I have been messing with computers since 1978 when I was 8 years old. I had a Comm Vic20. I typed my own code just to play simple tank combat game. My Dad bought me an Apple IIc a couple of years later and it came with a game called Wizardy. I loved it. I couldn't believe the detail and depth. In 1994, in a move, I found that old Apple IIc, and fired up the game, and couldn't believe I still remembered every single path in the maze. I just recently, in January of this year, purchased the Archives. I became a nerd reborn. My wife is so pissed right now, because Wizardry is all I thinks about. I have been playing day and night, whenever possible. I even created all of my all characters. They were reborn as well. I have been hitting 1,2,3,4 and 5, getting ready to play 6 and 7, so I could play the new Wizardy 8.

That is what takes me to today. I just kicked S.O.R.N's ASS, and was so excited to move onto 6. The anticipation was killing me!! I install, double-click, and begin to create, which is so much part of the fun. 10 minutes later I was ready to urinate on my computer. So I decide, "The hell with Bane, I'll go straight to DS. Once I waited 10 minutes just to get to the create screen, I craeted my "2" characters, started my journey and vomited 7 minutes later. I immediatley fired up 5 and went and kicked La-La Moo Moo's ass.

My beef with this situation is this: I have a hard time explaning the entire RPG experinece to the people around me. I am not surrounded by the type. But Wizardry totlally formed me into the intellectual person I am today. I am so impressed with the deatil and depth of a program written in the 70's, that I figured graphics could only make it better. Wow!! was I wrong. It has done nothing but drag it into the stereotypical crap that has come out in this day and age. Sir-Tech does not have to "come of age" with its RPG's. Maelstrom was so intense compared to Proving Grounds, but designed in the same format. "KEEP IT!!!". I have never been so disapointed in my life!!

Look, graphics suck. If they were so great, we all wouldn't love and continue to play the old and simple text and line maze style of Wizardry. In this day and age, this old style of code is simple for programmers. Why haven't they continued to keep making new scenarios to keep our "party members" from getting more insignias? ^, KD, *, @.

This is nothing more than venting. I have played my ass off for a month and a half, hiding from my wife and kids, to snag a little bit of my youth back. It was great while it lasted, and I just really wanted it to continue.

I had a blast, it was fun while it lasted, but now I must say goodbye to you all.

Cuda, Raven, Aiko, Bear, Storm and Zepp.

We will always live in I, II, III, and V.

• RE: Any Wizardry after Heart of Maelstrom,Bruno (Guest), 01:41 AM, Nov-25-02
  • RE: Any Wizardry after Heart of Maelstrom,James (Guest), 04:46 AM, Feb-09-04
    • To each their own,Llevram, 10:41 AM, Feb-09-04
      • RE: To each their own,James (Guest), 10:58 AM, Feb-09-04
        • RE: To each their own,Eliahad (Guest), 04:10 AM, Mar-09-04
          • RE: To each their own,dreamrider (Guest), 11:01 AM, Mar-13-04
            • RE: To each their own,Eliahad (Guest), 09:27 PM, Mar-14-04
          • RE: To each their own,James (Guest), 01:38 AM, May-10-04
• RE: Any Wizardry after Heart of Maelstrom,Lady_Adrexia, 06:39 PM, Mar-11-04

I basically agree that graphics don't matter at all in this sort of game. That having been said, Wizardry 6 and 7 were both way better than 5, which is, at best, the fifth best game in the series.

My opinion:

Best
7 (probably the best computer game ever made)
6
8
1
5
2
3
4
Worst

I rspectfully disagree. I agree with the original poster--starting with Wizardry 6, the series went downhill. My reasons for this are that the series, at that point, became needlessly complicated. Just from the character creation, you had a whole bunch of races and classes you could select from, most of which were superfluous and were basically repeats of races and classes that already existed. Did we really NEED half a dozen new races or four new spell types? What was wrong with the system already in place?

Then we go into the actual game. Every command has at least two sub-commands--you can't even hit something without being asked how you want to hit it. True, there's a lot of new stuff you can do, but a lot of it is impractical and more-or-less useless.

Sorry if that sounds over-critical, but that's my opinion on the matter. I'll admit they're still good games--I particularly like Wizardry 6 because it reminds me of Shadowgate--but they're not as good as the first five, IMO.

One of the reasons thigns were so simple, is because they had to be. With technological advances (you could put more on a floppy disk), games could (and did) get bigger - and thus more complicated. I think most of us like that - more variety, more choice.

Tools for Wizardry(r) 7

I didn't mind more choices, except that most of them were just tedious and more or less pointless--especially all the new races, who were just repeats of existing ones, except with higher immunities or certain breath attacks.

Though the various styles of Magic, I guess, could be seen to have added replay value. Wither hast gone Tiltowait, I wonder?

But yes, to each their own.

To a small little spell affectionately known as Nuclear Blast. Yeah, I missed the names of the old spells, of actually chanting liquid death, but I also like the new format and new races. So what if they're similar? I'm traveling with a Rawulf Valkyrie and a Mook Samurai, not /just/ a A) Human B) Dwarf C) Elf D) Gnome E) Hobbit. It's a matter of flavor and imagination more than anything else. Wizardry 6, 7 and 8 are not the same game as 1, 2, 3 and 5, (you could argue that 5 isn't the same as 1, 2 and 3.) BUT, if you spend a little more time getting through the infant stages of the characters, you find that the later games stay just as true to the explorative spirit of the originals and keep the same wry sense of humor.

Hmm...time for a refresher run to Wiz1. Elves are choice B), dwarves are C)

Aw, damn, I remember hitting C. Oh well

It's true, I never thought of it that way. Though personally I was more bothered by the battles (which I felt were cumbersome now that simply *hitting* something itself brought up like three sub-options).

On an unrelated note, recently I saw Wizardry 8 in a store, and wanted to get it, I really did... but I only had $20 on me and I was already using that for something else altogether. *Shrug* hopefully they'll still have it some other time.

As someone that still has Wizardry 1-5 on Apple IIc and my Apple still works by the way.

I love the early years of Wizardry...as well as the later ones. I try and take each of them on their merits. I have the Ultimate Wiz Archives...by the by too.

I guess what I am trying to say...is that us "old timers" still like the first Wiz because most of it was in our imaginations and required us to do the tatics to survive. With the later games, their was more realism, because of the better computers and the better graphics.

By the way, I suggest trying Wizardry 8...it is very addicting.