How do you play H5

[GrowlingDog]

Well, this is just a curiosity but when i sit down to play Heroes 5, i usually have some red wine at hand and Junk food definately plays a part. I often play on my new PC at 1 desk and surf the net and read CH forum on my other PC . When i 1st started playing, i played the game campaign str8 thru and it took ages. I could sometimes sit and play for 10-15 hours str8. After a very intense play time of about 2 weeks i finally finished the campaign and that was on Normal difficulty.
I've never played multi-player so have no idea how bad i am at playing this game. However i have just started playing Hot seat and am playing all the available slots given to players myself. I havn't yet had my different color players meet each other in battle (its a big map). does anyone know what happens? Does it work. Either way it's fun to try all different options on the same map with different towns, plus i'm trying to practice for multi-player (a friend wants to take me on) and playing this way, i never re-load after a terrible battle or something, (i've done this a lot in single player, is that the norm) .
I havn't picked my favourite town yet but am playing Inferno a lot at the moment and have found it can work very well, thanks CH for all the strategy guides.
Also curious how others build in the 1st 1-2 weeks on normal or hard difficulty. I usually get a Town Hall & City Hall as soon as i can cause the gold is often paramount, i then get as many dwellings as i can in 1st week before resources run out. Always try to get marketplace by about the 5th day. If its a choice on day seven of 1st week between a new creature dwelling, a citadel or a City Hall, it can depend on the creature dwelling but i mostly get the creature dwelling. By end of week 2 i like to have tier 1-6 Creature dwellings, a City hall and a citadel. I usually dont upgrade creatures except some of the lower tier ones that improve heaps with upgrade and i often have a market, a blacksmith, tavern and mgc guild lvl 2. Resource Silo's are not that high a priority, same goes for hero racial ability bonuses. I rarely have any more than 2 heroes for the 1st 2 weeks and unless its a sea heavy map i usually try and search the land as much as possible before heading out to sea. Well thats how i tend to play H5. Would love to hear how other players sit down to H5.

[Bonzer]

First one to answer this. I like the idea of wine, but it would propably interfere with my thinking, prefer coffee or tea. An ashtray is always ready to hand, useful for my"thinking sticks". I know I should pack up but every time a combat starts or there is a decison to make, one appears in my hand! They say smoking kills, but H3 kept me alive, providing an escape from a few horrendous years so I say we're equal. (Sorry for personal rant).

I can also sit for hours at a time, always thinking, "I'll just sort this bit out..." when of course, as in life, ripples in a pond, and there is always something else. Don't you just hate it when a part of the map is uncovered revealing an artefact or lots of resources which you have few of, and an enemy appears and steals them?

Strategy....(SP only, never done MP)....well H5 is supposed to be very similar to H3 so I tend to go the same way as I used to. If I think it unlikely that I'll be attacked in the first few weeks, I go for 2 Heroes, stack armies with one who I use to clear mines etc. Use the other for what I call housekeeping (Windmills etc).

Building, usually the moneymakers, city hall, capitol, with whatever prerequisites are required. Though I have noticed that maybe the creatures are cheaper to hire than in H3, I don't seem to run out of money quite so easily. I usually leave slow walkers in the town, to provide some defence, and only recruit them when I have to or if I am rich and it is day 7 of week 4 (plague tomorrow is possible).

If there is a sea, I will send out a third hero with 6 lvl1 creatures split singly. I leave a space in case he is attacked by liches (though now that reason is obsolete as there are several creatures which can attack multiple squares). I will sail him home or near to my main hero when he has sufficient artefacts or when I need to develop him with uncovered stat boosters (ready for defending another captured town).

I am learning that in the H5 campaign, it is often better to be aggresive and attack the enemy early in the game. I usually prefer not to stray too far from home until I have a months army, but this has cost me in this campaign.

One new trick I like is using puppetmaster on the enemy to get castle gates opened or to have their Familiars give mana to me! I always smile at the graphic of the Lich counterstrike - holding his blade almost by fingertips, effortlessly slicing the opponent, then dropping it back in the sheath and folding it's arms as if to say, "Next!"

Summon Creatures is useful, but I tend not to use it for hordes of Lvl1 as it is too draining. Would prefer to see it kept, along with Caravans (H4) and "forwarding troops" as in Warlords3. All 3 options have their uses.

I miss being able to "dig" my coastline to protect it from enemy invasion by sea - H3 let you do this, as landing on an "active" space was not possible.

I am still (clearly) blundering through the campaign, currently on Ranger2, and will probably hone more tactics as I go.

Nice post though Growlingdog. I'll look out for more from you and se how you learn

[GrowlingDog]

Damn, all these years later and i only now learn about the DIG technique to stop sea invasion, brilliant idea. If i can see the sea and get it easily early on i sometimes send a hero out too. Usually just with 1 creature, figure wont win any battles with just six and i dont like to surrender then have to re-buy him, good for picking up wood, artifacts and gold tho, plus i can still go into whirlpools without losing any troops with just 1 creature. Agree with you about having to move fast in H5 at times, from memory thats what got me thru Sylvan campaign. Sorry, is that a spoiler? Agree also with you on the cool battle animation of the Lich. I also like the close-up scene of the vampires when they are killed.. Thanks for your feedback too

[Grumpy Old Wizard]

Playing on normal I hire 2 additional heroes and combine armies on my main heroe. I take the financial and fortification structures when they become available. Depending on the faction I upgrade key troops and build the magic guild as practical.

One of the troopless heroes goes off exploring, the other flags mines/picks up resources to save the main heroe some movement points.

GOW

[DaemianLucifer]

Well,my big glass always sits next to my computer,and is constantly refilled with either juice or water(I drink at least 3-5 liters of liquid each day).The fridge is quite near,so no point in stuffin my desk

As for the game,I did campaign 1 in a single breath(2 days).Campaign 2 took a bit longer,because I simply couldnt make mysef start the mission 3.But once I did,I really enjoyed it(the only two I really enjoyed were this one and C4M3).Then I finished the second and third campaign rather quickly(I skipped C3M3 due to a bug).The fourth campaign took me at least a month to start,and a few days to finish.

As for hot seat I tried it with my nephew,but we managed to play it for just some half an hour.The game is just so slow,I dont know why.

Im in C5M4 now.When I start it,I know Ill finish it rather quickly.

I always go for the money first,so capitol is my priority,although it may be delayed for a few days.Dwellings I prioritise acording to the race(Ill always upgrade blood furries and cerberi as soon as posible,peasants never,and others like druids or unicorns depend on the resources),though I tend to build all dwellings(except level 7,and sometimes 6)in the end of week 2.But it depends on the money,of course.Castle I have in week 3,while citadel might get there in week 2.First I focus on dwellings,then their boosters(of course,again,depends on the race).Necro,however,I never worried about the money,since skeleton archers grow so easily.

Im also munchkining,so Ill always finish the last objective when my carry over heroes are completely maxed out.

[GrowlingDog]

Also i like a map that is condusive to me having to explore the whole map and dont like it when i win a map and only half of it is explored. Also like maps where the last battle is my biggest challenge. Dont like ones where by the time i reach the last town, the fights all over in 2 turns. Such a let down.

[Orfinn]

I usually sit and play H5 with some cookies, glass of water or a cup of green tea. Usually I play for 2 hours but now when I have got into the game I stretch it to at least 5 hours. Usually swap between H5 and MSN, when needed. have up the H5 manual and the skill wheel for assistance.

I dont play the campaign alot, have only got to C5M2.

Right now Im testing out the different towns almost to the fullest. Started wtih Haven. It have above average expensive buildings, the units cost OK, the training didnt I bother too much with, since it so expensive without the expert skill or the needed buildings. Almost scrapped the angels, but found need of them in the end game. Didnt use cavaliers or pal's that much. Focused on archers and squires, those in combo are awesome and hold ground (a defense ability) makes them even thougher.
Focused on some light magic. Lazlo and Dougal are my preferred heroes for this faction.
Then I jumped to Necropolis. Somewhat expensive buildings and a ridiculous requirment for getting the undead dragons, you need a castle after all, shouldnt be neseccary realy. Citadel should be enough. Especially on maps when you have to focus primarly on troops and town defence secondary. Used mostly dark magic and the heroes, Vladimir and Kaspar.
I then played with Dungeon, Inferno. Yesterday I tested out Academy and now last I gonna test out Sylvan. Enjoying the game alot

[omegaweix]

It was always convenient playing a Heroes game cause it can be played mostly with the mouse... so the other hand is free to grab some drink, a "thinking stick" (nice paraphrase, Bonzer ) or something to nibble!
During enemies turn you can either visit the loo, head to the kitchen to retrieve some more munchies or sometimes roll something together to ... err... engross the visual and auditive components of the game (though tactics may suffer a bit )....

Really, turn based, strategical games are more like reading some 'sort of' interactive book, where you can decide how fast and when you do things and if you pursue the actions mentioned above you do not have to pause and get disrupted from the game's flow !

Kinda like this relaxating gaming... if i'd want to get an adrenaline rush i'll play games like System Shock 2 anyway (though it didn't work after SP2 anymore ).

As for my 'ingame' behaviour:
Though i like to recruit one Hero in week one, i mainly wait for a character with the right skills (never hire Razzak, wait until Havez or Galib is available... guess who is my main hero ... i simply cannot just buy and dismiss a hero only for his creatures ).
In former Heroes titles i always went straight for the capitol, but in 5 i try to build up to creature level 4 as well..... so mainly i build capitol on the first day of week 2 (cause dwelling 1-4 and citadel are more important to me).
And i am quite a defensive player, i never leave (the area i consider) my territory until onth 1 or something.... especially as i miss my caravans and don't want to chain only for a pack of level 1,2 creatures.

And the swap between H5.exe and the skill wheel is THE major action in my games.... really long for a mod or something that included the wheel somewhere in the game interface.... cause I cannot play properly without it (and it seems when I alt-tab too often some objects tend to 'de-texturize' sporadically).

Nice "I-do-it-that-way" threat btw

[ShadeOfSandro]

Well, I don't have to tab out, thanks to having a laptop, which also connected. Makes it much easier, when playing I always have the wheel popped up on my laptop. (I also would like this to be included in the game.)

So far I haven't made it past the Demon campaign yet. Campaign seems less fun than in previous versions (4 being the best). But I play a lot of MP, Ubi.com is horrible right now, I hate how bad it is. Hotseat is my favorite way to play.

Favorite town is Academy, with Dungeon and Inferno battling for second.

First couple of weeks I have creature buildings 1 through 6, no upgrades. I also buy all Halls, except capitol(needs a town level of 15, which is impossible until day 14 if you start with Town Level of 1). On day 7 week 2, I generally try to build Lvl 7 creature building, and wait to do capitol on weak 3 day 1. I get marketplace and resource silo in week 1 or early 2. Blacksmith is also a must early, unless I get Havez as my hero, then I wait an extra day on the smith.

[Paradox]

First one to answer this. I like the idea of wine, but it would propably interfere with my thinking, prefer coffee or tea. An ashtray is always ready to hand, useful for my"thinking sticks". I know I should pack up but every time a combat starts or there is a decison to make, one appears in my hand! They say smoking kills, but H3 kept me alive, providing an escape from a few horrendous years so I say we're equal. (Sorry for personal rant).

thinking sticks AKA death / cancer / tar sticks

[Lady Farquad]

Definitely thinking sticks and cold beer (few though, or at the end I play like a deep hydra: arriving late and attacking everything around! )

I enjoy warlocks, and go for the furies and assassins upgrade first of all. Then money, then grim raiders. With those three I can easily manage till midgame, while the rest are created and increase their numbers.

I agree about having the skill wheel handy; I printed the skill pages of the "ubi aproved manual", the one drawed with sort of pipes... pretty good, but after printing had to write down what the skill does. Anyway it works.

I enjoy 2 things of HOMM: there's always more than 1 way to achieve your objectives, so different playing sytles work.
And second but not least, the user made maps. I miss those so much!

Thank you for your time guys! Nice thread

[Campaigner]

I always play the same way. Choose one of the very best heroes as my main and buy a secondary hero on day 1 to pick up resources, flag mines and scout ahead. I get the town and city hall A.S.A.P and as many creature generators as I possibly can. Add in a citadel if it's a lucky day

Ofcourse, this is if the game wouldn't CRASH after 10min as it does right now! It's actually so bad that I've uninstalled it twice and will not install it again until patch 1.3 arrives. I'll play some C&C: Generals in the meantime....

[berntie]

The perfect way to play Heroes is certainly with some beer and pizza at hand.

Only problem is, I didn't buy Heroes V up to now and I guess I'll wait at least until the expansion's out. Besides, I often forget to buy me the beer until the local supermarkets close ... and ordering pizza is just so expensive.

So, it's just Heroes I-IV without beer and pizza for me ...

During enemies turn you can [...] sometimes roll something together to ... err... engross the visual and auditive components of the game (though tactics may suffer a bit )....

Drug abuse is bad for you. If you don't quit smoking that stuff, you'll end up like that:

[GrowlingDog]

"thinking sticks AKA death / cancer / tar sticks"

"Drug abuse is bad for you. If you don't quit smoking that stuff, you'll end up like that"

As someone who hasnt been brainwashed by society in the media. I have no problem with people smoking, drinking, snorting , or bunting (do you know what that means) whatever they like. And i dont need the ego trip that advice lives off of.
I am sure i will be accused of making this political or whatever but it would seem telling someone that they shouldn't touch something that they dont like is just fine and dandy but saying that you dont mind them playing the game with what has been decided is "bad" for you is a no go. this to be honest, is a crock of ^&%$. If you havnt hurt anyone but your self (possibly) then why can anyone tell you that it's not rite. I mean what rights does becoming an ADULT actually give me anyway.
Onto the game, please fill out the poll i made up so that i can send it off to Ubisoft soon. one thing i am learning from this post i put up is that i think multi-player could actaully be a lot of fun(so many different ways of playing the game), if only Ubisoft hadnt set it up so badly. it's not like they have to re-invent the wheel is it? thanks for replying tho, no matter what your response, it is alwys better than APATHY.

[omegaweix]

[...].And i dont need the ego trip that advice lives off of.
I am sure i will be accused of making this political or whatever but it would seem telling someone that they shouldn't touch something that they dont like is just fine and dandy but saying that you dont mind them playing the game with what has been decided is "bad" for you is a no go. this to be honest, is a crock of ^&%$. If you havnt hurt anyone but your self (possibly) then why can anyone tell you that it's not rite. I mean what rights does becoming an ADULT actually give me anyway.

Oh dear, i should have shut my mouth on this topic before.

As for the little "advice" from berndtie: I know him personally and despite i'm sure he meant it (somewhat) ironically, he has the right to tell me anything anyway.

(Berndt, maybe one day you'll save my eyes from going )

EDIT: ... aaand he obviously suffers from cold turkey because of H5-, beer- and pizza-deprivation... that's why he was so spiky

So everyone chill out, no need for getting upset... or offtopic.

Onto the game, please fill out the poll i made up so that i can send it off to Ubisoft soon. one thing i am learning from this post i put up is that i think multi-player could actaully be a lot of fun(so many different ways of playing the game), if only Ubisoft hadnt set it up so badly. it's not like they have to re-invent the wheel is it? thanks for replying tho, no matter what your response, it is alwys better than APATHY.

Already filled it out.

[berntie]

As someone who hasnt been brainwashed by society in the media. I have no problem with people smoking, drinking, snorting , or bunting (do you know what that means) whatever they like. [long rant ...]

No offense, dude. Do what you want (as long as it doesn't hurt others). I thought the ridiculous jester (:jester: isn't it great; I had to giggle about 10 minutes when I first spotted it) should have made my intention obvious.

Sometimes I feel so misunderstood ... *sigh*

As for your UBI poll, I think there are some issues with it. I'll let you know what I mean when I can find enough time to properly formulate my thoughts.

i'm sure he meant it (somewhat) ironically

Ah, well, at least somebody got it. Both parts! (The somewhat and the ironically!!)

That somewhat restores my karma.

[GrowlingDog]

Hahahaha, now that can be the problem with writing and most definately txt messaging, you just cant hear the inference in the tone or see the sarcasm on the face.
Now.......... Before i go on.......I know i put my my crack pipe down here somewhere.

[omegaweix]

i'm sure he meant it (somewhat) ironically

Ah, well, at least somebody got it. Both parts! (The somewhat and the ironically!!)

That somewhat restores my karma.

I can look rrriiight into your brain muhuarhar !!!!

But don't rely too much on karma, reincarnation can be a nasty thing!