Heroes of Might and Magic: Olden Era - Ubisoft returns to Enroth - coming to Early Access in Q2 2025

[Kabas]

I wanna see a visually better, expanded Heroes 4 sequel, ngl

I liked HOMM4 class system.

Despite the fact that some classes were blatantly better than the others like how Demonologist gets to instantly learn exclusive demon summoning spells that are ridiculously cost effective while someone like Seer only gets +2 scouting radius.
Would be cool to see an expanded version of this class system again.

 

[Lagole Gon]

Methinks when people say "it looks generic" they actually mean "it looks like that horrible WoW-inspired style that plagued video games for more than a decade and still is not quite dead".

I guess this style was a good choice for long-lasting MMO. But damn it, it sure was overused.
And there is no excuse for these shoulderpads. Ever.

 

[luj1]

I wanna see a visually better, expanded Heroes 4 sequel, ngl

Actually underrated class system

 

[Cyberarmy]

I wanna see a visually better, expanded Heroes 4 sequel, ngl

Yeah same here. It did many things really well but the change from HoMM 3 to 4 was a real downgrade and it still is. Edit: I also don't like the "both sides attack at the same time" mechanic. I know they tried something new but not really my cup of tea.

 

[Lacrymas]

I wanna see a visually better, expanded Heroes 4 sequel, ngl

Yeah same here. It did many things really well but the change from HoMM 3 to 4 was a real downgrade and it still is. Edit: I also don't like the "both sides attack at the same time" mechanic. I know they tried something new but not really my cup of tea.

This is actually the best thing HoMM4 introduced. It immediately shook up the stale HoMM gameplay of always trying to attack first. I've been dreaming about it ever since. Amazing change.

 

[Darkozric]

The only good thing I can say about this unimaginative travesty is that it made me install heroes 4 after many years

 

[Hydro]

Isn’t homm 4 considered a big flop? No gamedev company will use it as a reference for a new game.

 

[Lacrymas]

Isn’t homm 4 considered a big flop? No gamedev company will use it as a reference for a new game.

It depends on what you mean by flop. Iirc, it wasn't the reason New World Computing dissolved. As for it not being well received among fans, that's true, but for the wrong reasons. HoMM4 is great, it's just that the fans coming from HoMM3 weren't man enough to adjust to the very reasonable and even genius changes.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Isn’t homm 4 considered a big flop? No gamedev company will use it as a reference for a new game.

Well, technically 5 was a bit "4, but not retarded". They were very selective about it, tho, and for a damn good reason.

That's why a truly interesting take would actually be tackling a true sequel to 5. But that ain't happening, most normies (including decision makers at ubi) probably see 6 and 7 as actual follow up and those flopped hard. So it's low-effort corporate necromancy time.

 

[Hobo Elf]

Isn’t homm 4 considered a big flop? No gamedev company will use it as a reference for a new game.

It was rushed out the door due to the parent company being in the financial shitter. The balance and AI was bad, which is understandable since the devs likely never got to do the balancing pass and improve the AI (this would happen in a polishing phase that usually gets skipped when a game is being rushed out the door). Despite that I think there were lots of good new systems and changes (such as the aformentioned new class system) that I wish sequels would've picked up on instead of copying HoMM3 for the nth time.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

But "class system" (kind of a big word for it, but ok) was the one thing the following installments actually changed/developed. 5 and 6 that is, I really don't know about 7. With 5 being the obvious winner in that regard. Although my shameful secret is that I really liked dropping the randomness of level ups in 6, it's the singular good thing about that trainwreck.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I don't remember HoMM5 changing your class (and granting new passives) when you have certain skill combinations, but maybe I have gaps in my memory on how it worked. The way I remember is that it was an expanded version of HoMM3s skill system with the added bonus of the hero feeling more like a character in combat, but not to the extent that it was in HoMM4 (where it literally was a unit and you could make an army stack of heroes should you choose).

 

[luj1]

This is actually the best thing HoMM4 introduced. It immediately shook up the stale HoMM gameplay of always trying to attack first. I've been dreaming about it ever since. Amazing change.

If it's not broken, don't try to fix it

 

[luj1]

Isn’t homm 4 considered a big flop?

It was considered a failure because HoMM 3 was so incredible, but in time people began to appreciate it in its own right. It has its own style. HoMM 5 and all others however are trash

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

The class system wasn't the only change HoMM4 made to the HoMM formula. HoMM 5 copied numerous mechanics from 4, such as giving each town a unique signature mechanic, making heroes play a bigger role in combat, the caravan system, making initiative and movement separate stats and giving creatures their own MP pool and more active abilities.

Yes, like I said, 5 selectively copied some ideas from 4, just made them, you know, be good and work while, at the same time, being implemented in an overall very decent and well thought-out game.

I don't remember HoMM5 changing your class (and granting new passives) when you have certain skill combinations, but maybe I have gaps in my memory on how it worked. The way I remember is that it was an expanded version of HoMM3s skill system with the added bonus of the hero feeling more like a character in combat, but not to the extent that it was in HoMM4 (where it literally was a unit and you could make an army stack of heroes should you choose).

5 didn't copy the sub-classes, but has the "main skill with levels + a set of extra sub-skills" like 4 does (with more options and more customization) and has combining your picks to unlock new stuff, including the ultimate skills, which is a similar idea to unlocking sub-classes.

 

[Hobo Elf]

5 didn't copy the sub-classes, but has the "main skill with levels + a set of extra sub-skills" like 4 does (with more options and more customization) and has combining your picks to unlock new stuff, including the ultimate skills, which is a similar idea to unlocking sub-classes.

True enough. I do remember HoMM5 having skill dependencies but for whatever reason to me it feel like it's somehow different, even if it is functionally similar the more you think about it. Maybe someone who has played HoMM4 & 5 more recently than I have can give deeper insight if there are some nuances I'm not remembering at the moment.

Personally I'm just a big fan of having a flavorful list of classes with different names even if they aren't too unique. It's one thing I do enjoy about the later M&M games.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I mean, disregarding "teh balance", sub-classing was definitely one of the genuinely cool and good ideas that 4 introduced, yeah. Like caravans or flagging the once-per-week resource POIs.

 

[Lacrymas]

This is actually the best thing HoMM4 introduced. It immediately shook up the stale HoMM gameplay of always trying to attack first. I've been dreaming about it ever since. Amazing change.

If it's not broken, don't try to fix it

But it was broken. To the point of the entire gameplay revolving around attacking first and seemingly innocuous spells like Haste and Slow turning out to actually be the most kooky coconuts busted.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Not really interested in getting involved in this discussion, but just want to be helpful and point out some basics: for when it matters, attacking first isn't the real issue, getting the first move is. Which will always be a part of the game, although it was to some small extent tackled with recent HotA changes. Buuuuut, tbh, it's kinda easy to get the first move wrong and get punished for it, particularly if the other player manages to curb their autism just enough to notice some of the underrated spells other than "restart if I don't get earth on first lvl up REEEE".

 

[luj1]

To the point of the entire gameplay revolving around attacking first

Not really mate. Like Zboj said, it was about getting the first move. That's why Sacred Phoenixes with 24 speed were imba. But it's not always an insurmountable advantage. Going by that, the white player in chess would always have an advantage.

Heroes 3 didn't have any big mechanic problems. All that HoMM 4 did was decline, except maybe the class system, but at least it had style, and kept the same music.

 

[Storyfag]

All that HoMM 4 did was decline, except maybe the class system, but at least it had style, and kept the same music.

C'mon, that is unfair. And I say this having never liked HoMM4 very much. The class system, the caravans, the accumulation of units in dwellings on the map - these were all very good ideas. The artstyle (from fugly units in the combat part to the town screen travesty), the 4 unit tires, the reduction in town types, the generic hero descriptions - these were the downsides.

 

[luj1]

the caravans, the accumulation of units in dwellings on the map - these were all very good ideas.

Good ideas but very small. These features are present in most HoMM 3 mods

 

[InD_ImaginE]

HoMM 5 is fine and people who conisder it bad is edgy fuck

Art is a downgrade I guess as it is generic 3D fantasy, but is more than serviceable

 

[Laz Sundays]

Hmm, the only big thing with HoMM4 were heroes themselves. It's a game of its own and it should remain that.. in a perfect world without fucking Ubisoft, we would have H4 as a successful spinoff.

It influenced the franchise in a positive way regardless

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

The Great Deceiver by the way, for every mongoloid who keeps asking: YES, I'm serious. I do think this looks like it could be at least decent and potentially competent, in a way that the 6th and 7th in the series definitely weren't.
Time will tell.