Hey all,

So I just got back to HoMM 2 for the first time since my teenage years.

I have to ask: originally, I had a CD version that only had the base game, not the expansion. And while I recognise most things now with the GOG version which includes the expansion, I know for sure that something is missing: there was an 'options' sub-menu I think, and it had like 2 planets/globes which were still images until you hovered the mouse over them, at which point they would animate/spin and a cool, ominous 'magical' sound played (and looped IIRC). Obviously you could select a globe but I cannot remember for what purpose (was it to set the resolution? was it to check out some video trailer for an upcoming game?).
I realise this is the most tiny of things one can remember but sweet baby I freely admit I was looking forward to that 'options' sub-menu or whatever, and wanted to hear those sounds again when hovering the mouse over the globes!

Any info on how to track that stuff down would be much appreciated!

EDIT: damn, I think I know where that menu from my memory comes from - it's not exactly a sub-menu in-game, it is the original launcher screen!
Just like with Westwood games, original launcher screens in the 90s (and - especially with Westwood - even installation processes) were often elaborate, artful things which may contain exclusive sounds, art, and even lore (not accessible in-game).
So barring getting my hands on a CD or CD image, I guess I will never see those globes and hear that cool sound again :P

EDIT2: I will add that for those who care about preservation, such things matter. Example: with Nox, the installation process from original CD-ROM actually provided exclusive lore - thankfully, someone posted a video on Youtube of the original installation of the game, thereby preserving access to the full story of the game for future generations (I literally downloaded the video and put it into my GOG Nox installation folder along with other - already provided - goodies).

For music:
Not sure. Dont remeber, and never use it atually.
There is music switcher in game folder. Maybe not in all three GOG builds? You can get main menu theme from base game.
This swticher refer to bat-files that copy-paste one or another files from temp folders to folder used by game.
...Yes, there is music tracks for both versions in GOG Galxy build
http://www.gogdb.org/product/1207658785/build/52745329670822422
│ - Music
│ pol (6 Entries)
│ │ ├── homm2_04.ogg
│ │ ├── homm2_05.ogg
│ │ ├── homm2_06.ogg
│ │ ├── homm2_07.ogg
│ │ ├── homm2_08.ogg
│ │ └── homm2_09.ogg
│ └── sw (6 Entries)
│ ├── homm2_04.ogg
│ ├── homm2_05.ogg
│ ├── homm2_06.ogg
│ ├── homm2_07.ogg
│ ├── homm2_08.ogg
│ └── homm2_09.ogg
this is six music tracks changed with PoL addon as well as old ones.

Yes, thanks QWEEDDYZ, indeed there is this music switch function in the GOG build, which is a nice feature.

Regarding the original launcher screen assets (with the rotating globe buttons and that cool sound I mentioned) which would pop up after inserting the CD-ROM into the PC, I'm afraid they're lost to time. Back in the day, I was playing HoMM II: The Succession Wars on Windows 98, so I guess the version I am referring to is the original Windows (not DOS) edition of HoMM II: The Succession Wars (you can correct me if I'm wrong, I cannot check as I no longer have the physical copy of the game).
I already tried sailing the high seas to find an original CD image, but the best I got was Windows version of 'Platinum Edition' (base game + expansion, don't ask me why it wasn't referred to as 'Gold' edition) which did come with its own launcher screen art (platinum coloured obviously) and orchestral jingle, but yeah - still not what I'm looking for! I also found a copy for The Succession Wars alone, but only the DOS version already pre-installed and configured for use with DOSBOX, so yeah - that bypassed any launcher screen pop-up I'd get from launching from a disc image.
There is still eBay, but I don't think it's worth paying more money :P

So, it is still there for offline build? Which one - DosBox or native Win (two differ installers from GOG)?

Yes. Almost every games have unique content in most earliest game versions. Features, bugs and feature-bugs. Some plot changing (only minor i guess, eg Warcraft 3 Undeads heroes from exact ones to random - still they appearance is canon, last 1.27b TFT version change a lot even balance, although it have 4 differ tech-tree).

For old CD-games - they not lost. They not available digitally. So only disc images.
For origianally digital released games, for EA origianlly released games... Same way - game image (stamp) - but hard ways to get it. Old warez scene releases, tweaks for Steam to download oldest manifests if Steam still have files itself and not only manifest depots.
EA games can changed a lot. Tech and gameplay.

This is something for games in general. As for Heroes 2 1.0 - original DOS disc image. Probably some p2p releases of redump-PC-set-H (Internet Archive someties have links). Or if you still have - original own CD.

Although, for both offline and online released games, its better to instal few first hotfix-patches. Finding those is another issue for play this old form games versions. For DOS games it also have few patches. heroes 2 as well - i guess there is few before PoL and windows releases. There is no even list of updates, sometimes there is only list but no installers.

Play GOG offline Windows version (latest game build) - just as it is - is easiest way. And in general - better way.

I can confirm that the music switch function is there for GOG's offline DOSBOX version of HoMM II (I haven't checked the Win version).
Funny you mention the Warcraft 3 saga, I kept my version to the 1.26 patch, as it is the last one to properly work with the original aspect ratio :P (I use a 1280x1024 monitor for old games) so I still have the exact Undead heroes.

For sure, if I want to play HoMM II, I'm gonna use the GOG edition (DOS version has the advantage of proper music playback, without interruptions - at least that's what I read somewhere which is why I haven't touched the Win version, even if that one allows access to the cheat console but I'm not interested in cheating).
However, I'm still interested in finding an original disc image for HoMM II - so I can relive that launcher screen effect! so yeah, will keep looking for old p2p dumps.

Warcraft 3
http://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Calis_Wraithson
http://wowpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Venim_Iceblade
Also Kelen the Seeker human Kul'Tiras acrhmage - but he is from demo version (Warcraft wikia mess with redirects and Wikia not allow to read pre-redirect history redirecting it as well, there is still some Kelen on WoWwiki, if it about him, or info lost)

TFT randomise all previosuly static names, although new campaign have that feature (static canonical heroes) as well.

Ofc there is so many gameplay and tech changes during so long updating-life. Im not sure if current devs at blizz dev stuido even know feature from 1.10 TFT update that split(restore original pre-TFT) balance to four.
Murradin not able to hit ships with thowhammer ability, although they still attackable by normal attacks.
1.27b is latest version. Probably better stay on even some more older (1.26a or 1.25b).
I also play on 1.02, 1.05, 1.10, 1.14 and 1.21b drm-free digital release (old downloader-installer is still accesible from Bnet, but it download ripped 1.27a, find old 1.21b installer files on forums and one of the latest offline patches).

Installing any version before official addons-DLC is a way to play them more closelely to relased state. For Wc3 that mean any of 1.01-1.06. For heroes 2 - any DOS version before Price of Loyalty. You can install maybe latest pre-POL patch if you find that one. maybe it be far away fro 1.0, and sometimes for some games it already include many changes - usually exclude addons is a way to reduce list of change to minimum.

Thanks for the background info :)

I agree that for any game, installing any version before official addons-DLCs is the way to go for it to play as vanilla as possible. Here I must say I like what Blizzard did with both Starcraft and Warcraft 3 - the campaigns retain the original balance, even after installing the expansions.

For info, I have found a dump on the Internet Archive of HoMM II: The Succession Wars in Italian (!), and while I couldn't install it because it's an unsupported 16 bit application (yeah yeah I'd have to spend some time to configure it for DOSBOX), the pop-up launcher screen appearing after mounting the disc image in Daemon Tools DID have what I was mainly looking for: no spinning globe buttons (either the game launcher window art changes after you install the program, or I had another version of HoMM II: The Succession Wars in my youth - maybe the launcher screen art differs between DOS and Win versions), BUT the Play, Install, Editor and Escape buttons all emit a sound when you hover the mouse over them, AND the Escape button plays that exact "cool, ominous 'magical' sound" I referred to in the first post of this thread!
I know: it's not that special, but I like that sound! The things you'll do to relive a childhood memory :P

Is this the install screen you were looking for? On mouseover the globe on the left lights up. Globe on the right does not spin. It changes as if tuned few degrees anti-clockwise.

you can also find PC-Dos\Win and PC-Mac disc images on Internet Archive, though they probably not avaialbe for public downloads. redump-PC-set-* sometimes blocked there. Sometimes not
http://redump.org/disc/79248
http://redump.org/disc/68930

You need set from '21, and probably Internet Archive not have magnet link for them. I know there is more proper place... and you know. But such sets is on some closed non public places. Maybe using cue file name or crc-32 hash you an find it on some publi chinese magnet sites, or on Internet Archive as well as separate download. Rules not allow say me more, and i nothing have to say. Internet Archive is only place where im looking for it, just and too lazy to find other sources and someone to invite me there.

(im some time ago have account on Underground-Gamer, but i download only Half-Life v.1.0 (aka build 742 aka 1.0.0.5 from first 1.0.0.6 update) before it closed, and HL is a game i still own legaly on CD)
(Half-Life 1.0 is another example when 1.0.0.7 (aka 1.2) or 1.0.0.8 (GotY update) is better than latest 1.1.1.0 version, i have recent edition and labeled as GotY versia is 1.1.0.x, still probably old enough... but i want to look at release version with only one-two patches)

Haha thanks a lot dahbk! That is exactly the install/launcher screen I was looking for!
And yes right on mouseover the globes either light up or turn once a few degrees but don't continuously spin (memory deformation, also as a teenager I played Starcraft - after this - which does have continuous animations on menu buttons) - glad I remembered correctly that they led to other miscellaneous stuff (previews...).
You noted the sounds played on mouseover? Yeah, that was part of the nostalgia for me :P

Sounds work on mouseover, however esc key does not do anything

No worries mate, I understand! Thank you for the pointers! Yeah it can require some research but at this stage I found what I wanted to preserve from the original HoMM II release :)
It's sometimes the little things!
(the inaccessibility of the original installation processes of some Westwood games is much more problematical seeing as those have exclusive lore with exclusive voice acting and exclusive artwork)
Ah, interesting! see that's again a little difference between launcher windows for different versions of HoMMIISW - they moved the cool mouseover sound from the esc key to the globes (again, the latter is what I remember)

So i lurk Internet Archive and found some old redump sets that not have Apple Mac PC version (added not so long ago), but have PC-Win\Dos version there (from 2020 dump). And i dont find italian image...
Mistique!
You can download it there

Heroes of Might and Magic II - The Succession Wars (USA).7z
( currently on redump it named _ (USA) (Alt).)

Thanks again, QWEEDDYZ!

The Italian image is:
Heroes Might And Magic II PC ITA

I found a version with exactly the launcher screen you shared - in my case, the magical ominous sound plays for both globes AND the Exit button.
My quest is at an end here ;)

Cheers!