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| Thread: Heroes V Overview |  This thread is pages long: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 · NEXT» |
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ThE_HyDrA
Admirable
Famous Hero
The Leader of all Hydras
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posted January 17, 2004 08:11 AM |
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Heroes V Overview
This thread is dedicated to all Heroes of Might and Magic V news from the Ubisoft team as they release it. While directed at members who wish to learn about the work Ubisoft have done, and plan on doing, it can also be used as a thread for discussion of key points, main elements of the game, and questions about the information. Please use the appropriate threads to post your thoughts:
Heroes Basic Concepts and Wishes – Post more succinct wishes and hopes here. Also, post here for the more unique concepts of the game, and its appeal to you.
Questions to Ubisoft – Post the questions you may have here. All the questions must be to Ubisoft, and not about the game itself.
Heroes V: Preliminary Hypothesis - Discuss the key points already released by Ubisoft in detail in this thread.
Basic Questions on how you like Heroes 5 to be like. – Post here to take Djive’s quiz of 38 basic questions concerning Heroes V.
As aforementioned, this thread will outline every piece of information Fabrice Cambounet, the Senior Producer of Heroes of Might and Magic V at Ubisoft has announced. The events of his announcements will be posted in chronological order. If you have any questions about the information, please don’t hesitate to ask.
November 13th, 2003:
Heroic Corner received an e-mail from Fabrice Cambounet, 10 days after they sent it, enquiring about Ubisoft’s position in development on Heroes V.
The Letter:
Hi
I am Ubisoft's producer for Heroes oMM 5. Thanks a lot for your mail 
We are still very early in the process of developping this title, however every help is welcome. We are very interested in all the community
contribution to the design of the next instalment in the serie ! It will be Thomas Legrand's core job on this title, to be the point of contact for all such discussions with the fan community. He is assisting me in producing the game.
Feel free to send us (to Thomas and me in cc) any idea and proposal you have. I cant promise we would include it, but it will definitely be
considered 
For later stages processes like polls we would also be interested in any help of course.
_________________________
Fabrice Cambounet
Senior Producer
November 17th, 2003:
MuadDib posts at the Round Table boards for his first post in the Heroes Community. He released one game related item of information:
“The goal I was set by Ubisoft is indeed to improve a lot on the series, even at the risk of altering the gameplay.”
November 18th, 2003:
Angelspit, of Celestial Heavens conducted an interview with Fabrice Cambounet. You can read the interview in its entirety here, however, I have extracted what I feel are the more important parts.
“When did work on Heroes begin exactly?
Not more than a month ago actually for the real production, although the process of launching the project itself started a couple of months before that.”
“When will Ubisoft officially announce the game?
Probably not before around this time next year, as there is a long road to go.”
“Are there any plans to recruit former 3DO or New World Computing employees?
We are considering this.”
“Is there any major change (3D engine, Heroes on/off the battlefield, etc.) that has been considered yet?
These *minor* changes are among the "one-thousand-questions-for-heroes5-design" ”
“Are there plans to develop a RPG Might and Magic game in the future?
All I can say now is : "most certainly".”
Interview courtesy of Angelspit and Celestial Heavens
November 29th, 2003
Fabrice Cambounet continues his trend of generosity towards Heroes fans by answering 22 questions the Round Table members had to offer. Additionally, he posted on the Heroes Community, answering 6 questions.
Round Table:
“I would start by saying the game announcement might be done much earlier than I thought.
2D/3D : ok let's crack this, it's not so much of a scoop really, the game will be rendered in 3D. The graphical quality will be much improved by this, believe me. There are also quirks that need to be adressed, but we have the time for that, and this is where I will directly ask fans about specific points along the way.
Console versions : cant say yet. If we break the million mark you might even ask about gameboy/psp
Storyline : I see you started a thread about that, as we are still discussing options on this point this is very useful.
Heroes on/off battlefield : I should have the perfect solution for this point - there is only a few people left to eliminate in order to reach an agreement
NWC material for H5 : we're starting anew.
Underground : most probably.
News : hey what are you calling this ! I might release some concept art soon to get your opinion.
Skill/spell/creatures system : being discussed now, we will not use a previous one but improve on the existing.
Basic ideas : yes they is a core vision of the game that we are building on, but a lot of points are still open.
Fans influence : I think I answered that in the "polls" discussion.[Fans can send ideas, all will be considered, no promises for implementation, though – ThE_HyDrA]
Rights : on NWC logo and such, dunno. On game contents, yes, of course.
Sandro : we'll see.
Market we're aiming at : that's the good question We want to improve the game a lot and appeal to much more people. Sounds like a common marketing tradeline doesnt it ? But we also want to appeal to the fans, otherwise I wouldnt be here.
Multiplayer : a large part of discussions of course, everything is considered.
RPG / strategy balance : I think HoMM is mostly a strategy game.
Patching : we will if needed, but a patched game also means an unbalanced game at the release.
Engine : as former NWC material, starting anew.
Team/employees : cant disclose yet, for NWC employees I said we are considering this.
Music : the music will be like in Heroes 5.[Heroes 4 – ThE_HyDrA]
Demo : Of course.
New features : along with our vision of the game, they are basically the reason why we make Heroes 5. However I cant disclose this now.
Sfx : forget what you've seen elsewhere.”
Heroes Community:
"New features : there are a few major new features we are discussing at this point, but as these would be the reason why we make Heroes 5, I cant disclose them just right now.
Views : it will also be improved a lot, however trying to keep it simple to use.
Skill/spell system, creature levels : being discussed, we will not use H4/H3 system but make up something new, starting from them.
Heroes on/off battlefield : just a few people left to kill and we should reach an agreement... But I think I have a good solution
Storyline : I'd like to return the question and have your opinion about it (in a different thread I think). Open question at this stage.
Towns : going to be improved a lot, yes they will look different."
November 30th, 2003
Fabrice stopped into the Heroes Community again, for the second day in succession to enlighten the members.
"To Gerdash : How do I know it will turn out better ? Hey, I'm paid to know ! More precisely, I want to make all interfaces and mostly choices a lot clearer. It will be better visually, but also easier to use. This is critical in order for any player to be able to enter any game.
About the reasons for the success of the HoMM series, I'd like to return the question to you fans. What is it that attracs people, and what differentiate it from other strategy games ?
MP : I said at the RT that we are working on this, it is a large part of the game. I'd like to make open betatest, but there is an incredible number of obstacles, like code dispersion, leak of ideas and assets, confidentiality... We'll see.
Random map generator : I'd like to have that. I'll keep you posted.
Previous heroes / story : this is also a point I answered, we are discussing this and any opinion is welcomed.
More interaction with the map / between players : being discussed, however this is not critical.
3D : for the whole game !"
December 5th, 2003
Ubisoft released 6 preliminary art sketches they have drawn to all the major websites of the Heroes Community. Among these include Celestial Heavens, Heroic Corner, and Heroes Community. We received the archer, the thread containing this can be found here
 Large version can be found here
 Large version can be found here
 Large version can be found here
 Large version can be found here
 Large version can be found here
 Large version can be found here
December 6th, 2003
The administrator of Heroic Corner LaBoule, met Fabrice Cambounet in Moscow to discuss the Heroes Series. Firstly, concerning Heroes III and IV, and then, his plans for Heroes V. The complete interview is available here. Once again, I believe I have posted the more pressing issues.
Key:
FC = Fabrice Cambounet
HC = Heroic Corner
“FC: … The (art) style we want to have is much more modern style than that of Heroes III and IV…The biggest influence is mostly about all European comic books... products of this type.”
“HC: And who are the painters of these sketches? Are they inspired somehow by Japanese anime?
FC: They are inspired by... The sources that I know, they does include, of course, Japanese anime, as Japanese comic books, but mostly, I think, also the games they played and all comic books.”
“FC: …3D provides numerous advantages: zoom in/out with many details, better animation, a number of special effects... You gain more than you loose. And I think we wont lose much.”
“HC: What is the current stage of development for Heroes V?
FC: We started about 1.5 months ago or so, and also what have been done are texts, design, plannings, allocations, all the management stuff, rough scenarios, discussions.”
“HC: What can you say about release date?
FC: Hm. Only one is definitely: not in the next year.”
December 10th, 2003
Fabrice Cambounet continues with his frequent visits to the Round Table, as he posts another batch of (this time 6) answers to questions Heroes fanatics had.
“Hotseat mode : It will probably be implemented, but we would like to make the online experience the center of multiplayer games !
Phoenix: hum... we`ll see
Stacks: Yes.
More tactical combat: A major point that we`re discussing now.
Map in a game box : yes I`d really like to have some `deluxe` edition of the game with high quality prints of sketches, some model statue of a creature, a leather map, extended manual, this sort of things. It`s too early to make plans, but I think that would be nice
3D : I understand the doubts about this point, I`d like to wait a bit and be able to show you what can be done with some models. Probably not before the official game announcement though. I can precise that this will be rendered 3D.
Game system (number of towns and such) : I cant disclose much now, but in this respect we would like to stay true to HoMM tradition.
Living towns / animations : Yes this is a must for the game to feel alive amd moving around you. This will also be much easier to do in 3D.
Storyline / new heroes : Still reading threads on these points, we advanced our decisions, I`ll say more next time probably, but we want to introduce new heroes, yes.”
December 18th, 2003
Fabrice Cambounet again posts on the Round Table, answering 9 questions submitted by Round Table members. Never lacking was his cryptic method of answering these questions. The thread, and his comments, can be found here. Here is a summary of his comments:
“Towns : it has been decided
Balancing the game : we'll probably use something similar to the peon system, with a basic unit as reference. This phase is a long way off - although I'm giving some thoughts of the way we'll make betatests. Communities should be called upon.
PBEM: [Play By E-mail – ThE_HyDrA] could do, that will depend on the size of save files.”
December 23rd, 2003
December 23rd was a big day for the Heroes-playing community, with not only the release of some verbal answers, but also some visual information. The sketch art depicting a rolling, green, landscape with two large castles situated on it, is a present from Fabrice for the fans posting so much on the message boards. A pretty good deal. Despite the information being cryptic, the new art style continued to induce questions.
The picture is located on Celestial Heavens.
 .
The large version.
Additional information, again posted on the Round Table.
“Transfer lags in MP : it is indeed pretty fair to assume we'll try to do better than in H4 
Towns : they *define* the inner game structure !
Policy on fan-created addons, as well as for permission to use material : send that to me at this time. It is not my own decision but I'll forward it.
Stacks : I answered yes before, and that means we cant reasonably have more than one figure for each stack.
Impressive, sensational and striking title : that's about the minimum we are aiming at !
Redistribution of previous games : been asked about that before. This is a marketing decision, I'll bring it forward, but dont expect a miracle for old releases.
Ideas on CH & elsewhere : up to now I've seen a fair share of discussions going around. I've noticed interesting ideas or point of views. In some communities I even get digest feedbacks or summaries, or even game analysis, which is pretty impressive. On the overall I think I got a lot of informations and opinions from the fan site - which is precisely what I wanted
Hotseat mode : I'm certain we will probably implement it.”
January 5th, 2004
Finally, the most recent answers from Ubisoft Senior Producer, Fabrice Cambounet, and the first for 2004. This was also another eventful day for Heroes Community, with Fabrice answering questions here, as well as on the Round Table.
Heroes Community:
“Basic game structure : will be kept.
Online : we are planning a lot of different things here !
3D : once again this is going to be a normal 3D game, I'm sure you have seen how it works ”
Round Table:
“Storyline : we are developing a unique storyline for the whole solo game.
Online threads : we are still keeping an eye around, however it is much easier when communities leaders send summaries by mail (Thanks Ururam
Have we thought about dragons : yes !
Camera : the camera will but mostly fixed to avoid getting lost anywhere.
IRT andrzej17, who wanted another present for 2004 : I will choose the one about upgrades, you have your answer by looking at the december sketches
Creature sizes : working on it.”
January 20th, 2004
MuadDib answers yet another round of questions from the Round Table. Read the reply in context here. The more important areas are listed below. Fabrice also made a visit to the Heroes Community, answering 2 questions.
"Expansion / new game : Heroes 5 will be a logical and real evolution in the series, but at the heart, stay true to the principles of previous instalments. That's why I say that the basic game structure (the core design) will remain. That also mean we *will* try new things also
Creatures start on battlefield : as this will be 3D, it will be chosen by the player mostly.
Camera : this will be tuned during testing, zooming is clearly intended.
Storyline : I think I already said we had an outline at this stage. But I really cant say more
Grail : considered.
Weather : we could do it for the sake of impressive settings, at least. That's a good idea.
Diplomacy : not a major key in the game, but creating alliances during a mission will certainly be possible.
Specs : we'll have scalability, of course. I want to have people drooling over screenshots "
Heroes Community:
"Graphics : I think the sketches sent so far give a good view of the style we are aiming for.
Futuristic : never heard these rumors."
January 23, 2004
In an apparently private interview with Celestial Heavens administrator, Angelspit, Fabrice Cambounet states that Ubisoft will announce the game much earlier than expected - in a couple of weeks. In another question, Angelspit asked if subtitles like 'The Succession Wars' would return. The answer was: "Right now, it's still Heroes of Might and Magic V, but that could change during production." Though being announced soon, it has been confirmed that Heroes V will not be present at the E3 Games Expo.
February 12, 2004
Rumours sourced from Russian Fansite Heroic Corner have indicated a possible partnership between Ubisoft and Nival Interactive.
"Company Nival Interactive has participated in tender competition concerning development of Heroes V," explains LaBoule. "Nival may [even have] won this tender."
Nival later denied that they would be taking part in development.
March 1, 2004
Rob King, composer of the music for all of the previous Heroes of Might and Magic Games, known on the Heroes Community as 'HeroesMusicMan' made a post on his own board concerning his involvement in Heroes V:
"H5
? Don't really know. I talked with Ubi Soft a couple months ago, but that was it. As of today I am not doing it.
Rob"
The link to the thread can be found here
April 16, 2004
Fabrice Cambounet, also known as MuadDib returned to the community after a few months break to provide some more treasured information about the progress of Heroes V, and what Ubisoft have done. The article of information can be found at the bottom of this thread, at The Round Table. Additionally, Fabrice has released a new picture, which can be found below, as can the information.
Evil Creature Large
"The development is going well, we will have the first versions coming soon, with the basic elements of the game. That is, the "core features" : combat, adventure view, managing city, arranging army and heroes. We are in line with schedule, and, in my opinion, quality.
The game official announcement, however, will not be done before E3, as was planned earlier, but some time later probably. This is not my decision here, but if you look at it from a positive view, there will be less time to wait for the release, when the announcement is made !
Regarding official homepage and stuff, you probably found the seed already. It will be open with the game announcement.
We thought about simultaneous movement on adventure map, it will be used to some extent. The objective being to have shorter and more interesting multiplayer games.
Some important info, heroes will probably not participate directly in combat. They'll be more involved than in Heroes 3 though.
Regarding the former team, we are still discussing with JVC. I hope he'll join, soon enough to be involved in design decisions. Rob King is around and I see no reason why we wouldnt work with him.
The story style that we will use is the faction switching / linked storyline style. I think it is the best from all points of view.
We'll have a combat grid. It will be quite close to Heroes 3."
April 30th, 2004
Fabrice Cambounet has increased his activeness lately, by consistently visiting the Round Table to convey information. Here is the latest round of information. Again, you can read it in context, here
"Will the combat screen/interface be simplified?
Pretty much, yes. The combat phase will undergo a lot of changes and improvements, with a lot of good ideas there. This part of the game starts to be playable.
is h5 going to be a RTS?????
No.
What will happen to HOTSEAT??
I think I already answered that twice. [It will be in - ThE_HyDrA]
Simultaneous turns
Dont worry, the point is to accelerate the game in the early stages mostly. That wouldnt really work in the middle or late game.
i would like, if able, to see some of the sketches about nature/preserve/rampart town
Ok I'll post one next week if you're nice
can you show us a dragon artwork?
That'll will be ONE artwork only, make up your mind !
Will you seperate the undeads from the demons again?
That's in the realms of possibilities.
The hex grid means 3D graphics are going to be useless in battle?
I really dont see the logical link, from a game design point of view...
Have you already decided on what the towns will be?
Pretty much, yes.
Will there be upgrades in monsters???
I hinted to the answer a loong time ago."
May 5th, 2004
The most recent update from Fabrice came in pictorial form. Throughout the past week, there has a survey conducted whether they want to see a Nature Town or a Dragon. You can see the result of the poll below.
Open in New Window.
May 25th, 2004
Three new concept art drawings were released today at the Russian Fansite Heroic Corner providing us with a first look at the battlefield concept Ubisoft have been toying with. They can be found here, in new windows, for they are of a great scale:
Arena
Footman
Water Wheel
December 25th, 2004
After a barren 7-month break, there has been news posted on the Heroic Corner site that states that "We have learned from a 'sufficiently serious' source that Nival Interactive, (believed to be a partner of Ubisoft working on Heroes V) is ready to announce the game sometime during January 2005."
February 1st, 2005
LaBoule of Heroic Corner has reported that the announcement of Heroes of Might and Magic V is pending due to the disagreements with the Electronic Arts 20% partial acquisition of Ubisoft. 'It is logical to assume that Ubisoft would want to wait until the difficulties between the two companies have been laid to rest before proceeding any further.'
February 24th, 2005
Fabrice stepped into the Round Table Forums this morning to reassure fans that, quite simply put, we will announce it when we announce it, and that there will be no further news until that time.
"I'll summarize again : the announcement will be done. Before it is done, there will be no new info.
Is that clearer now ? "
March 17th, 2005
Gaming website To The Game have revealed Ubisoft's 2005-2006 fiscal year product catalog. It mentions two new 'Might and Magic' games:
"...and reinforce its presence in the strategy segment with two games under the Might & Magic brand."
It also lists Heroes of Might and Magic V as one of the games to be released in Q1, 2006 here, i.e. between January and March 2006. But, as we saw with Heroes IV, there can be innumerable delays.
March 30th, 2005
The news that everyone has been waiting for has finally arrived: Heroes of Might and Magic V as been announced. The official release statement can be found on the Ubisoft Website and the accompanying screenshots can be found on the new official site, Might and Magic Game
First Screenshot:
The statement by Fabrice Cambounet on the official forums: here
March 31st, 2005
Just one day after the announcement of Heroes V, Nival Interactive stopped by the Heroic Corner forums to quell a few uncertainties from the screenshots.
1. There will be hotseat.Hotseat - yes.
2.People will be able to play an H5 demo (only humans vs inferno) at the upcoming (April 1-3) KRI conference in Russia, provided that the player signs up an NDA.
3.The game is nothing like Etherlords.
4.They will release portions of information on their site, and so will Ubisoft.
April 4th, 2005
In response to the 'one question' asked by the fans over the past week, Fabrice 'MuadDib' Cambounet gave one 'real' answer, following his April Fools' Adaptable Forts scheme:
"There will be six towns. ... One of them is a completely new addition to the set of factions, while others... may be different... or not "
Full thread and discussion here
April 11th, 2005
An interview was conducted by Angelspit questioning Fabrice Cambounet (a.k.a. MuadDib) on the upcoming Heroes V. The entire interview can be found here, but below are the most enlightening segments:
When asked about the number of towns and their link with Heroes IV:
"It is not linked with Heroes 4 in any way. :Þ Six is a pretty fine number, in terms of variety, balance, and production." ... There are 130 creatures or so in Heroes III "I dare say we will easily top that :Þ"
April 12th, 2005
MuadDib posted in the Round Table forums to clear up the message sent in the interview about 130 creatures, here is what he had to say:
"I need to adress a point where I havent been clear. I compared to H3's number of creatures, including upgrades and addons, and that meant also H5's number of creatures - including upgrades and addons too.
That means a few things : no we wont top 130 only in the main game, but we wont be far from H3's base. Yes we are planning an addon "
April 20th, 2005
6 new screenshots were unnoficially revealed to the public, with the belief being that they were derived from the E3 Games Expo, where Heroes V was on exhibition. The post in which they were released has now been deleted, but the pictures have been salvaged thanks to Ellderon and TitaniumAlloy.
Ore Mine
Crusader vs Balor
Conflicting Landscape
Battle Scene 1
Battle Scene 2
Battle Scene 3
April 24th, 2005
Russian Computing Magazine Computerra conducted an interview with the founder of Nival Interactive, Sergey Orlovsky, who reveals several of the games components. Thanks to Celestial Heavens for the information:
"1. The new game will bring a lot of innovations, but they will develop ideas found in earlier Heroes games.
2. Jon Van Caneghem was offered to join the development process, but he refused.
3. Rob King is composing music for Heroes V. (Rob King is the previous composer for Heroes I - IV)
4. A number of ex-3DO employees helped Nival with Heroes V development (although it is not said exactly how)."
The entire text cannot be viewed as of yet.
Edit: The entire text can now be viewed (in Russian) here
April 27th, 2005
German gaming magazine Gamestar has shed new light on some features of Heroes V, the full translation can be found below:
"General features
- There will be a completely new designed world in Heroes V, thus known heroes won't appear.
- confirmed fractions: humans, demons, undead
- elves and orcs will appear, however whether they are playbale fractions with their own towns is unknown so far
Gameplay
- New system in tactical combat: either as it was in Heroes I-IV or some kind of real time, i.e. you have a time limit per every turn in combat (which will have a hex grid)
- heroes don't act on the battlefield, but wil cast spells
- many units have spells of their own (like angels healing allies)
Storyline
- Dragons will play a major role, they will be found in religion and astrology as well as in tales and legends. Every race is connected to dragons, either in a direct or indirect way.
- The fanatic humans of the griffin empire worship the dragon of light (the idol of their religion) and hunt down heretics with their army of knights and powerful angels mercilessly.
- The "seventh dragon", a legendary wizard, banned the demons in a plane, but they will be back in Heroes V and still have a bone to pick with him.
- The storyline begins as follows: The demons kill the recently crowned king of the humans, Nicolai, whose wife Isabel seeks revenge. To defeat the demons, she makes an alliance with the undead followers of the necropolis - a fatal decision..."
Gaming website To The Game have also provided some more detail on features that are already confirmed...
"- A more mature & consistent heroic fantasy universe: Includes all the features that made the series successful in a completely revamped and more mature universe – with six unique factions and over 40 different creatures and spells.
- Complete strategy experience and RPG gameplay: During six campaigns and more than 30 missions, explore and conquer territories, manage your cities, recruit armies and raise and upgrade your heroes through a user-friendly yet deep turn-based system.
- Complete scalable turn-based battle system for challenging and tactical combats: Discover the combat system that made the Heroes series successful or experience the brand-new dynamic battle system that transforms a chessboard into a lively battlefield.
- Competitive, addictive, and intense multiplayer mode: Play five different online modes via hot seat, LAN or the Internet. Challenge your friends in furious battles and create your own level with the editor."
May 16th, 2005
Nine new screenshots from the predictably busy E3 Games Expo have surfaced, originally released by 'Gamemeca', but can now be found on the official Heroes of Might and Magic V site. The screenshots are posted below. From the official website:
"...These ones showcase for the first time the Haven town and highlight the most powerful creatures of the Haven and Inferno factions..." (Thus confirming the names of the towns shown so far)
Castle Screen 1
Castle Screen 2
Battle Screen 1
Battle Screen 2
Inferno Hero Screen 1
Inferno Hero Screen 2
Farm Screen
Adventure Map Screen
Devil vs Angel Screen
Additionally, in a letter sent by Celestial Heavens to Rob King, they received the reply that the veteran 'Heroes Music Man' and his partner, Paul Romero, will be back to compose the music in Heroes V. Here is what he had to say:
"Paul Romero and myself will be scoring the soundtrack for Heroes 5. It is going very well and we are really excited to be working on the franchise again. It has been over 10 years now working on the Heroes of Might & Magic Games and we still enjoy it tremendously. We have a couple pieces finished and are starting to work on a couple "Town Theme" orchestrations. All I can say is the soundtrack is going to be very emotional and a cut above the previous scores!"
May 18th, 2005
In a continuation of the E3 Games Expo, an "Official Trailer" has been posted on the official Heroes V Teaser site. It features a Life vs. Inferno battle, and creatures such as an Angel (mysteriously different to those seen in the screenshots), Devil, and a Bone/Ghost Dragon. You can see this 12.4 Mb, 1.50s video for yourself, here
Additionally, you can read the preview of the game from Gamespot, aswell as some rendered artwork of already confirmed creatures - the Balor, Champion, and Angel. Gamespot Preview
May 20th, 2005
3 new movies displaying the Haven town, a hero moving through the adventure map, and a battle scene are available at Gamespot.com. See them here
Also, a screenshot has been taken by Celestial Heavens forum member DragonAngel at E3. It shows, according to Fabrice Cambounet, "a starting human town, as seen from the adventure map" 
June 15th, 2005
News has reached the Heroes Community shores of a demo of Heroes of Might and Magic V. Apparently shown in Russian, in the official Nival Interactive forums, was a readme and an open panel with the developers. Additionally, there were a handful of unofficial screenshots uncovered in the following location: http://www.sukhoi.ru/forum/showthread.php?p=583429#post583429
Among the most interesting features that were in the 'Readme' file released by Nival were:
- Minimum requirements needed to run the game
- Weather effects (Rain) will be in!
- A number of spells/creatures/creature abilities confirmed
- Provides an insight into the town system as well as the hiring of heroes
Thanks to Heroes Community Member Vlaad, who has translated these vital pieces of information HERE
July 5th, 2005
A development diary with Nival Interactive's Creative Director, Alexander Mishulin, has been posted on the Heroes V Teaser Site. This interview provides the reader with the mindset of the people who actually developed the game. In addition to this interview, there were a number of new 'screenshots' released, including two shedding light on the map editor.
View the Development Diary here
View Screenshots at the bottom of the page.
July 7th, 2005
The third and final E3 Demo has been released at the Might and Magic 'Teaser' site. This video continues from where the second left off, the demon hero having engaged the player controlled Knight/Haven/Castle hero and causing a battle. Download or stream it here
August 9th, 2005
The Heroes of Might and Magic V Teaser Site today released a Development Diary focusing on the storyline of the redeveloped Might and Magic series, and therefore having a sizeable impact on Heroes V. See it here
August 11th, 2005
The first solid facts were released concerning the Heroes V Haven Town and creatures, which, up until now, have remained a mystery. The Heroes V Teaser site gives an insight as to the Haven's ideals and storyline, providing a Faction ID Card on the town. It later released a fact sheet on the Haven town's creatures. The Inferno Town and creature details will be coming in the next few days.
NOTE: Fabrice Cambounet has mentioned that the names and specialties of the creatures may be subject to change.
August 15th, 2005
Ubisoft have revealed the second alignment today, the Inferno town. You can view the town in all its fiery glory at the official teaser site.
Town
Creatures
August 17th, 2005
A bunch of 11 Necropolis-oriented screenshots as well as the town itself were unveiled today. The creature list is expected to be available to the public very soon. For now though, the town information rests here, and the screenshots are here as usual.
September 20th, 2005
The new, official, and complete Might and Magic site was revealed today. The site can be found at Might and Magic Official Site. Its most interesting feature is the encyclopaedia, which features the screenshots of all creatures revealed so far. It also contains a detailed history of the Might and Magic Universe. As another side note, with some stealthy exploration of the new site, the final three factions have been revealed:
Academy
Dungeon
Sylvan
September 21st, 2005
The Dungeon town was unofficially revealed today, showing that Dark Elves have now partially captured the town! The almighty Black Dragon returns, as does the venerable Hydra and Minotaur. Along with the Dungeon town, another Developer Diary was made available, focusing on the Dungeon faction. All information, for now, can be found on the Celestial Heavens Main Page.
September 29th, 2005
The new-look Nature town, the Sylvan, was released to the public. The usual information is provided, along with concept art and 4 screenshots. It can be found here
October 16th, 2005
Several confirmatory (but cryptic) remarks were made by a Nival Public Representative, Larisa, in the Round Table Forums today.
-Hexagonal tiles will be replaced with squares.
-Contrary to what was said before, the final decision is that there will be no old heroes from previous games.
-Mapmakers most probably won't be permitted to change AI parameters or implementation. Players should trust Nival's AI programmers.
-While the primary language is English, they have already begun translating the game into Russian. The English and Russian versions of the game itself, not only the demo, will be released simultaneously.
-The magic system will not be tied to factions. Details will be revealed in November.
-There will be a Grail.
-The demo version will be released well before the game.
How much of this information is actually current remains to be seen.
November 10th, 2005
The Academy faction was revealed at Gamespot. It includes a preview with Alexander Mishulin, commenting on the town specialties and various other things. Visit the Age of Heroes Academy Page for all the information.
November 17th, 2005
An interview conducted by the F-Centre was unveiled on their site. It revealed information about the individual specialties of every town. Read the full, translated version at Age of Heroes: Here.
November 24th, 2005
The factions' special abilities were revealed on the Official Site today by Fabrice Cambounet. In addition to this, four screenshots were posted in the 'downloads' section, the Inferno battle shot featuring the town's ability, gating.
December 1, 2005
Creature Abilities were given a once-over, featuring a designated special ability from each town. The information along with the accompanying screenshots, can be found here.
December 23, 2005
Two new interviews are available on Age of Heroes for your reading pleasure. Among the confirmed elements are an expansion, no Orcs, and increasing potential for modability. Read the Heroic Corner interview here and the Games Arena interview here
Confirmed Features 
Towns
Inferno
Haven
Necropolis
Dungeon
Academy
Sylvan
Creatures
Note: Most names subject to change
Haven:
Level 1. Peasant -> Conscript
Level 2. Archer -> Marksman
Level 3. Squire -> Knight
Level 4. Griffin -> Imperial Griffin
Level 5. Priest -> Inquisitor
Level 6. Cavalier -> Paladin
Level 7. Angel -> Archangel
Inferno:
Level 1. Imp -> Familiar
Level 2. Horned Demon -> Horned Overseer
Level 3. Hell Hound -> Cerberus
Level 4. Succubus -> Succubus Mistress
Level 5. Hell Charger -> Nightmare
Level 6. Pit Fiend -> Pit Lord
Level 7. Devil -> Archdevil
Necropolis:
Level 1. Skeleton -> Skeleton Archer
Level 2. Zombie -> Plague Zombie
Level 3. Ghost -> Spectre
Level 4. Vampire -> Vampire Lord
Level 5. Lich -> Arch Lich
Level 6. Wight -> Wraith
Level 7. Bone Dragon -> Spectral Dragon
Dungeon:
Level 1. Scout -> Assassin
Level 2. Blood Sister -> Blood Fury
Level 3. Minotaur Slave -> Minotaur Guard
Level 4. Dark Raider -> Dark Champion
Level 5. Hydra -> Chaos Hydra
Level 6. Matron -> Matriarch
Level 7. Shadow Dragon -> Black Dragon
Academy:
Level 1. Gremlin -> Master Gremlin
Level 2. Gargoyle -> Obsidian Gargoyle
Level 3. Iron Golem -> Steel Golem
Level 4. Mage -> Archmage
Level 5. Djinn -> Djinn Sultan
Level 6. Rakshasa Rani -> Rakshasa Raja
Level 7. Colossus -> Titan
Sylvan:
Level 1. Pixie -> Sprite
Level 2. Blade Dancer -> War Dancer
Level 3. Hunter -> Master Hunter
Level 4. Druid -> Druid Elder
Level 5. Unicorn -> Silver Unicorn
Level 6. Treant -> Ancient Treant
Level 7. Green Dragon -> Gold Dragon
Skills
Pathfinding
Summoning
Logistics
Offense
Defense
Light, Life, Summoning Magic
Counterstrike
Diplomacy
Basic -> Advanced -> Expert
Abilities
Holy Charge, Encourage, Prayer, Protection, Diplomacy, Estates, Recruitment.
Other
- Rob King and Paul Romero will compose the music
- There will be a "Trailer Path" so that you can see your opponents tracks on the ground. They get deeper with size or shallower with terrain. There are different coloured trails for different alignments.
- Multiplayer has a "fast mode" option, where it will be possible to set a timer on your opponent and vice-versa for quick finishing.
- Hero names: Axel, Isabel, Sarge
- "Alchemist's Lab", "Sawmill", "Ore Pit", "Gem Pond"
- The battlefield size will adjust according to how many units are involved. I.e. a larger battlefield will correspond to more units.
- A hero can learn skills as well as abilities when levelling-up
- Ballista and First Aid Tent are in
- Dragons are available and are also considered Gods in the game's storyline
- There will be three skill levels (Basic, Advanced, Expert)
- The largest battlefield is more than twice the size of the smallest one
- The set of resources are the same as previous Heroes games, the Fog of War acts like Heroes III, as does the retaliation
- There are four magic schools, including Life Magic, Light Magic, and Summoning Magic.
- Each creature will have one upgrade
- There will be neutral creatures: Phoenix
- Artifact: Shackles of war
Current Stage of Development
As of November 18th, 2005:
Beta Test Stage 3 Started
As of December 10th, 2004:
We started about 1.5 months ago or so, and also what have been done are texts, design, plannings, allocations, all the management stuff, rough scenarios, discussions.
Update: "On Heroes 5 specifically, we have passed half of the development cycle, and are now gathering speed, toward a release early next year."
As of April 11th, 2005: "we’ve been able to play [the game] for a few months now"
Ubisoft Heroes of Might and Magic V Staff
Evidence based on Fabrice’s posts and e-mails sent.
Senior Producer: Fabrice Cambounet
Thomas Legrand “Core job on this title”
Possibility: Former NWC employees.
Contacted: Jon Van Caneghem, creator of the Heroes Series.
Heroes Music Man: Rob King. "No reason not to work with him."
I believe that is every piece of news posted by Ubisoft thus far. If you feel as though I have missed any piece of information, please post here. Likewise, if you have any questions concerning this information, please direct them at me here.
~~~~Please Visit Age of Heroes for a complete overview~~~~
~TOP~
____________
"Dragons may breathe fire, but Hydras have many heads." - The Creed of Hydras
"As the Dragon drew its breath, the Hydra pounced, swiftly but powerfully, and the Dragon was defeated.”
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RedSoxFan3
Admirable
Legendary Hero
Fan of Red Sox
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posted January 20, 2004 04:15 AM |
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Great work, Hydra. This is very informative for the occasional poster and will get the uninformed well up-to-date of recent Ubisoft activity. Seems pretty complete to me. Too bad you're a mod, you'd be getting your 31 QP.
~Top~
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Go Red Sox!
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Marelt_Ekiran
Promising
Famous Hero
Watcher of All
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posted January 20, 2004 11:12 PM |
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I hope you don't mind a bit of help. This is the next set of answers. Some interesting stuff among them.
January 20th Originally posted on the Round Table by MuadDib on January 20th, 11:05 GMT.
Expansion / new game : Heroes 5 will be a logical and real evolution in the series, but at the heart, stay true to the principles of previous instalments. That's why I say that the basic game structure (the core design) will remain. That also mean we *will* try new things also
Creatures start on battlefield : as this will be 3D, it will be chosen by the player mostly.
Unique storyline : being the only one (Merriam Webster
Heroes of Pokemon : I'd rather call it 'Heroes of Pikachu' if you ask me. Or 'Pikachu the Hero', or 'Bow before Pikachu your Hero', or perhaps 'The might and magic of Pikachu'. Perhaps I could make a poll about that ?
Camera : this will be tuned during testing, zooming is clearly intended.
Storyline : I think I already said we had an outline at this stage. But I really cant say more
Grail : considered.
Weather : we could do it for the sake of impressive settings, at least. That's a good idea.
Diplomacy : not a major key in the game, but creating alliances during a mission will certainly be possible.
Specs : we'll have scalability, of course. I want to have people drooling over screenshots
____________
Perception is everything.
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regnus_khan
Responsible
Supreme Hero
[ Peacekeeper of Equilibris ]
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posted January 29, 2004 08:35 AM |
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interesting. And where did you guys (hydra and marelt) found these things? I tried to look in a few pages. But I got nothing.
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Pig
Disgraceful
Known Hero
unstopable
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posted February 05, 2004 12:05 PM |
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Looks like heroze V looks even more worse then heroze IV, which suck in all cases. Imo New World Computing need to order Doom III engine and develop heroze V on it with stencil shadows and bumpmapping in full 3d world.
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Medusa
Famous Hero
Yeah, right
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posted February 05, 2004 12:38 PM |
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@regnus
This stuff is in the various pages, like Celestial Havens, Round table forum and ect.
@pig
Not Doom! 
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Lepastur
Known Hero
The Red Taskmaster
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posted February 05, 2004 02:31 PM |
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Hey!!! What's the meaning of this???
Taken from Celestial Heavens
"http://dynamic3.gamespy.com/%7Ehomm/index.php?page=homm5/h5earlyinfo.shtml"
The Big Picture: ... based on the answers provided by Fabrice:
the game will use a 3D engine;
the game will lean more towards strategy than RPG;
the system requirements will remain low;
the game will not be released in 2004; <-- AAAARRGH!!!!!!!
there will be a demo;
the multiplayer mode will focus on Internet play, but hotseat might be included; <-- MIGHT???
there will be a unique storyline for the single-player campaigns;
stacks, dragons, upgrades and other basic concepts from the previous games will be back;
towns will seem more "alive" than before.
____________
Torre de Marfil Foro / Portal - La Comunidad
hispana más completa sobre la saga Might&Magic.
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Draco
Promising
Famous Hero
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posted February 05, 2004 05:59 PM |
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u dont honestly want it out in 2004 do you? it would be so rushed!
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CB_Duke
Hired Hero
Gamer
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posted February 06, 2004 09:24 AM |
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Quote:
Looks like heroze V looks even more worse then heroze IV, which suck in all cases. Imo New World Computing need to order Doom III engine and develop heroze V on it with stencil shadows and bumpmapping in full 3d world.
ROFL. They may use Solitaire or Hearts engine too, there is good internet support also.
8))
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sataricon
Tavern Dweller
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posted February 07, 2004 01:11 AM |
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" even at the risk of altering the gameplay"
What does this mean?
How would this help the game?
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Don't flame my English.
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Dingo
Responsible
Legendary Hero
God of Dark SPAM
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posted February 07, 2004 01:19 AM |
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Quote:
Imo New World Computing need to order Doom III engine and develop heroze V on it with stencil shadows and bumpmapping in full 3d world.
Have you even thought of what would happen?
____________
The Above Post/Thread/Idea Is CopyRighted by, The Dingo Corp.
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Gondar
Tavern Dweller
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posted February 09, 2004 12:52 AM |
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H OMM 3 vs 4 and maybee 5 ?
Quote:
Quote:
Imo New World Computing need to order Doom III engine and develop heroze V on it with stencil shadows and bumpmapping in full 3d world.
Have you even thought of what would happen?
Heroes 3 was ultimate.Okey some functions in 4 was better.They hero was able to fight and you could hire more heros and take all monsters out from the castle with one Click.the strory was improved in the campigns.But the grapic dint improve the fun to play the game..or almost the battle was a way cooler to see... but that dint do the game better then H 3.skip the rpg graphic and look at heros 3 and improve the game ,,,
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rampartdruid
Hired Hero
protector of all that is green
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posted February 23, 2004 08:20 PM |
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ill put it simple: the drawings are cool, but the layout and concept are garbage
____________
dont charge at what
you cant see
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doomnezeu
Supreme Hero
Miaumiaumiau
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posted February 25, 2004 11:28 AM |
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The artwork looks lie japanese drawings to me. Pokemon and stuff. Yuk.
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Pig
Disgraceful
Known Hero
unstopable
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posted February 25, 2004 12:31 PM |
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You guys dont understand. You dont think heroes enough to have only good gameplay. But if NWC will create heroze5 with good gameplay AND good graphics (with very cool animation, solid looking, not-kidish) this game would be SUPERB bestseller! I dont know what NWC mannagers thinking now, probably about nude girls
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Marelt_Ekiran
Promising
Famous Hero
Watcher of All
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posted February 25, 2004 06:38 PM |
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No one cares what NWC is thinking at the moment, since they are not making the game.
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Perception is everything.
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rampartdruid
Hired Hero
protector of all that is green
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posted February 26, 2004 05:38 PM |
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but, the thing about making heroes 5 is the fact that whoever WILL be making the game will need feedback from the community (hence the name Heroes Community). We need to STOP bickering and START putting our heads together and think of a good game we can all once and for all agree upon.
____________
dont charge at what
you cant see
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Marelt_Ekiran
Promising
Famous Hero
Watcher of All
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posted February 27, 2004 01:42 AM |
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The Heroes Community provides only a very minor part of the community feedback to Ubisoft. The Round Table and some Russian sites have been providing the bulk of the contact. Believe me, the Round Table has been delivering more suggestions and feedback to Ubisoft than they can chew. And if I may say so, suggestions and feedback of much higher quality than anything we have here.
Except for The Hydra's work, perhaps.
____________
Perception is everything.
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this_other_guy
Famous Hero
{0_o} heh...
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posted March 02, 2004 07:47 AM |
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Quote:
the strory was improved in the campigns.
in Homm4?!?!?!?!?!?
You can't be serious... the storyline is the worst load of crap i've ever seen, no offence.
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doomnezeu
Supreme Hero
Miaumiaumiau
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posted March 02, 2004 09:28 AM |
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Quote:
Quote:
the strory was improved in the campigns.
in Homm4?!?!?!?!?!?
You can't be serious... the storyline is the worst load of crap i've ever seen, no offence.
You speak nothing but the truth. I want back in Erathia, i want gelu back, I want kilgor back, and of course, i want catherine back
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