PCPP Game Guide 2/PCPP_GG2.iso/PCPP/faqs/mm6faq.txt

Text File | 1998-06-02 | 19KB | 439 lines

Might and Magic 6 FAQ
by Rob Merritt - [e-mail]
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)
[e-mail]
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