Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer is a role-playing video game developed for Microsoft Windows by New World Computing and released in 2000 by the 3DO Company. It is the eighth game in the Might and Magic series. The game received middling critical reviews, a first for the series, with several critics citing the game's length and its increasingly dated game engine, which had been left fundamentally unaltered since Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven in 1998.[1]
Gameplay[edit]Might and Magic VIII is based on the Might and Magic VI game engine, and many of its elements are strongly similar to the previous two titles in the series. Unlike the previous two games, however, Might and Magic VIII introduces a new party management system that allows all but one of the five possible player characters to be hired, dismissed or re-hired at any time during gameplay. The character class system used in the previous two games has similarly been overhauled, with only the cleric and knight classes remaining. The experience, spells, levelling and skill system present in both previous Might and Magic titles is retained, with only minor updates.In place of the traditional class system, Might and Magic VIII features non-archetypical playable races. Aside from human knights, clerics and necromancers, available classes include minotaurs, dragons, vampires, dark elves, and trolls, each of whom possesses traits unique to their particular race. As with its two predecessors, the game world is divided into fourteen 'regions', including five elemental planes, each of which contains a varying mix of explorable towns, dungeons and wildernesses. Enemies are fought in either real-time or turn-based combat, depending on the player's preference. Quest system[edit]In typical Might and Magic fashion, the game is fairly non-linear, so quests can be completed at the player's own leisure, though the completion of storyline quests is essential for progression. Dialog, lore and exploration are important to progression in the game, with some dungeons involving relevant puzzles. In addition, side quests and dungeons can warrant rewards if completed, but are not vital to the main storyline. Also, promotion quests can increase the capabilities of particular classes of character. Like Might and Magic VII, the game includes a system of choices which affect fundamental aspects of gameplay. Throughout the course of the storyline, the player is given opportunities to side with either dragons or dragon hunters, and either sun priests or necromancers. This choice is permanent and affects several quests, NPC reactions and available recruitable characters. However, unlike its prequel, the game's ending sequence is not affected by the outcome of these choices. Plot[edit]Backstory[edit]
Escaton summons the crystal in the city of Ravenshore.
Might and Magic VIII takes place on the fictional world of Enroth, upon the continent of Jadame, and acts as a sequel to Might and Magic VII and Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade.[2] Over a thousand years ago, the interstellar war between the Ancients and the Kreegan drove both races off of one of the Ancients' many colony worlds.[3] During the millennium since, the original colonists and natives of that world built their own society and culture from the ruin, the stories of the Ancients and the Kreegan having long since passed into legend. Ten years ago, as depicted in Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven, the Kreegan invaded the world. The heroes of Might and Magic VI destroyed the Kreegan Queen, and the last of the Kreegan were wiped out over the course of Heroes of Might and Magic III: The Restoration of Erathia, Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor and Heroes III: Armageddon's Blade.[4] The Ancients, however, anticipating disaster should the Kreegan manage to gain a foothold on the world, had already enacted a scorched earth plan: rather than let the world fall into the hands of their ancient enemies, they would see it destroyed outright.[5] A servant of the Ancients, the planeswalker Escaton, arrives in the village of Ravenshore on the continent of Jadame. Approaching the center of town, he summons a giant crystal which unleashes an elemental storm across the continent. There is widespread destruction and the boundaries to the four Elemental Planes are breached. Now elementals and monsters from beyond the boundaries are threatening to invade, fulfilling Escaton's plan to draw the powers of the elements toward the crystal and destroy the world, and the player must assemble a party of heroes to prevent this. The game features several recurring characters from previous titles in the series, including the Elemental Lords from Might and Magic II, the Ironfists from Heroes of Might and Magic, and the necromancers Sandro and Thant from Heroes of Might and Magic III. Setting[edit]
A map of the continent of Jadame, showing the regions and towns explored in the game.
The continent of Jadame is first introduced in this game, previously unmentioned in the series. The four elemental gateways appear in the four corners of Jadame: the Gateway of Earth on one of the Dagger Wound Islands (southeast), the Gateway of Water in Ravage Roaming (southwest), the Gateway of Air in the Murmurwoods (northwest), and the Gateway of Fire in the Ironsand Desert (northeast). In each case they cause an environmental disaster: a volcano in the Dagger Wound Island chain erupts and the tremors destroy the bridges that link the islands, the minotaur undercity in Ravage Roaming is flooded, the trees in a large area of the Murmurwoods are uprooted by the winds, and much of the troll settlement in Ironsand is destroyed by an explosion of fire. Escaton raised an enormous crystal in the centre of the city of Ravenshore, which acts as the portal to the Plane Between Planes, where the Destroyer resides. The first character created by the player remains with the party for the entire game and is referred to as the 'Acknowledged Champion of Jadame'. This character leads the party through the adventures in the game. Scenario[edit]
Might And Magic 8 Walkthrough MapsReception[edit]
Might and Magic VIII was released to a generally average reception, and was regarded by many critics as surprisingly inferior to previous titles in the series, though still a passable game. IGN praised the game's rendered cutscenes, storyline, setting and background along with its overall consistency and expansion on the Might and Magic universe, noting these as particularly strong points, but was disappointed with in-game graphics and the reused engine's low modern capabilities, citing these as pitiful compared to other, more modern RPGs.[8] This was echoed by GameSpot's reviewer, who, though intrigued by the series' addictive charm, was displeased with Might and Magic VIII's tedious interface and pointed out the imbalance of the dragon character class.[1]Game Revolution's reviewer was dissatisfied with the plot, particularly in comparison to earlier titles, and felt the game was identical to both its prequels.[7] Port[edit]In Japan, the game was ported by Imagineer for the PlayStation 2 under the title Might and Magic: Day of the Destroyer (マイト アンド マジック デイ・オブ・ザ・デストロイヤー). The game has just a few minor changes. Before this port, the last game in the main series to appear on a console was Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra, almost ten years previously. References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Might_and_Magic_VIII:_Day_of_the_Destroyer&oldid=876851687'
Might and Magic VIII's old graphics engine, repetitive gameplay, bugs, and relative ease will be too much to overlook.By Michael E. onWhen 3DO develops a game engine, it sure likes to get its money's worth. Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer is a perfect example: The hack-and-slash RPG looks and plays just like its two most recent predecessors, despite the fact that it features some fundamental design changes and gameplay enhancements. Consequently, Might and Magic VIII will only appeal to hard-core fans of the series who haven't yet grown weary of the repetitive gameplay that was introduced in Might and Magic VI and recycled in Might and Magic VII. Might and Magic VIII is set in the land of Jadame, and the plot revolves around a mysterious crystal that has risen out of the ground in the centrally located city of Ravenshore. After the crystal's appearance, gateways to the four elemental planes have opened up in Jadame, causing cataclysmic destruction in the nearby lands. You begin as a humble caravan guard, and your first task is to escape the Dagger Wound Islands, which have been cut off from the mainland by an opportunistic pirate band intent on cashing in during the post-cataclysmic confusion. Beyond that, you must uncover the secret of the crystal and find a way to stop the elemental forces that are tearing Jadame apart. In the first major break from previous games, you begin Might and Magic VIII with only one character. You can eventually control a party of five, but you must find and recruit your companions along the way. The other major change in Might and Magic VIII is that you can choose from a variety of races and classes not previously available. In addition to the basic cleric and knight, you can start out as a vampire, dark elf, minotaur, troll, or necromancer. As in previous games, each character type can be promoted via a specific quest for each class. Another significant new feature is the addition of dragons as playable characters, though they can only join your party after the game begins, meaning you can't create a dragon character from scratch. Despite the modified party structure, the basic gameplay formula remains unchanged: You wander the countryside, fight vast hordes of monsters, accumulate lots of experience, gain many levels, learn and refine skills, and repeat. Though the game generally seems less reliant on having to slay hundreds of creatures as in Might and Magic VI, there are times when the number of monsters you'll face is simply ludicrous, especially toward the end of the game. Dragons are especially useful to have when there's a lot of fighting to do. And since you have the option to recruit a dragon fairly early in the game, you'll almost immediately improve your combat effectiveness by a huge margin, which diminishes the challenge of the game. Between its devastating basic attack and its ability to breathe fire, your dragon will carry you to victory in almost every battle. And since you can quickly boost your dragon's skills to the point where it gains the ability to fly and can carry the entire party with it, you can easily pass areas through which you would have otherwise spent hours hacking and slashing. It's this gross game imbalance that makes dragons in Might and Magic VIII problematic. When you have a dragon in tow, combat becomes repetitive and tedious even when you're up against difficult foes, especially when the rest of your party is handy with ranged weapons. Another game-balance problem is the extremely powerful invisibility spell, which is available to masters of the air-magic skill. So long as you don't bump into or attack any monsters while the spell is active, you can wander right on by your enemies and accomplish your quest goals without interference. Invisibility can greatly shorten the end game in Might and Magic VIII, where many of the quest dungeons are small and built around a destination you must reach, rather than an ultimate battle you must win.The skill system in Might and Magic VIII works well, as in the previous installment. It places a number of restrictions on character classes in an attempt to preserve the game balance, or to counteract the impact of having a dragon in your party. For example, you can't make all of your party members grand-master archers, but you can train most characters to at least use a bow. Some of the restrictions are annoying, such as the cleric class' inability to attain grand-master status with a mace, but the skill system is generally well implemented. The only truly aggravating aspect of the skill system is that you must visit expert, master, and grand-master teachers who are scattered across the game world. Combined with the need to level up via training at specific locations, the never-ending search for teachers makes you feel like an errand boy, which can become tedious in a hurry, especially when each member of your party is eligible for several different skill upgrades at once. You'll get the sense while scurrying from teacher to teacher that you're doing so simply because the developers wanted to make the game longer. Many of the quests in the game also feel like busywork. A quick glance at the screenshots for Might and Magic VIII will tell you that the graphics haven't changed much. It uses the same 3D engine and fuzzy 2D sprites to illustrate every monster and most environmental items. Some of the 2D sprites look better than others, such as the cyclops and the fire elementals, but they're still flat and make the game look very dated. What's even more distressing is that the game has a few jumping puzzles, which can be very difficult to negotiate because of the engine's limited viewing area and the unresponsive keyboard controls. If the designers considered jumping puzzles to be a vital part of the game's design, then they should have at least enhanced the 3D engine to accommodate them. The game also has a frustrating combat bug that leaves your party powerless against monsters that get too close in a melee. Once a creature gets near enough that its sprite runs off the top and bottom of the screen, your characters' melee attacks suddenly become useless. Might and Magic VIII also suffers from a number of other bugs, including random lockups that necessitate frequent use of the quick-save option. However, reloading after a quick save occasionally shuts down the magic system completely, so none of your characters can cast spells. Might and Magic VIII can be fun to play in spite of all its problems, as it manages to retain most of the same addictive charm of the previous two installments. However, for newcomers to RPGs as well as gamers who're already tired of the recent Might and Magic games, Might and Magic VIII's old graphics engine, repetitive gameplay, bugs, and relative ease will be too much to overlook. Walkthrough[edit]This section is dedicated to the set of quests that are essential for completing the game. The set of promotion quests are covered in the class section, and the optional quests are covered in its own section. While you don't have to complete any of these other quests, they are recommended - the more experience that your party has, the better everything will be later in the game. And anyways, you should want to explore the entire game! Training in Ravensford As soon as you are finished creating your party, take a little bit of time getting used to the game's controls. I will not be covering these in this guide - they are all in the manual that comes with the game - use it! Stranded on the Isle of Ashes Click here to see the map. The Isle of Ashes is a nice place to learn to fight multiple enemies at once. Try out various techniques on the skeletons and the dragon flies that call this place home. Also, get used to scouring the land for the many treasure chests that dot the landscape. Most treasure chests have randomly generated contents, so I won't bother listing any contents. The first chest is to the south-east from where you start. The Coalition Sturmford Freeing Amskram Keep (Level 5+) Head to Amskram Keep. Kill the pair of basilisks that patrol the outside area of the keep. Along the wall to the left of the lone treasure chest you will be able to find a damaged wall - smash it with your melee weapons to gain entry to the keep (you have to crawl through the opening). There is another basilisk inside the walls of the keep. Kill it and then go to any of the towers. Open the door and climb to the top. Enter the keep from the entrance on the top - otherwise you cannot finish this level at all. (This level is bugged - you have to complete the whole stage in one go without leaving or it will never be able to be done.) Make a permanent save here. Prison Break (Level 10+) Sturmford's second coalition quest is to break their general out of Drangheim's Prison. Attacking the place headlong is not as interesting as sneaking in from below, so we'll take that route here. Head to the village outside of Drangheim city. Climb down the well there to enter the Prison Basement. Take a look at the maps for directions to treasure chests and other such things - I will cover only the basics here. There are a lot of beetles running around here. Clear the place out, and then return to the cell that you entered by. Take three lefts and climb up the stairs to get to the middle floor. Drangheim Guberland One of Guberland's tasks is to retrieve a book on the rules of war. The Academy in Lindesfarne is where you can pick up this rare tome. The Academy itself is not very dangerous - the guards here can be easily taken care of. The problem enemies are the pair of Half Orc Captains and the Captain of the Guard that you fight in the large central chamber. Thjorgard In past years Thjorgard gave the Lindesfarne Monastery a great gift, a magical hammer created from the first elemental thjorad. Now they want it back. Head to the Monastery. There are two ways to do this quest - the easy way, or the hard way. I suggest the former, since you don't want to burn any bridges - you do need to talk to the monks later, so killing them all is not a good option. So you could kill them all and steal the hammer (BAD idea), or you can fool the monk guards and make them leave their post. The mines can be found by traveling to the north of Thjorgard, then east, and then to the south. The mines are crawling with troglodytes and other nasty little critters. Nothing in here should be too hard, except for the gnolls, which at this point will take a beating to go down. You should also explore every mine cart that you find - you never know what you can find.. Frosgard You are asked to remove the frost giant Yanmir from the realm of the living. Go to his fort - it is in the northeastern part of Frosgard. The fort is literally crawling with thralls and yetis. They wander the halls in search of intruders. Have fun killing them. They are not the only ones who wander the halls - Yanmir the frost giant wanders the hall. He is invincible to every method of attack, so you'll have to find another way to kill him. To make matters worse, he wanders the halls. You can always tell if he is getting close - the whole screen will start to shake and you will hear his footsteps. Just run the other way if you hear him coming. Thronheim The Mountain Pass can be found in the southeastern corner of the Thronheim area. It will take three days to walk there, as well as three days to get to Thjorgard from the other side. The object here is to clear ALL the enemies. You also have to travel to Thjorgard to get credit for this quest. As soon as you complete the last of the coalition quests, you will be set into a series of quests detailing what happens afterwards. Unlike the last section of quests, these have to be done in order, and will be listed as such. Do the treaty quests ASAP (otherwise it is bugged), and the rest you can leave for later, if you still have optional quests or promotions to finish still. I suggest finishing all the optional quests that are still open, as well as doing all the promotions before going on with the bulk of this section. Introduction to business textbook. Prelude to War All For a Stuffed Dragon.. As the War Council segment comes to a close, Yrsa appears and tells you that it is time to do her bidding (remember your promise?). Leave town and head to the northwest Thing. The Thing is basically a carnival. I am not the best at some of these games, but will outline what I did anyways. At the Thing you have to buy some tickets from the central guy. You have to beat each game once to get the doll that you need. How to Raise an Army With Forad Darre's betrayal of the allied forces, you are faced with a terrible dilemma. You have to travel to Arslegard to retrieve your army. The only way to Arslegard is to die. I suggest that you finish off any other unfinished quests that you started before attempting this one. Then head into some water and drown to travel to Arslegard. Autocad 2010 product key list. The Grand Finale When you talk to Krohn he will ask you to put a stop to Njam's meddling. He will give you the key to the guy's house. Use it to enter the place (you might have to leave town and come back in to be able to enter the place - I had to do this a few times before they would let me in) and grab the scroll from the table. Run as soon as you see Njam enter the room. Head to the western Tomb of a Thousand Terrors.
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