Heroes of Might and Magic Community
visiting hero! Register | Today's Posts | Games | Search! | FAQ/Rules | AvatarList | MemberList | Profile


Age of Heroes Headlines:  
5 Oct 2016: Heroes VII development comes to an end.. - read more
6 Aug 2016: Troubled Heroes VII Expansion Release - read more
26 Apr 2016: Heroes VII XPack - Trial by Fire - Coming out in June! - read more
17 Apr 2016: Global Alternative Creatures MOD for H7 after 1.8 Patch! - read more
7 Mar 2016: Romero launches a Piano Sonata Album Kickstarter! - read more
19 Feb 2016: Heroes 5.5 RC6, Heroes VII patch 1.7 are out! - read more
13 Jan 2016: Horn of the Abyss 1.4 Available for Download! - read more
17 Dec 2015: Heroes 5.5 update, 1.6 out for H7 - read more
23 Nov 2015: H7 1.4 & 1.5 patches Released - read more
31 Oct 2015: First H7 patches are out, End of DoC development - read more
5 Oct 2016: Heroes VII development comes to an end.. - read more
[X] Remove Ads
LOGIN:     Username:     Password:         [ Register ]
HOMM1: info forum | HOMM2: info forum | HOMM3: info mods forum | HOMM4: info CTG forum | HOMM5: info mods forum | MMH6: wiki forum | MMH7: wiki forum
Heroes Community > Heroes 7+ Altar of Wishes > Thread: Bringing New Players to Heroes
Thread: Bringing New Players to Heroes
anirvans
anirvans

Tavern Dweller
posted February 17, 2004 10:38 AM
Edited by alcibiades at 12:08, 29 Jun 2009.

Bringing New Players to Heroes

I have been reading the posts in this altar and most of them are about what the experienced players would like to make them enjoy the game even more. Having played the game since my university days 6 years ago, I know that all of you will go ahead and buy the game regardless of how good or bad the game is. :-)

I tried searching but could not find a single discussion about what would new players like that would make them buy Heroes V. Hence this thread. My apologies if I have missed any old thread where this was already discussed.

Going on a trip down memory lane, the first time I saw this game was when I saw two guys brooding over a PC playing a game with funny graphics and magical sounds. That was my introduction to Heroes 2. I sat there spellbound watching them play the game for hours. Very soon I had my own copy of Heroes 2. And as I had contacts with almost all PC gamers in our univ, almost the entire hostel was playing Heroes 2 within a few weeks.

6 years later I tried rekindling the same magic with my wife. Heroes had evolved to Heroes 4 and I called her to sit beside me while I played the game. She wasnt enthralled. Far from it - she just didnt understand what was it in that game that made me sit in front of a PC (sometimes totally ignoring her!) for hours. The magic isnt there for new players any more.

Will the same graphics and music of Heroes 2 work? Of course not. But what will also not work is just going 3D. What is needed is rekindling that magic so that new users - the school and college students of today - can fall in love with the game just like we did years back.

It is easy to just say that things are not working. It is far more difficult to come up with concrete suggestions to bring in new players. I am going to venture to put in a few points. I would like to have others in the community go back to the first time they fell in love with Heroes 1 and Heroes 2 to say what made them like the game.

Pleasing Visual Effects
Everyone is used to 3D nowadays. Developing a game in 2D will not do. But what is more important is to have pleasing visuals. And that means bigger avs and brighter colours. And do away with the realism where it is not needed. To give an example, the necromancer castle of heroes 3 looked ugly. Being from the dark side, it probably should look a bit scary, but there is no need for anything to look ugly. And please give me at least one beautiful castle with some pretty faces! I still miss the sorceresses of Heroes 2 (Gem was made to look ugly and old in Heroes 3 - how can a spellcaster allow herself to look that ugly when she was so pretty earlier?)

Magical Sound Effects
I like the realistic sound effects introduced in Heroes 3 and 4. But the magical notes of Heroes 2 still make me nostalgic. (I havent played Heroes 2 since I moved out of college and lost my CD of the game) Thinking like a new player, I think the realistic sounds of some adventure locations would not really seem to be as attractive if I have never played. After all, there is always magic in magic!

Game Concepts
While sound and visual effects are the most important features to bring in new players, it is the game concept that makes them play over and over again. The simpler the concept, the easier it is for a new player to like the game. I am not asking for the simplicity of Heroes 2. I think Heroes 4 was more simplistic than Heroes 3 in its spells. It is far easier to know that the damage that you can do with chain lighting increases with your level than to keep wondering what your level in a certain magic is and therefore whether you will hit 4 or 5 creatures. A tutorial game also helps to learn the game concepts. As does tools on the internet. And a good manual with sections to get started on the game concepts.

Single Player Scenarios
Ok, it is always good to have scenarios made by the players community. But what is important is for the AI to be smart. You can never make a good scenario if the AI is as dumb as it is in Heroes 4. The difficulty levels also have to be properly tuned. Impossible in Heroes 4 is far more possible to win than some lower levels. All that you have to do is be patient and keep hacking at those large stacks of units till you can gain control of all the mines. Then you are through - as the AI will not be able to gain its mines in most of the cases. And there is no point in coming out with too many scenarios. A small number of well-constructed ones are far better than too many badly-made ones. If the AI is smart enough, the community maps will also be fun to play. Also, have more randomness introduced - both in creatures and in towns. That will make it more replayable.

Campaigns
Lets face it - some single scenarios will be good while some will be bad. What can stand out are the campaigns. The campaigns finally hook you on to the game permanently. There is little compain in this regard. Heroes 2, 3 and 4 - all had good campaigns. But now with a new team, I am not sure how good the storytellers in Ubisoft will be. They have a tough legacy to follow. Some of the campaigns in TGS looked pretty hurriedly made. I hope Heroes 5 doesnt make the same mistake.

Multiplayer
There must be a multiplayer option right from the beginning. That is what finally keeps someone going to the same game again and again as the opponents change and make the game more fun to play.

And finally - please promote the game and try to release it simultaneously all over the world. It does not help bring in new players if the game is already 5 months old when it is released in a country. I live in India, where it is almost impossible to find a copy of Heroes 4. Thankfully, I have had several opportunities to visit other countries which allowed me to buy the game. Not everyone is that fortunate.



Moderator's note:This topic has been closed, as it refers to an older version of the game. To discuss Heroes 3, please go to [url=http://heroescommunity.com/forumdisplay.php3?FID=6]Library Of Enlightenment[/url], to discuss Heroes 4, please go to [url=http://heroescommunity.com/forumdisplay.php3?FID=17]War Room Of Axeoth[/url], to discuss Heroes 5, go to [url=http://heroescommunity.com/forumdisplay.php3?FID=1]Temple Of Ashan[/url].
____________

 Send Instant Message | Send E-Mail | View Profile | Quote Reply | Link
Jump To: « Prev Thread . . . Next Thread »
Post New Poll    Post New Topic    Post New Reply

Page compiled in 0.0406 seconds