Disciples: Liberation - "a new beginning" for the series

[catfood]

The aesthetics here are far worse than those of Disciples 2. Maybe they'll compensate for that with better gameplay but I doubt it.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

This is a series I've never played but have always been interested in.

Is the first game a good place to start? Already saw praise for #2.

I'd say just play D2. But my advice would be to keep an open mind and adjust your expectations.

 

[cvv]

Like many, I was disappointed with Disciples 3 Renaissance. But years later they released Disciples 3 Reincarnation. Don't confuse it with Disciples 3 Resurrection. Resurrection was the stand-alone expansion. Reincarnation is the main game and the expansion in one, but with new mechanics and balancing. It can't touch Disciples 2, but it's a nice fantasy, 4X-light, strategy RPG and we don't have too many of them these days.

Exactly this. They scored a homerun when they shrunk the retardedly oversized combat arena. I still prefer the D2 static format - the strategic benefits of an arena aren't sufficient to outweigh the increased length and grindiness of combat - but unlike the OG at least it's playable.

 

[Shinros]

Well, the fact they haven't named the game disciples IV is a good start, I'm interested in the concepts the game is going with and the fact the factions are in the game in some capacity, I'm cautiously optimistic about this title.

 

[The_Mask]

If they make the rods dildos/fleshlights, the "mature" rating will be 100% worth it.

 

[Suicidal]

After Disciples 3, was there any one who asked for this?

 

[Aarwolf]

No.
I really don't know why they are resurecting this franchise. It's not a beloved cult classic like Dungeon Keeper, it was not very popular back in a day. Sure, the first game was decent and the second was brilliant, but even the second one couldn't help Strategy First to build a succesful franchise.

Even the HOMM series died out and noone tries to revive it, and now this. I don't think it will sell well and I don't think it will be a good game either.

 

[Gangrelrumbler]

No.
I really don't know why they are resurecting this franchise. It's not a beloved cult classic like Dungeon Keeper, it was not very popular back in a day. Sure, the first game was decent and the second was brilliant, but even the second one couldn't help Strategy First to build a succesful franchise.

In Poland it was the most popular of HoMM likes back in the day.

 

[Reinhardt]

wonderful Warhammer

Last one was Dark Omen.

 

[Aarwolf]

In Poland it was the most popular of HoMM likes back in the day.

Yeah, I know right, as a fellow potatolander. But we also know that we, eastern europeans are no big market and can only support niche games. Hell, we were not able to sustain HOMM series, which were much bigger and better known also in the west. It's very sad of course and I see this new Disciples as a misguided attempt to reach both the old audience and to appeal to new one, so game will be streamlined and larianified, but not big enough to stand on its own. Low budget, half assed mechanics and WoW/Larian like look - it will be pure decline in every aspect.

So fucking sad.

 

[cvv]

No.
I really don't know why they are resurecting this franchise. It's not a beloved cult classic like Dungeon Keeper, it was not very popular back in a day. Sure, the first game was decent and the second was brilliant, but even the second one couldn't help Strategy First to build a succesful franchise.

In Poland it was the most popular of HoMM likes back in the day.

Same in Czech. Tied with HoMM in popularity. And I'm p. sure it was huge in Russia and the rest of Eastern Yuro too.

I think devs and businesses in general are slowly realizing Eastern Yuro isn't a total poorhouse anymore and it's a 200+ million strong market. Plus a game like this isn't gonna cost a gazillion to make, they don't need GTA5 sales to make a bundle.

 

[ChildInTime]

No.
I really don't know why they are resurecting this franchise. It's not a beloved cult classic like Dungeon Keeper, it was not very popular back in a day. Sure, the first game was decent and the second was brilliant, but even the second one couldn't help Strategy First to build a succesful franchise.

In Poland it was the most popular of HoMM likes back in the day.

Same in Czech. Tied with HoMM in popularity. And I'm p. sure it was huge in Russia and the rest of Eastern Yuro too.

I think devs and businesses in general are slowly realizing Eastern Yuro isn't a total poorhouse anymore and it's a 200+ million strong market. Plus a game like this isn't gonna cost a gazillion to make, they don't need GTA5 sales to make a bundle.

Always liked Disciples more than Heroes - waaaay better art direction and graphics which hold up to this day, and a more serious narrative which made me actually want to play through all the campaigns for all races. Also lots more accessible - I'd say it almost played like a card game with animated units, than a real TB strategy.

 

[StaticSpine]

And I'm p. sure it was huge in Russia and the rest of Eastern Yuro too.

HoMM was always much more popular here. But when Disciples II came out, all dudes from my class played the shit out of it

 

[Lyre Mors]

I like your feelings on the Disciples series except for

I'd say it almost played like a card game with animated units, than a real TB strategy.

I get where you're coming from, but I feel this description is downright misleading to anyone who hasn't tried the games before. I would say the combat was definitely not comparable to a card game. Unless you're playing with a deck of three or four cards that are never hidden nor shuffled. I would say the combat is more comparable to your standard blobber combat, except with an overhead perspecitve and with rows.

 

[Darth Canoli]

Always liked Disciples more than Heroes - waaaay better art direction and graphics which hold up to this day, and a more serious narrative which made me actually want to play through all the campaigns for all races. Also lots more accessible - I'd say it almost played like a card game with animated units, than a real TB strategy.

I played all the factions from Heroes of Might & Magic 1, 2, 3 and even 5.

As for Disciples, it's no more a cards game than KotC 2 is a pogs game, the "battlefield" makes it closer to a Blobber or a Tactical-JRPG.
I also played Disciples 1 and 2 back in the days, was good enough but i found it lacked some depth.

I always considered it a dumbed down version of Lords of magic for graphic whores but with slightly better combat, only slightly because if Disciples features decent TB combat, they reduced the battlefield size so it's better than Lords of Magic clusterfuck but way weaker than HoMM combat.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

in before this ends up being codex goty

 

[Citizen]

KotC 2 is a POGGERS

 

[fantadomat]

LoL we are getting another porn game,we live in interesting times for sure.

 

[Assisted Living Godzilla]

Disciples seems like such a no-brainer, but looking at that screenshot of the combat I guess these developers are challenging that notion.

I'm a little surprised they dropped that whole kind of western animeish aesthetic of the first game. That kind of Joe Madureira influenced art you'd see in comics when he started getting big. That seems like it would be even more of a hook today than it was when the first game came out.

Whatever is happening in that combat screen (I guess they're going HoM&M, but I guess it could be something else too) also seems like a weird direction to go. The easiest thing to do would just be to keep the basic kind of combat it had, and maybe flesh it out more. If you were going to do a big grid you move units about, given the originals seem to be playing off Ogre Battle in a way, maybe doing something more like Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy Tactics (especially since it's single units instead of groups like HoM&M) would be the way to go instead of why they're doing.

 

[Shinros]

Well whether you consider this too edgy or not, I found a screenshot that gives a clear picture of an empire unit. At least they are leaning into the fanatical aspects of the empire, often they were enemy inquisitors in the other games rather than a group you worked with.

 

[lukaszek]

inquisitive flagellant?

 

[InD_ImaginE]

No one besides indie dev would make a 2D game with artwork like Disciples 2 or whatever unless it is a nostalgia-fueled project like Pillars that try to emulate old IE games especially when the original games are niche to begin with.

The cinematic trailer looks like shit tbh, but the screenshot of the game in Steam looks OK if mediocre. Disciples 3 try too hard to become a HOMM clone, but honestly considering HOMM is dead I wouldn't mind if this becomes a HOMM RPG hybrid ala King's Bounty.

Considering the no name dev and Kalypso library of completely mediocre games I am not having too much hope for this but we'll see if this will be decently playable.

 

[Peachcurl]

They're taking the chance that necrophilia in gaming is the next big thing, I guess.

Though, maybe they're just trying to get ahead of necrophiliacs posting screeds on Twitter about how the game isn't "inclusive enough".

They are not the first to have romancable undead characters. King's Bounty and Dragon Commander did that, too. Probably a bunch of other games as well.

 

[cvv]

considering HOMM is dead I wouldn't mind if this becomes a HOMM RPG hybrid ala King's Bounty.

Agreed. Especially considering the actual King's Bounty sequel looks absolutely nothing like King's Bounty.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Well whether you consider this too edgy or not, I found a screenshot that gives a clear picture of an empire unit. At least they are leaning into the fanatical aspects of the empire, often they were enemy inquisitors in the other games rather than a group you worked with.

Tbh the only thing I see on that screenshot is a 95% ctrlc+ctrlv of nu-pyramid head design.