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| Thread: What classic TBS is HoMM's timeless rival? | |
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galneon
Tavern Dweller
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posted May 12, 2012 01:39 AM |
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What classic TBS is HoMM's timeless rival?
There are few fantasy turn-based strategy games as timeless as Heroes III (or whatever is your favorite in the series), but I can think of one that certainly rivals it that I keep going back to time and time again... Age of Wonders: Shadow Magic. It's different enough from Heroes III to ensure both stay interesting, but it has a lot in common with it: beautiful 2D graphics, excellent music, immense replay value, strong multiplayer, and moddability (with patch 1.5 currently being worked on). Something I like about it that I can't really say for the Heroes series: once you're seemingly hopelessly behind in AoWSM, you can still come back to win, and when you're in the home stretch, you can still lose. Early momentum won't carry you to victory half-way into a map.
What do you see as HoMM3's ultimate rival? Master of Magic? The original AoW? Shadow Magic? One of the Warlords games? This could be a good way to get others into the classics.
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SKPRIMUS
Promising
Supreme Hero
The One and the Prime
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posted May 12, 2012 07:57 AM |
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Not MoM because I don't think of HoMM as a 4X game - HoMM is in a fairly unique category for me. [imo, MoM was a really excellent game - I need an updated version with better AI ]
Not Warlords because that's more like a wargame & I don't think of HoMM as a wargame either.
AoW I didn't play
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Zenofex
Responsible
Legendary Hero
Kreegan-atheist
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posted May 12, 2012 10:54 AM |
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Age of Wonders is a different type of TBS, it doesn't play like HoMM and generally has mechanics closer to the 4x games than to the typical TBS games with RPG elements. It's a very good game indeed but I wouldn't call it better than HoMM. Actually I wouldn't compare them in the first place.
Disciples is often considered one of HoMM's main rivals, although it doesn't have even half of the latter's popularity. And again, its concept somewhat differs from the concept of Heroes.
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Warmonger
Promising
Legendary Hero
fallen artist
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posted May 12, 2012 01:43 PM |
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I always thought about Civilisation - it's very different in general, but more popular kind of turn-based startegy.
Other games metnioned have something more or less in common or inspired by HoMM series. I don't think about them as a competition, but alternate approach.
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The future of Heroes 3 is here!
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B0rsuk
Promising
Famous Hero
DooM prophet
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posted May 12, 2012 02:52 PM |
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Edited by B0rsuk at 14:54, 12 May 2012.
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Warlock: Master of the Arcane is a lot like Heroes. It has been supposedly inspired by Master of Magic, but it's much more shallow than that. Reasons I think Warlock qualifies:
- strong focus on graphics in both games
- you only build cities to have more/better units, and city development is fast
- you are attacking neutrals or other great mages pretty much from turn one
- city development is limited
- fast play
- in Heroes, you focus on developing super powerful heroes. In Warlock, you focus on buffing a small number of units.
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Yes, AoW:SM is more of a 4X game. AoW:SM is the most MoM-like game ever released. I disagree that HOMM is good at multiplayer. AoW:SM is. It's been built around choice, you have so many choices to creatures you recruit, spells etc. HOMM is "get all creatures", AoW:SM is "which creature do I recruit?". And AoW:SM has *12* very different races.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo RSA Animate - Smile or die
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OmegaDestroyer
Hero of Order
Fox or Chicken?
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posted May 12, 2012 03:02 PM |
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I hate the Age of Wonders series, especially the second game. Brutally cheap AIs do little for my enjoyment of a game.
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The giant has awakened
You drink my blood and drown
Wrath and raving I will not stop
You'll never take me down
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B0rsuk
Promising
Famous Hero
DooM prophet
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posted May 12, 2012 04:51 PM |
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Quote:
I hate the Age of Wonders series, especially the second game. Brutally cheap AIs do little for my enjoyment of a game.
I don't think single player was ever the focus of Age of Wonders, at least Shadow Magic. HOMM was designed for single player.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo RSA Animate - Smile or die
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The_Polyglot
Promising
Supreme Hero
Nuttier than squirrel poo
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posted May 12, 2012 05:34 PM |
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In my opinion, HoMM fills a niche so small that there's no room for actual rivals. Disciples gets closest to it, but calling it a rival would be stretching it.
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