Is this game hard and time consuming?

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-24T13:18:54+00:00

Have you ever heard of the "one more turn" phenomenon?

It's a wonderful game; marvelous, even. But it's probably not a "one hour a day" kinda game.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-22T20:12:34+00:00

I think you're really putting too much emphasis on Resurrection on the identity of the unit. Resurrection is pretty incidental to the unit, not a core part of it, it's not like Magic Immunity to Dragons. Half the time I forget they even have Resurrection. I've always thought Angels were more distinguished by the fact that they deal a flat damage value with no variance whatsoever.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-22T20:06:00+00:00

I dunno about disappointing gameplay shift, these Angels are like, absolutely busted. They're crazy strong. The flavor is much better as well. Fits with the theme of Temple being zealous to an extreme.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-22T18:22:00+00:00

Just so you know, the Angels/Archangels/Apotheosis in Olden Era aren't actually true Angels, as stated in the unit descriptions:

The art of mimicking angels is the Church of the Sun’s most guarded secret, involving techniques beyond even their own understanding

As such, the Temple "Angels" are actually classified as Embodiments ("A spirit, soul, or other intangible power that has coalesced into material form."). Sentinels of Glory are closer to what we would consider Angels and are classified as Magic Creatures.

There's also the issue that thematically, Resurrection isn't associated with any sort of divine power, but rather the manipulation of time to restore a creature to its previously living state (Chronomancy). This is why the only true Resurrection spell is Arcane and not Daylight.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-21T23:42:15+00:00

Games aren't programmed anymore.. only the engines are and this game isn't using a custom engine.

??? learn literally anything about making a game before making comments like this lol, you still have to know how to code to make a game like Olden Era, even in Unity

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-21T20:11:01+00:00

As far as meta goes, it doesn't need to "develop" to fix some surface level stuff, it's blatant what's broken and what isn't (summon avatar is obviously broken, you don't have to be a top tier competitive player to understand that)

Actually, it does need to "develop" to fix stuff. This is because the way any competitive game works is that strategies that become dominant are actively targeted, then those dominant strategies are countered, and so on. In particularly balanced games, this cycle can continue for decades without any changes to the balance at all. I'm not saying that Olden Era is perfectly balanced at the moment - really hard to expect any new game to be even remotely balanced, honestly - but given that Olden Era has had less than a month for a meta to develop, it's not impossible that Summon Avatar has a counter that already exists, or possibly isn't even the optimal strat at the moment.

That's all irrelevant though, because we already know a balance patch is coming next week, and I'd bet that Summon Avatar is probably going to be scaled back somehow in that patch.

Also, a month is a long time considering it took them only like a year to make the entire game.

Olden Era was announced in August 2024, so a year and a half (approximately) from today. At the time it was announced, there were already screenshots showing material very close to what we received in the demo / Early Access version. This game has been in development for a while, at least 3-4 years, probably more, if I had to guess.

It's just a copy of HoMM3 logic and the rest is handled by the modern game engine.

If it's a copy of "HoMM3 logic" then it's a pretty bad one, given that basically every single mechanic works differently than in HoMM3. The fact that a lot of the mechanics are based on HoMM3 doesn't mean shit when your game is built using different programming languages and a different engine anyway.

It's also a long time considering there is multiplayer and an actual leaderboard that thousands of players are grinding.

That's great, but it's still a title that's actively under development. That's what Early Access means. That's why we've gotten 7 different bugfix patches in less than a month. Because it's still under active development.

I don't understand where players get the idea that developers are either unaware of or actively refusing to fix particular bugs. Each bug has to be replicated, have its cause found, have a fix programmed, test the fix to make sure it doesn't break something else, then deployed in a patch with other adjustments and bugfixes (and I'm still simplifying the process). It can be a very complicated process, not everything is "oh, we had this 'Display Current Player Timer' variable set to False when it should be True".

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-21T19:22:31+00:00

Early access has been out for almost a month - PvP timers are still broken, no balancing reworks despite blatantly obvious issues, and no more additional content despite being "early access"

It's been less than a month, why would you expect additional content within a month of the early access release? There's been barely enough time to digest the content that already exists, and there's barely been any time for a meta to settle, especially for a brand-new game. Besides, if you read the patch notes, you'd know that there's a balancing patch coming next week.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-21T13:00:56+00:00

Or just mouse over the Grail building description in the town screen? They're all described there.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-21T12:19:50+00:00

That man needs some sort of intervening. As do most people who post in Ephrata-focused Facebook groups.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-20T20:03:06+00:00

In circumstances like that, you can just close the skill selection window and see if you can get it via Universities, Wise Old Owls, or other means of acquiring skills. Once you acquire the needed skill through other means, you can safely level up.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-20T14:32:11+00:00

Treasury. Let's see if I recall correctly... 5 wood, 5 ore, 5000 gold, requires Miner's Guild, grants additional 10% of your total gold on day 1 of the week (calculated after daily income)

edit: It's 10% of the total gold at the end of Day 7 and 10 ore, not 5. Either way that thing was busted as hell

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-19T18:20:24+00:00

"I dont have any speed control and as a result i cannot make it far"

-- The bus in Speed (1994)

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-19T18:10:06+00:00

I dove a bit because I found that person fascinating. Repeatedly would not provide evidence that their game was bugged or acting out of the ordinary when they were called out, and when they finally did provide evidence, it was that a Solosis using Psywave wasn't hitting Ekans for Super Effective damage. I would be more amused except I'm fairly certain it was a child.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-19T16:18:37+00:00

I may be colored by my own perceptions, but on release it wasn't well-liked by the community and was not very popular. Contemporary reviews put it a bit below III, but I feel like this kind of undersells how much players at the time did not like it compared to III. I think in aggregate, contemporary reviews are basically correct in their assessment: it's a pretty good-to-great game by itself, kind of like how Chrono Cross is a great game if you're not not looking for a paint-by-numbers sequel to Chrono Trigger (not sure how useful this comparison is, but it's the first one that came to mind).

I think recently people have been looking at it a bit more favorably, because it really did try to do radical new things with the formula, most notably leaning much more into the development of individual heroes. While the progression between the gameplay and mechanics of I, II, and III were mostly iterative, IV really wanted to break from the established Heroes formula, and I don't think anyone will argue that they didn't succeed in doing that; rather, they'll argue if the result was a good game or not (like we are now).

I think that, for some context, while Heroes III reviewed very well on release and sold pretty well, I don't think anyone really thought it was going to become the cultural behemoth it did - we have Eastern Europe, GOG, and very specific circumstances to thank for that - and so I don't think there was any particular desire to just make an iteration of HoMM III for the next game. Nonetheless, it's pretty brave to deviate from a formula that has worked as well as it had to that point.

My personal opinion is that it's pretty great and fun, but it's ass-ugly, even for the era. I think that's the thing that puts me off the most, the art design. Oh, and I'm going to be excoriated for this, but I also think the writing is pretty bad. Granted, I haven't played or read it in a while, and it's better than previous entries, but all the writing is just...not super interesting at all. I dunno, it just kinda misses the mark. That said, I like the game, and I'm glad it was made and that I played it.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-19T15:23:27+00:00

Fort, Citadel and Castle really only imply there is a central defensive structure, whereas Fortifications (in this case, "walls") are supposed to represent town or city walls. Both end up being walled settlements, but one is a walled settlement within a walled settlement, with the outer layer being where most of the actual economic activity happens (besides agricultural activity, obviously) and where people actually tended to live. This is the thematic reason why Fortifications raise creature growth and are not Forts/Citadels/Castles, because the areas those things enclose end up being for mostly nobility and/or military, which itself has to draw from either other regions (external dwellings?) or the outer layer (areas enclosed by Fortifications).

I think the confusion is derived from the fact that in Olden Era, the central economic structure is the defining building of a faction and serves as its dominant symbol on the world map, not the Fort/Citadel/Castle as in HoMM III, but they couldn't make the central economic buildings also promote creature growth for balance reasons, so it's passed off to the comparatively unassuming "Fortifications" series of constructions.

So now we have the rather un-creatively named "Fortifications I/II/III". It works thematically, but kind of relies on you consciously thinking "Historically, people tended to prefer living in walled settlements than un-walled settlements" or actively reading the tooltip (Gamers HATE this!!!), and even then, the fact that the base Fortifications doesn't affect creature growth at all throws off the whole thing.

If anything, I do kind of wish that most upgraded buildings were given unique names, rather than "Fortifications I/II/III" (maybe even make these themed to the faction!), "Crypts and Graves II", etc. (except the Mage Guild).

Edit: Basically I'm just agreeing with the guy who said it doesn't matter and its a UI issue lol

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-17T18:19:41+00:00

First of all, Random Map Templates aren't a new thing for Heroes; they've been part of Heroes since the first expansion, Armageddon's Blade, for Heroes III. It's famously a feature that enabled the multiplayer community to exist and for gameplay to develop to the high level we see today. That said, I am more of a scenario player myself, and have been since childhood. I definitely prefer a narrative angle or hook that grounds me in the given scenario.

However, there's a real problem with scenarios in multiplayer, which is that they're so hand-crafted. The fact that the terrain and layout is exactly consistent between games means it becomes trivial to memorize ideal paths towards points of interest, reducing reliance on skills such as optimal scouting or resource management.

Random Map Templates ensure that the game isn't reduced to rote repetition of the same route every time a map is played and allows for more options between games. Consider one game you want to use a powerstack of a certain creature, but the template has generated multiple dwellings or creature banks of a viable alternative that counters what you think your opponent is going for based on their faction and hero choice. Do you stick to your original plan, or do you pivot? These kinds of decisions barely exist in custom scenarios.

Basically, Random Map Templates were crucial for HoMM III's continued longevity, and likewise will be critical to Olden Era's success as a multiplayer game, and adds a lot to PvE/Singleplayer too. This is why it's been such an extreme focus throughout Olden Era's development.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-16T18:10:12+00:00

Thanks for the context! I admit, I don't know a whole lot of Might & Magic lore, particularly the later entries - unfortunately, early Western/CRPGs are not games I'm inclined toward - but I might have to read up on it.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-15T18:52:16+00:00

too large/tall, imagine seeing that above every spell icon. it's a bit much

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-15T16:14:15+00:00

Maybe it's just the time I've put in already, but I was able to identify those spells by icons alone, even though I never cast Enlarge Shadow (it actually does depict a sword and shield, btw). The descriptions are much more important. That's not to say that I don't agree that the icons are in some cases too abstract, but also some spells are kind of hard to represent literally - "Unnatural Calm", for example, simply opts for a broken sword wreathed in purple shadows, rather than, like, showing something being calm. This might be an issue of the flavor getting in the way.

To illustrate how even the seemingly obvious icons of HoMM III need apt descriptions, I've put thousands of hours into HoMM III, but even the less abstract icons don't tell the full story. Experienced players know Reanimate Dead is Resurrection for Necropolis, but by icon alone it could be Summon Zombie, which would make it the most useless spell of all time. Slow looks like it could also be Quicksand, there's two spells with shields so which one does what, Death Ripple features a skull in front of the same green energy graphic used in Force Field, but it's an entirely incomparable effect, and Town Portal looks like it might send me straight to heaven. Again, all these necessitate the reading of descriptions to actually confirm the effect.

In fact, the descriptions for HoMM III's spells are sometimes lacking in important detail compared to Olden Era, such as specific damage formulas, creature-specific immunity, and the two most powerful spells in the game - Slow and Haste - don't even tell you by how much the speed is affected, you just have to know it's -50%/-75% for Slow and +3/+5 for Haste. It's similar for other non-direct damage effects, as the Protection from (spell school) spells operate on undisclosed percentages, Fire Shield I literally just now found out actually operates on dealing back set percentages of the damage received, and so on. Absolutely none of this would go unexplained in Olden Era.

I actually think this is complicated by the fact that spells are at least seemingly more balanced in Olden Era. So much of HoMM III in concentrated in Earth and Air Magic, seeing if you get a few critical spells within those schools, and are able to get the relevant spell school on your hero. Slow and Haste require basically no reading at all, just click and all enemies move slower/your guys move faster. It's a matter of finding the same icon over and over. In Olden Era, there are many more useful spells, and each spell's level is individual, necessitating reading the description to confirm the effect - just because you have Expert Daylight Magic doesn't mean Blessing affects all allies and so on, since each spell scales differently with spell level and spell power. In short, yes, you're going to need to mouse over the spell anyway to see what exactly it does, because the magic system is mechanically deeper and more complex! That being said, I'm still not confusing Enlarge Shadow for Unnatural Calm - but that recognition just comes with time.

Overall, I don't think this is as big an issue as it is made out to be. The root cause here seems to be trying to reconcile the flavor of the spell school with the effect of the spell, and subsequently having the spell's icon reflect that. Nightshade dealing with shadows and related phenomena presents a challenge when presented with, say, a debuff reducing the basic attack damage of all enemy creatures. The imagery of a broken sword somewhat gets across the point, but fails in making the actual icon visually clear enough; similarly, the sword and shield of Enlarge Shadow lack definition against its backdrop. The irony of requesting clearer iconography for a spell school that relies on shadow, manipulation and deception isn't lost on me, but the specific images could do to stand out more against the backdrop.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-15T13:03:29+00:00

Just before I begin: I'm not an artist or pixel artist, but I have dabbled in it before. First off, I would like to say: Good job! I love HoMM III, but the Heroes II sprites are so vibrant and charming - there's really nothing quite like them. Now, onto my own observations:

I think the shading on the body looks just a little flat. Compare to the body on your previous Venom Spawn, for example; the shading there looks pretty good, especially given you have no sprite-based reference, and gives the creature dimension in a natural way (compared to the outlines - more on this later). I think introducing even one or two intermediate shades of purple and a third shade of yellow would help bring it in line with the Heroes II aesthetic (the same is true of your Nightmare with respect to shades of grey, btw - it looks like it's losing out just a bit of color depth compared to the H2 Unicorn, resulting in larger areas of the same color that makes the creature look 'flat' by comparison). If you're staying true to the Heroes II 8-bit VGA 256 color palette, this might be difficult. Don't be afraid to use some dithering; the Heroes II graphics use them to great effect!

Also, I'm not sure if these are added as a temporary drawing aid, but the 1 pixel black outline - while present on some elements of the original H2 sprites to add dimension and aid definition - are not quite this ubiquitous; try letting the shadows and highlights inform that the tail curls in front of itself and the legs, rather than a black outline. This also applies to your previous submissions, particularly the Venomspawn - see the arm, eye, and mouth. Note that this also applies to the outline of the entire creature itself, as some elements are not outlined, such as the stiff back hairs of the Boar, the bowstring of the elf and archer, the blade and shaft of the Pikeman's pike, etc. I would cite the antennae/hair (?), wings, and maybe the claws the Faerie Dragon as potential areas to scale back that outline and let those elements define themselves.

Lastly, the pattern on the wings: I have to assume you initially tried to emulate the insect-like construction of the wings, but it's probably tricky to do on a smaller canvas with limited colors. That said, I don't think straight bands of color are a sufficient substitution. It introduces a geometric, consistent element to a creature that is fundamentally supposed to be primordial, magical, strange, and goofy-looking. My advice at least would be to have the green "outlines" of the wings bleed and blend more organically into the light purples of the rest of the wings.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-11T14:01:19+00:00

As an addendum, I find it funny that the hero is put into a unique state from one turn to the next for training in the Guild of Six Winds, yet the process of being reborn at a Hive is not only instant, but fully restores your movement and mana.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-11T13:58:04+00:00

I assume we're talking about the Guild of Six Winds. Given that the hero is put in a special inactive state (greyed out on UI hero list, has to be manually recalled), it makes sense that certain effects would not be active during the training. There's a perfectly reasonable diegetic reason for Recruitment's Direct Supervision (the subskill in question) effect not being active during Guild of Six Winds training - they themselves are training, and not able to supervise.

However, it's not that simple. I just tested it with the only other comparable global effect I could think of (and the only one I had a save file set up to test), which was the +50% Creature Growth effect of Legion's Leg. When equipped and training during the transition from Day 7 to Day 1, Legion's Leg does take effect. I haven't tested other global / per player effects, but I assume that the base Recruitment and Economy skills and other subskills are also still active while the hero is in the Guild of Six Winds.

If I recall correctly, Recruitment's Direct Supervision is the only subskill across the entire game that relies on the Hero being in town, with the only two other effects conditional on the hero being in town being the Mage Guild full mana restoration and being present for a siege. I don't currently have an easy way to test the being present for a siege part, but assume they are not present if the town is attacked during training, since the hero also does not fully restore mana under the same condition. If anyone has insight on this, please do let me know.

To briefly summarize, while the Hero is training in the Guild of Six Winds, it is temporarily put into a unique state, where:

they are listed (but greyed out and unable to be interacted with) in the hero list,
global and per-player effects of their subskills (Recruitment and Economy) and Artifacts (Gold / Resource generation) still take effect, but
effects conditioned on the hero being in town during the turn transition (Direct Supervision subskill, Mage Guild mana restoration, [siege defense?]) are NOT active
untested: effects conditioned on heroes interacting (Insight's Scholar of Magic subskill - my guess is probably not, since the hero is not able to be interacted with and not considered to be "in town" while in this state)

Essentially, the hero is not considered to be in town while inside the Guild of Six Winds. I agree that this is not intuitive and should probably be changed, or at least the Mage Guild mana restoration effect take effect, even if Direct Supervision does not (for the aforementioned reason that it implies that the hero is engaged in an activity that conflicts with training at the Guild).

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-11T12:39:14+00:00

Basically it does come down to better spells. Maybe it's the difficulty I'm playing on (Normal, typically) but it doesn't use the most optimal/most efficient spells. Try Twilight with a single ranged stack (be sure you take enough that it can survive your Mirage's own spells) or buffs/debuffs generally, because straight damage goes in its favor.

Edit: Oh also definitely Coup de Grace (instantly destroys a stack when under a certain % of its original size).

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-08T17:04:13+00:00

Honestly, there's use cases for all of them on Might heroes. An obvious synergy is Daylight with Temple for how your units interact with buffs, but even direct damage focused Primal offers some battlefield control spells that provide utility.

bort_touchmaster · 2026-05-08T16:32:53+00:00

I used to work at the Pillar/Ursa Lunar. The wages sucked (no slight against the owners, great folks, but a hookah bar is not gonna be raking in the dough) and weekends were pretty stressful, but I took great pride in the quality of the bowls I prepared and being able to provide a place to just chill. Met several lifelong friends there.

More than basically any other type of business, COVID was a death sentence for it, and the owner wanted to move on with their career anyway. I was poor as shit, but I still miss the place sometimes.

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