Heroes of Might and Magic 3 - Games

[img]http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4646/heroes3logo.gif[/img] Felt that this game deserved a thread, so here goes. [quote]Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (also known as Heroes III or HOMM3) is a turn-based strategy game developed by New World Computing for Microsoft Windows and released by the 3DO Company in 1999. An Apple Macintosh port was released by 3DO, and a Linux port was released by Loki Software, both later that year. It is the third installment of the Heroes of Might and Magic series. The game's story is first referenced throughout Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven and serves as a prequel to Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor. The player can choose to play through six different campaigns telling the story, or play in a scenario against computer or human opponents. The gameplay is very similar to its predecessors in that the player controls a number of heroes that command an army of creatures inspired by myth and legend. The gameplay is divided into two parts, tactical overland exploration and a turn based combat system. The player creates an army by spending resources at one of the eight town types in the game. The hero will progress in experience by engaging in combat with enemy heroes and monsters. The conditions for victory vary depending on the map, including conquest of all enemies and towns, collection of a certain amount of a resource, or finding the grail artifact.[/quote] [B]GAMEPLAY[/B] [quote] Gameplay consists of strategic exploration on the world map and tactical turn-based combat. As with the series in general, the player controls a number of "heroes" who act as generals and command troops comprising various types of creatures inspired by myth and legend. The player can complete or "win" a map by completing the objectives set out by the creator of the map. Objectives may include conquering all the towns in the map, gathering a set amount of resources, or piecing together a puzzle to find the Grail artifact. If a player loses all their heroes and towns, they will lose the game. There are two "layers" to the world map - the aboveground and the underground. There are typically subterranean gateways that lead to and from the underground. Maps are filled with a huge variety of buildings, treasures, monsters, mines and so forth that reward extensive exploration. At the very least, a player must locate mines and flag them (whereupon they provide constant resources), since these resources are required to develop towns. The player must also develop his heroes' skills, both by battling creatures (and enemy heroes) and by acquiring artifacts or visiting special locations. For example, the Witch Hut can give a hero a random skill and the Learning Stone provides 1000 experience points. Heroes are given a choice of skills to upgrade upon leveling up, as well as becoming better at combat or the use of magic. The skills must be chosen carefully, since they are permanent and only a limited number of skills can be learnt. Examples include a damage bonus by all archery units in the hero's command, the ability to walk further across the map each day or specializing in an elemental school of magic to make the associated spells far more effective. The player's towns serve many functions, but most importantly they allow recruitment of creatures to form armies. Towns also provide funds, new spells and a safe location to make a last stand against an invading enemy hero. To build new structures within a town requires gold and usually one or more type of resource. Wood and ore are needed for most structures, but more expensive buildings will also require rarer resources (mercury, crystal, gems or sulfur). All factions require a disproportionate quantity of just one of these special resources, making the acquisition of a corresponding mine essential to victory. This same resource is also needed when hiring the most powerful creatures available. Each faction also has a handful of unique structures available only to them. If a player finds the Grail artifact, they can deliver it to a town to make that town the Grail's permanent home by creating a special structure. The Grail bestows greatly increased creature growth and weekly income, in addition to a bonus unique to the town, such as the Skyship in the Tower town, which reveals the entire world map and gives defending heroes a knowledge statistic bonus in the event of a siege.[/quote] [b]TOWN ALIGNMENTS [/B] [quote] There are eight different town alignments available in Heroes III: three "good" towns (Castle, Tower, and Rampart), three "evil" (Inferno, Dungeon, and Necropolis), and two "neutral" (Fortress and Stronghold). Another neutral town, the Conflux was added in the Armageddon's Blade expansion pack. Each town has seven basic creatures, each of which can be upgraded to a more powerful variant. Each town also features two associated hero types: one that leans more toward might (combat), and one that leans more toward magic. Some towns have a predisposition toward might or magic, and the leanings of the hero classes may simply be a matter of degrees.[/quote] [B]CASTLE[/B] [quote] The Castle army is made up predominantly of humans, represented as traditional medieval troops, supplemented by the addition of mythological griffins and divine angels. The might hero is the Knight and the magic hero is the Cleric. The kingdom of Erathia is of the castle alignment.[/quote] [img]http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/9986/castlep.jpg[/img] [img]http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/1471/castleunits2.jpg[/img] [B]TOWER[/B] [quote] The Tower is associated with arcane elements of fantasy, and armies are composed of wizards, magical beings, and animated constructs. Towers are at home in Arctic environments. The might hero is the Alchemist and the magic hero is the Wizard. The kingdom of Bracada is of the tower alignment.[/quote] [img]http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/1106/toweryl.jpg[/img] [img]http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/180/towerunits2.jpg[/img] [B]RAMPART[/B] [quote] The Rampart army is composed mainly of sylvan creatures from Germanic and Greco-Roman mythology. Accordingly, their home is in the grasslands and forests. The Rampart town is also host to "good" dragons. The might hero is the Ranger and the magic hero is the Druid. The kingdom of AvLee is of the rampart alignment. [/quote] [img]http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/8602/rampart.jpg[/img] [img]http://img532.imageshack.us/img532/2440/rampartunits2.jpg[/img] [B]INFERNO[/B] [quote] The Inferno is a hell-like castle built on smoldering ground. Its armies consist of demonic creatures, such as devils and demons. The might hero is the Demoniac and the magic hero is the Heretic. The Kreegans of Eeofol are of the inferno alignment. [/quote] [img]http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/9383/infernob.jpg[/img] [img]http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/5769/infernounits2.jpg[/img] [B]DUNGEON[/B] [quote] The Dungeon houses monsters that live in underground caverns, including the "evil" dragons. The might hero is the Overlord and the magic hero is the Warlock. The kingdom of Nighon is of the dungeon alignment. [/quote] [img]http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/5923/dungeonf.jpg[/img] [img]http://img267.imageshack.us/img267/1119/dungeonunits2.jpg[/img] [B]NECROPOLIS[/B] [quote] The Necropolis is a ghost town of the undead, borrowing inspiration from the classic horror genre. The might hero is the Death Knight and the magic hero is the Necromancer. The kingdom of Deyja is of the necropolis alignment. [/quote] [img]http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/7905/necropolisw.jpg[/img] [img]http://img121.imageshack.us/img121/851/necropolisunits2.jpg[/img] [B]STRONGHOLD[/B] [quote] The Stronghold is populated with brutish, tribal creatures associated with barbarism. Goblinoids and organic giants make up the bulk of the army. Stronghold units are at home in the deserts and wastes. The might hero is the Barbarian and the magic hero is the Battle Mage. The kingdom of Krewlod is of the stronghold alignment. [/quote] [img]http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/4985/stronghold.jpg[/img] [img]http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/2742/strongholdunits2.jpg[/img] [B]FORTRESS[/B] [quote] The Fortress is built in marshland and is home to numerous reptilian creatures. The might hero is the Beastmaster and the magic hero is the Witch. The kingdom of Tatalia is of the fortress alignment. [/quote] [img]http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/8696/fortress.jpg[/img] [img]http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2883/fortressunits2.jpg[/img] [B]CONFLUX[/B] [quote] The Conflux creatures and heroes are mainly elementals. The might hero is the Planeswalker and the magic hero is the Elementalist. The heroes and buildings focus on magic specialties, as well as most creatures having innate magic resistances and immunities. [/quote] [img]http://i46.tinypic.com/13zwin9.jpg[/img] [img]http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/438/conluxunits2.jpg[/img] [quote]There are also many "neutral" creatures, not associated with any town type, which can be recruited from special buildings on the game map.[/quote] More pictures: [img]http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/5378/d849b48f28864e982845222.jpg[/img] [img]http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/5189/a276e7b4398dc638f3daa59.jpg[/img] [img]http://static2.filefront.com/images/akyvxfegtj.jpg[/img] [img]http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/2096/3fd817f1834a1343631885a.jpg[/img] [img]http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/650/76807739ca3.jpg[/img] [img]http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/2474/57e1cea552a45589c37746a.jpg[/img] [img]http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8106/0fc6149d000e2370a634d4e.jpg[/img] [img]http://g.imagehost.org/0598/herochron_790screen002.jpg[/img] [img]http://i48.tinypic.com/b3ndrc.jpg[/img] [img]http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/4331/ad5a8ed687b2cc9fd6cebcd.jpg[/img] Videos: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQTuWTN7poA[/media] Epic Music: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5L1p2R4JyI[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsYjN4wFw4o[/media] [B]Heroes of Might and Magic III: In the Wake of Gods[/B] [quote]Heroes of Might and Magic 3 In the Wake of Gods is a free fan-made expansion to Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death. Making of this add-on began on February 2001 because WoG's creators were disappointed with the map editor that shipped along with the original HoMM III. These fans then began creating their own improvements to the map editor, which gave more flexibility in map making, but it was only when members of the WoG team came up with ERM scripting that WoG slowly began taking shape. The Event Related Model (ERM) gives the mapmaker the capability to change the function and appearance of any standard map object in the game, for example, a chest could be altered to give more gold/experience than usual. More complex scripts can also be written to create completely new objects, or modify or enhance the rules of the game. With improved tools at their disposal, the makers started building a whole new game on the top of the old HoMM III. Not all players liked the new style of Heroes of Might and Magic IV, which had made many changes to the traditional HoMM mechanics, and resorted to playing the old HoMM III instead. Many of these players found WoG to be a much improved version of the original HoMM III and regard it as even better than the later HoMM titles. In the Wake of Gods brings a lot of changes to the game that are different from those in Shadow of Death : [LIST] [*]Now you can destroy towns. When one is completely broken, you can rebuild it from emptiness after a short wait, changing or preserving its type. [*]There are more than 20 new monsters and new special creatures called God's Representatives. They give you an incremental bonus to primary skills as long as you keep them as a stack in your army. [*]With ERM, dynamic automated map changing is possible, not only as decoration like spreading and dying of fire but also as essence like objects placing and removing, wandering monsters and so on. [*]New Creature Banks (with new properties) and dwellings are added too. [/LIST] and the list goes on...[/quote] [B]DEMO:[/B] [url]http://www.filefront.com/1991110/Heroes-of-Might-and-Magic-III-Demo-Win/[/url] The game does have multiplayer, but online multiplayer can be irritating since turns can take a while to complete. Playing with a buddy on one PC though is great though. If you’re interested in buying, the game is pretty cheap on Amazon, with Heroes of Might and Magic 3 Complete + HoMM4 Complete (3 is better) at about $9. Really fun game even if strategy isn't your main genre (mine is FPS). [B]You can buy it here too and download:[/b] [url]http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/heroes_of_might_and_magic_3_complete_edition/[/url]

One of the best game ever. But I think I like heroes II more becaurse I played when I was a kid back then, good times.

Tried the demo, it was pretty good.

WoG deserves a mention.

I don't know anyone who hasn't played this game.

[QUOTE=Str4t0s;22287307]WoG deserves a mention.[/QUOTE] Added this.

I think I've got the sequel knocking around somewhere, never really got into it.

God damn I love this game. If you're looking for a sequel that stays true to HoM&M 3 then go for number 5. It's got mostly the same features and a massive graphics boost.

I once made a thread but I think its gone.I have been this game since I can't even fucking remember. It's epic.

[QUOTE=blubafoon;22287849]I think I've got the sequel knocking around somewhere, never really got into it.[/QUOTE] I couldn't really get into the 4th one either, thought that the 3rd was much better.

This is an awesome game. My friend played this game all day I remember.

I've never played this, but I do have Heroes V and Dark Messiah.

Dark Messiah isn't related to this series. I once got this game for free in a game magazine. Never knew the series since then. I bought HoMM 5, it was pretty cool.

Rated heart. Brought back good memories. Edit: Atleast tried to rate.

[QUOTE=junker154;22288706]Dark Messiah isn't related to this series. [/QUOTE] It is slightly related, it's a spinoff from the Might and Magic brand and is partly referenced in Heroes V.

Well I do not know the whole story aspect of the series.

Started playing this again recently, I love it. And the music is great too, especially the Tower theme.

[QUOTE=amgoz1;22288962]Started playing this again recently, I love it. And the music is great too, especially the Tower theme.[/QUOTE] There is literally not one piece of music in this game that I do not love, and it's especially great how each perfectly matches whatever it was meant for. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E6BDXcUFWk[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXGBh_3J25g[/media]

I will love this game till the day I die!

certainly one of the best games of all time

[QUOTE=G-Guy;22289112]There is literally not one piece of music in this game that I do not love, and it's especially great how each perfectly matches whatever it was meant for.[/QUOTE] I never noticed how good it was when I was younger. But after listening to all the castle themes, I gotta only a few games or movies has impressed me much with their soundtracks.

When i was young this game facinated me with the random maps that had mysterious places and hidden treasures. This game truly felt like an adventure to me.

I perfer the soundtrack of Heroes of Might and Magic 4, I love this water theme song [URL]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDXNSWJLuo&feature=related[/URL][URL="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDXNSWJLuo&feature=related"][/URL]

This is definitely the coolest game out of the series. The fourth is so bad compared to this one (enjoyed it, too). The only thing that bothers me is that afaik you cannot upgrade your troops. Or am I wrong? Haven't played it for a long time... And this is why the fifth is great because it picks up the gameplay of the third.

I didn't know anyone else played this game. That's so awesome

I like the 5th one, and I remember playing a PS1 game of Might and Magic... it was a third person game.. don't remember which one it was.

Best game in the series.

[QUOTE=Fijgum;22289532]The only thing that bothers me is that afaik you cannot upgrade your troops. Or am I wrong? Haven't played it for a long time... [/QUOTE] Yeah, you can't upgrade troops, but they're slightly more complex than in HoMM3. However, combat isn't really better.

I'd play a good round

Don't forget that you can buy it on gog.com as well. [URL]http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/heroes_of_might_and_magic_3_complete_edition/[/URL] [editline]12:32AM[/editline] Mah automerge!