Hey, All.

​

Hope each of you is safe and healthy.

​​

This month, I have three topics concerning the War Hog, Hero portraits, and the HoMM3 Orc.  No HoMM3 Recollection this month, as I am still aiming for January.  Have a good December and a merry Christmas.

 

Until next time.

 

 

​Greg

Fanstratics Game Director & Designer

​​

 

 

*****

​

 

 

Fanstratics Troop: War Hog

 

Charging into battle, wailing, grunting, and squealing, the Krasadox War Hogs are literal brute force grunts.  Wielding crude clubs with serrated teeth, these filthy soldiers attack with the intent of bleeding their target.  When successful, their enemy quickly loses all life, while the War Hogs absorb their diminishing assaults.  As a battle progresses, under specific circumstances, this tactic can transform a bleed into a rupture, and turn an Enemy’s speedy demise into a hasty death.

 

Not much to relate concerning the visual development of this Troop.  Shortly after emailing a description, Justin followed up with four surprisingly detailed thumbnails.  I picked one of the four, and this past Monday, Justin delivered an awesome pig warrior.  It was almost too easy.

 

Unfortunately, this month, there is no VOD from Justin.  November in the USA means Thanksgiving and Black Friday.  So, family commitments took priority over streaming.

 

 

 

Fanstratics Question:  Are you going to be making hero portraits the way they were done for homm3? (taking pictures of real people and adding them to the game) Because if you are then I would like to sign up :D. It has always been a dream of mine.

 

Probably not.  I’ve never been a fan of ‘self-inserts’, and would prefer more artistic portraits.  Ultimately, it will be an art direction issue.  However, I have considered a possible crowdfunding option for an alternate set of Heroes.  It would be akin to a mod, on a first-come-first serve basis, where players who contribute a certain amount could define the name and picture for a specific hero.  We’ll see.

 

 

 

HoMM3 Question:  Regarding HoMM3, I take it orcs are "pig-faced" (maybe less that in HoMM1, rather like HoMM2, MM3 and MM5), it's just that their face on the in-game sprites is rather blurred?  The Stronghold puzzle shows this more clearly.

 

Might and Magic (MM) drew heavily on Dungeons & Dragons, and originally the orcs were very ‘pig-like’.  You can see an example here (https://tinyurl.com/5x3kt3xe) and here (https://tinyurl.com/2p8cpfhb).  So... yes, in MM, the orcs were supposed to be ‘pig men’.  This is very apparent in MM2, HoMM1, and HoMM2.  Personally, I always thought the Gamorrean Guard (https://tinyurl.com/mryvdr4j) from Return of the Jedi was the best example of an ‘orc’.

​

​

​