BlueSmoke - Preview : Heroes of Might & Magic IV

		Date	: May 26th, 2001
		Genre	: Strategy
		Developer	: New World Computing
		Author	: Jin-Ning Tioh

Welcome to a world of fantasy, where Dragons, Elves, Ogres, Beholders and Minotaurs dwell. A land of heroes, heroic feats and strategic battles. Welcome, to the world of Might & Magic. Be what you wish, a necromancer, a warlock, perhaps a wizard? Order or chaos, it's your choice. A spawn of the Might & Magic universe, Heroes Of Might & Magic IV continues the Heroes Of Might & Magic series' strategic battles and conquest. Will it live up to its predecessors' high standards? Read on to find out. However, please keep in mind that changes could take place before the actual release, so take everything with a grain of salt.

The story takes place after the mystical and relatively peaceful continent of Erathia is destroyed by a great cataclysm. The survivor of the cataclysm, a woman known as Emilia Nighthaven, finds herself in a world where chaos reigns supreme. Seeking to restore peace and order to the world, she begins her noble quest in the land of Jadame. But her quest could prove futile, as the Immortal King Magnus stands in her way. King Magnus controls two great weapons that could spell doom to Emilia Nighthaven's quest. The first is an artifact capable of possessing the minds of others. The second are the great Dragon Golems within his army, capable of fiery and wanton destruction. Emilia must brave the odds to defeat King Magnus and restore peace and order to the world through seven single-player campaigns. But will she succeed? Only you can affect the outcome...

There have been six towns revealed so far by New World Computing. They all appear to be greatly morphed from anything in Heroes Of Might & Magic II or Heroes Of Might & Magic III. Besides changing landscapes depending on where your castle is, one thing to note is that any creature dwelling above level 1 in each town will offer two choices. For example, if your town has the option to build a level 2 creature dwelling, you would have two choices : Structure A which would build creature type A, and Structure B which would create creature type B. This means that towns of the same kind could be vastly different from each other. Although many fans expect more towns incoming, we've compiled together a list of information regarding these six towns here :

Academy - The Academy will employ lawful creatures in its armies. Academy armies have the ability to charm enemy creatures into fighting on their side. It also employs Order magic spells. This town is expected to resemble the Tower town from Heroes III, as well as the Sorceress town from Heroes II.

Necropolis - The Necropolis will employ undead creatures in its ranks. The town's Death magic is said to cast necromancy which will raise the dead of a battle to augment the town's unholy armies. This town closely resembles the Necropolis in Heroes II and Heroes III.

Asylum - The Asylum employs Chaos magic which doesn't give this town any post-combat bonuses, but will augment it's heroes intelligence. This will allow your heroes to cast more advanced spells as well as having a high spell point reserve. This town will probably resemble the Dungeon from Heroes III, as well as having some creatures from the Fortress and Inferno as well.

Haven - The Haven employs Life magic which allows it to resurrect a number of lost units after winning a battle. It is quite similar to the Castle from Heroes III, employing a large number of human units in it's armies.

Preserve - The Preserve is a nature-based town employing Nature magic. It's armies consists of mainly woodland creatures. They have the ability to recruit new forces to their army after winning each battle. This town will be quite similar to the Rampart with a few Conflux creatures from Heroes III.

Stronghold - The Stronghold compensates for it's lack of mage guilds with a mix of powerful creatures and a Breeding Pit to increase its creature production. Strongholds do not employ magic, but its heroes make up for it by starting with three secondary skills instead of two, and having more items available for purchase in the Blacksmith. Strongholds will also be able to recruit any kind of hero in the game, while other towns can only recruit heroes associated with that town.

New World Computing has announced a few huge changes in the gameplay for Heroes Of Might & Magic IV. First off, they have added an RPG element to the heroes. Your heroes can now use eleven starting classes : Archer, Barbarian, Rogue, Fighter, Warrior, Sorcerer, Lord, Priest, Necromancer, Shaman and the Enchanter. From there, as your heroes grow stronger, you can advance into 37 new classes based on the skills you've learned. Each hero also has nine primary skills, each with three associated secondary skills. Each secondary skill consists of five levels of mastery. Your heroes can also participate in the battle now, instead of standing at the sidelines to cast blessings and other spells of devastation. It is safe to say that there will be quite a number of heroes in the game, as the assistant designer of the game, Maranthea, has asked around for help in creating biographies for over two hundred heroes. However, expect several of your favorite heroes to make the transition, such as Ajit, Crag Hack and Sandro. Your armies, unlike previous games in the series, will now be able to travel with more than one hero, or with none at all. You can also transport your armies from town to town or to distant heroes using caravans. Creatures and other troops will also retaliate in full force now, instead of at diminished forces unlike previous games in the Heroes series. Two combat lines are now also available, allowing you to keep your archers in the rear. The blacksmiths in the towns will also be more practical this time round. Instead of providing your army with ballistas and ammo carts, they will supply your hero with potions and other magical items.

New World Computing has also revealed that the tactical battle engine, which has been powering this series ever since its first incarnation, will be totally scrapped. It appears both the overland and battle screens will be from an Isometric 3D point of view. This will not only show off terrain that matches the world map, but also provide a new perspective that plays up the increased level of unit detail and scale. Not to worry though, as no real time or first person changes are being considered. The game will stay as a turn based strategy.

Heroes Of Might & Magic IV looks to continue the series' high standards. It also looks to be pure strategic fun for the newcomer. This is one game that is definitely worth waiting for. If these early indications and changes are anything to judge by, this is going to be one heck of a game. A campaign editor and a Random map generator will also be available in the initial release. A height map terrain editor will allow maps to be developed on different levels. It's scheduled to be released for Windows on September 15, 2001. In the meantime, we'll bail you out with some slick screenshots from the game.