Editing Greg Fulton/Fanstratics Newsletters/33 (section)

== HoMM3 Question ==
'''I always enjoyed how the interface was clear - of course skeuomorphic design was current standard then, but HoMM managed to separate itself from looking like a business program (it's something at Sierra games (like Pharaoh or Caesar 3) failed a bit with their "File..." bar at the top).  The adventure map was magically coherent and usable - I say magically because it is immediately, or almost immediately which parts are interactable (there are few non-obvious skeletons or something but those are exceptions) and yet everything was fluidly fitting with each other without using artificial highlights etc.  Variety of content - both in maps with a lot of detail and unique shapes to never look like glued from prefabs (it blew my small child brain when I ran the map editor for the first time and realized that in fact, yes, there was a finite amount of forest sprites etc.) but also in the cities and unit rosters - 7 cities and each very different with look and feel - unthinkable in this day and age.'''

A logical interface, via either the UI or Map Elements, is not easy to create.  Most people simply do not see it.