I just rebuy (9 € for gold version at amazon) HoMM V because of this mod :

Eternal Essence

It is a complete rewrite of the AI, one of the most vital but also most ignored parts of turn based strategy.

The strategic map AI of HoMM V was very stupid and I really hope this mod will give a new challenge.

The lead modder seems to be very capable and has access to the AI source code as well as the approvement from Ubi.

Thanks for the head's up. Hope to hear your thoughts on this mod. I agree, HoMM V didn't have a good AI. Will be interesting to see how things can get improved.

Anyone know the difference between the gold, Epic, and collectors editions? Are they all the same? I actually couldn't find a gold edition and the reviews for each edition get mixed in with them all.

The gold edition is from a german publisher. It is just the game + both addons, comparable with the US epic edition afaik.

Ok, sounds good. I'll put this on my list to try. Ordering Kalypso's Tropico 3 also while I'm at it. That sounds so different from the genre I have been playing. Could be a good change of pace.

I played a bit and really like what I see. The AI is much stronger than the vanilla AI and still a work in progress. HoMM V is much fun to play. At least more fun than HoMM6 in its current state (no AI one can speak of).

If you own Homm5 Tribes of the East 3.1 I do advise to grab the Eternel Essence mod.