Posts from Heroes VII

WHERE ARE THE NECROMANCERS?!

...in the list of confirmed factions that will definitely be in the game?

Second Q&A session: http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=40646 Translation (the second session starts with question 24): http://www.gamer.ru/mech-i-magiya-geroi-vii/might-magic-heroes-vii-pervye-q-a-skrinshoty-i-video-s-gc-14 Armies of Light. Part 1. https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/armies-of-the-light-part-1 Translation: http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=671612 Added after 23 hours 48 minutes Important information about the voting: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/line-up-vote-important-information Translation: http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=671705

Resources in Heroes 7:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-resources-in-heroes-vii
Translation:
http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=671857

They approached the resources with creativity!

Yep, there are now two types of each. And two types of dragon resources.

It would have been better if they had kept the assets from Heroes of Might and Magic VI.

Stories of the Decade War, Part 3: http://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/tale...ears-war-part-3 Approximate translation: Three days later, the bells of Flammschrein began to toll, but their song was mournful and sad. It was a funeral knell. Sandalfon was dead; the dark blade was plunged into his heart. Murazel was nowhere to be found. Stories of the Decade War 845 - Omen of War. The Conclave of the New Dawn was thrown into turmoil after the murder of Sandalfon and the disappearance of Murazel. The sanctity of Flammschrein was threatened, old prejudices and suspicions resurfaced, and the voices of reason were soon drowned out by the noise of old grudges and petty squabbles. Hopes of finding a suitable consensus quickly faded. The Month of the Sun's Bloom, dedicated to the worship of Elrath, arrived, and there was no Emperor. The 20th day of the Sun's Bloom – the first equinox, one of the most sacred holidays of the Empire – came and went, and it was now clear that the Conclave had failed in its mission. However, the imperial crown still needed a head to wear it. Many prayed that Elrath himself would descend from the heavens and choose a new ruler, but the God-Dragon of Light did not intervene. This was something that people had to figure out for themselves. Just as distant rumbles of thunder herald an approaching storm, it became increasingly clear that this would soon lead to war. It was inevitable. The only thing left to determine was where and when the lightning would strike first. It struck on the 11th day of the Dancing Flame. A pretext for war In the early days of the Dancing Flame, militias loyal to one duchy or another began to gather in the area of the small town of Maiden's Path, on the border between the Hound and the Unicorn. Tensions had been steadily rising since the funeral of Mive, fueled by centuries of atavistic mutual contempt. On the tenth night of the Dancing Flame, a member of the town council, serving the Hound, was attacked and left to bleed to death in the streets; a house belonging to a Unicorn judge was set on fire, with the family still inside. Each side was quick to blame the other for these heinous acts. Indeed, they had all been waiting for this to happen, and it really didn't matter who actually drew the first blood. A pretext for war. By noon the next day, all that remained of Maiden's Path and its inhabitants were smoking ruins and mutilated bodies. The Hound militias emerged victorious – if one could call this massacre a victory. Two days later, Rowena Unicorn, the Red of Yrvik, sent an official letter to Engerrand Hound, demanding an explanation. But he could only offer his own accusations. Neither ruler could leave the horrors of Maiden's Path unpunished. The growing tension reached its peak. The word that no one dared to speak was finally spoken. Old alliances If the conflict had remained limited to the duchies of Hound and Unicorn, perhaps things would have been different. But there were old alliances, forged in blood, ink, and marriage, that had to be taken into account. Amilcar Bull sent his troops to reinforce Engerrand's armies as soon as they began to march on Rowena's lands. Closely watching the old friendship between the duchies of Unicorn and Griffin, Ivan gathered his troops to fight on Rowena's side. Fearing Ivan's power, Engerrand and Amilcar decided to act against his advance. Thousands of men, women, and beasts, led by Amilcar himself, set out north to intercept the Griffin army as it passed south of the Rose Mountains. The Duke of the Bull intended to settle the score after his early humiliation at the hands of Ivan. Stefan Wolf and Sheamus Deer took no sides. They watched from afar, waiting for their time and waiting for events to unfold. But my spies reported that Sheamus, unbeknownst to everyone, was secretly sending fighters south. It soon became clear that his goal was to reclaim the old province of Falcon, including the ruins of Falcon's Nest... The storm began, howling, torrential. And no one could stop it anymore. A quick note about Ivan's sword: It should be noted that at that time, Ivan was no longer wielding the Blade of Revelation, but the Iron Quill, an old family heirloom that belonged to his ancestor Istvan, the last king and first Duke of Griffin. After what happened during his duel with Amilcar a few months earlier, Ivan vowed not to draw the sacred sword of Griffin until the Empire was whole again.

Armies of Light. Part 2: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/armies-of-the-light-part-2 Translation: http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=672183 Q&A - Age of Heroes: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/q-a-age-of-heroes Approximate translation: A few days ago, Gary Paulin [GP], producer, and Xavier Penin [XP], lead game designer, played a Q&A game and answered some pressing questions from the well-known fan site Age of Heroes. 01) Based on what we saw on the Gamescom demo map, the creature models on the battlefield look very small. Also, by default, the battlefield view is very zoomed out, showing too much background graphics around the battlefield instead of focusing on the battlefield itself. Will you be working on improving this? [GP] First of all, it is important to remember that all the cameras in the Gamescom build were only for demonstration purposes, to make it easier to take a screenshot and offer a broad view of our battlefields and creatures. We worked hard to find a good compromise between visibility and accessibility, but of course, Heroes VII includes a zoom in/out function in battle (and on the adventure map, of course), so you can choose to focus on what is really important to you: the actual battle and creatures! 02) What do luck and morale do in H7? Is there a possibility of negative luck for creatures in the game? [XP] As mentioned earlier, we wanted to return to the roots of the core features of Heroes, and luck and morale were certainly among these key elements. Currently, we don't have much information to share on this specific topic, but in a few words: luck and morale do the same thing they always have. Positive luck gives increased damage; good morale gives additional "half-turn". Unlike Heroes 6, negative luck has been returned, and "probing" is synonymous with repeating an attempt or reduced damage dealt. 03) Will the map editor have the "Event" function again? The "Blue Ball" in the H3 editor was one of the most important features for all creators. Placing this single object allowed the creator to trigger ambushes, change morale, join troops, items, etc. [GP] The "Blue Ball" is not returning... but it is evolving! Indeed, Unreal Engine 3 offers excellent tools for all map creators and modders. In addition to all the existing scripts in our database, fans will be able to create and share additional ones to enhance the experience. Thus, we hope to offer even more opportunities for everyone who wants to create new worlds and exciting adventures. 04) Will the primary attributes (Attack, Defense, Spell Power, and Knowledge) return, or will it be like in H6? [XP] The primary attributes will make a great return in Heroes VII. Based on everything we learned from the traditional parts of Heroes, we decided to re-implement them, the only difference being the advancement of some of them. 05) How will the skill system work this time? Will skills return, and will skills be random when leveling up? [XP] The truth is that we discussed the possibility of implementing a random selection. But in the end, we decided to let you choose which skills/abilities you want to unlock. So it will be a kind of mix between H6 (full control in your hands) and H5 (skills are structured in a wheel). We will be developing this point over the next few months on our Shadow Council website to give you more detailed information. 06) Will there be a random map generator or simultaneous turns in the main game? [GP] As we already said in the Q&A on Celestial Heavens, we are spending a lot of time on the map editor. Right now, it is too early to reveal details, as there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve our expectations. As for simultaneous turns, this is also on our minds. To date, we cannot confirm whether or how this will be implemented. 07) What will the city building trees look like? What Heroes games are they most similar to, and is there anything new about them? [XP] The city building system is very similar to the one in H5, but it offers you a wider choice and more buildings affecting many aspects of the game. An article dedicated to this specific topic is planned in the coming weeks on our official website, stay tuned for updates! 08) Can you reveal more information about the combat units? What is new about them? [XP] I am happy to say that I can reveal more information about the combat units! The new thing will be that they are a mix of creatures and war machines, destructible, purchasable, upgradeable... They are unique to each faction and offer different types of gameplay. Goodbye, one-size-fits-all catapult, hello to your own specialized support units. 09) How will the racial skill work this time? Will there be unique abilities scattered across the skills, as in H5? Will they have their own skill tree? [XP] At the moment, we cannot give you all the details on this specific point, but of course, each racial skill will offer a specific ability, including various special related abilities. Example of a Haven racial skill (a robot in progress, of course!): Righteousness - "Whenever friendly creatures have good morale, all other friendly creatures gain +X morale, as long as they have good morale. This effect can stack up to the morale limit." 10) What can you tell us about the magic system? [XP] The magic system in Heroes VII will be very close to the ones implemented in Heroes III and V. Unfortunately, this is all we can say at the moment, but don't worry, we will definitely tell you about it as soon as we can! (although we can confirm the return of mage guilds)); 11) What unique aspects are you trying to implement in M&M: HVII? We have heard a lot about trying to bring back the best things from previous parts, but is there anything new that is truly unique to the Heroes franchise? [GP] Well, you are right that we have mainly reported on "bringing back the best things from previous parts." The classic Heroes formula has proven its worth, and it is important for us to remain true to it, while trying to bring newness and a new flavor to Heroes VII. For example, we will bring a flanking mechanic to give more importance to the placement of creatures. Battle maps will use different sizes and layouts, forcing you to rethink your strategy and think about what is best in any given battle. Added after 21 hours 53 minutes M&M: Heroes 7 at Igromir-2014 https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/m-m-heroes-vii-at-igromir-2014 Armies of Light. Part 3: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/armies-of-the-light-part-3 Translation: http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=672692

Voting between Dungeon and Inferno:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/dungeon-vs-inferno-you-choose

Added 16 hours 36 minutes ago
All creatures of the Haven faction have been published on the official website.
If you copy the link to the video with the unit animation and replace "attack" with "secret" in it, you can see a funny animation similar to those in the sixth part.

Added 2 hours 3 minutes ago
Impressions from "Igromir": Might & Magic: Heroes 7
http://riotpixels.com/vpechatleniya-s-igromira-might-magic-heroes-7/#more-99578-

Hello. Today I had the opportunity to chat with Mr. Erwan from Ubisoft and record a short interview about Heroes 7 and 3. I think I'll edit it over the weekend and, if you're interested, I'll post it here.

Hello. Today I had the opportunity to talk with Mr. Hervé from Ubisoft and record a short interview about Heroes 7 and 3. I think I'll process it over the weekend and, if you're interested, I'll post it here.

Yes, please, I'm interested.

Tales of the Ten Years' War. Part 4:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/tales-of-the-ten-years-war-part-4
Translation:
http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=673672

Unfortunately, there was very little time to process the interview; I will try to finish it by the weekend. In short, we talked about the multiplayer in Heroes 7, the balance of castles, the number of castles, future DLCs, and modding. We also discussed the fate of Heroes 3 and Ubisoft's attitude towards HoMM3: HotA.

Sounds very tempting. I look forward to it.

Added 13 hours 19 minutes ago
Information about the Dungeon:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/discover-dungeon

Approximate translation:

Welcome, shadow advisors. Since I have given you information about the elves of Irollan and the dwarves of Grimheim, it is only natural to also share what I know about the mysterious dark elves from Ygg-Shail. Providence is truly with this Council, as I am one of the few lucky surface dwellers who visited their capital Konos in the past and survived—or, well, you know—to tell the tale. I believe it was around 660 GSD, plus or minus a few years. Back then, it wasn't even a real kingdom—merely a growing seed of a future nation.
I was one of the scholars accompanying Archon Belket, who had been granted safe passage to the library of the Faceless. We hoped to find a cure for a mysterious disease that was spreading among the Namtaru, liches, and vampires in Erathia. We suspected that this disease was linked to the use of Void magic, the same kind I had observed nearly a century prior in the pirate city of Krage. As I discovered, this knowledge of Void curses is why Belket thought of me for this mission. The fact that Hierophant Anastasia, whom I consider a friend, was among those afflicted was enough for me to abandon my research and join Belket on his journey.

But I have already drifted off, and of course, you are not here to listen to the story of my life. Let me read you a few excerpts from my journal pertaining to the dark elves and their mysterious mentors, the Faceless.

On the Dark Elves.

1. Ygg-Shail. Darkness Below.
The majority of the dark elf kingdom is underground, and more than once dwarves have found tunnels winding beneath the borders of other kingdoms. On the surface, the dark elves claim wastes and inhospitable stretches of desert landscape, with little sign that they are there.

I should add that entrances to the underground territory tend to be carefully hidden. The magic of Malassa—the magic of illusions and confusion—is a huge
advantage in preventing outsiders from penetrating Ygg-Shail uninvited.

No one, not even the dark elves themselves, knows all the creatures that live in the caves. Plant life is rare—most often consisting of giant mushroom forests and other fungi. The dark elves cultivate them and use them for everything from lighting to food and fuel. All their cities glow with the soft light of bioluminescent mushrooms, tinted blue or yellow here, or rarer species there. Nothing is wasted in the tunnels, and the dark elves give their dead to the mushrooms as compost.
Most creatures inhabiting the tunnels in the dark elf domains are blind. Bats, blind fish, pale snakes with filmed-over eyes, and other such beings dart quickly back and forth in the darkness. Deeper down are more dangerous beasts: things that look like stone but aren't, giant spiders, and other predators lying in ambush.
The mobile wildlife in the dark elf domains is primarily represented by reptiles. Black dragons roar in the deepest caves, while snakes slip through passages in search of prey. The coloration of most has faded to a ghostly pallor; others have long since become the color of shadow.

There are many strange things lurking in the darkness, indeed. Gloomstalkers, for example—strange, wild creatures with an equally feline and reptilian appearance, which the dark elves sometimes use as mounts. I have also heard tales of tribes of blind "troglodytes," who are sometimes described as reptiles and sometimes compared to living mushrooms. I suspect they may be lesser earth spirits, but it is also likely they are simply an old tale.

In a way, the entire kingdom of the Dark Elves is one massive city—Konos, a labyrinth. It is said that here and there are denser clusters of population, each considering itself its own city.

Well, that was true then. I believe we can safely assume that the dark elves have expanded their territory and established new settlements deep beneath the mountains—and perhaps even beneath the Empire.

2. The Dark Elf Community.
The founders of the dark elf nation entered into a pact with Malassa, the Dragon Goddess of Darkness. One consequence is that all dark elves are marked with the sign of Malassa and are forced to constantly hear persistent whispers carried by the shadows.
There are those who can channel this constant stream of information, and those who cannot, and this divides the dark elf community into two classes.
Dark elves who cannot endure the constant whispers sent by Malassa's mark are forced to establish a barrier to shield themselves from the rest of the world; otherwise, they go mad. To help themselves live with Malassa's gift, they burn specific varieties of mushrooms and inhale the vapors. The remedy acts as a painkiller that closes their mind to the incessant noise.

On the other hand, dark elves who successfully process the voices from the darkness without losing their minds possess great power.

Young dark elves who demonstrate this gift are chosen for the priesthood. Taken from their families as children, they are raised in the temples of Malassa as seekers of forbidden knowledge and masters of same-darkness magic. They grow up completely devoted, completely loyal, and completely fanatical toward the goals of the Dragoness of Darkness. Those who rise to higher ranks undergo a secret ritual that allows them to communicate with Malassa, making them capable dreamers. When the ritual is complete, their eyes become black and pupil-less, and they never blink again.
Joining the priesthood is the highest goal a dark elf can strive for, and competition for an exalted place in the temple is fierce.
The priesthood of Malassa maintains temples in every city and altars at every outpost. These sacred sites are open to all, as the Dragoness of Darkness will speak with anyone who calls her, but public rites are few. Perhaps this is because Malassa's teachings are esoteric and poorly understood, even by most dark elves themselves.
What unites the dark elves into clans is not blood relations, but a shared interest in a specific message found within Malassa's whispers. There are three main clans—Nightshard, Shadowbrand, and Soulscar, founded by the sons of the legendary Queen Tuidhana—who lead the smaller clans.

This information may be tragically outdated, but as I understand it, members of the Soulscar clan are fascinated by pain, suffering, and madness; members of the Shadowbrand clan listen to the secrets of the soul; and members of the Nightshard clan are preoccupied with emotions such as sorrow or happiness.
The political consequences of these differences are that Nightshard favors trade and neutrality, Shadowbrand favors secrecy and non-interference in the surface world, and Soulscar is the most aggressive and vengeful of all clans—and I recall they had fallen somewhat out of favor when I visited Konos.
In any case, this triumvirate somehow "elects" a common leader known as the Clan Lord. Whether this is done by ballots or blades, I cannot say, just as I do not know under what circumstances the Clan Lord leaves office.
What I do know is that Menan of Nightshard has been the Clan Lord since the end of the Under-War. I cannot recall exactly who ruled in 660.

3. Blades in the Darkness.
Only dwarves could give an accurate report on the current state of the dark elf forces. However, what I witnessed back in 660 will, hopefully, allow you to understand it for the first time.

Dark elf generals believe that war is best won with persuasive words, cunning tricks, and poisoned daggers rather than an army on the field of battle; as such, they have no qualms about sending spies, saboteurs, and assassins as tools of policy. They are pragmatic people, and bribery and murder are often cheaper than raising an army. If necessary, their shadow priests possess various spells for mind control and life-draining.
Dark elves may also use other tactics, such as sending waves of fast-moving skirmishers to distract the enemy and soften their flanks before striking with superior and powerful forces: beasts from the darkness and elite troops equipped with armor and weapons made of shadow steel—which some believe is infused with the blood of the Faceless. If forced to fight in the open, dark elves prefer to strike under the cover of darkness. If forced to fight during the day, they can hold their own, but they are more likely to retreat and wait for nightfall.

Mmm, I think I'm forgetting a major theme... But, of course! The Faceless!
It is often said that Malassa's children have gone extinct, but those I saw in Konos were quite healthy. The Faceless are striking winged beings wearing enigmatic masks that allow them to assume any form and appearance. Like their mother-Goddess, they tend to speak in riddles and metaphors, and one should always assume that for every secret a Faceless reveals, he actually keeps two more. While I can confirm that the Faceless are not extinct, I cannot say whether there are entire legions of them or only a handful of survivors left to mentor new proteges before they themselves pass into the Darkness.

That is all—everything I could tell you about the dark elves. Tomorrow, I will tell you more about the hellish inhabitants of Sheol.

But tonight I need to find some ingredients and reagents. All these memories have actually given me an idea for a new experiment that I hadn't thought of before. Perhaps this could be the first step toward a true remedy against Void curses, one that does not require dangerous journeys into the Spirit World to recreate ancient wars. I will let you know the results!