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Author Topic: Master of Magic remake  (Read 25774 times)

bob48

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Reply #90 on: January 04, 2023, 08:35:12 AM
Nope. I was gifted it by a good friend :-))

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Undercovergeek

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Reply #91 on: January 04, 2023, 08:53:16 AM
Awesome - is it good?



bob48

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Reply #92 on: January 04, 2023, 09:31:50 AM
In some ways, but its very like AoW III in many respects. There are some unfortunate aspects of the game that could have been better handled; combat being one of them.

You can have a maximum of 9 units in an 'army', but, unlike AoW, you cannot combine armies in a battle, so one of the unfortunate effects is that if you have, for instance, a 9-unit army in hex, with 2 more units adjacent to them, maybe 'behind' the main army as you build up the force, then the AI will sidle around and ignore your main force and target the lesser one. This results in battles of attrition, where you send lots of cannon fodder - cheap weak units - to wear down a unit before finishing them. This may seem valid, but its less than satisfying in game terms. Also, the diplomacy aspect is a joke and seems not to really function well at all.

Its not bad in other respects, but, as I say, it could have been better. lets see if the devs address any of these issues as I note that other players have similar complaints.

On a plus note, there are lots of things you can customize, and it looks pretty, albeit the UI is a bit clunky.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

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Martok

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Reply #93 on: March 31, 2023, 05:55:41 AM
Been meaning to post my thoughts on this one for a (very) long time now... 




The short version is that while I *want* to like the Master of Magic remake, I just can't get into it.  And a comment someone made over on the Explorminate Discord helped me realize why: they called it "mundane". 

And they're right.  By far, the biggest reason I keep bouncing of the Master of Magic remake (much as I hate admitting it) is that it feels very...basic.  Vanilla.  Bog-standard.  Almost banal. 



It looks and sounds good, yes, and even the general gameplay is fine as far as it goes.  However, there isn't much *to* that gameplay loop; it's all conquest-based, and about "painting the map" -- even more so than most 4x/GS titles.  It feels like I'm playing a relatively bare-bones 4x from a generation ago...which I suppose it is, really.  I can understand how it might have indeed been a masterpiece when it came out, and I can even vaguely see why so many folks still enjoy it (both the original and the remake); but personally, I don't find it holds up that well next to most current games in the genre, or even entries from 15-20 years ago. 

I realize this was deliberate, as Slitherine wanted as close to a straight remake of the original game as possible.  And to be fair, that was almost certainly the right decision on balance, all things considered:  A more conservative approach was probably the only real option, especially with 2016's Master of Orion game -- which was a significant departure from all three previous entries -- serving as an object lesson of how *not* to revive a franchise. 

But for someone like me, who has become accustomed to 4x/grand-strategy games with multiple victory conditions, multiple ways to play, etc. -- and just as pertinently, someone who never played the original MoM back in the day -- it makes it very difficult to enjoy the remake.  I hate saying that, because it's obvious the love & care that the folks at Muha have put into the game.  I wish I liked it better than I do.  As it currently stands, however, I think I have to accept that, if nothing else, I may not be MoM's target audience. 




I sincerely hope that changes at some point.  The game has good bones, and as I said earlier, the developers clearly care about the material and have put a lot thought & care into over the past few years.  (Indeed, they themselves have stated they've wanted to do more with MoM, but that Slitherine kept a tight rein on the design scope.  Fingers crossed that perhaps their overlords eventually relax the strings a bit.)  For the time being, however, it's my regretful conclusion that the game probably isn't my cup of tea after all. 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

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bbmike

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Reply #94 on: March 31, 2023, 09:01:18 AM
So it's like playing Galactic Civilizations?  :whistle:

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bob48

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Reply #95 on: March 31, 2023, 09:16:37 AM
I can't answer that since I have never played GalCiv.

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Martok

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Reply #96 on: April 01, 2023, 05:18:35 AM
At least the GalCiv franchise has lore/backstory behind it.  Master of Magic is even more generic than that -- though to be fair, it doesn't feel as game-y. 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

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Undercovergeek

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Reply #97 on: April 01, 2023, 05:50:27 AM
That’s a great write up martok



bbmike

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Reply #98 on: April 01, 2023, 09:10:58 AM

"My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplace of existence."
-Sherlock Holmes

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Martok

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Reply #99 on: April 02, 2023, 06:59:08 AM
Thanks.  I did my best to sum up my current feelings on the game, without writing a whole book. 


It'll be interesting to see what direction this one takes in the coming months/years.  Would love to see features and mechanics added that allow for for more varied play-styles, though I imagine that would pretty much have to in a separate DLC, or perhaps even a sequel (which Slitherine has hinted they might be aiming for eventually). 



"I like big maps and I cannot lie." - Barthheart

"I drastically overpaid for this existence." - bbmike


Undercovergeek

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Reply #100 on: April 02, 2023, 07:33:09 AM
Apart from a brief dabble with aow2 I haven’t played either - are the 2 similar enough that 4 will fill in where mom failed



bob48

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Reply #101 on: April 02, 2023, 07:37:50 AM
There are a few similarities between AoW 3 and MoM, but overall, I would rate AoW as somewhat better than MoM.

Also, AoW 3 was a lot better than AoW 2, IMHO.

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Undercovergeek

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Reply #102 on: April 02, 2023, 08:28:41 AM
So there’s hope aow4 will scratch the mom itch?



bob48

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Reply #103 on: April 02, 2023, 09:52:48 AM
One can but hope.

“O Lord God, let me not be disgraced in my old days.”

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers'


bayonetbrant

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Reply #104 on: April 02, 2023, 10:39:04 AM
will scratch the mom itch?


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