Heroes of Might and Magic 3...

[Kalmah]

I happened upon a thread on reddit where many were talking about this old game. People one after another after another saying it's one of the most engrossing games they have ever played. Then I found it on Gog. http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/heroes_of_might_and_magic_3_complete_edition#
The reviews on on Gog are pretty much the same.

My question is, is it a nostalgia thing or is it worth picking up such an old game that I've never played?

I youtubed some 'lets plays' for a while but it's hard to watch as it seems too complex to understand without actually playing.

 

[Xed]

Homm 1-3 were all great, imo and worth playing even now.

 

[KaOTiK]

HOMM3 is the best of all the Might and Magic games imo

 

[AlexAL]

Definitely get and play HOMM 3. And make sure to also get the wide screen fix/mod. So yeah, pick it up from the gog.

 

[EDUSAN]

its a bit slow i would say... the story is shown written, so unless you just play for the gameplay you will have to read a lot...A LOT =P

but the game doesnt look that bad even today for a strategic game. Of course its not realistic looking game, but im sure you will find it challenging.

then try to play 4 and 5 and see how downfall it went and 6 made it a bit back, but still is not quite there to match how well rounded/fun/challenging/entertaining HOMM3 was

and btw... Vampires are OP

 

[AlexAL]

and btw... Vampires are OP

you just spoiled it for him

 

[acheron]

I liked 2 more, but I do think 3 was the "better" game.

 

[Kalmah]

Definitely get and play HOMM 3. And make sure to also get the wide screen fix/mod. So yeah, pick it up from the gog.

Is the mod included in the gog version or would I still have to go and get it?

 

[AlexAL]

screenshots and forum
http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=31525

download
http://www.g4g.it/2011/01/26/heroes-of-might-and-magic-3-v2-82f-unofficial-hd-patch/

 

[Kalmah]

screenshots and forum
http://heroescommunity.com/viewthread.php3?TID=31525

download
http://www.g4g.it/2011/01/26/heroes-of-might-and-magic-3-v2-82f-unofficial-hd-patch/

Awesome. Thanks.

 

[Skott]

HOMM3 is the best of all the Might and Magic games imo

^ I'll second that!

 

[shortylickens]

My absolute favorite TBS, followed by Disciples 2.

 

[shortylickens]

Oh, and you should get the platinum or complete version. Includes all the add-ons in one big pack. Its worth it.

 

[Newbian]

I have not played a recent one of them and never cared for the ones I did that much however they released a CCG a bit ago, http://www.mm-doc.com/, that I have been messing around with.

 

[Martimus]

HoMM 3 is still worth playing. The graphics and sound are still good because it was at the end of the 2D era, so the drawn characters had good resolution and animation. The gameplay was very addictive, and no new gameplay elements were added after this title. Also, maps are easy to make, and you can have a lot of fun just building your own maps to play on.

 

[Arkaign]

Homm3 is fantastic. I'd recommend going through the SP for a few missions, and then moving on to the single-mission stuff from there, more fun imho.

 

[slightlyhuman]

2 was great. 3 was fun as well.

 

[Borealis7]

Homm3 is a lot more "mathematic" than 2 in the sense that you know in advance how most attacks/spells turn out. i played the hell out of both of them.

Homm3 is a science, Homm2 is an art.

 

[Kalmah]

Well, I've been playing it... and I have yet to win a single battle. lol.

I can't figure out how to judge the difficulty of an opponent before commencing a fight. There doesn't seem to be any indicators... just a sprite that you can click on that you may or may not be able to defeat.

I'm doing it wrong, I'm sure. Will continue after class.

 

[EDUSAN]

in the battle screen or when you are moving around in your horse?

the enemies have hit points and damage, but then you need to take into accoutn how big the army of that unit is... (its the number at the feet of the unit)
If 1 skeleton deals 1-2 damage, an army of 2000 skeleton deals 2000-3000 damage.
1 skeleton has 5hp, 2000 skeleton still have 5hp each but the unit itself have 10000 hp to be destroyed enterily (you can lower the army numbers hitting it, but the retaliation will be powerful)

you can right click on the units and it will give you some info (even before going to battle), you will eventually know what units you can defeat and which units you cant until your army is big enough

 

[Kalmah]

in the battle screen or when you are moving around in your horse?

the enemies have hit points and damage, but then you need to take into accoutn how big the army of that unit is... (its the number at the feet of the unit)
If 1 skeleton deals 1-2 damage, an army of 2000 skeleton deals 2000-3000 damage.
1 skeleton has 5hp, 2000 skeleton still have 5hp each but the unit itself have 10000 hp to be destroyed enterily (you can lower the army numbers hitting it, but the retaliation will be powerful)

you can right click on the units and it will give you some info (even before going to battle), you will eventually know what units you can defeat and which units you cant until your army is big enough

Ahhh. That is very helpful. I didn't quite understand how the battles worked. I could see the stats but didn't know what actually was going on.

Youtube tutorials are really scatterbrained to the point they aren't very helpful. And the bastards don't ever organize their videos into playlists so you have to dig 20 pages deep to find (part 1) of a series. Unrelated, but why is youtube such a pain in the ass?

Anyways, thanks for the info.

 

[JamesV]

I've played HoMM 3 through about 20+ times; absolutely love that game, and can't understand how they can continue to ruin the gameplay in sequels. Maybe I'm cursed, because my other favorite game of all time (Tribes) has the same sequel mess.

One huge tip if you are just starting - get Air and/or Earth magic mastered ASAP. When you max out a spell type, the spells apply to all of your creatures - ie cast haste and all your creatues get it, or cast slow and all enemies are slowed. Best starting spells to use in order to wipe out the enemy without losing alot of troops. This also applies to other spells, like Earth's Town Portal - max Earth and you can choose which town to port to from a list, instead of being sent to the nearest town (with Earth not maxxed).

Also, turn on show movement and the hex grid in the options during battle for better control.

 

[Martimus]

You could look at HoMM V tutorials instead, as the combat rules are the same in that game. Some of the units have changed, but the way units attack and take damage is the same.

 

[you2]

Has anyone tested this hd mod. THere are actually newer versions on site.google.com; but I have no clue how to check them for trojan horse or similar.

 

[AlexAL]

Well, I've been playing it... and I have yet to win a single battle. lol.

I can't figure out how to judge the difficulty of an opponent before commencing a fight. There doesn't seem to be any indicators... just a sprite that you can click on that you may or may not be able to defeat.

I'm doing it wrong, I'm sure. Will continue after class.

Try not to rush, not until you get more experienced at least. Let him come towards you and anticipate where he is trying to go to. Try to move you melee pieces only if they can hit something, and try to not have them in reach of his melee pieces for the next turn, if you can. With your range/mages either attack his range/mage or the fastest/nastiest pieces he is attacking with.

There is synergy that happens, and you will figure it out slowly. Look up morale, lol. The armor and artifacts help out A LOT. Learn the 'move later' move so that he can come within reach of you and then you can whack him, even if your turn comes first. I like to max earth first, there are lots of good spells in there, including mass slow, regenerate, and teleport. Chain lightning in air is fun. Some pieces hit better against certain pieces. And so on.