Magic Carpet
| Developer: Bullfrog | Graphics: |
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| Publisher: Electronic Arts | Sound: |
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| Year: 1994 (PC), 1996 (PlayStation, Saturn) | Difficulty: |
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| Genre: Action-strategy | Lastability: |
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| Number of players: 1* | Rating: |
7/10 | |
(*) 2 to 8 players can play in local network (via the NETBOIS protocol). I have no idea how to set up multiplayer on a modern machine.
The pictures are from the original MS-DOS version (without the expansion), in “high resolution” mode, which required a top-of-the-line configuration at the time. 30 years later, I can finally join the elite club of Pentium owners, blessed with 16 MB of RAM.
Do you remember that rush to 3D in the mid-’90s? It coincided with a generational shift in hardware. After the release of Doom, PCs finally began to supplant the Amiga, and a few years later, the 32-bit consoles overshadowed the Megadrive and Super Nintendo. New players entered the market, and the old guards were forced to adapt or vanish.
This transition was tough for established studios because their past catalog and expertise counted for little. The public demanded 3D games, which were much more expensive and therefore riskier to produce. On top of that, developers didn’t enjoy ready-made 3D engines, as they do today. There were no standards regarding controls, camera behavior, or gameplay mechanics that might appeal to players. This explains the plethora of industrial failures during this period.
I’m particularly interested in the companies that were most prominent on the Amiga (mostly British). Sensible Software, the illustrious creators of Cannon Fodder and Sensible Soccer, never recovered from the financially disastrous development of Sex ‘n’ Drugs ‘n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll (on PC, canceled in 1998).
And while commercial failure led to bankruptcy, success didn’t protect against other misfortunes. Psygnosis (Shadow of the Beast, Lemmings), acquired by Sony in 1993, played a significant role in the triumph of the PlayStation by producing or publishing major titles like Wipeout (1995), Colony Wars (1996), and Formula One (1997). As a reward, Sony gradually reduced Psygnosis’s independence, canceled their less profitable projects, and ultimately liquidated the studio in 2012, marking the end of a slow agony…
The trajectory of Bullfrog sits somewhere between the two examples mentioned above. They technically succeeded in their 2D/3D transition, starting with an experimental homegrown 3D engine without a clear vision (this is how Populous was conceived, which I won’t stop mentioning). While the studio didn’t achieve the same fortune as Psygnosis, they faced a similarly tragic end.
This experimental engine led to Magic Carpet, a prototype first-person shooter inspired by tales from the Arabian Nights. You control an apprentice wizard perched on a flying carpet, casting fireballs at anything that moves to increase his power and conquer dozens of worlds. Yes, restore natural balance. That’s what I meant.
This title is both innovative and old-fashioned, as it predates current conventions. I’ve read that some didn’t appreciate its “dated” ergonomics (pre-Quake): the use of arrow keys combined with the number keys at the top of the keyboard, as well as the inverted vertical axis. Personally, that’s exactly how I reconfigure my keys in all modern games (I use a mouse with over 15 buttons to trigger number keys with my right thumb).
Naysayers also complain about the confusing, “floaty” controls, but that’s precisely the concept of the game: simulating the experience of riding a flying carpet. Read The Black Company and you’ll understand that it’s not exactly a nimble vehicle. I find the way to combat monsters, circling around them while hovering, unique and exhilarating. These battles strongly remind me of Typhoon Thompson in Search for the Sea Child. And seriously, read The Black Company!
The innovation comes from this impressive 3D engine, which would be refined and reused in Populous 3 (1998). The convex horizon creates the illusion of flying over the surface of a small planet. Like in Populous, the terrain can be deformed, although this comes at the cost of drastically reduced draw distance. Optional graphics settings include high-resolution display (640x480), shadow representation or reflections on water, anti-aliasing, and even two filters designed to create an illusion of relief (anaglyph and autostereogram). Fun fact: the game was sold with a pair of 3D glasses.
However, compared to contemporary 3D shooters, the limitations quickly become apparent: it’s impossible to crash, aiming is heavily assisted by the computer, and the sparse enemies are relatively harmless at first. The difficulty increases incrementally, and the real challenges only begin after about ten levels, once all the spells and monsters have been introduced (like Populous Archipelagos, for a change). The manual claims there are 50 levels in total, but for some mysterious reason, 5 of them have been skipped (numbers 9, 18, 29, 34, and 40).
You’ll notice that the first monsters you kill explode spectacularly, releasing a multitude of golden orbs. That’s mana, the magical energy that constitutes the source of your power and the universal resource everyone desires. Your only goal is to seize an ever-increasing share of mana found in each world. However, you can’t transport these orbs directly. That’s where the strategic element comes in. Deep inspiration…
Level 1 drops you in the open countryside, weaponless (and without a tutorial). Your first task is to gather the first three spells, contained in urns marked by red dots on the map: “fireball”, “possession”, and “castle”. The first is used to destroy monsters and “extract” mana. The second is used to “mark” mana orbs (they’ll change colour from gold to white). The last spell builds a castle, where you’ll store the significant amount of mana required to complete the level.
Once the castle is built, a hot air balloon will rise and automatically fetch the white orbs from anywhere on the map, before bringing them back. It’s important to understand that the castle has limited capacity, represented by a gray bar at the top left of the screen (the two small white dots to the right of this bar indicate the mana quota required). When the capacity is reached, the hot air balloon stops its round trips. You then need to enlarge your castle by casting the spell again. Your citadel comprises seven stages of development, granting you increasing advantages (access to more powerful spells, accelerated regeneration, higher number of balloons, up to three).
Later on, rival wizards will enter the scene, striving, like you, to accumulate as much mana as possible, marking the orbs in their colour before their own balloons can take them away.
A typical level breaks down as follows:
- Phase 1: survival. The opening is often violent. The first seconds are crucial. Gather a small amount of mana to fuel your first spells by “possessing” nearby houses and taking down a few creatures. Build a castle as soon as possible and defend it.
- Phase 2: stabilization. Explore the area, gather more mana (by killing monsters or letting your opponents do the work), mark the orbs obtained, and keep an eye on them until your balloons arrive. Upgrade your castle as soon as possible and as many times as you can.
- Phase 3: aggression. Once the region is completely depopulated of monsters, go fetch the remaining mana, where it is hidden: in the castle of the neighboring wizards!
The final phase is the longest and least interesting, as we have already gained a decisive “economic” advantage. Nevertheless, I enjoy reducing an enemy castle to ruins and seeing the competitors rush in on their carpets, not to help their colleague defend his crib, but to join in the looting. True vultures! Temporary alliances and backstabbing; I dare not imagine what a multiplayer game must have looked like.
Despite the predictable progression and repeating landscapes (grass, earth, sea), I find the game remarkably addictive. The 24 spells available also offer a wealth of approaches. I don’t like as much the few levels where we are deprived of the ability to build a castle, or which lock us inside a labyrinth (fortunately, they are rare). This still reflects a clear willingness from the creators to try new things.
I might add a personal grievance: while each of the mouse buttons is assigned to one of the two active spells, clicking both buttons simultaneously calls up the spell selection screen and the world map. I accidentally trigger this command constantly. It obscures my view at the worst moments (in the middle of combat) without pausing the game! It bothered me so much that I had to resort to third-party software (AutoHotKey) to disable this poorly thought-out combination.
The artificial intelligence of rival wizards seems timid to me, but I suppose they had to give the human player a chance. The vast majority of the time, they merely snatch mana orbs from the ground. They do not attack you, nor your balloons, nor your castle. On rare occasions, however … they have it out for you, and it becomes much more sporty! On the other hand, wizard duels on flying carpets do not turn out to be as epic as one might imagine, because they have multiple defensive solutions just like us (resurrection in their castle, healing, acceleration…). I’ve come to completely ignore them.
I would have liked to stop there and highly recommend this game to you, if only for the memorable moments it has left me: the first time I triggered a “bee trap”, my first battle against a trio of dragons, the first time I tried the “meteor” spell on villagers, then on a band of griffons… My first encounter with a little crab, then a big one, then a very big one! My first guivre, my first horde of guivres…
Unfortunately, this game was released prematurely and suffers from major bugs, accompanied by regular crashes. It breaks my heart that they did not fix these bugs before releasing an expansion and then a sequel. The problem can be summed up in two words: “ Electronic Arts” ; or if I’m feeling cheeky: Peter Molyneux, the co-founder of Bullfrog, who sold them the company between 1992 and 1995, initiating the cycle we know: race for profitability, rushed games, stifled creativity, restructuring, and then disappearance.
I’m not in the habit of saying this, but it’s a title that deserves a remake. Keep the same “spherical” 3D representation, minus the bugs, increase the draw distance, modernize the keyboard shortcuts (a simple customizable action bar). Add a more varied soundtrack. And for heaven’s sake, spare us the visual pollution that plagues modern games (damage inflicted, health bars, objective markers)! Independent developers, what are you waiting for?
I couldn’t get the version from Abandonware-France to work without constant crashes (I tried other abandonware sites, same issue). I recommend buying it on GOG. The Plus edition includes the expansion (25 new snowy worlds), improves stability, and allows you to save mid-level (“Alt” + “S” or “L”).
If the game seems too fast, don’t panic, it’s preset in “HD” mode. Just press “R”. If the speed still isn’t right, edit the configuration file (section “cycles”), or try the combinations “Ctrl” + “F11” or “F12” to slow down or speed up the emulation.
The console versions (PlayStation and Saturn) are based on the Plus edition, but their resolution is lower, and the controls are less pleasant with the controller.
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Magic Carpet 2: The Netherworlds (1995)
Magic Carpet 2 looks very much like the first one; a more refined version, one might say … if it didn’t crash all the time. I would rather say it is a dispensable sequel made in a hurry. The lack of polish is glaring, as is the persistence of numerous bugs. Unforgivable the second time around. At least the frame rate is more consistent.
The game is twice as short as its predecessor (only 25 levels, plus five hidden ones) and the difficulty is lower because we keep all our spells from one level to the next. Moreover, the few new features I noted degrade the experience, in my opinion.
First, the spells are now placed in a panel at the bottom of the screen, like in Hunter (I’ve set a record for the number of Amiga games mentioned on the same page). Very well, but I don’t understand why they removed the ability to create keyboard shortcuts. The function was clunky (only numeric keys) but far better than nothing at all. I had particularly gotten used to using the “acceleration” spell on the fly, and it was very painful to do without it. Meanwhile, they kept this stupid combination of the two mouse buttons…
Next, the experience system applied to spells, implemented to provide a sense of progression or customization, slows down the pace. The search for experience scrolls encourages us to rummage through every nook and cranny of the map in the end, and it amounts to lengthening the phase of the game that I already found the least fun.
They felt obliged to add an invasive tutorial, health bars on enemy wizards, as well as secondary objectives, with associated markers on the map, in an attempt to give thickness to the “adventurous” context. For my part, I prefer a good strategy game that doesn’t hold my hand rather than a cheap adventure game.
Finally, they added labyrinthine levels inside narrow tunnel networks, which goes against the “open world” spirit that I enjoyed in the first game. The lack of space makes fights unpleasant. As for the new monsters, they are more annoying than anything else (zombies that steal our spells, indistinguishable spiders, untouchable leviathans, unkillable hydras…).
A “patch” project (requiring the original games) is in development (one to keep an eye on, then).
In the same vein (or atmosphere), I invite you to check out Invasion From Beyond (PlayStation, 1998), Sacrifice (PC, 2000), The I of the Dragon (PC, 2004), Devil Daggers (PC, 2016), Risk of Rain 2 (2019).
And for your complete information, a homonym exists on C64 (1984) and ZX Spectrum (1985).
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I will conclude with practical advice for those unfortunate enough to feel stuck in Magic Carpet (this also largely applies to its sequel). Stop reading if you want to try it out for yourself first. Additionally, there is a comprehensive guide (found on the GOG forum).
First, the success of a level often depends on where you place your castle. At the beginning, you will want to minimize confrontations until you have reached an advanced stage of development. If monsters are attacking you on land, settle in the middle of the ocean. If the ocean is infested with krakens, set up in the middle of the plains.
Later, with experience, you may recognize that you are the predator and adopt the opposite strategy: place your castle where the concentration of monsters is highest, to shorten the travel time of your balloons and reduce the chances of your mana orbs being stolen.
Your castle needs space to expand. Don’t place it too close to an enemy castle or a wall. The key combination “Shift” + “L” will reduce its size. Repeat this as many times as necessary to make it disappear, allowing you to choose a more favorable location.
Don’t worry if you miss spells. You will have other opportunities to recover them later (and to lose them, too).
A relative spike in difficulty occurs at levels 6 and 7. This is because you will be forced to understand certain nuances. The mistake I made was continuing to kill monsters and capture mana without realising that my castle was at maximum capacity (my balloons were no longer working). The opponent took advantage of this to steal the mana orbs left on the ground, their castle absorbed the resources, and it grew. In the end, it was just him and me left, but I didn’t possess powerful enough spells to damage their fortress. Solution: restart the level and focus on the orbs. Wait for your balloons to collect them before engaging a new group of monsters, and destroy the opponent’s balloons on sight. Finally, upgrade your castle as soon as it is saturated (when its bar flashes).
I encountered a second spike in difficulty at level 16 when I met my first aggressive wizard. He would immediately demolish my castle and kill me repeatedly from the start. And if I managed to escape, the local wildlife would finish the job. I restarted ten times before noticing a “trap” that spawned skeletons right next to my opponent’s home. They made his life miserable, the perfect diversion. A little later, I led a giant crab to him (one of the most dangerous monsters). Remember to exploit the environment!
Method for attacking an enemy castle: start by “refueling” by flying over your dungeon. This way, you benefit from rapid regeneration of “personal mana”, which is used to cast spells (the third white bar under your health indicator). Then, head to any enemy castle and bombard it relentlessly with your most powerful spell, except for the “meteor” spell (which sometimes causes a bug that makes the targeted castle invulnerable). Fire until your personal mana bar is exhausted. Then, “possess” the scattered orbs and guard them until your balloons take them. It doesn’t matter if the enemy castle is still standing (or if it is rebuilt immediately). Return to your castle to recharge and set off for a new assault. Your goal is not to raze the structure but to capture the orbs it contains.
I now come to the most important technique, essential at the end of the game: learn to use the “castle” spell as a weapon (remember The Wizard of Oz, how the wicked witch of the East died?). If you are being pursued by a swarm of bees or a genie, return to your castle, reduce it by one level if you are low on mana, then enlarge it again. The monsters within its surface will be pulverized. If you don’t own a castle yet, consider its first placement as a grenade throw…
In certain worlds (level 14, for example), the population of humans or skeletons increases rapidly (notably, when a wyvern razes a village, houses “regrow” and groups of archers are “generated”). Be sure to reduce their numbers (with meteors this time). Indeed, the game engine strictly limits the number of “objects” present. These include creatures, inhabitants, as well as all your projectiles, so once this limit is exceeded, you will no longer be able to shoot! This dramatic programming blunder could force you to restart the level from the beginning or use a cheat code to skip to the next one.
Incidentally, if like me, the shortcut of both mouse buttons drives you crazy. Here is my AutoHotKey (V1) script:
#IfWinActive DOSBox
~Lbutton & Rbutton::Return
~Rbutton & Lbutton::Return
It doesn’t work in full screen, so I modified the config file as follows to play in windowed mode in good conditions:
fullscreen=false
fulldouble=false
fullresolution=original
windowresolution=1373x1030
output=ddraw
Phew!
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