Heroes of might and magic 3 for ios. Heroes of Might & Magic III– HD Edition (Heroes of Might and Magic III) v1.2.0. Features of Heroes of Might and Magic iOS version
Definitely the third part. "Heroes of Might and Magic" considered the best of the entire game series. And now, 16 years later, we have witnessed the "Renaissance of Erathia" on the iOS and Android platforms.
It should be noted right away that this port of the computer game of the end of 1999 did not work out without a hitch, however, first things first.
The first barrier on the way of conscientious users of the iOS platform was the price of the project. 749 rubles is a strong enough argument to deny yourself the pleasure. The second limitation was the support of "heroes" only tablet PCs. The toy will run on all models of apple tablets except for the first generation iPad, alas. But the most interesting thing is that the owners of the old iPad 2 and iPad mini will face not only a low resolution that prevents a comfortable game, but also periodic crashes into the system, which spoils the impression quite strongly (fortunately, autosaves work). But according to the version of the operating system, there are no restrictions - the project runs smoothly even on iOS 7.1.
Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition- This is a full-length port of the desktop version of the game with almost no cuts in any content. The developers did not integrate the Breath of Death and Blade of Armageddon campaigns (perhaps they will be released separately in the future, Ubisoft often practices this). There is also no map editor. Otherwise, everything has been preserved, up to the story clips in the campaign, which, moreover, are fully voiced in Russian. Yes, yes, the game has a full-fledged high-quality Russian localization.
For complete immersion, there is a full-scale campaign, single player and multiplayer on one device, there is no full-fledged online multiplayer mode. We will not describe the gameplay, since it is no different from the original, so we will focus only on improvements.
Although the graphics received the coveted “HD” postscript, in fact the picture quality has not changed much. On the other hand, it was these landscapes and textures that old-school gamers wanted to see. The musical accompaniment remained unchanged-cool. You can immerse yourself in these melodies ad infinitum.
The controls are adequately interpreted for the touch screen: everything is intuitive, except for the ability to view the properties of artifacts in the inventory of heroes. But with the battles, the developers were too smart and the controls there require getting used to. Ranged warriors require a high-speed double-click on the target to shoot, and melee warriors require a long press on the target, and then select the cell from which the unit will attack. Otherwise, the characteristics of the characters in the game constantly appear.
The developers ported the game not without a hitch: optimization suffers, controls are imperfect, several campaigns and a map editor are missing, and there is no version for the iPhone (even the latest phablet model with its large and chic display was left behind). But these are the best "Heroes" and we are ready to accept them as they are, despite all the flaws and the high price tag.
The long-awaited release of the strategy took place this afternoon "Heroes of Might and Magic 3", which gained a huge audience in 1999 when the regular edition was released. About 16 years have passed since then, and the game has acquired touch control support and Full HD graphics that look great on iOS and Android.
In order not to change the game mechanics too much, Ubisoft I had to abandon the idea of scaling the interface, which means that only owners of tablets on Android and iOS as well as the owners Windows computers. We were able to install "Heroes of Might and Magic 3" on the iPhone 6 Plus, but it became almost impossible to play. The interface has become so small that the text has become almost unreadable.
Development team Ubisoft promised not to touch the general game mechanics, but the team still broke their word. Three hours of testing this game on iPad Air, several annoying moments were revealed at once, but otherwise it’s all the same "Heroes of Might and Magic 3" 1999 with updated graphics.
It's rather strange, but the game balance has been broken. It is possible that this is only a temporary bug, but it is very upsetting. In a normal battle, 5 level 2 forest dragons cannot kill 4 level 2 endos with one hit. According to our memory, this was not the case in the classical version, which means Ubisoft something changed in the game mechanics.
The second drawback of the game was the inconvenient control on touch devices. It's not that inconvenient, but unfinished. In order for the troops to attack someone during the battle, you first need to hold your finger on the enemy unit, and then click on the cell from which our warrior will attack. Such a decision destroys any desire to play battles, because if out of habit we tap twice on an enemy soldier, our unit will simply stand next to him and not hit him.
AT iPad and Android version of the game has a mouse, and the finger acts as a mouse. The game was not fully transmitted, so finger touches are not always perfectly recognized, and this is also upsetting. Of course, perhaps this is a matter of habit and you need to practice this for a couple of days, but the fact remains.
In our case, the game proved to be stable, since no slowdowns, freezes, or crashes were detected during testing. This pleases, because lately in App Store and Google Play games are coming out that are very slow even on the iPhone 6, not to mention older devices.
Otherwise it's all the same "Heroes of Might and Magic 3", which is commonly called the "Golden Series" is a line of games. As before, you can change the speed of movement of heroes and units around the map, change the color of the interface, and save the game anywhere. Russian language and voice acting are also present.
The graphics haven't changed much from previous years. The supported resolution has changed, so at 800 by 600 pixels the game looks about the same as the 1920 by 1080 version. In fact, it was not worth waiting for another, because Ubisoft promised to release exactly the HD re-release of the game, which implies the release of the game with support for larger and higher-quality displays.
The game "Heroes of Might and Magic 3" costs 599 rubles in the Russian app store App Store, which is quite a lot for such an "old" game. Of course, this price was facilitated by a sharp drop in the ruble almost twice, but even 329 rubles per game for iPad quite a lot, because it doesn’t even have a map editor and the ability to add your own scenarios from the computer version of the game to the game.
Reissue announcement Heroes of might and magic 3 caused great excitement. Still, after 16 years, the beloved folk game threatened to be released on tablets, well, isn't this a holiday?
Mechanically, the third "heroes" are great for playing on a tablet: a leisurely turn-based strategy, no fast-paced tasks, a tabular interface - a convenient environment for a mobile game.
The transfer of the game to iOS was handled by ubisoft's mobile division, and copyright issues made it impossible to transfer all the campaigns from the original, so we can only expect "Renaissance of Erathia". The good news is that this is by far the best "heroes" campaign ever. The news is bad - the map editor was not delivered, and the custom set for playing outside the plot is modest.
Graphically, the game has not changed at all: all the familiar characters are in place, and the animation of movement and strikes, as it turned out, has not been forgotten over the years. There are no significant differences with the advent of HD, but this is not important - the game looks great.
If you have not played the original on the PC, briefly about the essence. Heroes of might and magic 3 is a turn-based strategy where we have to control the development of our own castle, explore new lands with our own hero and fight in turn-based mode. It is important to explain how each aspect works on IOS.
With the "castle" part, everything is fine. The tabular interface is easily transferred to tablets, so there are no management problems.
The movements of our hero on the map are also easily controlled. One tap - and we set the move point, two taps - confirm the action.
But the control in battles will have to get used to. The point here is that ubisoft faced obvious interface problems. So, for a melee attack, we need to tap and hold tap on the enemy, and then specify the cell from where the strike will be made. It's just hard to get used to it - often, instead of hitting, we call up the character's statistics. With ranged units, everything is easier - all you need to attack them is a quick double tap on the enemy. Of course, the PC version of the game is more convenient in this regard. If you are tired of playing heroes, look for new PC games at http://igri-torrent.net/igry_2017_goda/.
Certain questions are caused by the quality of the port. You can forgive the game for slowness on ipad2 and iPad mini, but constant crashes on new tablets are already too much. It is also unclear why the tablet version is deprived of online and map editor. Confuses the price - 749 rubles for the port of the game in 1999, it's strange.
And yet, no cons will outweigh the fact that before us are real third "heroes". You can now take your favorite childhood game with you on the road - for this Ubisoft can be forgiven for the overpricing, and the failing code, and the lack of a map editor.
Heroes of Might and Magic III has arrived on the iPad. The most real, but now in HD graphics, with your favorite campaigns, heroes, castles, monsters... And it was an event!
About Heroes I wanted to write not just a review, but a whole story. Having played many hours independently and in local multiplayer mode, thoroughly imbued with the atmosphere of fantasy, war and magic. But the material will be different. Not about Heroes of Might and Magic III, but about Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition for iPad. An overview of the port of the original PC game.
The game crashes on iPad mini and iPad 2. Rarely at first, but after 2–3 hours almost every move. Also, you can not minimize the game - it restarts. Until the release of the update (if there is one at all), we do not recommend purchasing Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition to play on these tablets.
Why we still play Heroes of Might and Magic III today
This is an introduction for those who have not played Heroes of Might and Magic III, but are still interested in the game. Experienced warriors can skip the section - you already know all this.
The third installment in the Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia series was created by New World Computing in 1999. The game represents the turn-based strategy genre, includes multi-stage campaigns, single-player scenarios, local multiplayer (playing on one device in turn) and online.
The gameplay of the game is completely non-linear. Each scenario has a specific task - to destroy all opponents, capture all castles, find an artifact. In a typical start scenario, you have a Castle and a Hero. The castle needs to be developed, increasing the flow of money, opening combat units, magic and additional features. This requires resources. Heroes act as miners and combat units. They grow in levels, acquiring new skills and improving characteristics, and are able to lead troops.
Graphics of the original Heroes of Might and Magic III
The game is turn-based. On one conditional day, each Hero can walk a certain distance, one building can be built in each castle. And after seven days, warriors grow up in castles and in special buildings on the map - they replenish the player's armies.
Battles in Heroes of Might and Magic III are also turn-based. They take place in small locations, the move is passed from opponent to opponent. Warriors have different characteristics: there are arrows, flying units, sedentary but well armored, barkers, magicians. The Hero himself does not participate in the battle, but strengthens his troops and uses magic - defensive and offensive.
The battle mode of the original Heroes of Might and Magic III
The passage of the map can last 30 minutes or ten hours, even the same scenario is played differently. There are many addictions in Heroes of Might and Magic III, there are several victory tactics, you can bet on different abilities of players, develop for a long time and accumulate strength, or quickly rush into battle. At low difficulty levels you play relaxed, at higher difficulty it is much more difficult to win, especially on small maps.
Heroes is not a simple superficial arcade, to which modern game dev is accustoming us more and more. This is a game-universe, thought out to the smallest detail and opening up wide possibilities for tactics. That is why thousands of players, 15 years after the release of Heroes of Might and Magic III: Erathia's Rise, are still devoted to this game.
You can read the full story of the game, as well as a detailed description of Heroes of Might & Magic III, in the Wikipedia article.
Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition for iPad
Apparently, Ubisoft's main bet in the reincarnation of Heroes of Might & Magic III was made on graphics. All game elements were made in high quality, from the menu to the last tree on the map. And although the Heroes have slightly diminished in charm, looking at a clear “licked” picture on Retina screens is very pleasant. Apart from the image quality, everything remains the same: sounds, animations, controls, menus, balance.
Crop 630 x 630 px
They gave new life to the original Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia, however, they deprived the game of the map editor. And this is a very significant shortcoming. The assembly includes 6 campaigns and 48 scenarios (maps): 8 small, 23 medium, 11 large and 6 very large. There is a local multiplayer with the usual limit of 8 players.
Since the game is a port from the PC, and not a significantly redesigned variation, the implementation of touch screen control raised a lot of questions. We were "lucky" to test Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition on the iPad mini, and to tell you the truth, I wasn't happy with the controls. I will describe the main problems.
Moving around the map is the same as on the PC - the first tap on the cell paves the route, the second tap on the horse icon sends the Hero on his way. But if it is completely easy to turn the focus with the mouse, then it is sometimes difficult to get your finger into a small area of the screen twice. My Hero now and then ran in the wrong direction, a couple of times he accidentally attacked too strong creatures and died. With an imitation of a click on the right mouse button, everything is fine - a long tap on the display.
In combat mode, it is not easy to understand the controls - you need to watch the training slides (in the settings, the "Training" section). There is no single logic: the shooters shoot at the target after a quick double tap, to attack the foot warriors, you need to tap on the target for a long time, and then select the attack sector. Two taps in a row with a pause show the unit's information panel. Why not use one tap for shooting and melee, and a long one for accessing stats?
Finishing with the control features, I will say about the game interface. Preserving the appearance of Heroes of Might and Magic III in its original form from the position of perception is a big plus. But when it comes to the process of playing, you feel uncomfortable every now and then. Many of the buttons are very small. Choosing castles and heroes at the start of the game is a real torment, determining the exact number of units or resources to buy is also. I was pleasantly surprised that they retained the ability to set the exact digital value in the menu, where values are supported. But a) try to hit a small number and b) graphically input is implemented terribly.
Having played Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition on iPad mini (1 and 2) for about 6 hours, I can responsibly say that the controls need to be thoroughly worked on. At least increase the touch zones where possible, change the speed of the double tap, provide a single control logic. Now playing is incomparably less comfortable than on a PC with a mouse.
The localization of the game can only be praised - Heroes are translated into Russian perfectly. Unless you can not use Cyrillic in the edited names of the players, and autosaves are named somehow completely unintelligible.
On modern Apple tablets, the game works stably and quickly. Or as fast as it worked on the PC - the animations are the same. But the old iPad mini and iPad 2 are a real problem. There are freezes and crashes happen every now and then (and as the scenario progresses, there are more and more of them). Probably 512 MB of RAM for Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition is not enough.
There are obvious shortcomings. The most unpleasant - there is no way to find out the properties of artifacts in the inventory menu, a long tap simply does not work. Also, the movement of the artifact is implemented somehow strange, even if it is not so critical. Descriptions for spells are not present in all menus.
Conclusion
Heroes of Might and Magic III came to mobile platforms in their original form (perhaps without a map editor), and even in excellent graphics quality - every element was redrawn. This is both good and bad. The advantage of such porting is that the fans got a familiar and familiar game, which, at the same time, can always be carried with them. Slowly play while lying in bed, in transport or even on the go. Minus in the implementation of management. Where the mouse was good, the touch screen is not so good at all. It is difficult to move around the map - a lot of erroneous clicks, not very comfortable to fight.
I doubt very much that the game can conquer a user who is not familiar with the world of Heroes of Might and Magic III. Not the iPad version for sure.
Is it worth paying $9.99 for Heroes of Might & Magic III - HD Edition? I don't have a clear answer. If you have a Windows computer and mobility is not critical, it's better to take the desktop version (or forget about the graphics and go through Heroes of Might and Magic III Complete with all campaigns, and then Heroes Chronicles). It is not comfortable to play on the iPad mini 2 in its current form. Not impossible or terribly inconvenient, but simply not comfortable. I'm probably being too picky, but taking on the passage of a 15-year-old game deliberately sacrificing ease of control is not for me.
Firmware: iOS 5.1.1 and above
Compatible devices: iPad (3/4/Air/Air 2nd generation), iPad mini (2/3) + partial support for iPhone (4S/5(C)/5S/6/6 Plus)
Supported Permissions: 1024x768, 2048x1536
Description
"Heroes of Might and Magic 3" in HD has finally appeared on the shelves of the virtual App Store. Everyone can enjoy the cult game in a new, “mobile” format by purchasing a novelty for only $9.99 (or 599 rubles).
Heroes 3 HD Edition for mobile devices justifies its name a little more than completely: on small tablet screens, the picture looks really impressive. In this sense, Ubisoft coped with their task perfectly. Only now it can be difficult even for experienced players to get used to the unusual controls in the new Heroes (in this case, the game provides Training). Things are somewhat worse with the game on the network. Since only the content from Rise of Erathia has undergone an HD rework, only 20 multiplayer maps from the original third Heroes will be available to players (and this is without a random map generator in the game!). The situation is aggravated by the fact that the ability to play Heroes 3 HD Edition via Wi-Fi simultaneously from several devices for some reason has not yet been implemented. In a word, the multiplayer in the new "Heroes 3" still needs some improvement.
Another unpleasant surprise for the owners of "apple" devices was the news that playing the new "Heroes" from a smartphone will not work: at the moment the game is available for download from the App Store only for tablets. But there are almost no restrictions here - Heroes 3 in HD works without problems on all iPad models, starting with the second one, including iPad-mini.
