Secrets of the Ancients: Lore and Mythology in Might and Magic 8

Might and Magic 8 is a role-playing video game developed by New World Computing. It was released in 2000 as the eighth installment in the Might and Magic series. The game is set in the fictional world of Axeoth and follows the story of a group of adventurers who are tasked with saving the world from an ancient evil. The gameplay in Might and Magic 8 is similar to previous games in the series, with players controlling a party of characters as they explore dungeons, complete quests, and engage in turn-based battles. The game features a large open world with multiple towns, dungeons, and outdoor areas to explore. One of the standout features of Might and Magic 8 is its branching storyline, which allows players to make choices that affect the outcome of the game.

This time around the designers decided to go with a combined race/class system that includes several new breeds like Minotaurs and Vampires that Might and Magic fans have never been able to play before. Since Trent covered all of the classes in his preview of Might and Magic VIII, I'm not going to repeat all of them, but I did like the fact that you can pick from a wide mix of fantastic creatures as well as the classic character classes such as Knights and Clerics. And although you can go with a pure fighting class like the Troll or Knight, there's really not much use for a hand-to-hand combatant. Since the game is in full 3D, if you keep your party at a distance, you can pick off creatures pretty easily with ranged weapons and spells. You can even back pedal to keep your distance if they get too close. This really changes the dynamics of the traditional RPG and I hope it's an issue that 3DO looks into for Might and Magic IX.

This puppy looked dated back in 1998 when it made its debut in Might and Magic VI The Mandate of Heaven, and now it just looks pitiful compared to other modern RPGs. It lets you almost bond to your character, and actually feel as if you are him or her, something I believe is a true characteristic of a Role Playing Game.

One of the standout features of Might and Magic 8 is its branching storyline, which allows players to make choices that affect the outcome of the game. This adds a level of replayability as players can experience different storylines and endings based on their choices. The game also introduces several new features, such as the ability to control a flying ship and engage in ship-to-ship combat.

Might snd magic 8

I was thrilled to see competition and bug discoveries recently. This led me to glitch hunt a lot. I resorted to spamming (whispering) Anerag on twitch but I think in the future I want to put everything else I find here.

I added a guide "Hotkeys", which shows all the hotkeys I could find for the different screens in the game. I also wrote about new bugs I didn't know before.

To improve the any% route further, I tested many ideas but didn't find anything too substantial. Two biggest hopes:

1. Do Plane of Fire before going to Murmurwoods. Instead of flying 20 sec to the top of Ravenshore, you could exit palace of fire (after getting the heart), do scroll bug and die, restart the game and respawn at the top of Ravenshore. Are there any drawbacks I didn't see?
2. Find a dungeon where you can reach coordinates close to the crystal's exit. This would allow you to directly spawn there instead of walking through the crystal. The dwarf mine in Alvar was promising but it looks like z-pos is bad. (you spawn above or below the room)

@ Alpaca , how did you corrupt the map in your video?

These warps on death can be faster but overall due to fixed delay when the game is loading and time needed to set them up felt overall not much faster. Spawning on top of Ravenshore means no Earth Prison save, would be cool to find a different spot for that.

There was an idea to speed up killing party with Death Blossom spell. Vampire character from the inn at Daggerwound misses 1 personality stat to cast it. Being able to cast it would make the run much more consistent. However as for now, no idea how to get that 1 stat consistently since barrels spawn randomly. There is a cleric character at Daggerwound who can cast it but at this point getting him would be too slow.

Another idea was to warp from the boat at Ravenshore to the Plane of Earth gates. It seems to work if using target spells (like Mind Blast) in controlls > video settings and then traveling to Daggerwound but it looks like its not very consistent and 80% attempts result in a crash.

For now the steps for map corruption (Ravenshore only) are: Only works in hardware mode

• Save in front of any dungeon entrance / map edge / boat / stables
• Restart the game
• Load the save
• Fire aura in the Controls menu
• Enter / cross / travel
• Load the autosave (crash)
• Confirm the autosave This pulls some map data from the map you are traveling to (monsters, NPCs, some sprite-based objects), what's interesting is that the events attached to the sprite-based objects are from the referenced map, not from Ravenshore, no idea how they are being loaded. Only maps adjacent to Ravenshore seemed to work. Sometimes it was consistent sometimes not. It's not a new thing, the similar results can be achieved in 6 and 7 but in a bit different way. There are some more info in the guide sections of these games.

Day of the Destroyer’s storyline is less than impressive. Usually known for its non-linear story, the games of the Might and Magic series still managed to keep you fighting and searching on to learn the truth about whatever it is you set out to learn. Might and Magic VIII, however, falls short in this category. The plot is much more linear and forgets to weave an interesting mystery. The game felt almost like a side story to the Might and Magic series, which also happens to be known for a continuous plotline. Throughout the game you find yourself fighting and questing for an almost predictable ending (as long as you know your M&M.)

Players can recruit and customize their crew and participate in naval battles against other ships and sea monsters. Might and Magic 8 received generally positive reviews upon its release, with praise for its expansive world, engaging storyline, and strategic battles. However, some critics noted that the game had a steep learning curve and could be difficult for newcomers to the series. Overall, Might and Magic 8 is a worthy addition to the long-running Might and Magic series. Its expansive world, branching storyline, and strategic battles make it a must-play for fans of the role-playing genre..

Reviews for "Trade and Economy in Might and Magic 8: Building a Thriving Empire"

- Jane - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with "Might and Magic 8". The graphics were outdated and the gameplay felt clunky. The controls were unintuitive and it was hard to navigate through the game. Additionally, I found the storyline to be lacking depth and the characters were forgettable. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone looking for a modern and immersive gaming experience.

- John - 1 star - "Might and Magic 8" was a complete letdown. The game had numerous technical issues that made it almost unplayable. I encountered frequent crashes and glitches that disrupted my gameplay. The combat system was also incredibly frustrating, with repetitive and monotonous battles. I found the quests to be uninspiring and the world felt empty and poorly designed. Save your money and skip this one.

- Sarah - 2 stars - I found "Might and Magic 8" to be extremely tedious and repetitive. The game lacked innovation and I felt like I was playing a rehashed version of its predecessors. The NPCs had limited dialogue and offered little substance to the overall story. The game also lacked clear direction and often left me feeling lost and frustrated. I was really looking forward to this installment in the series, but it fell flat and didn't live up to my expectations.

The Best Strategies for Combat in Might and Magic 8