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                          ...Release Info...

                          Title: Heroes of Might & Magic
                        Version: Preview
                         Author: New World Computing
                           Type: Strategy
                          Theme: Magic/Warriors
                          Sound: WAVs Included
                       Supplier: Stone Vyper

        Once upon a time, way back a long, long time ago, (5.25" disks.
        remember?) strategy games existed in total isolation from the
        world of fantasy. (You want to wreak havoc on the enemy with
        ORCS? What?! Shut up and use your tanks like everybody else!)
        It was simple; strategy gamers played strategy games and fantasy
        fans played RPGs, and never the twain shall meet. Then something
        happened. Okay, a few somethings happened. A few upstarts of the
        industry started producing strategy games using unreal characters
        like dragons, knights, and undead beasties. Games like QQP's
        Conquered Kingdoms and SSG's Warlords proved that you could have
        a serious strategic exercise with nary an infantryman, tank, or
        B1 bomber in sight. Equally important, these games proved that
        fantasy strategy games could SELL, and sell well. Thus, the
        strategy genre swelled to include all forms of fantastical
        medieval creatures, and there was much rejoicing.
        
	New World Computing will soon be jumping into this burgeoning
        sub-genre with the release of its upcoming title Heroes of Might
        & Magic. New World is no stranger to strategy games, with the
        critically acclaimed and ever-popular Empire series holding a
        place of honor in their back catalog, but this will be the first
        time they've combined their strategic savvy with a medieval
        fantasy world. For the setting, New World has delved into their
        own hugely popular role playing series Might & Magic. (The title
        of the game should have given that away, but I believe in
        overstating the obvious whenever convenient.) While strategy
        gamers may not be intimately familiar with this series, odds are
        they've at least heard of it somewhere down the line. RPG fans
        who also like a good strategy game will find that many of their
        favorite characters and some of the most interesting locales
        have been ported into Heroes. Playing a strategy game with
        characters you've known for years, in surroundings you've visited
        many times before (five times to be specific) should give Heroes
        of Might & Magic a richness of setting not generally found in
        strategy games. It will also give fans of the Might & Magic RPG
        series something to chew on until the release of Might & Magic VI.


	Heroes of Might & Magic actually began as another project
        altogether. About five years ago designer John VanCaneghem wrote
        a game called King's Bounty. Ever since he's been waiting for the
        opportunity to do a sequel, and was finally given the green light.
        As work on the sequel rolled ahead, John decided to tap into New
        World's extensive archive of Might & Magic material. Many
        characters and world maps that haven't made their way into a Might
        & Magic RPG are kicking around the New World office, and the
        choice was made to rename the King's Bounty sequel to reflect its
        new content. So in Heroes you'll see a number of brand new faces
        and places, as well as some familiar ones.


        In Heroes of Might & Magic you will compete with three computer
        controlled warlords as you struggle to bring the land under your
        unified rule. The central units of your armies are heroes. You
        will hire heroes to recruit men into your army, find vile and
         powerful monsters to serve you, and locate and gather resources
         to fuel your battles. To reign supreme, you'll have to combine
         strategic planning with tactical battle skill.


	Although things are improving, strategy games aren't exactly known
        for awe-inspiring graphics. Heroes of Might & Magic will help to
        change that. From the beginning of the project, Heroes was
        designed in 640x480 SVGA. The graphics look absolutely beautiful,
        with colorful world maps and highly-detailed characters and
        locations.


	One area in which New World hopes to break some new ground is the
        artificial intelligence of the game. A strategy game is only as
        good as the opponent you play against, so the Heroes design team
        is putting forth every effort to create a computer AI that will
        provide a good challenge to any league of player. The goal here
        is to create an AI that follows the same rules the human player
        must abide by, rather than a computer opponent that must rely on
        subtle cheating to win. Additionally, New World will include the
        ability to create random maps and item distributions, which will
        allow the game to be infinitely replayable.


	Whether you're a fan of the RPG series or not, Heroes of Might &
        Magic sounds like an absorbing strategy game any fan of the genre
        should enjoy. Combining the richness of the Might & Magic world
        with the strategic savvy of the company that brought us the Empire
        series, Heroes of Might & Magic is a title to watch for.
        Lates...

                                    -Stone Vyper .CiA.di!

