Might and Magic The Might and Magic Discussion Thread

[DaveO]

I took a look at the GoG forums and saw that it may be related to having hardware acceleration on. If you don't have hardware acceleration on, it may be related to GreyFace's patch. If you're not doint either, see if video card driver updates have any effect.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Re-installing MM VII with GreyFace's patch took care of the problem.

I must say, the music for this one is really fantastic. This is some of Paul Romero's best work.

Early in the game, I found a pure might black potion, which permanently gives +50 of might to a character. I'm scared that it might unbalance the game.

 

[Sceptic]

I must say, the music for this one is really fantastic. This is some of Paul Romero's best work.

I love the main menu music (which plays elsewhere during the game). There's some other great themes in there too (the slow Harmondale one is also pretty nice).

Early in the game, I found a pure might black potion, which permanently gives +50 of might to a character. I'm scared that it might unbalance the game.

One won't unbalance it THAT much. You could always give it to your cleric or sorcerer, since you'll eventually make all black potions for everyone anyway.

 

[Mastermind]

You won't make one for everyone without a druid. Though you can still buy them.

 

[kmonster]

Don't worry, the black potion won't unbalance anything. It raises only 1 of 7 stats for one character a little, character level and good weapons make a far bigger difference.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

Yeah I found that out, it doesn't make that big of a difference.

My party consists of a Knight, monk, druid, and mage. The knight is skilled with swords and plate armor, also with repair and disarm traps.

The monk at the beginning was skilled with fists, but unarmed combat seemed to suck, so I started investing skill points in spear instead. Doesn't wear an armor and learns dodging instead.

The druid is the healer and alchemist, fights with a dagger.

The mage is heavy on fire magic, and air magic to a smaller extent, fights with a staff.

I just went into some cave in the elven forest, I was ambushed by an ancient wyvern which could kill most of my guys in one hit, but I still found a way to beat it.

 

[Sceptic]

You won't make one for everyone without a druid.

Have I got my games confused again?

Yes I do. It's in MM8 that sorcerers get GM alchemy.

God damn it.

 

[DaveO]

New GrayFace patches were loaded to his site at http://sites.google.com/site/sergroj/mm

New in version 1.11(MM6):
[+] Major mouse look update. (see below for details)
[+] MouseWheelFly option lets you fly up and down by scrolling your wheel.
[+] Quick load. QuickLoadKey option controls the quick load key.
[+] AutorunKey (F3 by default) turns on/off autorun, like in MMORPGs.
[+] When run in 32 bits color mode automatically switches to 16 bits in Windowed mode.
[+] Now Turn Delta is set to Smooth by default.
[-] Strafes and walking worked badly on some machines due to rounding issues. Same thing with NPCs walking.
[-] Autosave was done after the cost of transport is withdrawn.
[-] Weapon enchants don't ignore resistances anymore.
[-] Fixed condition removal spells (they worked 3 hours/days per skill point instead of 1, also causing integer overflow on huge skill levels).
[-] My bug: Quick Save didn't work in Hive after destroying the Reactor.
[-] Waiting (using Rest dialog) didn't recover characters.
[-] Key strokes could be ignored if some other programs run at the same time and use the same keyboard access method.
[-] Map crossing dialog was triggered while flying low, accepting it in that case did nothing.
[-] A rare case of "negative/0" caused a crash in stats screen.
[-] Lloyd Beacon used to autosave game after decreasing spell points and adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal used to autosave game after adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal triggered autosave even within when teleporting current location.
[-] Although Prismatic Light beam bug wan't reported in MM6, the thing that caused it was fixed here too.
[-] My bug: Starburst and Meteor Shower range limitations weren't accurate.
[-] My bug: In mouse look mode mouse could leave window when moved fast.


New in version 1.6(MM7):
[+] Major mouse look update. (see below for details)
[+] MouseWheelFly option lets you fly up and down by scrolling your wheel.
[+] Quick load. QuickLoadKey option controls the quick load key.
[+] AutorunKey (F3 by default) turns on/off autorun, like in MMORPGs.
[+] When run in 32 bits color mode automatically switches to 16 bits in Windowed mode.
[+] Identify Monster shows monster resistances numbers now.
[+] PaletteSMul and PaletteVMul options let you change how bright or colorful the game looks. HSV representation of colors is used.
[+] Now Turn Delta is set to Smooth by default.
[-] Strafes and walking worked badly on some machines due to rounding issues. Same thing with NPCs walking.
[-] Autosave was done after the cost of transport is withdrawn.
[-] Waiting (using Rest dialog) used to recover characters twise as fast.
[-] Key strokes could be ignored if some other programs run at the same time and use the same keyboard access method.
[-] A rare case of "negative/0" caused a crash in stats screen.
[-] Keys configuration loading finally fixed (the fix of previous version didn't work right).
[-] Lloyd Beacon used to autosave game after decreasing spell points and adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal used to autosave game after adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal triggered autosave even within when teleporting within current location.
[-] Some players experienced a beam of Prismatic Light that doesn't disappear.
[-] My bug: In mouse look mode mouse could leave window when moved fast.


New in version 1.5(MM8):
[+] Major mouse look update. (see below for details)
[+] MouseWheelFly option lets you fly up and down by scrolling your wheel.
[+] Quick load. QuickLoadKey option controls the quick load key.
[+] AutorunKey (F3 by default) turns on/off autorun, like in MMORPGs.
[+] When run in 32 bits color mode automatically switches to 16 bits in Windowed mode.
[+] Identify Monster shows monster resistances numbers now.
[+] PaletteSMul and PaletteVMul options let you change how bright or colorful the game looks. HSV representation of colors is used.
[+] If MouseBorder option is set to -1 the time is stopped when you press right mouse button, like in MM6 and MM7.
[+] StartupCopyrightDelay option lets you change the time for which the copyright window is shown when the game starts.
[+] Now Turn Delta is set to Smooth by default.
[-] Death on arena no longer causes a crash.
[-] Strafes and walking worked badly on some machines due to rounding issues. Same thing with NPCs walking.
[-] Autosave was done after the cost of transport is withdrawn.
[-] Waiting (using Rest dialog) used to recover characters twise as fast.
[-] Key strokes could be ignored if some other programs run at the same time and use the same keyboard access method.
[-] Town Portal and Lloyd Beacon dialogs used to react spell book click in mouse look mode.
[-] A rare case of "negative/0" caused a crash in stats screen.
[-] Lloyd Beacon used to autosave game after decreasing spell points and adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal used to autosave game after adding recovery delay.
[-] Some players experienced a beam of Prismatic Light that doesn't disappear. Now the real cause is fixed.
[-] My bug: In mouse look mode mouse could leave window when moved fast.

 

[Saxon1974]

New GrayFace patches were loaded to his site at http://sites.google.com/site/sergroj/mm

New in version 1.11(MM6):
[+] Major mouse look update. (see below for details)
[+] MouseWheelFly option lets you fly up and down by scrolling your wheel.
[+] Quick load. QuickLoadKey option controls the quick load key.
[+] AutorunKey (F3 by default) turns on/off autorun, like in MMORPGs.
[+] When run in 32 bits color mode automatically switches to 16 bits in Windowed mode.
[+] Now Turn Delta is set to Smooth by default.
[-] Strafes and walking worked badly on some machines due to rounding issues. Same thing with NPCs walking.
[-] Autosave was done after the cost of transport is withdrawn.
[-] Weapon enchants don't ignore resistances anymore.
[-] Fixed condition removal spells (they worked 3 hours/days per skill point instead of 1, also causing integer overflow on huge skill levels).
[-] My bug: Quick Save didn't work in Hive after destroying the Reactor.
[-] Waiting (using Rest dialog) didn't recover characters.
[-] Key strokes could be ignored if some other programs run at the same time and use the same keyboard access method.
[-] Map crossing dialog was triggered while flying low, accepting it in that case did nothing.
[-] A rare case of "negative/0" caused a crash in stats screen.
[-] Lloyd Beacon used to autosave game after decreasing spell points and adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal used to autosave game after adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal triggered autosave even within when teleporting current location.
[-] Although Prismatic Light beam bug wan't reported in MM6, the thing that caused it was fixed here too.
[-] My bug: Starburst and Meteor Shower range limitations weren't accurate.
[-] My bug: In mouse look mode mouse could leave window when moved fast.


New in version 1.6(MM7):
[+] Major mouse look update. (see below for details)
[+] MouseWheelFly option lets you fly up and down by scrolling your wheel.
[+] Quick load. QuickLoadKey option controls the quick load key.
[+] AutorunKey (F3 by default) turns on/off autorun, like in MMORPGs.
[+] When run in 32 bits color mode automatically switches to 16 bits in Windowed mode.
[+] Identify Monster shows monster resistances numbers now.
[+] PaletteSMul and PaletteVMul options let you change how bright or colorful the game looks. HSV representation of colors is used.
[+] Now Turn Delta is set to Smooth by default.
[-] Strafes and walking worked badly on some machines due to rounding issues. Same thing with NPCs walking.
[-] Autosave was done after the cost of transport is withdrawn.
[-] Waiting (using Rest dialog) used to recover characters twise as fast.
[-] Key strokes could be ignored if some other programs run at the same time and use the same keyboard access method.
[-] A rare case of "negative/0" caused a crash in stats screen.
[-] Keys configuration loading finally fixed (the fix of previous version didn't work right).
[-] Lloyd Beacon used to autosave game after decreasing spell points and adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal used to autosave game after adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal triggered autosave even within when teleporting within current location.
[-] Some players experienced a beam of Prismatic Light that doesn't disappear.
[-] My bug: In mouse look mode mouse could leave window when moved fast.


New in version 1.5(MM8):
[+] Major mouse look update. (see below for details)
[+] MouseWheelFly option lets you fly up and down by scrolling your wheel.
[+] Quick load. QuickLoadKey option controls the quick load key.
[+] AutorunKey (F3 by default) turns on/off autorun, like in MMORPGs.
[+] When run in 32 bits color mode automatically switches to 16 bits in Windowed mode.
[+] Identify Monster shows monster resistances numbers now.
[+] PaletteSMul and PaletteVMul options let you change how bright or colorful the game looks. HSV representation of colors is used.
[+] If MouseBorder option is set to -1 the time is stopped when you press right mouse button, like in MM6 and MM7.
[+] StartupCopyrightDelay option lets you change the time for which the copyright window is shown when the game starts.
[+] Now Turn Delta is set to Smooth by default.
[-] Death on arena no longer causes a crash.
[-] Strafes and walking worked badly on some machines due to rounding issues. Same thing with NPCs walking.
[-] Autosave was done after the cost of transport is withdrawn.
[-] Waiting (using Rest dialog) used to recover characters twise as fast.
[-] Key strokes could be ignored if some other programs run at the same time and use the same keyboard access method.
[-] Town Portal and Lloyd Beacon dialogs used to react spell book click in mouse look mode.
[-] A rare case of "negative/0" caused a crash in stats screen.
[-] Lloyd Beacon used to autosave game after decreasing spell points and adding recovery delay.
[-] Town Portal used to autosave game after adding recovery delay.
[-] Some players experienced a beam of Prismatic Light that doesn't disappear. Now the real cause is fixed.
[-] My bug: In mouse look mode mouse could leave window when moved fast.

Wow, Grayface is awesome. He must have alot of freetime. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Luzur]

kinda nice of them to mod MM6 all the time, making it better, but why no love for the others in the series?

NWC let some indie guys make a whole game (Swords of Xeen) with their MM5 engine and all.

cant be hard to these guys to remodel the older gems, now can it?

 

[Mastermind]

You won't make one for everyone without a druid.

Have I got my games confused again?

Yes I do. It's in MM8 that sorcerers get GM alchemy.

God damn it.

There is no sorcerer in VIII.

On a more serious note, I don't understand why they replicated the shitty, useless Ranger class in 8 as minotaurs without any significant changes (other than to make them worse).

 

[Sceptic]

There is no sorcerer in VIII.

OH FOR FUCK'S SAKE

On a more serious note, I don't understand why they replicated the shitty, useless Ranger class in 8 as minotaurs without any significant changes (other than to make them worse).

I was going to post about other useless classes, but really, Minotaur is the only one that's completely useless. Also not entirely a Ranger equivalent as he can't use Elemental spells. But their biggest problem is that they're a hybrid that can't cast past Expert, and as such are completely useless as spellcasters, while still sacrificing some of their raw strength so they can't compete with Knights and Trolls either. Loser combination. Not to mention other hybrids like Vampires and Dark Elves have some nifty class-specific features, but Minotaurs have nothing of note. And the only misc skill they can GM is Perception, which Dragons can also do.

 

[DaveO]

Minotaurs are also limited on the equipment and miscellaneous skill side. They can't use helms, boots, or shields and also can't effectively dual wield as well as the Troll and Knight can. They can't repair items well, and don't get Regenerate like the Troll and even Necromancer can. A Cleric or Vampire may be more effective for damage AND spellcasting than the poorly designed Minotaur.

In regards to designing a new game from the older Xeen interface, apparently it's much harder than modding MM6 thru MM8. Also, Swords of Xeen had quite a few bugs and the game balance was a bit out of whack.

 

[Ruprekt]

It's good to see a fix for the differential movement speeds. That's been bugged for me on every post win9x machine I've tried.

 

[DaveO]

I've been following other forums after the latest GreyFace patch, and there are still bugs present. I checked my Mok installation and it looks like just the .EXE file is modified. I'd like to know if there is any interest in the file before I upload it to my site.

 

[Gerrard]

Started playing MM7 yesterday, what the hell is with the enemy corpses sliding backwards for ridiculous distances even on flat terrain? I tried googling it but found no mention of something like this.

Other than that, it's cool. I like the expanded skills and alchemy, and the turn based mode is actually quite useable, unlike in 6.

Wow, Grayface is awesome. He must have alot of freetime. Thanks for the heads up.

I reported one case of a crash in 6, and he replied to me 12 hours later with a fix. I wish all game devs worked like that.

 

[DaveO]

Good Old Games has the M&M 6 pack for $5.99 with MM7 and MM8 going for $3.59 each. The sale ends on Monday, and I definitely can recommend the 6 pack as a great value for the money.

 

[Excidium]

I recommend getting the 6-pack on underground gamer. It's free.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

hohohohoho what a wit

 

[octavius]

So, nobody playing Might&Magic these days?

I'm about to start MM2 myself and discovered two "funny" things.
1. The game actually runs better in native Windows XP than with DosBox. With DosBox you need to Use Loadfix.
2. I imported my party from MM1 and Zenon III was renamed Zenon Iii. Damned, that "Iii" is an eye sore.
EDIT: Duh! Didn't notice that there is a re-name command.

I beat the game fair and square on the Amiga 20+ years ago with lvl 1 characters, so I don't feel guily about transfering characters.

 

[Sceptic]

Transferred parties get de-powered to level 7, so you have a slight edge at the beginning and not much else. I like to import just because it skips the tedium of grinding te first few levels.

 

[Jocund]

So I've just started MM1 on DOSBox tonight, having never played any game in the MM series.

Are all the games this brutal in the beginning? I've essentially stopped wandering around town for fear of fighting sprites and falling down trap holes of doom.

My strategy right now is to walk back and forth between the inn and a place I know I get into a fight every time, hoping that saving after every fight will ensure me leveling up, and that level 2 rewards me with ultimate powers of destruction.

 

[kmonster]

Only the first 2 parts have such a hard beginning (just like it was typical for rpgs of that time). You start extremely weak and badly equipped, in the beginning it's recommended to go back to the inn for saving after every battle, when your equipment gets better you'll survive more battles and can try fighting several of them and resting outside before you return for saving.
Try exploring and mapping the town, you'll have to find the training place.

 

[Jocund]

I've found the training place and reached level two with some of my people, so I explored the town some more and have a good feel for where everything is.

I can't seem to figure out though - is there a way to look at item stats? I've found a few items (spear, short bow), that I'm wondering if they better than what my characters have equipped. I can't find anything in the manual or online other than this FAQ http://www.gamefaqs.com/appleii/577195- ... /faqs/7959 and I'm wondering where he's getting his data from.

*EDIT* Scratch that I just found the clue book which has a list of items and their stats.

 

[Nael]

The first two games in the franchise are incredibly difficult. In fact, MM1 is broken in such a way that you won't finish it without looking up spoilers. And if you're against spoilers I hope you know your US Government History lessons. My advice is skip MM1 and 2. They aren't worth the pain unless you're just one of those people that HAS to experience everything.