Nothing like that. I am familiar with the history, with the role of the Ancients in it, but I still can't imagine this horror in the gameplay. Let them remain history, because a tank with a nag, a goblin with a cannon, and a zombie with a chainsaw... No, it smells like deviations. IMHO.
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And in my opinion, it's not deviations, but technical progress: p
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They weren't the only ones. There were also diamond and gold golems ;)
With Forge, there was outrage not from fans, but from a bunch of idiots who were only familiar with Heroes through multiplayer and didn't bother to learn about the origins and plot of the series. And the direct reason for the cancellation was that one of these couple of hundred people sent a letter with a threat of physical violence.