Might and Magic The Might and Magic Discussion Thread

[Great Deceiver]

Yeah, the WoX ending is also of very high quality, similar to the intro. Your Saturday morning cartoon allegory works perfectly.

 

[commie]

6 has great dungeons for sure, I'm starting a new playthrough of that game just after finishing WoX. It makes me sad that this sort of game wasn't really improved on. I feel like great things could be accomplished with modern tech and the same care and great ideas that went into it.

I've never actually completed MM3. I remember loving the MT 32 soundtrack, but that was so long ago.

MM3 was the first I completed. Remains my favorite. Just like how each island has it's own theme and that tantalising distance across the water which beckons with possibilities and secrets in the distance until you get the right spell to discover those areas. I think the large bodies of seemingly empty water between these outcrops are what really excite me with that game...just walking off into the blue and coming across something. The teleporting spell to fight the Dragon Lord in that seemingly solid rock formation is a highlight I won't forget either.

 

[Average Manatee]

Yes, MM3 was my first as well and I think it does exploration the best. Really never liked either of the Xeen games, both seemed to have major annoyances and problems, along with feeling like an unfinished game that forced you buy an expansion to finish it.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I played and finished Clouds of Xeen at the time (before Darkside came out) and I didn't get the feeling of an unfinished game at all. Maybe nostalgia...

 

[Average Manatee]

Feels a lot shorter than M&M3 to me. Like 1/3-1/4th less stuff to do. Content being less interesting too (lame-ass dwarf mines with a dozen levels) and more obviously linear (there's 4 quarters to the map and you're basically forced to go SE->SW->NW->NE).

 

[Dux]

So I think I've run into a problem with MM3. I'm fighting a Green Dragon and it's been blasting me away with cold damage. So I cast Protection from Elements with my level 25 cleric. Does jack shit. I had to go back to Blistering Heights to use the statue there to even have a chance. What's going on? Choosing cold or any other element from the spell doesn't raise my resistance one bit.

 

[Average Manatee]

It works and stacks. But I think it applies differently in the damage formula so one might be much more useful than the other depending on circumstances. Make sure to use Power Shield as well.

 

[Dux]

Is it normal then to not see any change in the statistics? The numbers remain static as far as Protection from Elements is concerned. A base cold resistance of 10, let's say, remains at 10 even if I cast the spell, even at level 25. However, if I go to Blistering Heights and get the boost, the numbers do change.

 

[Average Manatee]

Yeah, it shows up somewhere else. It should be on one of the buttons. You should also see one of the four orbs on the main UI light up when you have prot x in effect.

 

[Dux]

Ah yes, I see it now. Thanks for the help.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Power shield is really OP in MM3-5. Most enemies scale by getting multiple attacks or hitting multiple targets, so it ends up being an absolute defense against many foes. There are the few exceptions that deal single, massive hits, but they're generally bosses or the like.

 

[Great Deceiver]

It's a great game, but the end quarter or so is fucking awful. I think the only way to not get aggravated at the endgame is to have at least 3 people able to spam a really high level shrapmetal.

Still, it's one of the longest games I've ever played, and the first half is really awesome. Few games manage this sense of scale. I bought and played this to death on release and have replayed numerous times, but I had never actually finished it because it gets so boring towards the end. This time I pulled through.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Unfortunately the endgames in MM 6-8 are universally terrible, although honestly I think the one in MM6 is the least aggravating. I still get the shakes each time I think of The Pit/Celeste + Land of the Giants + The Lincoln combo in MM7 and the hordes of monsters that can only be harmed with light/dark magic in MM8.

 

[Pope Amole II]

It's a great game, but the end quarter or so is fucking awful. I think the only way to not get aggravated at the endgame is to have at least 3 people able to spam a really high level shrapmetal.

The end of the game is absolutely wonderful. The only problem is perhaps The Hive as it just doesn't really compare to the sheer terror of the Control Center. But then, maybe that's by the design - you're supposed to feel turbo-powerful by that point. Anyways, git gud.


In other news, doing a russian lP of VIII atm, just wanted to showcase a solo dark elf on the arena. Just so you know, compared to the dark elves, those highly famed dragons are worthless mewlings:

Spoiler

 

[Great Deceiver]

Somehow I don't think playing in realtime mode with the attack button permanently depressed firing blasters is very engaging. I think MM6 is much better during the first half where resource management actually kind of matters.

 

[T. Reich]

It's a great game, but the end quarter or so is fucking awful. I think the only way to not get aggravated at the endgame is to have at least 3 people able to spam a really high level shrapmetal.

The end of the game is absolutely wonderful. The only problem is perhaps The Hive as it just doesn't really compare to the sheer terror of the Control Center. But then, maybe that's by the design - you're supposed to feel turbo-powerful by that point. Anyways, git gud.


In other news, doing a russian lP of VIII atm, just wanted to showcase a solo dark elf on the arena. Just so you know, compared to the dark elves, those highly famed dragons are worthless mewlings:

Spoiler

Dude, your image let's play of MMVIII is gone for some reason (the pics hosting says they are deleted), and I was in the middle of doing it.

 

[Dux]

I feel pretty satisfied after having beaten M&M III. I generally liked the layout of the dungeons, the overworld and the visuals. The combat was a step back, though. Strangely enough, it felt somewhat stripped down. That and the economy and balance seemed thoroughly broken. There were quite a lot of times when I gained a stupid amount of levels all at once and eventually my party became really overpowered. Terminators might eradicate me on the spot but if I get my Implosions off in time, it doesn't really matter. Money and gems were so plentiful that they became essentially redundant. I wouldn't even have been able to spend them if I tried. I stand by my opinion that the first game is still the best. I have yet to try Clouds and Darkside of Xeen, however.

 

[Valky]

My favorite part of MM6 discussions is hearing other players first time in Castle Darkmoor.

 

[Great Deceiver]

Darkmoor is often cited as a high point of MM6, I just think it's a mess. Enemies casting debuffs through walls isn't fun at all and I can't possibly think that it's an intended feature.

 

[Snorkack]

Many people made their way to darkmoor by ring of firing enemies through closed doors, so it's kinda fair game I guess.

 

[Great Deceiver]

I took the slightly more honourable path of spamming Sparks until I got a high enough level Shrapmetal :ehue:

 

[lukaszek]

deterministic system > RNG

 

[Draxylon]

Hi,

Not sure if this is the right thread to post this message, but anyway...

I'm a big of the M&M series since I played WoX in 90s... I never went further playing I and II... someday I will give them another try (have it from GOG)...

Well...going straight to the point. Since Might and Magic I is one of the most important games in the VideoGame History (period) and since Jon Van Caneghem is also one of the most important developers in the gaming industry history (on par with Richard Garriot, John Carmack, etc)... why don't request him to publish Might & Magic original source code?

i know I know... that's somewhat a crazy idea but... Richard Garriot published Akalabeth (or was it Origin?). I know M&M is sadly currently in hands of Ubisoft, but I would like to dream. C'mon! That source code must be a patrimony of humanity, and should be available for whatever person who wants to study/see how a computer game and more precisely a crpg was made in the eighties.

This could help people to make a faithful remake in current technology, and will help people like me that has some difficulties to get into such "vintage" game mechanics... for sure beautiful mechanics that I want to play some day, but also have the opportunity even to make my own version in today's standars (I'm currently studying game development).

So... what could JVC or Ubisoft loss publishing an old Apple II code? Anyone here has direct contact with JVC so can transmit this request to him? It would be interesting to know, at least, his opinion about that.

BTW, sorry for my English... I'm from Spain and not so much proficient writing English.

 

[Wayward Son]

Well...going straight to the point. Since Might and Magic I is one of the most important games in the VideoGame History (period) and since Jon Van Caneghem is also one of the most important developers in the gaming industry history (on par with Richard Garriot, John Carmack, etc)... why don't request him to publish Might & Magic original source code?

Well, as far as I know, it wouldn't be up to JVC. It would be Ubisoft's decision.

I never went further playing I and II... someday I will give them another try

Stop what you're doing right now and install them. Then play them. You will thank me.

BTW, sorry for my English... I'm from Spain and not so much proficient writing English.

Don't worry, when you level up next time, you'll get another proficiency point to put in your English Language Style.

So... what could JVC or Ubisoft loss publishing an old Apple II code? Anyone here has direct contact with JVC so can transmit this request to him? It would be interesting to know, at least, his opinion about that.

It's less important what they could lose and more how little they could gain. Don't forget as has been previously stated that these are owned by Ubisoft. Releasing the source code from a business standpoint is a bad move, as it will lead to more and easier pirating by having someone make a "remake" (that happens to be 1:1). They still make money off of the GOG Six-Pack and that might reduce what little they make from it. In return, I have one question for you, what do they have to gain from this from a business standpoint?

 

[Great Deceiver]

There's nothing stopping you from playing M&M 1 and 2. They work perfectly under Dosbox and you even have access to the Mac versions through emulation. They're still great games, some would say the best in the series. I think MM2 is one of the best games ever.

Remakes are usually a bad idea. Even if JVC cared enough (I don't think he does, too busy counting that mobile money) he couldn't do shit about it.