Posts from Heroes VII

At the recent Igromir 2014 in Moscow, we had the opportunity to chat with Might & Magic creative director Erwan Le Breton regarding the upcoming game Heroes 7.

I: Yesterday we were shown a presentation of your new game. Everything looks quite interesting; however, it seemed to us that you have somewhat changed the way the plot is delivered and the gameplay—the game feels more like the modern King's Bounty than the old Heroes. Why was this specific approach chosen?

Erwan: During the development of H7, we defined three "postulates" for ourselves that we try to adhere to.

First, we took into account the mistakes of the sixth part and decided to return to more classic features of the series that could be seen in 3, 4, and 5. Yes, we tried some new features in 6, but unfortunately, they were not very well received by the public. Based on this, we pay close attention
to the opinions of the series' fans and try to ensure that the game truly feels like something "Heroes-ish."

Second, we want to make sure that upon release, the game is attractive not only to players but also to modders. The game is being developed on UnrealEngine 3, and we will definitely create an SDK for our engine so that fans can make maps, mods, and other interesting things. We believe such a tool is beneficial not only for players but also for developers. Julian Pierre, our specialist for the Heroes franchise, very carefully monitors the quality of the game. He pays special attention to modding tools specifically, as he himself used to write mods back in the day. So we are looking at this side of the question very closely as well.

The "third" postulate is a bit more complicated. We want to make Heroes 7 good in its own right. That is, the game should look modern for 2015, be bug-free, and accessible to players. Of course, we love the old games in the series, but a game must have a good "face"—it must be relevant. We are adjusting not only for the fans of the series, who take a very active part in the life of the franchise—chatting on forums, following development, voting for certain changes, suggesting various improvements. We are also interested in that segment of players who simply love the Heroes series. So we try to make the game visually and narratively appealing and not too complex in terms of game mechanics.

I: Your desire to please all players is very encouraging. Based on this, I would like to know something about the game's Multiplayer. Is there any chance it will offer a competitive side? For example, a ladder or something similar.

E: Unfortunately, this specific aspect of the question is not a priority. Yes, we are interested in Heroes multiplayer, but we do not view the game from an esports perspective. For us, it's like simplified chess (here Erwan shows his charisma and performs a miniature "game of chess" — ed.). At the moment, we have gathered a significant amount of feedback from active community members regarding what they want to see in multiplayer. First, everyone really wants a "Duel" mode because those are fast battles; it's fun and interesting. Second, one should not forget about hotseat. That is also fun, interesting, and a kind of trademark of the series. Also, perhaps someday a more advanced multiplayer mode with matchmaking and other perks will appear.

But that will be after release, and for now, we prefer to focus on other aspects of the game.

I: We look forward to more information on exactly how Multiplayer will look in 7. Now let's talk about the new combat system in Heroes. Obstacles and such have appeared on the battle map. How did you come up with this idea of battle and, essentially, why did you decide to settle on it rather than sticking to the more classic combat of 3 or 5?

E: Actually, we had similar plans for 6, but there wasn't enough time to implement the system. Our creative lead from Ubisoft loves tactical RPGs very much. And if there is any way to influence the course of development, the only thing he asks for first and foremost is to add a tactical element to the combat system. If they gave him full freedom of action, we might even see some multi-level battles (meaning several "floors" on the battlefield — ed.). I think such an approach to the combat aspect of the game will make it more engaging.

I: It's interesting how this will "play out" not only in campaigns and singleplayer, but also in PvP.

E: Yes, it promises to be quite entertaining. For example, units can deal increased damage from the flank, and some of them gain special abilities depending on which side they stand relative to the enemy stack. Additionally, various flying and teleporting creatures will look more attractive for certain strategies.

I: All this sounds very appealing, but a question immediately arises—what about balance? How will all this work?

E: The main principle we adhere to regarding balance is that every castle, every Faction must be unique and play in its own way. Each faction will have its own pros and cons, and it's not necessary for all of them to be equal in battles against each other—in some cases one faction will be stronger, in others another—and that's normal. We don't want to stick to "perfect" balance. Of course, we will try to ensure it doesn't happen that one of the factions is so weak that no one wants to play it. Each castle will have its own specialty, its own path in which it will be more attractive than another.

That is if we are talking about factions and their relationships.

Now, if you look at game balance in terms of units, three conditions must be met for everything to remain interesting: the design of the creatures must be high-quality from the start—and on this point, I fully trust our development team—there must be a way to easily and simply change the settings of certain creatures.

This, by the way, was one of the main problems during the development of the sixth part—all values were buried so deep in the code that it was practically impossible to change anything. Xavier joined us after the release of Heroes 6 and was responsible for the balance of castles and creatures. He complained a lot about how everything was done, but this experience allowed him to take a more serious approach to balancing the future game. So we have learned from past experience, and there should be no such problems in the future. Damage formulas, the ability to change values, and fine-tuning units—all of this will be in Heroes 7.

As for the third condition, it's more complicated—essentially everything depends on how much time we have for beta testing with live players before the game's release. One thing I can say with certainty is that there should be no problems with balance at release, and then we will continue to refine it with patches and add-ons.

I: Thank you for such a detailed answer! Many new objects have appeared on the map in Heroes 7 that one can interact with. Which classic objects will be represented in the game? Can we expect the return of unit banks?

E: Unit banks? Perhaps my memory is failing me, what are those?

I: Well, for example, the snake pit or the gryphon conservatory in Heroes 3. When you fight some powerful monsters and receive slightly even more powerful monsters as a reward for defeating them.

E: Oh, I completely forgot that such a feature once existed. I will definitely pass this idea on to our development team! That is exactly how we try to develop Heroes 7—gathering interesting ideas from the community, discussing them, and perhaps they appear in the game. In general, we have a list of neutral objects that will be in the game, but off the top of my head, I can't say what has been decided to add and what hasn't. I remember for sure that classic objects like stables and mills should appear.

I: Let's talk a bit about the plot. The Might and Magic multiverse is quite complex for new players or those who don't play every single game in order. How will the plot be delivered in 7? Is it necessary to know the backstory of the universe to understand what's going on, or will the delivery be more user-friendly?

E: We are trying to avoid a large number of references to previous games. Some cameos or easter eggs will certainly be there, but mostly they will only be noticed by fans of the series.

As for the plot of the game itself, we are trying to make it understandable for everyone. So, we have an ancient empire whose ruling dynasty ended its existence not of its own free will; the throne is vacant, anyone can take it—a war between dukes for the right to rule the empire.

The main concept is that representatives of different game Factions come to the main character of the game, Ivan, and advise him on how to act in the current situation; along the way, they tell their own stories and the history of their faction. In this way, the player will become acquainted with the story of the game.

I: Since we've started talking about Factions in the game, why were exactly six factions chosen for Heroes 7? And how did you choose them in general?

E: Haven has long been a kind of face of the series, so it cannot be ignored.
Fans really wanted to see Necropolis.
We planned to add Academy back in Heroes 6, but it didn't work out.
As for the "Unconquered Tribes" faction, the question was decided by a coin toss. Just kidding! In reality, we were looking for some counterweight to Academy so that the plot would be more logical. That is how the orcs appeared.

Then we started thinking about what else to add. I'll say right away that the Naga faction from 6 was immediately discarded since it wasn't very well received.
So we decided to ask the community which specific castles players wanted to see in the game. Why did we split the voting into pairs specifically? Well, it's quite simple.
Sylvan and Fortress are classic fantasy factions; moreover, neither of these castles appeared in 6.
As for Dungeon and Inferno—both of these factions were represented in Heroes 6, but their plot is quite difficult to fit into the world's history. So we again offer a choice: either one or the other.

I: Will new factions be added as add-ons are released?

E: Yes, of course. In total, ideally, it is planned for there to be 9 factions in the game. Unfortunately, it's not known if we will manage to do this, but that number is our goal.

I: Previously you told us about possible cameos of characters known to us from previous games. Will we see Sandro, Crag Hack, or Almar?

E: They can certainly appear, but they definitely won't be the "faces" of any particular faction. Perhaps in some add-on they will represent certain quests.

For example, an add-on dedicated to Fortress is released; besides the main campaign, there might be a campaign for the unconquered tribes where Crag Hack could become the main character. In other words, the appearance of known characters is possible, but as and in what form—I can't say yet.

I: At the beginning of our conversation, you vividly described the future modding possibilities for the game. So let's distract ourselves from Heroes 7 for a bit and talk about modding previous games. How does Ubisoft feel about user modifications and add-ons for old games?

E: We feel great about them! Julian Pierre once created a magnificent campaign for Heroes 5, Legends of the Ancients, and that played a significant role in his future employment with us.

I: Have you heard anything about Heroes of Might and Magic 3: Horn of the Abyss?

E: Unfortunately no, what is it?

I: The community has been working on this add-on for over five years now; there's a new castle—the Cove—a bunch of various game balance changes and fixes for old bugs. The amount of work done is simply colossal.

E: Sounds very interesting. Julian, by the way, is a big fan of pirate themes. I'll have to tell him about such a development.

I: Wonderful. Perhaps one can count on some kind of "recognition" from Ubisoft? Like, "this is a high-quality add-on, guys, we recommend checking it out!"

E: Yes, of course! We love and respect such endeavors very much. I'll have to take a closer look at what they've done there.

I: Thank you very much for answering our questions. We are eagerly awaiting the new Heroes! By the way, when can we expect the start of beta testing?

E: Hard to say; most likely by Igromir 2015 we will already be ready to provide something for the fans.

I: Thank you once again for the interview!

E: Thank you too, it's nice to see that Heroes are still loved!

At the Igromir 2014, which took place in Moscow, we had the opportunity to talk with the creative director of Might & Magic, Erwan Le Breton, about the upcoming game Heroes 7.

Thank you, this is very interesting. Is there an original version in English?

Thank you, this is very interesting. Do you still have the original in English?

The interview was recorded on a very poor-quality dictaphone, so I'd rather not post it.

The interview was recorded on a very poor-quality dictaphone, so I'd rather not post it.

I'm particularly interested in how the word "counterbalance" sounded in the original in the phrase "Actually, we were looking for a kind of counterbalance to the Academy, so that the plot would be more logical."

I am particularly interested in how the word "counterbalance" sounded in the original in the phrase "In fact, we were looking for some kind of counterbalance to the Academy, so that the plot would be more logical."

What is meant is that, according to the plot, a castle was needed that could be linked to the Academy; the Academy had conflicts with the orcs, so the orcs appeared. The English text sounds like this:

<...> in terms of story there were a lot of contradiction with the Academy so we need the orcs, let's put in the orcs. <...>

What is meant is that, according to the plot, a castle was needed that could be linked to the Academy. The Academy had conflicts with the orcs, so the orcs appeared. The English text sounds like this:

<...> in terms of story there were a lot of contradiction with the Academy so we need the orcs, let's put in the orcs. <...>

Yeah, thanks. This probably means that the plot of the Academy or Orcs campaign will be related to the creation of the orcs in 335 or their rebellion in 467-470.

Information about Inferno:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/discover-inferno

Rough translation:

Hello, friends. As promised, today I will tell you what I know about the hellish dimension of Sheol and its chaotic inhabitants. I won't be able to read you quotes from one of my travels this time, as I have never been to Sheol, own course. But I have survived several Blood Moon Eclipses, so I have had a few opportunities to observe demons, sometimes even too closely for my taste.

So let us begin, shall we?

... What? Why are you looking at me so intently? Is there something on my face?

Oh, I see you first want to know about last night's experiment? Well, I am sad to say that it slightly got out of control, and as a result, my entire laboratory exploded. Good thing I am already Undead, don't you think? Nevertheless, I made some interesting discoveries that I need to investigate further. Anyway, back to the main topic...

About demons.

1. Sheol, the prison of demons.
Not very much is known about Sheol. Once, it was a real physical place located in the fiery core of Ashan. According to the oldest myths we inherited from the Shantiir, this is where Asha imprisoned her brother Urgash during the Wars of Creation. Despite Order's victory over Chaos, the confusion that prevailed during the subsequent Ancient Era allowed demons to establish themselves on the surface of the world. Hiding in uninhabited places, they slowly gathered their strength until they were in a position to launch a full-scale attack on the Elder races. As you all know, this ended when Sar-Elam, the Seventh Dragon, sacrificed his life to banish the demons along with their Progenitor Dragon and completely seal Sheol in a separate space.

Of course, the spiritual prison proved to be less absolute than he likely hoped. Every time Ashan's shadow eclipses the moon — what we call a Blood Moon Eclipse — the barriers of Sheol weaken, and demons find themselves able to re-enter the physical world. Although demons are relentlessly pulled back into their prison-dimension once these Eclipses end, some of them occasionally find ways to sustain themselves on our plane of existence. This generally involves consuming magical artifacts or dragon blood crystals in quantities that always attract attention — and once discovered, the cunning demon "gatecrasher" usually doesn't last long. Through a complex of heartbreaking rituals involving the demon's true name, a mage can temporarily summon a demon to Ashan; however, any benefit — the power of forbidden knowledge — that the mage desires is obtained at the cost of their very soul. But we will return to this specific point.

There has been a suggestion that some very powerful demons have mastered the ability to project their spirit beyond Sheol. If true, this would allow them to visit dreams and influence the minds of weak-willed members of the Elder races.

An ancient tome known as Gorada Raël gives some details about the appearance and climate of Sheol. Yes, I know that the original grimoire is a cursed and dangerous item, but the libraries of the Silver Cities' academies have abridged copies containing only the most harmless chapters with commentaries from famous demonologists. Here is what one such copy says about the demons' prison-dimension:

The dimension of demons is hot, to say the least. Rain of fire and ash falls on a regular basis, the skies are filled with noxious smoke, and the temperature ranges from uncomfortable to unbearable. Occasionally volcanoes erupt thick columns of steam, which sometimes spill over as warm rains, but this happens infrequently at best. There are no seasons in the demon dimension, nor is there any sun to mark the passage of days — there is only hellish light and heat.
Within this dimension of rivers of molten rock and volcanoes in eternal eruption, demons have established large cities of glowing iron, stone, and flesh. Demon cities are comparable to living, growing tumors.
During eclipses, passages between planes open in ancient volcanoes, most of which are located in the realm of dwarves, Grimheim.

Yes, this is something that would be said too rarely: however terrible demon invasions during Blood Moon Eclipses may be or have been, they could be much worse. The dwarves of Grimheim long ago identified the volcanic vents where the main "gates" of Sheol open and erected giant fortifications to prevent demons from breaking out. Obviously, the dwarves cannot seal every volcano in Ashan, but thanks to their efforts, instead of a relentless wave descending from the northern mountains and burning everything in its path, demons can enter Ashan only in scattered groups, which are "easier" to destroy.

2. Demon Hierarchy.
Conquer, loot, and rape the weak, laugh when you are wounded or tortured, indulge in selfish pleasures, sow panic and chaos, corrupt the righteous: this is how a demon would describe a beautiful day.
Every demon lives only to prowl for prey and destroy, and is quite capable of causing immense damage on its own. Forged together into a disciplined army, they would be almost unstoppable. Fortunately for their enemies, demons are creatures of Chaos and therefore not indifferent to anarchy.

There is only one form of hierarchy and obedience among demons. Following the principle "Might makes right," the strong command the weak, who in turn command those even weaker.

Nevertheless, under the absolute leadership of the one they call the Overlord, and who calls himself Kha-Beleth, demons become more disciplined, and that is a disturbing thought.

I still remember the Second Eclipse, three centuries ago. Back then, demons were led by commanders — for lack of a better word — who called themselves Princes. Each Prince was a personal champion of one of the Demon Lords, the "Demon-Gods" whom Urgash created in mockery of the Dragon Gods. Aribban, the Prince of Hate, is especially well known in the Empire as the cause of Emperor Liam Falcon's death. Between Eclipses, it is believed that the Princes were occupied fighting each other in the name of their respective Lords, without any one of them being able to become significantly stronger than their rivals.

However, things seem to have changed. During the Third and Fourth Eclipses, demons fought in the name of Kha-Beleth, a single ruler to whom they showed almost zealous devotion. Uniting all demons under one banner is nothing short of an extraordinary feat. We must assume that Kha-Beleth is no ordinary demon and accept the fact that he has somehow managed to bring some form of Order to Chaos.

Scholars and mages have many theories, more or less far-fetched, about who or what this Overlord of Demons could be. Kha-Beleth has never been seen without his armor, so we do not even know what he actually looks like. Three things are known for certain: his power is significant, he is incredibly cunning, and undoubtedly, this is not the last time we will see him.

Now let us move into more... "esoteric" areas. But don't worry, I will try not to overcomplicate things.

Essentially, the laws of death and rebirth differ in Sheol. When one of Asha's creations dies, it is believed that its soul ascends to the moon — Asha's cocoon — where it is renewed, cleansed of memories and suffering, and sent back to be born anew. The souls of demons, on the other hand, are entirely controlled by Urgash.

When a demon dies, its essence is sent back to Sheol where it simply "respawns" as an imp with intact memory. Then it must work (and fight!) to regain its lost power and strength. Even more interesting: a member of the Elder races who chooses a deal with Urgash will also be reborn in Sheol after their death, either as an incubus or a succubus. It remains to be determined whether this happens because the subject sold their soul to Urgash, as in old tales, or because Asha rejected it for dealing with the forces of Chaos.

3. Hellish Armies.
As depraved and wild as they may be, demons also love self-preservation very much, perhaps because they fear the punishment they will receive upon returning to Sheol, or because they dread starting over from scratch again. If the mere frightening presence of their army is not enough, they will use every trick at their disposal — mind control, shape-shifting, fear spells, and so on. Ranged attacks and same-side attacks follow. Only when the enemy is sufficiently softened do the demonic forces charge into battle. If the demonic ranks maintain their discipline, they generally tear straight through everything that opposes them. If not, they turn into a predatory mob.

Demon weapons are serrated, studded with barbs and spikes to cause maximum pain and damage, and to make any wound they inflict much harder to treat. Their arrows are designed so that they cannot be pulled out, and their swords do more damage exiting than entering. But most demons don't even need weapons from the start: their bodies themselves are a nightmare of spikes, flame, claws, and teeth. Once in Ashan, the most powerful demons are capable of opening "gates" on their own, accelerating the arrival of their kin.

Being spawn of Chaos, demons come in all shapes and sizes, but this can generally be determined by which Lord originally spawned them. This has allowed demonologists to put together a preliminary classification of the demonic race. Predatory hellhounds, for example, are demons of gluttony. Terrible abyss demons — demons of hate. Nauseating spawners — demons of reproduction. And so on. The most powerful warriors of the hellish armies are known as Archdemons. Once the honorary guard of the Princes, they are now Kha-Beleth's lieutenants, ready to commit any atrocity to gain his favor. This change in loyalty shows that demons are, first and foremost, a pragmatic group.

This feels like a fitting conclusion to today's lecture. I hope that even though demonology is not my area of expertise, you still find this little revelation informative, perhaps even entertaining.

Now it is my turn to ask you something. I would like you to tell me why you were looking at me with such stunned eyes. I understand that I probably have some burn marks on my face after yesterday's explosion, but I cannot believe it deserves such bewildered looks. Could someone pass me a mirror? Thank you...
...
...
...
My God.

Added after 19 hours 21 minutes
Chat with developers:
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/let-s-play-chat-with-devs

Rough translation:

For the first time on Twitch and live for our community, our team will show our Might & Magic Heroes VII press demo on the official Ubisoft channel!

Julien Pirou (Lead Designer), aka Marzhin, and Xavier Penin (Lead Game Designer) will present the game to you, answer your questions, and chat with you about the latest news and upcoming features of Heroes VII (seven resources, flank attacks...). Join us to uncover exclusive ideas about the game and our team!
When will it be, you ask?

Thursday, October 16 at 6 PM CET on www.twitch.tv/ubisoft
(When is this for you?)

Subscribe to the Ubisoft channel on Twitch now if you don't want to miss a second of our live show!

October screenshots: https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/october-screenshots Haven Mage Hero: Academy Apprentice Mage: Wolf Justiciar: Beautiful view from the adventure map:

Lord of the Griffin: Duke Ivan.
https://mmh7.ubi.com/en/blog/post/view/the-lord-of-griffin-duke-ivan
Translation:
http://forum.df2.ru/index.php?showtopic=27652&view=findpost&p=674567

However, one shouldn't think that his courtship would lead to anything serious – Ivan flatly refused to marry.

The heir to the Duchy of Griffon, and in the future the ruler of the entire Empire, refuses to marry? Seriously? Either this is some kind of subtle joke, or Ubisoft has made a rare blunder.

The heir to the Duke of Griffon and, in the future, the ruler of the entire Empire refuses to marry? Seriously? Either this is a subtle joke, or Ubisoft has made a rare blunder.

Well, what if there's no one to force him? He wasn't prepared to rule. In fact, they were ready to send him to a monastery.

Well, what if there's no one to force him? He wasn't prepared for leadership. In fact, they were ready to send him to a monastery.

He should have had brains of his own. Besides, if they were preparing him for a monastery, why did he suddenly become a libertine? And when did a monarch's amorous nature ever prevent them from marrying? In short, there are many questions.

Ment, even he is better than Isabelle.

Added after 13 minutes
And Slavik (or whatever the character from the Heroes VI tutorial was called) is far from being considered a genius.

Especially since he was being prepared for the monastery, so why did he suddenly become a wanderer?

It seems he didn't really want to become a monk. And when it didn't work out, he was probably very happy.

Yesterday's video from Twitch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vZmrOED3NPo
Some information:
http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=40445&PID=1252455#focus

Approximate translation:

- There will be 4 tiers of the Mage Guild, and level 1 spells can be learned by any hero without skills. Spells are random, but at least one from the preferred school of the Faction can be given at each level. There will also be a specialization system to influence the chances of obtaining a spell from the school of magic you are interested in.
- In the Academy line, the Cabiri are fire spirits; they can repair constructs. Apprentices are Elite; the main creature has a piercing ranged attack, while the upgrade receives an additional area-of-effect attack.
- There will be a vote for the sixth winning Faction's line. Succubus and Minotaur are confirmed for the Inferno/League of Shadows lines, if they pass.
- We will be able to destroy buildings in cities (so we can freely choose our Faction's champion without worrying about finding another choice in another city). We can get some resources back for destroying buildings.
- The initiative system will be similar to Heroes 6, but with a few new additions.
- Currently, the skills system is not random, but the implementation of randomness is being discussed.
- Dynamic morale: if you kill an enemy unit, your warriors gain additional morale, while the morale of enemy warriors decreases.
- The map editor will be part of the game.
- Caravans will take several turns to reach a city, as in H4 or H5.
- There is no Tears/Blood system, and no H6-style bosses (instead, there are selective battles).
- External dwellings - there are no unique buildings for creatures of the same level (as in H6).