Heroes of Might & Magic V Q&A

WorthPlaying has published an interview with Fabrice Cambounet, producer for the upcoming fifth installment in the popular Heroes of Might & Magic series. Check it out:

Q: Why are heroes out of the battlefield?

A: This is one of the most difficult decisions we had to make on the gameplay. Heroes 4 proposed a new take on heroes by including them in the battles. This created new possibilities: More than one hero could be in an army, an army could be without a hero, an army could be made of heroes without any creature.

This was a bold step that also created an imbalance: fresh heroes were poor beings to protect, while stronger ones could wipe out whole armies by themselves. Unless the growth of heroes’ power was removed, this could not be balanced. But it was a great idea, and we looked for ways to stay close to it.

Believe me, many options were considered, and we agreed that the current one fulfilled all criteria. It is a mix of both versions that can be tuned and balanced, it allows the hero to act on the battlefield, gives out new options with the hero growth and allows different actions for different factions. That solution means that heroes, although having the ability to fight on the battlefield, are mostly commanders: They need an army at all times, and an army needs a commander in the same way.

It looks like these same questions were published as a FAQ on the official Might & Magic website.