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Might and Magic 9 Guide

Discussion in 'Guides' started by Daerandin, Feb 9, 2014.

  • by Daerandin, Feb 9, 2014 at 8:00 PM
  • Daerandin

    Daerandin Well-Known Member

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    This is the last game developed by New World Computing in the Might and Magic series. Unfortunately, it is nowhere near the quality of every other game in the series since they were forced to release the game 6+ months early because of the publisher. This game might be of interest to die hard Might and Magic fans that simply want them all and completionists, but the unpolished nature of the game might turn others off.

    mm9_title.png

    This guide will explain how to install the digital edition of the game, available on GOG.com

    Tips & Specs

    To learn more about PlayOnLinux and Wine configuration, see the online manual: PlayOnLinux explained

    Arch Linux 64-bit
    PlayOnLinux 4.2.2
    Wine 1.5.8

    Downloading from GOG

    GOG games can be downloaded on Linux by using a web browser, just make sure the "GOG.com Downloader mode" is OFF

    mm9_dl01.png

    Or you can use the lgogdownloader, which is my personal preferred choice. It is a very useful program for downloading GOG games. There is no graphical interface for it, but it is very fast and provides error free downloads.

    For some Linux distros it may be found in community repositories or similar community provided packages. Installation and usage instructions are located here: lgogdownloader

    On first use, you must log in by opening a terminal and using the command:

    lgogdownloader --login

    You will be prompted for your gog.com account email and password, which you must type in correctly before you can use lgogdownloader to download games.

    To list all games you own, type:

    lgogdownloader --list

    If you only want to see specific games you own, for example any games with 'might_and_magic' in the name, then type:
    lgogdownloader --list | grep might_and_magic

    mm9_dl02.png

    To download Might and Magic 9 with no extras and no cover artwork, just the actual installer:

    lgogdownloader --download --game might_and_magic_9 --no-extras --no-cover --directory /path/to/folder

    Setup PlayOnLinux

    Launch PlayOnLinux and select 'Tools' and 'Manage Wine versions'

    In the new window that appears, scroll through the 'Available Wine versions' box to find '1.5.8' and click on the right pointing arrow to install it, now it will be visible under 'Installed Wine versions' on the right side
    If you have a 64-bits system, make sure you have selected the 'Wine versions (x86)' tab above

    mm9_01.png

    Just close the window. Back at the main PlayOnLinux window, select 'Install'

    Click on 'Install a non-listed program'

    mm9_02.png

    Select 'Install a program in a new virtual drive' and click next

    mm9_03.png

    Name the the virtual drive "MM9" and click next

    mm9_04.png

    Select "Use another version of Wine", "Configure Wine" and "Install some libraries" before you click next

    mm9_05.png

    On the wine selection window, select 1.5.8 and click next. Make sure you select '32-bits window installation' if you are on a 64-bit system

    mm9_06.png

    When the wine configuration window appear, select the 'Graphics' tab, and click the checkbox for the lower three options. You don't have to capture the mouse within the game window for this game since it will be properly captured anyway in first person view. This will also let you move the mouse outside the game window while you have the game paused. The resolution you set for the virtual desktop is also not very important as it will switch to the game resolution on start.

    mm9_07.png

    Note: Even though the language is Norwegian in my screenshot, the layout will look the same for you

    When you come to the selection of libraries to install, select: POL_Install_gdiplus
    This will let the GOG installer display correctly

    mm9_08.png

    Then click 'Next'

    When you are asked for the install file to run, navigate to the GOG installer and select it. Then click 'Next'

    mm9_09.png

    Installing the Game

    mm9_10.png

    Click on 'Options', and click to accept the UELA, then click 'Install'

    mm9_11.png

    When the installation is complete, 'Exit' the installer

    mm9_12.png

    When you are asked to create a shortcut, select "lithtech.exe", the mm9.exe starts a launcher that does not work properly in wine

    mm9_13.png

    Name the shortcut "Might and Magic 9"

    mm9_14.png

    That is all you have to do in order to play the game. Since this game is very old, there is no need to set any higher video memory, or any other settings for that matter. The game will run as it is now. The GOG version also includes the latest fan patch for the game, which fixes the progress breaking bugs that were left after official patches.

    Note on resolution

    This game runs in 800x600 resolution, so obviously the game window will appear very small on most modern screens. You can try to go into wine configuration and disable the virtual desktop. However this might prevent the game from properly launching on some setups.

    Certain distros have a default desktop environment that let you zoom in, so that is certainly an option. Another easy method is simply to reduce your desktop resolution when you play the game. Some window managers have the option to let a window take fullscreen status, meaning it will draw over everything else without window borders. If you window manager allows this you could set desktop resolution to 800x600, and then set the game window to fullscreen.

    Screenshots

    mm9_15.png
    mm9_16.png
    mm9_17.png
    mm9_18.png
    mm9_19.png
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2014

Comments

Discussion in 'Guides' started by Daerandin, Feb 9, 2014.

  1. booman
    I'm pretty sure I have this one and have played it. The graphics are impressive for its time, but I never realized it was released early and unfinished.
    I got frustrated by the difficulty. My characters died so quickly and all I could do it reload and then die again.
  2. Daerandin
    I don't think it is particularly difficult, as long as you stay away from certain dungeons early on. I enjoyed this game a lot more when it was new, replaying it now is a bit of a chore. That is the one big difference from the other Might and Magic games, replaying any of the others is great, I absolutely love every moment of all the past 8 games. This one got its moments, and the dungeons are certainly interesting. But the outdoor environments are rather dull and seem more like the prototype design.

    Still, being the total Might and Magic nut that I am, I do find some enjoyable moments in this, despite the flaws.

    Just a shame that the last work of New World Computing would be this. Unfortunately they were owned by 3DO, which went bankrupt, forcing this early release. The next year their offices were closed. Ubisoft purchased the Might and Magic brand, but they abandoned the old world and storyline. One of my favorite things with the Might and Magic universe, is the sci-fi background. This is not present in Ubisoft's world.
  3. booman
    I think its great when you can enjoy a game that others would think was a bad game.
    I have several examples as well. Most games are enjoyable as long as they aren't too repetitive. I don't mind some repetition, but there are times when you can tell development was taking shortcuts and end up running the play in circles.

    I didn't realize Ubisoft purchased the franchise. So what have they released in relation to Might-n-Magic?
  4. Daerandin
    Ubisoft acquired the franchise in 2003 when 3DO (the company that owned NWC) went bankrupt. Since then Ubisoft have released several games with the Might and Magic name attached, some notable examples are: Heroes of Might and Magic 5, Might and Magic: Heroes 6, Might and Magic X: Legacy, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic.

    Ubisoft scrapped the old world, and created their own. I have played Heroes 5, and Dark Messiah, but I didn't feel like these were Might and Magic games so I have not been following any further games released by Ubisoft in this franchise. I have been considering giving Might and Magic X a try since it is tile based movement like Might and Magic 1-5, only with modern graphics. However, like most Ubisoft games it requires Uplay so I will not buy it. I buy Ubisoft games if they appear on GOG without the DRM.
  5. booman
    I'm starting to lean towards DRM free as well. Specially with these DRM clients always making changes/updates and breaking Wine.
    It really sucks though because I'll miss out on some really awesome games.

    I have played Dark Messiah and plan to test it again with newer versions of Wine. I was able to play perfectly up to the exact point where the demo ends and it crashes every time.
    Almost like the DRM get activated and fails. Pretty friggin lame!
    DRM seems to be the main crutch in Wine.

    Thanks for the history on Heroes and Might-n-Magic. I always wondered what the difference was...
  6. Daerandin
    To sum up the Might and Magic franchise: The original developer, New World Computing, made 9 Might and Magic games, 4 Heroes of Might and Magic games and Heroes Chronicles. The Heroes series takes place in the same game world, following the same story, but are turn based strategy. The first Heroes game was made shortly after Might and Magic 5. NWC made two Heroes games before continuing the original Might and Magic series.

    The Heroes games never touched the sci-fi background, while in almost all Might and Magic games you encounter advanced technology, space ships, robots and even blaster rifles in some of the games. However the sci-fi elements are always hidden or just barely hinted at through the game, then to be revealed more fully towards the end.

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