It's time for some critics.

[sector24]

Originally Posted by Smash

Care to explain? How it is superior turn based combat when system is nearly same?

Hmm, I'm not sure I can adequately explain this. I've been playing TBS games for almost 25 years now, and you get a "gut feeling" of whether a game is well designed or not but you can't always say why.

One thing I really like is the way they implemented the "wait" command. Sounds silly I know, but in most games, if you wait and then your opponent waits, you still have to go first. In KB, the advantage goes towards the unit with higher initiative, so that if you wait your slower opponents can wait but they'll still have to move before you. It's a small thing, but it adds a lot of strategy.

Also, I really like the randomly generated battlefields with obstacles, and sometimes with goodies like treasure chests. My favorite are the coffins with skeletons inside, but the whole thing is just a good concept taken one step farther than the games that came before it.

Another thing I like about the combat is that luck exists, but plays such a small role that strategy is still the defining factor in who wins. This is not a direct comparison to any of the HoMM games, just a general observation. Sometimes random damage ranges and critical chance make a game too unpredictable, but KB not only gives you those values up front, but when you mouse over your opponent you can see the damage range and how many opponents you will kill. A very nice little feature.

I think the power levels and leadership costs of the units are well balanced. What unbalances the game are a select few items and a select few spells. For instance, Magic Spring is a game destabilizing spell. I relied on it heavily to bend the AI to my will. Without it the game would be much harder. Sacrifice and Resurrection are similar but I actually like those spells. Possibly the game would be more challenging not if they were removed, but just toned down so that intelligence didn't add as much to the spell's power.

The items that unbalance the game are Anga's Ruby, Isshara's Whip, etc. They're definitely fun, but they massively increase the damage potential of female and low leadership units. Of course, lake fairies, sprites and dryads are low leadership female units, so you see why they're so powerful. Even the dragonslayer sword to a degree unbalances what should be seriously difficult fights.

But the thing is that the game is not balanced for hardcore players, it's balanced for regular gamers. I think the game's balance is good even though once you learn the sneaky tricks you can beat it on any difficulty level. But the combat really is top notch despite the fact that there are ways to exploit it.

Strategic (the most important)
Small amount of randomness that doesn't overshadow strategy
Tons of options for diverse and successful armies and playstyles
Neat obstacles and objects on the battlefield
Well thought out combat rules that add to the strategy

The things that drag the combat down are not actually part of the combat. They are spells and items that can be exploited to upset the game's natural balance. Hope that helps to explain my point of view.