@ Anonymous - a still existing feature is the fact that no layout can be applied to the master slides.
The available default layout is “Title, Content”.
I tweaked this default slide to create a title master and a slide master.
For the rest I am using the functionality to add a layout to each slide. For example two columns (text, images, charts etc) This is actually working very fine.
Looking at your requirements I personally would do it like this:
a title master - tweak the default layout to create a title. I could do it and it works fine for me.
a standard text master - here you can use the default layout and can add and format whatever you need; this also works for me and my master format looks quite different from the default.
a two-columns image and text master - here consider to use the standard text master and the choose whenever needed the two colum layout; just keep the layout window open
a summary master - if I could not work with the “standard text master” I try to tweak this one as a summary master.
Keep in mind that a master is more related to background then to layout.
I thought that there is already an enhancement request fot the feature that master slides can take lay outs but I could not find it.
Please put an enhancement request forward.