Incline Wizardry 8 Enhancements - A Call to Arms!

[Kaucukovnik]

Wizardry 8 Enhancements

Download version 0.7
Download 0.6 to 0.7 update (just unpack and overwrite 0.6 files)

Download version 0.75

Download version 0.9 RC

Unpack in a directory with clean Wiz8 installation, patched to 1.24 (no patch needed with 0.75)
Version 0.9 is an installer, just point it to your game location.

Final version will have both 7z archive and installer, I just need to have the installer thoroughly tested first.

Run the game usingWiz8+.exe (it has a new icon)
See the pdf readme for further info about included exe files.

Savegame compatibility: Using saves from different versions (Except 0.6->0.7) not recommended due to character class changes.



Faster combat

• All monster animations speed increased
• Velocity of all conventional projectiles greatly increased
• Rockets fly twice as fast
• Poison Spit and Stinger Thorn sped up, as they are extensively used by monsters encountered in large groups

-spells untouched (never bothered me)
-speed of party members' melee attacks untouched, probably hardcoded



Character class changes

-Samurai can use polearms
-Lord has more flexible and appropriate skill set
-Ninja has faster level progression (same as other hybrids now)

Inventory modifications

Individual item graphics

• Most armor pieces
• Most weapons
• All ammunition
• All potions and beverages
• All spellbooks (magic schools on covers)
• Almost all misc.equippables

Some newer ones:

Item properties and location changes

• Addressed lack of proper equipment for various character builds
• Balanced available MP regeneraion - toned down most hybrids, buffed specialist casters, bishop and ninja
• Spread MP recovery across more items, starting earlier through the game
• Many unused items placed in game
  
  All items with set placement have been removed from random drop lists and merchants.

Complete list of item changes

Cane of Corpus
Added penalty to Armor -3 to offset Robes of Rejuvenation

Monstrance, Holy Basher
+5 Piety (flavor bonus, felt too mundane)

Hayai Bo
Initiative +2 raised to +5
price 1750 raised to 2500

Mace, Stun Mace, War Scepter - primary, secondary

The Mauler - set location in Rapax Castle

Zizka Star - turned into the much needed Lord endgame weapon, as it is based on a mace that was a leader's symbol
Lord only
To Hit +4, Initiative +1, Damage 12-30
10% KO, 10% Turncoat (Possess)
Required Piety 70
Iron Will +15, Senses -10
Price: 40 000
-set location in Sea Caves

Faust Halberd - increased drop %

Maenad's Lance (originally unavailable)
-set location in Sea Caves

Sai
Added AC +1, sold by Ferro, price 1250 raised to 2500

Cutlass- primary, secondary

Cutlass of the Damned
Damage 2-10 increased to 3-11
To Hit +1 increased to +2
Initiative of 0 raised to +1
Primary, secondary

Blade Cuisinart
Primary, secondary
-set location in Upper Rapax Castle

Vorpal Blade
-set location in Rapax Rift

Demonsbane
Damage raised from 5-16 to 6-24 (the bonus damage percentage against demons seems to be hardcoded)
To Hit +1 improved to +4

Ivory Blade- KO 5%, Turncoat 1%

Muramasa - same place, but 100% chance

No-Dachi
Damage 5-21 raised to 5-25

Excaliber – same place, but 100% chance

Cleaver- primary, secondary

Bearded War Axe
Damage 1-6 increased to 2-12
Initiative +1 lowered to zero

Bipennis - damage changed from 7-21 to 10-24

Crusader's 2H Axe +1 - increased drop %

Axe of Many Runes
3% Sleep, Paralyze, Hex, Kill, KO, Drain HP, Insanity
To Hit -8 changed to -3

Beastslayer Axe
Damage 3-17 increased to 8-20
To Hit +1 raised to +3
Primary, secondary (now on par with Diamond Eyes vs non-beasts)

Blades of Aesir
Damage 5-35 raised to 10-36
Initial Iceball charges 8-16 instead of 4-16
-set location in Rapax Castle

The Ripper
Damage 6-27 increased to 10-28
Kill 5% raised to 10% (to offset the low speed)

Eagle Eye Bow - set location in Rapax Away Camp

Rocket Launcher - KO 10%
-Sgt.Kunar is better supplied with rockets, price 400 -> 500

All kinds of throwing knives, darts and shurikens
-increased available quantities at vendors

Infinity Helm
Original: HP+2, ST+5, MP+5
Now: HP+3, ST+5, MP+3 - improved for fighters and nerfed for casting hybrids, gives MP edge back to specialists
-set location at the Ascension Peak

Hi-Kane-Do (U) - Added MP+1
Hi-Kane-Do (L) - Added ST+1

Golden Breastplate -set location in Sea Caves

Cloak of Many Colors – set location in Bayjin Shallows

Locket of Reflection, Necklace of Endurance - both female & male (M bards were gimped)

Aeromancer/ Geomancer/ Hydromancer/ Pyromancer's Ring
Alchemist, Mage, Psionic only
Added MP +1

Ankh of Sancticity
Bishop,Priest, Monk only
Added MP +1

Amulet of Nebdar
Alchemist, Mage, Priest, Psionic only - specialists had little advantage over a properly trained bishop
MP increased from +1 to +4
Senses -5 changed to -10

Robes of Rejuvenation
MP +1 changed to +2
AC decreased from +6 to +5

ALL robes can be worn by Faeries and Ninjas

Spears and Naginata usable by Samurai

Dragon Kite not usable by Samurai

Originally unused gadgets
Demon Doll - set location in Upper Rapax Castle and Jack in the Box can be upgraded to Demon in the Box
High Voltage Trasformer- set location at the Mount Gigas peak, so it is possible to create the Electroshocker
Loudspeaker placed in the Umpani Camp, Electric Eye in Lower Marten's Bluff, Watchdog Alarm can be created
moved Ptorch to Arnika and X-Ray Chip in Mt.Gigas power station, now their locations and requirements make sense

Alchemy rebalance
Worst price bumps removed. Alchemy is still profitable, but you can no longer make absurd wealth in no time. There is also much less need for that money, since many items are found instead of bought.

Potion and powder prices

Bless - price decreased from 800 to 550
Cure Disease - decreased from 1500 to 1000
Renewal - the insane price of 5000 dropped to 2000
Pandemonium Powder - price 3000 down to 1500
Skeleton Powder - price increased from 600 to 1200
Devil Dust - price raised from 90 to 350, replaced Sneeze Powder as ingredient for Pandemonium Powder

Magic rebalance
Direct damage spells were rather useless later in the game, compared to status effects and brute force. Beware, some of the improved spells are cast by enemies as well, so this isn't neccessarily making things easier.
Unfortunately I haven't found a way to add or alter status effects of spells. Damage will have to do.

Spell changes

Spell Damage New damage

Acid Bomb 1-6 3-6
Blizzard 2-18 4-20
Cerebral Hem. 2-48 16-44
Crush 2-30 12-30
Draining Cloud 1-5 3-9
Earthquake 3-21 5-30
Energy Blast 1-7 1-8
Falling Stars 2-16 1-24
Fireball 2-8 4-8
Firestorm 2-8 1-12
Iceball 2-10 2-12
Lightning 2-16 6-18
Magic Missiles 1-7 2-8
Nuclear Blast 3-21 4-24
Prismic Chaos 3-27 6-30
Prismic Fire 2-16 3-18
Fire Bomb 2-10 same, added duration
Psionic Fire 2-10 4-12
Shrill Sound 1-5 3-4
Toxic Cloud 1-4 1-6
Tsunami 3-27 4-36
Whipping Rocks 2-10 4-10
Whirlwind 2-8 3-12

============================

Stand-alone components:
Individual item graphics (less items compared to the full version, will update eventually)
Faster combat



============================

New areas (testing versions)

============================

Marten's Pagoda preview (walkaround)

You can just add this and reload an existing save (even in Trynton), and the pagoda will be there. No interactivity yet.

Images:

Download

============================

Crypt BETA

Images:

Also retextures most terrain around Arnika and fixes seams and stretched textures.

Contains unofficial exe patch that fixes the speed wraparound bug.
Full documentation with credits will be included in the "final" release.

Run with !START!.bat
There is a new version of the fastanim.exe that doesn't break the mod like the original would.

• New monsters don't have fast animations yet, to ensure that everyone sees the proper ones. In the final version they will be affected by the faster combat animation mod.

• Beta version has no new keys included, so you get a message at places you will need or acquire a key in the final version.

This is done in order to keep item database untouched by the new dungeon for now and allow independent updates to the core mod and this extension.​

Starting a new game is required. Works both with and without my other mods.
Always keep your savegame before you have enterted the crypt! So make a save, go in explore, then reload and go on with your game. This way you can add most possible fixes mid-game, without the need to restart. All visited areas keep their data in saves.

Download

Patches:
-A remnant from testing slipped in the beta, hereis the fix. Put it in data\databases if your refuse the insane experience points from the very first battle.
-Another fix, to be able to enter the crypt, hope it's the last nasty one.

============================

Dwarven city

Screenshots:

Spoiler

Test version download
Unpack the content of the archive in your Wizardry 8 clean install Levels subdirectory, start a new game, turn around and walk into the waterfall.

There is still a lot of geometry missing and the lighting is far from perfect, but you can get a good idea already.

My notes on dwarves in Wizardry, mostly for people with interest to collaborate:

Spoiler

The dwarven culture is not unified. For example some see unearthed artifacts as objects of worship, others as scientific specimen. For other they are valuables to be perfected and to hold monetary value, because of their beauty and/or rarity.

Possible plot points:
-Initially all buildings are on lockdown and the city is combat area only
-Dark Savant hijacked dwarven defense androids, considering who he is he should be pretty much the only one capable of this
-because they are so dependant on their mechanical bodyguards, all dwarves could be weak, stationary NPCs indoors, thus avoiding the problem of the current dwarf model for Wiz8 having only run anim and no walking one
-large crystal in the temple - option to either return it into the caverns to calm down the mountain, or take it to the lab to come up with scientific solution, either of them working could be a nice touch

Government:
-council of the wealthy - representatives of rich houses, investors
-council of the wise - scientists and inventors
-the Elder, akin to a president

Areas forbidden to outsiders (especially Dwarven ones)
-Hall of the ancestors
-brewery

Food source:
-hydroponics
-breeding giant moles or other subterranean creatures (animated 3D model needed)
-alternative - lab-grown tissue for food production

Luxury products:
-pipe tobacco, cigars
-jewelry

Science:
-geology, paleontology
-metallurgy, physics, chemistry, mathematics
-electronics, programming, AI (see above)

Magic:
-alchemy and divinity have their tradition, but lost some respect over time due to the rise of science

Recreation:
-martial arts
-drinking ale
-foosball - 1 instance, pretty much a joke like the Umpani rhino babe photo
-television (documentaries and soap operas especially popular) - several instances, maybe only a hint at soap opera

IF THIS MOD IS TO BE FINISHED IN ANY IMAGINABLE TIMEFRAME, I WILL NEED HELP

I expect the dwarven area to be ready for adding actual gameplay within a week. Then I'll wrap up the base version, at least database-wise so that no further updates to that one need editing both "vanilla" and "new content" variants.
Anyone joining the project will have two small and one large area to work with, so therefore I'm starting recruitment.

============================

A guide summarizing my findings while making the above areas can be downloaded here.

============================

Original thread that started this all is here.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Repost, since we're moving here:

One more thing that came to my mind when I was playing some more yesterday - is there a way to make some of the obsolete quest items droppable (or sellable for 1gp)? I mean stuff like all the Umpani security cards that clutters your inventory and doesn't want to go away.

Also, spotted a possible bug - the game slowed to a crawl at some places in Trynton, never happened to me before.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

@Kaucukovnik

It looks like your patch makes Wiz 8 easier. The people replaying Wiz 8 with mods are mostly likely all veterans of the game who would like an extra bit of challenge.

Just food for thought.

Otherwise, good effort.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Is there a way to make some of the obsolete quest items droppable (or sellable for 1gp)? I mean stuff like all the Umpani security cards that clutters your inventory and doesn't want to go away.

I'll see what can be done. I don't feel like killing the "anti-screw-up", so I'll try to find a way for the game to remove them when no longer needed.

Also, spotted a possible bug - the game slowed to a crawl at some places in Trynton, never happened to me before.

That's the most valuable kind of feedback. Was it during battles or outside of combat? Have you tried visiting the same places with the animations switched back to normal? Any particular creatures spotted at those places? I have gone through Trynton and did some battles, but no slowdown noticed. Maybe I have already killed the culprit ealier. A savegame could also help a ton.

In the meantime I'll go through the creatures inabiting Trynton and look for errors I have possibly made.


EDIT: Yeah, the difficulty should probably be tweaked as well, I'd keep it as the last. And definitely not through HP bloat or resistances. I'm thinking of a separate harder version with deadlier enemy attacks. Economy is harder to balance, since anyone can just grind potions for a bit longer if he wants to break it.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I think it was caused by the friendly Trynnie patrols, it happened when they were around, outside of combat. Only for a few brief moments. Savegame already overwritten though.

Edit: now that I think about it, the slowdown was most evident in the ZOO area.

Nothing further noticed. I will download the version above and continue with testing.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

The problem isn't even difficulty, exactly, it's the broken pace.

Umpani training areas are ridiculously easy for the vast majority of old or new players because they're made so a level 1 party (imported) can beat them.

Same with Rapax. They're just meatbags by the time you get to handle their areas.

However, Arnika road can be quite rapist with lvl10 butt bandits spawning on your newly fledged party.

Stuff like that.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

I knew I forgot something! Added save compatibility info to the OP.

Found nothing wrong with the scripts, hopefully just a coincidence. If you encounter anything else unusual, keep a savegame just in case.


No further downloadable updates yet, but I have edited the few 'big' treasure chests (Davy Jones, Rapax King & Queen...) and removed filler loot like most scrolls and potions. The majority of items you find in them will be exceptional now. It was sad to get a few bullets, fireball scroll and a weapon for a class you don't have.


I don't see that much of a problem with some early areas being easier. But it's a pity that you don't get much chance to unleash your power when your characters are approaching their maximum. I'm more looking forward to spice up the late-game combat encounters and maybe add a few optional extra-tough fights for some of the endgame items originally sold by vendors.

There are also very few ways to meaningfully raise the difficulty of monsters
-HP, resistances - a big no, the battles are already long
-Incapacitation, insta-kills - turns combat into some kind of russian roulette
-AC - makes the difficulty too much level-based

This pretty much leaves us with damage and spellcasting, at least for non-bosses. And direct damage spells are already improved.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

That's not what I meant... The early areas aren't easier (Arnika/Monstery roads can have notoriously hard encounters), but some later areas are broken-level easy, like Umpani base.

Incapacitation and insta-kills isn't Russian roulette, it just makes you manage combat with more care. There is no permadeath for individual heroes, so insta-kill only means you have to expend an extra turn to ressurect and another turn to heal/stamina up if it's just raise dead and not 7th lvl spell. (Ressurection power is basically free past midgame unless you *really* die a lot)

Incapacitation (I guess you mean all debuffs?) just adds value to resists and makes immunity items more valuable, adding to resource management, combat tactics (kill the debuffers first) and such.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

I guess we just each meant something else by "early". I would never say that Arnika road is too easy!

There should be a nice solution to this by increasing the level range of spawnable enemies in such areas. Added to my notes, this will probably be essential for the "hard" version.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Some comments on item rebalance:

Zatoichi Bo - this one already has a set location in Rapax Castle
Sai - +1 AC is a good bonus, but not really what ninja needs. Stealth characters already have a ridiculously good defense. Sai should have an increased damage and at least one set location and/or one vendor who sells it. Right now you won't usually see it which is ridiculous considering it's the best weapon you can get when playing dagger-based ninja and a flavour weapon as well. Ninjato should be slightly more deadly as well, this one at least has some vendors, though still it still appears far too late in the game considering its power. Stuff like Stiletto or Thieves dagger is much easier to get which is just dumb.

Also the amount of thrown weapons available at vendors should be greatly increased.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Zatoichi Bo - i would have thought the same if I went with Flamestryke's website as I usually do. I went back to vanilla data, and Cosmic Forge shows it only as random chest drop.
Or have you actually found it there when playing? In that case there would be something wrong...

Sai - the defense is more of a flavour bonus too, just couldn't give it anything else when reading articles about it. But yeah, I will place at least one somewhere, and raise the drop %.
Thought it already was on sale somewhere and didn't even look.

Thrown weapons - seems to be a common request. Slingstones too, or just the daggers, darts and shurikens?

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

I guess we just each meant something else by "early". I would never say that Arnika road is too easy!

Are you reading my posts man... 3rd time I said early game is too hard and late game too easy.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Mine Tunnels? Bayjin? Sea Caves? Ascension Peak? These offer some serious opposition.

If anything, mid-game is rather easy, when you are already somewhat equipped and trained, but enemies don't have that many nasty abilities and resistances yet.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

Nessie and Rynjin, sure. Ascension bosses are fine.

But Umpani areas? Or T'rang zones (like when you open a vault, and there's a lvl6 centipede)? They were clearly balanced more or less for low level characters which doesn't fit at all when you're running a "new" party from Monastery, not an imported one, making whole giant areas just pointless zones with a few quest items and mobs that die without effort.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Zatoichi Bo - i would have thought the same if I went with Flamestryke's website as I usually do. I went back to vanilla data, and Cosmic Forge shows it only as random chest drop.
Or have you actually found it there when playing? In that case there would be something wrong...

Sai - the defense is more of a flavour bonus too, just couldn't give it anything else when reading articles about it. But yeah, I will place at least one somewhere, and raise the drop %.
Thought it already was on sale somewhere and didn't even look.

Thrown weapons - seems to be a common request. Slingstones too, or just the daggers, darts and shurikens?

Zatoichi - you get it in the Rapax castle from the elevator after putting the request in and yes, it's a set drop. I guess the unique way of obtaining it might be the reason for Cosmic Forge not showing it as fixed.

Sai - cannot be purchased anywhere and can be dropped/found in chests only in two locations I believe, it's one of the rarest pieces of equipment in the game (bar the uber unique stuf like light sword) which is plain silly.

Thrown weapons - stones are as common as other powerful ammunition. I'm not saying that daggers, shurkiens and darts should be made as common as bolts and arrows, but multiplying their amount at vendors by 3/4x would go a long way in making a throwing ninja a valid choice.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Nessie and Rynjin, sure. Ascension bosses are fine.

But Umpani areas? Or T'rang zones (like when you open a vault, and there's a lvl6 centipede)? They were clearly balanced more or less for low level characters which doesn't fit at all when you're running a "new" party from Monastery, not an imported one, making whole giant areas just pointless zones with a few quest items and mobs that die without effort.

T'Rang zones have apuses which makes them one of the most dangerous areas in the game.
Umpani zones are the most boring part of the game and it's not only due to low difficulty level.

The way to fix the difficulty of the game imho is to make bosses and rapax more deadly (or even better - make rapax far more deadly, but lesser in numbers) and introduce more set boss-like encounters. Random encounters in Wiz8 are mostly fine and can often be dangerous, but beating bosses is mostly piss easy and rapax are just annoying hp sponges.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

T'Rang zones are extremely uneven in difficulty. Yes you get Deathsting Apuses in random encounters from lvl10, but you also get plenty of underleveled pre-set mobs like the sea monsters in the cave in Martens Bluff, or the aforementioned centipede (which needs fixing).

Same with Umpani, how you can struggle vs. random encounters with bats/rats, but laugh over the Umpani traning quest boss (Djinn?).

Rapax: I agree they need something like a beheading blow (%instant kill for attack) to punish drawn out fights since they are currently 0 risk meatbags.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Rpgsaurus Rex
This was never meant to be a challenge mod, but if there is an agreement that the difficulty in the areas you mention is a definite flaw, it will be addressed. If not, there will be the separate hard mode.


Zboj Lamignat
Zatoichi Bo - thanks for clearing that up! It will be removed from the new location in the next version.
Actually double thanks, because in my current long-winded playthrough I have a monk without a decent staff and thought that was just rotten luck.

Sai - adding two pieces for sale to Ferro (I'm sure he's sad for losing so much of his assortment) and increased the price to 2500

The throwing weapons will be probably found in small quantities at vendors, restocking.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Well, there is always :caugh: the waterfall :caugh: with the Staff of Doom, which is arguably even better than Zatoichi Bo and can be obtained much earlier.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

I went back to the waterfall...and nothing there! In the end I found it stashed upstairs at He'li's. Guess I kept it for when I get some health regen and forgot.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Fuck yeah! Blender to Cosmic Forge!

Which means we can do quite a lot.

EDIT: And there is no need to butcher the reto dungeons, there seem to be 20 free location "slots".

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Good, nice new slots we can use.
If that's the case, a quick one on the items, specifically the Vorpal sword.
What are its' stats?

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

I did a fresh install (had to replace my hdd) and noticed the weirdest bug ever - the game does not save my settings (like changed keyboard assignment) after I quit. Don't know if that has to do anything with the mod, but never happened to me before.

 

[Kaucukovnik]

Changing settings is fine for me, and I don't think any of the changes in the mod could have such consequences. If you have Win Vista or newer, make sure the game isn't anywhere in Program Files (x86), which could cause this kind of trouble.

It's weird indeed, the game doesn't even need to be installed to work properly, I have kept my old game install after OS reinstallation several times.

 

[DraQ]

EDIT: And there is no need to butcher the reto dungeons, there seem to be 20 free location "slots".

Then I officially proclaim those Wiz8 modders who have ever removed an area from the base game gigantic faggots.