Might and Magic The Might and Magic Discussion Thread

[No Great Name]

Late in the year. Novermber, December, Christmas.

Which month is what I meant by my question.

 

[octavius]

Late in the year. Novermber, December, Christmas.

Which month is what I meant by my question.

Arer you a dumbfuck?

 

[No Great Name]

Is it November or December?

 

[octavius]

Is it November or December?

Yes.

 

[No Great Name]

Is it November or December?

Yes.

You're being obtuse. "Which month?" is a different question than "What months?"

 

[Infinitron]

Is it November or December?

Yes.

You're being obtuse. "Which month?" is a different question than "What months?"

I'm sure he's withholding that information from you on purpose and not because he doesn't know

 

[No Great Name]

Is it November or December?

Yes.

You're being obtuse. "Which month?" is a different question than "What months?"

I'm sure he's withholding that information from you on purpose and not because he doesn't know

I know.

I guess some people just can't admit when they don't know something.

 

[Somberlain]

Saying that a game was released in late 1988 is a pretty obvious way of saying that you don't know the exact date.

 

[Luzur]

MM3 is 1991, yes.

August something for Swedish release if i remember correctly

C64 version?

no, Dos version, MM3 have no C64 version, bro.

worst trick question ever.

 

[Jaesun]

If I was going to play M&M III again (now with fucking GLORIOUS Roland MT-32/LAPC-1 music and sounds), what do I need to remember?

 

[Damned Registrations]

Reams of paper for making notes.

 

[octavius]

If I was going to play M&M III again (now with fucking GLORIOUS Roland MT-32/LAPC-1 music and sounds), what do I need to remember?

That you can die of old unnatural age. So don't poke your nose into radioactivity.

Certain events happen on certain days, and every time you visit a shop or a temple one day passes. One day or one week also passed when training for a new level.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Aside from unnatural aging I never had problem with age in neither M&M3 nor WoX, I don't think it is really something people should be worried about in practice. I know there are walkthroughs that go into indepth what costs how much time and how to most efficiently save time and the other day I read a comment under some video where someone said he always wanted to play the game but it seems too complex for him, partcularly with regard to managing the aging, as if this ever was an issue. I played through WoX super relaxed and took my time and did probably most things there are to do and I don't think that my characters got much older than their late 20s.

Unnatural aging on the other hand is certainly something to be aware of, particularly because some things let you age many years without the game ever telling you if I remember correctly, so you might be in for a bad surprise. I think in Xeen most of the time there was prompt saying that you aged.

 

[Dorateen]

Unless I am very much mistaken, there were also means to reverse aging.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Yes, but weren't there also some irreversibe aging traps, at least in M&M3?

 

[octavius]

I actually had to give up my first game of MM3 due to unnatural aging. It's possible that Fountain of Youth or whatever it's called may have helped, though, but I didn't find that in my first game.

 

[madrigal]

I actually had to give up my first game of MM3 due to unnatural aging. It's possible that Fountain of Youth or whatever it's called may have helped, though, but I didn't find that in my first game.

Just replace old characters with new characters and you can continue the same game as long as all the characters aren't replaced at the same time.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Oh, one tip that helps out a ton right when you're starting in MM3: when you get blessed at the temples, the strength of the buff depends on the day of the week. If you get blessed on the first day, it's only +1, but on the last day it's +10. Getting the whole party blessed 4 times (I think you need multiple blessings for all the buffs, I forget, it's been a while) will let you steamroll shit early on until you can cast decent buffs on your own.

 

[Ether]

I've been working my way through the chronological timeline that Sceptic put together, so I've had the benefit of having replayed MM3 pretty recently. Here's what I remember.

Like most of the early MMs, a balanced party is probably best. In particular, the enemies in the final dungeon are completely resistant to physical attacks, so you'll want at least a few party members capable of casting powerful sorcerer spells. (That, or hoard items capable of casting top-level magic.)

I recommend taking a dwarf ninja as your lockpicking expert. Dwarves get a boost to hit points per level and a small initial Thievery bonus, both of which help them to perform well in this role.

In MM3, only Rangers and Druids can cast the Water Walk spell, but you don't have to create one for your initial party (I sure didn't). It's not that uncommon to find an item that casts Water Walk, or you can simply hire a Druid or Ranger NPC (the latter can be rescued underneath Wildabar). Other spells (Teleport, Etherealize) can help you cross the isles, though they're less efficient.

Dump your excess wealth at banks. It'll earn interest.

Cast Levitate when traveling through swamps.

You can learn Swimming underneath Fountain Head, and then pick up Mountaineering and Pathfinding down in Baywatch (though it's pricey early in the game).

There's a fountain to the east of Fountain Head that offers a significant temporary level boost, which is very helpful for clearing out some of the tougher dungeons before you can normally tackle them. You can find it in a pool of water in the middle of a mountain range. It's a nice spot to plant a Lloyd's Beacon.

Concerning the Ultimate Power Orbs...

Spoiler

Remember that one of the steps in the main quest is to give one of the alignment kings at least 11 power orbs. There are 31 in the game, though, and each one is worth quite a bit of experience, so be sure not to give the eleventh to your chosen king until you've loaded up the others as well (since you'll lose access to the others once you've given the eleventh orb).

You can check how many orbs you've given to each king in your awards screen. Best advice is to just keep the distribution balanced until you've found the final one.

Concerning Quatloo Coins and the Fizbin of Misfortune...

Spoiler

Using Quatloo Coins in the Slithercult Stronghold (south of Fountain Head) is one of the earliest ways to boost some stats on your characters. You'll find quite a few Quatloos through the early and middle portions of the game.

You'll probably pick up a Fizbin of Misfortune at some point, too, and that's not quite so good... a character holding it while attempting to cash in a Quatloo will be killed instead. However, there is a purpose to the Fizbin -- it'll prevent an instant death event from triggering in a hut somewhere near Swamp Town.

That you can die of old unnatural age. So don't poke your nose into radioactivity.

Certain events happen on certain days, and every time you visit a shop or a temple one day passes. One day or one week also passed when training for a new level.

IIRC the main day events to keep in mind are

Spoiler

the wedding days for Greywind (50) and Blackwind (60), which allow you to use the power-up thrones in their castles. These allow you to boost stats on your characters, amass a great deal of wealth, and get some top-tier items, but they're hardly necessary.

There's also something with pirate treasure, I think, but it's also not really necessary.

Also, if you're devious, you can use the way that time advances in a shop to cheat hirelings out of their daily pay. Hirelings usually collect at the beginning of each new day, but if you visit a magic guild before dawn, you'll skip right past the payout notice.

I didn't find money to be much of a problem in MM3, but keep in mind that hirelings get more expensive as they gain levels, so they can drain your coffers quickly if you're doing a more relaxed playthrough.

Yes, but weren't there also some irreversibe aging traps, at least in M&M3?

I think this was MM2... Lord Peabody's castle, if I remember correctly.

I didn't have problems with aging in MM3 or WoX, either. My parties finished both games easily while in their 20s. Still, in MM3 you'll want to watch out for Phantoms and Ghosts, which can add a year to an unlucky character with each hit.

To reverse aging

Spoiler

explore underneath the pyramid to the west of Baywatch. Use the password YOUTH in the northern corridor, which will raise a new island just off the coast near Baywatch. You can drink from the fountain on this island anytime to remove all unnatural aging.

Overall, just have fun. MM3 was one of my earliest RPGs and my personal introduction to the series (though I've gone back and played MM1 and 2 as well), so it still holds a special place in my heart. I think I might just even put it slightly above Xeen -- though the gameworld feels a little more constrained (being only one map, and mostly water at that), I think the dungeons and puzzles are more challenging and enjoyable. The Maze from Hell is probably my favorite pre-Mandate dungeon.

Good luck!

 

[Jaesun]

Now THAT is the kind of newfags I wish would come to these forums.

I have played III before. A few years ago I did a complete run of II,III,IV,V,VI,VII and then burnt out heh. Now that I own 2 MT-32's I just especially want to play III because it was written specifically for the (higher end) MT-32's with the extra sounds. And to make some recordings of the music as well.

 

[Sceptic]

Yes, but weren't there also some irreversibe aging traps, at least in M&M3?

There are several in the pyramids, and they don't even warn you of what happened. It's because they don't add unnatural aging, they actually advance your natural age, which is irreversible in MM3-5. The Fountain of Youth will only cure unnatural (greyed out number) aging.

(I think you need multiple blessings for all the buffs, I forget, it's been a while)

You need one donation per day of the week, but then you get them all.

you can simply hire a Druid or Ranger NPC (the latter can be rescued underneath Wildabar). Other spells (Teleport, Etherealize) can help you cross the isles, though they're less efficient.

There's a Druid in the starting inn, I usually make him a permanent fixture of my party. The other spells are useful, but they can't replace water walk unless you're using previous maps and know where everything is.

You can learn Swimming underneath Fountain Head, and then pick up Mountaineering and Pathfinding down in Baywatch (though it's pricey early in the game).

Everyone needs swimming, but only 2 or 3 PCs need the others to advance through forests and mountains.

Concerning the Ultimate Power Orbs...

A similar strategy should be used for the Ancient Artifacts. Make sure you've given them all out before you give the king of your choice all his orbs.

I think this was MM2... Lord Peabody's castle, if I remember correctly.

As I said above there are quite a few in MM3 as well, and unlike MM2 they are irrevirsible here.

Awesome post. Jaesun I recommend you only read the Orbs spoiler, the others you can figure out by yourself, and only come back and read them if you get stuck. Have fun, this game is awesome.

I've been working my way through the chronological timeline that Sceptic put together, so I've had the benefit of having replayed MM3 pretty recently. Here's what I remember.

If you feel like sharing your thoughts on the games you've played so far, I'd love to read them.

 

[Ether]

Now THAT is the kind of newfags I wish would come to these forums.

I have played III before. A few years ago I did a complete run of II,III,IV,V,VI,VII and then burnt out heh. Now that I own 2 MT-32's I just especially want to play III because it was written specifically for the (higher end) MT-32's with the extra sounds. And to make some recordings of the music as well.

Thanks!

To be honest, I've been a lurker for about eight or nine years now, ever since I first read Vault Dweller's Oblivion review. I did have some trepidation about finally registering, but in my first week, I got 30+ brofists on my first post, learned a nice technique from a fellow Photoshop painter, and got to talk about my favorite series without people recoiling in horror and going "lol those games are so old." Now I'm kind of wondering why I didn't come here sooner.

Sounds like it's high-time for another marathon, and I'd love to hear those recordings! Would you be adding them to your Youtube channel?

There are several in the pyramids, and they don't even warn you of what happened. It's because they don't add unnatural aging, they actually advance your natural age, which is irreversible in MM3-5. The Fountain of Youth will only cure unnatural (greyed out number) aging.

Shoot, I had forgotten entirely about those. You're right, and they're a lot more subtle and nasty than the very-obvious time traps in MM2.

If you feel like sharing your thoughts on the games you've played so far, I'd love to read them.

Thanks! I've just completed MM7 again (for the ninth time ) and will probably jump into Armageddon's Blade next weekend. I've been saving up all of my win screens for a mega-post sometime when I'm finally done, but I'm not sure I could say anything more than what others, particularly Deuce Traveler, have already contributed.

I did want to thank you for the chronological game list, and for all of your posts in this thread in general. It's definitely been one of my favorite reads as a lurker, and it's nice to be able to poke my head in for a change.

 

[madrigal]

Like most of the early MMs, a balanced party is probably best. In particular, the enemies in the final dungeon are completely resistant to physical attacks, so you'll want at least a few party members capable of casting powerful sorcerer spells. (That, or hoard items capable of casting top-level magic.)

This is definitely not true for the previous two games as a party of entirely spell casters is best. But mm3 more so than the others allows for using more characters and swapping as needed.

I recommend taking a dwarf ninja as your lockpicking expert. Dwarves get a boost to hit points per level and a small initial Thievery bonus, both of which help them to perform well in this role.

As with the other games theives/ninjas are a terrible choice as they are inferior fighters and have no magic, especially as mm3 allows any class to learn the thievery skill.

Dump your excess wealth at banks. It'll earn interest.

Just be careful as it loops back to zero when it reaches a certain amount.

 

[octavius]

[ But mm3 more so than the others allows for using more characters and swapping as needed.

I never swapped any characters in MM3, but I did a lot of swapping in MM2, what with the class quests and all.
All in all I think MM3 is an easy enough game that you don't really need to use all the tricks in the book.

 

[Sceptic]

and got to talk about my favorite series without people recoiling in horror and going "lol those games are so old." Now I'm kind of wondering why I didn't come here sooner.

Another M&Mfag!

Sounds like it's high-time for another marathon, and I'd love to hear those recordings! Would you be adding them to your Youtube channel?

Jaesun do it, DO EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET

Thanks! I've just completed MM7 again (for the ninth time ) and will probably jump into Armageddon's Blade next weekend. I've been saving up all of my win screens for a mega-post sometime when I'm finally done, but I'm not sure I could say anything more than what others, particularly Deuce Traveler, have already contributed.

Don't you dare go all shy on me!
Oh wait I probably shouldn't drive away a fellow M&M fan...

I did want to thank you for the chronological game list, and for all of your posts in this thread in general. It's definitely been one of my favorite reads as a lurker, and it's nice to be able to poke my head in for a change.

This is why I do it, to get others who may have skipped some of the games or weren't sure if they fit to try them out and enjoy them. I'm glad the list's been fun to follow and that you've been enjoying the series If there's one series that I had to pick and say I'm an unabashed fanboy, this is it.

As with the other games theives/ninjas are a terrible choice as they are inferior fighters and have no magic, especially as mm3 allows any class to learn the thievery skill.

Only if you're powergaming, and you really don't need to. Besides it takes a while before you get to where you can teach the skill to others, and until then every chest will blow up in your face.

Just be careful as it loops back to zero when it reaches a certain amount.

MM3 had many nasty bugs like this, due to the way it stores integers (the arena fights were notorious - with #33 and up they start decreasing your XP). There's a fan patch somewhere that fixes most of the intergers looping back to zero or to negative values.