HOMM IV Interviews

I read over at RPGDot that two Heroes of Might & Magic IV interviews have surfaced on the web. The first is over at Freelancer and talks with Jeff Blattner and the other is over at The Wargamer and talks with Gus Smedstad. Here's a little taste from Freelancer:

    Q: As far as we know, HOMM4 allows gather several heroes into one party. Does it mean what it's now possible to make duets of Mage and Warrior? Or there will be restrictions for this style of fighting?

    A: You can have up to seven heroes of any type in an army. There are no restrictions. However, Heroes do have morale and may not "like" the other heroes in the army.

And a bit of what Gus had to say at the Wargamer:

    Q: With the new focus on individual heroes, please give us a quick taste of how building heroes up has changed?

    A: You must pay more attention to skills than you used to when building a hero. Skills, far more than level, determine the hero's ability. A 5th level Barbarian with Expert Combat Defense will stand up to as much damage as a 30th level hero with no Combat Defense skill. There's also a strong incentive to specialize, since 2 heroes with Grandmaster skill in different areas is much better than 2 heroes with Expert in both areas.

    As the hero gains levels, the choices you make may cause him to change class - which in turn will affect which skills you're offered in the future. Instead of your initial choice of class locking your hero into a particular playing style, your choices during the game determine that style.