Might & Magic X - Review Roundup #2

Drithius said:

There should be a hardcoded limit on how many times each user can post to a certain topic.

What was this thread about again?

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I'm kind of enjoying the discussion actually, although it has gotten a *bit* OOT.

Just saved up 17,000 gold to buy my Bladedancer a new sword. Awsome

Please go to this thread started here if you feel like continuing the debate.

Link-http://www.rpgwatch.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23146

Just have to second what some others are saying. This is a Xeen game with updated graphics. And, because of that I'm completely hooked on this game... can't put it down. It has a few issues with random slow-downs, screen tearing, etc. that show it is a budget title, but other than that it feels like old-school M&M to me. Personally, after a good 7 or 8 hours dumped into it, I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10 for most old school gamers familiar with M&M. For those unfamiliar with step-based M&M games, it probably scores more like a 7, which seems to be about where the metacritic is ending up right now.
If you want a new Xeen game with updated graphics, i recommend picking it up. You'll have a blast!

Corwin said:

Well, I've played several maps of Blackguards which people seem to love (I don't) and the city and a dungeon plus some wilderness of M&MX and it wins hands down!!

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Compared to Blackguards, M&M is RUBBISH!!
Lousier fights, practically no strategy at all and worse story.
Hopefully it gets better, but after seeing the intro retelling the story from HoMM6 like it's a start of HoMM7 and not this game... Can't hope much.

And do I really have to pile up 87234563465832548736 mana pots for the rest of the game? If I do, something tells me I'll uninstall it very soon.

Well, since you can sleep anytime except when the danger alert goes red, you could just sleep rather than use potions. Food is much cheaper than pots.

Yes the problem is you can have max 6 food with you.

Since we're talking about IMO a design flaw, how the hell do I open a secret passage? I've detected it with the whisper spell, but all party members fail to open it. It's in

Less and less I'm interested into this, Corwin would say, rubbish.

I going to have to play Blackguards just to see what you are talking about because MMX is the best game I have played this year.

just cast regen and keep clicking

Redman is talking about how to open secret doors, joxer.

Secret doors rely on 3 skills to open. Vines/cracks require Might, Gears require perception and the mystic symbol requires magic.

Also, there is a merchant outdoors that sells 9 food at a time. You should be heading outdoors whenever your wards and such wear out anyway. There is no rule that says complete a whole dungeon in one trip. I map most of the outdoors, before entering the thieves den or the lighthouse, and make notes on the map as to where the best "boosters" reside. Hour of Power, Arcane Master, etc. These make a HUGE difference in the battles.

As far as Blackguards vs MMX, I don't want to go there. I want both games to succeed so that we see more and more successes in our favorite genre. I honestly believe that if this was called Legend of Grimrock II, everyone here would be singing the games' praises. But since it is tied to the evil entity Ubisoft, many hate it on principal.

I don't want to use exploits, but thankye.

Thanks on the clarification on what skills I need. Based on suggestions from the other thread (instabuy "regrowth" which is in fact regeneration, up vitality early and seek for primordial magic trainer who is, surprisingly, not in the first village but wherever else so you don't waste cash on identifying) I upped only might, magic an vitality. Perception is thus low on all characters and this hidden passage is - gears.
You may ask what's the problem then, I'll say the problem is I'm playing M&M game, not Might, Magic and Perception game.

Of course there is no rule to complete a dungeon in one trip, but also there is no rule not to. Right after I went out of the first village, didn't explore outdoors very much, but I've completed Lighthouse. Not in one trip though - I went back once to grab water blessing again as naga spellcasters are lurking inside plus I had to revisit the village for the bloody only 6 food/repair worn items/buy better (read imbued with fire) items. The difference in battles however is not huge as I still have mana problems. In fact the mana design and no square formation but only line formation is so bad that it looks as if the best option is to play as 3 nearpure might and 1 tank/healer.

You don't have to go Blackguards vs MMX, but I will. Blackguards is highly challenging game and with poor choices on character development you may get stuck and restart because of that. For example I'm pretty sure some players will up for example perception on nonranged characters instead of investing those points somewhere else. Another example are spellbooks, you don't have to learn every possible spell out there on all spellcasters. Is MMX highly challenging in a way you can get stuck because you've evolved your party in the wrong way? Dunno, haven't finished it, but it looks as if it's not like that.
Anyway, I love the punishing randomness in Blackguards. Meanwhile, randomness is a part of M&M, for example if you use bows/xbows on the approaching group of hostiles, you shoot at random target, can't focus one.

If M&M was Grimrock2 I wouldn't sing any praises. From Grimrock 2 I wouldn't ever expect the lame plate puzzle on Lighthouse top. You don't even know it's there and it's there so you can't escape the boss, and when the boss is killed there is no automatic teleport activation but a puzzle that's utterly easy. In a way, if I saw a thing like that in Grimrock2 I'd spit on it even worse - because M&M10 is Limbic's first dungeon crawler.

And I can't understand the hatred on games because the publisher is Ubisoft. Yes Ubisoft is evil, nasty and is treating ppl like animals. Do hate Ubisoft, do hate uPlay, but not the game or it's devs. Escpecially because after the Ubisoft/Blackhole scandal, small studio Limbic took the job to polish HoMM6 and they did it perfectly, plus they've communicated with fans over forums about balance, exploits and glitches, totally different from Bethesda ignoring bugreports.

Mana potions are huge Joxer but as you get your mana pool up won't need to use as many. Spirit and Mysticism adds to mana pool.

Oh I would add to manapool - if I didn't have to up vitality on magic based party members early! Bad earlygame balance.

I don't have much vitality at all on my mages. About 10 points for the druid and mage. I've got the Runepriest at about 15 because he goes all melee every once in awhile. I prefer MMX to Blackguards, but I enjoy(ed) both. I throw up celestial shield to absorb damage, have my tank grab aggro on the toughest mob in a group, etc. I'm in the 3rd dungeon, as I love to start over and play with new builds. This party is blade dancer, druid, free mage, and rune priest. There is a merchant and wizard trainer about 50 steps nw of Sorpigal. 9 food and expert training for several mage classes.