Posts from "Fanstratics" - a project for the reincarnation of Homm 3 by Gregory Fulton!

Gregory Fulton, former lead game designer of HoMM3, is currently working on a reincarnation of our favorite game.
Official Website
First Newsletter

Translation:

Hello everyone!

I hope you are all doing well, and welcome to Fanstratics Newsletter №1 (September 2020).

As you will learn from the description below, I did not expect to start this newsletter at such an early stage of development.

I plan to publish every month.
At the very least, I want to show 1 new unit sketch, and I hope there will be other new information (design details, production progress, random screenshots, community Q&A, etc.).

After subscribing to this newsletter, from the "Welcome to the Journey" email you receive, you will learn that we have a very long road ahead of us.
There is some pleasure to be had in the fact that... you were there at the very beginning. I hope you stay with us until the very end.

If you have any questions or comments regarding Fanstratics (FST) or Heroes of Might and Magic 3 (HoMM3), feel free to send them, and I will try to answer them in future newsletters (newsletter@fanstratics.com).

See you soon.

Greg
Director and Designer of Fanstratics

(Q&A for this month)

Fanstratics is not the only game calling itself a "spiritual successor" to HoMM3. Why should I believe you?
Believe me, I understand. Many games have called themselves "spiritual successors" but failed to deliver on their promises. Some of these games even claimed to be "spiritual successors" to HoMM3 in one form or another.

For me, "spiritual successor" is more than a buzzword or a marketing slogan. It is a game directive.

Few remember how after "Armageddon's Blade," I (the lead game designer) and John Bolton (lead programmer) left the company, and Felan Sykes (lead artist) moved to another project. David Mullich (Director of Development) was the only lead who transitioned from HoMM3 to HoMM4. Fanstratics is the only "spiritual successor" to HoMM3 that actually involves anyone from the original team.

Let's hope that as Two Point Hospital was to Theme Hospital... Fanstratics will be to HoMM3.

Will it really be like HoMM3?
Yes.

The adventure map will be built on a square tile-based grid.

The full-screen town view will have interactive objects.
The full-screen battlefield will consist of "hexes".

The game is being developed in 3D, but the rendering will be entirely 2D.
As an example of this approach, I usually point people to "Ori and the Blind Forest".

Keep in mind... I cannot "completely rip off" HoMM3.
Copyrights do not apply to game mechanics, but Ubisoft owns the "look and feel" of HoMM3.

I mention this because... the creative landscape will change. Factions, heroes, units, spells, skills, artifacts, and adventure locations will be "familiar, but different".
This is not necessarily a bad thing... a refreshed approach opens up opportunities for revision, refinement, and evolution.
This happened during the transition from HoMM2 to HoMM3.
The same should happen with HoMM3 and Fanstratics.

Ultimately, I want a casual observer to mistake Fanstratics for HoMM3. A fleeting conversation, hopefully, would go something like this...
"Playing Heroes 3?"
"No. Fanstratics."
"What is Fanstratics?"
"The reincarnation of Heroes 3."

Will Fanstratics live up to the expectations of HoMM3? Is that even possible?
For the last 20 years, the HoMM community has been waiting for a true sequel to HoMM3.
With Fanstratics, my goal is to give them what they want... and even more.
Anyone who knows even a little about game development knows that the probability of failure is much higher than the chances of success... but I hope.

I don't like the name of the game. Fanstratics is hard to pronounce. Can you come up with a better name?
I agree, Fanstratics may seem cumbersome to some people, but what about these names: Subnautica, Factorio, Valorant, Brawlhalla, Nier Automata, Blasphemous, Stellaris, Chrono Trigger, etc.
It's impossible for a product name not to be criticized.

Remember when Nintendo announced the Wii? What? Nintendo makes toilets?
Remember when Apple announced the iPad? What? Sounds like an Apple-branded tampon!
Remember when Star Wars announced the chapter titles "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones"?

Given the number of games published today, finding a unique name is very difficult. All the simple names are already taken. Don't believe me? Come up with a name for your game, then search for it in the Apple or Google App stores, and then do a search for the .com domain name.

When I was looking for a possible name for the game, my requirements were... it had to be something that no one else was using, easily readable as a Twitch category, and reflective of the genre. In the end... Fanstratics stuck. It's unique, memorable (for better or worse), and I was able to register the domain.

All I ask is that please remain unbiased and give it a chance.
You never know what might grow from it.
It's not worth letting this point get in the way of the potential enjoyment of the final game.
Besides, coming up with a nickname is only a matter of time. I already call the game "Strats".

To all the above... I am open to suggestions. :-)

What about balance? Will fan mods be required for normal competitive play?
To be honest, multiplayer in HoMM3 was an afterthought.
In 1999, no one ever expected that twenty years later people would be actively competing against each other in online play.
HoMM3 was never intended to be an esport.

I intend to contact current HotA online players and, if they are interested, invite them to play Fanstratics and get their feedback.
As in Starcraft 2, I suspect that there will eventually be two separate sets of game stats: single-player and multiplayer.
At first they will match, but then multiplayer will likely diverge from single-player as online players discover unforeseen exploits and abuses.

Which platform will the game be for?
Windows PC. HoMM3 was created for PC, and the audience is still primarily PC-based. Fanstratics is a computer game being created for PC. Also, no mobile shenanigans like F2P.

Will there be a user-friendly map editor?
Yes. I designed the HoMM3 map editor, and I will design the Fanstratics map editor. For those who don't remember, "Armageddon's Blade" was released along with the map editor seven months after the first release of HoMM3. I assume the same will happen with Fanstratics.

Who did the Cavalier concept art?
Justin Gerard. You can see his work in Gerard's gallery.
Currently, it is unknown how much work Justin will be able to do.
I am very glad that he is interested in supporting Fanstratics, but as you can imagine... he is in high demand.
I have my fingers crossed, and we are doing everything possible to take advantage of his "windows of opportunity".

Will Rob King and Paul Romero be writing the music?
I have an agreement with Rob King that he and Paul will do the sound effects and music.

Will David Mullich be involved?
David is currently leading another game, but I told him that when Fanstratics reaches critical mass, I would very much like him to produce it. We'll see what happens. Leaving a permanent job to take a risk on a crowdfunded project... requires a lot.

Do you have anything else to show besides concept art?
Unfortunately, not right now. The design is in the finalization stage, and the program functionality is being developed.
There isn't much to look at yet, unless you enjoy watching colored blocks move across a textured grid.

Please understand, the landing page was created in support of David Mullich. Sometimes David is invited to talk about HoMM3 in various cities in Russia, Poland, and other Eastern European countries. When I told David about my work on Fanstratics, he suggested "stealthily announcing" the project to potential fans while avoiding the mass gaming press. I didn't think it would hurt, so I quickly created a landing page, asked Justin to create concept art, and laid the foundation for future informational content.

Well, on June 9, 2020, Game World Observer quoted David during his speech at the Talents In Games Conference, mentioning that a "spiritual successor to HoMM3" is in development. Someone saw the news, put 2 + 2 together, found the landing page, and reported it on Heroes3Wog.Net. Unexpectedly, hundreds of people subscribed to the newsletter.

In short, the game announcement was something of an accident, and I've been doing my best to adapt to the sudden momentum.

Why not promote the game on major gaming news sites?
If there were 90 days left until the start of crowdfunding, I would send a press release to anyone who would only wish to listen. At this stage, since we have nothing to show, there is no point in promoting the game on major news sites. I am happy with the current "smoldering" limited to hardcore fans, and I hope that rumors will spread and the community will grow organically.

Can I help with anything?
At the time of writing this newsletter, there were over 700 subscribers. Not bad for an "accidental announcement," but by my estimates, we will need at least 50,000 subscribers for successful crowdfunding. Why? My research shows that about 20% of newsletter subscribers (10,000) will convert into sponsors. Given some popularity, I expect another 5,000 sponsors not associated with the newsletter. This adds up to 15,000 sponsors, which allows us to get close to my minimum budget.

Since we are at a very early stage of development, we have time for the community to grow. Most newsletter subscribers live in Poland and South Korea, but subscribers from Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, USA, etc., are clearly missing. So, if you want to help... tell your friends and spread the word.

If you are an "influencer" (streamer, YouTuber, etc.) and would like to help promote the game, I would like to get in touch with you.

Here's what Gregory Fulton wrote to me: Hey, Sergey. Hope you are doing well. No need to apologize for modding HoMM3. Modders have kept the game alive, and in my opinion, are vital to its longevity. As you point out, Fanstratics will have its own unique artificial intelligence. This is out of necessity, due to changes in some game mechanics, and I have already drafted an outline for eventual expansion and implementation. Pertaining to Ai, for either HoMM2 or HoMM3, feel free to send along any thoughts or criticisms. I would be happy to read and consider them. As for HotA, and its tournament players, I am very aware of the abuses and exploits being utilized, and their effect on the spirit of the game. There are lessons, positive and negative, to be learned from observing the play of the HotA community, but in the end, Fanstratics will ultimately be its own product. Thank you for reaching out. Take care. Greg Fanstratics Game Director & Designer

As for HotA, and its tournament players, I am very aware of the abuses and exploits being utilized, and their effect on the spirit of the game. There are lessons, positive and negative, to be learned from observing the play of the HotA community, but in the end, Fanstratics will ultimately be its own product.

Sounds promising.

I wrote to Greg and he replied.

Greg Fulton's Response
[English-to-Russian Translation]
[Translation from English to Russian]

Hello, Sergey. Thank you very much for the kind words and best wishes. Regarding your questions...

1a. Will Fanstratics have a map editor and a random map generator?

The map editor and random map generator for HoMM3 were released with the first expansion pack, Armageddon’s Blade. As for Fanstratics, I expect to deploy both a community map editor and a random map generator, but not before the official public release of the game.

1b. If there is a random map generator, how will it be configured?

It has been a very long time since I created the original RMG templates for HoMM3 (using Microsoft Excel), and if I remember correctly, Gus used a "node-based" approach to generating random maps. Since then, various methods for generating random maps have been developed, and I would like to explore some of them before I decide on the initial design direction. So, the details regarding the internal logic of the random map generator are currently unresolved.

2. It may be too early to ask, but still: HoMM3 has a limit of 8 players with more than 8 factions. Will there be the same limit in Fanstratics?

Yes. In Fanstratics, the maximum number of players will be eight, and the maximum number of adventure heroes on the adventure map will be eight. As for factions, nine are in development, but with DLC, one, two, or three more can be added if the game is successful.

3. You mentioned that the game will not have sci-fi elements, as in the lore of HoMM3, because a large number of players don't like it. There are very few such players in Russia, and no one takes them seriously. Now, the main criticism of Fanstratics among HotA players is that the game will not be techno-fantasy (a mix of science fiction and fantasy). Since the game is still in early development, perhaps it would be worth putting it to a vote on https://www.fanstratics.com among subscribers?

First, although I want Fanstratics to be considered the spiritual successors to HoMM3, I don't want it to be seen as a "rip-off" of Might and Magic. Including sci-fi elements, from heavy to moderate, in the fantasy universe will almost certainly open it up to that criticism. Second, I have already laid the creative foundation on which the world of Fanstratics is based. I am happy with what I have done and look forward to gradually revealing it. Although it is not science fiction... it is not stereotypical fantasy either. I hope you will like it. :-)

I hope you liked my answers. Thank you for contacting us.

Take care.
Greg

Game Director and Designer, Fanstratics

Again, very good news, and the fact that there won't be any techno-fantasy is great. Hmm... so it turns out that Gregory came up with the templates, I thought it was Gus Smedstad's work. And it's him we should thank for JC, 6lm10a, etc. I'll share my impressions of the sketches that were posted: the first impression is that they're just okay; for example, the proportions of the dwarf are completely unrealistic. However, after some time, you look at them again and think that, in principle, they're more or less decent. The most important thing is that they don't cause rejection, unlike fan-made creations. I also think that in color and with more dynamic poses, everything could look even better. And one more point, in the latest newsletter, Gregory writes that the sketches are posted based on the principle of one creature from each faction (Gregory reasonably suggests using this term instead of "Castle"). There are clearly 3 factions - humans, Necropolis, and Sylvan. And the 4th one turns out to be "dwarves"? A separate faction of dwarves? Hello, Heroes 5?