Might & Magic: Heroes VI

Én úgy tudom hogy lehet támadni is mint az V. részben.

Sok sok új infó egy román oldaltól szóval ezt csak angolban tudtam egyelőre translate googlevel megoldani:

Sneak Peek: Heroes of Might & Magic VI

Optimism killed skepticism when we got to see the next Heroes game.

Although it was not announced before we went, we were fairly confident that we would see the turn-based strategy game Heroes of Might & Magic VI during last week's Gamescom. Quite right, when I had our meeting with Ubisoft, we got a half-hour premiere of the strategy game. The first thing I wondered was why they had changed the name of the franchise. Earlier, Heroes came before Might & Magic, and now everything is shuffled about.

- "We have changed the name because the Might & Magic will be an umbrella brand for us, such as the Tom Clancy name. We're going to make many different games under this umbrella", says producer Erwan Le Breton to Gamer.no.

Hungarian developers
Fair enough, but our focus now is solely on the Might & Magic Heroes VI. The game developed by Hungarian Black Hole Entertainment, who previously worked with, among other things, Warhammer: Mark of Chaos. Ubisoft thinks this developer fits like a glove to the project.

- "Working with the Black Hole has proven to be perfect in this game. They had a good practice on Warhammer: Mark of Chaos, it was a challenging brand, as are the fans of the Might & Magic games. We quickly came to an agreement how Heroes VI should be developed", says Le Breton.

So what is this sequel all about? Well, it is a saga of betrayal, family feuds, all set in Ashan, the renowned Might & Magic universe. The whole thing should be a precursor to Heroes V from 2006.

- "We serve a whole new story, which takes place 400 years before Heroes V. It is a very fresh story, a real family drama that is also a tragedy. In the game there are five brothers and sisters who are all dukes of the Empire. Friction quickly becomes a fact, and they all end up at war with each other. They lead their faction, which is the traditional races in a typical strategy game to figure", says Le Breton.

We saw two of the factions (Haven and Necromancer) in action, both at the overview map and in battle. It was interesting to see how radically different factions will be, so we can expect a variety of gameplay from faction to faction - and the chance to specialize properly. We will come back to this particular battle a little later, where the uniqueness was highlighted in the greatest degree.

The primary Heroes
Although Heroes V was a solid game, it is generally Heroes III from 1999 enthusiasts are talking about when the very best title in the series to be drawn up. Ubisoft denies, however, that they have felt pressure to just create a new version of this game with Heroes VI.

- "It has not really been any pressure to create a new Heroes III. We have taken the best from the last three games, just what we think is far more sensible", says co-producer Max von Knorring to Gamer.no.

We found a couple of references to game number three in the series during our short demo. Initiative system from Hero III is one of the things that have returned, that is, turn overview during the battles. Apart from this, the overview map provides a lovely feeling of sparkling 2D.

- "Yes, We want to give a 2D sense of the overview map, but with 3D tools. And as you say, we also removed the initiative menu from Heroes V and brought back the one from Heroes III. We think it was more transparent", confirms Van Knorring.

So it must be said that the enthusiasts have had their say at the outset of this project. This applies both to those working in the Black Hole and Ubisoft, as well as the forum users of the prime class.

- "We have received many feedback and tips from our own VIP forum, those who use it has really helped us - and will continue to do so in the future", says van Knorring.

Before he is quick to emphasize:
- "We do not change the Heroes formula, this is still Heroes. Players should be able to hold entirely their own rhythm. There are obviously still objects to find in the environment, the known resources and monsters standing in your way on the map."

Nice and big
Overview maps are all very nice, and we were promised that they will be greater than we had in previous games. Artifacts and treasures on the map should also be completely random each time you play, so that one can not rehearse exactly where you need to go to get certain items.

When it comes to resources, these will be linked to one of your castle or fortress. Previously, the enemy could steal mines from you on the edge of your realm, but now he must take your castle before proceeding to the richness of the mines. Thus, it requires much more control during occupation.

You can also see how your city grows and evolves on the overview map, so you do not need to enter the city to enjoy your masterpiece in all its glory. There will still be the case that we have "building trees" that determines the order in which you can build what, but we get a bonus as well. It is namely so that one can construct a limited number of special buildings. You will also have the opportunity to specialize your city in various fields. Examples here are cities that have only focused on pulling in as much resources as possible, or recruit certain types of units. The possibilities for specilization are all very good.

We also saw an example of combat, which is turn-based (and chess-inspired) goodies that define the Heroes games.

- "We want each faction to be unique in battle, so we have worked hard to create distinctive units and heroes that differ from each other", says Van Knorring.

Holding back
We learned that Haven faction is more defensive in nature, they have more health and has powerful magic spells that resurrects your own dead. All factions should also have their own super powers, abilities that have four power levels. You must choose at what point on the scale they should be activated, but our producer friend can tell you that level four can turn around any game. The little we saw of the Necromancer was that units were increasing throughout the games, because they suck life energy out of the enemy.

The battlefield is bigger and more varied in Heroes VI, and the terrain will play a more central role. Imagine battlefields with details such as bridges, rivers and waves washing over the land on the coast. Then you have to think and plan differently to circumvent the obstacles and win the battle. We are really looking forward to seeing more.

Right at the end of the presentation, Van Knorring promise us a map editor, boss battles against large units and new systems for role-playing elements and skill system. More information about this will come during the autumn. You can also convert cities to take over the enemy of Heroes VI. Either you can let a Haven city remain just that, or convert the whole thing a Necromancer city if it's your faction. Again, we speak of choice, and the ability to create unique gaming experiences.

Conclusion
Although we had a limited demo, it's hard not to be tempted by Might & Magic Heroes VI. Personally, I have Heroes III as a favorite, but Heroes V was not a bad game. As I see it, the latest version is a combination of these games, and it will be very exciting to see even more of Heroes VI in the future. My hope is that Black Hole and Ubisoft manages to create a decent turn-based drug - that will captivate, entertain and delight.

Heroes of Might & Magic VI comes to PC sometime in 2011.

A fejlesztőktől részletesen hogyan is értik a teürletfoglalós részt a bányák kontrollját:

How does the Area of Control feature work?

An Area contains one and only one Control Point (it can be either a Town or a Fort).

When the Player captures a Control Point, the Player gets control over certain Mines and Dwellings in the Area, according to the following rules:

1. The Player gets control over all non-neutral Mines and Dwellings in the Area automatically.

2. Other Players� Heroes can capture Mines or Dwellings in Player�s Area. These capturing Heroes, however, must stay at the entrance of the Building to own it. As soon as the Hero of another Player leaves the controlled building, it will be owned (controlled) by the Player again.

3. If there is an Area owned by a Player with a neutral Mine or Dwelling in it which is guarded by a neutral Army, and the Player kills this army, captures the Building and leaves it, the other Player (who controls the Area) will get control over the Building (he becomes the owner).

4. If an Area is neutral (the Control Point is neutral), captured Mines and Dwellings will not change back to neutral when left. They function like HoMM 1-5 Buildings until the Control Point is captured by any of the Players.

Benefits of controlling an Area

Controlling (owning) an Area has specific benefits:

1. Heroes of the owner spend less movement points when moving in the Area.

2. Some faction unique buildings will have effect in the Town�s Area.