The Ubisoft Era

Feedback for the articles that appear on Celestial Heavens.
User avatar
XEL II
HoTA Crew
HoTA Crew
Posts: 945
Joined: 14 May 2008
Location: Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby XEL II » 29 Apr 2011, 17:03

If you would like to take a look at the original page visit this link:
https://www.celestialheavens.com/776
Make you strong places to dwell and practice the evil of your arts. Build great monuments to stand through the ages and remind your followers of the task with which you have been charged. Use these halls of iniquity to perpetrate your schemes against the infestation that has taken the fields and lakes of this land from you, their rightful masters. Never forget the hatred that must finally overcome and consume mankind. Dwell in your dungeons and brood. - Sheltem the Dark

User avatar
XEL II
HoTA Crew
HoTA Crew
Posts: 945
Joined: 14 May 2008
Location: Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby XEL II » 29 Apr 2011, 17:03

>One of the hard decisions Ubisoft had to take was putting aside the old universe for a new setting: the world of Ashan<



...this was also one of their most nonsensical decisions: to scrap excellent original universe and replace it with crappy half-assed Ashan, which lore is mostly based on aspects stolen from WarCraft and Disciples universes. Great job, Ubi, great job =\



Especially considering that they were ignorant to the core Might and Magic series. They were forming their opinion on MM lore only from HoMM campaigns, and decided that MM had "no strong connection between the games", all the while ignoring NINE games from core RPG series, which formed solid lore background of the old universe.



Heck, they didn't even know the stoyline well and called Enroth, Antagarich, Jadame and Chedian continents of the same world... practically in the same sentence where they accused the old universe for "not having strong lore".



Screw Ubi for what they've done to MM franchise. The only thing I expect from Heroes VI is the connection to the old universe repeatedly proposed by Marzhin. And please, don't get LotA involved: it's a great campaign on its own, but it would've been MUCH better to reconcile Ashan with the canonical MM univere from NWC, and LotA is fanon, after all. II
Edited on Fri, Apr 29 2011, 13:11 by XEL II
Make you strong places to dwell and practice the evil of your arts. Build great monuments to stand through the ages and remind your followers of the task with which you have been charged. Use these halls of iniquity to perpetrate your schemes against the infestation that has taken the fields and lakes of this land from you, their rightful masters. Never forget the hatred that must finally overcome and consume mankind. Dwell in your dungeons and brood. - Sheltem the Dark

User avatar
Angelspit
CH Founder
CH Founder
Posts: 6716
Joined: 18 Nov 2005
Location: Angelspit
Contact:

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby Angelspit » 29 Apr 2011, 17:15

Links are broken at the bottom of the article.
I'm on Steam and Xbox Live.

HenL
Peasant
Peasant
Posts: 96
Joined: 06 Jan 2006

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby HenL » 29 Apr 2011, 19:14

Just a minor quibble: At least one of the CoH screens(the leftmost) is from an unfinished build. The castle map is a placeholder.

User avatar
Kalah
Retired Admin
Retired Admin
Posts: 20078
Joined: 24 Nov 2005

Re: The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby Kalah » 29 Apr 2011, 20:43

Angelspit wrote:Links are broken at the bottom of the article.
No, they're not. They never were, you hear me? ;)
In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill.

DragonSire
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 23
Joined: 08 Apr 2011

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby DragonSire » 30 Apr 2011, 04:06

I am really surprised that H5 was the best selling. Must have been in Europe. Cause nobody here in NA knows about it. :/

And that bit about JVC turning down the lead just broke my heart. I think that is where it all went wrong. I had so much respect for JVC, now my heart is bleeding.

User avatar
MMXAlamar
Hunter
Hunter
Posts: 541
Joined: 14 Jan 2011
Location: USA

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby MMXAlamar » 30 Apr 2011, 05:07

I think the transition to Ashan could be canonized by the people of Ashan having no knowledge of the Ancients or the Kreegan, and the Ancients completely losing contact with that world. Like it or not, Ashan is a planet in the Might & Magic Universe. Treating the Dragons of Order and Chaos as metaphors for the war between the Ancients and the Creators could verify that Ashan is a planet in the old universe, yet the true origins of Ashan have been lost to time...and product sales.

User avatar
Pitsu
Round Table Hero
Round Table Hero
Posts: 1830
Joined: 22 Nov 2005

Re: The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby Pitsu » 30 Apr 2011, 06:29

DragonSire wrote:And that bit about JVC turning down the lead just broke my heart. I think that is where it all went wrong. I had so much respect for JVC, now my heart is bleeding.
We do not know much about the offers. It may be that Ubi set conditions that were not acceptable. We do know that it was more than only JVC who was contacted, and only the musicans ended up with a deal with Ubi.

User avatar
Avonu
Round Table Hero
Round Table Hero
Posts: 3854
Joined: 06 Aug 2006
Location: City of Griffin
Contact:

Unread postby Avonu » 30 Apr 2011, 06:35

>>>One of the hard decisions Ubisoft had to take was putting aside the old universe for a new setting: the world of Ashan

I know that Marzhin can't put any bad word about company who hire him, but at least don't excuse developers laziness to play previous games. ;P
Also, in one of interviews they claimed that just don't like previous universe sci-fi elements.


>>>Ashan offered its own background and flavor while staying true to the pillars of what made Might & Magic unique and compelling: its factions, rich bestiary, epic storylines and enchanted atmosphere.

You forgot one important pillar for MM universe (same as in Wizardry series) which was scrapped.


>>>Heroes V ushered in a return to the classic gameplay of Heroes III, with such new ideas as faction abilities, a new skill system and several new creatures.

Faction abilities were already in HoMM1: knight had better morale, brabarian pathfinding, sorceress navigation and warlock scouting. In HoMM2 these skills were official added as secondary starting skills. So this feature is no new at all.
This new skill system partialy was in HoMMIV - one general skill and 3 secondary ones (known as abilities in HV). So this idea is not new also.


>>>Heroes V became the highest-selling Might & Magic title of all time
Numbers please. Best selling in what time? Premiere day/month or the most copies over the time (which I somehow doubt)?
And where? In France, EU, all over the world?
This sentence for me seems to be directly insinuate by Ubisoft Marketing Dept. then to be actual status.

Tale
Leprechaun
Leprechaun
Posts: 29
Joined: 11 Feb 2011

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby Tale » 30 Apr 2011, 13:01

DragonSire: "I am really surprised that H5 was the best selling. Must have been in Europe. Cause nobody here in NA knows about it. :/"



Avonu: ">>>Heroes V became the highest-selling Might & Magic title of all time

Numbers please. Best selling in what time? Premiere day/month or the most copies over the time (which I somehow doubt)?

And where? In France, EU, all over the world?

This sentence for me seems to be directly insinuate by Ubisoft Marketing Dept. then to be actual status."



Is it really THAT surprising to you both? Consider: Heroes V got great reviews in Europe and decent reviews in North America. MetaCritic still gives Heroes V a 77 aggregated review total. Moreover, as posted on this site by Angelspit, in the holiday season of 2006, when Heroes 5 came out, UbiSoft claimed that they sold a combined 1.9 million units of Red Steel, Heroes 5, and Dark Messiah, which apparently accounted for a good number of their sales and helped lead them to become the second independent publisher in Europe and 5th in the US. Even if Red Steel sold a million copies, and Heroes 5 and Dark Messiah split the remainder, that makes it 450,000 in that holiday season alone - that is almost as much as heroes 3 sold, and doesn't count the remaining 5 years. That also doesn't count the expansions.



About that whole North America thing: GameSpot reported that, for the week of 28 May to 3 June 2006, Heroes 5 was the fourth best selling PC game in North America while the limited edition version was the tenth best selling PC game. UbiSoft isn't making up numbers. Heroes 5 sold very well. It was a good game; it was just stupidly buggy initially and had miserable voice acting overall.
Edited on Sat, Apr 30 2011, 09:02 by Tale

User avatar
Corlagon
Archangel
Archangel
Posts: 1421
Joined: 03 Sep 2007
Location: HC/CH

Unread postby Corlagon » 30 Apr 2011, 13:16

Unfortunately this article is more "corporate" than the others. I don't think the claim about H5's sales is all that far-fetched, though. It was promoted very well indeed (sadly unlike its sequel has been, so far :P).

User avatar
Kalah
Retired Admin
Retired Admin
Posts: 20078
Joined: 24 Nov 2005

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby Kalah » 30 Apr 2011, 14:24

I don't think it is... While all the articles contain the links to Steam and GoG at the bottom, the focus of the content is plainly on the history of the series. There is no mention of whether the games are actually any good, and information such as sales figures and actual contents is a needs must in such an article.
In War: Resolution, In Defeat: Defiance, In Victory: Magnanimity, In Peace: Goodwill.

User avatar
XEL II
HoTA Crew
HoTA Crew
Posts: 945
Joined: 14 May 2008
Location: Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby XEL II » 30 Apr 2011, 16:17

>You forgot one important pillar for MM universe (same as in Wizardry series) which was scrapped.<



Sure they don't mention one of Ubi's greatest foul ups of all time :) This article was written under the orders from Ubi.
Edited on Sat, Apr 30 2011, 15:14 by Kalah
Make you strong places to dwell and practice the evil of your arts. Build great monuments to stand through the ages and remind your followers of the task with which you have been charged. Use these halls of iniquity to perpetrate your schemes against the infestation that has taken the fields and lakes of this land from you, their rightful masters. Never forget the hatred that must finally overcome and consume mankind. Dwell in your dungeons and brood. - Sheltem the Dark

User avatar
MMXAlamar
Hunter
Hunter
Posts: 541
Joined: 14 Jan 2011
Location: USA

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby MMXAlamar » 30 Apr 2011, 17:34

Clash of Heroes looks retarded...And Heroes Kingdoms has potential, but the management is complete ****. They only have ONE Ubi employee moderating the whole damn game. There are many problems that need to be solved that require more help!

User avatar
XEL II
HoTA Crew
HoTA Crew
Posts: 945
Joined: 14 May 2008
Location: Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

Re: The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby XEL II » 30 Apr 2011, 18:22

MMXAlamar wrote:Clash of Heroes looks retarded
Indeed.

Ubi, you know what? If you want to make an anime-ish title in your franchise, just make a freaking anime based on that franchise! :) Just look at Final Fantasy.
Make you strong places to dwell and practice the evil of your arts. Build great monuments to stand through the ages and remind your followers of the task with which you have been charged. Use these halls of iniquity to perpetrate your schemes against the infestation that has taken the fields and lakes of this land from you, their rightful masters. Never forget the hatred that must finally overcome and consume mankind. Dwell in your dungeons and brood. - Sheltem the Dark

User avatar
Dalai
Equilibris Team
Equilibris Team
Posts: 1073
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Contact:

Unread postby Dalai » 30 Apr 2011, 23:12

Ashan was the brainchild of novelist Richard Dansky and producer Erwan Le Breton. Like its predecessors Varn, Terra and Enroth, Ashan offered its own background and flavor while staying true to the pillars of what made Might & Magic unique and compelling: its factions, rich bestiary, epic storylines and enchanted atmosphere.
Oo-oo-ops! What a shame! :embarrased:
XEL II wrote:Screw Ubi for what they've done to MM franchise. The only thing I expect from Heroes VI is the connection to the old universe repeatedly proposed by Marzhin.
They own it, so you'll probably have to content yourself with "helm of Crag-Hack" and "Sandro's shinbone". ;|
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favour of the idea that life is serious." Brendan Gill

User avatar
MMXAlamar
Hunter
Hunter
Posts: 541
Joined: 14 Jan 2011
Location: USA

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby MMXAlamar » 01 May 2011, 01:36

Well at least there are fan projects to continue the Old Universe.

User avatar
hellegennes
Succubus
Succubus
Posts: 843
Joined: 04 May 2009

The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby hellegennes » 01 May 2011, 07:28

Scrapping the old universe was not much of a choice for UBI. They had to do it, or else spend a ridiculous amount of time researching stuff about the old universe. This is much time and money spent on something the fans would probably accuse them later, saying things like that they are not true to the old universe or misinterpreted this and that or that it has continuity errors. If they had JVC, things would be different. I understand this decision but the real problems lies with what they did with the new world, which in many fans' opinion is not interesting enough or complicated in a bad way and certainly is not as original as the old universe was.
Edited on Sun, May 01 2011, 03:30 by hellegennes

User avatar
Dalai
Equilibris Team
Equilibris Team
Posts: 1073
Joined: 06 Jan 2006
Contact:

Re: The Ubisoft Era

Unread postby Dalai » 01 May 2011, 12:01

hellegennes wrote:Scrapping the old universe was not much of a choice for UBI.
Yes, it was.
They had to do it, or else spend a ridiculous amount of time researching stuff about the old universe.
Great point! Next time they hire a new guy to create a campaign they should scrap this universe too. And if he fails his period of probation - yep, you guessed it! Scrap that new universe and create next one. So the next guy does not "waste" his "precious" time :devious:

I thought that they are being paid to know at least something about their immediate work. Preferably more than just something, it's (was?) a triple-A project after all ;|
This is much time and money spent on something
They purchased HoMM franchise, then they threw away all the lore, so there is only name left (the "idea" of the game can not be protected by copyright). Now they threw away the name too. Do you really see the efficiency in their money spending? I wonder how they explain it to shareholders? "M-m-m, it was a bad and weak franchise, we had to do everything from scratch..." :disagree:

If they did not purchase the HoMM franchise and just tried to create a HoMM-similar game - they would probably be in the exact same position today, but $1,3 Mil richer. Frankly, I would be happier too. :|
I understand this decision but the real problems lies with what they did with the new world, which in many fans' opinion is not interesting enough or complicated in a bad way and certainly is not as original as the old universe was.
How can they expect to create something original if they throw away HoMM stuff and borrow stuff from wherever possible, just whatever they take into their heads?
"Not a shred of evidence exists in favour of the idea that life is serious." Brendan Gill

User avatar
XEL II
HoTA Crew
HoTA Crew
Posts: 945
Joined: 14 May 2008
Location: Saint-Petersburg, Russian Federation

Unread postby XEL II » 01 May 2011, 16:22

The franchise is actually MM, HoMM is a part of it. And they could have very well kept the old universe. Of course, they are not NWC, who created it, but if they did some research (played the actual games, for crying out loud), they could have created a perfectly authentic storuline.

Not to mention that the didn't have to create only HoMM V, they could also make MM X. Instead, they created shallow substitute titles like DMoMM and Clash of Heroes =\
Make you strong places to dwell and practice the evil of your arts. Build great monuments to stand through the ages and remind your followers of the task with which you have been charged. Use these halls of iniquity to perpetrate your schemes against the infestation that has taken the fields and lakes of this land from you, their rightful masters. Never forget the hatred that must finally overcome and consume mankind. Dwell in your dungeons and brood. - Sheltem the Dark


Return to “Articles”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests