Might and Magic 6 FAQ by Rob Merritt - robertm@jagunet.com Mon, 12 Jan 1998 Might and Magic 6 pre-FAQ version 2.00 1 Terms 1.0 3DO: New World Computing's parent company. 1.1 Hack: A modification of the program released by someone else besides the company that created the program. 1.2 Hi Color: A 16 bit color SVGA color mode. It displays between 32k and 65k colors depending on your video card. 1.3 MM6: Might and Magic 6 1.4 MMO: Might and Magic Online 1.5 MMX: A set of instructions available on the Pentium MMX, AMD K6, and Cyrix M2 chips in enhance multimedia sound and video in games and other applications. 1.6 NWC: New World Computing - The creators of HOMM II and the entire Might and Magic line. 1.7 NPC: Non playing character. A computer controlled person or animal. 1.8 Patch: A modification of the program released by the company that created the program. 1.9 RPG: Role playing game 1.10 TCP/IP: The protocol used for the Internet. 1.11 True color: A 24 bit color mode that displays 16 million colors. 1.12 VI: Roman numeral symbol for 6 2. Introduction 2.1 What is Might and Magic VI? Might and Magic VI is the next chapter in the Might and Magic series for computers. Might and Magic is the third oldest on going computer role playing game series. Only Wizardry and Ultima are older. 2.2 When will Might and Magic VI be released? The release date is just 1 quarter 1998. 2.3 What is the Special edition? MM6 will be shipped in two forms. One will be the Standard edition which will be shipped with the game MM6 CD in an attractive box. The other will be a Special edition which will include the MM6 game CD, a CD with all other Might and Magic games, and possibly a cloth map. The Special edition will cost about $10 (US) more than the Standard edition. Also there may be a DVD edition at some point. 2.4 What are the system requirements? Might and Magic VI will run on any Pentium class chip. It also should run on Cyrix 686 and AMD K5 and K6 chips but we will not know that until the game is released since NWC is only testing the game on Intel's Pentium chip. What NWC is officially recommending is as follows: Computer System: IBM PC and 100% compatibles Operating System: Windows 95/NT CPU: If you do not own a 3D card you need a Pentium 100 (166 recommended) If you do own a 3D card you need a Pentium 90 (133 recommended) Memory: 16MB RAM (32MB recommended) Video Card: PCI, 1MB VRAM, supports DirectX 3D Accelerators supported are 3DFX, Matrox, Rendition, and most Direct3D supported boards. CD-ROM Drive: 4X Speed Hard Disk: 170 MB free Hard Drive Space Sound Card: All major sound cards, supports DirectX 2.5 Will there be MMX support? - No. MM6 will still run on a chip with MMX but it will not use any enhancements. 2.6 Will here be a Mac version? - At the moment No. 2.7 Will Might and Magic VI have network play? -No. 3DO was creating an online game similar to Ultima Online based on Might and Magic. Characters created in MM6 were suppose to be transferable to Might and Magic Online. However, MMO has been canceled. 2.8 How many CDs with Might and Magic VI ship with? -The Standard edition will ship with two CD. The Special edition will come on three Cds, one for the MM6 game and another for the other 5 Might and Magic games. 3 Game Play 3.1 Is Might and Magic VI going to be like every other Might and Magic? -MM6 will be similar to the other Might and Magic games. Yes it will be a rpg where you control a party of characters, hacking and slashing through the country side, solving puzzles and collecting treasure. Also story line is a continuation of past games. There will be differences. Most of the obvious differences are mostly just enhancements to bring the Might and Magic series up to the standards that late 1990 game players expect. The game takes place in a 3d living world instead of a barren title based one. Some of the plot elements will evolve independent of you, and NPCs will have a mind of their own. 3.2 I heard that Might and Magic VI was using the Quake engine, is that right? - No. MM6 actually uses three engines. First there is the Labyrinth engine which is very Quake like. Its used for rendering the indoor areas of the game. The second engine is Horizon. It looks a lot like a Magic Carpet and Daggerfall like engines. The third engine drives the auto mapper. The auto mapper engine shows the world in full color and marks the location of all objects and people. The world and object are true 3D but all of the creatures are sprites created with Autodesk's 3Dmax. Some areas, such as a church, shop, and some NPCs will be rendered pictures that will pop up. The engines will feature some dynamic lighting and pixel smoothing will help keep sprites looking good even close up. The Horizon engine has the ability to show accurate weather, time passage in the way of day and night and seasons. All three engines will support 16 bit color at 640x480 resolution. 3.3 Isn't using a Quake-like engine going to make to world seem rather bare? -The game world is being designed by an architect. So houses will have realistic furniture situated in a realistic fashion. Towns will also have a real layouts with thought out traffic flow and buildings made out of local resources. In short, if they are going through all this effort, odds are they have a Quake-like engine that can show off these fancy design. 3.4 What is the story like? -You are adventuring in the world of Enroth. In the Next Generation online preview, they mention the story line revolves around the disappearance of the good King Roland and the misfortunes befallen his kingdom. NWC M&M6 page goes on to say that the child Prince Nicolai Ironfist has lost is Mandate from Heaven to rule and its up to your party to restore it. As quoted in PC Gamer, "The plot promises to be anything but linear, with lots of possible branches to follow and more than one way to reach a given goal. That's especially important, since the game is always in motion. The favorite example of Mark Caldwell, lead programmer and head designer of MMVI, is this: If you find out that some duke's daughter has been kidnaped, you can choose whether or not to rescue her. Save her, and you might have her father as an ally. If she were later to marry some other duke, then you'd have both dukes as allies. If, however, you decide not to rescue her, you might make two enemies. That may not be a bad thing, though -- being on those two dukes' bad side may make you a friend to a third duke, someone you might not have had access to if you were already allied with the first two. " Random House, the publisher of the Might and Magic books, has stated that Might and Magic 6 will be based on their series. Which means one of the heroes could be Jassed Attqua, of Lune, a member of the Arc, and the villain could either be Dubiel or Shadowsmith. 3.5 What are the quests like? -The quest will be constantly evolving. Some will twist and turn, some will just naturally change, and a few are heard as rumors and the NPC just get it wrong.. Time will be a major factor in quests.. NWC is stressing that "FedEx" missions will be kept to a minimum. There are around 12 main quests and 20 side quests. 3.6 What is the combat system like? -You have two option, Turn based and Real Time. The "preferred" combat system will be real time. However real time combat in MM6 isn't the same as real time combat in a game like DOOM. Actually its a fast paced turn based combat system similar to the one found in the Final Fantasy rpg series. In turn based mode, the combat engine waits for you to supply input. 3.7 What is movement like? -This post was from the MM6team on the MM6 web board on the official site: "Movement is based on your system. A computer with a P-166 will have (real time) free movement and 65k colors. A computer with a P-90 will have turn based (and 65k colors) with 16 directions of movement" 3.8 Will all the character classes return? -No, just 6. Knight, paladin, archer, cleric, sorcerer, and druid. 3.7 How is the magic system? -Its similar to the previous M&M games but there are changes. The need for gems has been dropped and magic is divided up into nine categories instead of two. They are fire, water, air, earth, spirit, mind, body, light, and dark. There are a total of 99 spells and they have many unique graphic effects. 3.8 How long will it take to complete a game? -Anywhere from 100 to 150 hours. 3.9 How much FMV is in the game? -None. 4. Characters 4.1 What is character generation going to be like? -Character generation is going to be skill-point based. The player will be given an allotment of points which he or she can distribute to any number of skills. If you want to have a strong but dumb fighter or a weak but smart wizard, you can build them rather just hitting the re-roll button hundreds of times until you get a character that you like. 4.2 Why are there will only be human player characters? - The official reason from NWC is that different races didn't fit with the story. You are playing humans from a human towns. The unofficial reasons range from it was a cost cutting measure to different races didn't work with the skill point system. Humans will be different colors, genders and ethic backgrounds and different non-human races will exist as NPC. 4.3 -Do you characters have a reputation? Yes. Desslock explains, " Your party's reputation is very dynamic. There are two types, perceived and actual. If you kill someone, and then kill all the witnesses before they can spread what they know, your perceived reputation will be higher than your actual reputation." 4.4 What skills will there be? -There are 30 skills in all. Here is a list from the November 97 issue of Computer gaming Strategy Plus (no.84): Air Magic: Defensive and informational in nature including spells having to do with accuracy and flight. Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions Axe: Although rather slow on the attack, axes do a lot of damage when they hit. Expert axe fighters gain a little more speed on their attacks while master axe fighters can deliver extra damage Bodybuilding: Adds hit points directly to your character's hit point totals. Multiply the level of this skill by the character's base class bonus to get the total. Expert ranking doubles this total and master triples it Body Magic: Concerned with spells of healing and enhancement. Spells to heal, wound, and cure disease and poison are all included/ Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions Bow: Both bow and crossbow usage. Expert archers gain a speed increase with their weapon, while master archers can fire two arrows with every attack Chain: Medium armor, it provides more protection than leather and less than plate. Expert and master rankings both reduce the amount the armor slows you Dagger: Less damaging than a sword or axe, they are very quick, sometimes enabling two for one attacks. Expert dagger fighters can wield a dagger in their left hand while using another weapon in their right. Master dagger fighters have a chance of killing a surprised opponent in a single blow Dark Magic: A component of some of the strongest spells in the game, usually with some unwanted side effects. Usable only by Clerics and Sorcerers, it cannot be chosen before starting the game Dark magic must be learned and mastered during your travels Diplomacy: Reduces the resentment caused when you bribe, threaten or beg a character for any reason. Expert and master diplomacy further reduce resentment and increase the effect of your negotiations Earth Magic: Defensive in nature and includes spells that protect, bind and strengthen. Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions Fire Magic: A good source of offensive spells including spells having to do with speed and pain. Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions Identify: Identifies an item if your character's skill is high enough. Certain items require your character to be an expert or master in this skill to properly identify them Leather: Lightest armor a character can wear, less protective than chain or plate, it slows the character down the least. Expert and master rankings both reduce the amount the armor slows you Learning: Directly increases the experience your character receives. Every point of skill is a percent of awarded experience that is given as a bonus. Five skill points would turn a 100 experience point award into a 105 experience point - this percentage adds up when expert doubles and master triples this bonus Light Magic: A component of some of the strongest spells in the game. Usable only by Clerics and Sorcerers, it cannot be chosen before starting the game Light magic must be learned and mastered during your travels Mace: All kinds of blunt trauma weapons ranging from batons to flails. Expert mace swingers do extra damage, while master ranking gives a chance to stun opponents Meditation: Adds spell points directly to your character's spell point totals. Multiply the level of this skill by the character's base class bonus to get the total. Expert ranking doubles this total and master triples it Merchant: Reduces the resentment you create when haggling over the price of items and equipment. Expert and master merchants further improves your initial bargaining position Mind Magic: Offensive and informational in nature, including charm, confusion, and telepathy. Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions Perception: Increases your chance of noticing a trap as it goes off and reducing or avoiding the damage it would cause. Higher skill allows you to escape stronger traps and expert and master rankings allow you to notice and escape different types of traps Pick Locks: Gives a chance to open a locked door based on your skill versus the difficulty of the lock. Expert skill lets you pick more varieties, and master lets you take on all kinds of locks Plate: The heaviest armor type providing the most protection. Expert and master rankings both reduce the amount the armor slows you Repair: Allows your characters to repair broken equipment. Expert and master skill rankings allow you to repair complex items and artifacts Shield: Directly improves armor class. Expert and master ranking in the shield increase the defensive bonus Spear: All kinds of pole weapons with blades attached to the business end Expert ranking in the spear will increase your armor class and master ranking will boost damage Spirit Magic: Concentrates on spells involving life and death, including spells to raise the dead, spells that affect the Undead and spells that influence aging. Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions Staff: A two handed pole equally good on offense and defense. Expert ranking in the staff will increase your armor class and master ranking will allow you to occasionally stun your opponents Steal: Gives a chance to steal and item from a merchant without his or her noticing. Expert and master ranking allow you to steal from more watchful merchants. Continual use of this skill will increase merchant suspicion, making consecutive thefts more difficult Sword: The sword skill covers mostly types of blades longer than a knife. Expert Swordsmen gain a quicker attack while master swordsmen may use any one-handed sword in their left hand and another weapon in their right Water Magic: Equally offensive and defensive and concentrates on spells that move or change things. Expert and master rankings permit access to greater spell-versions 4.5 What are the NPCs like? -There will be many generic shop owners, monsters, and townspeople. Might and Magic has always been a hack and slash adventure game and the sixth installment promises to be no different. However, besides those, there will be around 100+ detailed NPC that "think" for themselves and effect the plot or are effected by the plot. You will be able to hirer two NPCs into your party. 5. General questions 5.1 When I called NWC a while back, they said there wasn't going to be another Might and Magic. What gives? - Two stories have arisen. The older one was they simply changed their minds. The news one is NWC was waiting for technology to catch up to what they wanted to do. My personally guess is that NWC just like Origin and SirTech got tied of pumping out a new chapter every other year of the same game and needed a break. 5.2 Will 3DO have public beta testing for M&M6? -I have asked them and the answer I got said that all beta testing would be done internally. 5.3 What ever happen to Jon Van Caneghem? -He still runs New World Computing and is currently working on Might and Magic 6. 6. Other stuff 6.1 I would like to thank the following for their help in making this FAQ Ben John Christiansen Desslock from GamePen (www.gamepen.com) Fruitcine@aol.com Guardian Chris Kern Robking69 Daniel Lemire Lisaw Jason Pichette Roe George Ruof MM6team Peter Ryu Rich Wong C'Net's Game Center Computer Gaming Strategy Plus Computer Gaming World Online Next Generation Online PC Gamer Online 6.2 Disclaimer: This pre-FAQ was created in an effort the provide information on the upcoming game by New World Computing, Might and Magic VI. It is also a vain effort on my part to stop the 20 or so emails a day I am receiving asking when Might and Magic VI will be out. The answers provided here are at the moment, my best guess. I, Rob Merritt, am not affiliated with New World Computing, or 3DO nor are any of my family members. I have gather information from press releases, magazine articles, e-mail from several New World Computing employees, and rumors. 6.3 Might and Magic, Might and Magic II, Might and Magic VI, and New World Computing are trademarks of The 3DO Company. 6.4 This pre-FAQ will be available at Rob's might and Magic page at http://www.jagunet.com/~robertm/homm.html copyright 1997-1998 (C) by Robert Merritt Rob Merritt My Might and Magic page:http://www.jagunet.com/~robertm/homm.html My Toy page starring Micronauts and LegoBlocks:http://www.jagunet.com/~robertm/micro.html