Posts from Discussion about Schism. Auto-translated

Yeah, yeah, if I don't know something, it's definitely not popular. That's just how things are in life.

I don't just pull this information out of thin air, you know. I have some knowledge in this specific area.

As for whether it fits with classic fantasy or not... there are two camps in the community: those who champion the classics and those who appreciate novelty. Frozenbyte clearly stated that Olden Era combines both approaches.

For example, I think that the classics have become so overused that playing as ordinary humans or elves is simply boring. They need something new, some kind of unique element. This was especially well done in the fifth installment. There, the factions were well-updated after the third game, and new content was also added. In the sixth game, the Nagas turned out quite well. And Schism also seems like a successful experiment with a good foundation in the form of the popular Lovecraft.

I consider the Sylvan faction in Olden Era to be a less successful experiment. However, they are not in the demo.

yes, there were no tritons, Scylla and Charybdis, or kraken – a giant squid/octopus – in ancient Greek myths; sailors didn’t encounter them and didn’t describe them in their journals....

Added 6 minutes later
the same vampires or "overused" elves are present as magical creatures from different worlds....An elf from Skyrim is not like the one from Heroes of Might and Magic, and even less like the elf from Harry Potter....and this universe is only for fans of the writer's work, that is, "one world"....and I don't think its popularity is that great....

There was once "one world," Middle-earth. It was created by a simple writer, Tolkien, who had a good understanding of folklore. In a mysterious way, it was his reinterpretation of the classics that became the foundation for the modern understanding of the fantasy genre and the races that inhabit it...

And there were also several works about vampires, which became the basis for both the monstrous appearance of vampires and the handsome vampires...

And Lovecraft created a specific genre of horror and a specific design for chthonic monsters. And he is unique. The mythical kraken is in no way similar to the kraken from Heroes 7. They are fundamentally different. Because in the seventh game, it is precisely Lovecraft's design, while the classic kraken is a large octopus. Therefore, Pirates of the Caribbean has nothing to do with Lovecraft, but the Skyrim DLC is related to him.

The moral of the story is: in most cases, there are indeed specific people with specific works that served as inspiration...

be that as it may, when I encounter a "lizard rider" in the game – a dark elf – I immediately understand who and what it is... but when I see "agashot rider" or the opposite, and I don't understand who it is, I'm absolutely not interested...
P.S. Tolkien also drew inspiration from myths, legends, etc....

Added 2 minutes later
we could also mention Stoker and his Dracula....

It seems that you simply don't like the concept of custom creatures and custom names.

It seems you simply don't like the concept of custom creatures and custom names.

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The main thing is that now you know that Lovecraft is popular. My mission is accomplished!

I can suggest a character for modding... it would be a great fit for this race.

"Amazing hocus pocus," for example, calling it...

As a devoted fan of Lovecraft and Lovecraftian themes, as well as someone who appreciates new and fresh ideas in franchises, I can confidently say that this race doesn't belong in Heroes. It belongs either in some awful, meme-filled Polish mod or in a turn-based strategy game with an original setting that has nothing to do with Heroes. The Schism, as well as the Sylvans and the Hive, are a clear indication that the developers don't care about the series' legacy. They've latched onto the franchise to get a great marketing campaign and make some money, because the exact same game in an original setting wouldn't get even a fraction of the attention it's getting now. In a vacuum, these are cool and interesting Factions that I would gladly play or even include in Heroes as part of an awful, meme-filled Polish mod, but they are inappropriate for the vanilla game. If the developers had even a rudimentary sense of taste, they could have created a cool and colorful race with the exact same initial ideas that would seamlessly fit into the series. There was a great swamp in Heroes 3, which was fresh, unusual, and unique at the time of its release, with only the Hydra being a recognizable unit. But it fit into the overall atmosphere, the unit roster wasn't overly extravagant, it was simple, clear, in the spirit of other Factions, in the spirit of classic fantasy, and the swamp fit very organically into the overall picture. But here we have complex, tasteless units with complex, tasteless names and a complex, tasteless design. And The Elder Scrolls is a bad example. Bethesda did a great job. They integrated Lovecraftian elements very well, very organically. Hermeus Mora has been present in the franchise since the beginning, and the monsters from the Apocrypha are simply called "The Lurkers" and "The Seekers" (I don't know how it is in the localization) - without the feeling that someone just hit their head on the keyboard. And yes, I myself like to come up with names for my aliens, but a game that is supposed to revive the legacy of a series known primarily for its classic fantasy aesthetic is clearly not the right place to unleash your originality. And a separate pain point is the tentacled witch. She has a fantastic concept, I love such crazy comic book designs and would gladly steal this lady for any of my settings, or even all of them at once. But how bland, ugly, and tasteless she is drawn. Come on, Frozenbyte, couldn't you have hired a sighted person as a designer? =_="

Ah yes, there’s no need to compare Tolkien with Lovecraft. Tolkien drew on mythology; he borrowed a lot of things from Scandinavian, Celtic, and various other myths. This is a case where all artists steal, but brilliant artists steal brilliantly. He did a good job of compiling all this beautifully, adding his own ideas, and laying the foundation for the fantasy genre. I’m not trying to diminish his achievements, but elves, dwarves, and orcs existed before him. Lovecraft, on the other hand, did things differently. He has quite a few simple horror stories about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and zombies. It’s a banal classic that people loved to use to scare each other at the beginning of the last century. But Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Nyarlathotep, Shub-Niggurath, Mi-Go, Azathoth, and the unknown Kadath are his original ideas, the product of his mad and brilliant mind. But… is it only his? A significant part of Lovecraftian mythology, such as the King in Yellow, was created by another person. The Hounds of Tindalos, and several other monsters, were also not his creation. Lovecraft was a prolific letter writer, wrote billions of letters, and was friends with Robert Howard, the author of “Conan the Barbarian,” and with Lovecraft’s consent, other authors liberally sprinkled billions of references to his ancient gods and created their own characters for this pantheon. Lovecraft is the founding father of cosmic horror and the originator of the most brilliant modern mythology, the progenitor of a fundamentally new direction, and its influence on popular culture is comparable to that of superheroes. But he wanted to and actively worked to make it a new mythology and a new genre; he allowed for interpretation, the expansion of the pantheon of gods and creatures from beyond the realm of reality. He is truly incredibly cool. And if I wanted to bring Lovecraftian elements into Heroes and show how much I love this author, I wouldn’t shove tentacles in everyone’s face, but would focus on the aquatic aspect of the myths. Deep Ones and Dagon, and even Cthulhu, and from related works, those hideous penguins from At the Mountains of Madness. Cthulhu is basically just a kraken from Heroes 3, some deep-sea fantasy fish-men, add cultists, various sea serpents, a tentacled witch in a normal style, and it would turn out great, in a balanced Lovecraftian, fantasy, and fresh way, with just a touch of sci-fi. But instead, there are some dull tentacles, riders on dull tentacles, pompous, tongue-twisting names, which Lovecraft himself uses sparingly and in moderation, and the same mistake as with the dwarves in Heroes 5: dwarf, dwarf, dwarf-rider, dwarf, dwarf, big dwarf, dragon. Only here it’s a guy, a guy on a tentacle, a fat guy on a tentacle, a woman. And they are all the same gray-blue color, so they blend in with the background of the unit window 👍

He also vehemently hated Jews and black people. Overall, I agree with the sentiment regarding this race.