Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra
Encyclopedia
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra is the third game in the role-playing game series Might and Magic
. Released in 1991, it is the predecessor to Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
and the sequel to Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World
.
, a new party of adventurers from Sheltem's "homeworld" of Terra find themselves embroiled in the battle between the two Guardians. The adventurers must aid the mysterious Corak in attempting to stop Sheltem once again and putting an end to his evil machinations. In canon
, these adventurers are named Sir Caneghem, Crag Hack, Maximus, Resurrectra, Dark Shade, Kastore, Robert the Wise and Tolberti.
Throughout the game, the adventurers travel the Isles of Terra, a grouping of separate, flat "nacelle" worlds drawn from the Void onto the oceanic planet of Terra by Sheltem himself in previous years. Driven against the Ancients, Sheltem is now launching their nacelles into the suns of various worlds, snuffing out countless lives in his wake. Driven by the tales told in Corak's journals regarding the Ancients, the Elemental Lords and the "Forces of the Dome", the heroes pursue the Guardians, battling terrors along the way.
Finally, the heroes enter the so-called "Maze from Hell" and earn the title of "Ultimate Adventurers" from the maze's defenses. Uncovering revelations about Terra's past, they gain access to the Pyramids of the Ancients, stumbling upon what is named a 'Main Control Center'. They find themselves within the underwater seedship originally used by the Ancients in centuries past to colonize Terra with human life before its submersion beneath the waves.
At the game's conclusion, Sheltem pilots an escape pod within the underwater ship and sets off for the nacelle of Xeen, with Corak in close pursuit. After departing, Corak hastily contacts the adventurers from his escape pod, instructing them in the means of matter transferral to land the seedship - named the "Lincoln" - safely. They set off to pursue Corak and Sheltem in the Lincoln, and it is implied that they actually do so in Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
. However, they did in fact drift off-course and are next seen as powerful non-player character
s in Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor
.
interface based on the one employed by Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
and Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World
. The action is turn based throughout the game phases. A number of improvements, made possible by an expanded development team and advancements in computer technology, are incorporated. The graphics
are more colourful, taking advantage of contemporary VGA displays. A number of sound cards are supported, offering improved sound effects, background music, and synthesized speech. Mouse
interaction is also supported for the first time.
Textual character summaries in the lower portion of the screen are replaced with a graphical heads up display
, featuring the faces of the player characters, which wear different expressions depending on the condition of the character. Spells are selected from a list: an improvement on previous games where they had to be specified using numeric codes. Level maps were no longer limited to a 16 x 16 grid, and an automapping function eliminated the need for drawing maps on paper. Also, enemy creatures can now be seen as they approach, or are approached, from distant squares. In previous games the enemy creatures were only detected when they were in the same square as the player characters, which made combat more difficult to avoid. The ability to shoot at a distance also gives ranged weapons a more distinct tactical advantage. At the end of combat, players do not have to "search" for loot as in previous games.
The player can save the game state at almost any time, with the notable exceptions of the Arena and Castle Greywind Dungeon, at which the player cannot store game state. In previous games, saving was accomplished by visiting an inn and signing the registry. Saving the game also records that enemy creatures have been killed; in previous games traveling to a level from an inn fully populates the former with monsters every time.
#177 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.
Might and Magic
Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games from New World Computing, which in 1996 became a subsidiary of The 3DO Company...
. Released in 1991, it is the predecessor to Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen is the fourth installment in the Might and Magic series by New World Computing.-Plot:Might and Magic IV focuses on the events that had occurred after Might and Magic III. Trouble is stirring on the Nacelle world of Xeen...
and the sequel to Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World
Might and Magic II: Gates To Another World
Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is a computer role-playing game. It is the sequel to the game Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum.-Background:...
.
Plot
After the defeat of Sheltem and his forces on CRON in Might and Magic II: Gates to Another WorldMight and Magic II: Gates To Another World
Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is a computer role-playing game. It is the sequel to the game Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum.-Background:...
, a new party of adventurers from Sheltem's "homeworld" of Terra find themselves embroiled in the battle between the two Guardians. The adventurers must aid the mysterious Corak in attempting to stop Sheltem once again and putting an end to his evil machinations. In canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
, these adventurers are named Sir Caneghem, Crag Hack, Maximus, Resurrectra, Dark Shade, Kastore, Robert the Wise and Tolberti.
Throughout the game, the adventurers travel the Isles of Terra, a grouping of separate, flat "nacelle" worlds drawn from the Void onto the oceanic planet of Terra by Sheltem himself in previous years. Driven against the Ancients, Sheltem is now launching their nacelles into the suns of various worlds, snuffing out countless lives in his wake. Driven by the tales told in Corak's journals regarding the Ancients, the Elemental Lords and the "Forces of the Dome", the heroes pursue the Guardians, battling terrors along the way.
Finally, the heroes enter the so-called "Maze from Hell" and earn the title of "Ultimate Adventurers" from the maze's defenses. Uncovering revelations about Terra's past, they gain access to the Pyramids of the Ancients, stumbling upon what is named a 'Main Control Center'. They find themselves within the underwater seedship originally used by the Ancients in centuries past to colonize Terra with human life before its submersion beneath the waves.
At the game's conclusion, Sheltem pilots an escape pod within the underwater ship and sets off for the nacelle of Xeen, with Corak in close pursuit. After departing, Corak hastily contacts the adventurers from his escape pod, instructing them in the means of matter transferral to land the seedship - named the "Lincoln" - safely. They set off to pursue Corak and Sheltem in the Lincoln, and it is implied that they actually do so in Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen
Might and Magic IV: Clouds of Xeen is the fourth installment in the Might and Magic series by New World Computing.-Plot:Might and Magic IV focuses on the events that had occurred after Might and Magic III. Trouble is stirring on the Nacelle world of Xeen...
. However, they did in fact drift off-course and are next seen as powerful non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s in Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor
Might and Magic VII: For Blood and Honor is a role playing game published in 1999 by 3DO and developed by New World Computing, and is the predecessor of Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer...
.
Gameplay
Might and Magic III employs an updated first person perspectiveFirst person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
interface based on the one employed by Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum
Might and Magic Book One: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum is an early computer role-playing game released for the Apple II, IBM PC, NES and a number of other platforms, and is the first game in the Might and Magic series...
and Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World
Might and Magic II: Gates To Another World
Might and Magic II: Gates to Another World is a computer role-playing game. It is the sequel to the game Might and Magic: The Secret of the Inner Sanctum.-Background:...
. The action is turn based throughout the game phases. A number of improvements, made possible by an expanded development team and advancements in computer technology, are incorporated. The graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
are more colourful, taking advantage of contemporary VGA displays. A number of sound cards are supported, offering improved sound effects, background music, and synthesized speech. Mouse
Mouse (computing)
In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons...
interaction is also supported for the first time.
HUD (computer gaming)
In video gaming, the HUD is the method by which information is visually relayed to the player as part of a game's user interface...
, featuring the faces of the player characters, which wear different expressions depending on the condition of the character. Spells are selected from a list: an improvement on previous games where they had to be specified using numeric codes. Level maps were no longer limited to a 16 x 16 grid, and an automapping function eliminated the need for drawing maps on paper. Also, enemy creatures can now be seen as they approach, or are approached, from distant squares. In previous games the enemy creatures were only detected when they were in the same square as the player characters, which made combat more difficult to avoid. The ability to shoot at a distance also gives ranged weapons a more distinct tactical advantage. At the end of combat, players do not have to "search" for loot as in previous games.
The player can save the game state at almost any time, with the notable exceptions of the Arena and Castle Greywind Dungeon, at which the player cannot store game state. In previous games, saving was accomplished by visiting an inn and signing the registry. Saving the game also records that enemy creatures have been killed; in previous games traveling to a level from an inn fully populates the former with monsters every time.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1992 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#177 by Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.