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This topic was created a long time ago. It's almost 2010 now!
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However, a few days ago, I decided to reinstall Heroes of Might and Magic IV on my computer. I found 5 different versions, and only the "HMM4-Excalibur" disc worked properly on WinXP SP3. I downloaded all the missing maps from the other versions of HMM4 and put them in the maps directory, and then I started playing.
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The topic is called "problems with the fourth game." A couple of years ago, I clearly saw the main drawbacks and advantages of the fourth game compared to the third.
Drawbacks: no artifact merging; no super magic like "Flight," "Spatial Gates," or "City Portal" (with the ability to use it anywhere on the map).
That is, it seemed to me that in the game HMM4, I would never again be able to rule absolutely, as was possible in the third game...
Advantages: a hero can fight alone (without units) and recruit an army of heroes; units can move around the map without a hero; super graphics.
That is, new improvements appeared, expanding the boundaries of HMM.
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After playing several games on fairly difficult maps three days ago, I realized that solving problems in the fourth game is just as interesting as in the third, and it will require a deep understanding of all the nuances of the game. So, what's the problem when playing the fourth game? It turns out that the third game, which I know inside and out, with its light and unobtrusive graphics, and with almost all the known subtleties of the game known to almost all heroes, has only the effect of many years of getting used to a favorite (Heroes of Might & Magic III The Shadow of Death). HMM4 didn't get its share of fame only because of a mismatch of time and place (change of ownership, the rapid emergence of alternative games, such as HMM5).
Once, I showed HMM4 to my friend: he was engrossed in this game and its add-ons for a whole year (his girlfriend was annoyed: he was completely absorbed in the PC!). Then I showed him the third game (The Shadow of Death) and described all the advantages compared to the fourth. He played it, but, unfortunately, the third game didn't interest my friend at all. Conclusion: it is possible to evaluate HMM 1-2-3-4-5, it is possible to find problems and suffer from them, but it is useless to compare them with each other! Each player likes something special from the entire series, and some like everything at once.
I respect all the Heroes from the second to the fifth game (I didn't play HMM1). I'll say more: I wouldn't refuse to spend a few months on "Kings Bounty The Legend" and "Kings Bounty: Armored Princess" (I still made it to the top of the winners).
And drawbacks and problems will always be found everywhere. But we continue to love the Heroes and play them.