[WIP] Might and Magic VI [Title Pending] mod

[DominicBuch]

This feels a bit premature to me, but the suggestion was made that it might not be a bad idea to publicize it now. More or less all but the basics of this are conceptual at this point, but what I hope to do is publish a Greyface-friendly Might and Magic VI mod that will replace the user interface graphics - including the vast majority of inventory items and all equipment and paper dolls - as well as rebalance some of the coarser edges (The non-threat of every single boss fight, the pointlessness of two-handed swords after reaching master-rank in swordsmanship, the redundancy of some of the item types, such as the three different variations of the spear weapon class.) and expand and clarify the lore, especially a bit more firmly tying the Enroth of Mandate of Heaven to the Enroth of Heroes of Might and Magic II, and the world of the Horizon Engine Might and Magic games to the world of the series at large. Further possibilities are definite considerations depending on the success of the mod - I'd love to really stretch my agency over the game as a modder to its limits with this project - but at this point aren't firm priorities. I haven't got much in the way of promotional material just yet, but I'll definitely keep this thread updated as developments are made.



Primary Goals
- Replace all equipment and paper dolls
- Rebalance items and enemies, especially bosses
- Expand upon lore and polish flavour text

Secondary Goals
- Replace Relic and Artefact graphics with unique icons
- Add custom relics and artefacts
- Replace monster sprites or textures
- Add unique items to specific dungeons' loot
- Implement unused content (Unused decoration objects, more diverse townsfolk)
- Reassign ingame textures

Tertiary Goals
- Redesign world map
- Add custom monsters
- Broader range of custom items (Such as low-level relics and artefacts, enemy-specific weapons)

The Stuff of Dreams
- Custom dungeons
- Full conversion



Screenshots

Edited disease/poison portraits, temporary user interface, and monster data. The portraits are unused portraits from the original game - I prefer them to the more cartoonish, green-skinned portraits used.

Edited inventory UI, item description, character portrait. I'm anxious to see how some of the liberties taken with the lore will be received - the golden plate armour's graphic will be replaced with one based on the Heroes 2 paladin and crusader. I'm anticipating at least some disdain for doing things like asserting that the Order of the Silver Helm and the paladins of Heroes 2 are one and the same - the worst has yet to come if that's your way of thinking, I'm afraid.

The work-in-progress of the armour in question.



At this stage my plans are pretty comfortably in the territory of a cosmetic mod, but with persistence I'm hoping to turn it into a little something-more. I'm a bit unfamiliar with the etiquette of this place, so if I'm committing any faux pas with this post do tell me so! Otherwise, any and all input is loved.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Please, add skill grandmastery! I have played M&M VII before I got to VI and the latter's char system just feels somehow half-baked (maybe because it is?). I'd love to play just M&M VI with the character development of VII.
Oh, and maybe the portraits, VI's photo-portraits always looked like out of a cheap porn movie as someone has already noted.

 

[DominicBuch]

I'm actually not certain how much control I'd have over the levels of skill mastery. If it's possible I'd love to add grandmastery to each skill - or at the very least modify the three pre-existent tiers - but that might be something that's hard-coded into the engine. The way the innards of the game are set up fascinates me, honestly; what does and doesn't work, HOW things work, what can be changed. One of my earliest plans was to replace one of the relic shields and give the Everhot Lava Rock from Heroes of Might and Magic a reappearance. My intention was for a shield that required the wearer to have Fire Magic, instead of the shield skill - sadly, it seems like you can't make items require non-item skills to use. More than a few plans for this mod have died in the womb thanks to discoveries like that!

 

[m_s0]

Implementing some of the changes from VII is something I'd also be interested in if it's even possible (even though I like they simplicity of VI. Or half-bakedness, if you will). Grandmastery and class-specific proficiency limits, alchemy, expanded journal functionality (keeping track of the teachers is a bit of a bitch as it is, though after multiple playthroughs I've memorised some of the more important ones) etc.

I'm actually not certain how much control I'd have over the levels of skill mastery. If it's possible I'd love to add grandmastery to each skill - or at the very least modify the three pre-existent tiers - but that might be something that's hard-coded into the engine. The way the innards of the game are set up fascinates me, honestly; what does and doesn't work, HOW things work, what can be changed.

I'd ask around Celestial Heavens if you haven't already. They'd probably be able to tell you what's hardcoded and what isn't.

Is there any way you could make this modular? And by that I mean the graphics/UI changes separate from the gameplay tweaks?

Anyway, I really hope this mod gets somewhere. Good luck.

 

[DominicBuch]

Is there any way you could make this modular? And by that I mean the graphics/UI changes separate from the gameplay tweaks?

Fairly easily, actually; granted, without the graphics to reflect the changes, things like item descriptions will differ pretty wildly from what's actually seen (With or without the graphical changes, the game is still going to describe the vanilla game's level 1 plate armour as missing its legs and arms, for example.) but if you can ignore that it will still very much be playable without the graphics. That was sort of my plan from the beginning actually - package a version without the graphical changes, and then another without the gameplay changes (Because I am nothing if not humble.) and then a complete version.

I'd ask around Celestial Heavens if you haven't already. They'd probably be able to tell you what's hardcoded and what isn't.

That's something I've been meaning to do - I'm really hoping someone there can tell me where the calculations for spell damage is stored, because I'd really like to believe along with everything else, there's room in this mod to stake some more-solid middle ground for wizards between the 'mostly here for Wizard Eye' and 'I am become death' phases of their character development.