Author: Liso1 November 14, 2024 0 Comments

The GOG Preservation Program ensures classic games remain playable on modern systems, even after their developers stopped supporting them. By maintaining these iconic titles, GOG helps you protect and relive the memories that shaped you, DRM-free and with dedicated tech support.

If you could go back to 1999 and think about the games you played and hold most dear to your heart, what would that list look like? For some of you, it might be Resident Evil 3, Final Fantasy VIII, GTA2, Quake III Arena, or even EverQuest. But for others, one title will surely be on that list – Heroes of Might and Magic III. It’s a gaming phenomenon – a title that is considered one of the best by some people, while not really having a big influence on the whole history of gaming.

25

Years since release

1000000

Copies sold between 1999 and 2001

10

Years since GOG revived it

Beginning of Magic

The story of Might & Magic series can’t be told without Jon Van Caneghem – creator of the series and founder of New World Computing. If we go back to 1983, we can find Jon doing two things – studying at UCLA and playing board games and RPGs with friends. But that was not enough for him. He wanted to play more, better, faster. That desire propelled Jon to create the company and his first game – Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum.

I had been playing board games my entire life and then found paper RPGs like D&D. As much as I enjoyed the Saturday D&D / board games, I wanted to play more often and faster.

Jon Van Caneghem, RPG Codex Retrospective

Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum was completed in 1986 while Jon was finishing college. By 1989 it sold over 100,000 copies, which is impressive not only considering the times, but also how it was sold. At first, Jon handled everything, from marketing, and advertising in magazines to manning the telephone and handling orders by phone. That strategy resulted in 5000 copies being sold in the first two months.

Fortunately for Jon, Activision Affiliate Label Program soon acquired him and could scale the sales, which resulted in the number we mentioned before. Mind you, it wasn’t the type of deal that freed all of Jon’s time. While Activision handled distribution, Jon’s side still needed to handle boxes, warehousing, shrinkwrapping, ads and customer service.

It was actually Activision that had a thing called Affiliate Label Program where they said “We have a great sales force but we don’t have enough product. We need people with finished products and for a free we’ll charge you for distribution.”

Jon Van Caneghem

Rise of New World Computing

The success of the first Might and Magic game laid a strong foundation for Jon Van Caneghem and New World Computing. Over the next few years, the company grew, releasing subsequent titles in the Might and Magic series that further expanded its fanbase.

The company became known for its dedication to rich storytelling and complex gameplay, hallmarks that would define its future projects. New World Computing’s relationship with Activision helped distribute and market their games, bringing the Might and Magic series to a wider audience.

In 1990, the company released King’s Bounty, a top-down strategy RPG that combined elements of simulation and strategy. Even though the game was released without fanfare, it was a very important stepping stone to what would in the future become Heroes of Might and Magic. Looking at the gameplay of King’s Bounty we can clearly see elements that would later be used in the Heroes series. While a lot of systems were widely different from what we know, two elements are quite obvious even at a glance – map and combat.

Heroes rising

Emboldened by the success of both Might and Magic series and great reception of King’s Bounty, Jon Van Cangehem dove deep into his next big project – Heroes of Might and Magic. The base idea was to take the fantasy of Might and Magic and transpose it to King’s Bounty top-down view. But that is not the whole story.

Heroes of Might and Magic combined many different ideas, systems, and strategy elements all present in different games. But here, they were combined creating an intricate system with exploration, fighting, recruiting, building and resources management, all packed into a turn-based playstyle.

This level of intricacy is one of the reasons of Heroes of Might and Magic success, but also kind of the reason of the divide. People who played it can understand why it’s so fun. But if we take someone who only saw the screenshots in a magazine review – they wouldn’t understand. They would only see hand-drawn graphics, weird looking monsters and a map view that was less than current. Heroes of Might and Magic came out in 1995. The same year titles like Mortal Kombat 3, Star Wars: Dark Forces and Hexen came out. Those titles were graphically more impressive to look at. And sure, there were some hand-drawn games, but they were mostly jRPG or adventure point-and-click games like Discworld, where hand-drawn looked way better.

Despite all that, the game was a success, topping the 100,000 sales mark. This success resulted in Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars to be released just a year later in 1996, with an expansion “The Price of Loyalty” releasing in 1997.

By the end of 1999, combined sales of both installments and expansions exceeded 1,500,000 sales.

My goal was always to make a game with enough tools and stuff that people could play it the way they wanted to play.

Jon Van Caneghem (Matt Barton interview)

Development of Heroes of Might and Magic III

With the success of the first two games, New World Computing embarked on an ambitious project: Heroes of Might and Magic III. The development process was not without its challenges. Van Caneghem recalled that the game was not considered fun until just three weeks before it shipped. It was a crucial period of tweaking pacing, turn length, and move distance that finally brought the game together.

The team faced technical limitations and a tight schedule, but their passion for the project kept them motivated. They introduced new factions, each with its own unique set of units and abilities, adding strategic depth to the game. The turn-based mechanics required players to think critically and plan several steps ahead, ensuring that every decision mattered.

After the release of HoMM III, the financial troubles of The 3DO Company led to the sale of the Might and Magic franchise to Ubisoft. While Ubisoft has continued to develop Heroes games, the critical reception has waned over the years, with the series slowly losing the magic that kept the players so engaged over the years.

Reception and Legacy

When Heroes of Might and Magic III was released in February 1999, it received widespread acclaim from both critics and players. The game’s deep gameplay, high replayability, and improved graphics were praised, and it quickly became a best-seller.

The success of the game led to the release of two expansion packs: “Armageddon’s Blade” and “The Shadow of Death.” These expansions introduced new campaigns, heroes, units, and maps, further enriching the HoMM III experience. The addition of the Conflux faction in “Armageddon’s Blade” brought the total number of factions to nine, offering even more variety and strategic possibilities.

Innovations and Features

Heroes of Might and Magic III introduced several groundbreaking features that set it apart from other games of its time. The hand-drawn art style created an immersive fantasy world that captivated players and set the game apart from other titles. The vibrant colors and intricate landscapes brought the game to life, making every battle and exploration visually stunning.

The game’s soundtrack, composed by Paul Romero, Rob King, and Steve Baca, perfectly complemented the epic scale of the game. Each faction had its own theme music, enhancing the atmosphere and immersion. The combination of visual and auditory elements created a truly enchanting experience.

But those are not the only reasons for the game’s fame, especially when we look at it from the perspective of geography. The most active gaming community surrounding Heroes of Might and Magic III is no doubt located in central and easter Europe, especially in countries that were for a long time behind the Iron Curtain, where access to newest technology was limited. While the rest of the world played Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament, those were not the games that would run smoothly on usual systems back here. And not everyone had a computer. That’s why Heroes of Might and Magic III was a perfect game to pick up.

Personally I picked it up, because it would run smoothly on my PC and I could play with my friends in a hot-seat setting. Of course when I played it, rest of the reasons to love the title emerged. And I think it’s the same or very similar story for many people from central and eastern Europe.

20 years of Might and Magic

More than two decades after its release, Heroes of Might and Magic III remains a beloved classic. Its impact on the turn-based strategy genre is undeniable, influencing countless games that followed. The vibrant community of fans continues to play, mod, and discuss the game, keeping its legacy alive.

The game’s active modding community has created numerous mods that enhance and expand the original experience. Popular mods like “Horn of the Abyss” and “Wake of Gods” add new content, graphical improvements, and additional campaigns, while community-driven tournaments keep engagement up ensuring that HoMM III remains fresh and exciting.

Heroes of Might and Magic III Preservation log:

Update (13 November 2024)

• Fixed non-playing intros in RU and FR versions of the game.
• Fixed windowed mode (F4) in all versions through the use of DDrawCompat.
• Validated stability.
• Verified compatibility with Windows 10 and 11.

Update (16 April 2019)

•  Added Russian localization

Update 4.0 (3.2) (09 November 2018)

• Added Polish localization
• Added dummy IFC20.dll file to French version, for HD Mod compatibility (not included)

Update 4.0 (A) (22 March 2017)

•  Added support for Cloud Saves in GOG Galaxy 1.2 and newer

Author: Karol Ascot Obrzut
https://www.gog.com/blog/heroes-of-might-and-magic-iii/