Days of Magic Nights of War In the realm of imagination and fantasy, there exist two contrasting worlds: the days of magic and the nights of war. The days of magic transport us to a realm filled with enchantment, wonder, and endless possibilities. In these mystical days, the ordinary becomes extraordinary, and the impossible becomes possible. During the days of magic, the ordinary aspects of life are infused with a touch of whimsy and wonder. Creatures of myth and legend roam freely, casting spells and granting wishes. The sun shines brightly, casting a golden glow on the world, and flowers bloom in vibrant colors that defy description.
We got some experience for our efforts, but ulimately no money or gems.
How many characters will be engaged and potentially can be targets of enemy attacks special abilities dependent on amount of enemies, player performance in combat and et cetera. R-Run means that player will try to leave combat, but will enter safest spot in the map exit for dungeons, some special place on road for open maps, hotel entrance for cities.
The sun shines brightly, casting a golden glow on the world, and flowers bloom in vibrant colors that defy description. It is a time of joy, laughter, and unabated happiness. However, as the sun sets, a profound transformation takes place, and the world is plunged into the nights of war.
Let's Read Let's play Might and Magic 2 - Gates to Another World (1988) - Dos version!
Introduction:
Hello there! Now i decided to play throught Might and Magic 2, a game that holds special place in whole series and in my own mind by different reasons: it is probably hardest game in whole series - as well as one that have tons of different ways to abuse and cheeze game from medium part of game lenght. It is also last game with "hidden" encounters based combat (later games will go for enemies being visible in game areas). It is a game with huge amount of monsters in single encounter as well.
Spell system (or to better say: system of acquiring spells during game) is hardest from "classical" part of series as well - some spells you will get just by leveling, some you will need to buy, and others will be lying around the world waiting for brave suicide squad party of adventurers to get precious spells!
Most defining principles of whole series (such as Jon Van Caneghem more comical approach to world with good deal of humour; skills - first game does not had any skills; Arena area(s) - classical games had multiple arenas, while modern M&M games have only one arena for whole game - first game does not had well-defined arenas and i will honor M&M 2 instead; difference between training centers (M&M 2 had difference in amount of HP given - later games reliant on level caps) are defined, codified and first created in M&M 2.
Most iconic spells (such as Lloyd Beacon that basically given to party by creator of said spell by himself) are also come from enlarged spell list.
It is still very charming experience - due to huge and well-defined world, due to interesting encounters and secrets, and due to puzzles and side-quests as well as truly open world!
Basically, i want to revisit Might and Magic 2 (played game a year and half-ago) and make sort of personal verdict for game directed from my own recorded & written experience - and allow other people to explore this adventure as well without need for them to endure some less interesting & exhausting parts of game.
~Going to play GOG version of M&M 2 with DOSBox (as it is a DOS version). Other ports (Genesis, Super Nintendo, Super Famicom, some weird Japanese console ports with almost 0 information about them now) have their own strong points (Super Nintendo looks slightly better and have better music - while Super Famicom is better technologically and is just different experience), but i will roll with DOS version, because this is one i experienced with and have most comfort.
~Saving is possible only in special zones (Hotels) that are located in cities - and probability to die is pretty high, so i will skip or make interesting some "grind" or deaths right after hotel.
--So. Time to create and see adventurers in flesh!
~Party going to consist of 6 characters with names taken from SMAC (Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri):
1) Colonel Santiago (C.Santiago in game) - Knight [muscular, hard hitting half-orc woman destined to wield best melee weapon in game and wear best armor on top of this].
Half-Orcs get + 1 to Might and Endurance, but - 1 to Intellect, Personality (mage / cleric stats) and to Luck as well. Resistance to sleep as bonus*
2) Sister Miriam (Sis.Miriam in game) - Paladin [determined and charismatic, kind crusader of human origin in name of one of CRONian Gods! Going to get some clerical magic later on - from level 7 onwards].
Humans get no bonuses, just as no drawbacks. Resistance to fear and to sleep as big bonuses*
3) Pravin Lal (Pravin Lal in game - privilige of short name, hehe) - Archer [long range fighter with pointy ears, able to fight with trusty bow at any position in combat. Going to educate himself in mystical ways from level 7 onwards].
Elves get + 1 to Intellect and Accuracy-, but suffer from -1 penalties to might and endurance. Resistance to fear as bonus*
4) Nwabudike Morgan (CEO Morgan in game - privilege of being CEO, i guess) - Robber [hardy and short bastard, rich man even before joining a party - he destined to open locks and diarm traps throught a whole game. With time he can backstab suspectable enemies].
Gnomes get + 2 to Luck, but suffer from -1 speed and -1 accuracy. Resistance to magic as big as hell bonus*
5) Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang (Chair.Yang in game) - Cleric [strange eastern priest worshipping God of Balance, but still doubling as party unofficial leader due to prodigious charisma! Prime clerical magic user in party].
Dwarfs get + 1 to endurance and + 1 to luck, but suffer from lower (-1) intellect and speed. Resistance to poison as good bonus*
6) Prokhor Zakharov (P.Zakharov in game) - Sorcerer [seeker of Twisted Arcane paths and knowledge, destined for great powers *later on*. Prime arcane magic user in party].
Party in general can be considered as balanced one due to: 2 "warrior" types in first line who will deal the most damage early on (one pure warrior and one warrior-cleric hybrid - first character [knight] will always going to be engaged with enemies in melee), 2 "support" types in second line mostly with ranged weapons (one warrior-sorcerer hybrid and one pure rogue; rogue is the least useful character in combat - but he will provide utility outside of combat), 2 "casters" in back-line (spell-casters with only cleric who occassionally will fight with his melee weapon; both casters will have ranged weapons at their disposal).
Game have two more classes (barbarian and ninja) and here are reasons (subjective ones ofc) why i been not using them:
1) Barbarian is "warrior" class who have no access to magic. Points going for barbarian? More HP in total. Points going against barbarian? Less equipment in total that he or she can equip over course of the game - and much worse armor avaliable(scale mail and light armor). Armor restrictions is really actually only big point against barbarian - armor means a lot in this game and the better AC = better armor without drawbacks (character is just as fast and accurate in Plate Armor as he or she is in Robes), and best weapons in game also equippable for barbarian.
2) Here goes a ninja . Oh, man - such a weird class! It is a hybrid between rogue (robber) and warrior with improved backstab (can potentially kill target in one hit) and deals slightly more damage in total. Cons? Ninja's signature rogue skill (thievery) is seriously lacking compared to robber, so only special items, extremly high luck and new levels can help this shady types in opening a damn thing at all.
+ Ninja promotion mission is damn hard for single character.
I will pass on both.
Aligment and sex are mostly. irrelevant, even if some items require specific aligment - and sex (ahem, no intimacy, sadly or thankfully) is actually relevant in special locations.
Both can be changed during playthrought [usually] in castles scattered all across the world (they can be seen on CRON map).
Will go on gems, gold and other important matters in later posts. To be continued*
In next post i promise to: ~
~. to actually start playing a game : ] Party will start itself in first in-game city - Middlegate - in local hotel visited by strange spirit. Promising many adventures for me to come - and just as many dangers! (i will provide details for it)
~. to enter combat and defeat my first enemy while talking a bit about it!
~. to equip my party with better equipment!
~. to learn and remember more about first city and explore game world around Middlegate a bit!
~. to die for first time - and probably many more times!
~. to talk a bit more about some mechanics that define RPG framework of this game!
(and many more usual tasks to do)
P.S. If anybody have any suggestions / special locations or special encounters to see later on in game / something that you do not want to see later on - feedback is welcome and appreciated!
Last edited: Aug 5, 2020Azira
Arcane
Joined Nov 3, 2004 Messages 8,458 Location Copenhagen, Denmark Will follow.azimovhaas8 (Moth)
Learned
Joined Jul 21, 2020 Messages 98 Location -~Part 1: Adventure begins with alternative universe
Colonel Santiago being desperate for a simple armor!
As i actually started a game today (with 6 characters that been created before in introductionary Part 0~) after refreshing some of my game memories with manual, our heroic SMAC party been visited by non-the less then Corac himself (previously one of the more powerful magic users in whole CRON and one brave enough for many heroic deeds - but currently is literally just a former shadow - or to better put it, ghost - of himself) in cheap (but probably clean) Hotel:
Brief History of World:
History of CRON (judging by events of past and present) is centered around elementals and their kingdoms of sorts (Elemental Planes of Fire, Water, Earth and Air) that been forging alliances, fighting with each other - and in process of whole seemingly endless "holiday of life" elementals created flat world.
Many years after this event, alien to this world creatures (sentient and not-overly sentient [collectively named as animals by human historians]) been migrating and colonizing a CRON with relevant skills, strenght, knowledge and ferocity allowing them to prosper in this turbulent world. With help of magical arts, elements (and elementals) been tamed. Defensive measures of powerful primordial creatures been negated with powerful sphere containing 4 pedestals [seems like good foresight] and elemental armies been routed. Human leader (and probably leader of other sentient beings) is King Kalohn, who doubled as both great sorcerer and great leader.
With help of 4 pedestals, remaining elementals been locked and secured them in 4 distant corners of the world [Elemental Plane of Fire is in north-east, Elemental Plane of Air is in north-west, Elemental Plane of Water is in south-west, and - at last - Elemental Plane of Eath is in south-east; they also seem to influence major cities in some *weird* ways]. While leaving sphere with such fabulous powers to himself, he been ruling and let civilization prosper on CRON.
[Reader can interprete this text as he or she likes - elementals can be seen as beings from WARP space (slightly similar to one in Warhammer universe) that been serving Ancient Creators by force - and later in their cpativity been serving role to support life in flat world, but this is just my small theory. ]
[Later in the game most events in this brief history will become more interconnected and more apparent to player. Special thanks goes to all-mighty time travel machine!]
Anyway, let's continue with story!
Cunning Lord of Water Elementals created new and dangerous as fuck type of creatures - Dragons. Dragons can move freely out of Water Plane in CRON, unhindered by barrier, and Kalan been forced to combat greatest of dragons. Fabulous being named as Megadragon!
But Kalohn had only sphere without pedestals, so he been severly under-powered. Pyrrhic victory! Both great combatants (King Kalohn and Megadragon) killed each other.
^^^ Do not want to spoil too much, but still want to show this area; more on Quagmire of Doom later
. Game begins with yet another 100 years passed after death of King Kalan. Our supreme (main) goal is to enter control room (once again, hehe) - and enter different coordinates for CRON destiny so everyone from my SMAC party can create their own factions on CRON, just as on Alpha Centauri, so kobolds of Morgan will combat orcs of Yang while many colony carts will create sprawling towns all across flat land, haha.
Brief view on gameplay and first steps:
Everyone in party starts with simple weapon - such as small knife, cutlass, small clubs, etc - probably depending on starting class and on stats, but i can only speculate. We also got some food in quanity of 10 *rations* (everyone eats 1 ration while resting, and it replenish all HP and SP - so difficulty cumulative in individual encounters, so if you survive battle - congratulations!). Gold used for shopping and some niche activities - such as learning skills (we're poor - and even CEO Morgan seems to be upset); gems used for casting more powerful spells that cost both SP and X gems (we're poor here as well).
AC is different compared to AD&D - the more AC rating your character has provide better protection. Thievery is relevant only for Robbers / Ninjas, they also increase this skill with new levels.
Probably everything reader (and me as well) needs to know at this early point in the game.
Ahh, actually couple more things about OPTIONS (controls). Moving in the world is pretty easy - just as swapping items and changing position of characters in party. Do not going to accentuate this that much.
BUT - search option, unlock option and bash door option are very needed. Search option is required to actually take ANY LOOT in the game (not only visible treasuries, but everything player can get from slain enemies). If you do not search after battle - everything is lost to history, sadly. Unlock option is required to not TAKE EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF DAMAGE OR NASTY CONDITIONS after opening any lock or loot container in the game (such as poison, paralyze or even disintegrate); this ability directly depends on Thievery skill - so only robbers (or ninjas, but fuck em) can properly disarm the most common thing on CRON - traps. Bash Door allow strongest character in party (usually knight or paladin) to open hidden doors; this usually result in some damage being taken.
^^^ Might & Magic 2 also have in-game map - but without relevant skill - you will only see this blank space on screen
Let's be real. No real gold, no gems to fuel magical ambition, and only some food with simple equipment. Let's enter combat and gain something in return for our brave deeds!
After "saving" in Hotel and entering secret space of sorts [discovered it by randomly hitting walls during first playthrought] in Hotel backrooms - i encountered these creatues (namely Flesh Eater and Mini-Rex):
Options before combat encounter are following: A-Attack means that player will enter combat - as simple as that. B-Bribe is much more interesting - it means that player gives $ (gold), * (gems) or even food for party of monsters to fuck off; the more you can give to monsters the better. Strongest creatures accept only fortune in gold. H-Hide means that player will try to leave combat, but will remain on same space in the map(!). Rate of success directly dependent on robber (or ninja, for god's sake) and his or her thievery skill. R-Run means that player will try to leave combat, but will enter safest spot in the map (exit for dungeons, some special place on road for open maps, hotel entrance for cities).
It is pretty clear that i select to attack this group of monsters:
Options for combat also not very hard to describe: C-Cast means spell-casting magical spells that party member may know. U-Use means using items alvaliable to current party member (either in backpack or in equipped slots). B-Block means that character will skip current turn and will increase AC rating until next turn. R-Run means that one of the characters will try to run away from battle - here are many variants of how good or bad it can be for party (either party is victorious and cowardly character returns; everyone except for cowardly character is dead - but one character still can visit Temple for ressurection OR everyone shows cowardice and leave doomed battle). E-Exch means that two characters will swap their places. V-View is not an option for character, technically, but more of ability to look into character sheet for information.
A-Attack means that character will attack closest enemy; F-Fight means specific target from avaliable enemies. S-Shot (only with ranged weapons) means. well, shooting any specifc enemy that character can attack at all.
Check marks under enemies mean that they're engaged with party and will attack. Check marks under player characters (now it is Santiago and Miriam in first line) means that following characters can attack in melee. How many characters will be engaged (and potentially can be targets of enemy attacks / special abilities) dependent on amount of enemies, player performance in combat and et cetera. Sometimes enemies can even overrun party (a large number of enemies + someone in player's party died).
ALL enemies in game have HP (health pool), AC (same as with player characters), amount of attacks that said enemy will perform, amount of damage they can deal with each attack (from 1 to X, but enemies usually deal amount between 1 and X). Everything will give experience points, even if little, bla bla.
LET'S SPILL BLOOD!
Not a very hard battle (got lucky with low amount of enemies and half of them - Flesh Eaters - being one of the easiest type to defeat in game). Notable parts:
~Zakharov been casting flame arrow spell with different degree of success (first time for 5 damage, second for 8 damage(!) - one hit kill, and later on he did whooping 4 damage). Right now sorcerer cannot do anything else, except for Sleep (secret of victory aaginst low-level monsters, but loses it's charm quickly) or Light (for dark areas).
~Santiago been missing two times, been hit by claws of Flesh Eater (for 4), but killed one enemy in the end.
~Miriam been dealing 6 and 7 damage with two attacks, but enraged Mini Rex trampled her for 12. She is alright now (fully healed).
~Yang been casting First Aid (simple healing spell - first at Santiago, second at Miriam) and Bless spell later on to finish battle quicker. Useful for whole game, cleric is one who going to be *slightly* less effective, compared to sorcerer, but this is not important now.
~Pravin Lal been talking about locals and business with CEO Morgan (both been wasting turns due to no-ranged weapons / no-spells).
We got some experience for our efforts, but ulimately no money or gems.
Let's venture into smithy! It is located exactly to west of hotel entrance, probably even in same building as well.
I cannot buy any of his wares (and do not care about his work with 0 $ in my pockets), but player is forced to "encounter" smith in this building. But here also one more combat with creatures that i hopefully can take down.
THIS IS HAPPENED! Probably will going to die for first time : >
Jugglers are nasty (if not nastiest type of enemies at the start) - they're able to juggle party (this means everybody will be in different positions - and knight can end up in sorcerer position, and unable to do anything for a turn) AND juggle ability deals tons of damage TO EVERYBODY IN PARTY (mage can die from it pretty easily). + This enemy type seems to be very resistent to magic.
Yang almost died in the end (he end up unconsious), and even Pravin Lal been fighting like a men to save his life!
And let me put it straight - only backstab (for 14 (!) damage straight) saved me in the end.
^^^ HERE WE FUCKING GO. FINALLY!
[Special thanks goes to our robber, CEO Morgan, for good job on his part]
Everyone in party gained 309 gold (and in this game you can gather gold as well) so i decided to shop in blacksmith zone for: two crossbows (one for archer, another for robber), two suits of best avaliable armor for front line gals (knight and paladin). Also two suits of best armor (ring armor in this case) for robber, cleric and archer, because why not. Something as rope (allows to use it in place of jump spell) or lantern (allows to use it in place of light spell) have their own niche - especially early one with lousy amount of SP at disposal of characters, but not right now.
Thief's Pick for robber (to increase his thievery) and helms for everybody able to use them [knight, cleric and paladin]. Magic Herbs also for robber (allows to use it in place of first aide spell).
Only sorcerer got padded armor, hehe : >
^^^ Thief's inventory at the end of first part of Let's Play.
Now i will end episode 1 with "save" in Hotel to record my progress and. It is already is different to my last run.
For example, you can see crossbow + 1 in image above. I never noticed that before! I always been thinking about crossbows being with +0 enchant at maximum at shops - but alas, i been proven wrong by game! [Some days in the week - yes, game have weeks, months, days, years and time system, even if it is relevant only for handful of encounters and events - affect quality of items in "special category"].
It been pretty fun to type and fun to play, even if i done only two combat encounters so far.
In next post i promise to: ~
~. to talk more about arena, ticket's and bishops system, even if briefly
~.. to venture outside of city - even if it means death
~. to level up in the end of post
~. to venture in Middlegate, learn new spells and provide fun for people who read this!
P.S. As usual - any feedback is welcome, and i will respond as soon as i can.
In these dark hours, the air is thick with tension, and the sound of battle echoes throughout the land. The nights of war are filled with despair, fear, and uncertainty. It is a time when heroes rise, and villains scheme, when alliances are formed, and betrayals occur. The nights of war are a harsh reminder of the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Yet, even in the darkest of hours, the seed of hope remains. It is during the nights of war that the strength of character is revealed, and the power of resilience shines through. The nights of war provide an opportunity for courage, determination, and sacrifice to prevail. They test the limits of human spirit and challenge individuals to rise above their fears. Though seemingly disparate, the days of magic and the nights of war are intrinsically linked. They are two sides of the same coin, each complementing and balancing the other. Without the darkness of war, the light of magic would lose its significance. And without the hope and wonder of magic, the darkness of war would be overwhelming. In the grand tapestry of life, the days of magic and the nights of war remind us of the richness and complexity of the human experience. They provide opportunities for growth, reflection, and self-discovery. And they serve as a testament to the power of imagination and the resilience of the human spirit..
Reviews for "The Battle of Light and Darkness: Exploring the Days of Magic Nights of War"
1. Michelle - 2/5
I was really disappointed with "Days of Magic Nights of War". The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and the characters felt one-dimensional and uninteresting. The magical elements were also poorly developed and felt like an afterthought. Overall, this book failed to captivate me and I struggled to keep myself engaged till the end.
2. Ryan - 1/5
"Days of Magic Nights of War" was a complete letdown. The writing was extremely weak and filled with cliches. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult for me to connect with the characters. The pacing was incredibly slow, with unnecessary scenes that added nothing to the plot. I couldn't wait for it to be over.
3. Samantha - 2/5
I had high hopes for "Days of Magic Nights of War", but it fell short of my expectations. The world-building was inadequate, leaving me confused about the rules and limitations of the magic system. The romance felt forced and lacking chemistry, and the characters made choices that didn't make sense. The story had potential, but it was poorly executed, resulting in a disappointing read.
4. Jason - 2/5
"Days of Magic Nights of War" had an interesting premise, but the execution fell flat. The pacing was uneven, with long stretches of dullness and sudden bursts of action that felt disjointed. The characters lacked depth and development, making it hard to care about their struggles. Overall, this book never fully drew me in and left me unsatisfied.