Editing Greg Fulton/Fanstratics Newsletters/6 (section)

== Tavern of Might and Magic Interview (part 4 of 5) ==
This interview was conducted by Tavern of Might and Magic and GoodGame.ru, and published on February 28th, 019, the 20th Anniversary of HoMM3. It’s a very long interview, almost 60 questions, and delves deep into unresolved lore, as well as other common questions. I’ll be posting between 10 to 15 questions per Newsletter, until we reach the end, after which we will roll into another interview. Below are questions 35 to 45, of 58.

''(NOTE: The interview can be viewed in its entirety [[Gregory Fulton/Tavern of Might and Magic Interview|here]] (with some extra notes by [[XEL]]).''


'''35. In your FAQ on the Forge’s cancellation you highlighted the fact that the [[Inferno]] town is populated by aliens who look like demons. Those being [[Kreegan]]s and the demon-like creatures they breed and summon, like [[pit fiend]]s, [[demon]]s, [[imp]]s, [[efreeti]], etc. [[Jennifer Bullard]] has mentioned in an interview that the Kreegan are the original demons faced in MM worlds, and you viewed them as such. That means the demons in MM 1-5 and MM9 are Kreegans and their creatures, like in the case of the Inferno line-up. Inferno creatures are also present in the [[Underworld]], a deep and vast network of cavern below [[Erathia]], nearly a millennium before HoMM3 (and they are mostly exterminated in [[Heroes Chronicles]]: [[Conquest of the Underworld]]). In MM2 Devil Kings are even seen guarding an [[Ancient]] installation, which has an interesting implication of it being possible to tame Kreegans and/or their creatures in some way. Kreegans and their creatures present in those games are probably remnants of past invasion and/or agents that has arrived on a particular world (which fits well with demons being summoned in MM3). Can you provide insights into how you viewed demons present in different games when developing the game?'''

When developing HoMM3, my view of demons in MM was defined by [[Paul Rattner]] (Lead Designer of MM6). He established their lore in MM6. In doing this, as far as I was concerned, he laid the foundation for their story going forward.

As to ‘demons in MM1-5 and MM9 being Kreegans’, I think it is safe to assume all demons in the [[Jon Van Caneghem]] era are Kreegans, until a different developer or another game effectively explains otherwise.


'''36. Did you have some ideas on the origin of Kreegan? One tavern rumor says: when a devil travels, it journeys to its plane before returning to our world. This implies that Kreegans control or at least have access to another plane of existence. Can you tell us more?'''

This really is a question for Paul Rattner, as I did not create the Kreegans, I merely inherited them. Nevertheless, I understood the Kreegans to be alien invaders from another plane of existence. Folklore would call them Demons from Hell.


'''37. What is the origin of angels and archangels? Don’t worry, we won’t have a heart attack.'''

Over the course of my time at [[New World Computing|New World]], on occasion, typically when taking a break, I would wander into Paul Rattner’s office. Even though MM6 was in mid production, Paul was already thinking about MM7, so I made sure to update him on what was happening with HoMM3.

When I told him about the changes to the factions, I specifically mentioned the Angels. At that point in time, Paul was essentially the lore master for the MM universe. On the topic of the Angels and Arch Angels, he proposed they be sophisticated robots created by the Ancients to hunt down and eradicate the Kreegans. I agreed, and we ran with it.

Later, after the Forge was shelved, I remember thinking to myself, If people have a problem with the whole ‘goblins are aliens’ idea, I can only imagine what they will think if they figure out the true origins of the Angels.


'''38. [[Giant and Titan|Giants and titans]] are made of some rock-like material (which is especially evident in the titan’s HoMM2 and MM 6-7 death animation), but appear to be something more than just a golem. Moreover, their HoMM4 variation is clearly made of flesh? Also a notable thing is that both angels and some giants and titans are allied with [[Bracada]]. Did you have any ideas about titan lore?'''

Starting with HoMM4, I can tell you, I was only on the project for the first two weeks of its existence. Why did the Titans shed their apparent inorganic appearance? I honestly do not know. It is possible the HoMM4 team, by setting the game on a completely new world, chose to reinvent the Titans as flesh and blood giants the Greek tradition. It is also possible a ‘lack of communication led to creative inconsistency’.

In terms of game mechanics, what Jon and I wanted to avoid, was having yet another group of troops immune to Mind Spells. To this end, I considered [[Naga]], Giants, and Titans to be conceptually similar to [[Dendroid]]s, but there was never any specific lore explanation crafted to elaborate on this idea.


'''39. Was there a specific reason (or several reason) for the exclusion of [[halfling]]s from the [[Tower]] faction?'''

I wanted something more creative and more visually interesting than a halfling. For a replacement candidate, it was a toss up between [[Gremlin]]s and Red Caps. Gremlins were more familiar, so they made the cut. When the Halflings were removed, there was always an intention to use one of the expansions as an opportunity to reinsert them as a neutral troop.


'''40. Did you have any lore and story ideas about characters that weren't realized or properly reflected in the game?'''

Not really. HoMM story was basically created on-the-fly, very similar to comic book storytelling and continuity. A long term, game-to-game plan is rare and something of a luxury.


'''41. Was there any ideas on the future of [[Deyja]] and [[Archibald]]'s advisors (who became its new rulers in MM7) in the light of Forge's cancellation?'''

Paul Rattner may have had some ideas pertaining to the subject, but we never discussed any such subject.


'''42. What is your personal opinion on the advisor's (and, by extension, the Forge faction they created) actions and motivations? Do you think they were driven more by their desire to lead the world to a better future (with them as leaders) or their lust for power? Or were those motivations roughly equally present?'''

Simple lust for power and domination, but I am sure there were plenty of rationalizations.


'''43. Can you tell us more about Forge's 7th lvl creature. Was that a cyborg dragon or something more akin to a [[golem]] (like in HoMM4)? Was it [[flying]]?'''

It was not flying and definitely not a cyborg. If my memory is correct, it was supposed to be robotic, so more golem-like in origin.


'''44. The intro cinematic for Armageddon's Blade is apparently a remnant of the original version of the story with the Forge, or at least inspired by it. The most notable difference is that the Blade is found rather than forged. Can you tell us more about the intro's conception and inclusion?'''

Originally, the intro cinematic was a teaser trailer made specifically for E3, with the intention to eventually use it for the final game. At the end of the cinematic, instead of finding Armageddon’s Blade, there was supposed to be something akin to high tech ‘Predator vision’ scanning Gelu, Roland, and Catherine. This implication was to set the stage for the Forge as a sci-fi town. After the Forge was cancelled, Armageddon’s Blade was inserted as the replacement.


'''45. Did NWC have plans or rather ideas for any town types other than Forge and Conflux? If yes, do you remember some details about them?'''

At the time, there were no such plans for additional town types.

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