Posts from First Impressions

Announcement of the Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire expansion
https://mmh7.ubi.com/ru/blog/post/view/%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81-%D0%B4%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-might-magic-heroes-vii-trial-by-fire

Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire on Steam:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/445310/

List of some units + a couple of images:
http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=40444&PID=1365344#focus

And what did you like about it?

Hello.

1) The skill tree, similar to the one in the 5th installment, but no longer hidden and improved. I liked it.
2) Expansion in terms of city buildings. Everything looks quite harmonious here, unlike the 6th installment, where, apart from unit dwellings, there are only town halls and citadels, and that damn cheesy portal.
3) Return to the canonical guild of mages from the 3rd installment with a spell system like "air-fire-earth." In my opinion, this is the best option.
4) Everything else is minor, in the spirit of bringing back "old, forgotten" units.

However, there is still a feeling of some emptiness... By the way, I had the exact same feeling in the 6th installment. Few spells, very few interesting and diverse structures on the map. I didn't like the implementation of faction skills.
I'll finish with the mediocre unit animations and the extremely questionable sound. The music of the factions, except for the Academy and both Elves, is tasteless and uninteresting. And the operatic singing is starting to annoy me more and more, especially for the undead. Just turn it off - it's so awful.

There are indeed quite a few structures on the map. 80% of everything is just stat-boosting for the hero. The same recruiters, increasing only the unit growth... I was really annoyed by the hero skill "governor." You buy a hero with a specialization of +2 to an elite unit, but there is no increase in the city, even if there is a creature dwelling on the territory. Maybe I have a bug, or I missed something. Regarding the implementation of faction skills, I already wrote in the first point that I like it #shrugged helplessly#. I agree with the mediocre unit animations - I remember the arrow flying almost from the 1st person in the 5th installment and involuntarily shed a tear. I don't really have any complaints about the music, but I will also note the soundtracks of the Academy and the Elven Alliance as my favorites among all the others. Among the disadvantages, I would also note the extreme imbalance of some units of the Shadow League, the imbalance in the garrison guard (for example, the Shadow League has 10 minotaurs in the castle, while the barbarians have lower-level wyverns and centaurs, although, in my opinion, minotaurs are the most obvious imbalance in the 7th installment), as well as some bizarre things, like a succubus with a hundred hit points and high damage, and a low-level destroyer, while in the previous installment it was the other way around. And yes, in the question of "emptiness," the units also play a role, but this is only because the developers categorically refused to work deeper on the game, giving players the right to choose when creating two factions in the game. And I, by the way, would not mind seeing my favorite "Fortress" and a full-fledged "Inferno" too.

In summary, it can be noted that in the 7th installment, they tried to include all the best moments from the previous installments (although the 6th installment was generally terrible, IMHO), but released another product that is quite raw in terms of... well, you already wrote about "emptiness"... But if we operate with graphics and a couple of nice features, then it can still more or less compete with the 3rd and 5th installments. Let's just say, somehow, in some way, "pull itself together."

"governor"

Well, you need to build the corresponding unit structures first. That's understandable. And appoint a hero as the governor of the city. However, in my experience, the hero skills that affect creature growth don't seem to work, even when these conditions are met. Probably a bug.

A skill wheel similar to the one in the 5th installment, but no longer hidden and upgraded. I liked it.

After playing for a bit, I noticed that the skills in the wheel are not equally balanced. The idea was to create many cool things, such as unique (though often similar) wheels for different heroes of the same Faction. And this was supposed to create a certain amount of variety. However, after trying different options, I can say that I feel that there is not enough variety. I think that if everything is radically rebalanced, the situation will change.

Expansion in terms of city buildings. Here, everything looks quite harmonious, unlike the 6th installment, where, apart from unit dwellings, there are only town halls and citadels, and that damn cheesy portal.

I agree, the buildings seem to be well done. However, there are still some drawbacks. I don't know about the other Factions, but the Orcs have a separate branch of support buildings, which ultimately turn out to be secondary (the main thing is unit dwellings, money, the guild of mages, sometimes fortifications, but these support buildings are only built when there is really nothing else to do).

A return to the canonical guild of mages from the 3rd installment with a spell system like "air-fire-earth". In my opinion, this is the best option.

Well, this was also the case in the 6th installment... I liked that you can choose a specialization in the guild, which is quite cool. Although I can't say that it works perfectly; it seems that the guild may still not provide spells in the chosen specialization at some level... The idea of having two types of alternative legendary units is good. But it is spoiled by the fact that these legendary units are not only within the same Faction, but in general, they are clones of each other. Only some have cool abilities that others don't have, but the stats and other mechanics are almost identical. As a result, you look at the Orc city and think - should I build Ogres or Cyclops? Well, the first ones hit harder... And the second ones hit multiple targets... The first ones have an upgrade that increases their jump range... And the second ones shoot... But these are minor changes; the unit mechanics are practically the same! The cost of the buildings is also almost the same (a certain number of crystals). What is the point of such a choice? In general, perhaps the variety is a weak point of the 7th installment. There are many cool things, but somehow... It's not fully realized. However, these are my first impressions, so we'll see. In any case, it's better than the 6th installment

I like it too, so far.
Although I'm not playing the main campaign yet (probably waiting for more patches to be released), I'm playing the Heroes 4 campaign.
I should also buy the Fortress faction, but it really costs as much as a whole game.

Well, you need to build the corresponding unit structures first. That's understandable. And assign a hero as the governor of the city. Although, from my observations, the hero skills that increase unit production don't seem to work at all, even when these conditions are met. Probably a bug.

I still don't understand how to assign them; I couldn't find the option either in the city or in the menu. In any case, there was no increase even after building the city to its maximum and capturing dwellings.

After playing for a bit, I noticed that the skills in the wheel are very uneven. In theory, they made a lot of cool things, like unique (though often similar) wheels for different heroes of the same Faction. And this was supposed to create some variability. However, after trying different options, I can say that I don't feel like there's enough variability. I think if everything is radically rebalanced, the situation will change.

How to understand "uneven"? Is something overpowered, and something is weak?
Regarding variability, there's this thing where, for example, you have 3 branches of magic schools, and in each of them, there's a skill that gives +20 mana when killing an enemy stack/winning a battle/not losing your CENSORED virginity.

I agree, the buildings seem to be well-done. However, there are still some drawbacks. I don't know about the other Factions, but the Orcs have a separate branch of support buildings that turn out to be secondary (the main thing is dwellings, money, the guild of mages, sometimes fortifications, but these support buildings are only built when there's really nothing else to do).

I don't know, I didn't notice any obviously useless buildings. I generally like the Barbarian Faction the most, although, again, as usual, the Dark Elves are incredibly overpowered.

Well, that was the case in the sixth game too...
I liked that you can choose a specialization in the guild; it's quite cool. Although I can't say that it works perfectly; it seems that the guild still might not give spells according to the specialization at some level...
The idea of having two types of alternative legendary units is good. But it's spoiled by the fact that these legendary units are not only clones of each other within the same Faction but also generally. The only difference is that some have cool abilities that others don't have, but the stats and other mechanics are almost the same. As a result, you look at the Orc city and think: should I build Ogres or Cyclops? Well, the first ones hit harder... And the second ones hit multiple targets... The upgrade for the first ones increases their attack... And the second ones have ranged attacks... But these are minor changes; the unit mechanics are practically the same! The cost of the buildings is also almost the same (a certain number of crystals). What's the point of such a choice?

No, in the sixth part, there was a complete mess where we learned spells for level-up points instead of traditionally learning them in the Guild of Mages, and putting level-up points into skills. I agree about the specialization; it's a matter of taste.

It's a bit strange; I can't select a Fortress like in Heroes VI – to order troops and so on. It suggests entering with a hero, although on the map itself, organizing caravans is possible from the Fortress. In general, I haven't figured out this system yet... And by the way, I understand that the units from the additional campaign about Axoth (like the White Tigers) are not available in the regular game (in Ashan)? I didn't find them in the Encyclopedia, although it has been updated – the Dwarf faction and new neutral creatures have been added.

I still don't understand how to assign them; I couldn't find the option either in the city or in the menu.

There's an empty icon in the upper left corner; drag the hero icon from the garrison into it. In general, the interface remains a weak point of the seventh installment. I eventually figured it out, though not immediately. But there are some unpleasant little things, like the inability to access the hero interface from the city interface. You have to exit the city interface and enter the hero interface, even if the latter is in the garrison. From my point of view, the lack of foresight in such small details is absurd.
There's also the encyclopedia. It's a good thing to sit in and read all sorts of Ashan tales... But the problem is that this same encyclopedia is sometimes the only source of game information, not just lore. And, in my opinion, it's less convenient in this role than classic sources of such information.

How to understand "unequal"? Is something overpowered, and something is weak?

No, not necessarily. Some skills are practically a must-have, while others are... well, if you have nothing else to take. Examples: in earth magic, you should definitely take the general regeneration skill first. Then, it's desirable to upgrade earth magic to the next level. Then... Well, you get the idea. But what about the skill that gives +1 to defense for each use of an earth spell? It looks interesting in its own way, but in my opinion, you can only take it as a last resort. If it gave +2 or +3 to defense, I would probably think about it. Because, on average, you don't expect a constant stream of spells from yourself in most battles, and +3 to defense will already make a difference if you cast 1-2 spells. +1 won't make a difference. Do you understand what I mean? And there are many such cases. In the fifth Heroes, the same thing happened in principle, but randomness compensated for this imbalance to some extent. You might not get the skill you need. Or you might try to get a cool skill through several less useful ones, but after taking them, you wouldn't get the cool one you wanted. Here, there seems to be a game mechanic for variability, but in fact, the balance should be much better to achieve this.

I don't know, I didn't notice any obviously useless buildings.

Well, it's the same thing. The buildings seem useful, but if you haven't built basilisks yet, why do you need some not-so-big bonus to something for the heroes around the city? You just don't care about that at the moment.

No, in the sixth part, there was a real mess, where we studied spells for level-up points instead of traditionally learning them in the Guildhall, and putting level-up points into skills.

Ah, well, from that point of view, it wasn't very good. As was the widespread prevalence of healing skills and summoning reinforcements. I agree, it's better now, more interesting.
----------------

It's strange, I can't choose a fort like in the Sixth - to order troops there, etc.

It seems you can't order troops from neighboring buildings to the fort itself. But you can go to one of the cities and make the fort send a caravan with creatures to that city.

And by the way, I think the units from the additional campaign about Axoth (White Tigers, for example) are not available in the regular game (in Ashan)? I didn't find them in the Encyclopedia - although it has been updated - the Dwarf faction and new neutrals have been added.

I don't know, I haven't played it.

Did anyone buy the Dwarves?
There are mixed opinions about battle cries.
In the early stages of the game, they are essentially useless because magic deals more damage, but when you have large stacks in your army, then yes, they become useful. However, you might not even reach that point – you might finish the map and so on.
Overall, I think it's an uneven trade – spending the hero's turn between magic and a battle cry. Runes can be used for resources, but here you need some kind of alternative.
Just some thoughts out loud...

Did anyone buy the Dwarves?

It's expensive for just one faction, especially considering I'm not a fan of it.

Overall, I think it's an uneven trade.

Perhaps.

Oh, the expansion with the Northern Clans is out?

WHAT THE...? What is this?!

They're just messing with us! Although, they already did something similar with the Academy.

Where's the spoiler tag, damn it?

You know, in my opinion, the 7 heroes have the potential to become second only to 3, surpassing 5 and 4!

This isn't as bad as 6 was; there's a good foundation here: a decent number of castles, resources, a random map generator, etc. It's a great base, a good foundation!
The question is, will the Community build a modern home on this foundation, or will they continue to live in an excellent medieval castle, gradually adding to it.

If some modding team finds ways to expand the capabilities of the random map generator and gives the community some tools to refine the game (so that the balance can be adjusted, etc.), then in a short time, poof, the 7 heroes will become 5, and then, the goal will be 3).

There's also the question of what about 5? In my opinion, in terms of potential, they are worse than 7, because 5 has terrible optimization (not just on laptops like mine) and many other things that everyone knows. 7 has a modern engine, modern graphics, etc. At the same time, as a base, they are very close.
5 is like a bridge made of stone, 7 is like one made of steel (steel is good, but the bridge is crooked and ugly).

-------------------------

I even have an idea that's even better! We need to create a separate thread where we can gradually start compiling a list of necessary changes in the game. For example, remove this, increase that, etc.

Then, if a modding team appears somewhere on the Internet, we need to approach them and say, "Hey guys, we have a pile of good ideas and blueprints here, we need a Statue of the Legion!" Give them our list, and then they'll create cycles for the 7 hero players, which is like water for the thirsty.

Okay, when I gather my ideas, I'll open such a topic, and I'll draw a rough outline of the path to the heroic future in 7).

Hello everyone on this frankly dying forum...
Now, I guess, I'll share my opinion.

I'm an old Heroes addict... of all the Heroes games... I started with the very first ones.
If I were to rate all the Heroes games, it would be:
The first one - okay
The second one - a masterpiece
The third one - a masterpiece
The fourth one - a failure
The fifth one - a masterpiece
The sixth one - a failure
The seventh one - a failure

And below is the text of my review that I left on STEAM after trying out Heroes 7 (so they don't care what anyone writes there).

____________________________________________________

Boring and uninteresting.
As an old fan of Heroes (I've been playing them since the first one), I was really looking forward to the release of Heroes 7. After the frankly disastrous Heroes 6, I had high hopes for the release of Heroes 7.
Unfortunately, the development team seems to be led by someone who is stuck in Heroes 3.
I'll break down my review into several parts:
1. Opinion, pros and cons
2. Cheating race (tactics), hero development
3. Advice for the developers

So, let's begin.
1. Opinion, pros and cons
I won't describe the engine and graphics because I don't understand them. And everyone who wanted to has already written about them. I'll go straight to the gameplay.
In my opinion, using a turn-based combat system, like in Heroes 6, is a big step backward. Delay. Advance. Attack. Overwhelm. Win.
In Heroes 5, you think twice before delaying your turn because there was no guarantee that your unit would be placed in the right place on the ATB scale.
They kept seven types of units from Heroes 3, seven types of units. Guys, you could have at least diversified them somehow. It feels like the game is being made by people who are terrified of coming up with new units, and at the same time, it feels like for every newly invented unit, they remove two from the game.
Necromancers have lost their "zest" of raising the dead on the battlefield, and Vampires were the most offended - they are now getting their butts kicked. And how can "paralysis" affect the dead?
I read that Heroes 7 was created based on user feedback, but hey, not all feedback should be implemented. The suggestion to show how many enemy stacks there will be was clearly a suggestion from some schoolboy who was getting his butt kicked by neutrals on medium difficulty.
In Heroes 5, not knowing the number of stacks + the probability that one of them will also be upgraded made the game unpredictable.
Regarding raising/lowering morale when losing a stack of units, I have mixed feelings. My tactic was based on sacrificing "level 1" units (feint, taking damage), and now I can't use that as freely, but on the other hand, why does losing one agile unit lower my morale by 20 points, and when I lose 100 of them, my morale doesn't drop because there are still a couple of them left in the stack (although, in fact, they were all defeated).
I'm tired of writing my opinion... you already understand, it's negative, a solid two!

2. Cheating race (tactics), hero development
I quickly identified a frankly cheating race.
It's the Dungeon.
The meaning of playing as them comes down to building Medusas as quickly as possible.
A properly developed hero + 5 Medusas + a hundred or so Imps, and maybe 40 Trogolodites will easily defeat a hundred of LIMASUs, and in general, any army. Because Medusas, with a successful hit, inflict paralysis, which, by the way, only doesn't work on "constructs." As you can see, we place Medusas one by one (their task is to paralyze), and we destroy the rest of the troops.
But Medusas don't always hit with luck - the problem is solved by developing the hero's initial magic.
When choosing a hero, take SINITHAR, yes, he doesn't have attack (it would be useful for ranged units +100% damage), but he already has initial magic + enlightenment (I develop him to pump up the economy and scouting).
How to develop him:
1. Immediately develop initial magic for mass effects "Time Control" and "Fortune."
2. Continue to develop initial magic to the unique (highest) skill, casting twice is mega-cool... and you can easily block enemy ranged units by summoning "thick" elementals, and you can summon them twice!!!! (although double casting only worked for me on my territory, I don't know if it's a bug or if it's supposed to be that way).
3. Then you can develop whatever you want, but in my opinion, it's:
a) "Enlightenment" - for developing weak units.
b) "Melas's Grasp" to the highest skill - double strike is cool.
c) "Leadership" - the ability to place more Medusas on the field significantly increases the probability of guaranteed paralysis (by the way, there's a bug here, when I started dividing Medusas into new cells, they started disappearing, then I gathered them all together on the lower bar, and lo and behold - I had twice as many Medusas as I had, so after a couple of such bugs, the number of Medusas in my army reached the number equal to the Imps).
"Diplomacy" - I just liked it in Heroes 5 :)
"Luck" is not necessary to develop because you will still be casting "Fortune," and the maximum luck on a unit can be no more than 50, on the other hand, you may encounter faster creatures (there are not many of them), and you won't be able to cast twice, so it may be useful (I cast acceleration in the first round, and Fortune in the second round, and so on).

3. Advice for the developers
1. Bring back the ATB scale!!!
2. Don't mess around with inventing new units! Take Heroes 3 or 5 as a basis, add one or two units to each castle, AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO UPGRADE THEM 2 times (or even three), but not like it was done in Heroes 5 "either - or," make a full multi-level upgrade (like in Heroes 2, green dragon/red dragon/black dragon), and let each upgrade improve the unit's characteristics + some skill.
3. In Heroes 4, there was an interesting thing, "prison" - it was not very useful - but what pride there was in looking in and seeing how many heroes you had killed! - develop the theme - the idea was not bad.
4. In the same Heroes 4, there was an interesting idea with defensive towers in the castle, I think this can also be developed.

Added 2 minutes ago
I wrote this review a long time ago, I heard that after the updates they fixed the Medusa thing, they no longer inflict paralysis on the dead. But still, it's a cheat

Not to start an argument, but I disagree with many of the points made. For example, regarding cheesy tactics – they existed to some extent in every game. Remember, in Heroes of Might and Magic III, upgrading fairies could wipe out everything. Well, a lot of things, and even undead creatures.
I completely agree about the bugs and the ATB scale.

Hello everyone on this frankly dying forum....
now I guess I'll also share my opinion.

Colleague, I can't agree with you here! The forum is actually gaining momentum! New members are registering every day, and new maps and mods are appearing! Heroes are indeed being revived!

2. Cheating race (tactics), hero leveling
I quite quickly identified an outright cheating race.
playing as the Dungeon, the goal is to build Medusas as quickly as possible.

And here, I completely agree!

Colleague, I can't agree with you here! The forum is actually gaining momentum! New members are registering every day, and new maps and mods are appearing! Heroes are indeed being revived!


But here, I completely agree!

:) I'm very glad to hear that...
It seems that the sixth and seventh installments are so bad that everyone is looking back nostalgically at the fifth...

Unfortunately, they are only looking back, because mods with their bugs and imbalances won't revive the game. Only a complete remake from scratch will.