Master of Magic remake from Thea developers and Slitherine

[ArchAngel]

Play the original, there's no point to the remake at all.

https://af.gog.com/en/game/master_of_magic_classic?as=1649904300

There's even a QoL update called Caster of Magic that makes it a lot easier to get into. The GoG version has it I think. It even has a Windows executable if you don't want to run Dosbox.

https://af.gog.com/en/game/master_of_magic_caster_of_magic_for_windows?as=1649904300

Wait, wasn't there a full game in vein of MoM called Caster of Magic that came out few years back?

 

[Average Manatee]

CoM is essentially a mod turned DLC that redoes basically all balancing, adds QoL features, along with a few units and spells. It plays a lot faster in terms of building/movement/spellcasting and a lot slower in terms of rushing the tech tree. CoM's port of the game to Windows also allows much bigger maps with up to 14 (Iirc) wizards rather than 4

 

[Blake00]

They've announced a new free update containing features such as Steam modding workshop integration, quick load/save, spell favourites, reduced city spam, better hero recruitment, and sparkles.. lots of sparkles lol!
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1623070/announcements/detail/3656413110941055500

Busy week for them since as well as the free update they have also released the new Rise of the Soultrapped DLC addon too...
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1623070/announcements/detail/3656413110941027976

They've done a new story video for it staring 7 of 9.. err I mean 9 of 7 lol.


And a new gameplay trailer which is pretty friggin bad on the cheese factor.. I couldn't stop laughing through half of it lol.

 

[Circuitbreaker313]

Was playing the remake and noticed "Floating Islands" now move over land and sea, WTF ?! I'm pretty sure they acted like summoned magical versions of ships in the original . Also since the update (did not buy the DLC), the option to start out with a hero does not work anymore. Furthermore I noticed that "Theria the Thief" starts with 30+ resistance (due to Charmed ability perhaps ?) - feels like another cockup. Of course despite such resistance, having equipment and several levels, she still got one shot killed by Jafar ?!

This remake just feels devoid of soul and these kind of stupid bugs/features don't help.

I guess I'd want to see a game that combines the good parts of MoM, AoW and Fallen Enchantress Legendary Heroes. Will probably go back to playing the latter with World Difficulty at Insane and Monster Frequency at Dense.

 

[Axioms]

Was playing the remake and noticed "Floating Islands" now move over land and sea, WTF ?! I'm pretty sure they acted like summoned magical versions of ships in the original . Also since the update (did not buy the DLC), the option to start out with a hero does not work anymore. Furthermore I noticed that "Theria the Thief" starts with 30+ resistance (due to Charmed ability perhaps ?) - feels like another cockup. Of course despite such resistance, having equipment and several levels, she still got one shot killed by Jafar ?!

This remake just feels devoid of soul and these kind of stupid bugs/features don't help.

I guess I'd want to see a game that combines the good parts of MoM, AoW and Fallen Enchantress Legendary Heroes. Will probably go back to playing the latter with World Difficulty at Insane and Monster Frequency at Dense.

Can you describe which aspects from each are the top best parts?

 

[index.php]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1623070/view/3895113407855312313

Master of Magic: Scourge of the Seas - The Sea comes Alive

Master of Magic adventurers, prepare for an enchanting voyage into a realm where the sea wields its sorcerous might with Master of Magic: Scourge of the Seas.

We're diving deep into the watery depths to reveal some exciting new features centered around the sea and its mysteries.

Three New Water Lairs

The seas are alive with adventure! In Scourge of the Seas, we're introducing three brand-new water lairs that will take your exploration to the next level.

• Reef Island: This submerged paradise hides untold treasures beneath the waves. But be prepared to face formidable challenges, as new enemies lurk in the coral-covered caverns. The unique design of Reef Island offers an entirely fresh combat experience, setting the stage for epic battles.
  
  
• Wind Caves: These mysterious underwater grottos are shrouded in secrets. As you venture into the Wind Caves, you'll encounter formidable foes and discover hidden riches. The intricacies of the Wind Caves provide a unique combat challenge that will test your strategic prowess.
  
  
• Pirate Scum: With these new water lairs, the seas won't just be a tranquil expanse. The pirate scum will be unleashed upon both the seas and the lands, creating chaos for the Wizards. Brace yourself for thrilling confrontations and unexpected encounters with these maritime marauders.
  
  
• Terrifying Boss Lairs: As if the new water lairs weren't enough, the oceans themselves spawn two terrifying boss lairs, one on each plane. Each boss lair is a treasure trove of loot, a custom-made battle map with unique combat challenges, and a monstrous Kraken boss! Defeating these titans of the deep will reward you with a unique Wizard Trait that can't be obtained anywhere else.

Water Resources

The seas aren't just for adventuring; they also offer valuable resources to shore up your cities such as:

• Pearls: Precious and lustrous, pearls can be harvested from the depths of the sea to enhance your cities with their beauty and economic benefits.
• Reef: These underwater ecosystems are a source of great wealth and biodiversity. Harvesting reef resources will give your shoreline cities a significant boost.
• Fish: Abundant and nutritious, fish can be a vital resource for sustaining your cities. With the bountiful waters at your disposal, your coastal cities will flourish.

New Arcane Spell

To make the most of these newfound sea resources, a powerful Arcane spell will be at your disposal. This spell allows Wizards to harvest sea resources that fall outside of the city catchment, ensuring that nothing goes to waste in your coastal dominion.

We hope you're as excited as we are about the sea's new role in Master of Magic: Scourge of the Seas. Stay tuned for more insights and updates on the development of the game in our upcoming entries.

The seas await, and the adventure is just beginning!

Wishlist now:

 

[Lacrymas]

How does this game have the sales to justify further DLC, lol.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

How does this game have the sales to justify further DLC, lol.

I mean these kind of DLC probably had the assets and work already half done by the time the game releases and probably get finished by smaller crew while main team moved to something else.

And considering Silterhine DLC development is 100% planned from beginning.

 

[Arryosha]

The consensus seems to be that the remake is the same as the original but with worse graphics. But is the UI at least improved? I don't really care about the graphics, and if everything else is mostly unchanged, it might be worth it (on discount) for a less antiquated UI.

 

[Lacrymas]

It's not the same as the original. The most egregious change is how the game is hex-based now instead of square-based, which has a massive effect on how the battles play out. As for the UI, it's not improved enough to matter.

 

[Igge]

It's not the same as the original. The most egregious change is how the game is hex-based now instead of square-based, which has a massive effect on how the battles play out. As for the UI, it's not improved enough to matter.

Did they impore AI at least?

 

[Blake00]

MuHa & Slitherine have revealed a new wizard coming in their Scourge of the Seas DLC for the official Master of Magic remake. Belit the Cursebringer is a pirate queen orc with a penchant for raising cities and enslaving it's citizens into her armies.

Sigh.. Oh well at least it's not a chick with pink tails and laser pistols riding a cute pig this time lol..

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1623070/announcements/detail/3877100446797290271

 

[Old One]

What is it with MuHa and blue sea orcs?

 

[Blake00]

What is it with MuHa and blue sea orcs?

According to the official in-game description an orc got drunk and f*cked a seahorse...

 

[Lacrymas]

Someone's barely disguised fetish.

 

[Dedicated_Dark]

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

 

[Cael]

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

Civ 4 mod: Fall From Heaven 2

 

[Lacrymas]

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

Warlock might be a better choice in that regard or the original MoM. This remake is aggressively mid.

 

[Dedicated_Dark]

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

Civ 4 mod: Fall From Heaven 2

I don't usually go near total conversion mods, their balancing and logic most of the time tend to be.. retarded.

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

Warlock might be a better choice in that regard or the original MoM. This remake is aggressively mid.

Warlock is a new one, looks pretty good.
Ah! that's unfortunate, this one looks nice though, guess I'm playing the original.

 

[Cael]

Aggressively mid? I'd say that it was done by people who thought something was a good idea and so added it without thought of how the elements would mesh. One of the things I saw was the eruption of different damage types, like it was trying to make itself into a DnD RPG...

 

[Cael]

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

Civ 4 mod: Fall From Heaven 2

I don't usually go near total conversion mods, their balancing and logic most of the time tend to be.. retarded.

It is only considered to be the best Civ4 mod ever, but that is up to you. If you are looking for balance, then I have to agree that FFH2 is not for you. Perhaps you should be looking at the original Civ.

 

[mastroego]

Warlock is a new one, looks pretty good.
Ah! that's unfortunate, this one looks nice though, guess I'm playing the original.

You might want to consider Warlock 2 + Renaissance mod (spoken highly of and I can attest that the mod content really looks like official content, presentation-wise at least. Haven't had much time to play it though).

 

[Blake00]

Is this game worth playing? I need some fantasy 4x besides Endless Legend, Dominions & Age of Wonders.

The Master of Magic remake is not a bad game, but it's not a great game either. The designers have even said publicly (what most fan suspected anyway) that it's an indie remake of a big studio game... so keeping that in mind the result won't blow you away but because of the brilliance of the original game it's remaking, it's still pretty good.

Yup +1 to Cael's Fall From Heaven 2 recommendation. Plus there's some great 'modmod's for FFH such as Master of Mana (that pushes it even more in a magical Master of Magic direction) and Ashes of Erebus that are still worked on to this day.

And +1 to Lacrymas's Warlock recommendation. I quite enjoyed playing Warlock 1 a few years back, in particular it's multi world system. Warlock 2 has a bit of a bad rep but once again fans saved the day as the Renaissance Mod turns it into something pretty awesome.

Another one would be Elemental Fallen Enchantress.. yes Stardock s*** the bed with the first Elemental game (War of Magic) however then they brought in Kael (Civ4 FFH creator) and Jon Shafer (Civ4 Final Frontier & Civ5) and the result was the much better Fallen Enchantress game. Stardock went on to do Sorceror King however it seemed to go in the wrong direction and a lot of fans stuck with Fallen Enchantress.

Worlds of Magic & Planar Conquest were designed to be like MoM but they have a lot of problems and I haven't checked to see if fans have saved the day with patches for them in recent years.

Eador series is one that kinda mixed MoM and HoMM stuff together that you might wanna check out.. I own them but haven't got around to trying them yet.

If you don't care about graphics then I notice people in my Master of Magic communities seem to go on about how great Deity Empires is..
.

 

[AdamReith]

Hadn't heard of Deity Empires before. Looks highly intriguing.

 

[Axiomatic]

Aggressively mid? I'd say that it was done by people who thought something was a good idea and so added it without thought of how the elements would mesh. One of the things I saw was the eruption of different damage types, like it was trying to make itself into a DnD RPG...

You can argue that the game is mid, but the following statement shows you don't know the game as much as you think

Magical ranged attacks were already associated to specific realms/schools in the original. eg Priest's magical ranged attacks are Nature etc https://masterofmagic.fandom.com/wiki/Ranged_Magical_Attack
The remake did not randomly add it, in fact the UI choice here is superior as it made it easier for the player to know when spells like resist element, bless would help without looking up things!