MODDING OLD GAMES

The retrogame mod scene is livelier than you'd think

- Jonathan Bolding

The editors at PC Gamer recently spotted a very curious entry that popped up on ModDB: an elaborate modded scenario that combined two great hits from 1996. Made by modders Blake and MetroPolis, it combines the mechanics and gameplay of Civilization II with the world of Heroes of Might and Magic II. It features seven custom civilizations complete with buildings, units, tech and more.

It took five years of spare time to make. At press time, a few more than 300 people have downloaded it, and one of them is me. It's a remarkably specific mod. It combines two games, immensely popular in their time, that have largely fallen by the wayside. Civilization II so much so that you can't even buy and play it on modern operating systems, despite being one of the most foundational 4X strategy games ever made. That hugely limits the possible install base for what is clearly a very interesting, very deep and passionate work of the modder's art.

I had to know just what kind of person would make it. Enter Blake, an Australian retrogame enthusiast, archivist, modder and self-professed “late night gym junkie”. Back in 2019 he saw someone make a Civ III mod that imported HoMM III. So why not the same with Civ II and HoMM II, he thought?

“I grew up playing endless hours of Civilization II and HoMM II in the '90s, always dreaming of what it'd be like if those worlds merged,” he says. “Like most I think HoMM III is the best, but I have an immense nostalgic love of the first two games.

“Decades later while getting back into Civ II and researching lost scenarios for my preservation project and Civ tribute video series, I stumbled upon some unfinished