Heroes of Might and Magic IV Interview

We spoke with Heroes IV executive producer Jeff Blattner about the status of Heroes IV and turn-based games in general.

GameSpot: Thanks for taking the time for this interview. How is Heroes IV's development coming along? What sort of things is the team working on right now?

	Explore a strange new world.

Jeff Blattner: Heroes IV is rounding the bend and heading down the homestretch. The team is working almost exclusively on game balance and bug fixes. We evaluated the design on paper. We continued to evaluate it all throughout development. It's necessary to continue that analysis as long as possible. That leads to the best possible game. Do we need to tweak any creature stats? Are the formulas for how many hit points a hero receives correct? What do all of Heroes IV's changes look like now that they are in play? And on and on and on...

GS: When we took a look at a preview build of the game, we noticed that some parts of Heroes IV look much brighter and much more densely packed than previous games, especially the overland maps. Can you discuss some of Heroes IV's visual changes? Is there a specific "look" that the art team is trying to achieve?

JB: There are multiple forces at work here. First, our amazing art team creates all the elements for the maps and the map editor.

Joe McGuffin, the Heroes IV art director, is responsible for the overall look of the game, and he's done an excellent job. Here's a quote where he speaks about the overall design goals:

	Heroes IV's towns are vibrant and colorful.

"There were several goals I aimed to achieve during the production of Heroes IV. One of them was to continue, yet update, the Heroes 'look.' Since Heroes has a decidedly positive and epic feel that appeals to a wide audience, I wanted to make the graphics bright, but with greater realism than in previous versions. This was accomplished by changing the fundamental way the terrain and all the structures, objects, and characters were built. This time around, we used an isometric grid that allowed us to build more cohesive and convincing environments. The stage was set to build and place all the objects, artifacts, structures, and characters to work well with the environment. It was also very important to design the objects and structures to resemble their functions, as well as maintain a consistent lighting and camera angle to render them. Also, we created a few new creatures that have not been a part of the Heroes universe before, and we gave a few classic creatures a face-lift. In Heroes III, the typical character model had 70 frames of animation allotted to it for all its animations. In Heroes IV, we've upped that number to 500! This gave the animators quite a bit more to work with. All the heroes and creatures have more personality and life onscreen. I had fun working with the talented artists coming up with the various animation states each character has, especially the fidget animations on the combat screen. The approach we took with the interface was to make everything bigger, as well as easier to use and find. Even though things were scaled up, which helps to show off the improved graphics, we were able to add more information and function. Everything came together well and blends excellently to create a vibrant and fantastic new world for Heroes fans to explore and conquer."

Second, the level designers then create the maps using all these elements. The number of objects on a map will vary from map to map. Some of the initial screenshots did have a large number of adventure objects so that we could show off a lot of new stuff. Presently, we are going through each of the maps one last time to improve both the look and the gameplay in each one. Scott White is leading the charge on making the maps cleaner from all standpoints.

GS: As we know, Heroes IV's campaign takes place in the new world of Axeoth, to which Emelia Nighthaven escapes after Erathia, the setting for Heroes III, is destroyed. What are the main differences between the two worlds (such as its monster population, or the way magic works)? Can you offer any hints as to how Heroes IV will tie into Might and Magic IX?

JB: First, Emelia's story is the setting for only one of the six campaigns. The others each feature different main characters.

Heroes IV and Might and Magic IX take place on completely separate parts of Axeoth. There is no crossover between the two stories (who knows what the future may hold). One of the main reasons for the switch to the new world is that the old sandbox the designers were playing in was getting too crowded. Now they have a fresh start and are less restricted.

JB: (continued) All the changes in this new world of Heroes IV really result from design changes and the campaign stories written by Terry Ray, which are the best ever in the series. The Axeoth continent on which Heroes IV takes place will seem familiar to Heroes fans. However, players will have to adapt to certain differences in Axeoth, just as its new inhabitants must adapt to the new surroundings. The six towns, their buildings, and their creatures are more highly themed than in previous games. The world and its inhabitants seem more alive.

	You'll command armies of monsters and heroes.

Magic is vastly different than in previous games. There are now five levels of mastery. In addition to expert level, we have added master and grand master levels. Each school of magic is more distinct. Chaos magic has the most direct-damage spells, life magic has the most healing spells, and so on. It will be rare for a single hero to have fifth-level spells from more than one school of magic. Also, each town's mage guild only contains spells from its school of magic, and its annexes contain spells from the two allied schools.

GS: We already know that Heroes IV will feature six campaign games, as well as lots of separate scenario maps to play. Without spoiling any surprises, what sort of new things can we look forward to in the campaigns? Cameo appearances by well-known Might and Magic characters? New ultimate artifacts?

JB: All the campaign stories focus on characters who are new to the Might and Magic universe. The destruction of Erathia was a tragic event, and, unfortunately, many of the characters you may be familiar with seem to have disappeared. But don't mourn for long. Heroes IV brings you some of the best characters this series has ever seen. However, two familiar faces (the genie Solymr and his master, the Immortal King Gavin Magnus) take prominent roles in the campaign "The Price of Peace." As for ultimate artifacts, we have a sword that stirs up a lot of trouble in "The True Blade," and a staff in "Half-Dead" that's capable of destroying all the living flesh in the world.

GS: We've already noticed some pretty significant differences between Heroes III and Heroes IV, like having heroes actually appear on the battlefield and having multiple heroes in the same stack. What would you say are the most important changes that Heroes IV will make to the series?

	The courage of a true hero is proven on the battlefield!

JB: Most definitely it's all the changes to hero characters. Not just the appearance in combat, but also the huge changes to the skill and magic systems. In previous games in the series, your goal was to create a powerful hero who was great at everything. That's simply not the case anymore. I think that players will be able to expand their strategies. Some of our testers play the game with three or more heroes in an army. I think you might just see Heroes tournaments where players will attempt to win without creatures.

GS: What are your thoughts on the current state of PC turn-based strategy games? For instance, we've already seen traditional turn-based strategy elements used in real-time strategy games, and we've also seen several excellent turn-based strategy games on consoles. Where do you think turn-based strategy games are headed in the future?

JB: That's a tough question for any type of PC game these days. We're seeing some of best games ever, and yet retail shelf space is on the decline. There is some general reluctance to try things that are truly new. The rewards can be great, but failure can be too costly.

We're obviously seeing a lot of fantastic sequels, and those often become the best of their series. But the only predictable trend is unpredictability. Who knows what the next megahit is going to be? I mean, the one after Heroes IV.

GS: Is there anything else you'd like to add about Heroes IV, or about turn-based strategy games in general?

JB: Over the last few months I think I've said just about everything about the game that can be said ("Think" being the important word--I'm sure our fans can point out all the flaws and holes in my info).

I'd just like to thank all our fans who have been waiting with bated breath. Their reward will arrive shortly. I also want to acknowledge all the people who have worked on this game. Their efforts have been extraordinary. Please applaud wildly while watching the credits after you've installed the game.

GS: You bet. Thanks, Jeff.