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[Nick]

One day I decided to buy a game CD and saw M&M9. I thought then "Wow, it must be great!". But after playing about an hour, I found it even worse, than M&M3! The graphics surely was improved, but sometimes it looks not good, especially people models, and interface was awful. In 3 part of the game, at least, items showed which class could wear it, and in 9 it is gone! And spell books are hardly distinguishing from each other. I mean, you can't distinguish between spell book of cleric and spell book of mage, for example. At least I couldn't. And, as my brother told me, some spells from M&M6 were deleted, such as fly, for example. Well... if game hadn't many of these deficiences, it would be really GREAT! But right now I must say it is gone down, comparing to it's forefathers ( ). What are your comments about that?

[Borodin]

Curious: I think M&M3 was probably the best game in the series.

But as for M&M9: Trip Hawkins, who owned 3DO, purchased New World Computing, the folks that did the M&M series. He used it basically as a cash cow for his foundering company, running the brand down into the ground with a lot of small, piecemeal releases based on the HOMM engine.

When it came to M&M, he took it away from the NWC team, and gave it to a group of smart but untried developers. They didn't finish the title, were ordered to get it out on the market, and did so. Many of their ideas frankly weren't very good, but their AI was noticeably better than that of the earlier M&M games. There were even instances of major quests that only required you to step literally around the corner for solutions: blatant examples where the programmers simply tied up loose ends to get the product out the door. It was panned by most magazines and webzines--deservedly so, in my opinion.

I strongly doubt that another M&M title will appear. For one thing, NWC's own last few titles in the series were getting redundant. Part of the game's pleasure came in my opinion from the old animation that left the product when they moved to the clunky 3D engine with M&M6. And Jon van Caneghem, the original designer/owner, is now working on MMORPGs along with that renowned sourpuss, Richard Garriott. I think we're more likely to see a revival of The Magic Candle series than Might & Magic--not that the other is likely to happen, either.

[Nick]

And where is Jon van Caneghem now? Does he still make games or what?

[Borodin]

"And Jon van Caneghem, the original designer/owner, is now working on MMORPGs along with that renowned sourpuss, Richard Garriott. "

[Frank]

Originally posted by Borodin@Apr 15 2005, 11:56 AM

I strongly doubt that another M&M title will appear.

I read somewhere that Ubisoftnow has bought the license for Might and Magic, and they're publishing HoMM5 now...
I hope they'll bring out a worthy sequel for the M&M series too...

[Borodin]

Originally posted by Frank+May 19 2005, 03:39 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Frank @ May 19 2005, 03:39 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Borodin@Apr 15 2005, 11:56 AM

I strongly doubt that another M&M title will appear.

I read somewhere that Ubisoftnow has bought the license for Might and Magic, and they're publishing HoMM5 now...
I hope they'll bring out a worthy sequel for the M&M series too... [/b][/quote]
I wouldn't expect one. The series' sales had been in decline for some time, and it has very little "name value" any longer with players (most of whose memories go back no further than two years, if that). I would be more interested in seeing developer Ali Atabek do a modern version of his original Magic Candle; that would adapt much better, and feature a more distinctive universe. But neither is likely to happen.

[TheChosen]

Jon van Caneghem & Richard Garriott....

They would make great RPGs if they would work together.

[Borodin]

Originally posted by TheChosen@May 20 2005, 05:27 AM
Jon van Caneghem & Richard Garriott....

They would make great RPGs if they would work together.

Not necessarily. Garriott's best titles were over by the time he got addicted to action games and "sensearound" devices. Caneghem's best period was over before M&M when 3D, in my opinion. Caneghem at least is a decent guy to work with, but Garriott is a sulky tyrant and can't stand to have other people in the limelight alongside him. My guess is that they'll stay out of one another's way, working on different projects or parts of the same project.