Wishlist for expansion

[Frank]

The only problem I've had so far is with constantly pausing. As a Warrior, I can't wander around because I have to conserve my Rage. And if I wander anyway, I absolutely must use SPACE all the time. I don't like it, but I can't think of a solution consistent with the game.

I can do without multiplayer, though it seems like it would be easy to set it up for an Arena: pick size, terrain, cash (to be spent by each player, perhaps subject to handicaps) and the range of units that you'll select from (dwarves only, etc.). You could also make three-sided arenas, with the third side being an AI (it's allied with one of you, you're allied against it, etc.). It still doesn't sound as good as a game designed for MP, but you could also let players *1* make and post challenges (beat the giant turtle with 1000g and a pre-assigned character, for example), *2* record videos easily to show off. Anyway, like I said, I could do without multiplayer. It still couldn't match Bang! Howdy, or any other MP-designed game for that matter.

Likewise, the map's fine as is. And regarding the ease of troop re-upping, I like it as is. If it were easier to go back to Mark's castle, I'd never have tried out an all-elven team. I like the natural turnover in my troops and have never backtracked for units (beyond the current island).

Also, Darkhon's idea is really cool. Get on that, modders.

[Darkhon]

This is probably a crazy idea, but multi-player.

I was thinking earlier as I toasted the enemy lining them up so I could hit them with area effects, goading them into attacking my summoned book of evil, etc that a human would be a far more interesting opponent.

Hear me out, there are three ways I think this could work.

1) Simple Match making


Players can take characters that completed the game and challenge one another through some sort of lobby. Using a simple system of gold to buy units, the players can agree on what family of units are available for the battle. (ALL, necromancers, elves, etc), they pick an arena and have at it.

The Simple system puts a win/loss/dropped (mid game) rating for each player.

Under this simple system, there is no world map. It's just battles.

1) Profit!

I have seen browser based games like gladiatus. (I can give you the website in pm, don't want to spam). Basically, you manage your "Character" through a web based interface.

It is Free to Play.

They make money by selling "Gems" which you can use to buy upgrades and you go through essentially a ladder arena.

Using a similar model, you could allow players to design a character for multiplayer, then it gets saved on your server and as above players go through match making to do arena battles, earning XP until they reach 30th level.

In this model, a first level character would have X gold to spend on basic choices of troops. After every battle all your troops are healed/back to life so you can fight again (so that if you are offline, you don't get wiped out once in battle and then subsequently can never be attacked).

Essentially, it's a loss and some gold raided.

Each level the cap you can spend on troops increases.

Again, no multiplayer world map. Just battles and a web based interface to manage your character perhaps.

1) Mini- MMO

The final idea involves letting say 4-8 people play on the same world map and would require 'respawning' of enemies and quests (possibly, or there maybe another way to do it)

There are a lot of MMOs out there that are finely polished. You can't hope to compete in the traditional MMO market, but what this game would be great for is:

Let players who buy the single player game, pay a monthly fee to manage their own "Online Kingdom". give them very simple tools to modify the game world and finite limits about how many players can be hosted and zones created. You could also make profit here by selling players pre-made zones and extra art.

Essentially a Kingdom-in-a-box, where right from the scratch it's ready for play. Let's say the player gets about six friends who meet regularly or play solo on his server. The player can create them custom npcs, castles, etc using hte various art that comes with the game, script simple quests, etc.

The game can have a few wizards to make creating quests very simple through waypoints and If statements, etc.

The owner in "GM" mode can take over various aspects of the game, including fighting as the monsters if they so choose. They can monitor the game from their home PC and know whos on and watch them.

I realize it sounds ambitious, but I know there are a lot of creative people in the world and one thing I've never seen done well is "Create your own MMO". When a company figures out how to make it simple to get started without technical knowledge, and the hosting is all done for you, they will succeed!

[phoenixreborn]

If you want a similar game with multiplayer heroes 2 through 5 offers that.

For KB I like the squire idea.

[AigisFan]

maybe this has already been suggested but what about random generated dungeons in certain areas?

Random dungeons with random monster population based upon area difficulty, IE in the start zone youd get low tier troops like peasents and not very many. each dungeon would have up to 5 levels and have different rewards each time, and maybe throw in a RD quest for it to make some extra gold off of. and add an endgame dungeon that repopulates everytime you enter. sorry if this seems like a noob request, but i believe it would add extra playability

[r45hnu]

Don't add Multiplayer! We have enough multiplayer games already. Going online makes everything different ... ppl start to whine about each and every aspect of the game. They tend to find things that are fun, but in multiplayer are inballanced and the game looses everything.

Please foucs on Sinlge Player mode. I love this game because I can login anytime and have loads of fun when I want and for how long as I want!

[Quantos]

I HATE the idea of multiplayer. MP games always descend into a argument about game balance. So all the troops turn out to be exactly the same with only different skins. There's also the rush factor. I can't wait to get overwhelmed by someone’s army full of level one peasants.

More customizable options for the main character would go far. Allow new classes and races. Also allow the main character to be female (and also allow husbands).

The idea of a squire or some sort of apprentice character is nice. Maybe this character fights in the battles.

More magic items is also a good idea.

Expand the map to include different worlds. Maybe each world could have a theme. This could allow for the introduction of elemental troops, cthulhu type troops, angels, etc...

Also the ability to be evil and better affect the world would be nice. Maybe eventually the main character could be king and have different warriors, paladins, and mages (who then lead armies) under them. It would be nice if the choices you made affected the world (so you territory would morph into "good" lands or "evil" lands).

[Zhuangzi]

Anyone heard anything about the proposed expansion at all?

I love this game so much I would be happy to pay for a new campaign etc, plus add a couple of useful things like a central system for finding troops to buy (but you still have to go there to get them), and an ability to 'warehouse' troops in the castle.

[Gatts]

well, adding multiplayer does not need to directly affect the gameplay/balance/ units - only gives option to play with a friend.

On the other hand when my girlfriend played Homm 3,4,5 at the beginning of her play experience she was angry that pc can play better (she was attacked by overhelming armies of enemy heroes, would she play with experienced human, she would be humiliated like really, luckily she played with me hot-seat and I let her win every second time)
But the point is that exactly the anger of being humiliated by AI heroes, motivated her to improve her tactics and after few weeks she completed even the most difficult maps and even on impossible difficulty (some of them even I had to cheat to complete them)...

So multiplayer may be scare, but that gives the add-on fun to the game, really.

Another example - I played Homm 5 BETA testing multiplayer, I played the demo map only for 4th time, but I realized that one elven hero is overpowered (speeds up all units), I played with one of the proffesional testers (I think he was even developer) who believed that he got all the smart moves and that undead are the most overpowered, so he tried to smash me with huge army of zounds of skeletons very soon at the game (bought a ship and wanted to defeat me in first month) and my joy when I defeated him becaouse my archers had 3 more moves agains his undead army was greater then winning any single player scenario.

On the other hand true is that from beta till 3.1 patch homm 5 was changed due BALANCE many many times, what took many good things from the game.

For KB TL I read many "tactics" that are (should be) THE SOLUTION for winning impossible and it is hard to believe for me (many of them are quite silly and as they describe the battle and I compare it with what I remember of the game - I can only say - you would be smashed in first 2 rounds pals!)... so I would love to challange these guys in multiplayer and check their "strategy" in real. Only MP can give this option to us.