Editing Greg Fulton/Fanstratics Newsletters/8 (section)

== Behemoth Cave Interview (part 1 of 7) ==
This interview was conducted by Behemoth Cave (Webpage & Facebook) and originally published on November 10th, 2020. It’s another relatively long interview, comprised of 18 questions in 33 parts. I’ll be posting around 5 to 7 ‘parts’ per Newsletter, until we reach the end, after which we will roll into another interview.  Below are questions 1a to 2b, of 18.


'''1a. Let's begin with a topic that always raises a lot of controversy among the community: The [[Heavenly Forge]]. Story about the futuristic town and the negative reaction of the Heroes’ fandom which lead to cancelation of the project is well known.  The whole criticism was mainly based on materials for the press containing the pictures and information about infamous Naga Tanks, Zombies with chainsaws and Minotaurs with jetpacks. Was this really the actual, up-to-date vision on Heavenly Forge at the time?'''

Yes.  Everything now known, was planned, with some obvious exceptions (i.e. the Naga Tanks were not going to be partly nude).


'''1b. Have you considered “mitigating the design”, “toning it down”?'''

We did go back-and-forth, to a minor degree, about how we might ‘adapt’ the concept, but after the controversy... we were basically unmotivated.  We soured on the concept after the negative reaction and the subsequent rift with a portion of the fandom.  In the end, it was easier, and more comfortable, to move onto the [[Conflux]], which was waiting in the wings.


'''1c. What other ideas for this faction came up among the Heroes 3 developers team?'''

[[Jennifer Bullard]] and the map making team proposed the idea of a Clockwork Town, but I shot it down.  [[New World Computing]]’s (NWC) art staff was struggling with the Forge, and I had lost confidence in their ability to craft anything not fantasy related.


'''1d. After all these years, can you shed some new light on the technology present in the world of M&M?'''

When it comes to deep Might and Magic lore, [[Paul Rattner]] is really the best person to ask, but I will do my best.  To start, I’m not sure what you mean by ‘new light’, as what is publicly known is relatively accurate.  Regardless, from my understanding, at its most basic, the idea was simple.  ‘Ancient’ high technology machines, typically hidden, could be accessed and manipulated to produce ‘magical’ events, via ‘physical and mental ritual’.  This excluded high tech machines, such as the Heavenly Forge, which made magical artifacts via simple instruction.


'''2a. Abandoning the idea of Forge also left an empty slot for a new town in expansion, the Armageddon’s Blade.  In the end, Conflux made it into the game - a mix of [[elemental]] forces.  How do you feel about this decision?'''

In the end, I was satisfied with how it transpired.  In general, I like the Conflux town, but I do wish there had been more time to flesh it out.


'''2b. Have you considered any alternatives for the 9th faction?  If so, can you name any of them?'''

As I mentioned, Jennifer Bullard and the map making team came up with the idea for a Clockwork Town, which I liked, but as I mentioned, I had strong doubts the NWC art staff could deliver.

Personally, at the time, I didn’t have any further factions in reserve.  This doesn’t mean more couldn’t be done, but the overall plan was two new towns (Forge and Conflux), followed by a pure map pack.  In the end, it became two expansions: 1 new town (AB) and 1 pure map pack ([[SoD]]).  Later, the [[Heroes Chronicles|Chronicles]] were added, which collectively could be considered a third expansion, but this was long after I left NWC.

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