HEROQUEST - COMPANION APP discussion

[Bareheaded Warrior]

Indeed but I wasn't suggesting that they make a fully featured multiplayer app (a full replacement for the physical game), I was suggesting that the App that they already have but allowing remote access for multiple players to the same session. So 4 players each located in their own homes with their own physical copies of the game could log into the same group doing the same quest at the same time, with each controlling a single hero.

[Kurgan]

Ah, so still Zargon is AI, just each player can control a hero. I guess there would have to be master servers to join or it would have to be all players linking to the first player who started it and they each get a hero.

If you're in person you can pass the phone/tablet around, this is a virtual way of doing it. Maybe the first player can "assign" one or more characters to each player that "joins" them?

[Kurgan]

Playing around a little bit more with 1.80 update and I noticed some things. They have been removing artifacts from the list that just have you "refer to card" and only putting up the artwork of ones that have an in-app effect (except the ancient staff). Of course that one, like the Knight and Rogue skills, just kicks in automatically with a prompt if you are in the right situation for it. This doesn't mean you can't use those artifacts, but you kind of have to know what cards are in the box (remember the App is not meant to be a complete replacement for the physical game which you're expected to own for it to make any sense).

It also used to be that all three of the Spells for all three of the Mythic "exclusive" heroes (Druid, Bard, Warlock) were in the app, meaning people who missed out on the Haslab campaign could easily re-create them as homebrew all this time. but in this new update they've done it so that only 1 out of the three spells has an onscreen displayed card... you have to "refer to card" now, meaning only Mythic owners (and those of us who printed out copies of the cards, possibly from the archived playtest pages) can effectively use those heroes with the app. another "clue" that these heroes will be re-released soon in retail I'd say... (they still have the error though where it says that the Bard starts with a dagger instead of a Rapier).

We know that Prophecy of Telor is getting released this year, and the "leak" was that we should also expect Spirit Queen's Torment (which we expect to include a version of the Bard hero, probably unchanged from the Haslab version at least in terms of mechanics if the Guardian Knight is any precedent). But what about the other two? We don't know how they will be packaged out but I strongly suspect this means we will be getting those heroes in retail soon.

Otherwise they're just dangling these items in front of us as a tease, that only the Mythic owners can effectively use them in the app (since you'd have to just make up what two thirds of the spells they have actually do in-game without the card info or search it out online).

When asked about what was stopping Rogar's Hall from getting into the Companion App, Encarmine didn't know. I agree it wasn't a great "training quest" for beginners, but I want to still see it in there. It's a piece of HeroQuest History and written by Stephen Baker that needs to be shared with more people I say.

[Kurgan]

Updated yesterday!

Version History
1.81
Aug 24, 2023
Contains updates & bug fixes

[Kurgan]

A user review of the app from July was pointing out that you can use it with the classic game (I'm assuming NA, but perhaps also to some extent the EU editions, and then just fudge the fact that half the monsters have more body points and the Pit and Falling Block traps can't be removed once sprung). Just have to remember that Abomination = Fimir (Dread Sorcerer = Chaos Warlock; Dread Warrior = Chaos Warrior).

Using the Chaos Warlock and/or Gargoyle to represent some of the new heroes would seem a little wacky, but you could use a mercenary figure to represent them if you have any to spare.

Tougher to do with Rise of the Dread Moon (until such time as someone makes a "de-make" classic edition of it if they are so inclined).

[HispaZargon]

BEWARE, SPOILERS AHEAD

And I have also detected some bugs:

In Q9, Notes E do not work correctly in the app because no Lunar Charm is given, instead of that appears a note telling you that you may use a Lunar Charm in a sorcerer's table which is wrong.

In Q5, Note C room, a splash tells us that the merchant had been rescued before having rescued which makes no sense. Nevertheless it does not affect the gaming experience beacuse it appears again when the merchant is actually saved later.

In Q2, Note C: if the goblin sees a non disguise Hero, he does not activate the falling block trap in the app as the questbook says will do, instead of that, the goblin in the app just runs through the corridor for attacking the Hero.

During the second and final combat against Magrian, she is able to use some special Dread Skills, apart of her Dread Spells list. Well, the use of this skills by the AI is not very well implemented. For example, she never uses in the app the skills "Consume Magic" or "Terror", and skill "Reflection" does not work exactly as written in the questbook (in the app it reflects a spell against the Hero who cast it -see picture below-, however the questbook says this skill reflects 'the damaged inflinged' which is a different mechanic). The skill "Shift Reality" is the only one I have detected as fully operational in the app, allowing Magrian to cast an extra Dread Spell on her turn.

Checking the new app version v.1.81, I have detected some of previous bugs have been solved, which are the following:

- Q5, Note C bug was solved.

- Q9, Note E was also solved but only partially (now the app gives the Lunar Charm to the Hero but it still says the Hero may heal 1 Body/Mind Point in the Sorcerer's Table when no table is there, just a tomb).

- I have also observed that final combat against Magrian now works well. Now she uses all their abilities during the second encounter.

However Q2, Note C bug is still not solved, the Goblin continue attacking a undisguised Hero instead of activating the falling block trap from distance.

On this new check of v.1.81 I also observed in Q9 that the app allows to place two Magrians at the same time onto the board, which makes no sense. I know it should be a rare situation during a real game but it is not imposible to happen. The main problem I see is the app has a big bug if this situation happens because it only allows you to kill one Magrian, the other one is imposible to be killed in the App so the quest cannot be finished in any case, which fully breaks the experience. I think it should be solved just summoning one Magrian onto the board and, if killed, summoned the second one in the contrary room as originally, although it had been already explored by the Heroes.

[Kurgan]

One reviewer on the app page commented on how easy it was to use the Companion App with the classic (I assume he meant North American) HeroQuest set. I would it would be pretty straightforward. Yes, you'd have to proxy the new heroes (you have to anyone unless you happen to be one of the lucky few who bought a mythic set... for now) if you use them at all. Rise of the Dread Moon is the only really "new" thing in there that has no equivalent in among the "classic" era sets. As long as you remember that those fish guys are Fimirs and Dread = Chaos. Pretty easy to figure out that "Lunarium" is Moonsilver, and the Realm/King are stand-ins for Empire/Emperor.

Anyone agree?

I think it's a pretty cool side-effect of the fact that HeroQuest is mostly unchanged from that time, in this new format (granted, you have to jump through more hoops to play it with the classic era (1st or 2nd edition) European rules, and a few quest layouts are going to be different and more names changed, classic Japanese edition players are kind of out of luck as the rules are so very different and most of the quests are totally changed).

I was thinking over some of the things European players would have to do to make the app "work" properly. One would be if your path is blocked by sprung pit or fallen block trap you could simulate them being disarmed by simply having the hero automatically jump it (in the first case) or use Pass Through Rock (via the "Pass Through Rock Spell Scroll") to move through it. Searching for Treasure in Corridors would simply be a Treasure Deck draw when no monsters are present (1st edition only). Buying the Cloak of Protection takes place between quests so it's no big deal (same with the varying prices and availability of equipment). Death saves simply wouldn't be used (player runs out of BP, you just say they're dead). Hero attacks are handled by the player anyway, rather than the app, so no issue there. Some of the monsters will be buffed and you can't do much about that (for example Skeletons and Dread Warriors moving more squares than before). A monster that now has 2 or 3 BP can easily just be killed when you score your first hit to simulate them having 1 BP as in the EU editions.

[Kurgan]

1.82 was released today: "Contains updates & bug fixes"

Thanks to those who alerted me to the update, Liorlec, Xerxes, and others on HeroQuestFans Discord!


Yeah not seeing KnightFall, Rogar's Hall or the new Knight in this one yet...

[HispaZargon]

I have checked the recent v.1.82 version of the App, and here are my impressions (BEWARE, SPOILERS AHEAD!!):

- I can confirm that now RotDM Q9 Note E bug in the tomb's room has been fully repaired.

- I can also confirm that RotDM Q2, Note C has been also solved, now the Goblin acts as the questbook describes.

- I can also confirm that RotDM Q10 Magrian's double appearance big bug has been also solved, now the App allows yu to kill the two Magrians, finishing the quest when killing the one which starts in the central room. However, the map still places two Magrians, which is not correct because only should exist one, and when both are simultaneously placed onto the board, the quest only finishes when killing the Magrian which started in the central room, which is weird because the other Magrian could be still alive onto the board as shown in the app, but I understand thats a so rare situation.

On this new check I also observed in RotDM Q8 Note A another (in my humble opinion) mistake not reported before: The stranger in the app allows to buy reputation to the hero who finds him ONLY, however, attending to the questbook texts, it seems that any Hero who pay 200 gold coins to him could get a reputation token, not only the one who finds him. Moreover the questbook talks about several reputation tokens, not only one. I think the message text in the app should be fixed to match better with the questbook notes, allowing the purchase of more than one token by anyone Hero.

P.D.: I use to report to Hasbro media the issues/bugs I was finding in previous versions and it looks they are taking care of them on each new version they release of the App, so good news for the Community interests.

[Kurgan]

Good info, HZ! I wonder if they will find time in the next week to update the Companion app? I guess we may have to wait for SQT and POT until those come out worldwide...

by the way, I know people use VPNs but is the Companion App available in many countries now? I see that the other (text) language options are there so that made me think it had finally been released outside North America...