And skeleton on map has long neck 
There is also some glimpse of cartoonish graphics, like Necropolis town screen resembles some flash animation look.
PS I think I’ll still buy this to my collection, when it’s out.
I am rather wondering WHY didn’t they use the VCMI source as a main base for development. Everyone would benefit from that. They would save money and VCMI would get a lot of code commits by pros. Perhaps one could still engage in talks with them?
First of all because Ubisoft just care to make more money on re-releasing game on tablets/Steam and doubt they have any plans to expand it or provide long-term support. I suppose they can recreate SOD (or just magically find the source to release it as $10 DLC), but I doubt they’ll actually rewrite entire engine.
I think this way not because I think those developers are bad or anything, but DotEmu’s portfolio clearly show that.
Even if they wanted to use VCMI code (not likely) it’s just wouldn’t work because VCMI licensed under “GPLv2 or later” which isn’t compatible with iOS App Store (e.g Google Play is compatible). You can learn more details HERE.
You are really wondering that? I wonder how it would be possible for them to “save money” and at the same time “make a lot of commits” (as you put it). If you want to “save” money, then you’d pick the codebase where you’d NOT have to do “a lot of commits”. If I were them and the choice was to either use this fan-made project with some rough edges or this other existing codebase where everything works already and one just has to apply some polish here and there… Is the answer not obvious?
As, so it-s an appstore release too. That explains it.
Yes, I am really wondering that, because other projects have done so in the past. In fact, Strife: Veteran Edtion has just been released on Steam , using GPLed Chocolate Doom as a main engine. Do you think working with an arcane codebase and port it to modern devices is easy too? I suspect the amount of work involved wouldn’t differ that much from simply supporting VCMI. However, as SXX pointed out, the appstore release prevents them from doing so.
You just found one of rare exceptions. Usually game developers don’t touch GPLed code even if it’s more expensive to use some different technology and Ubisoft it’s huge pro-DRM company just like EA or Sony. They’ll never use any technology that will force them to open even a bit of their code.
It’s a lot easier because they can do it with shittiest hacks ever and nobody will ever see their code. If there will be glitches, bugs, desyncs they can always just say something like “this is AMD fault” or “Android fault” or whatever…
When you code is open source it’s kind a hard to say that it’s work like a crap and it’s not your fault.
Yeah forgot about ubisoft. You’re right.
I guess you have a point, but does this mean we’re doomed to an eternity of shitty official remakes and ports, save for a few notable exceptions?
Unfortunately most of gamers really don’t understand open development models and something like open source it’s just way too complicated. So for now most market of AAA budget games run by marketing bullshit only and same valid for high-end hardware market, all kind of overclocking, etc.
Basically when publishers as Ubisoft re-release old game like HoMM3 they don’t actually target anyone from original audience, but more like new PC gamers and guys who only play on mobile devices. So even if many people who playing H3 all these years think this blurry “HD” graphics bad those new players would likely say it’s better because they used to this style of graphics.
IMHO open source is get big adoption in business and corporate market because people here know how to count money. Sadly games market (except extreme low-budget indie or extremely hardcore titles) is mainly about marketing because game development is costly and even if developers want to actually create good game hardcore audience usually can’t really cover development cost. E.g if you check Kickstarter projects most of them only represent like 25-40% of actual budget at best.
PS: Anyway it’s way too offtopic already, but personally I don’t think like this “HD edition” would be a big thing just because Ubisoft already funded Might & Magic X: Legacy which get way more press coverage and attention, but end up in being more like “poof”.
I really don’t care about that HD edition (because it’s not even remake, just updated and upscaled graphics.), but hey we can benefit from that. Even if it’s not perfect job, this HD edition is just looking a lot better. 800x600 on fullhd displays is looking awful. It’s not some kind of platform game, Is just not good. If you use resolution mod, everything is too small, it’s not good either.
I hope vcmi will use these updated graphics. It would be amazing.
When thinking updated and upscaled graphics, is it possible to do so in vcmi? Or?
@Toonadorisu - it would violate copyrights. An instant way to get this project closed.
You saw the requirements for the HD Remake? They are greater than those of HoMM 5, and almost identical to MM:H6 xD
Oh ok, but if Ubisoft never did an upscaled graphicks, would it still be possible in VCMI? Yeah. I remember the requirements when it was new. Only 32mb ram etc… Little Off-topic: HEROES CHRONICLES: ALL CHAPTERS, is this recommended buying, for those who like Heroes 3?
Upscaled graphics will look worse, than non-scaled.
PS I think there is already some on-the-fly upscaler in VCMI.
Not if it’s updated also.
There are several years passed, and yet no artist started to redraw 3d0 assets to free ones (to possibility of use VCMI without Heroes 3). And you say updated graphics 
I think main issue with redrawing something it’s that most of fans like game as it is. It’s not possible to do both: not break original’s copyright and make assets that looks like original one.
Yeah, that’s the first thing I said when I saw the H3HD remake, I didn’t like the necropolis at all, it’s bloody awful! The original one looked really dark and actually was kind of spooky and creepy, but now it’s just like some whitish-gray bricks put together to make a bunch of weird buildings with weird proportions and positions! Some of them I did like, but it’s not many of them, they just got lucky with those, it wasn’t the intention to try to make it look more like that. Somehow, the old heroes 3 had something which many people praise in its graphics - Realism. Many future heroes games, and many games in general couldn’t manage to get that realism that heroes 3 had no matter how good graphics they had, especially early 3D, it looked very goofy.
We actually do have some little graphics edits, I just forgot where they are on the forums, we had some nice things, some of them could really fit and you wouldn’t see the big difference or you would say that it’s better. I think the cape of velocity that was made was pretty good. If I find it later, I’ll post the link here.
Mostly, all of these graphics done in 3D nowadays kind of have a problem of textures. Heroes 3 was made in 3D and it looks as great as it looks! I think that somehow, you could make graphics look better and in high res.
Among the other things that drew my attention are the insane requirements compared to the original! I know that almost everyone has a great computer today that can run this, but if this game really eats that much of your power, that’s not a good thing.
store.steampowered.com/app/297000/
Does VCMI use this much computer power? I only noticed that it does use too much CPU compared to heroes 3, but it’s okay aside from that.
I think they just written current medium-level machine on market.
Don’t see reasons for HD edition to eat so much resources.
I’m just curious about what could possibly have changed so drastically in the code between the base game and those expansions that they could not either (A) Decompile them to obtain it, or (B) Recode said bits? We’re not talking about different game engines here
There is no evidence yet, that in HMM3 HD they are using source texts for original HMM3. Even 3DO said that sources are lost.
And if UBI has sources and only redrawn graphics, than there is a lot of work to do with source code - all interface and objects coordinates and sizes in pixels are changed. And original 3DO engine worked with 8-bit colours, UBI must use 32-bit colors, so this also needs to be rewritten in program.