"Magic Carpet 2" was one of Bullfrog's last hurrahs before being fully
enmeshed in the Electronic Arts mire that eventually drowned the
company. Released near the end of the DOS era, it had the player helm
an eponymous magic carpet, flying across the rolling landscapes of
vast (for its time) maps, fighting magical beasties with a host of
spells, and some impressive (again, for the time) terrain deformation.
The games were generally well received, but didn't really leave much
mark on the industry --possibly because of the somewhat wonky
controls-- and after two games EA put the franchise to rest.

The originals still run fairly well on modern PCs (with the assistance
of shims like DOSBox) but it is, of course, restricted by the
technology of its time. A fan-made port --Magic Carpet 2 HD-- works to
improve this. Still in development, it so far has added support for
higher resolutions (no longer restricted to 640x480 max!), improved
controls and easier configuration options.It even has LAN support!
And, naturally, native support for modern operating systems so DOSBox
is no longer required.

The mod currently only works with "Magic Carpet 2", although getting
the first game working is one of the long-term goals (and
online/Internet play too!). You'll need a copy of the original game
for the mod to work, though (fortunately, the games are available on
GOG, and it'll work with the DOS CD-ROM version if you own that, too)

Available here:
https://github.com/thobbsinteractive/magic-carpet-2-hd



#


I have to admit, "Magic Carpet" (and its sequel) were never really
favorites of mine. I found the gameplay too repetitive, and --giant
'open' world aside-- the visuals were never that impressive. Plus, the
controls were always squirrely; your magic carpet was a very wiggly,
unstable gunship. It was an interesting concept, and even fun in its
way, but it was never a game that kept me engaged for very long.

Still, I'm always a supporter of fan-projects that try to
re-invigorate old classics for modern players (much more than I ever
am for commercial attempts to do the same. One is done for love of the
game, the other simply to cash in on nostalgia). It's nice to see this
game running in higher resolutions, and with the greater
draw-distance, you can get a better appreciation of the rudimentary
physics engine.

But the gameplay? It's still everything it used to be. The controls
are still extremely sensitive, and the enemies are really
bullet-sponges (or fireball-sponges, as the case might be). It's not a
game I think makes for great extended play... but for a match here and
there? It's cool. I think I'll add it to my 'tiny games' collection
where I can play it whenever I want. At only 1GB for the entire
package --original, mod, and updated textures/sounds-- it's barely a
noticeable use of my hard-drive.

#

Did you play the original? Are you excited about this fan-port? Would
you like to see the game totally remade? Or do you have
no-fucking-idea what the hell I'm going on about? ;-)





--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 7/22/2026 12:16 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

Did you play the original? Are you excited about this fan-port? Would
you like to see the game totally remade? Or do you have
no-fucking-idea what the hell I'm going on about? ;-)

I played the original Magic Carpet, and while I loved the game, as you
said there wasn't much to it, not enough to pay for MC2.

--
-Justisaur

?-?
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
?ª'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:16:16 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

Did you play the original? Are you excited about this fan-port? Would
you like to see the game totally remade? Or do you have
no-fucking-idea what the hell I'm going on about? ;-)

The only Bullfrog games I ever played and liked were Syndicate and
Magic Carpet. I remember really liking MC but I do remember it getting
a bit repetitive as well. I own both games on GOG so I may give this a
try. I just wish they gave the first game the fan-port treatment first
though. My nostalgia for MC1 is higher.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Mike S. wrote:

On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:16:16 -0400, Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

Did you play the original? Are you excited about this fan-port? Would
you like to see the game totally remade? Or do you have
no-fucking-idea what the hell I'm going on about? ;-)

The only Bullfrog games I ever played and liked were Syndicate and
Magic Carpet. I remember really liking MC but I do remember it getting
a bit repetitive as well. I own both games on GOG so I may give this a
try. I just wish they gave the first game the fan-port treatment first though. My nostalgia for MC1 is higher.

I remember really liking a Bullfrog game but can't remember which one. I
just know it wasn't Dungeon Keeper because that one is so famous. Next
thing that happened, the company was out of business and I felt regret.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

MC1 was cool when I played its demo back then. I didn't know they had a sequel.


Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

"Magic Carpet 2" was one of Bullfrog's last hurrahs before being fully enmeshed in the Electronic Arts mire that eventually drowned the
company. Released near the end of the DOS era, it had the player helm
an eponymous magic carpet, flying across the rolling landscapes of
vast (for its time) maps, fighting magical beasties with a host of
spells, and some impressive (again, for the time) terrain deformation.
The games were generally well received, but didn't really leave much
mark on the industry --possibly because of the somewhat wonky
controls-- and after two games EA put the franchise to rest.

The originals still run fairly well on modern PCs (with the assistance
of shims like DOSBox) but it is, of course, restricted by the
technology of its time. A fan-made port --Magic Carpet 2 HD-- works to improve this. Still in development, it so far has added support for
higher resolutions (no longer restricted to 640x480 max!), improved
controls and easier configuration options.It even has LAN support!
And, naturally, native support for modern operating systems so DOSBox
is no longer required.

The mod currently only works with "Magic Carpet 2", although getting
the first game working is one of the long-term goals (and
online/Internet play too!). You'll need a copy of the original game
for the mod to work, though (fortunately, the games are available on
GOG, and it'll work with the DOS CD-ROM version if you own that, too)

Available here:
https://github.com/thobbsinteractive/magic-carpet-2-hd

#

I have to admit, "Magic Carpet" (and its sequel) were never really
favorites of mine. I found the gameplay too repetitive, and --giant
'open' world aside-- the visuals were never that impressive. Plus, the controls were always squirrely; your magic carpet was a very wiggly,
unstable gunship. It was an interesting concept, and even fun in its
way, but it was never a game that kept me engaged for very long.

Still, I'm always a supporter of fan-projects that try to
re-invigorate old classics for modern players (much more than I ever
am for commercial attempts to do the same. One is done for love of the
game, the other simply to cash in on nostalgia). It's nice to see this
game running in higher resolutions, and with the greater
draw-distance, you can get a better appreciation of the rudimentary
physics engine.

But the gameplay? It's still everything it used to be. The controls
are still extremely sensitive, and the enemies are really
bullet-sponges (or fireball-sponges, as the case might be). It's not a
game I think makes for great extended play... but for a match here and
there? It's cool. I think I'll add it to my 'tiny games' collection
where I can play it whenever I want. At only 1GB for the entire
package --original, mod, and updated textures/sounds-- it's barely a noticeable use of my hard-drive.

#

Did you play the original? Are you excited about this fan-port? Would
you like to see the game totally remade? Or do you have
no-fucking-idea what the hell I'm going on about? ;-)

--
"Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." --Luke 9:23. Quiet hump day after a slammy Tues.?
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:46:09 -0600, Lane W <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com>
wrote:

I remember really liking a Bullfrog game but can't remember which one. I >just know it wasn't Dungeon Keeper because that one is so famous. Next
thing that happened, the company was out of business and I felt regret.

I think either Populous or Dungeon Keeper is their most famous title.
Neither one really interested me personally though.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Thu, 23 Jul 2026 10:00:52 -0400, Mike S. <Mike_S@nowhere.com> said
this thing:

On Wed, 22 Jul 2026 18:46:09 -0600, Lane W <cactus_DAC@yahoo.com>
wrote:

I remember really liking a Bullfrog game but can't remember which one. I >>just know it wasn't Dungeon Keeper because that one is so famous. Next >>thing that happened, the company was out of business and I felt regret.

I think either Populous or Dungeon Keeper is their most famous title.
Neither one really interested me personally though.

"Populous" was certainly the game that /made/ Bullfrog; they were just
a tiny struggling developer before that, but "Populous" was what made
them famous. It was also their most-ported title, so it probably had
the widest distribution of any of their games.

"Dungeon Keeper" (and its sequel) might be their most beloved games,
though. So many people point to those games as the studio's high-water
mark. But "Theme Park" was probably their most influential title...
not for the game itself, but for the genre it inspired. You can trace
back many of the gameplay elements in something like "Jurassic Park:
Evolution 3" to that game.

My favorites in the Bullfrog library will always be the "Syndicate"
games, though. So stylish!

The "Magic Carpet" games were middle-of-the-road titles from the
developer. Not their best, but hardly their worst. They were
impressive from a technological front for their time, but they didn't
really do anything all that memorable in terms of gameplay (and their
wobbly controls made it difficult to appreciate the games anyway).
They've been mostly forgotten over the years

I still love that fans are working to re-create the games for modern
systems. I appreciate that sort of dedication.





--- PyGate Linux v1.5.18
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)