Inferno. A concept for reworking the faction as an invasion army. Auto-translated

I want to propose a concept for reworking the Inferno faction in Heroes of Might and Magic III.

The core idea is to make Inferno not just another faction with its own set of creatures and buildings, but a full-fledged army of extraterrestrial invasion.

According to Might & Magic lore, the Kreegans are not ordinary demons but an alien race arriving on planets aboard spaceships. Therefore, this side of the story can be developed and the Inferno's gameplay mechanics built around it.

In addition to the standard faction development through economy and gradual army growth, the player should be engaged in organizing the invasion: searching for lost landing units, winning over local creatures, concentrating troops, arranging new landings, and ultimately building infrastructure for reinforcements to arrive from the Inferno world.

At the same time, the Kreegans do not become stronger simply because time has passed. They become stronger if they are allowed to carry out a successful invasion.

Below are the core mechanics of this concept.

1. Neutral Kreegan troops – lost landing units. Kreegans are not native inhabitants of the planet. Their presence here is due to an invasion, so neutral Kreegan troops on the map can logically be explained as parts of the initial landing force that, for one reason or another, became separated from the main forces.

Possible reasons:

- the ship went off course and landed elsewhere;

- the landing ship suffered an accident;

- the unit lost contact with the main forces;

- the unit received orders to hold a separate beachhead.

Such units should join the main Inferno army upon meeting it, as the main forces of a single invasion. When they join, messages explaining the circumstances of the encounter can be shown. For example: "Sir, our shuttle crashed in these woods three weeks ago. Half the equipment is lost, but we are ready for the assault!" Such units should not be located near the starting castle. They can be scattered across the entire map, and they still need to be found and joined in time. Other players can also find and destroy them first.

Thus, this is an additional source of army, but not a guaranteed reinforcement.

2. Temptation – converting local creatures.

The second important mechanic is the ability to attract creatures originally belonging to other factions to Inferno's side. A spell called "Temptation"/"Fall from Grace" could be introduced, usable by Inferno heroes. Additionally, the effect could have a certain chance of triggering on attacks by some Inferno creatures, such as Gogs and Magogs.

"Temptation" gradually accumulates on an enemy stack. As it builds up, part of the creatures stop resisting, resulting in a decrease in the effective size of the fighting stack. Upon reaching a certain threshold, the remaining creatures may defect to Inferno's side or transform into its representatives.

For example, if a significant portion of the stack has already been subjected to temptation, and the remaining creatures have been destroyed, the survivors may ultimately defect to Inferno's side.

Another option is also possible: creatures subjected to temptation split off from the original stack and appear as a new Inferno unit next to the enemy. This creates additional tactical opportunities:

- blocking enemy shooters and spellcasters;

- weakening the original stack;

- reinforcements appearing directly in the enemy's rear;

- blocking free tiles and movement;

- shifting the balance of power mid-battle.

Converted and summoned creatures can also be used by Demoniacs for summoning demons.

At the same time, "Temptation" does not necessarily have to affect all creatures equally. Resistance or immunity for certain creature types could be implemented, as well as various methods of conversion: voluntary joining, subjugation, or physical transformation.

This way, Inferno gains the ability to replenish its army not only through its own growth, but also at the expense of its enemies.

3. Summoning magic – concentration of scattered forces.

Since Inferno can receive troops from various sources and have multiple scattered armies, the issue of concentrating them arises. To solve this, a special summoning magic is proposed. A hero on the adventure map can summon troops from a selected Inferno town. The hero himself remains in place, while the chosen units move from the town to him. The level of magic proficiency may determine the availability of towns:

- Basic – the nearest town;

- Advanced – towns at a greater distance;

- Expert – any Inferno town.

Additional restrictions are possible: casting cost, the number of creatures transported, or the need to sacrifice part of the troops to open the portal. This mechanic will allow Inferno to quickly concentrate forces for an offensive without forcing the hero to constantly move between towns.

4. The Grail — a beacon for new landings.

It is proposed to reimagine the Inferno Grail as a massive beacon, signaling to other Kreegan forces about a successful invasion and the opportunity to send new units here.

This aligns with the existing game mechanic where, after building the Grail in Inferno, the Week of Demons begins. Within this concept, it could be replaced with the Week/Night of Falling Stars — a reference to the Night of Falling Stars, when the Kreegans first arrived on the planet.

After the Grail is built, new ships and landing units begin arriving from other worlds. Neutral Inferno stacks appear on the map, representing these new landings. These can be various faction creatures, from imps to stronger units. Their composition and numbers may depend on the time elapsed since the Grail was built.

Landings occur across the entire map. The player must discover them on their own, reach them, and join them to their army. Other players can also destroy the landed units.

Thus, the Grail opens up the opportunity to expand the invasion.

5. Hell Gates – interworld infrastructure.

Another existing building that can be developed within the invasion concept is the Hell Gate. At the first stage, they can perform their usual function of connecting Inferno towns. Later, they can be upgraded, gradually turning into an interworld portal linking the planet with other Kreegan worlds. Through it, new invasion units begin to arrive. In effect, this is a way to receive reinforcements from other worlds, but with limited throughput. For example, the portal could deliver a number of creatures daily equal to the town's weekly growth (the exact number is a matter of balance).

At the same time, building a full-fledged interworld portal could be expensive and multi-stage. It would require a large amount of resources, time, and the development of the corresponding infrastructure.

The player will have to choose: spend resources on the current army, defense, and expansion of holdings, or invest in building the gates, which could potentially provide a decisive advantage in the future.

The gates could be so expensive that in a given game, it would be more profitable to spend the resources on a regular army.

6. Terraforming – transforming the planet into an Inferno world.

It is proposed to reimagine the Inferno town itself as a landing ship or a large landing module that literally crashes into the planet's surface upon touchdown.

The above-ground part of the town consists of the ship's surviving structures. The towers could be engine nozzles, and individual buildings – components of its power plant. Upon impact with the surface, large-scale destruction occurs:

- the shockwave destroys the surrounding vegetation;

- extreme heat scorches the territory;

- the surface becomes covered with volcanic rock and ash;

- lava flows and magmatic fissures form;

- part of the ship sinks deep underground.

The ship itself thus becomes the Inferno town. Subsequently, when certain expensive structures are built – such as the Grail or inter-world portals – a gradual terraforming of the surrounding territory begins. The land around the town gradually turns into lava lands: grass is scorched, swamps are dried up, snow melts. This could be accompanied by messages: "The Abyss is expanding. Lava has consumed new lands."

Terraforming could have an effect on enemies. For example, their troops receive a morale penalty, as they witness the planet gradually turning into an Inferno world. An increased chance of Temptation could also be implemented, since the resistance of local inhabitants gradually weakens.

At the same time, terraforming is a gradual process tied to infrastructure development, not an automatic effect that cannot be stopped.

7. General logic of Inferno's development.

All proposed mechanics are interconnected and form a consistent invasion model.

Initial landing. Inferno establishes a foothold on the planet, but its forces are scattered and vulnerable.

Recovery of the landing force. The player seeks out lost Kreegan units and joins them to their forces.

Temptation. Local creatures become an additional source of army.

Concentration of forces. Summoning magic allows gathering scattered units.

Expansion of the invasion. The Grail beacon attracts new landings from other worlds.

Creation of infrastructure. Hell Gates gradually transform into an interworld portal.

Terraforming. Captured territory gradually turns into a full-fledged Inferno beachhead.

8. Balance and Counterplay.

This concept does not imply an automatic strengthening of Inferno over time. The faction has several potential sources of army growth, but each requires effort and carries risk.

Neutral Kreegans may be far from the player or be destroyed by rivals.

The Fall requires successful application and does not guarantee converting any opponent.

New landings after building the Grail occur across the entire map, not necessarily near an Inferno town. They still need to be found, gathered, and protected.

Interworld gates require enormous investments. While the player is busy building them, they may end up weaker than rivals who chose to develop a conventional army.

Opponents have the ability to destroy landing units and dispel the temptation spell.

In other words, Inferno's late-game strength is not guaranteed; it must be earned.

Conclusion.

The main goal of this rework is to make Inferno a faction with its own strategy based on organizing and developing an invasion.

Unlike other factions, which primarily develop through economy and natural creature growth, Inferno can constantly seek ways to replenish its army, restore contact with invasion forces, and create conditions for new reinforcements to arrive. At the same time, the player is constantly faced with a choice between immediate survival and long-term invasion development.

Inferno does not become the strongest faction in the late game. It should be a faction that is dangerous to leave unattended, since with successful invasion development its military might can become truly threatening.

Kreegans do not become stronger simply because time has passed. They become stronger if they were allowed to successfully carry out an invasion.

I would be glad to hear the community's opinion.