Imperium

Greetings!

I represent The Succession Wars Mod team, and unfortunately I can't speak Polish.

I am currently busy on finding and sorting all specific info about HoMM2, like unused graphics, partially implemented features and so on. I noticed here in the gallery some beautiful concepts of Phoenixes and a giant Toad, but I cannot seem to find a proof that these concepts were created by New World Computing.

http://pliki.jaskiniabehemota.net/h2/galeria/phoenixes.jpg
http://pliki.jaskiniabehemota.net/h2/galeria/minis/frog.png

Could someone direct me or just tell where those concepts are taken from? The only thing I was able to find is the link on the Acid Cave (linking here), but I was not able to find any other info source.

Greetings, Orzie :)

It's nice to see you here, in Behemoth's Lair. Unfortunately, I can't say much about these graphics - source was the Acid Cave.
Phoenixes
Frog

If anyone knows something about these, my bets would be on Acid Dragon himself.

Also: Here's the Succesion Wars thread on our board. :)

As the source of those graphics is no longer available, you will have to take my word.

I found those graphics a few years ago on a homepage of one of the HoMM-MM graphics artist. I can't say for sure, but it might have been Tracy Iwata. I'm quite sure, however, that these graphics were under H2 section and that they do come from NWC and not from a fan or another unofficial source.

And just to answer your next question: no, there was nothing else I found. No other creatures, no animations.

---

Update: Indeed, it was on an old website of Tracy Iwata. This is what she wrote about the toad:

"I did the character development of the monsters and riders, which took a while to nail down. As with future projects, the characters went thru variations before they got approved. Take the toad, which was later replaced by the boar...just a few of us knew it ever existed :P (of course, now a lot more folks will know of it)"

and about the 3 phoenixes:

The phoenix was the most bothersome; it went thru several variations of cramming it into the bounding box. Two of them are shown along with the final.

Thanks to you both. Yeah, I also got a proof from Tracy, she did reply me via email.
I post this screenshot here, so you can probably use it for Acid Cave and Jaskinia Behemota too :)

My email to Tracy and her answer

Nice find! Thanks for sharing with us, Orzie :).