However, in 2011, the team regrouped in a redoubled effort to finish version 1.0, and triumphed by the (very) end of the year in delivering the Cove, Heroes of Might and Magic III's de facto tenth town (with a small campaign). A disgruntled insider leaked a bugged beta version, which included a playable yet crash-prone first version of the Cove town, but nothing official immediately followed. In the spirit of a classic expansion pack, new heroes, artifacts, objects, terrains, spells, gameplay and features were intended for inclusion.Ī sudden dispute within the HotA development team significantly crippled its progress, and for months on end it seemed certain that it would never be released.
The mod promised three new factions would be added to H3, with a new one coming in each of the three global versions: the pirate-focused Cove town, the snowy Kronwerk/Crownwork populated by Dwarves and Giants, and the Cathedral, a dark antithesis to the Castle town led by inquisitors. It is the first fan mod in the history of the entire series to successfully add an all-new town, without replacing any other factions in doing so. HotA is a mod crafted by the Russian-speaking Heroes community for Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of Death. Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Shadow of DeathĤ. Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Bladeģ. Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of ErathiaĢ. HotA started as a MOD for Heroes III SoD, but ended as a full expansion of the original game.
We try to keep classical h3 spirit in every tiny detail from code nuances to overall gameplay. On a more conceptual level, HotA is an attempt to continue legendary series RoE-AB-SoD as close to the original as it could have been done by NWC team, if only they had more desire, resources or even understanding of their own game. HotA is a global add-on for Heroes of might and magic III that extends (and fixes if needed) classical gameplay elements and adds some of its own.