Heroes of Might and Magic 5 open beta

[Slaughter]

Sort of open beta:

For all Heroes of Might and Magic fans out there that is waiting for the 5th game in the series, you now have a rare opportunity. Ubisoft and Nival has decided to hold a open beta test, and it just opened. To annoy everyone, FilePlanet got the first 3 days exclusively however. Because of this, those of you that do not subscribe to FilePlanet has to wait for the 26th to play, or subscribe now. If you're a subscriber, you can download the open beta from this page. If you prefer to wait 3 days for the truly open beta, follow the news at the official site.

 

 

Heroes 5 closed beta preview:

If you don't want to spoil anything by playing the open beta, or just like to know what others think, head over to Celestial Heavens and have a look at their hands-on closed beta preview here.

[Gungadin]

Betcha half a dollar it'll suck. HOMM4 did, I see no reason this one shouldn't, unless they decided to go back to HOMM3 and work from there.

 

EDIT: YES! It looks like that's what they did. From the interview:

 

"The game does feel a little like a revamped version of Heroes III, but as much as I loved Heroes IV, I don't see that as a step back. "

 

Awesome. The series could be redeemed!

 

Edit again: NOOO! IT'S STARFORCED!

[Slaughter]

Yeah, StarForce has been discussed quite a bit at their boards. In fact, the official Aftershock site links to an interesting post there, as can bee seen far down here.

 

That being said, I think Heroes 5 looks very neat! Heroes 3 with updated graphics and some fixes and additions sounds like a blast

[Gimli]

Very good news! I can't wait for the 26th.

 

Isn't Fileplanet a part of Gamespy?

[Slaughter]

Very good news! I can't wait for the 26th.

 

Isn't Fileplanet a part of Gamespy?

I think IGN is the owner of all the stuff. If you look at the bottom of the IGN site here, all the owned sites are listed. But yeah, GameSpy and FilePlanet are owned by the same.

[Cpl. Facehugger]

Starforce, eh? If I already have a version of Starforce on my computer (from Aftershock, and my comp is working fine) will it install another version on my computer? Would I end up with two copies of that much maligned copy protection software?

[Slaughter]

Starforce, eh? If I already have a version of Starforce on my computer (from Aftershock, and my comp is working fine) will it install another version on my computer? Would I end up with two copies of that much maligned copy protection software?

No. I think it might update the one you have if it's an older version, but it will not add it double I believe.

[Azrael Strife]

Betcha half a dollar it'll suck. HOMM4 did, I see no reason this one shouldn't, unless they decided to go back to HOMM3 and work from there.

 

EDIT: YES! It looks like that's what they did. From the interview:

 

"The game does feel a little like a revamped version of Heroes III, but as much as I loved Heroes IV, I don't see that as a step back. "

 

Awesome. The series could be redeemed!

 

Edit again: NOOO! IT'S STARFORCED!

Excellent news, HOMM III rocks!

[Gungadin]

That it does. HOMM4 was dirty fecal matter though. Soooo many bad ideas in that game, from the daily creature growth, making me sit at home every day picking up more critters, to the "choose to build either orcs or rogues in this town but not both" crap to the irritating perspective on the battlefields making it hard to properly strategize to the HORRIBLY BUGGED hero development. You pretty much had to max out one of his starting skills before getting access to the others.

 

For those interested, who have the Shadow of Death expansion pack for HOMM3, there's a kickass unofficial expansion pack entitled Wake of the Gods available, featuring lots of new creatures, new buildings, artifacts and a whole new resource as well as a TON of new features. Made the game fun for me again.

 

Get it here: https://www.strategyplanet.com/homm/wog/

[Thorondor]

"After a serious misstep, it looks like the venerable turn-based strategy series is once again back on a firm footing."

::

 

You can read the rest of GameSpy's HOMM V preview here.

[Gungadin]

Does anyone have any stats on the game? Number of different town types, how many creatures, system requirements etc?

[Thorondor]

@Gungadin:

 

- 6 factions

- over 80 different creatures

- final system specs: still in flux

 

::

 

There's now also an HOMM V "hands-on" article over at GameSpot (video interview included).

 

 

p.s.: and here's a link to the international HOMM V teaser site (key features section) for your perusal.

[Slaughter]

Does anyone have any stats on the game? Number of different town types, how many creatures, system requirements etc?

There's a FAQ here.

[Slaughter]

Just a quick post to let you know that everyone can now download the open beta, as long as they register for free at FilePlanet.

[Stun Grenade]

Just a quick post to let you know that everyone can now download the open beta, as long as they register for free at FilePlanet.

 

I knew there was a catch - plus a 50min. waiting line

[Praetoris]

I had a subscribing acccount on Fileplanet when this was announced and I've played the game back and forth these last days. I figured I could write a bit about the experience for those intrested in testing aswell :

 

Heroes' 5 does remind alot of Heroes' 3 and any Heroes' player should instantly feel at home. All you need to do is familiarize yourself with the h.u.d., the new enemies and off you go. Easy and simple.

 

Many feautures are included in the BETA including 6 full races/factions but only 2 maps, one for two players and one for four players. You could probably have quite a good time with this BETA, but you'll need -alot- of patience. The BETA doesn't come with neither the Ghost nor Simultaneous-Turns option, which means that you'll have to sit and wait for your opponents to make their turn(a 4-player map like this is complete madness if you ask me). So far I've only managed to finish a single game, with my local buddy, since people either drop out because of some crash or 'have to leave' since it takes too much time.

 

Luckily you can save though, so even if there are some bugs and crashes occuring you can always start over at your last turn.

 

In adition the 'Duel' mode is available and here you can play single combat-scenarios against other players without any map navigation or building whatsoever. Just pick your army and off you go, it only takes about 10-30 minutes per game.

 

The strategy or managment part is pretty classic and works just like the earlier games. You build your houses, upgrade your troops, capture some mines etc, but all the new and fun starts once you go into battle.

 

Combat takes place on a relativly small and chess-like field and all the old elements are present. New however is that all the troop's actions are based on a sort of 'action-points' system (couldn't find a better way of describing it) instead of having one side take a turn each. If you've ever played FinalFantasy X or a similair titel - it's just like it but with 18 characters.

Depending on what action a character does he'll wait accordingly for his next turn to do something. This is better than the old system if you ask me, and it opens up for some new strategic possibilities. For instance, if I cast haste on that character I can strike that other character before he can make his turn, weakening him before his strike can occur.

 

The Visualls in the game are just great, especially some spells and abilities that can be seen in combat. It does look much like Warcraft3 on the strategymap, in terms of style and detail, but the battles can be alot more spectacular.

 

Overall I'm quite exited to see what the ending game will be like and hopefully they'll get it done (properly) on date.

 

 

By the way, if you ever see 'Praetoris' hanging around in the duel channel or in a game, give me a shout and we can have a match. ; )

[Slaughter]

Thanks for the heads up Simon!

[Kizmiaz]

Yeah, thanx for the nice "preview". You've managed to somewhat wet my appetite for the game.

[Gungadin]

Bah. No single-player version of the beta, and I can't be arsed to play online with all the lag. Gotta wait for the real release.

 

Screw Starforce by the way.

[Praetoris]

" Ubisoft is making sure that the game meets the high standards that Might and Magic fans expect while thoroughly analysing the results of the beta testing. In order to guarantee a consistent level of quality for Heroes of Might and Magic V and lay the groundwork for future titles under the Might and Magic brand, Ubisoft has decided to release the game during Q2 of 2006 calendar year (Q1 2006/2007 fiscal year).

 

Remember that the beta is still going and we love your feedback, so get downloading! "

 

Another delay

[Slaughter]

Yeah, but this delay was DEMANDED by the community, so it's a good thing in my eyes. Better they finish the game properly than releasing a bugged game.

[Praetoris]

True, true We wouldn't want another bugged out and unplayeable game releasing again (ehum, Aftershock!?).

 

It's just sad to hear yet another game being delayed. It's a bit too common in my opinion and one would think that developers could get the hang of release dates some day

[Slaughter]

That's true. I think the problem is that publishers push the developers too hard on release dates. As development progresses, it becomes clear to them that there's no way they'll manage, and one of two things happen. Either the publisher agrees to push the release a little, or they are "forced" to release. If that happens (sort of happened with Aftershock), features are cut and testing is hardly done.

 

Now I understand why the publishers push the developers. First of all, they have a lot of money invested in the game, and delays cost. Second, they strategically plan the releases, and delays can be very bad. Releasing some unknown FPS at the same time as Half-Life 2 would be a very bad idea for instance. Last, games that take too long in development often encounters the "age problem". C&C Renegade was dated by the time it was released, because they used too long developing it.

[Praetoris]

Well I can understand both the developer's and the publisher's side of it.

 

I would like to know more about these cases though, but normally all you hear is that it's simply not finnished on time. I'd like to know what's not finnished and why it isn't, just out of pure curiosity.

[Gimli]

Ask and ye shall receive:

 

Hi Everyone,

 

It's me again, 2K Sam. First, I'd like to say thank you for your comments both good and bad. Since a lot of you asked the same questions I'll give the over-arching answers to your queries.

 

Also, I had intended to reply earlier, but I couldnt find my original thread. I needed Jason's help to find it again. (He's the moderator). And I have to say I'm not really keen on the style of this message board tech. I read and post blogs regularly (nothing video game related) and am used to replies being threaded so I can answer to each of you individually. Jason suggested this method. It's also a small reason why I dont respond so quickly to this stuff. Anyway so here goes:

 

I am the Product Marketing Manager for Serious Sam 2 at 2K. I am responsible for all the marketing (packaging, ads, managing the budget) and providing assets (screens, videos) to our PR department. I work closely with Croteam to get what's needed to market Serious Sam 2 as best as possible. Yes, I've played Sam 2 from back when it was almost unplayable to finished product and while there is a special place in my heart for Sam 2 (as with all the games I work on) I will not pretend to be as close to the game as you guys and gals. You are the driving force, my job is to take it beyond the "core" fans and appeal to others. Ultimately, we want to sell as many copies as possible. And as hindsight is always 20/20 there are things I would probably do a little differently.

 

A bunch of you asked why there was no DVD version released in the US. We were going to release a DVD version, but it was canned. Here's the situtation: Many, many, many people do not read labels on boxes. I myself have been at an EB where someone was trying to return a copy of the Sims on PC because it wouldnt play on their computer. The reason? They have a CD drive and it was the DVD version. It sounds stupid, but well... it is what it is. Basically, there was a lot of back and forth internally (at 2K/Take-two) about what format we should release on. The retailers said we need to provide it on CD. We were going to do DVD only at EBs and Gamestops and CDs everywhere else. Well, the preorders weren't that great for the DVD version so the retailers didn't order any. As such, we cancelled it. And, it would have been cheaper to manufacture on DVD. So that was all out of our hands so to speak. It basically came down to a question of demand.

 

Regarding things that were cut from the game. This is a tricky one and touches on the "why was this game rushed to release" and "why not release it 'when it's done'". It's also a bigger issue with the industry with relation to the publisher/developer relationship. I'm not going to go into the details of the T2/Croteam relationship because 1) I dont know them 2) it's not my place to divulge them. In general terms, typically, developers who want to make a game shop their concept around and publishers pay them to finish the game by a certain time. Developers, especially smaller ones, usually have a very early demo to show off of the game and it's features. Larger, more well known developers who have a track record of successful hits can usually pitch their concepts without showing anything but a concept document.

 

So agreements are made that a game will be done by a certain time. The publisher plans their finances around that date forecasting a certain number of sales and revenue. To keep things on track publishers hire producers to work with the developer and manage the development process as well as give gameplay feedback, etc. The publisher pays the developer based on milestones where the developer is contractually obligated to have certain things in the game working. Now, we all know that things dont always work out as planned. It's happened with A LOT of games. Features get cut, release dates slip and bugs get left in. It comes down to economics - at what point can the publisher no longer push a game back and have to release it in order to make money or, at the very least, break even? It's different for every game and it's not always fair, but it is what it is. Also, with PC titles this is even more lax because you can always patch it later. Now, this isn't to say that publishers dont want to put out quality product. Of course we do! But, if there arent deadlines then some developers will just keep on going. There are so many factors involved with this that I cannot even begin to breech - terms of payment and the contract, forecasts, state of the game, etc. Not the answer y'all want to hear I'm sure, but that's the answer, or at least, the reason why features get cut.

 

"cartoony" look and graphics. Y'all have mentioned a lot of stuff that is development oriented. I dont want to be so presumptious as to answer them since it is Croteam's purvue. Sam is their baby. I know the Croteam guys talk on here (no I didn't rip out their vocal cords!) so I'll leave it up to them to reply. However, I will forward all your thoughts about things like the humor, graphics and weapons onto them. Also note, that some of you liked and some of you didnt. You can't please all the people all the time...

 

The "bad" demo and no marketing. We thought the demo was good. Demos are a tricky thing. You dont want to give away too much where the end user will think "that's all I need" and not buy the game. On the other hand, you need to give out enough to entice people to buy the game. The demo has to be good enough to do that also or you risk turning a lot of people off. In short, lesson learned on my part. As far as the lack of marketing, I ran print and online ads. In hindsight I may have waited until after launch. I probably should have focused more on the PC market too, but there were other factors too that I cannot mention. Sam is a unique property and I should have pushed more for certain things. That's all I can say about this.

 

Linux client, deathmatch and the editor. Hooboy. Ok. Yes, they are in the works. No, I dont know when they will be available. I'm supposed to find out in the next couple of weeks. When I do, we'll probably announce the details through the usual PR channels, but I'm going to push to let you guys know first. No promises on that one. I have people that need to approve what I do too.

 

The old console vs. PC debate. Sam2 could not have been released for 360 instead of xbox at the same time because they are two totally different sets of hardware. Believe me, I think Sam2 would have kicked ass as a 360 launch title. Also, some of you thought that Sam2 was developed for Xbox and ported over to PC. You are half right. It was actually developed for the PC and then scaled to fit the Xbox. Side by side you can see that Sam2 PC looks alot more detailed and such than the Xbox version especially if you are playing in a super-high-end gaming rig with all the graphic bells and whistles turned on.

 

Finally, I wanted to reply specifically to ZEN who struck me with his post about "getting involved in the community". I WISH I could do a conference call. I WISH I could do a lot of those things. However, I don't want to take on these things and have nothing come of them. It's not fair to you. What if we had a big call and I took down all your recommendations for the game and handed them off and none of them were implemented? Believe me I am a big advocate of the open source model. I've been asking to see if we cant do a project where the fans decide and create art, models, features, etc. Unfortunately, it doesnt look like that will happen for a host of reasons. Also, I'm new to this site and community and don't know about the polls and stuff going on. (I also dont think this message board is very user-friendly, sorry Jason.) I do not believe I've misdirected or mislead you in anyway. I give you that I may have said something on here that was later changed, but never intentionally. You guys had great ideas and I did what I could to carry them out. Marketing ideas anyway. Also, I want to reiterate that I am not the fan that you guys are. You live and breathe the end product while I work very had and long to get that end product to you, as does Croteam.

 

It's also lame that I dont always have time to come on here and chat, but when deadlines loom and things are crazy...

 

Anyway, I appreciate your candor and you do have valid points. I cannot just insert myself into a community and come to you at my leisure. I broke the fundamental rule of grassroots politicking - don't take the community for granted. Cooping with you guys is a fantastic idea. Not that I can do anything regarding game development (I'm all marketing), but it still would have been cool. (sigh)

 

 

All right, so that's it. I'll check in from time to time, but I'm working on a whole bunch of other games that are coming out real soon. I'll see if I can arrange something with croteam so they can answer your development questions.

 

It was a wild and crazy ride, but for now it's over. You're all great. Croteam reads these boards so your opinions aren't going unnoticed and I will give them a wrap-up too. I did my best to involve you guys, unfortunately it was a little late in the game. Woulda coulda shoulda.

 

Life is learning and this was a great experience.

 

Peace, love and recycle yo...

 

-R-

 

Unfortunately, the whole thing turned out bad, as you can see from a lot of reviews on a lot of gaming sites. The sad thing is, from what the man said here and in other posts, it sounds like 2K Games (formed in Jan 2005) consists of people who just got out of college. They made a lot of mistakes, and the result was bad, luckily the community is very devoted, so damage wasn't as bad as it could have been. This is the main reason I'm not happy T2 has rights to X-COM. On the other hand I like very much what they did with Civ4, so I think they deserve another chance. I just hope they don't sacrifice small developers for the big names, such as Sid Meier.