I checked MM9 night sky - no moon at all, only stars.
Well, probably someone forgot to add it to night sky textures. Otherwise night without moon should be pitch black and it isn't.
EDIT:
Strange
No moon animation in HIV (H3 has it in week display menu in UI) or in Rest option in MM9.
Facts from Dreamwright
- GreatEmerald
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- Location: Netherlands
So, I just finished reading Shadowsmith! Sheesh, it's like Gravel wrote the first book to look as much unrelated to the universe as possible, while tying things quite a bit in the second book!
However, I still don't get everything. In fact, my questions in the first post still stand, every single one of them!
In addition, there are new ones. Who is the mysterious gift-giving person? Why all of his gifts come as if they have been in cryostasis? How did he manage to track Hitch in the first place?
Who is the mysterious overgrown person seen under both alter exchange points? And how/why does he command an army of alters, especially ones that are hostile?
Who again are the Wielders, and why don't they age?
What could be the world of telekinetic people? Red sun was always accented, and wasn't that also mentioned in the HoMM 1 manual?
If the Dreamwright had the ability to summon portals, why does the Staff of the Blue Light open static ones? It seems somewhat redundant.
Also, have to say that the Ancient city was something else. Too bad there wasn't all that much of elaboration about what was seen there, the main focus was on the tram/railway system there (with shuttles having only three buttons, really?..)
It's also nifty how the Arc developed cyborg implant technology, and Bright Star developed AI technology to help them, while the Ancients apparently had both. Also got to love how the author subverted Colour Coded for Your Convenience and double subverted Anticlimatic Boss, as well as zigzagged the way around who knows who is the princess and who is the alter, and whether Eil do Mer is working for Dubiel or not.
Another interesting point is how Eil do Mer uses the word "Arcan", as in "person from the Arc". It would seem to me that Great Arcan is a nod to that. Although I always thought it was pronounced arCAN (as in arcane), although if it's really a nod, the name is supposed to be pronounced ARcan.
However, I still don't get everything. In fact, my questions in the first post still stand, every single one of them!
In addition, there are new ones. Who is the mysterious gift-giving person? Why all of his gifts come as if they have been in cryostasis? How did he manage to track Hitch in the first place?
Who is the mysterious overgrown person seen under both alter exchange points? And how/why does he command an army of alters, especially ones that are hostile?
Who again are the Wielders, and why don't they age?
What could be the world of telekinetic people? Red sun was always accented, and wasn't that also mentioned in the HoMM 1 manual?
If the Dreamwright had the ability to summon portals, why does the Staff of the Blue Light open static ones? It seems somewhat redundant.
Also, have to say that the Ancient city was something else. Too bad there wasn't all that much of elaboration about what was seen there, the main focus was on the tram/railway system there (with shuttles having only three buttons, really?..)
It's also nifty how the Arc developed cyborg implant technology, and Bright Star developed AI technology to help them, while the Ancients apparently had both. Also got to love how the author subverted Colour Coded for Your Convenience and double subverted Anticlimatic Boss, as well as zigzagged the way around who knows who is the princess and who is the alter, and whether Eil do Mer is working for Dubiel or not.
Another interesting point is how Eil do Mer uses the word "Arcan", as in "person from the Arc". It would seem to me that Great Arcan is a nod to that. Although I always thought it was pronounced arCAN (as in arcane), although if it's really a nod, the name is supposed to be pronounced ARcan.
Yeah, your lingering questions are mostly the same ones I have. My mindcanon has answers to all of them, although obviously that hardly matters. Then again, I ultimately like that it's so vague and open to retroactive adaptation. Don't forget that back when they were written, MM was just this little science fantasy series with a comic book aesthetic. We didn't have a huge bulk of backstory and all these various worlds or any of the medieval stuff we do now.
It seems possible ideas from both books may have mildly inspired quite a bit of what we saw later in the series: the imp-like Yeofolk with a strange breeding cycle (Eofol?), Amonwelle's crystal palace (Escaton's crystal conflux), the mask which was supposed to appear in book 3 (Melian), and the recurring Wheel, A(u)ldemar and Arcan.
Loved the style as well. If I have only one complaint at all about the story (aside from the fact that it didn't continue ), it's Dubiel's highly anti-climactic death at the hands of some alter. But nevertheless, he might have surprisingly returned in the third book as Varve did - who knows.
It seems possible ideas from both books may have mildly inspired quite a bit of what we saw later in the series: the imp-like Yeofolk with a strange breeding cycle (Eofol?), Amonwelle's crystal palace (Escaton's crystal conflux), the mask which was supposed to appear in book 3 (Melian), and the recurring Wheel, A(u)ldemar and Arcan.
Loved the style as well. If I have only one complaint at all about the story (aside from the fact that it didn't continue ), it's Dubiel's highly anti-climactic death at the hands of some alter. But nevertheless, he might have surprisingly returned in the third book as Varve did - who knows.
- GreatEmerald
- CH Staff
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- Joined: 24 Jul 2009
- Location: Netherlands
The end of Shadowsmith did seem to imply a third book... Is anything known about that? Why was it cancelled?
As for the anti-climaticness, eh, it's good to have a subversion of the Climax Boss for a change. Either way, at least it's a double subversion of the Anti-Climax boss, so it's better than playing it straight (that is, him dying from a single touch of the Staff of the Blue Light )
As for the anti-climaticness, eh, it's good to have a subversion of the Climax Boss for a change. Either way, at least it's a double subversion of the Anti-Climax boss, so it's better than playing it straight (that is, him dying from a single touch of the Staff of the Blue Light )
There was one planned. It was cancelled because Might and Magic VI (following on from the novels) was cancelled in favour of Might and Magic VI (following on from the more popular Heroes stroyline).GreatEmerald wrote:The end of Shadowsmith did seem to imply a third book... Is anything known about that? Why was it cancelled?)
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