Heroes of Might and Magic Online Review

By Jerrico Tan (JetSet), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

 

Meant as a browser game for the Chinese market in 2008, Heroes of Might and Magic Online (or HoMMO for short) arrived to western shores as a standalone client game last June 2010. TQ digital, a Chinese game studio, based this game on Ubisoft’s best selling franchise – Heroes of Might and Magic III but this time added an MMO spice to it.

 

 

For those who are unfamiliar with this long running franchise, this game is generally about the player being a hero of their race who sets out to become the ruler of their land with tactical prowess and castle management.

 

Choosing the Right Faction and Creating the Perfect Leader

 

Each faction displays its strengths and weaknesses to help you decide who to join

When logging in for the first time, the game lets you select one of 8 factions. Each faction has its own town design with a unique set of racial units to choose from, and each of these units have their own tactical styles, thus spicing up combat quite nicely. For example, choosing the ‘Castle’ gives you human units that offer straightforward attack bonuses while the ‘Necropolis’ gives you undead units that specialize in devastating debuffs (one of these units even has a skill that can cut an enemy’s HP in half!).

 

 

After choosing a faction, players must next create a hero that will provide commands to the selected faction units. They can choose from spell caster or melee type of hero. Both classes can choose the same illustrations/avatar pictures in the list, but their starting hero appearances are the same. You can customize your hero’s hairstyle and equip class specific armors later in the game.

 

A Different Kind of “Might and Magic”

As I have said earlier, this MMO spinoff derived most of its elements from Might and Magic III. The classic hexagonal turn based battles are still here, but TQ added new kinds of exploration elements to it.

 

The new exploration system makes this game feel unique from previous Might and Magic titles

 

The new kind of adventure element that separates this game from previous HoMM titles is the real time exploration. That means you can explore the beginner city of Harmondale and the rest of the world with your hero as an avatar. The realms outside the city are filled with wild creatures that can be farmed for items. There are also grinding types of quests that should be completed outside the city such as killing 8 wild beasts or reaching NPCs located at places in the middle of nowhere. You shouldn’t worry about finding the quests though because just like other Chinese MMOs (like Godswar Online), you can use the autopath feature to let your hero easily get to its required destination.

 

 

The classic turn based world travel system is still here, but is now part of Episodic Quests that have to be completed for rewards. These quests can also be completed with friends through co-op. Supply items can also be collected here (all supplies that you have collected in the quests can be deposited when you’re back in the city).

 

The City of Harmondale and Your Very Own Town

The city of Harmondale is the heart of the game. This is where you can sell and trade items, deposit looted supplies in quests, change your hairstyle and assign members for your army. Some special events (like trivia quiz contests) are held in the city daily. The main city is also the only place where you can gain access to your town.

 

 

Your very own town is the only place where you can upgrade units, and each of them has their own respected houses. Players can only gain access to the higher-level units when your town has reached its house requirements. Fallen units from previous battles can also be used to upgrade its squad’s star level (raising star levels give great bonuses in the unit’s stats).

 

 

Combat, Spells and PVP

Just like Might and Magic III, battles take place in a small arena with hexagonal tiles. Each player represents squads of visible units on each side of the screen. Ranged units can fire across the arena while melee units need to reach their opponents’ units first in order to attack. Heroes are on the side of the battlefield but can play an active role. They can only use spells learned in their spell-books (spells vary from powerful nukes to support buffs that can help your squads last even longer in battle).

 

 

Another unique element in this MMO is its spell learning system. Proficiency points (which can be achieved through in-game battles) are needed to level-up your spells. Unlike the usual MMOs, higher spell-books are required to master spells.

 

 

And lastly, through the game’s matchmaking system, TQ has perfected its PVP feature. Thanks to this, players are assured of having an even match against their opponents. Tournaments and ranking matches are held daily and winning players are greatly rewarded. These and many other features sum up to an MMO worth playing.

 

Imperfections

But amidst all the features mentioned, there are still noticeable flaws and drawbacks. It takes a long while for a player who is new to Might and Magic to learn the game’s basics. The user manual is also misleading. The game was poorly translated in English and some game dialogues were difficult to understand (Gibberish characters always appear after texts which can be annoying). The graphics is outdated for its time (2008) and making it 2.5D clearly wasn’t enough to compete with other MMOs in the market. Non-paying players are also at a large disadvantage as there are no opportunities to obtain cash items, unlike other MMOs

 

 

 

In conclusion, TQ did a great job in making this a special MMO spinoff of Might and Magic III. Unfortunately, hardcore fans of the franchise might get disappointed about this one. The MMO elements that were added made it lose the Heroes of Might and Magic feel. Plus, the game itself is more about the growth of your hero and spells instead of town and unit management. Nevertheless, this is still certainly commendable since this game was developed by a totally different team and the game itself is meant for another audience.

 

But despite all those issues, this unique Heroes of Might and Magic game is still one of the best strategy games around and is definitely worth a try.

 

 

The Verdict: Good (7/10)

The pros:

*Based on a highly acclaimed franchise.

*Wide range of factions and tactical gameplay.

*Great matchmaking system.

*Easy to manage buildings and units.

 

The Cons:

*Confusing game basics and misleading manuals.

*Poorly translated interfaces/scripts.

*Outdated graphics (for a client game).

EVE Online: Lightyears Ahead of The Pack

By Remko Molenaar (Proxzor), OnRPG Journalist

 

 

EVE Online isn’t just a game. EVE Online is its own universe in which its residents take space combat and investing very seriously. EVE Online has been quite a popular game for a long time now and it is still as populated as the first day it got released. This game doesn’t function like standard MMOs in which you kill baddies and level up your character and armor. In EVE you are free to seek out whatever goals you wish, be it power, money, or exploration. For the newcomers considering trying EVE, I have found a video that gives you some backstory into just what type of game you are about to hop into.

 

I Was There Video

 

 

 

Gameplay

EVE Online is a MMORPG that takes place approximately 20.000 years after our time in a galaxy on the far end of the universe. EVE is a single “shard” virtual game. What that means is that everyone who joins EVE becomes a part of the same world and the same community. The industry standard for MMORPGs is to run the game on multiple smaller servers, so called shards, so that each player only has the opportunity of interaction with a few thousand other players even if the number of subscribers can be in the millions. In EVE you have the opportunity to affect more than 250.000 other players in one way or another as all our players are a part of the same persistent universe, hosted on the world‘s most powerful gaming server yet.

 

 

EVE Online isn’t a game where you can just rush head first into battle and succeed. You have to think about what you want to do in the future. Successful players consider both what they are aiming for and what they are currently capable of. You have to invest money (ISK) and time to advance to higher ships and skills. You will have to upgrade various skills and upgrade your implants to get better in the game. Skills are the most important thing EVE Online has made up. These skills aren’t just learned instantaneously  at a skill trainer. Skills are acquired ingame and then sold to market. Learning these skills also requires waiting x amount of real time. Acquiring better skills also opens opportunities for upgrading your ship and its defenses. These skills might unlock better guns or better armor for your hull, or they might affect the speed of your ship and other modules that is used by your ship and character.

 

Rigs

Rig selection is about as close as you will get to choosing a class in Eve Online. Your Rig determines the overarching strategy of your ship from movement speed, to range of fire, to rate of fire. Also the amount of damage you inflict is impacted by what Rig you are piloting (in combination with your ammunition type). There are also rigs that help you slow down the target or to make your ship go faster or that makes your shields stronger.

 

 

You can also change your playstyle by utilizing drones. Every ship is different and some of them have a bigger drone bay. These drones are little flying space robots that support you in battle. These robots are the most helpful little robot you can find in outer space because they can really make a different in your game. They are a valuable addition to your fleet so be sure to always bring them back into your docking bay after battle or you will lose then when entering warp speed. You’ll be glad you didn’t leave them behind when space pirates come knocking as your door.

 

 

Crafting

In EVE Online it is also possible to craft items and even ships. To start the process you need to acquire a blueprint. Once you have blueprints the long process of collecting materials begins. These items can be find through mining and salvaging ship wrecks. There are also different skills that are required to produce the item you want to make. Some skills you acquire can boost the speed of crafting time as well. This might seem pointless in most MMOs but crafting an entire ship can be a lengthy process in EVE.

 

 

If you are not a combat oriented player, a career in mining is likely for you; this is done by upgrading skills that are required when mining steroids and planets. But beware! Mining is done by big ships that are not that good at defending themselves and you are a big target for space pirates. The “Lower Sectors” seem to be particularly dangerous for new players learning the ropes of mining. Now you might be thinking ‘huh, booted to your capsule? What are you talking about?’ Well if a person is attacked and his ship gets destroyed you are ejected to your space pod. You are placed in a little capsule which can go into warp speed immediately when it is not engaged. If you are however targeted and your pod gets destroyed you might lose all your upgrades your character possesses. You are able to clone yourself to take insurance against this happening. Clones are the equivalent of creating a save state in an MMO. So if your capsule gets destroyed you will jump into that clone and you can live on happily ever after. Ship insurance also exists if you fear space pirates destroying your prized possession. There are different of options to insure yourself from horrible situations and there are different insurances you can take. Ship insurance is useful for miners but even more important for actual space pirates as you can expect to be blown apart quite regularly in that line of work.

 

Butterfly Effect Video

 

 

Lower Sectors

In EVE Online all the regions have a different security level, this security level determines how safe you are in the current sector. The CONCORD controls a lot of regions to keep you safe from pirate scum that try to engage your ship. However if you are in the lower levels of space that the CONCORD doesn’t control it is basically a free for all for everyone who is flying around. Now you might be wondering, why go to these sectors when there is a possibility of getting attacked and losing your ship. Well basically it is possible to acquire better objects in the lower sectors of space. Therefore many pirate corporations are located in the lower sections and use it as their special home.

 

 

If you are a mining character and want to mine in the lower sections it is advised to bring yourself a group of defenders to help you mine the goods. Corporations in EVE Online usually have a schedule of when they are going to the lower sections to mine which will help out the miners a lot. However you are never safe in space so don’t expect to just chill around watching a movie while you are mining your goods. Space pirates are the least of your worries when two corporations’ mining schedules overlap.

 

The Man Who Had it All

Lately in real life you might hear a lot more about banks failing from the bad economy and pyramid schemes swindling people out of their life savings. A while ago something familiar like this also happened in EVE Online. Now you might be thinking, how is this possible? Well EVE Online is a very open game and allows the player to attempt just about anything he is gutsy enough to try. If you want to sell your character for real money or game money, you are free to do so. If you have plenty of money in real life and feel like getting richer in the game? Feel free to sell game cards since its sanctioned by CCP Games.

 

 

Now back to the story, there was once a man that decided to play the game and act like a real life bank. He had a little capital that helped him get started so he decided to loan out money to different people. Business went so well he decided he could also act as a bank that collects interest on loans, or pay interest on savings accounts. It was a success and big corporations started investing money and he earned a lot of cash by giving out loans and receiving money from corporations that would help him give out more loans just like a real economic system. Everything went smooth and solid for a steady 2 years until he decided to pull out the plug. But instead of giving the money back to its owners he decided he would just keep it all. Now this created some big chaos in the world of EVE Online; people wanted him banned and were starting to freak out. But since EVE Online has such an open game like this he couldn’t get banned since he did something the game actually supports!

 

Graphics

EVE Online is a really stunning beautiful game. To play this phenomenal space simulator you will need a decent computer rig. The game requires to have at least a 1.5 Ghz Pentium 4 processor and 1.5GB of ram. You will also need 20Gb of Free hard disk space along with a video card that has 128MB of video ram. If you are not familiar with your computer specs I’d say you will have no problem running this game with a computer rig that has been built in the last 6-7 years. The recommended system requirements are MUCH higher though than the minimum and require you to have at least a dual core processor along with a video card that has been made in the last 2 years. Hitting these specs is well worth the payoff on this game!

 

Conclusion

EVE Online has been the leader in space MMORPG’s for quite some time now and CCP can be really proud of this wonderful game. I have played this game for quite a while and wish I had more freedom to wander the endless realms of space. Personally I felt that in today’s instant gratification world, some of the wait times in EVE are a bit over the top. This is just a personal grievance though and the community interested in a game like this doesn’t seem to mind the immersion factor it adds to the game. EVE Online makes everything you can think of possible with a political-economic system well ahead of its time. Every space freak out there should at least give EVE Online a chance because it is truly an amazing game.