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Master of MagicWhich version should a new player play?(14 posts)(14 posts)
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Posted July 17, 2020
In the launcher i have 4 choices from: Master of magic, caster of magic, community patch, slitherine.
Posted July 17, 2020
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udra78: In the launcher i have 4 choices from: Master of magic, caster of magic, community patch, slitherine.
Depends on what version you want to play (how similar to the original you want your experience to be, and whether you want certain polish and modifications in the game). Some players prefer to play as originally intended, others want to advance through the different versions, others prefer to learn directly the community-made improvements/changes.

"Master of Magic" is the game in its original form, as was played in the 90s. This is the only one I've played myself

"Community Patch" is a fan-made patch that fixes some bugs of the original but also makes balance changes.

"Caster of Magic" is a mod that makes several balance and gameplay changes to the game.

I'd have to check, but "Slitherine" must be a link to the publisher's website.
Post edited July 17, 2020 by ConsulCaesar
Posted July 17, 2020
Well that is confusing. I guess ill try the original game but would be cool to hear from someone who played all of the versions.
Posted July 17, 2020
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Plookey78: Well that is confusing. I guess ill try the original game but would be cool to hear from someone who played all of the versions.
I recommend you fiddle around with MOM original for a few days till things start to make sense (don't be afraid to go to the manual from time to time - not a bad idea to read it outright).

Then go here and read through the changes: https://masterofmagic.fandom.com/wiki/Unofficial_Patch_1.50

If the patch sounds like a good idea try that.

When you get your fill of that game, patched or not, and want to try something very new, try COM. There are docs around (and a really good thread in this forum) to tell you what the difference is between MOM and COM. But without any background in MOM you probably won't understand it.

That's why I recommend starting with original: if you skip it you won't understand what the changes are for the subsequent versions.
Posted July 18, 2020
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"Master of Magic" - This is the old game from 199x with all of its original bugs. Avoid unless you like it when a game crashes to desktop or worse. The link in the above post shows...the first half of the list of bugs that were fixed by...
"Community Patch" - This fixes bugs. It does not make balance changes (except when fixing a bug wasn't otherwise possible). Basically, same as above except it works. It might FEEL different though because the AI is actually able to play the game here instead of getting stuck in a bugged state most of the time. It's not necessary very good at it, but the bugs (or missing features) like "AI doesn't see their units so cannot attack" or "AI can't attack on sea" really make a big difference. That link is to the 1.50 chances, which did have some balance related contents, but all of these were removed in 1.52 when the patch was made official.
"Caster of Magic" - This makes balance changes. Lots of them. Also, it goes way beyond fixing bugs in improving the AI so it's a lot more difficult.

If you haven't played either before then it really depends on what kind of experience you want.

If you like unbalanced games with lots of very powerful, gamebreaking (and just as many obviously useless) spells, units and strategies, then the Community Patch. I know that doesn't sound so great but honestly, it is a lot of fun to discover those gamebreaking strategies the first time. That's why the game is still alive 26 years later. It's just that winning that way did get boring after a few hundred games played at least for me.

If you prefer something that requires a bit more thinking, has a better pacing, no useless or unbeatable elements, still has many very powerful strategies but nothing that's outright unbeatable, and a better but sometimes merciless AI, then Caster of Magic.

If you are curious how a game with 1000+ bugs feels like, then you can try the original without the Community Patch - it was a fun game even despite the bugs - but I can't really recommend that, the patch exists for a reason.
Post edited July 18, 2020 by Seravy2
Posted July 18, 2020
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Seravy2: "Master of Magic" - This is the old game from 199x with all of its original bugs. Avoid unless you like it when a game crashes to desktop or worse. The link in the above post shows...the first half of the list of bugs that were fixed by...
"Community Patch" - This fixes bugs. It does not make balance changes (except when fixing a bug wasn't otherwise possible). Basically, same as above except it works. It might FEEL different though because the AI is actually able to play the game here instead of getting stuck in a bugged state most of the time. It's not necessary very good at it, but the bugs (or missing features) like "AI doesn't see their units so cannot attack" or "AI can't attack on sea" really make a big difference. That link is to the 1.50 chances, which did have some balance related contents, but all of these were removed in 1.52 when the patch was made official.
"Caster of Magic" - This makes balance changes. Lots of them. Also, it goes way beyond fixing bugs in improving the AI so it's a lot more difficult.

If you haven't played either before then it really depends on what kind of experience you want.

If you like unbalanced games with lots of very powerful, gamebreaking (and just as many obviously useless) spells, units and strategies, then the Community Patch. I know that doesn't sound so great but honestly, it is a lot of fun to discover those gamebreaking strategies the first time. That's why the game is still alive 26 years later. It's just that winning that way did get boring after a few hundred games played at least for me.

If you prefer something that requires a bit more thinking, has a better pacing, no useless or unbeatable elements, still has many very powerful strategies but nothing that's outright unbeatable, and a better but sometimes merciless AI, then Caster of Magic.

If you are curious how a game with 1000+ bugs feels like, then you can try the original without the Community Patch - it was a fun game even despite the bugs - but I can't really recommend that, the patch exists for a reason.
You might want to identify your connection to the game when giving advice like this.
Posted July 18, 2020
I guess, well if it's not obvious from the scrolling credits I made Caster of Magic and about 2/3 of the patches in the Community Patch. So my opinion might be biased on the subjective parts, but it should be accurate on the facts.
The Community Patch does not change game balance or anything beyond fixing bugs and AI anymore. That's a thing of the past.
Caster of Magic changes game balance, whether that's an improvement or not, everyone has their own opinion.
The unpatched game has lots of bugs. I can't recommend it, not even if you like player friendly bugs that make winning easier (yes many of those exist), primarily because some bugs might cause consistent crashes that make finishing an already started game impossible.

Anyway, the community patch is this : https://masterofmagic.fandom.com/wiki/Community_Patch
and these were older versions of it : https://masterofmagic.fandom.com/wiki/Unofficial_Patch_1.50
Caster of Magic is this : https://masterofmagic.fandom.com/wiki/Caster_of_Magic
Post edited July 18, 2020 by Seravy2
Posted July 18, 2020
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Seravy2: That link is to the 1.50 chances, which did have some balance related contents, but all of these were removed in 1.52 when the patch was made official.
Thanks for this clarification, I think I wil try 1.52 then.
Posted July 20, 2020
For those of us without galaxy in the downloaded section:
1) Right side it says Master of Magic Classic
2) In the downloader section it says Master of Magic_CM_6.04. I would assume that is the newly patched version with the 1.52 patch.

Sorry cannot help with caster of magic for those without galaxy as I've yet to purchase it.


Edit: the separate classic Master of Magic is completely not needed as the launcher brings up the different options to play.
Post edited July 20, 2020 by abbayarra
Posted July 21, 2020
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abbayarra: For those of us without galaxy in the downloaded section:
1) Right side it says Master of Magic Classic
2) In the downloader section it says Master of Magic_CM_6.04. I would assume that is the newly patched version with the 1.52 patch.
6.04 is the latest Caster of Magic version number though. Weird.
Posted September 03, 2020
IMO official patch > latest fanpatch > CoM.

i'm used to the official patch despite some game crashing bugs and useless spells.
if you get sick of the bugs, move on to community patch. it fixed most bugs now. but the AI seems greatly tweaked.
CoM AFAIK feels like a very different game compared to the original.
Posted September 04, 2020
At first I was very enthusiastic about Caster of Magic (when it was free, BTW). But it makes MoM a different game, with many very controversial changes and choices that often being remade, cancelled and reintroduced again in next mod version. So I quit it.

The best version for me is the original one.

And it's the best choice for a beginner obviously.
Posted September 09, 2020
Beginners should absolutely *NOT* play Caster of Magic. The game is much harder than Master of Magic, and is extremely unforgiving if you do not fully understand how everything works. This is no knock against Caster of Magic, it is the right version to breathe new life into a very old game for experienced players for whom the original no longer holds challenge. But those players are not beginners.
Posted September 14, 2020
Caster of Magic is punishingly difficult. Many of the early buildings are changed to make a faster start, but the computer benefits from the same faster start. Since things start quicker, you have less chance to catch up if you make a few sub-optimal decisions in the early game. The rapid pacing also creates an extremely narrow window where "normal" units are useful, and the end game is utterly dominated by summoned creatures.
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Master of MagicWhich version should a new player play?(14 posts)(14 posts)
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