Mode(s) Single-player, multiplayer: Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia (commonly referred to as Heroes of Might & Magic 3, or simply Heroes 3) is a turn-based strategy game developed by Jon Van Caneghem through New World Computing originally released for Microsoft Windows by the 3DO Company in 1999.
- Heroes Of Might And Magic 3 Gog Windowed Mode
- Might And Magic 3 Free Download
- Heroes Of Might And Magic 3 Windowed Mode Mod
- Heroes Community - discussion forum for Heroes of Might and Magic 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 players featuring the latest Might and Magic Heroes VII news.
- How to play Heroes 3 in windowed mode? I've tried the F4 button but it kept saying 'the game is running in 65536 color mode, switch the desktop to this mode before playing the game.'
- Jul 05, 2011 I bought the Hom3 complete edition on gog.com. Theres only one problem. I can't put it to windowed mode. Heres what ive tried: alt+F4 when ingame (dosen't work unless you put it to 16bit which I can't) Put the heroes 3 launcher into steam and then put launch option '-windowed' and '-w' dosen't work.
Heroes of Might & Magic III is widely regarded as the best title of the series, and it has received a lot of quality community support. In addition to normal maps and modifications there are many larger mod projects which extend the core HoMM3 gameplay, add new features, creatures and even factions.
Here you can find information on some of the most popular unofficial mods and add-ons. For players looking for a simple introduction into the HoMM3 modding scene, we recommend trying out the HD mod and Horn of the Abyss, as they are fully compatible with eachother and offer a lot of modifications to the core gameplay.
HoMM 3 HD mod
Main features:
- Enables HoMM 3 to be played with high resolutions
- Extends UI and control elements
- Fixes bugs from the original game
Requirements:
- The Shadow of Death expansion or HoMM 3 Complete
Compatibility:
- Horn of the Abyss v. 1.6.1
- HoMM 3 WoG 3.58 (partial)
- HoMM 3 Tournament Edition (partial)
- HoMM 3 World Tournament (partial)
- HoMM 3 ERA II (partial)
Heroes Of Might And Magic 3 Gog Windowed Mode
Links:
Other notes:
- Not to be confused with the official Heroes of Might & Magic III – HD Edition.
- Run the installer and select your HoMM3 game folder as the install destination.
- To run the mod, launch HD_Launcher.exe found in your HoMM3 game folder.
- Windows 10 users may need to disable display scaling (eg. h3hota.exe -> Properties -> Compatibility -> Disable display scaling on high DPI settings).
Heroes of Might and Magic III: Horn of the Abyss v. 1.6.1
Main features:
- An unofficial “expansion pack” for HoMM 3
- New town: Cove
- New artifacts, map objects and heroes
- Support for bigger map sizes
- Fixes to balance, graphical bugs and RMG
- Simultaneous turns in multiplayer (with HD mod installed)
- Includes unique maps
Requirements:
- Clean install of The Shadow of Death expansion or HoMM 3 Complete
Compatibility:
- HoMM 3 HD Mod
Links:
Other notes:
- Run the installer and select your HoMM3 game folder as the install destination.
- To run the mod, launch h3hota.exe found in your HoMM3 game folder. If you have the HD Mod installed, launch HD_Launcher.exe and make sure you have h3hota.exe selected in the upmost dropdown list.
Era II + In the Wake of Gods
Main features:
- The most popular mod system for HoMM 3, includes WoG 3.58f
- Ability to create and use custom mods easily
- Mod manager with a few preinstalled mods
- Advanced map editor with support for mods and plugins
- WoG includes a vast number of new features and customization options for players and map creators
Requirements:
- Clean install of The Shadow of Death expansion or HoMM 3 Complete
Compatibility:
- HoMM 3 HD mod (partial)
Links:
Other notes:
- Run the installer and select your HoMM3 game folder as the install destination.
- The installer creates two shortcuts on your desktop: Era Start Menu (to access mod manager, editors etc.) and Era II (launches the game).
VCMI
Main features:
Might And Magic 3 Free Download
- Open-source project to rewrite the entire HoMM 3 engine
- Easy configuration and mod management (several mods included)
- Support for high resolutions
- Linux, Mac OS and Android support
Requirements:
- Clean install of The Shadow of Death expansion or HoMM 3 Complete
Links:
Other notes:
- Extract the latest version (.rar file) to your HoMM3 game folder.
- Start the VCMI_launcher.exe from your HoMM3 game folder. The launcher includes an easy-to-use mod manager and settings for the game.
This page is for the original version. For the remake, see Heroes of Might and Magic III HD.
Developers | |
---|---|
Linux | |
Publishers | |
Linux | |
Release dates | |
Windows | March 3, 1999 |
Mac OS (Classic) | December 21, 1999 |
Linux | December 20, 1999 |
|
⤏ Go to series page | |
Subseries of Might and Magic | |
Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest | 1995 |
Heroes of Might and Magic II: The Succession Wars | 1996 |
Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia | 1999 |
Heroes Chronicles | 2001 |
Heroes of Might and Magic IV | 2002 |
Heroes of Might and Magic V | 2006 |
Heroes of Might and Magic V: Tribes of the East | 2007 |
Might & Magic Heroes VI | 2011 |
Might & Magic Heroes VI: Shades of Darkness | 2013 |
Heroes of Might and Magic III - HD Edition | 2015 |
Might & Magic Heroes VII | 2015 |
Might & Magic Heroes VII: Trial by Fire | 2016 |
General information
- GOG.com Community Discussions for game series
- GOG.com Support Page
- Celestial Heavens forums for game series
Availability[edit]
Source | DRM | Notes | Keys | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Retail | DRM depending on release location, usually SafeDisc v1.50.020 DRM[Note 1] | |||
GOG.com | Includes multiple bonuses |
- SafeDisc retail DRM no longer functions properly on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
Mac OS and Linux[edit]
The Mac OS and Linux versions of the game are no longer sold, and existing copies of those are hard to run on modern systems. The easiest solution for running the game on Linux or OS X is buying the Windows version and running it under Wine. Further information on how to do that can be found on AppDB. Alternatively, VCMI can be used to run the game.
DLC and expansion packs
Name | Notes |
---|---|
Armageddon's Blade | On Mac OS only available in Complete Edition. |
The Shadow of Death | On Mac OS only available in Complete Edition. |
Essential improvements[edit]
Skip intro videos[edit]
Modify registry settings[3] |
---|
|
Mods[edit]
HoMM3 High Resolution Project[edit]
- Higher resolutions along with 32-bit color support and more fixes.
In the Wake of Gods[edit]
An unofficial expansion pack adding further units, resources and easier modding possibilities. The official English website is located under Celestial Heavens. Currently isn't in development any more.
Horn of the Abyss[edit]
Another unofficial expansion pack adding more features, units, resources and another town. The official thread on Heroes Community.
VCMI[edit]
Heroes Of Might And Magic 3 Windowed Mode Mod
Not actually a mod, but an attempt at rewriting the whole engine to make it customizable, portable and fully cross-platform. The official website of the project is here.
Game data[edit]
Configuration file(s) location[edit]
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINEWow6432NodeNew World ComputingHeroes of Might and Magic® III1.0[Note 2] |
Mac OS (Classic) | |
Linux |
- It's unknown whether this game follows the XDG Base Directory Specification on Linux. Please fill in this information.
Save game data location[edit]
System | Location |
---|---|
Windows | <path-to-game>Games[Note 3] |
Mac OS (Classic) | |
Linux |
Save game cloud syncing[edit]
System | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
GOG Galaxy | As of GOG Galaxy version 1.2, and special HoMM III Complete patch 4.0 (CS) |
Video settings[edit]
Graphics feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Widescreen resolution | 800x600 only; use Heroes3HD for resolutions up to 4000x4000. | |
Multi-monitor | ||
Ultra-widescreen | Use Heroes3HD. | |
4K Ultra HD | Use Heroes3HD. | |
Field of view (FOV) | ||
Windowed | Desktop must be in 16-bit colour mode (press F4) or use the Heroes3HD mod. | |
Borderless fullscreen windowed | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | ||
Vertical sync (Vsync) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | |
60 FPS and 120+ FPS |
Input settings[edit]
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | |
Mouse acceleration | ||
Mouse sensitivity | ||
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. |
Audio settings[edit]
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | Music, Effects | |
Surround sound | ||
Subtitles | Cutscenes only. | |
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | ||||
Czech | Retail only. | |||
French | ||||
Polish | ||||
Russian | Official localization by «Buka Entertainment». Retail and GOG-version. | |||
Spanish | Fan translation, download. |
Network[edit]
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Local play | 8 | Hot seat | |
LAN play | |||
Online play |
Connection types
Type | Native | Notes |
---|---|---|
Peer-to-peer | ||
Dedicated | ||
Self-hosting | ||
Direct IP |
Issues fixed[edit]
Game crashes unexpectedly after some time[edit]
- This is caused by a bug in the game, experienced only on multi-core or hyper-threaded processors. Newer GOG.com versions do not have this issue. It can also be resolved by using the HD mod.
Modify exe files[4] |
---|
Notes
|
Turn off in-game music[citation needed] |
---|
Set CPU affinity[4] |
---|
Notes
|
Other information[edit]
API[edit]
Middleware[edit]
Middleware | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Interface | SDL | Linux only |
System requirements[edit]
Windows | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | 95 | |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium 133 MHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 32 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 425 MB | |
Video card (GPU) | DirectX 7.0a compatible |
Mac OS | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | 8.1 | |
Processor (CPU) | PowerPC 603e 180 MHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 64 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 425 MB |
Linux | ||
---|---|---|
Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | Kernel 2.2.x | |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium | |
System memory (RAM) | 32 MB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 425 MB | |
Sound (audio device) | OSS Compatible |
Notes
- ↑SafeDisc retail DRMdoes not work on Windows 10[1] and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[2]
- ↑When running this game without Administrator elevation, 32-bit programs writing to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWARE
will be redirected toHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesVirtualStoreMACHINESOFTWAREWow6432Node
(more details). - ↑When running this game without elevated privileges (Run as administrator option), write operations against a location below
%PROGRAMFILES%
,%PROGRAMDATA%
, or%WINDIR%
might be redirected to%LOCALAPPDATA%VirtualStore
on Windows Vista and later (more details).
References
- ↑Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑Verified by User:Expack3 on 2019-05-28
- ↑ 4.04.1HoMM 3 crashing quite a lot; Windows Vista - GOG.com