One is absolutely correct, and one would have to find someone with the tools and abilities to develop and test the patch.
Unfortunately, Activision isn't interested in putting out another patch, so it would have to come from the community somewhere. I know that this kind of thing has happened before in the Might & Magic world, but MM9 was a much newer game.
If I knew where the tools and code were, I'd be happy to look into it. Nothing like today for learning some new technology, I always say...