Imperium Jaskini Behemota

Ururam Tururam

SUMMARY
of a discussion on the first graphic pieces of Heroes V
that took place in the Behemoth's Lair community
(http://heroes.net.pl)

Prepared by
Ururam Tururam (ut@heroes.net.pl)

The community of the Behemoth's Lair reviewed five pictures, conceptual
sketches for upcoming Heroes V. Both members and guest were able to express
their thoughts. There were 67 posts submitted.

Here is the synthesis:

* The general tone of comments was positive.
* The pictures can be ranked by our opinion about them as follows
(from the best to the worst):
- Knight
- Archer
- Building
- Angel
- Bridge
* With passing time the percentage of negative opinions was growing a little.
* The main objection for various pictures was their similarity to manga.
The second one was their colors - it seems that our respondents prefer
darker moods.
* It comes into mind that members and guests of our community prefer realism
over unexplained fantastic gadgets.

You can find a digest of individual opinions below. If a comment appears once
it is preceded with a dash (-), if it appears twice: with an asterisk (*).
Each occurrence after the second is denoted by another asterisk.

====

GENERAL IMPRESSIONS

- Hard to say, they may look much different when implemented!

* I like them all. They have a heroes-like climate.

* All the pictures are too colorful.

- OK. Looks like in XIII or Future Radio.

- Sweet! The graphics must go forward not backward.

*** OK. I will buy it!

* Something like Final Fantasy, huh?

- Too much Warcraft! Let us hope it will look better that in that game.

*** These pictures are very different from each other! Merging them in
one game may not be OK.

- I am really impressed! If all the graphics is hand made it may be 3D,
I don't care.

- They look so-so. All depends on the engine. If it is 2D I will buy it,
if 3D I won't.

- To all the manga in Heroes we say our strong NO! But after some refining
they are OK.

- The creatures are fine. The objects so-so. Too much fairy-like.

- I want too see non-humanoid units.

- The creatures are near to the ones in Magic: the Gathering. It is not
necessarily good. But not bad too.

- I like them all but the angel.

====

ANGEL

****** I'm afraid it's too close to manga.

- I wonder what this sword can do.

- It looks like a cyberangel.

- I just like it.

****** Well, it is not Heroes-like.

- More white, less yellow!

* Wonderful including the sword. It shall be my favorite unit.

- Does not suit other units.

- It is a wraith rather than an angel...

** This sword is awful. Did she plunder a commentary and took a cross?

* No, this one is the one I would not like to see in the game.

- I like her. Her sword is a bit too long, and her armor seems to be very
large but I like her.

* Female angel - why not?

* She has hands of the bear size!

- Too many real-life symbols (David Star, Cross).

- She is left-handed!

- Pretty impressive.

* Her weapon just cannot be accepted.

* She is much too heavy for an angel.

- Her proportions are wrong, and she is too shiny.

- The brightness of this picture is well done.

====

ARCHER

** He is a 'thebester'. I'm dying to see him in action.

******** Nice one and in the proper climate.

- Too much fairy-tale - like. But OK.

- Even this one has some manga in. Beware!

**** Is he a halfling? Large feet and palms...

- It will look better with a crossbow.

- Superb. Keep the bow! No crossbows!

- Too heavily armored, but otherwise looks good.

* These gloves, sleeves and cuffs! He won't be able to shoot a single
arrow.

====

KNIGHT

********* Good and naturally looking. Better than the H4 one.

* Not so bad...

*** It would be fine if the yellow parts change colors according to
player's flag!

- Too much yellow.

** OK, but he should wear a helmet.

- With this ribbon on his head he looks like Rambo.

- Great piece! I'll say nothing more.

* A plate armor on legs, a chainmail on torso and nothing on head?
Nonsense.

- Interesting, but too eclectic.

- He should be white and blue, not yellow and black.

====

HOUSE

* Nice one, in isometric view. Maybe a golem factory or a blacksmith?

- Looks like an alchemist's lab.

- Maybe a tavern and this apparatus makes beer?

******** Too many colors. It's nice but it should be toned down.

* Good looking, like in cartoons. Let's hope we won't meet Asterix nearby.

- A lab or a blacksmith - looks good in either case.

***** It looks like the house of Gargamel! Where are the Smurfs?!

- Funny! Too cartoon-like, but nevertheless I like it.

* Not so good, not so bad. Maybe it will be better in the game.

- It looks like coming from another story. [Whatever this means...]

- I just like it.

- Superb. But it does not suit the rest of pictures.

- This picture could define the graphics style of the whole game.

====

BRIDGE

*** Dangerously close to manga.

- Is it a castle? Very strange. And too much green.

- Does not suit the HoMM climate.

** A port? It does not look naturally in fact.

* It takes my breath away! [in a positive aspect]

* I like it. It is different than the things we got used to, but I do
like such changes.

** The colors are underwear-like.

- How to cross it? Its surface is filled with houses!

* Maybe it is a quest guard? Looks strange.

* Great picture, but I am afraid - unusable.

* The first impression is very positive, but how would it look like in
the game?

- A good one itself, but it is not like things should look like in Heroes.

* Errr, what's this?

- So-so. It have to be changed before implementation.

- Interesting shape, awful colors.

- It looks unstable.

====

Ururam Tururam

Add-on:

Opinions about the mine sketch:

- Too much cartoon-like
- It looks like taken from a fairy tale
- It would be better for a platform game than for a strategy one
- Is it a cannon?
* This one is the worst.
- It is nice, but it does not look like a Heroes mine
** It does not suit the rest of the pictures.
** I like it. It has a proper climate.
- Looks OK… But what resource it digs? Maybe diamonds?
- I like it! Much more than the angel or the bridge.

Ururam Tururam

Add-on:

Opinions about the seventh sketch (castle):

- Another Smurf-like piece.
* Nice deer. And nice castle. Better colors than the ones in the dam-castle.
** No climate. I hope this is a joke.
* Good! Probably a human castle or some thing like tower/academy.
- Too intensive colors!
- I like it but I think it should be simplified.
* It is lkie a fairy tale not like Heroes.
- Another manga?
* The shapes are OK, but the colors are not.
* Fan-damn-tastic!
- The buildings are superb but the surroundingd are weird.
* This is the best sketch so far. I want Heroes V be like this.
** Good, but may we ask for something from the dark side?
- Unrealistic and with wrong proportions.
* Good. Somewhat Disney-like, but it can be like that.
- If H5 looks like this and is 3D i doubt i will play it.
- OK, OK... Well, let them release the game, and then there will be our turn!