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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted May 04, 2026 11:02 PM |
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Edited by Galaad at 00:21, 12 Jun 2026.
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Early Access is out!
Since a few days.
Absolutely fantastic. The franchise is finally and at last back on track. Keep in mind this is still in development.
Please use this thread to discuss/feedback EA.
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JollyJoker
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 04, 2026 11:35 PM |
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Good thing. Grove was the first I checked out. 6-player single hero map, something with Ladder (not many 6-player maps, actually). I won it, but barely, mix of hard and unfair. The Schism and Hive players had elimninated the others and gave me really tight battles in my own main town. Grove's ranged power is pretty good, but I like their whole lineup and their faction laws. Their tier 3 is a fantastic blocker unit
Hive ... You probably know I've been a sucker for the old Inferno, but this faction is awesome. I mean, no ranged power at all to help - and it's so refreshing not having to guard squishy shooters, but let the guys fight. Those tier 5 Reavers, especially the Maniacal variant. I mean, 10-40 damage (basic unit as well), completely insane, and then it gets another move when it kills a stack - but only 45 HPs and 12 defense. In fact I absolutely relish playing them at the moment.
Anyway, I expect that with the revised town-building and the increased number of spells you get the other 4 factions will be great to play as well.
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gnollking
Promising
Supreme Hero
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posted May 05, 2026 07:26 PM |
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JollyJoker said:
Hive ... You probably know I've been a sucker for the old Inferno, but this faction is awesome. I mean, no ranged power at all to help - and it's so refreshing not having to guard squishy shooters, but let the guys fight. Those tier 5 Reavers, especially the Maniacal variant. I mean, 10-40 damage (basic unit as well), completely insane, and then it gets another move when it kills a stack - but only 45 HPs and 12 defense. In fact I absolutely relish playing them at the moment.
I love Hive all the way from the earliest playtest. The larvae are such a cool ability to use, they really help you with the no ranged gameplay. There are so many neat things you can do with them, especially with the faction law upgrades. Block tight passages, draw aggro, deal AoE damage, and so much more.
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JollyJoker
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 06, 2026 12:04 AM |
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Good to hear I'm not alone with my enthusiasm for that faction. The faction synergy is great as well - the role thing that they get stat increases for the number of different Hive allies and that "hivish" communist abilities like Topple the Strong. One Stinger upgrade kills at least a unit (and they are tier 3), and all the small details of that faction.
But possibly the best insider joke is that their only shooter is an upgrade T6 - whose shooting works like Magog's in Homm 3 (and you can even target your own units, at least spwn, that's what I tried), but has a no-penalty melee attack which is a subtle pointer at how the Magogs could have been so much better.
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Fish0331
Tavern Dweller
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posted May 25, 2026 08:16 PM |
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Why no unique world map/combat model for each hero?
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Ancientdruids
Famous Hero
(Andruids for short)
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posted May 25, 2026 09:50 PM |
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That would be irresponsible budget management and unnecessary bloat.
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fish0331
Tavern Dweller
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posted May 26, 2026 12:29 AM |
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Wouldn't it be awesome to see a ingame character model that reflects what the portrait looks like though? Instead we get a model that looks the same as the others in the faction. Can we get more heroes atleast?
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Syth1984
Known Hero
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posted May 26, 2026 11:58 AM |
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Edited by Syth1984 at 11:59, 26 May 2026.
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I don't understand the obsession with the graphics. They are alright as they are or the UI. Of course that can be improved but gameplay and balance should be improved.
Adventure map is full of treasuries or stat improving buildings.Mines and resource cathces. Even they don't provide such challenge.There is no background to these fights, no advantage for the defenders.
Adventure map does not have building that you would like to hold.For example a flaggable marketplace would be nice or a statue that give you +1 morale in that sector for your armies while you are holding it.
The battlemap has these features such as small swamps, lakes, bushes etc but they dont have the slightest effect besides blocking.
Movement spells are a bit nuts.Teleport there townportal this,second wind that.Second wind should be changed so that it takes away from the next days movement.It's like forcing the horses to run more.
The night effect is nice but has no meaning in terms of gameplay.
I wish there were interesting passage battles as well. Like a tight mountain passage or a deep swamp. Even these could change the movement points like very much.(reduced by %75)(or ends your movement there like ship embarking).Like these would be buildings that connect bioms. You have to defeat them once a month to pass through.
I find it weird that people are still talking about "this button is big should be small, that guy should have purple cloak, this menu item should be this way" okay these are all well and but it won't make a fun game. It will just make a clean easily playable game.
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DIEGIS
Supreme Hero
power of Zamolxis
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posted May 27, 2026 02:41 PM |
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hi, what are you guys playing atm? Im enjoying Single player mode, in ranked competition even more fun;
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dacian falx behind you
-knowledge itself is power-
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JollyJoker
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
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posted May 28, 2026 09:33 AM |
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I'm trying this and that. 
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LordCameron
Famous Hero
Veteran of the Succession Wars
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posted May 28, 2026 07:01 PM |
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Syth1984 said:
okay these are all well and but it won't make a fun game. It will just make a clean easily playable game.
If the original mario had looked like tv static, with a tv static character, it wouldn't matter how good the mechanics were, no one would be able to play it. And being unable to play or getting a headache from playing aren't fun. So clean and playable do add to fun. Especially in a series built on its visuals and music.
In regards to the UI, the easier it is to navigate, the less brain power is spent navigating, and the more can be put to engaging with and playing the game, which again, is more fun. Further, clunky UI's can cause injuries from repetitive motions, or exacerbate them. Homm II and III were some of the few games I could play when I was recovering from a long term injury for several years, but I'm not sure I could have managed Olden Era. Every frustration also leads to tension, which further increases the pain and lessens the fun of playing.
As the Olden Era demo stood when I played it, the combination of clunky/frustrating UI and hard to parse visuals had me losing interest in the game after about half an hour, which was a huge shame. It clearly has some complex and intriguing mechanics, but if I want to experience those in a less obfuscated fashion, I can play Age of Wonders III.
This isn't to rag on the game, just to answer your question. I hope Olden Era continues to improve, and I think it is probably already the 3rd or 4th best game in the series, even without further improvements. Given the direction it has gone, I doubt it will ever be for me, but watching a bit of a Hive playthrough yesterday actually captured my interest for the first time in the game.
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted May 29, 2026 07:56 AM |
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LordCameron said:
Syth1984 said:
okay these are all well and but it won't make a fun game. It will just make a clean easily playable game.
If the original mario had looked like tv static, with a tv static character, it wouldn't matter how good the mechanics were, no one would be able to play it. And being unable to play or getting a headache from playing aren't fun. So clean and playable do add to fun. Especially in a series built on its visuals and music.
In regards to the UI, the easier it is to navigate, the less brain power is spent navigating, and the more can be put to engaging with and playing the game, which again, is more fun. Further, clunky UI's can cause injuries from repetitive motions, or exacerbate them. Homm II and III were some of the few games I could play when I was recovering from a long term injury for several years, but I'm not sure I could have managed Olden Era. Every frustration also leads to tension, which further increases the pain and lessens the fun of playing.
As the Olden Era demo stood when I played it, the combination of clunky/frustrating UI and hard to parse visuals had me losing interest in the game after about half an hour, which was a huge shame. It clearly has some complex and intriguing mechanics, but if I want to experience those in a less obfuscated fashion, I can play Age of Wonders III.
This isn't to rag on the game, just to answer your question. I hope Olden Era continues to improve, and I think it is probably already the 3rd or 4th best game in the series, even without further improvements. Given the direction it has gone, I doubt it will ever be for me, but watching a bit of a Hive playthrough yesterday actually captured my interest for the first time in the game.
I agree that good UI and readability are important.
I just see them as multipliers rather than the main source of fun. A polished UI can enhance great gameplay, but it cannot replace it.
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Syth1984
Known Hero
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posted May 29, 2026 07:29 PM |
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LordCameron said:
Syth1984 said:
okay these are all well and but it won't make a fun game. It will just make a clean easily playable game.
If the original mario had looked like tv static, with a tv static character, it wouldn't matter how good the mechanics were, no one would be able to play it. And being unable to play or getting a headache from playing aren't fun. So clean and playable do add to fun. Especially in a series built on its visuals and music.
In regards to the UI, the easier it is to navigate, the less brain power is spent navigating, and the more can be put to engaging with and playing the game, which again, is more fun. Further, clunky UI's can cause injuries from repetitive motions, or exacerbate them. Homm II and III were some of the few games I could play when I was recovering from a long term injury for several years, but I'm not sure I could have managed Olden Era. Every frustration also leads to tension, which further increases the pain and lessens the fun of playing.
As the Olden Era demo stood when I played it, the combination of clunky/frustrating UI and hard to parse visuals had me losing interest in the game after about half an hour, which was a huge shame. It clearly has some complex and intriguing mechanics, but if I want to experience those in a less obfuscated fashion, I can play Age of Wonders III.
This isn't to rag on the game, just to answer your question. I hope Olden Era continues to improve, and I think it is probably already the 3rd or 4th best game in the series, even without further improvements. Given the direction it has gone, I doubt it will ever be for me, but watching a bit of a Hive playthrough yesterday actually captured my interest for the first time in the game.
I agree with your statements.However we are not at this stage are we? The UI is already quite good. IF they did zero improvement on UI now and just crashed bugs it would be okay for me.
However on the other hand treasury battles are boring at the moment. Travel spells are overpowered. Castle building dependencies are dull( Liches appearantly don't need mage guild even level 1).Some old problems are not addressed.
If you score 90/100 for Biology and 50/100 from Math you wouln't study Biology that much. Thats my point.
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LordCameron
Famous Hero
Veteran of the Succession Wars
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posted May 29, 2026 08:17 PM |
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Galaad said:
I agree that good UI and readability are important.
I just see them as multipliers rather than the main source of fun. A polished UI can enhance great gameplay, but it cannot replace it.
That's a good way to put it.
Syth1984 said:
I agree with your statements.However we are not at this stage are we? The UI is already quite good. IF they did zero improvement on UI now and just crashed bugs it would be okay for me.
I guess this is where personal preference comes in. Because for me, the UI and readability is not at--or is at best hovering around--the minimum bar where the game is playable for any length of time yet. Unfortunately with the art style I'm not sure that is going to happen. Same problem I have with Songs of Conquest. There is a great game in there somewhere, but my brain won't let me play.
A caveat to the above though, is that it is looking better than the demo, and I didn't actually think they'd be able to improve too much from the demo because it looked like they had painted themselves into a corner, so I will be happy to be proven wrong in the future when the game or my mind improves.
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted May 30, 2026 08:40 AM |
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DIEGIS said:
hi, what are you guys playing atm? Im enjoying Single player mode, in ranked competition even more fun;
Mostly Exodus and Harmony. Have yet to try out more templates. Sadly very limited time for gaming until summer probably. Did a ranked game and got rekt 
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The_Green_Drag
Supreme Hero
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posted June 01, 2026 10:28 PM |
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Yin-yang, Sympathy, and Shamrock are about the only decent ones I’ve played.
Game is fun, but I really don’t like its emphasis on faster games and gathering huge power stacks within just a few weeks with tons of repeat dwellings, lots of same faction castles, repeat creature banks, pandora boxes, etc. Map selection feels totally catered to the pvp community. Half the options are 1v1 maps, even the story scenarios are majority 1v1 maps. That’s just not how I nor my friends have ever really enjoyed homm.
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kesnarii
Hired Hero
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posted June 03, 2026 11:33 AM |
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I can't stop laughing...
Early access and already we have homm3 mods for olden era!
[url=https://github.com/leviritchie/Golden-Era]https://github.com/leviritchie/Golden-Era[/url]
[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_3fELcri3g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_3fELcri3g[/url]
We will need a separate Olden Era.5 board pretty soon!
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted June 07, 2026 10:27 PM |
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Edited by Galaad at 22:28, 07 Jun 2026.
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@kesnarii
Not sure why I would play this over h3 directly though, lol.
Looks like the kind of mod someone would make as a joke and then accidentally spend 500 hours developing.
@GreenDrag
I can understand that feeling. PvP has clearly been a major focus so far, but the developers have said they want to expand the PvE side of the game as well.
In the meantime, I'd recommend trying Exodus if you haven't already. I have a lot of fun with that one.
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Syth1984
Known Hero
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posted June 08, 2026 12:10 PM |
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Galaad said:
I can understand that feeling. PvP has clearly been a major focus so far, but the developers have said they want to expand the PvE side of the game as well.
In the meantime, I'd recommend trying Exodus if you haven't already. I have a lot of fun with that one.
I guess PvE is also very important but one aspect is the A.I. I guess. the better the balance of the game better it benefits the A.I. players as well.
That being said currently the Treasury battles are dull and uneventful. It should have some diversity. Every treasury should change the battle a little in their favor. Like a spell being cast at the beginning. Some defensive structures.
These should be high risk ,high reward situations. Killing doggies and getting dread knights are a bit dull. If they had protective kennels and get unleashed once they are active would be something else for example.
People should lose units in these battles. The question should be how much and which kind?
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Galaad
Hero of Order
Li mort as morz, li vif as vis
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posted June 08, 2026 04:29 PM |
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Edited by Galaad at 16:33, 08 Jun 2026.
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Syth1984 said:
That being said currently the Treasury battles are dull and uneventful. It should have some diversity. Every treasury should change the battle a little in their favor. Like a spell being cast at the beginning. Some defensive structures.
I agree that bank fights could be improved, and honestly, neutral battles in general. Whether in PvE or PvP, creeping makes up a large portion of the gameplay, so it inevitably becomes repetitive after a while. To be fair, that's also true of previous Heroes titles.
I'd love to see more variety on the battlefield: diverse obstacles, special terrain effects, or even random weather conditions that influence combat. One feature I particularly enjoyed in Songs of Conquest was elevation through upper tiles. I could definitely see something similar working well here.
Obstacles could also play a more meaningful tactical role. For example, elevated tiles could block line of sight in certain areas, preventing ranged attacks from both directions. Trees or other terrain features could provide partial cover and reduce ranged damage. Certain tiles could slow down non-flying units. Etc. Small additions like these could make battles feel more dynamic and strategically interesting without fundamentally changing the core gameplay.
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