Posts from Magic development systems.

We all know that almost every game in the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series has its own unique system for developing a character's magical abilities. In this regard, I would like to start a discussion on a very relevant topic for me at the moment, concerning the mechanics of this aspect. In which part of "Heroes" do you like the process of magical improvement of a commander the most? Perhaps you have your own thoughts on this topic?

Some clarifications to the poll:
1. random spells - you are not asked, the computer decides what to give you;
2. specific spells - here the game gives you the right to choose;
3. common spells - available to at least two factions;
4. faction spells - available exclusively to those with certain skills related to that faction.

P.S. A respectful request not only to vote in the poll, but also to justify your choice, indicating all its advantages and disadvantages, and also leaving your personal opinion on what the system of magical hero development should look like, which refers to the process of learning spells.

The 1-3, 5 system suits me quite well. It should also be noted that the spells there are not entirely random (at least in the third and fifth games, for sure). There is a certain probability of specific spells appearing in a specific type of city. Furthermore, in the fifth part, high-level spells of certain elements have a zero probability of appearing for any city except the Academy. In the 4th game, the system was also decent. The system in the 6th game might have been good, but there are too few spells, and the choice is very limited. It would be more interesting if some spells were learned randomly, and some as skills (in fact, we see this in the fifth game. For example, counterspell, banishment, and all mass versions of spells are learned when the corresponding skills are present). Options 4-6... It's hard to say, I haven't tried them. I choose option 1.

Why not? In "Heroes of Might and Magic VI", there are almost as many spells. The only downside is that you can learn fewer of them. I don't like the random element. I preferred the guild system, but it's very expensive. And it would be better if you could learn all the spells in them. That's why I voted for this option.

The magic development system in Heroes 6 is purely an RPG system. Therefore, it's not very suitable for heroes, even in theory. And in practice, it's even worse: some spells are useless, others have to be made too powerful – there's no end to it.
In other versions of Heroes, the systems are good. In Heroes 1-3.5, it's a classic system; in Heroes 4, it's somewhat different, but it fits harmoniously into the overall mechanics and doesn't seem out of place or superfluous.

I think that if the system from Heroes of Might and Magic IV were supplemented with a division into elements (as in Heroes of Might and Magic III), it would be perfect.

It won't work – both systems are well-designed and complete, each in its own way. You'll just end up creating something awkward. I used to think about this myself. That's why I can't even express a preference for one over the other (I'm not including 5 and 6 in this comparison).

Specifically for "Heroes," I think the second-to-last option is the most suitable.

I think if you add a division into elements to the 4th game's system (like in the 3rd game), it would be perfect.

I agree, it would be great, probably.

But I added the fourth option to the poll for a reason. Of course, for "Might & Magic: Heroes," paid learning of spells in a limited quantity doesn't quite seem logical... But if you create some kind of more realistic turn-based strategy based on "Heroes," in which magic is based on things that actually exist, then you could complicate the process of magical development by making it paid and limiting the choice of spells, and only granting access to higher-level spells if the hero has certain skills. But that's a different story.

In the fourth game, this feature exists; you can purchase the necessary spell at the Academy, but you can only use it if you have the corresponding magic of the appropriate level.

In Eador, there’s a turn-based strategy game where the magic system was implemented in a rather interesting way. You can attach a certain number of different school extensions to the guild itself, and each extension, as you might guess, provides spells from that school. Moreover, if only a couple of magic schools are available at the first level of the guild, the maximum number of available extensions decreases at higher levels, down to one at the maximum guild level. In my opinion, this is a pretty good system.
But I voted for the system from the fourth game.