Wait, is this actually a Heroes Of Might and Magic 3 spiritual successor?

[Friends with Benedicts]

How's the opinion of fans of HoMM's 3 regards on this game? Wasnt even on my radar but I actually moved it 1st to my watchlist. Gonna keep a real close eye on this one.

[Malarky Enthusiast]

Check youtube gameplay. You will get arguments over it on the forums. Most people that go to forums go there to whine, people that are enjoying the game are too busy playing the game.

[Sloul Des Tucs]

It's heavily inspired by Homm, but many of its mechanics are different.
This isn't a pale copy.
It surpass Homm3 in term of Faction thematics and aesthetic imo.
I also think the magic system might be superior, it's different from the usual mana system.
Here you collect orb every turns during a combat; BUT, I wonder if it lacks spells, or if there should be tweaks.

The combats are too fast paced to my liking.
They aren't bad, I enjoy them, but the issue with fast-paced is that it deletes: Manoeuvres, out-manoeuvres, attrition etc.
Also deployment is very limited for some reasons.

All in all, while it's a bit light on content currently (imo), I think it's going to be a hit at release.

[4X-Fan]

It would say its definitely heavily inspired - and for really "early access" already in a quite nice shape.

Its also no clone, as the devs clearly advanced and refine HOMM3, where they considered it beneficial - e.g. battles: terrain elevation being a factor, zones of control, moving and shooting (with the price of reduced damage), some units needing to reload, reworked mana/spell-casting system.

Some concepts (like the initiative system in battles or the secondary skills) also draw more from HoMM IV or V then III.

If I should name things which might feel inferior to HoMM: Graphics might be for some (not everyone likes the pixel style and you can play hoMM3 in HD nowadays...) and there is overall "less" in quantity, when it comes to the number of factions. Also elements like secondary skills, units and their abilities, map objects, spells, or city buildings appear to be rather streamlined/generic in their effects, HoMM 3 comes a bit more chaotic, unpredictable, creative and uneven in that regard (which of course could also the positive side effect that SoC ends up more balanced...)

Also, overall the fantasy touch is not so heavy - I read somewhere that there aren't even Dragons in the game...and in the missions I played so far some minor Fae spirits where all I encountered in that regard.

[ChonkyManticore]

Originally posted by 4X-Fan:

Also, overall the fantasy touch is not so heavy - I read somewhere that there aren't even Dragons in the game...and in the missions I played so far some minor Fae spirits where all I encountered in that regard.

There are dragons, but they're an upgrade from another unit. The Rana dragon guys turn into them.

In general, I like how grounded it feels. Later HoMM games went into the bonkers realm of giant pauldrons and "epic" fantasy, which has never been my cup of tea. SoC hits a sweet spot where there's obviously a great deal of magic and mysticism and fantastical things, but the characters are all equipped like people reasonably would be. No one is wearing armor that is more decoration than function, the Weilders aren't all pretty heroic archetypes but also aren't all ugly for the sake of "grit," and that makes the game's world feel much more real and grounded.

Originally posted by Friends with Benedicts:

How's the opinion of fans of HoMM's 3 regards on this game? Wasnt even on my radar but I actually moved it 1st to my watchlist. Gonna keep a real close eye on this one.

I think the Devs knew what to keep to maintain the spirit of HoMM3, and also knew what they could change, and found a great place where they aren't making a copypasted clone but something that has clear inspiration. I am beyond happy with the game so far. I think that it needs maybe 2 more factions, and definitely needs more units that are monsters rather than soldiers. I'm hoping for something sinister and demonic like HoMM3's Inferno, but I think one of the main themes of the current factions is that they're all potentially good or evil, so I can't imagine we'll see anything specifically mirroring Inferno, Dungeon, Haven, ect. down the line.

[Lord Haart]

This is HoMM 3. Glory days. Add AoW series, and a dash of wart-eva.

Game is amazing and sales are crackers and that.

[Friends with Benedicts]

Originally posted by Offal Devourer:

(...) You will get arguments over it on the forums. (...)

Np mate, I came from youtube. I always do like a quadruple check before buyin something, and one of those checks includes just going through the community to check what are their main topics

Originally posted by Sloul Des Tucs:

I also think the magic system might be superior(...).
Here you collect orb every turns during a combat; BUT, I wonder if it lacks spells, or if there should be tweaks.

The combats are too fast paced to my liking.
(...)
Also deployment is very limited for some reasons.

All in all, while it's a bit light on content currently (imo), I think it's going to be a hit at release.

Cool, any chance those would be worked on or improved through development? As I do with all EA games Ill keep a close eye on updates to check how devs release content.

Originally posted by 4X-Fan:

(...) and there is overall "less" in quantity, when it comes to the number of factions. Also elements like secondary skills, units and their abilities, map objects, spells, or city buildings appear to be rather streamlined/generic in their effects(...)

That is my main drawback for now, and the reason I'll keep a close eye to it. It feels right but it feels like needs more content. The price is indeed cheap so it might be right to expect less content overall than HoMM3, but still seems like the main area to improve.

Originally posted by Occulticat:

I think the Devs knew what to keep to maintain the spirit of HoMM3, and also knew what they could change(...). I am beyond happy with the game so far. I think that it needs maybe 2 more factions, and definitely needs more units that are monsters rather than soldiers. (...)

Amazing! Do you think this is the direction devs intend to go from now on?

[Power_Bert]

Combat is different and way to fast for me.

[Friends with Benedicts]

Originally posted by Power_Bert:

Combat is different and way to fast for me.

Do you feel like this is better or worse? Faster combats may mean less emotion put into each one and less strategy, but that also means faster maps which could sometimes take ages to finish...

[madracc00n]

Originally posted by Friends with Benedicts:

Originally posted by Power_Bert:

Combat is different and way to fast for me.

Do you feel like this is better or worse? Faster combats may mean less emotion put into each one and less strategy, but that also means faster maps which could sometimes take ages to finish...

PLay a demo or watch gameplay on youtube.U can also buy the game and refund before playing 2 hours.

[awg]

"to fast" sounds like you have to push your limits to squeeze all the juice out of your troops and abilities. If you do believe what people say, that this game is like Heroes Of Might and Magic 3, you may be very disappointed. Treat it as "based on", not like "spiritual successor".

[Jo]

Originally posted by 4X-Fan:

Also elements like secondary skills, units and their abilities, map objects, spells, or city buildings appear to be rather streamlined/generic in their effects, HoMM 3 comes a bit more chaotic, unpredictable, creative and uneven in that regard

Excellent post 4X. I quote the part that led me to a refund. The research also belong to that list. Overall the game was very dry due to all those aspects being, indeed, uninspired.

[Diahborne]

Songs of Conquest is heavily inspired by HoMM, but it's not a clone. I like the fast-paced fights since games in SoC can take a long time in my opinion.

[Friends with Benedicts]

Originally posted by madrac00n:

PLay a demo or watch gameplay on youtube.U can also buy the game and refund before playing 2 hours.

Found no demo on store page, but even if there were one, Im also interested in what others have to type, so no harm with owners and future customers sharing their thoughts about it. Also it is not my interest to buy the game now as I've only recently discovered it. Im more interested in keeping up with their updates and community feedback.

Originally posted by Diahborne:

Songs of Conquest is heavily inspired by HoMM, but it's not a clone. I like the fast-paced fights since games in SoC can take a long time in my opinion.

No problem, as we don't need an exact HoMM3 again because we already have it! I do expect them to try new stuff and bring new mechanics to the table.

[Jolly the Joker]

For me it feels like it's based on HoMM 2 more than HoMM 3, going on a different course than 3, which is a good thing, imo.

[Razzlie]

This is more of a love letter to HoMM 2 rather than 3.