You know, after the first trailers and interviews you gave to various publications, some players’ comments said they were disappointed that nothing new was shown in the demo part of the project.

您知道，在您向各种出版物提供第一个预告片和采访后，一些玩家的评论表示，他们对项目的演示部分没有显示任何新内容感到失望。

Others, on the contrary, shouted, "Give us a redrawn version of the third game, and that’s it!"

其他人则相反，喊道：“给我们一个第三款游戏的重画版本，就这样了！”

It creates the impression that the community itself doesn't know what it wants.

它给人的印象是社区本身不知道自己想要什么。

So tell us, what are the key gameplay features you’ve focused on, and what mechanics does Olden Era bring to the series for the first time?

那么请告诉我们，您关注的关键游戏功能是什么？Olden Era 首次为该系列带来了哪些机制？

Answering this question, I’ll first make a small digression about what we’re doing.

回答这个问题，我首先稍微题外话一下我们正在做的事情。

The main idea and goal given to the team was to create a recognizable Heroes project in the classic style.

团队的主要想法和目标是创建一个经典风格的可识别英雄项目。

Like you’d recall if you played 20 years ago and so on. At the same time, attract a new audience to this project by offering them something interesting, fresh, and dynamic, maybe even fast-paced.

就像你20年前玩过游戏时会记得的那样。同时，通过向新受众提供有趣、新鲜、动态甚至快节奏的内容来吸引新受众。

When it comes to some features of the project, etc., like you, Mitya, enjoy saying, we preserved the classic elements of Heroes gameplay.

当谈到项目的一些功能等时，像你一样，Mitya，喜欢说，我们保留了《英雄无敌》游戏玩法的经典元素。

The heroes are there, skills, leveling system, some gameplay math, formulas for attack and defense,magic, and more.

英雄在那里，技能、升级系统、一些游戏数学、攻击和防御公式、魔法等等。

If you come up to someone and say, "Here are Heroes," they’ll recall the essence of Heroes gameplay in our project.

如果您走到某人面前并说“这是英雄”，他们会回忆起我们项目中英雄游戏玩法的精髓。

In short, we’re preserving the things that can even raise questions, like we already announced a mechanic of accelerating units based on hero units, which sparked some discussion in the community.

简而言之，我们保留了一些甚至可能引起问题的东西，比如我们已经宣布了一种基于英雄单位的加速机制，这在社区中引发了一些讨论。

Currently, this mechanic is preserved out of love for classic parts of the series, though it may not stay forever.

目前，出于对该系列经典部分的热爱，这一机制被保留下来，尽管它可能不会永远保留。

We will listen to the community, consider arguments, and so on.

我们将听取社区的意见，考虑争论等等。

But the core remains the same— the elements you’re familiar with and recognize in Heroes.

但核心仍然是一样的——你在《英雄无敌》中熟悉并认识的元素。

At the same time, each of these ideas is being refined and improved, evolving in some way. Some changes may be small, others more substantial.

与此同时，这些想法中的每一个都在以某种方式得到完善和改进，不断发展。有些变化可能很小，有些变化可能较大。

Small adjustments are relative, of course; trust me, even something as simple as secondary skills with sub-skills takes a lot of effort.

当然，小的调整是相对的；相信我，即使是像辅助技能和子技能这样简单的事情也需要付出很多努力。

Or, for example, active abilities in the game, which were introduced in Heroes V through the spellbook. In our game, they’re limited by energy and integrated as a full-fledged gameplay element.

或者，例如游戏中的主动能力，这些能力是通过法术书在《英雄无敌 V》中引入的。在我们的游戏中，它们受到能量的限制并集成为成熟的游戏元素。

Some features have evolved drastically, so they’re almost unrecognizable. For example, during a game, heroes can gain faction-specific sub-skills unique to their faction.

有些功能已经发生了巨大的变化，因此几乎无法识别。例如，在游戏过程中，英雄可以获得其阵营独有的特定派系子技能。

Additionally, we’ve added a set of brand new features to the game.

此外，我们还为游戏添加了一系列全新功能。

Perhaps I won’t list everything, but the biggest one is the system of faction laws. Basically, it’s a set of effects that activate during the game. These laws are unique to each faction, allowing players to fine-tune their gameplay, adapt to specific situations, and more. They significantly differentiate factions from one another.

也许我不会列出所有内容，但最大的一个是派系法律体系。基本上，它是在游戏过程中激活的一组效果。这些法律对于每个派系来说都是独一无二的，允许玩家微调他们的游戏玩法，适应特定情况等等。他们显着区分了不同派系。

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Could you please give an example of these faction laws? As I understand it, there are unique mechanics for each faction, adding variety.

您能否举例说明这些派系法律？据我了解，每个派系都有独特的机制，增加了多样性。

Let me answer with interesting examples. Take the undead, right? The dead and decayed. They’ve always interacted with morale in Heroes.

让我用有趣的例子来回答。带走不死者吧？死者和腐烂者。他们总是与《英雄无敌》中的士气互动。

For example, the undead have no morale of their own, but they enjoy spoiling it for everyone else.

例如，不死族没有自己的士气，但他们喜欢破坏其他人的士气。

If you start as an undead faction, your heroes and units in their armies won’t have a negative morale impact on each other if you reach a certain level.

如果你从不死派开始，当你达到一定水平时，你的英雄和军队中的单位不会对彼此产生负面的士气影响。

Another cool undead example: you can take a faction law called a portable battlefield, making all battles with necromancers take place on necromantic grounds under a necromancer’s hero, surrounded by a necrotic aura that changes the battle biome. It grants various native land bonuses for units, and so on. Conventionally, there is a certain necrotic aura around you which includes different bonuses for the native terrain for units, and so on.

另一个很酷的不死族例子：你可以采取一种称为便携式战场的派系法则，使所有与死灵法师的战斗都在死灵法师英雄的死灵场地上进行，周围环绕着改变战斗生物群系的死灵光环。它为单位提供各种本土奖励，等等。按照惯例，你周围有一定的坏死光环，其中包括单位原生地形的不同加成等等。

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As I understand it, the native terrain bonuses are similar to those in the third game, right? Like increased speed, attack, and defense stats? Something like that?

据我了解，原生地形奖励与第三款游戏中的类似，对吧？比如增加速度、攻击和防御统计数据？类似的事情？

Yes, essentially the same. Plus, with further leveling, these bonuses can be slightly enhanced. For instance, as many of you might already know, each faction has its own unique skills and sub-skills, one of which, in general terms, improves native terrain effects. So, when a battle happens on the native biome of a faction, it grants a specific bonus.

是的，本质上是一样的。另外，随着升级的进一步，这些奖励可以稍微增强。例如，正如你们许多人可能已经知道的那样，每个派系都有自己独特的技能和子技能，其中之一一般来说可以改善本地地形效果。因此，当战斗发生在一个派系的本地生物群系时，它会给予特定的奖励。

To sum up, we tried to take the best parts players loved from previous games. The amazing skill system from Heroes V has, in some way, been carried over to our project.

总而言之，我们试图从之前的游戏中汲取玩家喜爱的最佳部分。 《英雄无敌 V》中令人惊叹的技能系统在某种程度上被延续到了我们的项目中。

The familiar, classic gameplay style and pace from Heroes III, and a variation of subclasses from Heroes IV that might appeal to some people. We really hope that each player finds something familiar, something new, something interesting, and will play our project for years to come.

《英雄无敌 III》中熟悉的经典游戏风格和节奏，以及《英雄无敌 IV》中的子类别的变体可能会吸引某些人。我们真心希望每个玩家都能找到一些熟悉的、新的、有趣的东西，并在未来的几年里玩我们的项目。

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Lyonya, at this point, I’d like to ask you a little bonus question. I really hope Unfrozen won’t scold you for such a big spoiler, but I want you to answer this for our viewers. What’s the deal with chain mechanics?

Lyonya，现在我想问你一个小问题。我真的希望《解冻》不会因为剧透而责骂你，但我希望你能为我们的观众回答这个问题。链条机械有什么关系？

The chain mechanic itself remains unchanged, meaning everything works as before.

链条机制本身保持不变，这意味着一切都像以前一样工作。

You can transfer troops, artifacts from hero to hero, strategically place them on the global map to maximize movement points, and so on.

你可以将部队、神器从一个英雄转移到另一个英雄，有策略地将它们放置在全球地图上以最大化移动点，等等。

However, we want to offer an alternative. I’ve personally heard feedback from some people, saying,

然而，我们想提供一种替代方案。我个人听到一些人的反馈说，

"Why should I play these esports-oriented third Heroes with these chains?"

“我为什么要用这些链来玩这些以电子竞技为导向的第三英雄？”

"Why do I need all this hassle? It’s so complex and unclear!"

“为什么我需要这么麻烦？这太复杂和不清楚了！”

It’s indeed a factor that turns certain audiences away from playing Heroes III.

这确实是让某些观众不再玩《英雄无敌3》的一个因素。

So we want to give these players an alternative. This might be some objects on the adventure map that, roughly speaking, allow you to teleport troops.

所以我们想给这些玩家一个选择。粗略地说，这可能是冒险地图上的一些物体，可以让你传送部队。

Imagine a sort of warehouse that each player has overall. You can put artifacts, units there, and so on. So there is a building that enables this. And from another similar building at a completely different location on the map, you can retrieve what you stored. Plus, of course, various spells that allow remote interaction between heroes, so you won’t have to build a giant chain through some mountains, wasting eight heroes, and so on. Instead, you can use a spell to interact remotely with other heroes.

想象一下每个玩家都拥有的某种仓库。您可以在那里放置工件、单位等等。所以有一栋建筑可以实现这一点。从地图上完全不同位置的另一座类似建筑物，您可以检索您存储的内容。当然，还有各种允许英雄之间远程互动的法术，这样你就不必在一些山脉中建造一条巨大的链条，浪费八个英雄等等。相反，你可以使用咒语与其他英雄远程互动。

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In other words, it’s some kind of additional control spell? As I understand.

换句话说，这是某种额外的控制咒语？据我了解。

Yes, and not just one, I can tell you that right away.

是的，而且不仅仅是一个，我可以立即告诉你。

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Alright, let’s now talk about the existing game mechanics. While we interviewed representatives of the Heroes community, we asked many questions on this topic. Andas I understand it, we can definitely say the following.

好了，现在我们来谈谈现有的游戏机制。当我们采访《英雄无敌》社区的代表时，我们就这个话题提出了很多问题。据我了解，我们绝对可以说以下内容。

Heroes is a complex game, I think hardly anyone would argue with that. It’s a game with a steep learning curve, and it takes hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to learn to play well.

《英雄无敌》是一款复杂的游戏，我想几乎没有人会反对这一点。这是一款学习曲线陡峭的游戏，需要数百甚至数千小时才能学会玩好。

But simplifying various aspects is also unappealing since it might result in losing what we know and love in Heroes of Might and Magic. As we’ve heard from you multiple times, you want to attract a new audience to the game. Can you tell us howyou plan to help beginners get into the gameplay process?

但简化各个方面也没有吸引力，因为它可能会导致失去我们在《魔法门之英雄无敌》中所了解和喜爱的东西。正如我们多次收到的消息，您希望吸引新的游戏受众。您能告诉我们您计划如何帮助初学者进入游戏过程吗？

First, let me argue a bit. Yes, indeed, Heroes is a very complex game. But now you might hear my unexpected opinion: it’s actually a game with a relatively low entry barrier.

首先，让我争论一下。是的，《英雄无敌》确实是一款非常复杂的游戏。但现在你可能会听到我意想不到的看法：这实际上是一款入门门槛相对较低的游戏。

To start playing Heroes at a minimal level, all you need is to enter the game and attack a nearby squad. You already have a hero with troops. You attack, fight, and so on. Sure, there might be some aspects like — is this squad much stronger than you or not?

要开始玩最低级别的英雄，您所需要做的就是进入游戏并攻击附近的小队。你已经有了一位带军队的英雄。你攻击、战斗等等。当然，可能会有一些方面，比如——这支球队比你强得多吗？

But to fully understand the vast number of mechanics and interactions, everything that can happen in the game, it does indeed take hundreds and hundreds of hours. Yes, maybe even years…

但要完全理解游戏中大量的机制和交互，以及游戏中可能发生的一切，确实需要数百个小时。是的，甚至可能是几年……

That’s why it’s very important for us that new players, including younger generations, join the game. So, we’re planning to support their journey from a basic level to an intermediate one.

这就是为什么新玩家（包括年轻一代）加入游戏对我们来说非常重要。因此，我们计划支持他们从初级到中级的旅程。

They’ll be able to get involved, stay, and continue playing, delighting us with their presence.

他们将能够参与、留下来并继续比赛，他们的存在让我们感到高兴。

A large community of players is always great and fantastic!

庞大的玩家社区总是很棒！

The foundation of all this will, of course, be tutorials! This might even be an unfamiliar concept for players who are fans of Heroes III, IV, and so on. But now it’s a core element of the game. We don’t plan to leave anything hidden.

当然，这一切的基础是教程！对于《英雄无敌3》、《英雄无敌4》等游戏的粉丝来说，这甚至可能是一个陌生的概念。但现在它是游戏的核心元素。我们不打算隐藏任何东西。

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In Heroes, there are tons of hidden mechanics that you only discover after almost 20 years of playing.

在《英雄无敌》中，有大量的隐藏机制只有在玩了近 20 年之后才能发现。

I have a feeling that even with Heroes II, not to mention Heroes III or V, even the developers might still not know everything they packed into those games. When you talk with grandmasters, super professionals, champions from the CIS, they say things like,"I just learned about this trick a year ago..."

我有一种感觉，即使有了《英雄无敌2》，更不用说《英雄无敌3》或《英雄无敌5》，即使是开发者也可能仍然不知道他们在这些游戏中所包含的一切。当你与来自独联体的特级大师、超级职业选手、冠军交谈时，他们会说“我一年前才知道这个技巧......”

It creates the impression that if we don’t teach the basics, people will start tuning in to streams and realize that there are hundreds, even thousands of mechanics! And people will quickly ask, how can we learn all this?

它给人的印象是，如果我们不教授基础知识，人们就会开始收听直播并意识到有数百甚至数千个机制！人们很快就会问，我们如何才能学习这一切？

And tutorials feel like a very logical approach at that point. The simplest example—we’ll clearly tell players, “If you have units from different factions in your army, all units will suffer morale penalties.” Even basic things like this should be fully explained, so players understand what’s happening in the game.

在这一点上，教程感觉是一种非常合乎逻辑的方法。最简单的例子——我们会明确告诉玩家，“如果你的军队中有不同派系的单位，那么所有单位都会受到士气惩罚”。即使是像这样的基本事情也应该得到充分解释，以便玩家了解游戏中发生的事情。

In addition to tutorials, we plan to add a certain in-game encyclopedia during early access. I’m not promising a reference manual like in Heroes III with all the formulas and everything, because that’s very complex for the average player to understand.

除了教程之外，我们还计划在抢先体验期间添加一定的游戏内百科全书。我不承诺提供像《英雄无敌 III》那样包含所有公式和所有内容的参考手册，因为这对于普通玩家来说非常复杂。

These formulas just scare players. But I think they’ll be able to find something useful, especially for intermediate players, in our knowledge base.

这些公式只会吓到玩家。但我认为他们将能够在我们的知识库中找到有用的东西，特别是对于中级玩家。

The second important thing for a complex game like Heroes is clarity in-game hints, as I’d call it. It can be something as simple as a battle difficulty rating when you’re just starting to play, and there’s an enemy squad on the map right in front of you, and you’re like, "Will they kill me or not?" You don’t know, and it might end badly if you try.

对于像英雄这样的复杂游戏来说，第二个重要的事情是游戏中的清晰提示，正如我所说的那样。它可以是简单的事情，比如当你刚开始玩游戏时，地图上有一个敌方小队就在你面前，你会想，“他们会杀掉我吗？”你不知道，如果你尝试，结果可能会很糟糕。

There will also be automatic damage calculations, among other things. So you don’t have to keep a million parameters in your head. If you forgot something and the result turns out differently than expected, it’s probably due to the calculated damage from spells or something similar. But besides that, there are several other interesting and unique elements. We already mentioned the informative unit placards in battle, which display counter-attack counters. So you don’t need to click to check if an effect is there or not.

除其他外，还将自动计算伤害。所以你不必在头脑中保留一百万个参数。如果您忘记了某些内容并且结果与预期不同，则可能是由于法术或类似内容的计算伤害所致。但除此之外，还有其他一些有趣且独特的元素。我们已经提到过战斗中的信息单位标牌，它显示反击计数器。所以你不需要点击来检查效果是否存在。

So the player immediately has clear information. Additionally, there’s a bit of exclusive info—there will be indicators showing applied buffs and debuffs. We believe this is very important because it not only helps avoid having to open the unit window to see what’s been applied, but it also helps avoid situations where players might miss something if they’re using accelerated animations, like a spell cast.

所以玩家立刻就有了清晰的信息。此外，还有一些独家信息——会有显示已应用的增益和减益的指示器。我们认为这非常重要，因为它不仅有助于避免打开单位窗口来查看已应用的内容，而且还有助于避免玩家在使用加速动画（例如施法）时可能会错过某些内容的情况。

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Over time, players will remember the visual hints, which will greatly aid in learning the game. Will there be any hints for advanced players who dive right into PvP, knowing what they’re dealing with?

随着时间的推移，玩家会记住视觉提示，这将极大地帮助学习游戏。对于直接投入 PvP 并了解自己要面对什么的高级玩家，是否会有任何提示？

We do have new multiplayer features—these might be laws, various win conditions, and so on. We plan to convey this info in terms of tutorials, even to advanced players.

我们确实有新的多人游戏功能——这些可能是法律、各种获胜条件等等。我们计划以教程的形式传达这些信息，甚至向高级玩家传达。

Will there be any hints, I’m not sure.

会不会有什么提示，我不确定。

Additional gameplay-specific things aimed at that audience are hard to say for sure. We’re still trying to keep gameplay fairly classic.

针对该受众的其他特定于游戏玩法的内容很难确定。我们仍在努力保持游戏玩法相当经典。

That means someone with a background in the series will be able toquickly dive in, despite all the new content. The main difficulty will be getting acquainted with the massive new content.

这意味着尽管有所有新内容，但具有该系列背景的人将能够快速投入其中。主要的困难是熟悉大量的新内容。

In summary, we aim to avoid a situation where PvP gameplay requires special hints. This means we won’t be over-complicating the mechanics.

总而言之，我们的目标是避免出现 PvP 游戏需要特殊提示的情况。这意味着我们不会使机制过于复杂。

We want everything to be as clear and straightforward as possible.

我们希望一切都尽可能清晰和直接。

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Lyonya, the third question for you concerns game balance, which is always hotly debated in the Heroes community.

Lyonya，您的第三个问题涉及游戏平衡性，这在英雄社区中一直是热议的话题。

Some say Heroes has poor balance, others say it’s fine, and still others argue that Heroes isn’t about balance at all. And that it’s the lack of balance that makes the game unique. Share your plans with us. How do you intend to refine the game post-release? And how often will you do this?

有人说英雄的平衡性很差，有人说还好，还有人认为英雄根本不关心平衡。正是缺乏平衡性才使得游戏变得独一无二。与我们分享您的计划。发布后您打算如何完善游戏？您多久会这样做一次？

Actually, the balance question is a cornerstone in the professional game design community. There are many opinions about whether balance is even necessary.

事实上，平衡问题是专业游戏设计界的基石。关于平衡是否必要有很多观点。

Is balance even achievable? Or maybe we shouldn’t balance at all to enhance enjoyment?In terms of project support, it’s not just about balance, of course. We’ll definitely be working on balance. The basis for this will be statistics, community feedback, our Discord channel, the Steam community, and so on. All of this exists, and we’re reading everything, considering the opinions of prominent community members. This includes streamers, content creators, etc. We’re listening and planning to gather ongoing feedback.

平衡是否可以实现？或者也许我们根本不应该通过平衡来增强享受？就项目支持而言，当然不仅仅是平衡。我们肯定会努力保持平衡。其基础将是统计数据、社区反馈、我们的 Discord 频道、Steam 社区等。所有这些都存在，我们正在阅读所有内容，考虑杰出社区成员的意见。这包括主播、内容创作者等。我们正在倾听并计划收集持续的反馈。

I’ll divide my answer into two parts. First, the long-term post-release view. We can safely talk about the presence of content patches, DLC with new factions, and overall project support, bug fixing, balancing, and so forth. Balance adjustments, in particular, will be based on statistics, as you understand, plus there’s a shorter-term perspective with early access, which will begin next year. Let me say right away that balance updates will be much more frequent in early access than after the full release.

我将我的答案分为两部分。首先，发布后的长期看法。我们可以放心地谈论内容补丁的存在、新派系的 DLC 以及整体项目支持、错误修复、平衡等等。正如您所理解的，特别是平衡性调整将基于统计数据，此外还有从明年开始的抢先体验的短期视角。我首先要说的是，早期访问版本中的平衡更新将比完整版本之后更加频繁。

After the release, players don’t like frequent patches. We have plans not only for balance adjustments but also for adding new content and expanding the game.

发布后，玩家不喜欢频繁的补丁。我们不仅有平衡性调整的计划，还有添加新内容和扩展游戏的计划。

We want to add various new tools, conveniences for engaging the audience, etc.

我们希望添加各种新工具、吸引观众的便利等。

All of this can be expected quite soon.

所有这一切都可以很快预见到。

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So, in other words, you plan to gather feedback from all possible platforms and balance the game regularly. But how often will that be?

因此，换句话说，您计划从所有可能的平台收集反馈并定期平衡游戏。但这样的频率是多少？

In short, during early access, updates might come out every couple of weeks, maybe even weekly, depending on the current situation.

简而言之，在抢先体验期间，更新可能会每隔几周甚至每周发布一次，具体取决于当前情况。

If there are pressing issues, patches will come out more frequently. If things are smoother, updates will be less frequent. But it won’t be years between patches. That’s not going to happen, even after the game is fully released.

如果存在紧迫的问题，补丁将会更频繁地发布。如果事情更顺利的话，更新的频率就会降低。但补丁之间不会相隔数年。即使游戏完全发布后，这种情况也不会发生。

As I mentioned, the patch frequency will decrease post-release, but it will still be active. About a month ago, Denis mentioned in an interview that you plan to include a tool in the game to automatically gather in-game statistics, scan it, and compile it into files.

正如我所提到的，补丁频率将在发布后降低，但仍将处于活动状态。大约一个月前，丹尼斯在接受采访时提到，你们计划在游戏中加入一个工具，自动收集游戏内的统计数据，扫描并将其编译成文件。

Then your testers or, whatever they’re called, would analyze these huge tables to make adjustments to hero strengths, creatures, faction balance, and so on.

然后你的测试人员，或者无论他们被称为什么，将分析这些巨大的表格，以对英雄优势、生物、派系平衡等进行调整。

Yes, that’s what we call statistics. Our game designers will handle it. All this statistical analysis will be available from the first day of early access.

是的，这就是我们所说的统计。我们的游戏设计师会处理它。所有这些统计分析将从抢先体验的第一天开始提供。

Statistics will be gathered immediately, and we’ll have access to it instantly. It’s not just about faction strength; it encompasses all measurable game mechanics, like the frequency of choices, and things like that. We’ll monitor this, analyze it, and make adjustments as needed.

统计数据将立即收集，我们将立即访问它。这不仅与派系实力有关，也与派系实力有关。它包含所有可衡量的游戏机制，例如选择的频率等等。我们将对此进行监控、分析并根据需要进行调整。

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Now, for question four, which I believe will interest PvE community members who play solo Heroes. Today, let’s talk about the different levels of AI difficulty you decided to introduce.

现在，对于第四个问题，我相信玩单人英雄的 PvE 社区成员会感兴趣。今天，我们来谈谈您决定引入的不同级别的人工智能难度。

In general, this sounds very new. For years, players have lamented about buggy AI in various versions of Heroes. The AI would chase units with low health, get lured into direct hits, leave itself open to counterattacks, and so on.

总的来说，这听起来很新。多年来，玩家一直在抱怨各种版本的《英雄无敌》中存在缺陷的人工智能。人工智能会追逐生命值低的单位，被引诱直接攻击，让自己容易受到反击，等等。

And what it did on the adventure map was a nightmare.

而它在冒险地图上所做的事情简直就是一场噩梦。

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How did you come up with the idea to separate AI difficulty levels?

您是如何想到区分人工智能难度级别的？

As I remember, you defined it as a fun, casual AI that you can play against without worry, and an AI that really plays well!

我记得你把它定义为一个有趣的、休闲的、可以放心对战的AI，而且是一个真正玩得好的AI！

This AI will provide competition and make the game truly interesting.

这个人工智能将提供竞争并使游戏真正有趣。

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How did the idea of different AI levels come about? Have you considered training the AI with neural networks?

不同人工智能级别的想法是如何产生的？您是否考虑过用神经网络来训练人工智能？

Let me start with the basics. Like you, we recognize the issues in AI mentioned by Mitya.

让我从基础知识开始。和您一样，我们也认识到 Mitya 提到的人工智能问题。

These issues are common in Heroes III, for instance. AI for single-player campaigns and solo play isn’t as engaging as one would hope. So from the outset, we aimed to create an AI that could be like a moderate-level player. This includes both map navigation and combat strategies. We’ve mentioned in previous interviews that we can design an AI that doesn’t fall for simple traps and can differentiate between main and courier heroes on the global map.

例如，这些问题在《英雄无敌 III》中很常见。单人战役和单人游戏的人工智能并不像人们希望的那样有吸引力。因此，从一开始，我们的目标就是创造一个可以像中等水平玩家一样的人工智能。这包括地图导航和战斗策略。我们在之前的采访中提到过，我们可以设计一个不会陷入简单陷阱的人工智能，并且能够在全球地图上区分主要英雄和信使英雄。

We can program different roles for the AI. Yes, it can do all of this. It can even clear key guards on Jebus Cross in a reasonable timeframe.

我们可以为人工智能编程不同的角色。是的，它可以做到这一切。它甚至可以在合理的时间内清除 Jebus Cross 上的关键守卫。

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But then comes the second question — what if the AI becomes too strong? Or just strong enough?

但接下来的第二个问题是——如果人工智能变得太强大怎么办？还是只是足够强大？

This could have a significant impact on multiplayer games. If we look at the game in general, in a few words, Heroes is essentially a preparation phase leading up to the final battle that decides the outcome of the match. In this preparation phase, it’s like a puzzle you need to solve in the most optimal way to arrive at this final battle in peak condition. A powerful AI could, in fact, ruin the experience here.

这可能会对多人游戏产生重大影响。如果我们从整体上看这款游戏，简单来说，《英雄无敌》本质上是一个准备阶段，直到最终决定比赛结果的战斗。在这个准备阶段，就像一个谜题，你需要以最优化的方式解决，才能以巅峰状态到达这场最终的战斗。事实上，强大的人工智能可能会毁掉这里的体验。

If the AI is too strong, it can actually slow down the game by forcing players to think a lot longer, which makes the gameplay much slower.

如果人工智能太强，它实际上会迫使玩家思考更长时间，从而减慢游戏速度，从而使游戏速度变慢。

Heroes already has a slow pace. This would likely turn off beginners who aren’t ready to spend five hours on a single match.

《英雄无敌》的节奏已经很慢了。这可能会让那些还没有准备好在一场比赛上花费五个小时的初学者感到厌烦。

And, secondly, an overly influential AI would affect the match outcome significantly.

其次，影响力过大的AI会极大地影响比赛结果。

Thus, technically speaking, for multiplayer and professional Heroes games, a super-smart AI isn’t actually needed.

因此，从技术上来说，对于多人游戏和职业英雄游戏来说，实际上并不需要超智能的人工智能。

That’s why we decided to take our main smart AI and tone it down a bit, so it falls for traps like chasing single units, etc. What’s more, in Heroes III, knowing AI behavior patterns is a real skill factor. Right now, there’s even a trend of ‘fake retaliation’—knowing the AI’s behavior patterns.

这就是为什么我们决定把主要的智能人工智能调低一点，这样它就会陷入追逐单个单位等陷阱。更重要的是，在《英雄无敌 III》中，了解人工智能的行为模式是一个真正的技能因素。现在甚至出现了一种“假报复”的趋势——了解人工智能的行为模式。

That’s why we’ll have different versions of the AI—roughly two, but potentially more variations. We’ll have a so-called weaker, average, and strong AI.

这就是为什么我们会有不同版本的人工智能——大约有两个，但可能有更多的变体。我们将拥有所谓的弱人工智能、平均人工智能和强人工智能。

This may also apply to multiplayer, though it depends on settings and the number of options.

这也可能适用于多人游戏，尽管这取决于设置和选项数量。

Regarding neural network-based AI, that’s a very distant goal.

对于基于神经网络的人工智能来说，这是一个非常遥远的目标。

To put it briefly, training an AI with neural networks requires a lot of data for learning purposes. The AI could learn from match replays—we’re planning to introduce them—but first, we need to accumulate enough data. So this would take several years to accomplish. Training an AI to reach that level would take a considerable amount of time.

简而言之，使用神经网络训练人工智能需要大量数据来进行学习。人工智能可以从比赛重播中学习——我们计划引入它们——但首先，我们需要积累足够的数据。所以这需要几年的时间才能完成。训练人工智能达到这一水平需要相当长的时间。

But theoretically, it might be possible in the distant future.

但从理论上讲，在遥远的将来这可能是可能的。

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And lastly, we’d like to discuss another important topic for the PvE world. Could you please tell us about the conceptual differences in Olden Era’s random map generator compared to previous Heroes versions?

最后，我们想讨论 PvE 世界的另一个重要话题。您能否告诉我们旧时代的随机地图生成器与之前的英雄版本相比在概念上的差异？

Overall, it’s quite different from what was in earlier versions of the series for a few reasons. To understand it better, you should know that we’re basing the visuals and gameplay on Heroes III’s random map generator. However, this isn’t a rewritten version of it.

总的来说，由于几个原因，它与该系列早期版本的内容有很大不同。为了更好地理解它，您应该知道我们的视觉效果和游戏玩法基于《英雄无敌 III》的随机地图生成器。然而，这并不是它的重写版本。

Our map generator has been in development for years—it’s one of the most extensive tasks we’ve tackled. It has already gone through several iterations with new features, which I’ll discuss in a moment. And this is far from the final iteration, as we’re still in early access, so there’s more to come.

我们的地图生成器已经开发多年——这是我们解决过的最广泛的任务之一。它已经经历了几次新功能的迭代，我稍后将讨论这些新功能。这距离最终迭代还很远，因为我们仍处于早期访问阶段，所以还会有更多内容。

This is our own original development that doesn’t inherit some of the flaws of Heroes III’s generator. For example, you won’t find blocked paths guarded by units on roads in our maps.

这是我们自己的原创开发，没有继承《英雄无敌 III》生成器的一些缺陷。例如，您不会在我们的地图中的道路上找到由单位守卫的封锁路径。

Additionally, we didn’t take the easy way out. If you look at map generators from many Heroes versions, they’re based on aggro zones around neutral troops.

此外，我们并没有采取简单的方法。如果您查看许多英雄版本的地图生成器，它们都是基于中立部队周围的仇恨区域。

In other words, there’s a troop on the adventure map, and around it are a few dangerous cells. Within these cells are resources and artifacts. And to pick up a resource, you have to fight the guard. We didn’t go this route and designed a variant that doesn’t follow these rules.

也就是说，冒险地图上有一支部队，而其周围有一些危险的牢房。这些单元内包含资源和工件。为了获得资源，你必须与守卫战斗。我们没有走这条路，而是设计了一个不遵循这些规则的变体。

There are certain cells with items, but access to them is guarded by neutral troops. Fighting the guard isn’t mandatory.

某些牢房里有物品，但进入它们的通道由中立部队守卫。与守卫战斗不是强制性的。

Anything goes to introduce some anarchy into the game. This allows players to sneak into hidden areas on the map and snatch valuable resources. We also have a variety of other innovations. Listing them all would take a while, so here are a few simple examples.

任何事情都会给游戏带来一些无政府状态。这使得玩家可以潜入地图上的隐藏区域并抢夺宝贵的资源。我们还有各种其他创新。将它们全部列出来需要一些时间，因此这里有一些简单的示例。

First, there’s a full-fledged customization editor — you can enable the anarchy feature or activate the Outcast function, for instance.

首先，有一个成熟的自定义编辑器 - 例如，您可以启用无政府状态功能或激活 Outcast 功能。

There are also more complex options, like managing win conditions, so if you want to create a map where players can play without castles, it’s possible.

还有更复杂的选项，例如管理获胜条件，因此如果您想创建一张玩家可以在没有城堡的情况下进行游戏的地图，这是可能的。

There are also gameplay features, like balancing the main guards for two players, so that both players will have identical troops blocking the way out of their starting area.

还有一些游戏功能，例如平衡两个玩家的主要守卫，这样两个玩家都会有相同的部队阻挡他们离开起始区域的道路。

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If I understand correctly, these settings apply to single-player games, but different win conditions will also be available for online players, right?

如果我没理解错的话，这些设置适用于单人游戏，但不同的获胜条件也适用于在线玩家，对吗？

Yes, of course, there will be several win conditions, like control over the central castle.

是的，当然，会有几个胜利条件，比如控制中央城堡。

It’s an evolution of the popular community rules. Currently, players have come up with various win conditions, mostly to prevent matches from dragging on too long, providing a clear objective that’s important for the game. To give players a clear direction, rather than wandering around, hoping to encounter an opponent in the center of the map.

这是流行社区规则的演变。目前，玩家已经提出了各种获胜条件，主要是为了防止比赛拖得太久，从而提供对游戏很重要的明确目标。给玩家一个明确的方向，而不是四处游荡，希望在地图中心遇到对手。

A clear goal greatly enhances the gameplay experience.

明确的目标可以大大增强游戏体验。

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Alright, thank you for your answer! Now let’s move on to the second part of the question, which is about the map and template editor.

好的，谢谢您的回答！现在让我们继续讨论问题的第二部分，这是关于地图和模板编辑器的。

Let’s take HotA as an example. It’s super simple, intuitive, and user-friendly. However, Anton Alexandrov, also known as Rince, with whom we recently made a full film about creating one of the most complex maps in Heroes of Might and Magic, Paragon, shared in this film that he felt some functions were missing in the map editor while working on Paragon. Could you tell us which features you plan to add to the map editor and whether you intend to improve it based on user feedback after the game’s release?

我们以HotA为例。它超级简单、直观且用户友好。然而，安东·亚历山德罗夫（Anton Alexandrov），也被称为 Rince，我们最近与他一起制作了一部完整的电影，讲述了《魔法门之英雄无敌》中最复杂的地图之一《Paragon》的制作，他在这部影片中分享了他认为地图编辑器中缺少一些功能的情况。在制作《Paragon》时。您能否告诉我们您计划在地图编辑器中添加哪些功能以及是否打算在游戏发布后根据用户反馈进行改进？

Of course, there will be a map and template editor for the random map generator I just talked about. You’ll be able to create Jebus maps or just about anything else. It includes many different features. For instance, zone connections, guard strength, and other template rules.

当然，我刚才谈到的随机地图生成器还会有一个地图和模板编辑器。您将能够创建 Jebus 地图或其他任何东西。它包括许多不同的功能。例如，区域连接、防护强度和其他模板规则。

Currently, as we’re developing the game, our editor is essentially a large technical file where all this is configured. But when the random map generator becomes public, people will have a robust set of tools. It’ll probably resemble what you see in Heroes III or V, and it will be integrated into the game itself. So you can use a visually appealing interface for level design. The most exciting part is that players will be able to share these templates within the game.

目前，当我们开发游戏时，我们的编辑器本质上是一个大型技术文件，其中配置了所有这些。但当随机地图生成器公开时，人们将拥有一套强大的工具。它可能类似于您在《英雄无敌 III》或《英雄无敌 V》中看到的内容，并且将集成到游戏本身中。因此，您可以使用具有视觉吸引力的界面进行关卡设计。最令人兴奋的部分是玩家将能够在游戏中共享这些模板。

The map editor is a similarly technical tool. It has an in-game component for creating levels. Players will be able to adjust the content to create quests, which is what maps are all about.

地图编辑器是一种类似的技术工具。它有一个用于创建关卡的游戏内组件。玩家将能够调整内容来创建任务，这就是地图的意义所在。

We hear and see users’ interest in this tool. You’ll be able to create various quests, configure objects, assign rewards for different events, and so on.

我们听到并看到用户对此工具的兴趣。您将能够创建各种任务、配置对象、为不同事件分配奖励等等。

When the map editor becomes available, I think you’ll be pleased! I can’t promise anything specific yet, but we’re paying attention, so if something isn’t included at launch, expect it to appear in early access or perhaps a bit later.

当地图编辑器可用时，我想您会很高兴！我还不能承诺任何具体内容，但我们正在关注，所以如果发布时未包含某些内容，预计它会在早期访问中或稍后出现。

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Lyonya, thank you for your answers—I’m sure our viewers found this interview productive! But, you know, at the end, I’d like to ask you a personal question.

Lyonya，谢谢您的回答——我确信我们的观众认为这次采访很有成效！但是，你知道，最后，我想问你一个个人问题。

I read all the comments on Orange, and under every video related to Olden Era, I often see comments like, "Olden Era seems to be an esports-oriented project. But I’m an old-school player who enjoys building up my Capitol, spending a month in real-time playing against the AI in one game, and I’m interested in the campaign. These Jebus Cross maps are already getting on my nerves. Give me a normal single-player experience!"

我看了Orange上的所有评论，在每个与Olden Era相关的视频下，我经常看到这样的评论：“Olden Era似乎是一个以电子竞技为导向的项目。但我是一个老派玩家，喜欢建造我的Capitol ，花了一个月的时间在一场游戏中与 AI 实时对战，而我对这个战役很感兴趣，这些 Jebus Cross 地图已经让我感到紧张了。”

Honestly, I’m worried for these players because I know that, in fact, you’re dedicating a lot of effort and time to single-player aspects of the game. And I’d like to hear some reassurance from you, as the game director, for these players so they won’t worry that the single-player experience will be lacking.

老实说，我为这些玩家担心，因为我知道，事实上，你们在游戏的单人游戏方面投入了大量的精力和时间。作为游戏总监，我希望听到你对这些玩家的一些保证，这样他们就不会担心单人游戏体验会缺乏。

Yes, we’ve seen similar comments from some players. What I’d like to say on this topic, globally, is don’t worry! The focus on Jebus Cross isn’t our main priority. We talk about Jebus Cross as a relatively simple template or general gameplay experience.

是的，我们已经看到一些玩家的类似评论。关于这个话题，我想说的是，全球范围内，不要担心！关注杰布斯十字并不是我们的首要任务。我们将 Jebus Cross 作为一个相对简单的模板或一般的游戏体验来讨论。

Jebus Cross is indeed straightforward—that’s why pro players prefer it. You have your own area and a central zone that you need to reach as quickly as possible. But we’re not saying the entire game will be built around that.

Jebus Cross 确实很简单——这就是职业玩家喜欢它的原因。您有自己的区域和需要尽快到达的中心区域。但我们并不是说整个游戏都将围绕这一点构建。

For casual players, there is simple, paced gameplay, just as it was 20 years ago. A lot is also being done for you. There will be a campaign mode. There will be a map editor where you can create and share custom templates. There will be mod support. You’ll be able to make intricate maps like Paragon, which players will spend months completing.

对于休闲玩家来说，游戏玩法简单、节奏快，就像 20 年前一样。我们还为您做了很多事情。将会有一个战役模式。将有一个地图编辑器，您可以在其中创建和共享自定义模板。将会有模组支持。你将能够制作像《Paragon》这样复杂的地图，玩家需要花费数月时间才能完成。

The traditional hotseat mode for two players on the same computer will also be there, so you can play without any timers and at your own pace. We’re putting just as much emphasis on casual players as on the competitive audience.

两个玩家在同一台计算机上的传统热座模式也将存在，因此您可以在没有任何计时器的情况下按照自己的节奏进行游戏。我们对休闲玩家和竞技玩家同样重视。