Codex Interview RPG Codex Retrospective Interview: Jon Van Caneghem on Might and Magic

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

The user-friendly side of the Might & Magic games is what renders them immortal: you can have as much fun with them now than at the time that they were publshed. I think JVC accomplished exactly the right balance between not holding too much the player's hand and leaving him to play without worrying about all the tedious. I don't really think that it's an "old-school" kind of thing: some of the games from this era were a pain to go through, even if largely better and deep than your next door's popamole. JVC just got it right, and it could have been the same on the Unreal 3 engine.
He's just one of the greatest game designer ever, considering the M&M and Heroes franchises. He's lke the japanese guy who did Mario, Donkey Kong and Zelda (he's also a bro for me, one of the greatest: his favourite game in the Zelda serie is Majora Mask (dark masterpiece) which he didn't even design, he still found it better than his own Ocarina of time, and he's right).

I can understand that some Mondbluts prefer the hardcore "take no prisoners" approach of the Wizardries but the M&M stay some of the greatest and charming games ever.

JVC is very lucid: he knows that "World of Xeen" is his zeitgeist: the perfect moment at which his vision and resources coincided with the technology available at the time and the fact that he was able to fulfill the graphic-whores of the time's demands. From 6 and on, he was forced to run the 3D race and it played against him because designing graphic universes is not his main strength (even if I still ADORE 6 to 9 because for me Game Design>>>>>>>Graphics. Yes, even 9 which for me is not the crap fest that everybody seems to agree upon. I had lots of fun completing it, just like I had a lot of fun completing Ultima 9).

 

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

Nobody ever achieved to find the magic formula of the Might & Magic games again. I'm pretty sure that JVC himself couldn't. I really am impressed by people that are activately trying to achieve this goal nevertheless (our own "Underworld" designer/poster on these boards, Charles, coming to mind). Just like I really respect Surf Solar for trying to find the old Fallout magic again even if it's like an Everest to climb. That's why I ADORED FO:NV: even if the engine was shitty, Obsidian DID catch a reflection of what made the two original games so great. FO: NV is really Fallout 3 (even better than the first two for me but I can understand that other people don't agree with me).

 

[Mother Russia]

Why doesn't he quit and start a kickstarter? His name should make hime him a couple million from kstarter, with which he can hire a team and make a great game.

 

[xemous]

new vegas was boring

 

[MuscleSpark]

new vegas was boring. so boring i couldn't finish it. bethesdas fallout 3 is a more honest work than obsidians hack. i'm glad they didn't get the bonus monies from bethesda and i was disappointed avellone is working on wasteland 2.

obsidian and avellone never made a game worth playing. planescape torment is a fraud. fallout 2 was a lesser game because of his touch.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I just finished Might and Magic 1, and enjoyed it. I imported my characters to Might and Magic 2, and although I'm still clearing out the first dungeon under the initial town, I am enjoying the game more than I did MM1, mostly because there seems to be more diversity in treasure and monsters. When I beat MM2, should I go to MM3 and then the Worlds of Xeen (4 and 5) or should I play the Might and Magic Trilogy (which I believe is MM3, MM4 and MM5)?

 

[Jaesun]

I just finished Might and Magic 1, and enjoyed it. I imported my characters to Might and Magic 2, and although I'm still clearing out the first dungeon under the initial town, I am enjoying the game more than I did MM1, mostly because there seems to be more diversity in treasure and monsters. When I beat MM2, should I go to MM3 and then the Worlds of Xeen (4 and 5) or should I play the Might and Magic Trilogy (which I believe is MM3, MM4 and MM5)?

I completely recommend playing them all in order. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, but on the whole, they continue to get better and better in each successive game (for the most part). You will have one hell of a good an enjoyable ride in the world of Might and Magic that way.

 

[octavius]

Great interview with one of my favourite game developers! How can you not like the guy who not only created the overall greatest (generally high quality over a very long span of years, including spin-offs) computer gaming franchise, but also put himself in the game (MM3) as a Lawful Good Paladin who could kill the vile abomination that was known as a Scorpia?

And he deserves a brofist for this:

JVC: Besides stand alone CRPGs being completely overrun by MMOs, the move towards "movie games" is worrisome to me; I enjoy game systems, open worlds and exploration. I like to play games, not watch them.

I just finished Might and Magic 1, and enjoyed it. I imported my characters to Might and Magic 2, and although I'm still clearing out the first dungeon under the initial town, I am enjoying the game more than I did MM1, mostly because there seems to be more diversity in treasure and monsters. When I beat MM2, should I go to MM3 and then the Worlds of Xeen (4 and 5) or should I play the Might and Magic Trilogy (which I believe is MM3, MM4 and MM5)?

You mean play 4 and 5 separately or as a joint game? I think the consensus is to play them as one combined game, which is possible also with the Trilogy.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I just finished Might and Magic 1, and enjoyed it. I imported my characters to Might and Magic 2, and although I'm still clearing out the first dungeon under the initial town, I am enjoying the game more than I did MM1, mostly because there seems to be more diversity in treasure and monsters. When I beat MM2, should I go to MM3 and then the Worlds of Xeen (4 and 5) or should I play the Might and Magic Trilogy (which I believe is MM3, MM4 and MM5)?

You mean play 4 and 5 separately or as a joint game? I think the consensus is to play them as one combined game, which is possible also with the Trilogy.

I would like to play them as one combined game also. Does Trilogy combine MM3 into the MM4 and MM5 worlds also, or does it keep MM3 separated from 4 and 5? Basically, what does the Trilogy get me that just playing MM3 followed by Worlds of Xeen doesn't? I heard that there was an extra fan mod called Swords of Xeen that was inserted into Trilogy, but was not in the original MM4 and 5.

 

[Morkar Left]

You can import chars from 3 to 4?

 

[octavius]

I just finished Might and Magic 1, and enjoyed it. I imported my characters to Might and Magic 2, and although I'm still clearing out the first dungeon under the initial town, I am enjoying the game more than I did MM1, mostly because there seems to be more diversity in treasure and monsters. When I beat MM2, should I go to MM3 and then the Worlds of Xeen (4 and 5) or should I play the Might and Magic Trilogy (which I believe is MM3, MM4 and MM5)?

You mean play 4 and 5 separately or as a joint game? I think the consensus is to play them as one combined game, which is possible also with the Trilogy.

I would like to play them as one combined game also. Does Trilogy combine MM3 into the MM4 and MM5 worlds also, or does it keep MM3 separated from 4 and 5? Basically, what does the Trilogy get me that just playing MM3 followed by Worlds of Xeen doesn't? I heard that there was an extra fan mod called Swords of Xeen that was inserted into Trilogy, but was not in the original MM4 and 5.

MM 3 is always a separate game.
Trilogy is just a CD with MM 3, 4, 5 and Swords of Xeen. When installing MM 5 you will be asked if you want to create Worlds of Xeen.

You can import chars from 3 to 4?

No.

 

[Redlands]

I just finished Might and Magic 1, and enjoyed it. I imported my characters to Might and Magic 2, and although I'm still clearing out the first dungeon under the initial town, I am enjoying the game more than I did MM1, mostly because there seems to be more diversity in treasure and monsters. When I beat MM2, should I go to MM3 and then the Worlds of Xeen (4 and 5) or should I play the Might and Magic Trilogy (which I believe is MM3, MM4 and MM5)?

I completely recommend playing them all in order. Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses, but on the whole, they continue to get better and better in each successive game (for the most part). You will have one hell of a good an enjoyable ride in the world of Might and Magic that way.

This goes for me as well. I've gotten up to 8, which from what I've heard is where things start to go downhill, but I've liked some of it (and been pissed off by other parts: trying to jump in the beehives ) They've all been entertaining, and the first five were pretty satisfying to complete. The rest were to a lesser extent, but you kind of need to get used to the change in engine.

 

[MicoSelva]

Great interview. I like the recent when it comes to quality content on The Codex. Great job, staff.

 

[baba is you]

I saw this interview a couple years ago, but I didn't comment on it because I wasn't a member at the time. It's practically a dead thread, so I reread it and was going to leave it at that, but my hands are itchy, so I'm going to comment now.

This is a very good interview.

There was a lot of speculation among CRPG gamers that Might and Magic was a reference to Ultima and Wizardry, but I didn't have any solid information in my country.
In the midst of all the gamer speculation, I found this interview in 2012, and it was very helpful.