Why not dreaming of a multiplayer Universe for HoMM?

New towns, new creatures, new heroes and all that stuff will sure be added to the forthcoming sequels -- that is something everyone expects. But why not adding a whole new multiplayer dimension to the game by, say, creating a massive world where players could join in and keep their heroes alive and kicking while expanding into the unknown, forming alliances, betrayals, and all those things that multiplayer options allow for?

IMHO, multiplayability coupled with everlasting heroes would bring in the spark that would make HoMM survive for some more years. The rough idea would be to have a server where a player would d/l the latest turnfile, do his/her turn, and then upload it back to server so that another player could then d/l and so on. There should be different directories/servers for each gaming speed (eg. one for 1 turn per day, one for 2 t per week, and one for 1 t per week), and players would be required to send their turnfiles at a certain day/hour, after which, if no file was sent, the server would consider it as a "pass" and move on to the next day. This would solve the problem of playing online HoMM games which take 4-5 hours at best and where you spend most of the time waiting for the other people's turn. Of course, current map sizes would be inadequate for such scheme, and a World Map should be created which enabled for multiple continents/regions and whose size would determine the maximum number of players/towns allowed in it. Alliances, clans and all that stuff should also be a possibility.

Yet, the main problem in this scheme lies in battles. What to do when one player is online and has to fight against an offline player? Some possibilities come to my mind. An e-mail could then be sent to the offline player, requiring him to battle against the attacking player at a designated "time and place". Of course, time differences btw countries should be taken into account. If the defensive player would not come up at that specific time, then maybe an online challenge against an anonimous player randomly chosen could be the next step. This challenged player would in turn receive some kind of bonus so as to ensure that he/she will fight at his best. If none of these worked, then the computer/server should be put in charge of the defending army.

However, I admit that this is possibly beyond the scope of 3DO, since it would imply a considerable effort on their side, but dreaming is not forbidden in this list, isn't it? :)

Any comments on this?

Dr Mabuse

PS Btw, needless to say, this is a fantastic site for us would-be heroes. Keep it up! :)

Hi, I have some sugestions to HOMMIV.

1- During the siege battles, the grial could help you like the archers towers. (Example: The God of fire from the Inferno town, could randomly cast some strong fire spell only to enemy units like Inferno or Armagedon, the Airship from the Tower town could attack with cannons to the enemy war machines and sometimes destroy them)

2- Eliminate the summon elemental creatures spells and create some special creatures only for summon.

3- Some towns could upgrade the shipyards. With the upgrade shipyard can build airships.

4- An Aztec town:
a) Level 1: Aztec peasant (attack with an tiny obsidian axe)
b) Level 2: Eagle archer (An archer dressed with a brown eagle costume)
c) Level 3: Jaguar warrior (Attacks with a big jade axe, could cast beserk on the enemy unit)
d) Level 4: Snake warrior (Could cast hypnotize on the enemy unit)
e) Level 5: Astrologist (Attack with the power of the light, could cast blind on enemy unit, have a range attack like monks)
f) Level 6: Emperor (Could sacrifice himself to revive the fallen units)
g) Level 7: Quetzalcoatl (A flying snake, inmune to level 1,2,3 and 4 spells)
h) Level 8: God of sun (Inmune to air and fire spells, could cast blind randomly on the battle on all enemy units)
(I still don't think on the upgrades)

5- More schools from magic:
a)Holy
b)Shadow or Dark
c)An non-elemental school

6- Could upgrade the war machines.
a) Ballista-Fire ballista (Throw fire arrows and do more damage)
b) Catapult-Fire catapult (Throw a fire ball to the walls from the town that could destroy one part from the wall with one shot)

7- Create unique field dwellings with level 9 creatures

Thank you for your attention. If somebody could help to create the upgrades for the town please e-mail me to renewelch@prodigy.net.mx

When you buy creatures, it you be nice to have a single button which allows you to buy, w/ a single click, all creatures available. This would make the gameplay faster.

F...

Hi.....I think the site is just great!

I have a suggestion for HOMM IV:
When you finally get to the last campaign, I think the heroes from the previous campaigns should have the secondary skills that you picked for them instead of being random. It was quite annoying to have expert resurrection and town portal taken away from me because of the randomness involved. Other than that, I think the game is great and shouldn't be changed.

Thanks

Well my only suggestions which I think everyone would agree is to have more of everything. more & longer campaigns, more towns of your choice, because all ur towns were cool so far, but u should bring back the old towns from HOMM 2, gotta have more monsters & every single creature should have a home in a town of your choice then caves & tree houses etc, I think as many towns u decide to put in HOMM4 should be that many players on the map so we can play all the towns at once. I might come up with more but I hope you take my suggestions into consideration thank you

aculias76@aol.com

Hi there.

I sent some suggestions months ago and I've found some of those ideas are very "popular": ideas which are present in all HOMM4 Wishes Forums (Sea cities, desert cities, more creatures and town types...). So, I want to propose two suggestions I've never read about before:

1.- NON-LINEAR CAMPAIGNS (I sent this also to the Heroes Community)

There's a thing I appreciated very much in HOMM2 and has disappeared in the HOMM3 release: the non-linear campaigns. In The Succession Wars, you were always offered to betray your lord, both in Roland and Archibald campaigns. There also was some OPTIONAL scenarios you could play during the campaign. Playing them cost you some more time and lowered the final score, but you could gain some benefits like "Dwarven Alliance", "Ogre Alliance" or "Dragon Alliance". These creatures joined you for free in all the remaining scenarios. Other of the optional scenarios gave you artifacts or other advantages.

This was only an example. What I'd like in HOMM4 is a more elaborated campaign system, that will let you choose between different ways in certain points and maybe with various final scenarios. I disliked to play Sandro or Xeron in the SOD and AB campaigns knowing that I will have to defeat them to finish the campaign. Why can't these guys win? They can't create marvellous troops like the unbalanced sharpshooters or enchanters, but they may have a chance. It seem's illogical to make your best efforts in developing a hero you must kill later.

2.- STATISTIC SCREEN

This was a feature I liked very much from an old turn-based strategy game called Warlords II. In every point of the game, you were able to see a statistic screen showing how many creatures you've defeated and what types, and also check your losses. There was also a "History Book" when you can see the evolution of the war by checking the map status every day in the past. This second were less interesting, by I'll definitely enjoy with a HOMM statistic screen (maybe inside the Kingdom Overview button or besides it) showing me types and quantities of killed enemy creatures and heroes, and also a memorial of my died heroes. Most of the players will find this useless, but I think it doesn't imply very much programming effort and it will add some enjoyment to statistic lovers.

That's all. Congratulations for the site and keep on fighting!!

I`ve splitted the Tower and the Rampart. I`ve made a Dwarf-town, and lots of others. And still I write more. Nobody is ever going to use this, but I like to write it, and I like to show what I write to others, even if it is not so good written.
This is Odin of Valhalla, who still is SOOOO sorry for bad English

This time, I`m going to do something with the Fortress. A "neutral" Witch?
Hello? And only one type of Lizardmen. Pleease! And, if it is one unit in the game I want removed, it is the Serpent/Dragon flies. Is there really such stupid things in real myths?

Fortress

Alignment: EVIL

CREATURES
Level 1: Tame lizard -> Tame salamander -> Tame Fire Salamander
Recruted in Salamander Hole (Tame Salamander and Tame Fire Salamander can fly. Tame Fire Salamander is immune to 1-3 level fire school spells.
Level 2: Lizardman Warrior -> Lizardman Fighter -> Lizardman Elite Troop
Recruted in Wet Barracks
Level 3: Lizardman Archer -> Lizardman Master Archer -> Lizardman Sharpshooter
Recruted in Archerers Den
Level 4: Lizardman Elder -> Lizardman Priest -> Lizardman Zealot
Level 5: Basilisk ­> Greater Basilisk .> Basilisk King
Recruted in Altar of Stone
Level 6: Linnworm -> Wyvern -> Wyvern Monark
Recruted in Poisonus Nest
Level 7: Snake Hydra -> Worm Hydra -> Hydra Queen.
Recruted in Hydra Pond
Level 8: Lizard Hydra -> Salamander Hydra -> Hydra King
--GRAIL UPGRADE Hyrda Emperor
Recruted in Great Hydra Pond. (Make a better name yourself!)

Might Hero: Slayer
Attack: 3
Defense: 2
Knowledge: 0
Spellpower: 1
Races that can be a Slayer: Lizardman, Dark Elf, Human, Efreeti.

Magic Hero: Witch
Like HOMM III
Races that can be a witch: human, dark elf, lizardman, gnoll.

Swamp City

Alignment: NEUTRAL

CREATURES
Level 1: Gnoll -> Gnoll Veteran -> Gnoll Maruder
Recruted in Gnoll Hut
Level 2: Vagabond -> Eremitt -> Swamp Doctor
Recruted in Mystic Tower
Level 3: Hippo -> Dark Hippo -> Blood Hippo
Recruted in Hippo Lake
Level 4: Alligator -> Crocodile -> Killer Crocodile
Recruted in Bloody River
Level 5: Gorgon -> Mighty Gorgon -> Gorgon Champion
Recruted in Altar of the Ox
Level 6: Swamp Beast -> Swamp Horror -> Swamp Demon
Recruted in Pool of the Dark
Level 7: Chimera -> Winged Chimera -> Chimera Lord
Recruted in Horror Caves
Level 8: Swamp Octipus -> Swamp Kraken -> Swamp Giant Kraken
--GRAIL UPGRADE Mystic Kraken
Recruted in Deep Waters

Might Hero Beastmaster
Like in HOMM III
Races: Minotaur, Gnoll, Lizardman, Human.

Magic Hero: Summoner
Attack: 2
Defense: 0
Knowledge: 2
Spellpower: 2
Races: Ogre, Human, Elf, Dark Elf, Lizardman, Gnoll.

As always

ODIN OF VALHALLA

1. Illegalise the bucket brigade / daisy chain. (This is where delivery boy one raises an army in the town, and takes it to delivery boy two, who passes it ... eventually to the main hero who attacks something with it.) The reason the bucket brigade is a problem is that it's
(a) time consuming administrative work which isn't very interesting; and
(b) hard to explain in any realistic fashion (how did that army manage to move much farther than any individual hero could?);

You might think that a player can simply not do this if it offends him, but the bucket brigade is:
(a) very effective indeed (so a player can't just ignore it without losing a lot of capability); and
(b) kind of rubbery (it's hard to say exactly when you've sinned ... what if you just happen to move your delivery boy before your main hero, and thus get those reinforcements to move a bit further than a hero could, is that a bucket brigade? It's a blurred line.).

Also, AIs don't understand it's possible, and they get hammered by it.

Suggested solution: record the fraction of movement points burnt in each troop, rather than in each hero. When heroes move all their troops jump to having burnt as much movement as the one which had burnt the most so far.

There are a lot of other things you cold/should do to get the details right: when heroes meet they must have the same time; when a town is captured any troops/heroes raised in that town must start with the time of capture, etc..
But these are more complex and may not be essential.

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

2. Make asymptotic victory less common. Asymptotic victory is where theplayer is ahead and gradually gets further ahead as he grinds the enemy away. This is very anticlimactic and a lot of strategy games have the problem. It's partly a map-design issue, but:

Suggested mechanics change: Create a method of handicapping that doesn't rely on modifying the starting situation. For instance, allow a handicap along the lines of "All your monsters and spells do 10% less damage, all their creatures do 10% more damage, for the entire game" or "your heroes progress 10% slower from experience" or "their heroes sometimes get a +2 when they go up a level, rather than just a +1". "All your towns produce an extra 15% money".

The basic mechanical change here is to attach information to the faction, as well as to the hero. (There's already some information attached at this level: the type of your home city, for instance.) There are some other things you can do with this: "You are the forces of light: infernoists and necromancers won't work for you and wouldn't be accepted if they did, but knights receive the following bonuses." for instance. There's a lot of nice features here for telling stories: HoMM3 basically assumes players are above such sins as racism and patriotism, and in a lot of games the narrative implies that shouldn't be so.

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

3. The most boring maps are those where you don't encounter an enemy until weeks have passed.

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

4. It might be nice if terrain had more influence. Flying creatures would be great in a mountainous area but suck in a forest, for instance. (If swamp is seen as sort of foresty.)

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

5. Limitations like "eight heroes per faction" are important, but it would be kind of neat to be able to tune them. e.g. "Your faction will never have more than one hero".

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

6. Some variability in what heroes arrive with, and hence in their cost. One might cost extra, and come with an army which is a single pet red dragon. The flip side of this is a rethink on the retreat rules ... I suppose you can always hire a retreating hero back cheaply.

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

But generally, keep on as you have been and I hope your financial problems sort themselves out. And remember it's the superb user interface makes HoMM so playable.

David Bofinger

I would like to see this town type in Heroes 4.

Town type: Forest Glen Town

Might Hero: Logger (2/2/1/1)
Spell Hero: Sorceress (0/0/3/3) (why did she get dumped?)

Creatures by level:
1: Pixie/Sprite (similar to the Conflux in AB)
2: Boar Rider/Boar Raider (raiders get two attacks per turn)
3: Ranger/Sharpshooter (archers, both fire twice per turn, sharpshooters suffer no distance or siege penalties)
4: White Eagle/Silver Eagle (silver eagles suffer no enemy retaliation)
5: Enchanter/Master Enchanter (masters cast mass spell, normal enchanters cast only beneficial spell on one friendly unit)
6: Unicorn/War Unicorn (similar to Heroes 3)
7: Fairie Dragon/Dragon Enchanter (weaker than AB, but dragon enchanters can cast offensive spells)

Damacon 122

Maybe the Tower should become splitted into two different castles in HOMM IV?
One that concentraded on alchemy, and one onÖ Whatever wizards like to do.
Like this:
(of course I do not think any of these ideas will be used, but it was fun writing anyway)

The Labratory.

Mark that this is NOT a "Forge", but a town with lot of alchymism.

Alignment: NEUTRAL

CREATURES:
Level 1: Gremlin -> Gremlin Worker-> Master Gremlin. Recruted in same as HOMM III
Level 2: Dirt Gargoyle -> Stone Gargoyle -> Obsidian Gargoyle. Same as HOMM III
Level 3: Stone Golem -> Bronze Golem -> Iron Golem Same as HOMM III
Level 4: Labratory Worker -> Labratory Master -> Alchemist apprentice. Recruted in School of Alchemy.
Level 5: Living Statue: Man -> Living Statue: Tiger -> Living Statue: Elephant Recruted in Clay Pit.
Level 6: Steel Golem -> Silver Golem -> Gold Golem. Recruted in Mines of Magic
Level 7: Jewel Gargoyle -> Ruby Gargoyle -> Crystal Gargoyle Recruted in Mountain Lab.
Level 8: Jewel Dragon Golem -> Ruby Dragon Golem -> Crystal Dragon Golem (like in AB but weaker.) - GRAIL UPGRADE Diamond Dragon Golem. Recruted in Gem Cave.

Might Hero: Mechanican.
Attack: 1
Defense: 3
Knowledge: 1
Spellpower: 0
Races that can be Mechanican: Human, Dwarf, Gremlin.

Magic Hero: Alchymist. Like in HOMM III
Races that can be Alchymist: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Gremlin.

Other buildings in Labratory would include a building that allows heroes to learn Alchemy for a small fee (University of Alchemy) Alchemy

Secondary Skill:
Basic: The hero can see which artifact on the map that is cursed, and which is not.
Advanced: The hero may remove curses on weak artifacts.
Expert: The hero may remove curses from all artifacts, exept Combination Artifacts.
Master: the hero may remove curses from all artifacts, and may curse weak ones nearby on the adventure map by usin some spellpoints.

OTHER CREATURES: these creatures are also alchymical creatures, but are recryted elsewehere
- Golem Beasts (Golem Serpent, golem lion and so on) Neutral.
-Sand Golem. Recruted in a desert town or dark tower?
-Clay Golem. Recruted in a desert town or dark tower?
-Diamond Golem. Neutral.
++

The Tower

Alignment: GOOD

CREATURES:
Level 1: Elven Villager -> Elven Townsman -> Elven Citizen Recruted in Elf House
Level 2: Hippogriff -> Great Hippogriff -> Silver Hippogriff Recruted in Hippogriff Nest.
Level 3: Scholar -> Sage -> Old Sage Recruted in Old Cottage.
Level 4: Mage Apprentice -> Mage -> Archmage. Recruted as in HOMM III
Level 5: Genie -> Master Genie -> Royal Genie. As in HOMM III
Level 6: Djinn -> Dinn Lord -> Djinn Master Recruted in Altar of Clouds.
Level 7: White Dragon -> Snow Dragon -> Ice Dragon Recruted in Ice Caves
Level 8: Giant -> Giant Warrior -> Titan (like in RoE, but stronger) --GRAIL UPGRADE Titan King. As in HOMM III

Might Hero: Gladiator
Attack: 3
Defense: 2
Knowledge:
Spellpower: 1
Races that can be gladiators: Genies, halfings, humans, elves, titans.

Magic Hero: Wizard
Like in HOMM III Races that can be wizards: Genies, djinns, humans, elves, titans.

Other buildings should include the Library from HOMM III.

As you may have noticed, the Nagas is missing. Maybe they could be recruted in another town? An oriental town maybe?

Another town many wants, is the Socrerer/Socreress town. Here is my idea, which splits the Rampart like i did to the tower:

The Glen

Alignment: GOOD

CREATURES
Level 1: Halfings -> Halfing shooter -> Halfing sharpshooter Recruted in the Halfing Hills.
Level 2: Elven Forester -> Elven Soldier -> Elven Swordsmen Recruted in Elven Huts
Level 3: Dryad -> Ancient Dryad -> Dryad Princess Recruted in Hidden Forest
Level 4: Griffon -> Noble Griffon -> Royal Griffon Recruted as in HOMM III
Level 5: Elven shortbowman -> Elven Longbowman -> Elven Sharpshooter
Level 6: Treeman -> Dendroid -> Dendroid Soldier. As in HOMM III
Level 7: Unicorn -> Royal Unicorn -> Holy Unicorn (stronger then in HOMM III) As in HOMM III
Level 8: Yellow Dragon -> Golden Dragon -> Sun Dragon --GRAIL UPGRADE Dragon of Light Recruted in Dragon Cliffs (As in HOMM III)

Hero types: Druid and Forester

The Village

Alignment: GOOD

CREATURES:
Level 1: Halfing (may be upgraded in the Glen instead of here, which gives it another line of "work") -> Halfing Worker -> Halfing Villager Recruted in Halfing Houses
Level 2: Gnome -> Gnome Chief -> Gnome Master Recruted in Gnomish House
Level 3: Elven Trader -> Elven Merchant -> Elven Merchantmaster Recruted at Elven Market
Level 4: Pegasi -> Silver Pegasi -> Sun Pegasi Recruted as in HOMM III
Level 5: Elven Knight -> Elven Nobleman -> Elven Prince Recruted in Elven Castle.
Level 6: Leprachaun (teleports like the devil!) -> Leprachaun Elder -> Master Leprachaun Recruted in Giant Mushrooms
Level 7: Forest Creature -> Forest Beast -> Force of the Forest Recruted in Mystical Glen
Level 8: Green Dragon -> Grass Dragon -> Forest Dragon -GRAIL UPGRADE Nature Dragon Recruted in Forest Caves

Hero types: Socreror (Socreress)/Ranger

I removed the dwarves and centaurs, who I think should be recruted in other towns.

Since I removed the dwarves, they should be placed someplace. SoÖ

Mines

Alignment: NEUTRAL

CREATURES:
Level 1: Dwarven Peasant -> Dwarven Villager -> Dwarven Citizen Recuted in Dwarven Cottage
Level 2: Dwarven Assistant-worker -> Dwarven Worker -> Dwarven Master Worker. Recruted in Dwarven House
Level 3: Dwarven Footman ->Dwarven Infantery -> Dwarven Elite Infantery Recruted in Dwarven Barracks
Level 4: Dwarven Miner -> Dwarven Veteran Miner -> Dwarven Mining Leader Recruted in Dwarven Mines.
Level 5: Dwarven Axeman -> Dwarven Veteran Axeman -> Dwarven Chieftan Recruted in Axe Trainingcentre
Level 6: Giant Eagle -> Roc -> Thunderbird Recruted like in HOMM III
Level 7: Hill Giant -> Mountain Giant -> Gigant
Level 8: Brown Dragon -> Rock Dragon -> Mountain Dragon --GRAIL UPGRADE Rustdragon (weaker than in AB) Recruted in Mountain Caves

SORRY FOR BAD ENGLISH.

ODIN OF VALHALLA.

Hello again,I don't know if anybody else is suggested something like this but it would be great to have a viking town, something like this:

1 Wererrat
Combination of human and rat ; rat head, tail and claws and everything else human /Bite attack/ {able to poison enemy}
upg 1 Lycantrope
Wererrats with swords,shields and leather armour /Sword attack/ {same}

2 Knife thrower
Young vikings who can't where heavy two-handed sword so they throw knives on their opponents /Throw knife attack/ {none}
upg 2 Dagerfall
Knife throwers which trow knives in three directions in same time/same/ {strikes three opponents}

3 Norman
Nordian swordsman; His best friends are his blood thirsty sword, shield and chain mail /Sword attack/ {sometimes they throw Bloodlust on theme selves}
upg 3 Viking
Stronger Norman /same/ { throw bloodlust on whole party}

4 Cook
Men who use great ladles and fly around in magical pots /Ladle attack/ {none}
upg 4 Chef
This cooks got a brilliant idea to use boiled oil in combat /Boiled oil attack/ {throw hot oil on ground so it become impassable}

5 Nibelmnug
Nordian mythology dwarf with gigantic hammer /hammer attack/ {able to bury to the ground so enemy can't see him; good in combination with heroes which have tactic skill}
upg 5 Nibelemnug king
Nibelemnugs which are not only able to bury theme selves into the ground but to walk trough it /same/ {bury theme selves to the ground and walk through it(get invisible)}

6 Sunologist
Some of rare science oriented Normans which study sun and learned how to focus light and heat energy of sun using long staves with lentils on top of them /Focused heat attack/ {when one hundred and over - Double damage}
upg 6 ????
Better sunologist /same/ {same}

7 Misty beast
Great serpents made of mist;when they move they are mist but when they stand or attack they are only outlines of great beast /Frost breath attack/ {air and water magic resistance}
upg 7 Misty dragon
Stronger misty beasts /same/ {Air,water and earth magic resistance}

8 Axe thrower
Most skilled normans which with master acuracy throw heavy,two bladed axes /Throwing axe attack/ {strikes all on axe way}
upg 8 Tors warrior
Master norman warriors chosen by tor. their hammer strikes and returns just like tors /Bumerang hammer attack/ {strike all on hammer way}

Type of units in this castle:
1 walker ; 2 ranged ; 3 walker ; 4 fly ; 5 walker ; 6 ranged ; 7 fly ; 8 ranged ; upg.-s are same as originals.
regroute buildings for this castle:
1 Wreck ; 2 Range center ; 3 Bloody inn ; 4 Kitchen ; 5 Ground tunnels ; 6 Astrological guild ; 7 Misty valley ; 8 Tors temple

And PLEASE do something with size of battle field, it's much to small.I'm tired to look some wolfs take same size as incomparable bigger dragons or titans who should be biggest or second biggest after archangels are booth same sized as dendroids.
That would be all from me (for now of course)

Yours sincerely

J.dragon the Raven Deuricc

P.S. please do what ever you can to fix the battle field problem :)

I've looked through many of the suggestions for terrain modifications, including the idea of a sky-land that acts as a third level to a map. I've also seen suggestions for water-based things, which may be a good idea, but only if implemented correctly. The whole reason for the added levels to the game map is to add extra dimensions to gameplay. In addition to fearing a land attack, players if HOMM3 also need to worry about a subterranean attack. Merely adding a sky-land that serves the same purpose would be pointless. What is needed are new levels of terrain that may be used depending on the players tactics. Skyland could be suited for blitz players who wish to take out opponents early: small armies get a movement bonus while large armies (conceivably wary about their weight on the clouds) would move slower. Subterranean caves would be suited to ! gargantuan armies while small forces would feel intimidated, resulting in a reverse in movement ratios. Army size, however, is only one determining factor: morale, alignment, money, or skills could also determine the differences that terrains inflict.

Just as an addition, an underwater terrain might not be a bad idea: it could have its own town type and act as a fourth level within a map, complete with its own doodads and peculiarities. As with subterranean caves or the conceptual skyland, non-water players could freely move about within the water, in accordance with some magical characteristic of the terrain. I guess all I'm saying is that more terrain is good, along with more appropriate town types and terrain features, but please don't just add it in to use up space: design it so that it creates new dynamics for gameplay that create tension for some, and humiliating defeat for others. (and grand victory, of course...)

All I would like to see in Heroes IV is that their be more towns and units. Also I found that in Heroes III every town has seven units and every unit one upgrade. This was good for balance but it made the towns too similar. I would like to see the balance kept in the game but not have every town have the same number of units and upgrades. So I have written below what I think would be good for balance and for difference in raising armies in different towns.
Another thing I would like to see in Heroes IV is that the storyline be focused more around all the heroes instead of a select few. But I think there should be less unique heroes and that each town should have a sub-class hero which acts as a basic leader of armies. On the info below the first hero is a towns might hero, the second is the magic hero and the third is the sub-class. For example the Apprentice is a Tower towns sub-class hero and would be considered a basic army leader.
I have also added 3 new towns to the mix they are Temple => which is an amazon town set in the jungle. Port => which is a pirate overrun seaside town. & Spire => which is the icy town of the Vori Elves and their Dwarf cousins. I am currently working on a desert town called Minaret which is ruled by nomads.

Towns, Hero Classes and Units

Castle
Inferno

Knight
Heretic
Cleric
Disciple
Marshall
Pyromaniac

Peasant - Militia
Imp - Familiar - Minion
Pikeman - Veteran
Pikeman - Halberdier
Gog - Magog
Archer - Marksman
Demon
Swordsman - Crusader - Paladin
Hellhound - Cerberus - Garm
Monk - Zealot - Priest
Efreet - Master Efreet
Cavalier - Champion
Fiend - Balrog
Griffin
Devil - Arch Devil - Devil Lord
Archangel

Dungeon
Tower

Overlord
Alchemist
Warlock
Sorcerer
Warlord
Apprentice

Troglodyte
Pixie - Sprite
Harpy - Valkyrie
Clay Golem - Stone Golem - Iron Golem
Minotaur
Roc
Manticore - Scorpicore
Mage - Archmage
Medusa - Mistress
Medusa
Genie - Caliph
Beholder
Gargoyle - Obsidian Gargoyle
Rust Dragon
Naga
Phoenix

Fortress
Conflux

Beastlord
Planeswalker
Witch
Elementalist
Marauder
Golem Smith

Gnoll - Gnoll
Archer
Crystal Golem - Sulfur Golem - Mercury Golem
Lizardman - Lizard Warrior - Lizard Master
Wind Elemental
Wyvern - Master Wyvern
Water Elemental - Ice Elemental
Basilisk Rider - Basilisk Warrior - Basilisk Master
Earth Elemental - Rock Elemental
Gorgon - Master Gorgon
Magma Elemental - Fire Elemental - Energy
Elemental Hydra - Discord Hydra - Chaos Hydra
Psychic Elemental - Magic Elemental
Crystal Dragon - Sulfur Dragon - Mercury Dragon

Rampart
Stronghold

Ranger
Barbarian
Druid
Shaman
Tracker
Raider

Dwarf - Battle Dwarf
Goblin - Hobgoblin
Dendroid
Wolfrider - Wolfrider Captain
Dryad
Orc - Orc Chieftain
Elf - Grand Elf - Noble Elf - Sharpshooter
Ogre - Ogre Mage
Centaur - Centaur Captain Cyclops - Master
Cyclops
Pegasi - Skyknight
Giant
Dragon - Dragon King

Temple
Spire

Mistress
Bladelord
Oracle / Prophet
Ice
Druid
Scout
Sentry

Wisp - Grand Wisp
Vori Elf - Grand Vori Elf
Gypsy - Seer - Mystic
Wendigo - Yeti
Amazon Horse Archer - Amazon Rider
Vori Wizard
Spider - Arachnid Ice
Dwarf - Forge Dwarf
Nymph - Siren
Frost Giant - Ice Titan
Amazon - Amazon Queen - Amazon Sorceress
Storm Dragon - Blizzard Dragon
Albatross - Drake

Necropolis
Port

Deathknight
Swashbuckler
Necromancer
Witch
Doctor
Ghoulknight

Pirate Skeleton - Skeleton Warrior
Wererat - Sea Wererat
Corpse - Zombie
Musketeer - Buccaneer
Vampire - Nosferatu
Islander - Islander Lord - Islander King
Apparition - Wight - Wraith
Cannoneer - Mortarman
Lich - Lich Wizard
Jellyfish - Stinger - Man O War
Dark Knight
Kraken Mummy - Mummy Lord - Mummy Pharaoh
Leviathan
Banshee

Here I go again!

I really liked the ideas of Dugald Quist wrote on February 2000. I'm about to write about several things now.

I'd like to see a small cross in a place where a hero die. Some will say now :" Yeah I'll get a cementery!". That's right, some will do as I did. But it's a graphic improvement as it is the hole when you dig.

There should be able to get inside some cult. The heroes could have any cult they will but only if the cult wasn't set at the "Settings".

War ships is just a good idea, I liked it.

Do something like a tree of buildings whitch can be built. Each town will be different then. I didn't like the idea of destroing buildings. What?! You wan't to have ex. Ogre Mages one week and Ogre Warriors other?! No this ain't a good idea.

Don't add s-f to the game. I would like a pacht with the Forge but only to test it. What do you think swords vs. laser or arrows vs. rockets?????!!!!!!

Those are my ideas for now and again sorry for but english but I'm a little drunk and so I can't see well.

Ash

Hi!

I'm a Homm3 player from Poland. I'd really enjoyed the first and the third part.

I also have the Ab and Sod. Here are the things I'd like to change in Homm4

First of all alliances must be able to cancel but only if an event appears that makes the allies foes one to each other. Next something like boats but able to fly. This would be extremally expensive but worth it.

The surface under the water witch will contain some types of casteles and the player would be able to move in there by something like submarines. They will contain limited quantity of oxygen and for example on the fourth and each other day on the submarine the troops' morale will lower by one and on the seventh day the hero will disappear. The ship will appear as "Shipwreck".

An elven castle without Dwarwes. In the fantasy literature the Dwarwes don't like Elves and vice versa.

The same for Dark Dwarwes(I saw that in M&M 8 there were creatures called so).

More dragon types, maybe neutral and for Gods sake, more elves!!!!
At the end I would like to tell about two things that shouldn't be in Homm 4 : NO fpp, NO rts!!!!! The guys that say they would like Homm4 rts make me sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for paying attention at my letter and sorry for bad english.

Ash