Green Mushroom Award: Magic Carpet
The winner of this month's Green Mushroom Award is Magic Carpet for the PC. The game was released in 1994 and its sequal was released with minor improvements in 1995. Magic Carpet offers not only a unique interface but an original gameplay concept that is refreshing and addictive.
You are an apprentice wizard flying around on a magic carpet. The perspective is first person, and you are able to fly in three dimensions (although up and down is limited) over land, water and villages in an Arabian Nights like world. At your disposal are a variety of spells which you may use to attack and annoy your enemies.
The goal of each level is to kill all the enemy wizards and grow stronger by harnessing the mana (magical energy) of each realm. Each wizard has a small castle which is used as a warehouse to hold collected mana. Wandering monsters roam each level attacking each wizard and castle they come across. By casting damage spells (such as fireball or lightning), wizards can attack enemy castles, wizards and monsters. When wizards die, they respawn at their castles after a small delay.
When monsters die, magical energy is released in the form of balls of mana. Wizards may claim the mana by casting the posession spell on each ball. Hot air balloons are automatically dispatched from each castle to seek out and retrieve claimed mana, bringing it back to the wizard's castle and increasing his store of magic energy. The more energy a wizard has, the more powerful spells he may cast, and the more often he may cast them. Eventually, the castle fills with mana, and can hold no more. When this happens, the wizard must upgrade his castle, increasing its size and the amount or mana it can hold.
The castle is an important part of the game. A wizard hovering over his castle will replenish his magic energy and health at a rapid rate. Also any damage the wizard takes is taken by the castle instead. If the castle runs out of health, it is downsized a level and any mana that does not fit in the smaller sized castle pops out. As the castle takes more and more damage, it continues to decrease in size and more mana falls out. You may re-upgrade your castle immediately if you're flying nearby, but the mana that fell out needs to be retrieved by your balloons again, and in the mean time enemy wizards can claim what was previously your mana. If your castle is destroyed and you die before you can recreate your castle with a spell, or if you die and your castle is destroyed while you're waiting to respawn, then you are banished from the realm and lose the game.
The land and buildings are all 3D, which looks impressive, especially for its time. The water waves up and down and is reflective. Some levels take place in underground caverns with dynamic lighting from specific light sources. However, what's truly remarkable about Bullfrog's 3D engine is the real-time terrain morphing showcased by certain powerful spells. Cast the volcano spell and a cone of earth will rise out of what was an innocent and flat field just a moment ago. Balls of firey molten death spew out and roll into nearby castles and monsters which take significant damage. Other terrain altering spells such as crater, earthquake, gravity well and cave-in all allow you to reshape the square planet you fly over.
The gameplay of magic carpet is fast paced. You often have to make decisions on the best course of action at different times. If all the wizards are teaming up on your castle, should you try to defend it, or should you seek out the enemy's abandoned castles? Should you try to kill more monsters and claim more mana to grow more powerful, or should you attack each wizard head to head?
Levels sometimes play like hungry-hungry hippos, in that you're scrambling to increase your magical energy faster than your opponents. This can be very chaotic and fun. Wandering monsters often throw a wrench into the system too. If a powerful enemy (such as a hydra) discovers your castle, you may need to relocate and start over.
Magic Carpet offers a Descent like first person flying feel and a multiplayer deathmatch feel as well. Since creatures hold the precious magical energy you need to become more powerful, they are able to coexist in the melee and play an important part in the power struggle. As you collect more mana, you are able to cast more powerful spells, until you're commanding volcanos to erupt in the middle of enemy castles. Magic Carpet is truly unique and I'm still waiting for further developments in this sub-genre.
You are an apprentice wizard flying around on a magic carpet. The perspective is first person, and you are able to fly in three dimensions (although up and down is limited) over land, water and villages in an Arabian Nights like world. At your disposal are a variety of spells which you may use to attack and annoy your enemies.
The goal of each level is to kill all the enemy wizards and grow stronger by harnessing the mana (magical energy) of each realm. Each wizard has a small castle which is used as a warehouse to hold collected mana. Wandering monsters roam each level attacking each wizard and castle they come across. By casting damage spells (such as fireball or lightning), wizards can attack enemy castles, wizards and monsters. When wizards die, they respawn at their castles after a small delay.
When monsters die, magical energy is released in the form of balls of mana. Wizards may claim the mana by casting the posession spell on each ball. Hot air balloons are automatically dispatched from each castle to seek out and retrieve claimed mana, bringing it back to the wizard's castle and increasing his store of magic energy. The more energy a wizard has, the more powerful spells he may cast, and the more often he may cast them. Eventually, the castle fills with mana, and can hold no more. When this happens, the wizard must upgrade his castle, increasing its size and the amount or mana it can hold.
The castle is an important part of the game. A wizard hovering over his castle will replenish his magic energy and health at a rapid rate. Also any damage the wizard takes is taken by the castle instead. If the castle runs out of health, it is downsized a level and any mana that does not fit in the smaller sized castle pops out. As the castle takes more and more damage, it continues to decrease in size and more mana falls out. You may re-upgrade your castle immediately if you're flying nearby, but the mana that fell out needs to be retrieved by your balloons again, and in the mean time enemy wizards can claim what was previously your mana. If your castle is destroyed and you die before you can recreate your castle with a spell, or if you die and your castle is destroyed while you're waiting to respawn, then you are banished from the realm and lose the game.
The land and buildings are all 3D, which looks impressive, especially for its time. The water waves up and down and is reflective. Some levels take place in underground caverns with dynamic lighting from specific light sources. However, what's truly remarkable about Bullfrog's 3D engine is the real-time terrain morphing showcased by certain powerful spells. Cast the volcano spell and a cone of earth will rise out of what was an innocent and flat field just a moment ago. Balls of firey molten death spew out and roll into nearby castles and monsters which take significant damage. Other terrain altering spells such as crater, earthquake, gravity well and cave-in all allow you to reshape the square planet you fly over.
The gameplay of magic carpet is fast paced. You often have to make decisions on the best course of action at different times. If all the wizards are teaming up on your castle, should you try to defend it, or should you seek out the enemy's abandoned castles? Should you try to kill more monsters and claim more mana to grow more powerful, or should you attack each wizard head to head?
Levels sometimes play like hungry-hungry hippos, in that you're scrambling to increase your magical energy faster than your opponents. This can be very chaotic and fun. Wandering monsters often throw a wrench into the system too. If a powerful enemy (such as a hydra) discovers your castle, you may need to relocate and start over.
Magic Carpet offers a Descent like first person flying feel and a multiplayer deathmatch feel as well. Since creatures hold the precious magical energy you need to become more powerful, they are able to coexist in the melee and play an important part in the power struggle. As you collect more mana, you are able to cast more powerful spells, until you're commanding volcanos to erupt in the middle of enemy castles. Magic Carpet is truly unique and I'm still waiting for further developments in this sub-genre.
posted by flowbeus at 3:19 PM
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