I am part of a dev team that might soon start work on a new Heroes of might and magic game(7 was horrid).
The main problem HoMM games face is the question of profitability of a game if it only has single player.
Now, one solution is to have features added that would make the single player attractive enough for players to buy.
Another possibility is to focus on adjusting the heroes experience to fit the modern multiplayer scene.
So lets address heroes as a single player only game.
What would make you, as players, feel that a HoMM game is worth your money if it only has single player?
What features would you need?
Good writing? Non-linear story with branches and decision making?
How many factions?
Random map generator?
What else?
Looking back it seems to me there were a few problems with balance once a player would defeat an enemy castle or two and take their territory.
With each territory taken the game would become easier and the biggest challenge was the beginning of the game.
This brings me to a version of the game that is adjusted to be mainly multiplayer.
Obviously this would require heroes to change drastically since games have to be much shorter and there cant be much waiting between turns if at all.
This would probably require constant simultaneous turns and a change in the relations between individual battles and the grand map. It would not be possible to keep them separate and a single action during a fight would have to be part of a grand map overall single turn or fights would have to take place on the grand strategy map.
Also, please remember that the HoMM franchise is on its knees now in terms of budget but it still has to have good music so every dime has to be used in the most efficient way and there is no budget for extravagance.
>What would make you, as players, feel that a HoMM game is worth your money if it only has single player?
no
why are you guys so fucking stupid?
MAKE IT IN FUCKING 2D HAND DRAWN
heroes expirence should be smooth, ai turns should be lighting fast, game should look like a fable without so many fucking bugs like your shitty unreal engine 3 h7
use rayman engine, go for child of light art direction
random map generator is a must, same goes for fractions, at lest 7 at lunch, no one cares about writing in heroes or a fucking non-linear choices wtf
make it 2d to save money, don't use fucking predereder cutscenes that no one cares about
people want the evolution of heroes 3 and not your failings like heroes 6 or 7
and don't fucking force uplay in this shit unless you want it to be doa at lunch
>>337793762
2D can actually be more expensive than 3D.
So you are saying that 7 factions and a random map generator is all you need?
I mean, You have that in heroes 3. Add the HD community update and there you go.
I dont think that just making a heroes 3 remake will cut it.
And I am not on the team that made 6 and 7.
>>337795223
>2D can actually be more expensive than 3D.
bitch please
>So you are saying that 7 factions and a random map generator is all you need?
no, i just don't think you take my word seriously no matter what i say
heroes 3 hd a step in the right direction, of course you guys fucked it up by being jews as unusual, 30fps cap, no expansions etc.
I don't want you to make heroes 3 remake, i want you to carefully evolve heroes 3 concept since this is the best heroes game to date
heroes is all about timeless gameplay and replayability, everything else not that important
making it 2d would let people with weak hardware enjoy your game, i bet gameplay would be faster and smoother thanks to it
did you ever played h3? now compare this to h6/7 loading times and general smoothness of the expirece
focus on adding more content, neutral monsters, more factions, more spells but base it all on h3, don't fix what isn't broken
>>337793762
and please don't tell me something like this is more expensive than fully flashy 3D models
>literally a single faggot anon giving his opinions
Nice sample of what the fanbase wants you got here m8
Carry on
local hotseat multiplayer is a must (without the need for multiple fucking uplay accounts)
noone gives a shit about story
cool factions that are very different
good music
make it simple to play but hard to master
>>337796331
I know right, he should ask on heroes community
and than most people will say exactly the same thing
shoking right?
>>337792648
You should have started the thread with a nice bait before introducing yourself. Now the thread will have little to no chance of survival.
Aside from that, how do you know the size of HoMM's budget if you guys haven't started working on it?
>>337796448
The point of devs is coming up with ideas that the community cant come up with because its not its job to do so.
Of course the community will ask for features they know since that is what is available.
Its the job of the devs to come up with new features that complement the changes and advances since the making of the older games.
Only when presented with new features can the community start considering them but obviously not before.
In short, its not surprise that fans would ask for old features that they know.
Fans have to understand that the model of heroes 3 simply does not work with modern day multiplayer.
To get all the good features of heroes you have to make sure it sells and to make it sell it has to either offer a fantastic single player experience or a fantastic multiplayer experience.
The old game design of say, heroes 3, simply cannot work today.
The next heroes has to either change its mechanics drastically to to make sure multiplayer games are no longer than 1-2 hours or focus an creating an impressive single player experience.
Based on the model of heroes 3 it might be true to say that people dont care about the campaign but since today a new model must be invented, if a new heroes was to go the single player route it would probably have to focus on a good story with interesting characters in which the player becomes invested.
>>337796701
great
now tell me why both heros VI and VII are so disappointing and bad while V is loved by many?
maybe you guys innovated too much?
heroes will never be on pair with aaa garbage like ass cread or bugs dogs
it will always be a niche tittle like grand strategy games
It's too bad that you guys don't get it and probably never will
>>337793762
I don't agree with hand drawn being a must. I honestly don't care. King's Bounty is not hand drawn and it's great. However if it's not much more expensive, 2D is better. It should be smooth though. At very least an option should exist to speed up combat significantly, especially for AI.
I also agree that no one cares about cutscenes and few people care about story. I wouldn't mind somewhat of a story if it's not overdone.
Forcing ANY DRM that's not Steam is the fastest way to ensure exactly 0 people that aren't die-hard fans who will buy anything, will actually buy the game or even TRY it if it's on free steam weekend. DO NOT STACK UPLAY ON TOP OF STEAM. The number of times I've pirated a game solely because it uses uplay cannot be measured with my fingers.
>>337797016
>Fans have to understand that the model of heroes 3 simply does not work with modern day multiplayer.
you have to understand that the core heroes gameplay with never be modern, it will never sell as good as your boss want to
you know what? make it real time or something, with dota elements and good emotional sp campaign like other ubisoft games
It will sell like hotcakes
>YFW people tell developer the hard truths he doesn't want to hear about how bad their design direction has gone in the last few games so instead he goes to reddit where people metaphorically suck his dick and praise everything he says
>>337797383
>King's Bounty
it looks horrible, kids with rather play something that looks like don't starve than 3d game from 2000
> However if it's not much more expensive, 2D is better. It should be smooth though. At very least an option should exist to speed up combat significantly, especially for AI.
this. that's what i'm talking about
>Forcing ANY DRM that's not Steam is the fastest way to ensure exactly 0 people that aren't die-hard fans who will buy anything, will actually buy the game or even TRY it if it's on free steam weekend. DO NOT STACK UPLAY ON TOP OF STEAM. The number of times I've pirated a game solely because it uses uplay cannot be measured with my fingers.
also this, if you want your niche game to be successful than you must choose the most popular digital service with is steam atm
>>337797652
This is what happens every time a dev drops by.
>>337797709
kids will
>>337797709
There's also the fact that a stylized 2D game (with a GOOD art style) typically wins those "best graphics of 2016" lists from popular youtubers, like I remember Kirby's Epic Yarn won one of those, or at least they place very high. Also a stylized game, if good, will be more likely popular on forums than a generic looking 3D game.
http://www.pcgamesn.com/heroes-of-might-magic-vii/heroes-of-might-magic-7-is-a-slave-to-its-conservative-fans
"Le Breton understands conservative fans: “Being a player myself, for some IPs I like very much I like it the way it is, I don’t want it to change to much,” he says. “It’s rewarding to meet those guys at fan days or at public events, like Gamescom or PAX East, and see the spark in their eyes when they mention the game.”
But, as Le Breton points out, “The team that was working with me [on Heroes VI] went on to form Amplitude and redefined 4x games with Endless Space and Endless Legends. This was the kind of thing we did. We took established genres and pushed them to the 21st century. That was our mandate, our common vision."
>>337792648
almost nobody fucking played civ5 for multiplayer and see how many copies it sold.
dont be a retard.
>>337797858
exactly
meanwhile heroes 7 looks like a budged 3d tittle with horrible optimisation
the choice is yours devs
>>337797992
you're the retard
>>337792648
Let the series die before you ruin it even further, seriously.
HoMM 3 and 4 were good, but everything after that was... I don't even know what the fuck they were. Cash ins I guess or something.
>>337798274
Heroes V was a good h III clone with some good ballance changes
horrible performance killed it(loading times), also disgusting art direction
>>337797992
Civ was and still is very popular online.
>>337797992
That's not a good comparison. Civ sells based on name alone. Also Civ VI will have good multiplayer.
The comparison that should be made is:
Look, Civilization keeps gradually enhancing its existing content and people keep buying it, instead of just replacing it with "REVOLUTIONARY NEW" style of gameplay. They give the fans the same old stuff with more and more good stuff stacked on top of it. For example, even with espionage being added, and the upgrade systems for economic policy and so on, you still have the same core gameplay the way it's always been. Your workers go around the world map and build things. You take X turns to build units or buildings. Your scouts and warriors still explore the map to find new civs. The only thing that's changed is there's MORE for your warriors to do like kill bandit camps.
>>337798538
Compare civ 3 and 5... They are radically different.
>>337792648
Get rid of the edgy artstyle from 6 and 7 which looks like it was designed by a 12 year old.
Make units' abilities simple again. 6 was way too complicated for what it should be. Not saying I'm a retard or something but it suits the series more.
Make more different units and unit upgrades.
Make the heroes really unique.
Also the art direction should be the main drive of the game. The entire appeal of 3 was the comfiness of it all. It was dreamy and enchanting. 5 was a bit too cartoonish for my taste. 6 and 7 were too edgy grimdark.
Try to make more unique factions, think 5 with extensions. Maybe bring back the lizardmen.
>>337798827
>The entire appeal of 3 was the comfiness of it all.
I never thought about this. Come to think of it, those little sound effects when you find secrets and stuff fit REALLY well with that aesthetic. Those are key.
>>337798957
so that's your solution to make next heroes game great?
