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Rolland from Heroes-fr attended a Heroes 6 meeting with Erwan Lebreton, Julien Pirou (Marzhin) and Irina Kassina.
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4. There was a discussion about expansions (nothing official), but there will be 2 factions per expansion. They will release the first faction of each expansion through free DLC/patch while they work on the expansion and the second faction will be released with the expansion.

5. Marzhin also confirmed that the Academy would be back ... but he didn't say when !

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Old Heroes In New Bottles
Interview with Erwan LeBreton from Eurogamer.dk.

16 years is a high age of in the perspective of the short history of computer gaming. In this light, Heroes of Might & Magic has already secured a place in the list of 'Good old games from the good old days'. But despite the advanced age there is nothing to suggest that the series is near ready to lay down and die. Especially not when the license holder Ubisoft seems to have long term and comprehensive plans for the entire Might & Magic brand.

So for the same reason it is probably not irrelevant to them whether they are successful with the next game in a major series from the universe: Heroes of Might & Magic 6 or as they call it now Might & Magic: Heroes 6. Therefore we phoned Ubisoft, so we could ask them some questions about the new game, and also hear a little more about the entire universe, its fans, the franchise and the future of Might and Magic: Heroes.

We caught up with Erwan le Breton, a producer at the recent Heroes games, and now creative director for the entire Might & Megic franchise from Ubisoft. As he says with a laugh: "It depends on the interview, which title I have."

Erwan says that the new Heroes game actually has been in development since the release of the last expansion, 'Tribes of the East', for the previous games in the series. (Going back to 2007 for those of you who are not quite sharp in the Might & Magic publishing chronology.)

"At first it was just an internal team at Ubisoft, working with concepts, so we had a kind of concept workshop," Erwan begins and proceeds to tell about how they looked at the previous games in the series to try to figure out how the new game should be. "What should we keep from the other games, what is the soul or the foundation of Heroes series, which we should not change? And how can we improve it?"

Erwan also says that they were pretty focused on creating a game that would feel contemporary and modern when it was released. "When it became clear that we wanted to ship in 2010 or 2011, we had to plan on making a game that was more modern."

As a result of this process they ended up having an overall design document for the new Heroes game, which described the main features and the feel, the new game should have.

"Then we opened a VIP fan forum for members of 'The Might & Magic Heroes Committee' that includes community leaders, wiki-creators, etc. [...] We presented them to the different concepts, and discussed the concepts with them. We also had a prototype, so some of them played the prototype, and then we got their feedback "

"When the vision was about to be sufficiently finished, we began looking for a developer. Of course we originally thought of Nival, the guys who made Heroes 5. They came up with a proposal for Heroes 6 that ... hmmm .... we were not really happy with. And at the time they were also starting to move on to some other projects with web-based, free-to-play MMOs "

So now Ubisoft was forced to look for another developer, and they ended up giving the project to Black Hole productions.

"They had just released Warhammer: Mark of Chaos on PC and Xbox. They had a strong engine. Flexible and highly scalable, tailored to the strategy. They had mastered the fantasy and the fact that they had worked with Games Workshop meant that they had worked with a lot of the restrictions relevant in relation to the Universe", explains Erwan. "So we signed contracts and made the game with them instead"

What shall we call it?
I would also like to ask Erwan about why they have decided to change the name. The previous game was called "Heroes of Might & Magic". Why it was changed to "Might and Magic: Heroes"? It seems like a very small change, so why even do it?

"When we took over the rights, we kept in the early names for the various Might & Magic games," explains Erwan. "But then we decided to create Kingdoms and the Clash of Heroes, and suddenly it began to be troublesome." The names were simply too confusing, he explains, because there was no clear system of naming the various games.

"We were quite inspired by the Tom Clancy brand. You know - Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. As an umbrella brand for different games. You know - we have these games that are located in Might & Magic universe and share the Might & Magic brand's values. So let us call them Might & Magic something. And the same was true for Heroes 6, which then became the Might & Magic: Heroes 6 "

A bible of power and magic
My next question was whether there had been any communication with teams working on other games in the Might & Magic universe? And if that was the case, how they then managed to coordinate information between all these games that are very different but going in the same universe '.

Erwan explains that since work began in Heroes 5, there has been a small group within Ubisoft who parallel to this was working on a so-called "Bible World" for the universe. "It's basically a consistency and continuity document", says Erwan. "... The history, appearance and even game mechanics and a list of the various words and terms we use in the Might & Magic games"

"When Heroes 5 appeared this work was not finished yet. But since work on Heroes 6 started the bible document was in an much better condition and we passed it on to Blackhole. And through the evolution we have secured that they have been faithful to the universe. That it was this kind of world with these creatures, in the time period here [...] that it was an epic, enchanted world, larger-than-life landscapes and buildings, but also here and there small magical details like fairies and atrophied old trees with unearthly light there hovers around ... "

So there has very rarely been direct contact between the different production teams from the various games. Instead, the 'bible class' functioned as a kind of hub between different developers, and almost all communication is passed through them.

Beloved Shrine - Now under construction
But how did Erwan find it to work on a game series with the traditions that Heroes and Might and Magic has? I asked him if he felt proud, challenged or nervous about having to work on a game with such a long history, and the series' extremely dedicated group of fans?

"It is a mixture of everything and it's a lot of pride. I even played Might & Magic games before I worked on them, so I loved them even before I became responsible for them," he replies. "So to be responsible for it now is really exciting. I'm really happy about it, really pleased. At the same time, I know that the game has a very active and passionate community, so it's also not someone we should put us out with."

I would also like to know more about how the design process around the actual game mechanics are carried out, so I asked Erwan about how they had done it this time. Had they just picked the best elements from previous games, and mixed them together, or had they designed it all over again from scratch?

"We took a quick look at 1 and 2, but mostly we've looked at 3, 4 and 5. We said, 'In each of these games, there is probably something that is worth keeping. What is it?' " Erwan explains, and identifies how they have taken the initiative-bar interface and the graphical style of Heroes 5, initiative system and campaign structure from Heroes 3, and a few small pieces from Heroes 4.

"So you can see - it's a combination of different features from the various Might & Magic games. And we have also identified a few things in this game, there was perhaps a little boring, repetitive, or just not 'in sync' [ ...] For example, the idea of having transport-heroes, whose purpose is merely to transport troops from the cities to your main hero, or to reclaim the resources that enemy heroes always tried to steal from you."

"So we've tried to find a solution with a town portal and with a system where you control the areas instead of individual resources. Various aspects of Heroes 6, which should solve the problem. And now we can only wait and see whether we have found the right solution - or whether it should be changed once again."

So what is it new?
"The biggest innovation we have brought into the series, which did not exist previously and which we felt was necessary because it is a 2011-game, is the rationalization of the RPG part. We give the player more control over the development. No more chance based character development. You have a skill-tree, you have skills associated with your class, they have a specific template that you skill points every time you rise in level, and you use them as you wish. So you can become the hero you want to be."

But this was not done as a quick inspiration. Erwan admit they had "long, long discussions about it." But today we feel that we are on the right track. It is a mixture of free character development with a class-based system. It is neither the one nor the other. It is not predetermined progression. You have a class that gives you unique abilities, but the rest is a bank of general skills as they have always been in the Heroes games. And you are free to hand-picking abilities and spells from this huge list."

"The only thing we're worried about is whether it might be a little bit overwhelming for a beginner. So maybe there must be something to guide the player a little bit, or the interface has to be adjusted. But the system itself, we feel is good because you really manage it yourself."

In addition to changes in the RPG-part, Erwan points to the on-line part as the other big thing that has changed with Heroes 6. Built into the game, there is now an online platform that integrates social elements, points accumulation, player accounts and achievements. And finally there is the new 'Dynasty' system that makes it possible to transfer specific skills, or for equipment to be transferred between heroes in various campaigns, depending on how much you've played. "Similar to the bonus points you get when you fly," says Erwan.

Turn-based strategy in 2011?
One of the things Erwan mentions several times during the interview is how they have striven to make Heroes 6 a game that feels contemporary in 2011. Is it because he is afraid of the series' age will shine through?

"We have no problem with the fact that this is a turn-based strategy games and turn-based strategy might seem like something that belongs to the past. Heroes is almost the only survivor. There used to be a lot of clones and me-too's, but now we feel a little alone in the market," jokes Erwan. "But we are proud to be special, and we do not feel too old."

"But when we're talking interfaces, online functionality and RPG experience? Yes - we think it was a bit dusty and there was a need for renewal. So it is here we have worked with a lot of things."

Finally, Erwan points to the story as one of the areas where they have tried to modernize. They have moved away from the classic 'save the world and bring balance in the universe', which particularly characterized Heroes 5, and have tried to hit a more contemporary angle on the story. "It's more like dramas about family dynasties, as the TV series "The Tudors, "Rome" and "The Borgias". You know - families' struggle for power."

Old heroes moves on the ground again.
I would also like to ask Erwan about some individuals who have been important for the development of Heroes series, and its success. Olivier Ledroit, who is responsible for some of the most important concept artworks and has played a major role in the development of the colorful and imaginative graphic expression. And Paul Romero and Rob King, whose iconic music, especially for Heroes 5, helped to lift the game to a higher level.

Erwan tells me that Olivier Ledroit is not associated with the individual projects, but to the coordinating 'bible-team' with Ubisoft. So his designs are incorporated directly in the Bible, and then seeps down to the individual development teams, including Black Hole, through it.

"With a drawing, because it is so detailed and - some would say 'overloaded with things' - other concept artists can ... eh ... with a creature from Olivier usually create three or four creatures themselves."

And Erwan also confirms that both Rob King and Paul Romero is back on the music side of Heroes 6. However, this time they share the credit with a number of other composers. The reason, according to Erwan, is that they wanted to have some different musicians involved and have a broader spectrum of people to draw on. Also this way, they can make sure that they are the same people who make music for all of Might & Magic games, and thus ensure a greater consistency between the games soundtracks.

A look toward the horizon and the future
The last game in the Heroes series got pretty good support after release, with two full expansion packs and a variety of free patches. So it's only natural for me to ask Erwan whether the same will apply for Heroes 6, and if there is anything specific to reveal in this context.

First, I ask whether there are any things that have popped up in connection with the newly passed, beta test, which will lead to changes in upcoming patches or expansions. Erwan said they primarily got a lot of positive feedback, "but one thing we have to change is the town screens." The new way town screens are built is obviously not something that suits the players, and Erwan promise me it will be changed in a future patch.

Besides this, Erwan promise me that they will be loyal to the community and that Ubisoft plans to have a long support cycle and not just let the game go lightly with "one or two patches."

Then there is the question of expansion. The Heroes series has a long tradition of expansion, but the content has varied from simply including extra maps or campaigns to include entirely new factions with accompanying changes in game mechanics.

Erwan tells me that he cannot really reveal anything directly, but he will go so far as to say that "Heroes 6 is the kind of game that very strongly suggests that one should expect that there will be expansions." Interpretate this phrase as you like.

And on the question of whether these extensions (if they were to materialize) will include new factions, Erwan offers also cryptic advice "... look at the series' history and make a good guess", which he seems to provide with a twinkle in his eye that I can almost hear through the phone.

And then there was only the last - and in some fans' eyes probably the most important - question remaining: Which of the first five Heroes games is Erwan's favorite?

"I probably have to say Heroes 3, as it is the Heroes game I have spent most time on."

Is the mission then successfull for Erwan? Check out our fresh review of Might and Magic: Heroes VI and get the answer.

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