new to might and magic, where to start?

The role-playing games (I-X) that started it all and the various spin-offs (including Dark Messiah).
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new to might and magic, where to start?

Unread postby migviper » 21 Sep 2009, 16:07

I have never played a single game in the might and magic series, and being and RPG fan they have been recently recommended to me. I was told that starting with 4 would be the best, since the first 3 are very dated and may not interest those who aren't avid fans. So I download the M&M 6-pack off GoG. I have also learned that 4 and 5 are combined together in "World of Xeen", which also comes with it. Now my question is: Being my first time playing M&M, should I just play 4, and possibly 5 afterwards, without World of Xeen, or should I just go ahead and play World of Xeen?
thanks!

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Unread postby migviper » 21 Sep 2009, 17:46

nevermind my question. it seems to be irrelevant, because the set comes with World of Xeen and not them seperate anyway. thanks! Can't wait to jump into my first Might and Magic experience!

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Unread postby GreatEmerald » 21 Sep 2009, 18:42

World of Xeen is the same as separate games, with the only exception that it has one executable and a few extra missions.
Also, no, it's not true that MM 1-3 are dated and not interesting. In fact, MM3 even uses the same engine as MM4 and MM5, and is less linear (and IIRC item breaking is not so annoying there), and thus I personally think it's the best from the second generation of MM games. And first MMs are very good as well, in fact, I'm currently doing a playthrough of MM1. If you're interested in the story, you should really check them out (for example, you won't understand like 1/6 of MM6 without playing MM1). The only downside of these is that you'll actually have to read the manual to be able to understand the controls, but it's but a minor annoyance.

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Unread postby Talin_Trollbane » 21 Sep 2009, 21:45

nice, but you should really click "okay" on my friend request, ya know?
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Unread postby koval321 » 22 Sep 2009, 07:20

You dont need to play this game in order from earlier to older, because each game is different. Part 4 and 5 is one game divide to two worlds, and its probably longest because you play two big worlds. Am sugest to start from parts 6-8, its different (and better) style of playing from 3-5. Many peoples say that part 6 was best (me too) anyway i begin to play M&M serie from part 6 then 7 and 8, finally played world of xeen just because become fan of serie.

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Unread postby migviper » 22 Sep 2009, 11:46

thanks for the responses! Unfortunatly I only bought the package that comes with the first 6, so I'm limited to those as of right now. I decided to jump in at World of Xeen last night, and after a couple of hours of playing I'm finding it pretty fun. It took me awhile to figure some things out, but now that I'm getting the hang of it its really addicting.
thanks all!

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Re: new to might and magic, where to start?

Unread postby Macros the Black » 22 Sep 2009, 13:58

migviper wrote:I have never played a single game in the might and magic series, and being and RPG fan they have been recently recommended to me. I was told that starting with 4 would be the best, since the first 3 are very dated and may not interest those who aren't avid fans. So I download the M&M 6-pack off GoG. I have also learned that 4 and 5 are combined together in "World of Xeen", which also comes with it. Now my question is: Being my first time playing M&M, should I just play 4, and possibly 5 afterwards, without World of Xeen, or should I just go ahead and play World of Xeen?
thanks!
Well, I'm a HUGE fan of Might and Magic 6. Basically it's my favorite game of all time. Might and Magic 7 is also really good, but falls a bit short of being awesome. Might and Magic 8.... maybe fun to play like 3 times, but that's it.

Recently I've bought the GoG 6-pack, just like you, so I could play the earlier games. Since many people here said that World of Xeen (= MM 4/5) is the best of the series, that's what I started with. However, I found that halfway through my interest in the game started to drop. I was missing the skill-system of the later games - basically, World of Xeen played like a turn-based shooter to me since there's no depth of character customization apart from class choices - which is also really shallow, since you can have 6 party members. Meaning you'll basically have any character you'll ever need. I found the only interesting choice to be whether to take along a Thief or a Ninja. The way combat played out itself, too, is something that kinda bored me. Basically you can either beat an enemy or you can't, and if you can't there's no trick to it - you just go and beat some other enemies until you're strong enough. So I guess there's no real challenge there. So the only thing I was playing it for was the story, and while I don't doubt that's interesting, the way they brought it was kinda strange to me. Too many inside jokes and nerdy star trek references imo. Most random quests or of the "i lost my keys, can you pick them up for me?" caliber, kinda felt like I was playing WoW all over again. What really ruined the realism for me is the people who apparently stand at dungeon entrances all day long waiting for adventurers to come by so they come tell them "you may not enter unless you have a key!". What are those people doing there, who are they, and why can't I attack them to get into the dungeon anyway? And I thought a key was something you put in a lock to open something, apparently that's not how it works on Xeen though?

Anyway, I found myself playing Final Fantasy 7 instead - which I'll admit is kinda weird since basically everything I commented on World of Xeen is also true about any random JRPG you could think of. Soon I'll be playing Might and Magic 6 again, and I guess I won't be getting back to the older games. Eh, at least I gave it a try.

Anyway, what I was trying to say here before I went horribly off-topic is, start with the older games because I reckon they're more fun if you aren't accustomed to the neat skill-system and real time combat of MM6-8. But if you find that you don't like them, then by all means move on to might and magic 6. The older games are in no way representative of the experience you'll have playing the newer ones. Not saying either is better, just saying it's a different experience. So don't let any boredom the older games give you hold you back from trying the newer ones. But yeah, start with the old ones :)
migviper wrote:thanks for the responses! Unfortunatly I only bought the package that comes with the first 6, so I'm limited to those as of right now.
That's okay - Might and Magic 6 is all you'll ever need to be a satisfied RPG player for the next few years! Everything else is a bonus :D
I decided to jump in at World of Xeen last night, and after a couple of hours of playing I'm finding it pretty fun. It took me awhile to figure some things out, but now that I'm getting the hang of it its really addicting.
thanks all!
In that case, don't let my comments take away your fun in the game! Good luck saving the World of Xeen B-)
Last edited by Macros the Black on 22 Sep 2009, 14:09, edited 1 time in total.
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Unread postby HodgePodge » 22 Sep 2009, 14:05

Thought I'd 'pipe in' with my opinion. I started with Might & Magic 6 and found it just sooooo FANTASTIC! MM6 is the best RPG I've ever played to date. If you don't have patience for those old DOS based games, by all means, start with MM6 for the gaming experience of your life. :-D
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Unread postby GreatEmerald » 22 Sep 2009, 17:30

I've started with MM7 and IMO it's the best of the Enroth series. So I really think it depends on the game you played first... I just can't get used to MM6 limitations for classes (where is my monk?!), no names when right-clicking on buildings and huge slug fest castles... MM7 has a challenge, but never a slug fest. Not to mention the awesomeness of Invisibility and Protection from Magic.
But yes, I suggest you play from the start, actually. The ease of use and features get added with each game, so if you play MM2, you'll have fun, then go to MM3 and have a lot more fun, then move on to MM6 and get yet again more fun. If you go the other way round, you won't be able to force yourself into playing older titles.

Macros, play MM3, it doesn't have that kind of silly towers and dungeons :)

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Unread postby Macros the Black » 23 Sep 2009, 00:50

I agreed with almost everything you said about things that are better in MM7 - and yet I still like MM6 more. It's the mood in the games, I guess.
In MM6 you feel like you're simple humans on a quest, and you build up to becoming awesome people who save the world from an alien invasion.
In MM7 it's like you're just a bunch of people that happened to have become lords of a castle and you choose your own fate.
While that's an interesting storyline, which I certainly enjoyed, it's not as classic as the epic quest that is MM6.
Something else that while the dungeons in MM7 were certainly challenging, they weren't as interesting. Just to give an example, where in MM7 do you find a dungeon that is as cool as the Temple of Baa in Ironfist? Or Corlagon's Estate, for that matter? There are some really amazing dungeons in MM6.
But yeah, it probably depends on which you played first :D

I might try MM3 one day :)
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Unread postby Deadguy118 » 23 Sep 2009, 02:29

Yeah, basically start with M&M VI. That is considered by general consensus to be the best one (it is), and if you like that then try out VII, which is a little more polished and far shorter.

III and Xeen are playable and enjoyable if you use a guide (blasphemy I know, but it's better than wandering randomly into group of powerful enemies that kill you over and over again.), but the first two are basically untouchable unless you grew up with those kinds of games.

VIII and IX... are not so great. I don't recommend looking at them unless you really want to.
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Unread postby GreatEmerald » 26 Sep 2009, 10:26

Deadguy118 wrote:but the first two are basically untouchable unless you grew up with those kinds of games.
Hey, what do you mean, I haven't even heard about MM1 since the start of this year, yet I'm doing a playthrough and enjoying it! So they're not untouchable, you just have to read the manual and have it open while playing for reference.

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Unread postby Avonu » 26 Sep 2009, 13:34

Problem with MM1 is not graphics but lack of free time. It is not game with you can savegame and back after a week or month - you need play without stop or you forgot what you have to do there and where are you now in-game. Not mention about making maps (even if you printed them from some guide it is not easy to back to dungeon after long brake).

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Unread postby migviper » 26 Sep 2009, 14:57

well im currently playing 6 now thanks to all the recommendations :D . I started out with Xeen, and while i was enjoying it, I really wanted to be able to control my character development a little more. So I delved into MM6 and I'm really liking it, although I feel a little lost main story wise. I feel like I'm just doing a bunch of side quests right now and I really don't know what I'm supposed to be doing per the main quest.

I delivered the letter to the guy in New Sorpigal, and then I had to go talk to the guy in Ironfist Castle. Now I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing main quest wise, so i've just been doing whatever quests I find, and currently all my characters are level 5.

So what is supposed to be the next thing I do for the main quest?

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Unread postby GreatEmerald » 26 Sep 2009, 20:00

Seers are the ones to ask for hints about the main line quest. One is in Castle Ironfist, somewhere in the mountains, south of the actual castle I think.

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Unread postby Macros the Black » 27 Sep 2009, 05:10

Right. The guy from the opening cinematic, Falagar, actually has a house in New Sorpigal. If you talk to him there, he'll tell you to go talk to the seer in the Ironfist area for some more advise on what you should be doing :D
(this is not a quest so you don't have to go find Falagar or anything, just explaining how you usually find out about the seer dude in ironfist here)

Anyway.. the main quest line is for you to visit the Oracle. The Oracle is in Free Haven, under the Council. The Council will only let you into the Oracle if you've gained permission from all the 6 lords of the land. So your next course of action for the main quest is to do all those 6 quests...

But, those quests are pretty hard. By the time you'll be done with them you're at the endgame right there. So yeah, it may feel a bit counterintuitive, but really just do all the sidequests right now. They're maybe the biggest part of the game. Just doing the sidequests, you'll go to new areas, meet new people, get new quests, and eventually you'll find yourself completing the main quests kinda automatically. It just happens as you go along.

I can imagine that you might be feeling lost though, not knowing where to go next. Well that's the beauty of this game actually... you can set your own pace. You can do the quests you feel like doing. But the trick to it is, do it all slow but steadily. You'll soon find yourself clearing out entire areas and dungeons and getting the experience and items you need to do that other quest that was just a bit too difficult for you otherwise. And if you do hit a really difficult quest, not to worry. The turnbased/realtime combat system combined with the enemies' poor AI is flexible enough so you can handle most any situation with even the weakest party. Just have patience, and don't be afraid to take advantage of the game a little bit. Half the time I think they designed the game engine to be taken advantage of... it's certainly more fun that way :D
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Unread postby GreatEmerald » 27 Sep 2009, 08:40

Yes, in fact, MM6 engine games are probably the most forgiving ones from the whole series (not sure about MM9 though) - I usually don't even need to rest inside the dungeons - if I get damaged a lot that I require resting, I usually have enough loot for a trip to a town anyway, and rest there, thus getting no night encounters whatsoever. The only exception in MM7 was the Pit, where I actually rested in the Hall of the Pit. Dying there isn't easy, too, compared to MM1 and such. You can always run away here, while in earlier games you had to use Time Distortion. Of course, there was Super Shelter in earlier games, a "portable inn" in terms of MM6, but that spell was really, really high leveled.


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