Wizardry 8 ... Demo

[txa1265]

Yep, a demo ... over at GameSpot (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/wizardry8/download.html?page=1&sid=2821548&part=rss&tag=gs_pc&subj=2821548).

This demo includes the first level of the game with a pre-made party and the ability to gain levels to test out player advancement.
Minimum System Requirements:
64 MB RAM, 8 MB VRAM, 1229 MB disk space

In case you don't have it yet, you can always try it out this way.

[dteowner]

That originally came out a few months before the game was released. I played the heck out of it. I take it the host sites had taken it down for a while?

[txa1265]

That originally came out a few months before the game was released. I played the heck out of it. I take it the host sites had taken it down for a while?

Must be ... I saw it being 'reported' in a couple of places.

[Danicek]

Actually I didn't even know that demo for this game exists. Interesting, now I can recommend demo when recommending the game - which I still do on occasions.

[Jaz]

Yeah, that 's the demo I had played back then.

[xSamhainx]

I'm very hesitant to try this.

[skavenhorde]

Don't be hesitant. I spent many an hour playing this game. There's some great mods for it too. One speeds up the monsters movement speed during combat (It was a pain to have to wait for them). Also Flamestryke's mods added a lot of content to the game. I've just began Flamestryke's but so far it looks interesting. Here is the site for anyone who is interested.

http://foerster.cc/wolfie/

[Jaz]

@Sam: Why? Afraid you might like it?

[xSamhainx]

Exactly ='.'=

[dteowner]

Give it a whirl Sammy. Join the cult. You won't need Wizfast to tinker with the demo. We love a good Wiz8 lecture or two...

[Corwin]

Yep, I'm on my 3rd play through!!

[dteowner]

Yep, I'm on my 3rd play through!!NOOB! :lol:

[Cleric]

I found it while waiting for the NOTR English language version to be released. Very worthwhile, even if the graphics are a little dated. Been through it twice now. If you don't mind party based combat, you'll probably like it.

[Jaz]

NOOB! :lol:That's nothing, I never even finished the demo! :p

[Danicek]

That's nothing, I never even finished the demo! :p

I would say people like this should be banned from this forums ;].

[Jaz]

Go ahead and try :p !
I remember downloading the Wiz 8 demo because of your recommendations, Dani, but I soon discovered it was so not my cup of tea - after the first battle against random thingies I just couldn't motivate myself to play on.

[skavenhorde]

Go ahead and try :p !
after the first battle against random thingies I just couldn't motivate myself to play on.

You don't like random encounters? Just out of curiosity, why?

[Jaz]

Mh, I may have mis-expressed myself. It was not the fact that these encounters were random, it was the way combat was handled. My gaming time is limited and a fight against eight random schlorks nearly took me an hour.
I'm not particularly fond of combat in CRPGs - I see it as a distraction, mostly. If I want combat, I play FPSes or fighting games. For me, combat in a CRPG is like an obstacle that needs to be overcome so I can see some more of the game world. It's a 'drop dead already, or move out of my way' thing, so when the obstacle turns out to be a road block which actually prevents me from seeing what the game is all about, that game is not for me. Other games might be just as combat-oriented, but in most games combat doesn't distract as much from the gaming experience.

EDIT
I'm afraid that when fights are so frequent I can't even pass a single corridor without being jumped at, and each encounter takes so long, I wonder if the designers tried to stretch game content with combat.
I know there's this combat speeding mod for Wiz 8, but if I can't enjoy a game right out of the box, I don't see the need to buy it in the first place.

[Danicek]

it was so not my cup of tea

Yeah, well stick to your cup then :], I'll enjoy mine. Your reasoning sound reasonable so I think there is no reason to ban you ;].

[cutterjohn]

I'm not particularly fond of combat in CRPGs - I see it as a distraction, mostly. If I want combat, I play FPSes or fighting games. For me, combat in a CRPG is like an obstacle that needs to be overcome so I can see some more of the game world.It really sounds to me like adventure games would be more your cup of tea then, if you really do NOT like combat in CRPGs as combat IS an integral part of RPGs, be they computer, console, or pen and paper.

[magerette]

I think Jaz has probably played every genre of game known to man/woman--her posts indicate a pretty eclectic range, to say the least. :)

I actually find the combat in Wiz 8 a plus, but that's my tb strategy background--I enjoy agonizing and replaying battles. But Wiz 8 is also quite strong on plot and story and not just a combat generator--all the classic role-playing elements are represented.

[Jaz]

It really sounds to me like adventure games would be more your cup of tea then, if you really do NOT like combat in CRPGs as combat IS an integral part of RPGs, be they computer, console, or pen and paper.I love adventure games. I also love adventure/CRPG hybrids. I did like 'Nemesis: the Wizardry Adventure' ;). And suddenly we're back at the 'what makes an RPG RPGish?' topic! :)
Personally, I don't consider combat in RPGs overly important - I managed to GM many a pen&paper RPG session without combat, preferring to have my players solve mysteries instead. Combat is perfectly in order if it doesn't stop the game's flow, but the Wiz8 demo somehow had a strobe feel to it.

I think Jaz has probably played every genre of game known to man/woman--her posts indicate a pretty eclectic range, to say the least.I just love computer and video games of all sorts :). And I'm ancient! Not as ancient as Corwin, however - if he's Lucy, I'm Frozen Fritz.
I actually find the combat in Wiz 8 a plus, but that's my tb strategy background--I enjoy agonizing and replaying battles. I also like strategical combat, but I like it in strategy or tac games (Incubation, anyone?). There's a time for everything :). In CRPGs, it often feels disjointed, like a minigame. For me, the only CRPG where the strategic combat really felt integral to the gameplay and story was JA2.
But Wiz 8 is also quite strong on plot and story and not just a combat generator--all the classic role-playing elements are represented.Mind you, I liked Wiz7, but at least the Wiz8 demo gave me next to nothing of the story. In short, the demo didn't inspire me to buy it.*
______________
*in fact, the only game I bought the very next day after I had seen the demo was a game I hadn't even heard anything about before I had seen the demo. It became one of my all-time favorites.

[magerette]

Well, Jaz, --I agree there is a great deal of combat, and much of it doesn't move the plot forward or support the story. Some of the mods address this--I think Flamestryke's is supposed to eliminate a lot of the random combat and replace it with more story oriented stuff--also the wizfast utility speeds things up a lot...removing all the combat animations and delays as 17 or 18 opponents each take an individual turn:) But right out of the box, yes, you are fighting a lot!

Also, I've found each time you revisit an area there is less to fight, so that after awhile you can use the X-Ray spell which highlights all the baddies on the mini-map, and thus avoid a lot of extraneous combat simply by sneaking around it.

If you can get past the mini-game aspect of the combat--and I do follow you there--when you spend an hour on a battle, it qualifies as a kind of mini-game for sure:)-- I think you'll find a lot of classic crpg goodies--wide and varied dialogue options; divergent paths,allegiances and choices, great depth to the scripting and voice acting so both the NPC's & your rolled chars are interesting, a good back-story and some well-fleshed-out factions.

Not that I'm trying to push the game or anything;)

btw, what's the mystery game you footnoted?

[Jaz]

'Realms of the Haunting', an occult-themed action adventure from '96. Sales bombed, but critics liked it. Happened to be a real underdog :).

See, your description makes me want to replay the Wiz8 demo despite my experiences with it!

[magerette]

Sometimes the underdogs--and the undocumented and unhyped games--are the best of all--you could make a major list of great ones that never got any attention.

If you do play again, remember the X-Ray spell:)

[txa1265]

Sometimes the underdogs--and the undocumented and unhyped games--are the best of all--you could make a major list of great ones that never got any attention.

It is a funny thing ... I am (predictably, I suppose) part of a hardcore PSP group as well. Folks there lose all sense of perspective as well - the other day we were discussing a game, making references back and forth, everyone knew it ... and then I looked it up and it had sold ~14,000 copies worldwide!

[Jaz]

14,000 copies? You're elite!

@magerette: I will remember XRay for sure, thanks!

[skavenhorde]

IMind you, I liked Wiz7, but at least the Wiz8 demo gave me next to nothing of the story. In short, the demo didn't inspire me to buy it.*

I really tried to like Wiz7 but I guess I'm one of the few who played it for about a week and got frustrated with how slow it was whenever a NPC popped up or combat encounter (there was a long pause for each sound effect). I only played Wiz gold though and I've been reading that Wiz 7 didn't have those problems.

'Realms of the Haunting', an occult-themed action adventure from '96. Sales bombed, but critics liked it. Happened to be a real underdog :).


Now that game was great. One of the few that I actually finished. I still have the disks for it and replayed it all the way through about a year ago. Even though the graphics weren't the best, it is still better now than most of the first person games out there now, but most sheep who buy games only look to see how much "eye candy" there is in a game. That's just my 2 cents worth and that's all it's worth.