The Lords of Midnight - getting updated for 20XX

I'm not exactly sure how I'm supposed to feel about this. ??
http://www.thelordsofmidnight.com/

 

The fact that it will be available on an Android gives me great reason to be concerned over the quality of the game. Still, I've never played the '84 game so I'd like it for anyone who has to inform the Codex about the quality of the game.

 

It's a minimalist game; ie: lost art.

Here is a unfinished LP (images sometimes missing)

As you can see, more of a strategic game than anything else, challenging if you want to recruit (and thus save) all the lords.

 

Well, the game wasn't that complex... of course it was made nearly three decades ago so I'd say it's suitable for iOS.

 

i still got my copy for Spectrum (forgot to pack it when i shipped my Spctrum 48k away) but i only played around 5-6 min of it.

 

The fact that Mike died unfortunately earlier this year doesn't seem to matter to whomever is releasing this? Cash grab.

 

Mike and Chris Wild were working on the remake together, and it was finished with the blessings of Mike's family. Don't be an ass.

 

Oh.

 

I have fond memories of playing this on my Commodore 64 as a young teenager and not knowing what the hell I was doing and not understanding why Corleth the Fey could not defeat an entire army all by himself.

I might have to pick this up.

 

The game is now available for Android, for £2.99/€3.99/$something.

Now waiting for Doomdark's Revenge to be completed...

 

So is this game basically about playing and losing enough times to know the location of lords, and then start again and recruit them into 1-2 giant armies and hold the fort until Doomdark used up his number?
(I did the quest route, somehow get two of the three destroyers killed, but the wise man saves the day).
The game is advertised as rpg on GOG.com store page, but I can't see any RPG elements. You only have two weapons for loot, sword of wolfslayer and sword of dragonslaying. Those magical places seem to be largely useless too, except the Movement Point Reset one and HP refreshment. And why can I only rest once in every keeps/castles/taverns?
There is also no in-game story/dialogue whatever. All the lords are just blank and bland too. Maybe except those who happen to be at some interesting location to be memorable.
By the way how's the remake handling the victory conditions?

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What would happen if I took Doomdark's castle at the same day as Morkin brings the Ice Crown to the Wise man, the Dragon and the traitor skulkrin together at the Lake Mirror?

 

What do you expect from a 1984 game? Morte and Annah discussing metaphysics?

It's not an RPG of course, it's a genre-defying (or genre-preceding really) hybrid of first-person strategy and adventure.

 

Well when there is that quest I thought it will at least be like having some story in it. But in reality you just need to get enough hints from the wise in the tower and explore the nooks to find those special characters.

 

It has a plenty of story.

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in the accompanying novella

 

I've only read the prequel one. Is there any more explaining the in-game event or ending stuff? Like who's that dragon?

 

Nah. In oldschool games, the story bullshit ends when starting a new game happens

 

Chris Wild has posted on GOG and mentioned plans for random scenarios, or including player made scenarios from MMU, in future updated of Lords of Midnight. But for the time being the free Midnight Engine, also made by Chris, is a better option if you play on a PC.

I'm also looking forward to the remake of Doomdark's Revenge. It will be a faithful remake, warts and all, but IIRC it will include a much needed auto-map. Hopefully some of the design flaws of DR will also be ironed out eventually.
DR is a much more dynamic game than LoM, with the lords being able to move, and having their own agendas, but sadly it had a few flaws that LoM lacked. The worst was that only player controled characters could use the underground passages, thus being completely safe. It was also fairly annoying that the players can't chose their battles. If you Attack an enemy lord, and there are several hours left of the day, there will be no combat if the other lord decided to move, despite computer controled lords supposed to move only at night. This made the strategy part too weak, IMO.