How was Heroes 5 created?

First Interface Implementation

The very first interface test for Heroes 5 was very similar to its final implementation. The city building interface consisted of half the screen occupied by a plan of the city, showing all possible buildings, and the other half of the screen showing a fully built city in 3D.

Second Interface Implementation

In the next test, which took place last year, the city was shown in its current state, and the camera was centered on the building selected for construction. It was possible to cycle through the buildings one by one. At the same time, the camera was centered on the building, and descriptions of the building, its cost, and a 3D representation of the building were displayed.

With this arrangement, it was difficult to understand which buildings were needed for what purposes and in what sequence they were located on the level.

Final Interface Implementation

After beta testing, it was decided to revert to the original system with some adjustments. The first half of the screen is occupied by a plan of the city, where the buildings are arranged in a logical sequence. The second half of the screen contains a close-up 3D image of the building selected at the moment, directly in the city.