3-Nov-2003 PC Zone throws away his 'Milkmaids Of Sweden' playing cards for
a deck covered in goblins and flaming swords...
The terrible mistress that is games addiction has been cited by many a broken-hearted wife/girlfriend to be a major reason for separation. Usually, the suspect is the likes of Champ Man or the all-consuming EverQuest, but another, lesser-known threat was MicroProse's 1996 strategy game Magic: The Gathering.
A friend of mine was once so hopelessly addicted to MTG that his girlfriend finally gave him the choice of "It" or her. He chose MTG. Was he upset? Not a bit. Some things in life are just more important.
MTG the computer game (as well as its various add-ons, updates and the later online version) was itself based on Wizards of the Coast's Magic collectable-card game, a kind of Pokémon type trading phenomena but with spells. [More like Yu-Gi-Oh! then? - Ed] First appearing in 1993, this 'hobby' game now boasts more than six million players worldwide.
Now, San Francisco-based developer Secret Level is aiming to cement Magic's world domination by introducing PC gamers to MTG: Battlegrounds, a strange new hybrid of one-on-one arcade action and real-time strategy - with online play. Think of it as Street Fighter 2 but with spells instead of kicks and punches.
Battlegrounds is played in one of two modes: Quest mode or Arcade mode. Playing through the Quest unlocks new spells which can be used to create a custom spell book that you can use in Arcade mode or take online to challenge other players. The whole beauty of Magic is the way the player can choose from a near-infinite variety of strategies depending on the spells (or cards) they have in their deck.
Spell It Out As Jeffrey Tseng, Secret Level's creative director, explains: "Each of the 70 spells in Battlegrounds is based on a real card in the MTG card game. Of those spells, 35 are creatures and 35 are sorceries, instants or enchantments."
Spells are also split into five different coloured schools of magic. Black is naturally associated with the darker arts and includes pain-inflicting spells and the ability to summon the undead. White, on the other hand, calls upon such venerable wonders as healing and summoning holy monks to fight your battles. Sitting somewhere between black and white is the remaining trio of red, blue and green, which cater for the spells that aren't necessarily good or evil.
"An interesting creature is the Krovikan Vampire," muses Tseng. "When a Krovikan Vampire destroys a creature, that creature comes back into play under the Krovikan Vampire's control and attacks the enemy duellist."
All cards tend to have a counter spell though; it's just a question of whether you have it in your deck. Here, for instance, a white dispel conjuration would almost certainly halt the vampire threat.
Fight Club Bouts take place in one of 16 arenas with your duellist facing off against another human or AI-controlled opponent. Each arena has a specific theme and 15 of them tie in to a specific colour. For example, the Drake Rookery is an arena associated with blue, and is set on an island.
Your wizard begins each contest with 20 health points and a mana pool that drains each time you cast a spell. Powerful spells cost more mana, so the key is to use your deck wisely or alternatively make frequent dashes for the mana fountains that bubble forth around the edge of the arena. The winner of the contest obviously is the wizard left standing at the end.
With so many spells available, the ability to quickly select one with the minimum of fumbling will be a critical factor in the game's playability. However, Secret Level is convinced they've got that part of the game right.
"We tried at least five different control schemes before choosing the current one," recalls Tseng. "We were very concerned with the speed of choosing spells as well as simplicity. We divide the spells in your spell book into three different categories: creatures, sorceries and enchantments. Once you choose a category, you see the spells in groups of three and choose from there. If you need to flip pages to see other spells, you can do that easily. We've also enabled you to choose the locations of your spells in your spell book, so you can put the spells you need fast access to (like Counterspell) in convenient positions."
With plans already in place for downloadable spells and arenas, Battlegrounds is undoubtedly a fascinating proposition. Feelings among the Magic crowd are mixed, though, and hardcore duellists claim a more arcade-orientated game will remove the Chess-like strategy element. That may well happen, but from a PC gaming perspective the fusion of gaming styles means we might have something that can be truly classed as unique. Girlfriends, consider yourselves warned.
We challenge Secret Level's creative director to a magical duel of words...
PCZ How did you decide which cards to include in the game? JT Narrowing spells down was really tough. We've tried to include some of the popular spells from the card game, but you'll also find we've included some more obscure spells that are very powerful. The card game has thousands of cards to choose from, so it may seem like 70 spells isn't enough. However, we're continually amazed at how much depth there is.
PCZ What's the most amazing spell? JT Each colour has a few spells that are really spectacular. Red has Inferno, which deals six damage points to all creatures and wizards, the ground then cracks and lava begins to spit up out of the cracks and there's a huge explosion. There are also some impressive creatures such as the Avatar of Might. This massive creature tramples almost any other creature in its path on the way to pounding the enemy duellist.
PCZ Will Magic veterans be treated to any new duellists? JT We created many unique duellists that you'll encounter both in Quest mode as well as Arcade mode. You'll also be able to use these duellists when you create your own spellbooks with the spells you've gained in the Quest mode. The most powerful duellists in the game are legends who players of the card game will be familiar with, like Akroma, Maraxus and Ihsan's Shade, to mention a few.
PCZ Why do you think the whole Magic concept is so suited to a PC game? JT We like to think of the Magic videogame as one expression of the Magic universe, just as the card game and books are other expressions of that universe. The basic idea of duellists battling through the interactions of their spells is unique and ends up being an amazing fit for the videogame. Battlegrounds is a unique blend of fighting and strategy.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
