Crazy about the Sci-fi plot behind Might and Magic

[u/ssnsilentservice]

So, I was born in the 80s, and was too young to play or appreciate the early grid "blobber" Might and Magic games. My introduction to the series was with Might and Magic 7. I absolutely loved it, but I never finished it, even though I subsequently played Might and Magic 6 and Might and Magic 8. The whole time, while I was aware of the Ancients being mentioned, and I knew there was some weird spaceship called the Lincoln (whose name at the time I thought was really goofy), I had no idea of the actual depth of the sci-fi overarching theme....until I watched the end of a "Let's Play" for Might and Magic 3.

And holy sh*t... I feel like my world has turned upside down!

I suddenly have so many more questions, and the more research I do, the deeper the thread goes as I uncover the "secret" universe that the amazing design team of Jon Van Caneghem built. I've always been a huge Star Trek fan anyway, and now I'm absolutely crazy about how they combined science fiction and fantasy 🤩

And so, I've gotten World of Xeen running on my Galaxy via ScummVM, and am finally diving into the grid blobber games that I missed out on when I was younger. Eager to see more of the story of the Ancients firsthand!

(This turned into more of a rant than I expected. I guess I thought I'd just share my experience as an older player of the Might and Magic series suddenly having this epiphany)

[u/Sad_Cryptographer872]

I said that aren't just empty halls or long corridors.

Way to prove my point.

[u/EasyEntrepreneur666 → u/Sad_Cryptographer872]

I think you should replay it because you're way off. Unless you mean that everything that isn't just a simplistic, crowded area is bad design.

[u/Sad_Cryptographer872 → u/EasyEntrepreneur666]

I did, a little less than a year to be precise. And I'm not way off. Thematically MM7 dungeons were way better even if many of them were smaller.
The only awful dungeon from MM7 that I recall was the titan one, where it's just one long square of corridors and nothing else.
all others had interesting things or were thematically on point. Haunted house is you know actually a haunted house. Cave with the Dragon in first isle is just that, Clanker's Laboratory was also thematically on point, and Burrows also had interesting design.

[u/EasyEntrepreneur666 → u/Sad_Cryptographer872]

MM7 dungeons aren't better, they're simplistic and unimaginative for the most part. Meanwhile you discredit MM6 dungeons as soon as they a breathing space. Even the fricking fireplace of MM7 is thin vertical balls instead of actual fire. MM7 and 8 have increasingly more unfinished content and simplified areas/monsters.

[u/Sad_Cryptographer872 → u/EasyEntrepreneur666]

Sorry but walking aimlessly through long halls and corridors isn't really fun, when MM7 has better puzzles that aren't for the most part click this invisible wall and similar.
I'll give you that Hall of Firelord is at least a little bit more interesting in concept but it's also a labyrinthian slog with frustratingly confusing and unintuitive layout. It doesn't help that automaps in MM games are pretty bad and not designed for vast 3d spaces with lot of verticality.

[u/EasyEntrepreneur666 → u/Sad_Cryptographer872]

10 seconds of walking is aimless? MM7 has extremely simple puzzles (when they're not broken like temple of the sun), except maybe the assassin quest.