Master of Magic is a single-player, fantasy turn-based 4X strategy game released in 1994 and, after a rough start with some major bugs issues, it did quite well and it is known as one of the top 4X games of all time. It eventually launched on GOG where it has also been well received, and last summer the rights to the game were acquired by publisher Slitherine.
Slitherine didn't say what exactly it had in mind for Master of Magic, although developer Ian McNeil told us at the time that we could expect something to happen in the near future. And now it has: More than 25 years after its release, Master of Magic has a new DLC, Caster of Magic.
Some of the features are:
- Improved wizard customization to provide maximal replayability
- Improved diplomacy system
- Extra emphasis on magic spells and fantastic creatures
- Even more spells and units
- New city buildings
- New AI that provides a challenge for even veteran players
- More difficulty levels
- Many more map generation options
- Building queue system for convenient and faster gameplay
Caster of Magic adds new spells, units, and city buildings, and makes improvements to the wizard customization and diplomacy systems. It also incorporates new, more challenging AI, more difficulty levels, and more map generation options.
"I'm hoping this money will ensure I’ll be able to continue developing Caster of Magic in the future no matter what happens, and ideally, produce proper source code for it as the next step in development. As you already know, Caster of Magic was developed entirely by hacking the executable files as no one has the source code for the game anymore," McNeil wrote in a post. "While I was able to get very far using the current approach, at this time the really important missing features—enabling more than 4 enemy wizards in the game for example, or adding new content without having to remove the same amount of existing stuff—will require source code. That said, this is a plan for the future, and as long as possible I will keep patching the current Caster of Magic."
So, what are your thoughts on Master of Magic getting a new DLC after 25 years? Do you think this will bring the veteran players back and cause a rise back to the top of the game charts? Personally, I'm interested in what they have to offer and am excited to see if this will increase the lifespan of the game. Whatever your thoughts may be, let us know in the comments below.
