Wizardry The Wizardry Series Thread

[Darth Roxor]

I would be pretty happy if I could actually find the game itself somewhere.

It was in one issue of CD-Action of which I am in possession

... but the cd with the game in question I sent to a guy in Morocco

 

[DraQ]

I would be pretty happy if I could actually find the game itself somewhere.

Legally or not-so-legally? because if the latter then I'm sure I can arrange for a copy to not physically remove itself from inventory and find its way towards you.

Preferably the former, but let's keep it real.

 

[Bruticis]

So I played Wiz 8 at release with a party I liked and now I want an uber min/max party. Any suggestions? I was thinking 2 or 3 lizard warriors (quickest ironskin) and maybe a few faerie mages, bishops, or alcahies (later on switch to Mage or Bard). Any ideas on a powerful, full group?

 

[darkling]

I'm having an awful time getting this game to work. If I set it to DX6, the game runs too slow to run, if it set it to DX7, movement randomly doesn't work (neither arrow keys or clicking both mouse buttons, but I can use the rotate in place buttons no problem!), if I set it to OGL I can run around fine, but the graphics are all segmented into squares with black lines between them. (Running Win7. I tried XP SP3 compat mode, XP SP2 compat mode and Win98 compat mode, all with the same problem, so it's not there).

I scoured the net, sorta, and found little information. You guys know this game inside and out though, so I'm betting someone here has a solution.

 

[coldcrow]

http://www.zimlab.com/wizardry/wolfie/W ... FIXES.html

OpenGL fix for Wizardry 8.

 

[coldcrow]

It depends what amount of skill-grinding your are willing to do.

You can basically go 2 routes to stand a chance vs late-game attacks. Either you go for speed to get the shields up before the opponents can act, or you go piety (iron will) to skip over shieldcasting and run only with the pre-combat buffs.

Iron Will is hard to train but probably the best Skill in the game since it protects from side effects of attacks too. Also 100 piety will give you large amounts of Spell points (and stamina).

If you want to have a full party with eventual NPCs the 4 basic spellcasters are excellent. You'll get the good spells fast and with 100 piety you can smoke your opposition relentlessly. Add bard,fighter,rogue, or any of the more durable classes for the front.

If you like skillgrinding, then go with samurai,ninja,monk,valkyrie (lord)gadgeteer,bard.

You get the best of everything but this party needs some serious grinding to get all of the skills up.

 

[Takeda Kenshi]

I'm thinking of replaying Wiz8 with a Lord, Ranger, Ninja, Gadgeteer, Priest, and Psionic. Trying to deviate from my normal party structure.

 

[darkling]

Thanks for the OGL fix link, I thought that'd do it, but I guess I didn't try OGL enough before saying it fixed my movement problem, cuz it doesn't Damn..

Sometimes, while I can look around, I still just can't move. Sometimes it lets me move around a little, then stops. It was working great with my ATI card that I just stupidly blew up while replacing the fan. Since I swapped back down to my Nvidia 9600 I've been having a terrible time. On the ATI it worked in DirectX 6 mode no problem, but not in the others. With the Nvidia, I can always move in the Dx6 mode, but the framerate hits about .5fps and the game is completely unplayable.

At least I managed to finish the Monastery and got raped a few times on Arnika Road before all that video card crap happened so I've seen what people here tend to call the best dungeon and worst area of the game. It's pretty awesome so far and I wish I had given it a chance back in the day. Just hope I can find a fix. =)

 

[Darth Roxor]

I'm thinking of replaying Wiz8 with a Lord, Ranger, Ninja, Gadgeteer, Priest, and Psionic. Trying to deviate from my normal party structure.

My first party ever was sorta similar. Lord, Ranger, Gadgeteer, Bard, Priest, Mage.

Rangers are the best characters in Wiz8. FACT!

 

[jazzotron]

I'm thinking of replaying Wiz8 with a Lord, Ranger, Ninja, Gadgeteer, Priest, and Psionic. Trying to deviate from my normal party structure.

My first party ever was sorta similar. Lord, Ranger, Gadgeteer, Bard, Priest, Mage.

Rangers are the best characters in Wiz8. FACT!

I never play without one - gawd bless auto-search!

 

[Darth Roxor]

I never play without one - gawd bless auto-search!

Also: ranged critical hits

 

[Eyeball]

As for the original point of this thread: I tried the space-ey mod I talked about earlier, but I didn't get very far in it. I didn't really like the appearance or performance of the new rayguns and I felt that the entire science-fiction angle clashed with Wiz8 as it was intended, which was kind of mixed sci-fi/fantasy/steampunky stuff.

I am currently playing with Flamestryke's mod, and I must say that I'm having a way easier time of it than with vanilla Wiz8. What Flamestryke's mod does is add a ton of items, some new monster encounters and a few new spells, with some of the items being very powerful, particularly as there are several new items adding stamina and spell point regeneration, making combat casters far more viable for damageing enemies than they were before.

I recommend this mod - doesn't really change much gameplay-wise, but adds some loot making fighting 56000+ HP Rapax every three steps less of a chore.

PS: Female bards rule. Stamina regain necklace plus a few good instruments equals spamming of terrorise, insanity and fireball almost every round.

 

[jazzotron]

I never play without one - gawd bless auto-search!

Also: ranged critical hits

indeed!

Oh dear - time for another run through...

 

[SkeleTony]

The level scaling was probably the only REAL criticism leveled at this game(the anti-combat fags should be ignored).

I really enjoy combat in Wiz8, but it would be better if going to an outhouse didn't constitute a major military campaign.

Agreed but I was thinking about the mid-to-late stages of the game when the encounters are not so bad. They are REALLy bad before Arnika, slightly less bad once you leave Arnika, headed for Trinton or Mt. Gigas, and gradually better after that.

other than the level scaling and some difficulty/balance issues in the early game(after leaving the monastery), it is damned near perfect.

What difficulty issues?

Just the running into two dozen juggernaughts and bandits after leaving the monastery and so forth.

(which you can use to tweak a ton of things...like if you do not want your RPCs quitting on you when you enter a specific area, you can remove that).

Popamole faggot.

If you don't want them to leave, you find a way to drag them there anyway (teleport, uncounsciousness, death) and enjoy their extra dialogue where they complain a lot.

Why?! That makes no sense. My first time through I played without even knowing the Madgod editor existed(it may NOT have existed back then) but the second time through was more enjoyable because I removed the artificial and quite silly constraints on who could go where. Perhaps you like to repeatedly juggle party members in and out based on which direction you are heading but for me...no so much. I like to find whatever two RPCs I am recruiting and pretty much stick with them for the most part.

 

[zeitgeist]

Is Wizards and Warriors any good?

I loved it and made this wonderful Let's play but it's sort of a poor man's Wizardry (which it's still better than many games that are poor man's BG or Diablo).

Does anyone know what the real story behind Bradley leaving Sir-Tech to make his own Wizardry clone was? I find it very interesting how the entire mid-to-late nineties passed without a Wizardry sequel, and then in 2000/2001 there was both the official Wizardry 8, but without Bradley, and Bradley's Wizards and Warriors (as it seems, developed almost simultaneously).

 

[1eyedking]

Wiz8 sucks.




























Big time.

 

[Jaesun]

Hey everyone, it's 1eyedking.

 

[Grunker]

Hey everyone, it's 1eyedking.

So I see! What's he saying?

 

[Cenobyte]

Is Wizards and Warriors any good?

I loved it and made this wonderful Let's play but it's sort of a poor man's Wizardry (which it's still better than many games that are poor man's BG or Diablo).

Does anyone know what the real story behind Bradley leaving Sir-Tech to make his own Wizardry clone was? I find it very interesting how the entire mid-to-late nineties passed without a Wizardry sequel, and then in 2000/2001 there was both the official Wizardry 8, but without Bradley, and Bradley's Wizards and Warriors (as it seems, developed almost simultaneously).

Didn't the American SirTech branch became bankrupt and their personnel left for other companies? Jagged Alliance 2 and Wizardry 8 were both done by Linda and Ian Currie of SirTech Canada (not sure about the original Jagged Alliance) and their team had afaik nearly no former employees of the US SirTech branch.
Because of that Wizardry 8 is in some ways more similar to JA 2 than to Wiz 7.

 

[DraQ]

The level scaling was probably the only REAL criticism leveled at this game(the anti-combat fags should be ignored).

I really enjoy combat in Wiz8, but it would be better if going to an outhouse didn't constitute a major military campaign.

Agreed but I was thinking about the mid-to-late stages of the game when the encounters are not so bad. They are REALLy bad before Arnika, slightly less bad once you leave Arnika, headed for Trinton or Mt. Gigas, and gradually better after that.

I don't mind bad, I mind long and frequent.

Perhaps you like to repeatedly juggle party members in and out based on which direction you are heading

No, but I like it when some fags I picked up on the way happen to be less dependable than my core party and can't be taken for granted.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Damn you all !
Thanks to this thread I'm replaying this again. The trip back to the monastery after getting the wheeled key was a nightmare of random battles against strong foes (level 8/9 when my party is level 7). I did swear a lot, but the combat is so good. :D
The only complaint I have is the difficulty setting, easy and normal are out of the question since I played the game twice already but expert is really frustrating. The backfiring spells get annoying really fast and some weapons (like slings) become almost useless since they hit but never penetrate. It's still a good level of difficulty, most fights are challenging and need some thinking (as they should) but it does involve very frustrating elements.

 

[DraQ]

The only complaint I have is the difficulty setting, easy and normal are out of the question since I played the game twice already but expert is really frustrating.

Umm... Tried ironman? Since you know the game in and out, it won't be that much of a loss that if you'll fail.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

Umm... Tried ironman?

No and I don't think I will. I never overuse the save/reload feature in games so I'm not tempted by ironman experiments. Even if I was, Wizardy 8 is probably the last game I would think of "ironmaning", losing hours of gaming because I met some beefed-up crimson lillies while taking a walk is not my idea of fun or satisfying. It's bad enough to spend hours gaming, I don't want those gaming hours to go oblivion (mandatory Elder Scrolls joke) on top of it.

 

[DraQ]

Umm... Tried ironman?

No and I don't think I will. I never overuse the save/reload feature in games so I'm not tempted by ironman experiments. Even if I was, Wizardy 8 is probably the last game I would think of "ironmaning", losing hours of gaming because I met some beefed-up crimson lillies while taking a walk is not my idea of fun or satisfying. It's bad enough to spend hours gaming, I don't want those gaming hours to go oblivion (mandatory Elder Scrolls joke) on top of it.

I insist. I'm not a fan of ironman myself, for more or less the same reasons, however, you have probably completed the game several times already, so you don't lose anything if you don't reach the ending, nor will you gain anything by beating the game AGAIN. Even if you don't abuse save&load system, playing ironman feels quite different from playing normally as TPK no longer amounts to mere annoyance.

tl;dr
You played this game a lot already, try it.

 

[Lonely Vazdru]

you don't lose anything if you don't reach the ending

Yes I do. I lose the opportunity to play my characters at high levels with good equipment and real tough monsters. This means loss in character development, loot drooling and tactical battles.
I only get part of the fun and if I want the rest, I have to start all over again. It adds to the tension I know, I did play a couple of games ironman, like WH40K : Chaos Gate, but the random factor was minimal. In Wizardry 8, it seems to me way too possible to die in the early stages of the game for it to be a viable gaming option. I don't want to start half a dozen games I just want to play. And I want to play 80/90% of hard wizardry 8 once, not 10 or 25% several times. But so far the expert mode permits me to do just that, it's just that some of its aspects, like drastically increased backfiring of spells and powders/bombs are irritating.

nor will you gain anything by beating the game AGAIN.

This I agree with. I don't care about beating the game, I don't even think of finishing it as beating it. I usually stop playing in the very last stages of the game in most CRPG I played more than once.