Wizardry The Wizardry Series Thread

[octavius]

Completed Llylgamyn Saga.

In the end I had to reload twice when running through the gauntlet to Werdna's lair, first when surprised by group of Zombie Dragon with breath that could kill, and then against a group of five Greater Demons with magic resistance and casting high level fire spells.

I had forgotten how the last part before the final was like. It reminded me of the last couple of levels in Bard's Tale, where Greater Demons are also the greatest danger.
But in the end my party was through the gauntlet.

Werdna was busy telling jokes about alive people, so he and the other suckers were surprised (a nice change from my first time with the DOS version when his Tilotwait was already on its way when the party entered the lair).

My two front-liners were drained three levels each during the game, and none were ever Ashes or Lost at the temple. So this version is significantly easier than the DOS version. It made me play more casually, I think.

I never found any of the really good loot, except one of the Shields that are Evil restricted. No super sword (Cuisinart or Muramasa) or Thieves' Dagger to get a Ninja, nor the item that turns you to a Lord.

So a rather uneventful experience.
I'm starting to think that the only way to play the real, bug free Wizardry 1 is to play the original Apple version.

 

[DrkStarr]

So I've been playing Wiz I under Apple emulation, version 2.1, looking for good gear on Lvl 4. All my characters hit level 11, so I figure I can handle anything down on 5. I could get better gear there.

I wander around down there but find nothing. After a bit, my party was surprised by a group of 6 mages. Several opened with fireball and by the time it was my turn, both of my mages and the cleric were dead. It didn't take long for a TPK. I don't know of any fire protection that would work on the entire party, something like MAPORFIC. There is the Chainmal of Fire, but that would only work on one person if I had it.

So is this just bad luck? My mages would need over 50 health to hang out down there, my cleric had 51.

 

[octavius]

Bad luck or bad preperation? Do your spell casters have max Agility for best possible initiative? Then you can cast Montino (silence) or a damage spell first.
Wait...did you say you were surprised and they cast spells in the surprise round? If so the Apple version is the most hard core and difficult one.
As for magic protection spells, that's from Wiz 5 onwards.

 

[gman42]

So I've been playing Wiz I under Apple emulation, version 2.1, looking for good gear on Lvl 4. All my characters hit level 11, so I figure I can handle anything down on 5. I could get better gear there.

I wander around down there but find nothing. After a bit, my party was surprised by a group of 6 mages. Several opened with fireball and by the time it was my turn, both of my mages and the cleric were dead. It didn't take long for a TPK. I don't know of any fire protection that would work on the entire party, something like MAPORFIC. There is the Chainmal of Fire, but that would only work on one person if I had it.

So is this just bad luck? My mages would need over 50 health to hang out down there, my cleric had 51.

The biggest imbalance in that original version is the ability for the ambushing side to be able to cast spells, it's rough. I remember from my original playthrough back in the 80s that I played insanely carefully and kept myself overleveled for just that reason, I also fully mapped every floor and took all the XP I could get to prepare me for the next one...none of this "lol I got the blue ribbon and went right down to the 9th floor and then finished the game with level 10-11 characters" that I hear sometimes.

 

[octavius]

Damned, is there really not one perfect version after all this time?

 

[DrkStarr]

There is one thing to consider. Wizardry I does have copy detection built into it. Does anybody know what this does? I'm using the WOZADAY file type. I'm hoping that it's an original copy, so there is no copy detection breaking it. But if there is, it would be funny if Trebor put in a party wipe for people who pirated the game. That's probably not going on, if the mobs can surprise the party and cast at the same time - just imbalance. Six mages on level 5 is brutal.

Also, are their bodies still there? If I rolled another group and got all the way down there would I find their stuff? If so, this is a crazy mechanic that must be limited by character cap.

 

[octavius]

Yes, you can fetch the bodies of your previous party (I did that the first time I played Wiz 1). There's even a spell to locate them if you forgot where they died.

 

[Dave the Druid]

There is one thing to consider. Wizardry I does have copy detection built into it. Does anybody know what this does? I'm using the WOZADAY file type. I'm hoping that it's an original copy, so there is no copy detection breaking it.

I think it's just write-protected so if you've already started playing it and it works you should be fine. You can check by right-clicking your .dsk files (or .woz files or whatever the fuck you've got,) click 'Properties,' and Side 1 (Boot) should already be marked "Read Only" while Side 2 (Scenario Master) should be unchecked. I never tried it but if you want some fun you could uncheck 'Read Only' and then run the game. It should spaz out, assume it's a pirated copy and destroy itself.

 

[DrkStarr]

I think it's just write-protected so if you've already started playing it and it works you should be fine. You can check by right-clicking your .dsk files (or .woz files or whatever the fuck you've got,) click 'Properties,' and Side 1 (Boot) should already be marked "Read Only" while Side 2 (Scenario Master) should be unchecked. I never tried it but if you want some fun you could uncheck 'Read Only' and then run the game. It should spaz out, assume it's a pirated copy and destroy itself.

I had problems getting Wizardry to run at first. It was because the boot side was not write protected. The game won't load past the intro graphic. I locks up. WOZ files capture everything, so you don't need to do that. No. The copy detection is something different. Having to do with reading a track at a certain time, and knowing that the disk was copied. I think it was because SirTech wrote something to the disk that a normal drive wouldn't copy. I heard Robert talking about it at KansasFest and always wondered what it did.

 

[gman42]

I remember some DOS bootable floppy games were like this too, they actually had like one track written as bad/unreadable so no conventional tools would be able to copy the disk properly.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I guess he had no faith that people would treasure a purchased copy and everyone was out to pirate it all. I like the box (though price stickers and shit annoy the fuck out of me), the book, and everything in the boxes (until some git fucked up my collection by smashing it).

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Alright, I'm gonna get back into Wiz4 after taking a break from it for awhile. I got demoralized because the Maze of Wandering seems to have one other hidden mechanic that I haven't yet uncovered; certain doors are sometimes shut off, with no apparent trigger.

 

[LarryTyphoid]

Holy SHIT, the Maze of Wandering has got to be the most grueling challenge I've ever seen in any game. Every time I chip away at a little bit more of the unexplored map, I can feel my soul being chipped away along with it. And I've only explored maybe 30% so far. And then there's 3 more floors after this. Good grief.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Soon, your soul will be gone. Hands down Wiz4 was IS the hardest of the bunch.

 

[TheDeveloperDude]

Have you had more than 2000 kills in any Wizardry for 1 party member?
MotUW - wizardry clone

 

[octavius]

Have you had more than 2000 kills in any Wizardry for 1 party member?
MotUW - wizardry clone

7267 kills total in Wiz 7. So maybe.
Anyway, YouTube says that game is kids stuff.

 

[Butter]

Have you had more than 2000 kills in any Wizardry for 1 party member?
MotUW - wizardry clone

I've played Wiz7 solo so yes.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Damned, is there really not one perfect version after all this time?

Isn't the Super Famicom version of 1-2-3 the least fucked when it comes to ease of use and play? I am aware of its issues, but it would seem like that one together with the PSX one are the least affected by random bullshit?

 

[baba is you]

Damned, is there really not one perfect version after all this time?

Isn't the Super Famicom version of 1-2-3 the least fucked when it comes to ease of use and play? I am aware of its issues, but it would seem like that one together with the PSX one are the least affected by random bullshit?

While gamers often highly recommend the super Famicom version comes highly recommended, but there are some changes from the original. Most notably, the level design of Wizardry 2 is different, and the order of Wizardry 2 and 3 is different.
In addition, the original game didn't have a strong horror element. The developers had some in-game pranks. But in Japan, they took it as horror, and Super Famicom had some horror elements.

So I just play the DOS version when I think of Wizardry. I know it's buggy, but I don't have a problem getting to the ending.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Damned, is there really not one perfect version after all this time?

Isn't the Super Famicom version of 1-2-3 the least fucked when it comes to ease of use and play? I am aware of its issues, but it would seem like that one together with the PSX one are the least affected by random bullshit?

The super Famicom version comes highly recommended, but there are some changes from the original. Most notably, the level design of Wizardry 2 is different, and the order of Wizardry 2 and 3 is different.
In addition, the original game didn't have a strong horror element. The developers had some in-game pranks. But in Japan, they took it as horror, and Super Famicom had some horror elements.

So I just play the DOS version when I think of Wizardry. I know it's buggy, but I don't have a problem getting to the ending.

The DOS version is infamous for being heavy handed with the stat decrease on levelup, tough. The culture clash bit is kinda interesting, if only as a curiosity. They thought Cuisinart was an actual fantasy name. I guess you could make the case that a dungeon full of dangerous monsters which works pretty much like a meat grinder that feeds on careless adventurers is pretty grim. This was years before X-COM too.

 

[baba is you]

The DOS version is infamous for being heavy handed with the stat decrease on levelup, tough. The culture clash bit is kinda interesting, if only as a curiosity. They thought Cuisinart was an actual fantasy name. I guess you could make the case that a dungeon full of dangerous monsters which works pretty much like a meat grinder that feeds on careless adventurers is pretty grim. This was years before X-COM too.

Even with the bugs, the DOS version shouldn't have much trouble finishing Wizardry 1. It's only with Wizardry 3 that the problem grows, as far as I know.
The encounter itself is aggressive and hard, and it's hard to get a chance to grow differently from 1, and there are bugs, so I personally remember Wizardry 3 being very hard.

And as you said, it's probably a cultural difference, because in general, blobbers released by Western developers seem to be very rare, even if they have horror elements.
I don't have much experience with Japanese "dungeon RPGs", but they tend to have a strong horror element.

 

[Dorateen]

Have you had more than 2000 kills in any Wizardry for 1 party member?
MotUW - wizardry clone

According to the records I kept, in Wizardry 7, I finished with a level 31 Ranger Lord who had 2,459 monster kills. As a level 23 dwarf Crusader, I finished with 2,219 monster kills.

The rest of our party, the fairy ninja had 1,777 kills, while a pure Magus had 1,715. Our priest/bishop had 1,110 kills, and the bard finished last with only 532 monster kills.

That would bring the total party kills to 9,812.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Play them all if a mega fan. I try this with early ultima series. Damn fun finding the differences.

 

[TheDeveloperDude]

I am thinking about a 3 bards + 3 gadgeteers party. Will it be FUN?

 

[Butter]

I am thinking about a 3 bards + 3 gadgeteers party. Will it be FUN?

No, because you'll be playing Wiz 8.