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Heroes of Might & Magic III HD Edition

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  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    Thanks a lot for the review, @BelgarathMTH . The more real reviews are out, the better.

    I wish some company could make an HD/enhanced version of M&M 6-7-8 games...
    lolienBelgarathMTHGalactygon
  • AedanAedan Member, Translator (NDA) Posts: 8,550
    edited February 2015
    Steam says that the game is available in Italian, both audio and texts. However, as Italian people know well, Steam is often inaccurate about these "details". Is there any chance that someone can confirm or deny this statement? @BelgarathMTH ?
    Also, did they release a physical copy of the game?
  • iKrivetkoiKrivetko Member Posts: 934
    edited February 2015
    A friend of mine bought it and virtually everything I've heard about the game is how buggy it is, e.g. the spacebar is not working, the autosave feature is not working, not to mention that the system requirements match those of the first Crysis, which is obscene to say the least. Combined with the fact that there are no expansions, the multiplayer has received no improvements (and in fact has become worse) AND that the price is higher than the complete edition on gog, this release hardly looks like a bargain to me.
    elminsterjackjack
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    @Aedan , sorry, I don't know anything about foreign language editions.
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790
    I've read a review on one of Polish sites. If HD version of HOMM3 was meant for mobile devices, then it is OK. But for the PC, the reviewer wrote it is a waste of time and money.


    For the PC versions:
    http://www.gram.pl/artykul/2015/02/02/heroes-of-might-magic-iii-hd-recenzja.shtml

    + It's still Heroes III
    + Netplay

    - No expansions...
    - ...which means no random map generator
    - no significant fixes/tweaks
    - mods are doing better job at them for free...
    - ...and they are not combatible with HD version.

    Overall: 3/10


    For the tablet version thought, on different site:
    http://www.tablety.pl/apple_ios/gry-na-ipada/recenzja-gry-heroes-might-magic-iii-hd-edition-na-tablety/

    + Remastered graphic
    + Urepeatable feeling of the game
    + You can plan multiplayer on one tablet with friends
    + Polish language version avaliable (not significant for you guys)
    + Huge ammount of missions, characters and campaings.

    - Controls
    - No online multiplayer
    - Sporadic resets of application.

    Overall: 5/6


    How I understand it: PC version is not needed, as one thing it accomplishes right is being a cashgrab. That one was rather predictable, with at least one example of false advertising. On the other hand, the game hasn't been introduced on the mobile devices, so at least there it is appreciated.

    It is worth noticing that the PC reviewer was, and still is, huge fan of the game.
    iKrivetkojackjackJuliusBorisov
  • SapphireIce101SapphireIce101 Member Posts: 866
    TotalBiscuit on HoMM3 HD and some other HD Remakes/Remasters.
    smeagolheartiKrivetko
  • O_BruceO_Bruce Member Posts: 2,790
    I wonder what he would say about EEs... I'm geniuely curious.
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    edited February 2015
    @iKrivetko , I haven't found the game "a buggy mess" at all. I'm not sure what your friend means by that. I did notice that the autosave wasn't working, until I did a single game save over the slot. After that, autosave started working just fine. Other than that autosave glitch, I haven't encountered a single "bug". As far as "space bar", I don't even know what you're talking about with that. I've always played HoMM with mouse only.

    One of HoMM's charms is its ease of control, which makes it a perfect candidate for remaking the entire series to be played on modern portable touch screen devices.

    @SapphireIce101 , thanks for posting the video review. As I watched it, I just kept saying to all his criticisms, "I don't care, I don't care, I don't care," over and over. It seems that my values for buying game remakes are really, really different from his.

    A huge criticism point seems to be the existence of the HoMM3 HD mod. I started up my old GoG.com install with that mod installed today, and my immediate reaction was, "Yuck, I can't believe I ever played with this."

    Again, the mod makes ants and anthills for the avatars and game structures, and I had forgotten that even the interface is so reduced in size that I would need to hold a magnifying glass up to my 82" TV screen to even see the buttons.

    I uninstalled my modded GoG.com version, and did a clean reinstall of it without the so-called "HD mod". It came up in a clean install in a nice 4x3 aspect picture on my TV (with letterbox, of course), and was much less sharp in the picture than Steam's new HD version, but would be acceptable in video quality for me to continue on with Blade of Armageddon and the other expansions, if I still want to after finishing Restoration of Erathia.

    One gains absolutely nothing by having the expansions installed while playing Restoration of Erathia and its associated original single map scenarios. So, if you want to play the original campaign in beautiful, crisp, unzoomed-out, unstrectched 16x9 aspect ratio on an HD TV, I still contend that this release is worth the fifteen bucks. That's significantly less than the price of one home-delivered pizza dinner.

    I'm hoping that the HoMM3HD devs make enough cash with this project that they are encouraged to do more of the same in the future.
    Post edited by BelgarathMTH on
    JuliusBorisovAedan
  • SapphireIce101SapphireIce101 Member Posts: 866
    Imo, I just see HoMM3 HD as a cash grab made by Ubisoft, because they've had so many failures within the past year.

    Also, I don't see the devs, DotEmu, getting a lot of money out of this because Ubisoft owns the rights to the HoMM series.
  • iKrivetkoiKrivetko Member Posts: 934
    Try entering a multiple way portal with a mouse while standing on it. Or a subterranean gate. Apparently you've hardly played the game at all.
    One gains absolutely nothing by having the expansions installed while playing Restoration of Erathia and its associated original single map scenarios.
    That's utter rubbish. Being limited to Erathia just for the bells and whistles AND at 1.5 the price is ludicrous. The whole point of the expansions is how much strategic depth and content they add. Brilliant pregenerated maps, RMG, campaigns that are extremely fun, and don't even get me started on custom maps, where most of the epic ones require AB at least.
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    I should remind that people should try to be polite on this forum.

    One can perfectly play HOMM 3 without ever touching the spacebar. It can be not perfect, but you can simply retreat one point of turn from the portal/gate and try once more till you get where you want.

    As http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/63965-heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/54596647 shows, lot's of players didn't even know about the spacebar using in HOMM.

    So, please, let us stay away from discussing whether somebody has played the game or not.
    lolien
  • iKrivetkoiKrivetko Member Posts: 934
    edited February 2015
    It can be not perfect, but you can simply retreat one point of turn from the portal/gate and try once more till you get where you want.
    Try doing that with a swarm of vampire lords or something similar guarding it when it's only your second week. Stuff like that is very common in the campaigns. Without the spacebar you will most likely have to load an autosave (which isn't working properly either, lol).
    Anyway, the developers said from the beginning that the expansions and the editor would have not been included in the game, so there are no bitter surprises or broken promises here.
    It's not a question of broken promises and bitter surprises (well, except for the bugs, the hotkeys that aren't working et cetera). My concern is that people are overly apologetic about a game that has less content and works worse, but looks prettier and demands a higher price just for that alone. I find this mentality atrocious, since it has already killed a lot of brilliant series.
    Post edited by iKrivetko on
    SapphireIce101
  • SapphireIce101SapphireIce101 Member Posts: 866
    Apparently, the space bar feature isn't even included as a part of RoE(Restoration of Erathia), originally. It was added by one of the expansion packs. So, it's automatically there if you have the complete edition. Can anyone see if the space bar feature works on HoMM3 HD?

    @Aedan - I think most people bought this game because of the nostalgia factor. Rather than doing research. Hence, why a lot of them are upset.

    The sad thing is, at this point, the source code for AB(Armageddon's Blade), and SoD(Shadow of Death) are lost.

    Also, I'm glad that at least one person gets enjoyment from HoMM3 HD. Though, I would never buy it. I think the trade offs aren't worth it.
    AedaniKrivetkojackjack
  • AedanAedan Member, Translator (NDA) Posts: 8,550
    edited February 2015
    @iKrivetko
    I see your point.
    I think that, despite the source code loss, they should have worked on the expansions as well. Surely it would have required much more time, but the final product would have been more completed and appreciated by the community.
    Unfortunately, it seems that Ubisoft just wanted to get some easy cash.
    I think that this attitude will have bad results in the future. People is sick and tired of buggy and rushed games (see Raven's Cry).
    I just wanted to say that, despite all, we can still play the vanilla game with great satisfaction. I played HOMM3 some months ago and I enjoyed it a lot. This game aged very well. It is like my mom: awlays beatiful :)
    jackjack
  • jackjackjackjack Member Posts: 3,251
    edited February 2015
    Ubisoft spent all of their goodwill from me when they released Silent Hunter 5.
    Maybe this game isn't a cash grab, but it certainly follows a disturbing trend going on at Gog.com as well. Expansions are increasingly being left out of purchases of, well, old games. I'll never understand the reasoning behind this type of decision. At the end of the day, I'm confused as to how this does anything but risk alienating customers, whether or not they stated their intents to sell only base games ahead of time, as in this case. Not everyone will be dissatisfied 100% of the time, but it seems that they've irked more than a few people this time around.

    For comparison, how would people have felt if BGEE left out Tales of the Sword Coast or BG2EE didn't include Throne of Bhaal?
    Okay, maybe I wouldn't care about ToB, but you see my point XD
    WilburAedanSapphireIce101JuliusBorisov
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,714
    Astrologers proclaimed the release of HOMM 3 HD. The number of negativity increased.
    lolienelminsterjackjackAedan
  • Son_of_ImoenSon_of_Imoen Member Posts: 1,806
    edited February 2015
    Having only just started gaming some 10 years ago, when HOMM IV was just released, the fourth game was my first might and magic game and after joining GOG, even though most people are in love with pre-2000 games, I often find it hard to get used to them. I remember installing HOMM III and turning my back on it for it's 'primitiveness'.

    Despite the bad reviews, I want to try out HOMM III HD. Apparently it's not a good game for old lovers of the game for lack of it's random maps, multi-player functionality, mods, extended campaigns, all those things that make a game worthy to go back to.

    For new players however, I have the feeling it could be a better introduction to the game than picking up the old game straight away. I'll buy it when it goes on sale, as it's DRM-ed alas and I won't rent a game for more than €10,-. But I'll definitely buy it some time (and maybe by then, the bugs are fixed?).
    BelgarathMTHJuliusBorisov
  • iKrivetkoiKrivetko Member Posts: 934
    Or you can buy the gog edition with no DRM, no bugs that should not have been there in the first place, with all the content and for not more than 10 euros.
  • Son_of_ImoenSon_of_Imoen Member Posts: 1,806
    @iKrivetko - I'm not sure if that's a general comment or a reply to me, but I did buy the GOG edition and this quote of mine:

    "I often find it hard to get used to them. I remember installing HOMM III and turning my back on it for it's 'primitiveness'.

    is about the GOG edition and that's why I'm willing to try out the HD. HOMM III is one game too old for me.

    jackjack
  • iKrivetkoiKrivetko Member Posts: 934
    And how will it become less primitive? It is the same game with less content, more bugs and DRM, albeit with a wee bit sharper graphics.
  • AedanAedan Member, Translator (NDA) Posts: 8,550
    edited December 2019
    I read some threads on the Steam forum and I did not see the immense number of bugs that some people claim to be in the game.
    Surely they must fix some things (as a matter of fact, they are working on it).
    In my eyes, all this fury seems to be more releated to the absence of both expansions. While I totally agree that they should have included them, I do not think that it is a reason to consider the HD version an epic fail.
    Post edited by Aedan on
    jackjackJuliusBorisovBelgarathMTH
  • SapphireIce101SapphireIce101 Member Posts: 866
    Tbh, I think its the Ubisoft name that is semi-causing the negativity. I mean, because Ubisoft has became synonymous with EA. A gaming company that shells out "broken" games with shoe-horned multiplayer, and might have some day 1 DLC included.

    Also, this whole debacle has gotten HoMM3 Complete onto the top seller list on gog.com.

    Oh, I don't know if this makes this situation worse, but apparently the players found a way to get RMG to work on HoMM3 HD. Kind of reminds me of the PC release of FF13, where players had to use a mod just proper resolutions on that.
    jackjackAedanBelgarathMTH
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    I posted the following review on Steam, with a "thumbs up" verdict:

    This remake isn't for everybody, but it's a very good release for a certain set of players, which includes me.

    As everyone knows, only the Restoration of Erathia has been remastered. The expansions are not available. People who want to download and play custom maps are not going to want HoMM 3 HD Edition, because most custom maps require the expansions to play.

    So what exactly do I like about it?

    I've never been so devoted to playing any HoMM game that I spend all my time with it. I have a lot of other games I like to play. When I do feel like playing HoMM, I will pick a version and spend a few weeks or a few months playing with it. Then, I move on to the next game.

    So, I guess you could call me a "casual" HoMM player, and I only am interested in single player mode. By the time I finish all the campaigns in Restoration of Erathia, I am ready to move on to another game. So, I might as well enjoy the Restoration of Erathia campaign with the best available graphics and remastering.

    I also own the GoG.com complete version, with the HD mod. I find that I like the new HD version better, especially since it doesn't shrink the interface so small, and doesn't zoom out so far. I play on an 82" television screen, and the remastered character sprites are noticeably sharper to me than in the HD mod on the GoG.com version.

    If I still feel like playing Blade of Armageddon and other expansions or downloaded custom maps after I finish Restoration of Erathia, I can move to the GoG.com with HD mod version and continue playing, although I will miss the improvements from the new HD version.

    It doesn't have to be an either-or between the two versions. It can be a both-and. I will use the new version to play Restoration of Erathia, and enjoy lighting up the achievements and having the Steam support. Then I will switch to the other version if I feel like continuing.

    I've had no problems with stability issues nor found any bugs, either.

    I think my $15 was well-spent. That's less than the price of a home-delivered pizza dinner, and I'm getting weeks worth of much-enjoyed entertainment hours out of it.
    elminsterJuliusBorisovlolienAedan
  • SionIVSionIV Member Posts: 2,689
    edited February 2015
    Guys i'm having a life threatening problem right now, I can't find my old Heroes 3 complete CD's and steam doesn't sell that version. Where do i buy it for a decent price online? It's been like 5 years since i last played that game and i can feel the withdrawal symptoms appearing just by reading this thread! :bawling:
    BelgarathMTHJuliusBorisov
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    @SionIV, go to Gog.com for hugely discounted prices on the entire series. If you want to play Restoration of Erathia only for nostalgia's sake, with the best possible HD graphics, then the Steam HoMM 3 HD is good.

    It depends on which parts of the series you want to replay. Based on your post, it sounds like you might prefer the Gog.com version with the HD mod.
    JuliusBorisovlolien
  • SionIVSionIV Member Posts: 2,689
    edited February 2015

    @SionIV, go to Gog.com for hugely discounted prices on the entire series. If you want to play Restoration of Erathia only for nostalgia's sake, with the best possible HD graphics, then the Steam HoMM 3 HD is good.

    It depends on which parts of the series you want to replay. Based on your post, it sounds like you might prefer the Gog.com version with the HD mod.

    Thank you! You saved my evening! *hugs*

    11 minutes left on my download, i can't wait! Heroes 3 complete on one laptop, IWD running on the other, it's like Christmas came early this year.
    BelgarathMTHJuliusBorisovlolien
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    Hi, here's a Might and Magic lore question that I just posted over at Celestial Heavens as BMJedi, that I'd also like to post here, in case one of our esteemed forumites might know:

    Who are the titans, and why serve wizards?

    Hi, I've just started replaying HoMM 3 thanks to the release of the new HD version, and I have a lore question.

    In the campaign map for reconquering Steadwick, you get to choose either two archangels or two titans to start.

    I can see why the archangels help the Castle human faction, as so deeply explained through story in Might and Magic 7.

    But, in Might and Magic 6 and 7, the titans seem to be neutral monsters who hate pretty much everybody.

    In both HoMM 2 and HoMM 3, the titans are suddenly changed from terrifying, Lovecraftian monsters who have their own inscrutable agenda, to the servants of wizards. How did that happen?

    Also, the HoMM 3 Tower version of the titans somewhat implies that they could be constructs of wizards. Are the titans constructs, or are they living, organic, sentient, terrifying giants?

    I think the second Lovecraftian thing is the more compelling titan lore, but that would exclude them from being a recruitable HoMM creature, unless one supposes that the wizards, at high enough level and "town" research, become able to enslave them, one or two at a time.

    So, can any of the lore experts here shed some light on the lore of the titans?
    JuliusBorisovlolien
  • SionIVSionIV Member Posts: 2,689
    This is horrible guys, I've played Heroes 3 complete now for almost half a day in random game. I forgot how addictive this game is, Imeon is going to have to wait with getting saved for a little while longer it seems!
    BelgarathMTHJuliusBorisovAedan
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