Gnomes2169
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Duke of the Glade
posted January 28, 2025 04:28 AM
Lady and gentlemen, we have demon bugs. Someone's gonna have to call an exterminator for this one, and it's not going to be me.
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Yeah in the 18th century, two inventions suggested a method of measurement. One won and the other stayed in America.
-Ghost destroying Fred
I like it already. I've always been a fan of similar themed races in different games (The Zerg, The Swarm) so it's pretty cool to see it done in Heroes instead of the plain old Inferno.
I bet Hive will be one of my favourite towns to play. ____________
Horses don't die on a dog's wish.
artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
posted January 28, 2025 11:57 PM
I dont know, I can see a Dungeon type of town with a hive/bugs theme but Inferno seems too supernatural for that, how will the biological and the mythological combine? Bugs are neutral, mindless swarms and Satan is evil. Inferno wouldnt have been my first choice to implement such an idea but it’s already done.,so I guess, all we can do is hope for the best.
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Are you pretty? This is my occasion. - Ghost
Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
posted January 29, 2025 01:14 AM
artu said:I dont know, I can see a Dungeon type of town with a hive/bugs theme but Inferno seems too supernatural for that, how will the biological and the mythological combine? Bugs are neutral, mindless swarms and Satan is evil. Inferno wouldnt have been my first choice to implement such an idea but it’s already done.,so I guess, all we can do is hope for the best.
I'm no expert, but this version actually seems closer to the original NWC lore. As you may know, the Kreegans were never true demons but alien invaders. Their fiery, hellish image was just how medieval societies interpreted them, not their actual nature.
A Hive theme leans more into their biological, swarm-like essence rather than the mythological perception. Their invasive, all-consuming force still fits Inferno’s identity of destruction and chaos. I know you’re not a fan of the series’ sci-fi-fantasy roots, but in terms of legacy, this approach makes sense and personally, I don't mind them getting a refresh.
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
posted January 29, 2025 01:54 AM
I don't think the lore made much difference. When you played H3, the Inferno was blatantly mythological, the devils and demons had horns, the cerberi had three heads, pit lords had whips etc.. It didn't look or feel sci-fi. Apart from the scratched Forge town (which had furious fan reaction exactly because it did feel sci-fi), I think the only exception to this can be considered the Evil Eyes of the Dungeon. So no, a sci-fi retouch wont bring back "that old feeling" and it seems to be exactly that which they are or they claim to be aiming for.
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Are you pretty? This is my occasion. - Ghost
I'm really looking forward to these reveals. Hive has been the faction I was most interested in seeing. Big creepy evil bugs is a fantasy AND sci-fi trope that HoMM hasn't really explored before.
Galaad said:A Hive theme leans more into their biological, swarm-like essence rather than the mythological perception. Their invasive, all-consuming force still fits Inferno’s identity of destruction and chaos. I know you’re not a fan of the series’ sci-fi-fantasy roots, but in terms of legacy, this approach makes sense and personally, I don't mind them getting a refresh.
To be fair, the devs have said that the Hive aren't Kreegans. However, they do come straight out of MM8; there is a faction of giant sentient bees, and the Hive are either a corrupted offshoot of them or are their ancestors. Whether or not the Kreegans were somehow involved with Hive's creation will probably be explored in the campaign.
artu said:I don't think the lore made much difference. When you played H3, the Inferno was blatantly mythological, the devils and demons had horns, the cerberi had three heads, pit lords had whips etc.. It didn't look or feel sci-fi. Apart from the scratched Forge town (which had furious fan reaction exactly because it did feel sci-fi), I think the only exception to this can be considered the Evil Eyes of the Dungeon. So no, a sci-fi retouch wont bring back "that old feeling" and it seems to be exactly that which they are or they claim to be aiming for.
Fair points. The old Inferno felt mythological, and for most players, that’s what mattered more than the deeper sci-fi lore. But I’d argue that the "old feeling" is being captured elsewhere, while they’re also trying to bring something fresh to the table. It’s a tough balance.
They’re clearly experimenting, not just with factions but also with gameplay. Whether or not it works will indeed depend on execution, but I get why they’re trying to walk that line between familiarity and reinvention.
MurlocAggroB said:To be fair, the devs have said that the Hive aren't Kreegans. However, they do come straight out of MM8; there is a faction of giant sentient bees, and the Hive are either a corrupted offshoot of them or are their ancestors. Whether or not the Kreegans were somehow involved with Hive's creation will probably be explored in the campaign.
Whoops, I had missed that , thanks for the clarification! That definitely puts things in a different light. Curious to see how they’ll develop this in the campaign, yep, yep! ____________
Gnomes2169
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Duke of the Glade
posted January 29, 2025 11:33 AM
Galaad said:Holy Molly, Gnomes is alive!!
Always have been.
Been lurking in here to check out the Olden Era updates since, like, a week after it was announced. Been generally positive on everything we've seen so far, and this faction right now is a big yes for me. Especially the spooky lava worm, that looks super neat. The other faction I'm here for is the lovecraft at the Mountain of Madness/ ocean/ ice one we've gotten hints of, but we'll wait for that thread to pop up before getting into it.
I hope they can differentiate between different kinds of insects having a mantis like,worm like and spider like insectoid creature is a good start. Big pincer and a venom tailed creature is next I guess.
I wish some creatures had some speed and initiative difference. Some creatures which have high initiative and quick to respond but cannot move a lot on the battlefield.On the other hand one creature that has low initiative but can move a lot on the battlefield (moth like creature maybe nice).
In H3 since speed and initiative were the same thing they didn't capitalize on this aspect.Thats one thing that this series could do better than H3. Maybe this can be used to separate creatures in such faction as Hive where the astetics are very similar due to being insectoids.
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Rimgrabber
Promising
Famous Hero
Voice in Gelu's Head
posted January 30, 2025 05:25 PM
Now that I have a minute to give my more in depth thoughts, I agree that the swarm type factions are not usually my favorite, not because it's not cool and scary but beause I think the concept has been done to death. I hope there's some cool twist that makes them different than that, but if not the designs are still really interesting. Like I said before I especially like the worm thing. It reminds me of the Valyrian parasites from Fire and Blood, which are described as being "worms with faces, snakes with hands" and causing their victims to burn to death from the inside.
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Something I noticed about this faction from the townscreen:
It looks like buildings have vori(?) architecture, but are covered with thorny vines and some oozing stuff. Some have this black metal surrounding them that differs from the inner layer of what looks like stone, and the town hall(?) has these flower buds standing out. Bridges around are broken and don't seem to serve any functional purpose. All of this to say that this is likely a town that suffered from an invasion and was taken over by the hive as their base. I wonder if this infestation theme also extends to gameplay in some way.
____________ Guide to a Great Heroes Game The Young Traveler
This one is their Tier 3, the Hornet/Chanter/Stinger. We also see stat blocks for the first time, giving us a hint at how the creatures are balanced. Hornets are fairly comparable to Serpent Flies (assuming the number ranges are similar to Heroes III), but move slower and hit harder.
As someone who holds Inferno as favourite faction, I really like this take on it. It is unique in the franchise. However I'm worried that units might end up looking similar to one another more than they ever had.
I'm still bugged about inferno town screen. Too many bubbling bloated slimes on perfectly fine architecture.
Charrclaw said:As someone who holds Inferno as favourite faction, I really like this take on it. It is unique in the franchise. However I'm worried that units might end up looking similar to one another more than they ever had.
I'm still bugged about inferno town screen. Too many bubbling bloated slimes on perfectly fine architecture.
Same feelings here.
I hope they can pull off a efreet or devil there.I wouldn't mind half classic mythology devil warped with a tad of insectoid parts( representing humans missunderstanding aliens)
On the other hand Efreets are a bit hard to pull off in an insectoid town. But I hope they did it.
Nightmare might return as well since Hornets are just warped by aliens I guess horses could too. They are basically on the map anyway like a warped unicorn as steed which hero travels in the video.
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posted January 28, 2025 01:18 AM
, thanks for the clarification! That definitely puts things in a different light. Curious to see how they’ll develop this in the campaign, yep, yep! 
