice/it didn't bother me there are multiples of the same portraits in the old UI, which means there is something in the new UI which pins my attention to that. One of the factors is how big it is and how much blank space there is between elements which wasn't present in the old UI.

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

Dwarven Token (Part of King Ayelith's Oath) not in shack (second visit) near bear cave on Farlorn's Hope, despite wiki and steam guide telling so. Perhaps devs moved it.
Also I found Titanite slab either near nothern refuge fort (on second visit there are bandits) or orc territory.

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

"Arrows...this man wasn't killed by Orcs" - literary seconds after fighting orc units equipped with bows. I mean those were "goblins pesterers", but still they considered as part of orc faction.
And devs should fix description of "pesterers" in glossary, since they reffered as "goblin pebblers" in entry.

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

Blueprints at Farlon's hope:
Ravager: Thrill of the Hunt (Orcs) ( ravagers ride faster)
Human Hunting cabin - Cost Reduction
Human Stoneworks - Cost Reduction
Human Logging Cabin -Cost Reduction
(Humans) Billet: Cost Reduction ( this one is fucking weird because name written in different style)

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

Iskander Wilds frist visit:
No Defiler's bane, all chests unlocked.
Human Infantryman - Cost Reduction
Blueprint: Infantryman: Warhammers (Humans)
Human Arbalist - Cost Reduction
Blueprint: Scouts: Better Equipment (Humans)

 

[Parabalus]

The entire Mulandir - Nexus map seems to have been changed.

 

[Parabalus]

Titanite slab either near nothern refuge fort

It's this one, I think I found adamantine in the orc territory though.