Two words: scenario editor

[Kragge]

scenario editor, thats all, thats everything!!!! :evil:

[King's Hunty]

No, that's not everything. Is that only what you wish, or what you've heard, or is the expansion actually going to have a scenario editor?

[Metathron]

That would be neat, to have single scenarios that could be played when the main campaign gets boring.

Some kind of hotseat multiplayer mode would also be more than welcome, but I guess that's too much to wish for.

[Elias_Maluco]

Yes, yes, yes. Scenario editor is the key.

Multiplayer cant work very well except in some kind of skirmish mode like HOMM 5 duel mode.

But we need something to do when we finish the campaign, random map generator would be great, but scenario editor is even better. The scenario editor is what keeps HOMM 5 alive for me after all this time (and of course, the comunity, who keeps making great new maps). Im also replaying KB, but is very tiring to do all the same stuff again and again.

[Gatts]

Let see, I hope it will be there. But it is not sure for now... and I see reasons why not to add it, puf. :(

[Elias_Maluco]

I dont. Unless they plan to keep selling expansions forever. I bet this next one is the last, or at most we will have another.

A scenario editor could keep the game alive for years. I dont think there would be people still playing HOMM 3 to this day if wanst for the map editor, the mods, etc.

[Gatts]

For HOMM 3 it was not the editor, but the MOD that kept me playing it... if anything that random map creator...

For any game having editor applies following: more maps does not mean better gameplay, but more disappointment from trying maps of "wannabe" map creators... For instance Disciples 2 got very easy-to-do map and even campaign editor, but if you look in net for maps, most of them are crap, I was sorry for the time I spend searching and downloading them... and yep - I played the game longer as I have created my own maps according my game taste, but the best game experience was still from the professionally crafted maps/scenarios of the original...

I have played old KB (dos version) very often and very long time, and returning to this old game from time to time again and again... and I did not miss scenario editor...

When I look back in time how I enjoyed the maps in KB tL made obviously by real professionals who payed attention to smallest details, I would not ask for scenario editor, as the only I could change would be the random armies and also I would lose the feeling of revealing the "unknown" as there is no revealing when you create a map...

Would I welcome scenario editor in KB tL? - yes
Would I miss it if it would not occur? - no

What would I like to see in Expansion, if not scenario editor? Duel mode - where you can design your own hero + skills + army + spells, and try it in Hot-Seat mode with yourself or your friend, who would design his hero... this would be interesting to find out if dryads are really so strong for instance :)

[Elias_Maluco]

Well, Ive seen user created maps far superior to the professionally crafted ones. Ive been playing a lot of HOMM 5, for example, and theres tons of great maps around to download, really good stuff. And those maps are what´s keeping the game always fun for me: the random map generator sucks, but thanks to the load of maps avaliable on the net, I can always find another one that has what Im looking for. Also, Ive seen a whole bunch of pros who, in their spare time, like to create mods and maps for other games.

I agree that there always going to be a lot of crappy ones, but I dont see how it could ruin the experience of anyone: nobody is forced to download user created maps. They are there if you want, and you can make yours if you want. If you cant find a good one, or dont want to make one yourself, thats too bad. You can get disapointed with the community for it, but not with the game.

[Zavia]

Having experience running a forum dedication to mods of a game (warcraft3), I have the view that scenario editor mods generally can create really good stuff.
How good? Depends on the amount of people and the skill of any particular individual. I've seen some that can challenge professional level maps, and even beyond. There are crappy ones, to be sure. People attempting to play around and all that. Everyone's a noob at the start. But like blogs, most suck, a few are interesting, even less engaging, and a precious few, a total success. (refer to DotA and HL:CS)

The game would be of a lesser value without it. Games with good modablity tend to have a thriving community which builds branding and brand loyalty(hope the CEOs are reading :P), not to mention theoretically increases the replayability of the game. Replayability which effects any buyer of this game including you and me, including others considering purchasing it.

But in line with Gatts's response:
Would I welcome scenario editor in KB tL? - Yes
Would I miss it if it would not occur? - Yes

The reason i would welcome it is already stated. The reason I would miss it, is because it could be the next Counter-Strike of the TBS genre (this is consider a TBS rite?), one which is long overdued. And it would be a pity to miss such a thing.

[City Builder]

The higher the brand loyalty, the more money they can get for it when they sell off the brand.

I'd really like an editor myself too. Regardless if I only release 1 out of the 10 maps that I design, there is an added value to me as the consumer to have an editor and be able to muck around in it creating my own little worlds. If I feel one is good enough for release then i do so, but none the less the extra value is there when an editor is included and makes me more loyal to a brand and more likely to buy the next full sequel that has all the new gameplay that the developers would be best suited to provide.

While I am liking KB-TL a lot right now, when I first opened it and found no editor, my fist impression was to go over to ebay.com and post it up for auction and try to get back what I can for it. For me, HOMM V would have sucked hard if it didn't eventually put out the editor, and I wouldn't be still playing it, and hoping that they will have a HOMM 6 whether from same developer or different. But I didn't sell KB-TL on ebay I decide to play it and hope that the developers throw us a bone and give the editor in a patch soon so that we can create our own worlds to play and not be stuck inside just their imagination to play KB-TL.

[Leind]

I agree. King's Bounty campaign is way better than the Homm campaigns but at the end of the day, user created map are still way better.

If the developer is not going to have enough time/ressources/good mapmaker for mapmaking, let the fans do it. For free, or even better, make some contest for the best user created campaign or map to encourage mapmakers.

In King's Bounty you can see a lot of time was put in the first continent, which was very good looking, full of quests, etc. but the last maps were small and bland.

I never finished Homm campaign as they were boring, but played it endlessly and purchased all add-ons because of user created maps. Some mapmaker created great single player maps & campaigns (wind of thorns for Heroes4 for example. I purchased the Heroes 4 WoW addon just to be able to play this and other wow only fan maps).

Fan mapmaker would be able to create real wonders with a map editor, as King's Bounty game system and game mechanics (Leaderships, great balance between different troops and strategy, ability to have a far bigger world,etc.), is way better than the Heroes game system.
Even if the map editor is hard to use and not user friendly, please traduce it and let your player use it.

[Crepuscule]

Sorry but I think major fan map in all games editor is bad. I want play on pro map with feeling the conceptor king bounty. Amateur map is poor !! Then put a editor in hands amateurs (90%-99% players don't have skills for create a good thing) = Nul

Then I prefere conceptor give time for create new good scenario and campagne like King bounty :)

I tell it because I am fan the NwN game with editor and major module create by fan is poor. It domage because game lost on quality.

[Sir Whiskers]

Sorry but I think major fan map in all games editor is bad. I want play on pro map with feeling the conceptor king bounty. Amateur map is poor !! Then put a editor in hands amateurs (90%-99% players don't have skills for create a good thing) = Nul

Then I prefere conceptor give time for create new good scenario and campagne like King bounty :)

I tell it because I am fan the NwN game with editor and major module create by fan is poor. It domage because game lost on quality.

I agree that many user-created maps/scenarios/campaigns can be pretty bad, but I don't agree that that is a good reason to not provide a scenario builder. If a user doesn't want to use fan maps, no one is going to force them to do so. In the meantime, those of us who do want to use the builder can.

For myself, scenario editors almost always keep me involved with a game much longer than I would otherwise.
*I still play HOMM3, and do so specifically because a friend enjoys designing maps, and I enjoy playing them.
*NWN - I never finished the official campaign, but I enjoy many of the fan modules, which prompted me to buy the expansions that the modules required.
*Space Empires 4 - Still a great space 4X game, specifically because of the fan mods (DevNull and TDM especially). I've even dabbled in designing my own mods, which is an interesting experience (you learn a lot about how a game works when you dig into the guts of it).
*Space Empires 5 - The official game is really only good for multiplayer. If you want a decent single player version, you pretty much have to use the fan-created Balance mod.

Take away the editors/builders in the above games and I wouldn't still be playing them. Nor interested in buying the next official release.

The publishers have to decide if the extra effort and expense required in designing a good editor will equal enough additional sales to make it worthwhile. I certainly think so.

[NelsMonsterX]

I'd love a random map generator with a random boss battle at the finish!

Lack of replayability is really the only thing that I could complain about KB:TL. I'll really, really, really want to play it again when I'm done, but I fear the deja vu would drag down a repeat play.