World of Xeen question and atmosphere discussion

The role-playing games (I-X) that started it all and the various spin-offs (including Dark Messiah).
BurntPhoenix
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World of Xeen question and atmosphere discussion

Unread postby BurntPhoenix » 27 Jun 2013, 00:06

I'm playing World of Xeen for the first time by myself. I'm used to MM6-MM8 style of play so I am trying to adjust to this. Might be a dumb question, but how do you check how much damage a weapon does? I didn't see this in the manual bundled in the package GOG provides. I'm trying to figure this out without having to pay the metalsmith to ID the damage for me.

I might have some more questions as I play more.

Switching gears alittle: Much as I will always appreciate the second golden era of Might and Magic (that is, MM6-MM8), this game is just a a whole other fantastic experience altogether. I have fond memories of watching my dad play this game as a little kid and getting sucked into the world it presents.

The graphics sure are archaic, but the game hasn't lost its touch. Some of the monsters do seem kinda silly and not very threatening. Like Flying Feet for example. Or they might seem rather strange or awkward in some way, like how the Water Dragon looks more like an aquatic dinosaur than a dragon. There are other things too... like the dwarves using a staff as a weapon, or several monsters that look like a big giant floating face, or odd color choices for creatures (purple barbarians? really?). And there are more damned insect enemies than any other MM game! BUT you know what? Despite that, I don't really mind. Don't get me wrong; the creativity shines through in the creatures... I love that this game features many different types of golems and dragons, for instance, and they all look interesting in some way.

If there were monsters like Flying Feet in a modern game, it might bother me. In MM6-MM8, I don't really recall anything as weird as Flying Feet... they featured more 'classic' RPG monsters. But not this game. I can't really put it into words, but the unqiue storybook atmosphere of the game makes it OK for such creations to exist, I guess? Does anyone else feel the same? Could it be that the D&D influence was more pronounced in fantasy games that came out in this era? I rememeber D&D had a lot of weird creations in their monster manuals, like living clothes, for instance (this was poked fun at by one website)...

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Flodarien
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Unread postby Flodarien » 27 Jun 2013, 12:38

I'm glad you are enjoying this game. While I do appreciate the newer MM, the older ones have a charm that can't be beaten, in my opinion. The diversity of monsters, and not just tier based monster groups, makes it a unique experience.

As for your question concerning Identification, I'm afraid that the only people knowledgeable in the World of Xeen are the blacksmiths. But weapons do have set stats linked to the attributes they have, so you can find guides on the internet that tells you what a weapon can do.

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GreatEmerald
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Unread postby GreatEmerald » 27 Jun 2013, 20:13

Yea, you have to pay to see their capabilities. Although you could also estimate them from the modifiers and the selling price of them.

As for what you're feeling there is the tone of the game. It's light-hearted, unlike the later serious MM games. That really shows throughout the games. The art direction is already an indication of that (and that also carried over to HoMM1 and HoMM2). And then there are plenty of jokes everywhere, and overall events added for the fun of it. They didn't take themselves seriously in the slightest back then, and that can be seen as a good thing.

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Arret
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Unread postby Arret » 27 Jun 2013, 23:03

Well the idea was to get you to buy the clueboook, but now we have the Internet. Try this:
http://shrines.rpgclassics.com/pc/mm4_5/equip.shtml

Flying feet are a magical creation, I don't really see how flying eyes (which are a mainstay in the later games) are that much different. The grahpics are definately a lot more cartoonish,

Yes, D&D was a much heavier influence on older games. The earliest RPG games were basically D&D with an AI as the DM (VERY heavy use of dice rolls, although those didn't completely go away in later MM games). The end of MM1 actually has you meeting an in-game JVC (who is obviously meant to be the DM).

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Talin_Trollbane
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Unread postby Talin_Trollbane » 28 Jun 2013, 19:42

i usually go after how much they sell for or i ID them at the blacksmith.

you can also go after the material and/or how they are named, an Platinum Axe of Seething is always better then a Flickering Bronze Katana.

and if you find those monsters strange, wait until you encounter the Screamers...
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