Archived from groups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.strategic (More info?)
HOMM4 is not as bad as some claim, although its faults HAVEsent many
players back to HOMM3 despite its limitations.
Here are a few of my own frustrations with HOMM4.
1) One can't tell if one has visited an oracle or not. Why not? It is
indicated for other sites, why not for oracles. I just finished a
scenario with 12 sets of oracles with up to 10 in each set. It was a
real pain in the ass to try to find the last one (yes, it turned one
that it was the VERY last one that had the information to the grail I
needed to win - and it took me 5 hours to find it on the map: I had to
download the XL map to bitmap using a cheat then scan every inch
until I found the oracle that was missing...).
2) The magic scrolls are not labeled. Each time one gets a new scroll,
one has to try every scroll that the hero has because there is no way
to tell which scrolls have been tried before. Spells should be learned
automatically when the Hero gets the scroll and has the required
ability. Doing it by hand fifty times adds nothing to the game and
just adds frustration.
3) The spell and class system is MUCH too complicated: who can
remember which spell goes with each class, and is associated with each
level? And there are too many spells. Most of them are never used.
4) Spell buildings are almost useless: the probablility that a hero
has the required level and class when he reaches one is almost zero.
To get the spells is micro-management at its worst, shuffling heroes
back and forth (I don't bother myself and take whatever I get
accidentally). It was better in HOMM3 when most spells were obtained
in towns, and when heroes could teach each other spells if they had
the talent.
5) No zoom makes it difficult to find things. One should be able to
zoom out the map as in most other games.
Hopefully HOMM5 which is being worked on now will improve some of
these rather obvious (to me) mistakes.
Henri
HOMM4 is not as bad as some claim, although its faults HAVEsent many
players back to HOMM3 despite its limitations.
Here are a few of my own frustrations with HOMM4.
1) One can't tell if one has visited an oracle or not. Why not? It is
indicated for other sites, why not for oracles. I just finished a
scenario with 12 sets of oracles with up to 10 in each set. It was a
real pain in the ass to try to find the last one (yes, it turned one
that it was the VERY last one that had the information to the grail I
needed to win - and it took me 5 hours to find it on the map: I had to
download the XL map to bitmap using a cheat then scan every inch
until I found the oracle that was missing...).
2) The magic scrolls are not labeled. Each time one gets a new scroll,
one has to try every scroll that the hero has because there is no way
to tell which scrolls have been tried before. Spells should be learned
automatically when the Hero gets the scroll and has the required
ability. Doing it by hand fifty times adds nothing to the game and
just adds frustration.
3) The spell and class system is MUCH too complicated: who can
remember which spell goes with each class, and is associated with each
level? And there are too many spells. Most of them are never used.
4) Spell buildings are almost useless: the probablility that a hero
has the required level and class when he reaches one is almost zero.
To get the spells is micro-management at its worst, shuffling heroes
back and forth (I don't bother myself and take whatever I get
accidentally). It was better in HOMM3 when most spells were obtained
in towns, and when heroes could teach each other spells if they had
the talent.
5) No zoom makes it difficult to find things. One should be able to
zoom out the map as in most other games.
Hopefully HOMM5 which is being worked on now will improve some of
these rather obvious (to me) mistakes.
Henri
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