Follow the instructions and download from here https://gitlab.com/cthscr/mmmerge/-/wikis/Manual/Install

It has the up to date links.

Your best shot for ongoing conversations about updates is probably on celestialheavens in this thread: https://www.celestialheavens.com/forum/10/16657?start=6780

At the start of the game you create your own party of 1-5 characters. All characters can be dismissed once you reach the hiring building as seen in MM8 (can't remember the name of it right now). Of course, you cannot dismiss them all at once, but you can replace any and all characters as long as you have at least 1 character in the party).

You switch between continents rather seamlessly with no impact on your party.

The only thing worth noting is that your promotion quests and classes depend on what continent you start on (decide between Antagarich, Jadame and Enroth). A sorcerer created in Enroth will be able to learn both light and dark to master level, but never GM in any of those, while a sorcerer created in Antagarich can choose between learning (and becoming GM) in either light or dark magic, but not both.

Interestingly, druids can GM all magic schools except light/dark (which they cannot learn at all).

All this information is based on a possibly outdated mod that i installed about a year ago.

Agreed I'm loving playing this mod! I wish SOMEONE in my mm8 class list could get Grand-Master alchemy though :P

I'm playing the VI-VIII mod. Every mm6 walkthrough i read mentions grabbing the gate master in New Sorpigal. And if I can't find him then just save and reload. I have saved and reloaded dozens of times. I have started new games. I have not ONCE come across this gate master NPC that I can have join my party for early travel. Any solutions or has anybody else experienced this? Was the option removed by the mod?

IIRC the NPCs in an area are permanent once the area loads. If you look for a specific NPC you should save before going to a new are (or an area you havent been in for a while). If the NPC you need isnt there, you need to load the save and travel to that area again until you find the one you need.

Also dont use the auto save, as this saves after you pay for the ride, causing you to lose all your money if you do it many enough times.

I'm having what appears to be a reputation problem. All the town guards hate me & attack me immediately ... it started either after I did the candelabra quest in New Sorpigal, or after I killed that young basilisk that appeared to come out of nowhere. Now I can't go into a new town without getting attacked, and donations to the temple are not helping. Furthermore, I cannot sell anything in a shop for more than 1 gold, and have to pay super-premium prices for every little thing. Help?

P.S.: I never had this in the original games of MM6-8. New to me.

Run to the temple and donate money to raise your reputation until everyone stops attacking you. Did you pick up a follower who drops your reputation?

I tried donating, but it was massive amounts & didn't help.

My followers are a scholar and a weapons master. However, I threatened the scholar before hiring her, so maybe that did it? Would it help if I dismissed her?

well the reputation thing only applies to mm6 so you can portal to another game or start a new game (or spawn in some gold for donations), basically you're not allowed to complete the baa quest or any other quest that gives negative rep or the game becomes unplayable.

You're not referring to the candelabra quest for Andover Potbello, are you? That would be highly annoying if that's what caused the problem.

Does the mod not describe your reputation by name the way mm6's stat display does?

If ANY reputation-lowering quest (which the candelabra one is, in a small way) really does make the mod unplayable like this, no matter how good our reputation was before, then so much the worse for the mod, that is way over the top.

Another thought - can you set matters right by paying a fine at a town hall, like in mm7?

yeah that one fucks you if you do it at the start of the game, begging / threatening peasants makes it worse as well so that's that as well.

nop no fines, my bad though the reputation lowering quests only fuck you when you don't have enough positive karma to make up for em.

Aargh. Well, alright, it's early enough in the game (my first test-run) that I'm not committed to it, so I'll just start another one.

I roleplay mm6 a bit by making the missing child my first quest, my first evening (firmly ignoring the closed doors behind which I can hear snakes hissing). Though the lowest-reward quest in the game, it still gives enough exp, coupled with hunting goblins outdoors the next day, to qualify for two levels of training, to raise one skill to expert. Goblinwatch code next, then the candelabra.