Wiz8 debate

crpgnut · December 26, 2006

Minor spoiler alert:

Ok, I'm getting interested after reading the thread. I don't remember too much about Wiz8 but I seem to remember quitting when one of my characters was forced by the game to leave my party. That, along with the 20 minute combats, was the back breaker for me. I don't remember how far along I was in the game when that happened. What does the Wizfast program do?

Cormac · December 26, 2006

Wizfast simply speeds up the monsters in combat. It makes a huge difference.

dteowner · December 26, 2006

I'm the original Wiz8 fanboy, but I'd call the game nearly unplayable without Wizfast.

*******slightly more than minor spoiler alert***********

You can get your char back pretty quickly. Follow the clue to the evildoer, do a little quest, and you're back in business. This is why I mentioned earlier that it's impossible to have all 6 chars end the game with the same XP.

**************end spoiler***********************

@magerette-- I usually try to do that battle at level 16 or so. Also, normal ammo doesn't count. I actually buy up normal ammo and drop it on the floor to keep merchants from getting their inventory filled up. I aim for impaling stones, hunter quarrels, and barbed arrows (or better). The first two are pretty easy to get if you work at it, but I'm having a heck of a time with the last one. I can get precision arrows out the ying-yang, but even shrikes are rare right now. The battle that led to Ferro's demise involved 29 rapax of various types. Good fun.

JDR13 · December 27, 2006

I never used Wizfast(And I'm pretty impatient) just turned combat speed and animation all the way up.

magerette · December 27, 2006

dteowner said:
@magerette-- .....The battle that led to Ferro's demise involved 29 rapax of various types. Good fun.

YEEESH!!! : 0

AFA "The Battle," I think I am a little underpowered with only six chars and at lvl 13.I reload once a day and try a new strategy. All my characters then die. I then go back to Titan Quest for mindless hacking and slashing to soothe my ego. Perhaps I'll move on and return later for vengeance.

I also need to actually run the Wizfast utility and see how it works--things are getting reeeeeeallly long (X advances, B advances, C advances, oops, time to cook dinner before long-suffering husband deserts me for non-gamer)

dteowner · December 28, 2006

I would be impressed to see anyone do that battle at level 13 without getting a couple lucky insta-kills. You just can't put up strong enough magical protection at that point. There's one attack spell that works nicely in that fight, but it's level 6 IIRC.

Wizfast dramatically speeds up the monster attack animations, beyond what you can accomplish with the settings in the options menu. Those juggernauts will still take a nice slow step back each time you whack em, but it won't take 2 minutes for each one to move 4 inches forward into melee range, wind up for a crushing swat, and bounce harmlessly off your shiny steelhide armor. The improvement in "critter combat walking" is the biggest boost.

roqua · December 28, 2006

I figured out where my confusion came from bards/gadgeteers not being able to pick locks. I had a spread sheet for the party I was creating and what I actually did was edit my bard to be a rogue/bard and a front line guy and gave lockpicking to my ranger. Why? Who knows. And another concept was to give the gadgeteer pickpocketing and a bard in the party always on search and not have a ranger.

So it wasn't any mods that changed anything, it was me.

Thaurin · December 28, 2006

magerette said:
The improvement in "critter combat walking" is the biggest boost.

Am I missing something, or what? I mean, my wizfast utility only ask me for a new monster movement speed and that's all. Is there some version that has more options or am I just misunderstanding things?

dteowner · December 29, 2006

Nope, you've got the right utility. I just made a poor choice of words to describe the change it makes. The creatures' movement speed is increased during combat. The "real time" speed is not affected, nor is their reaction to getting hit.

Thaurin · December 29, 2006

Oh, okay. I suppose it changes some register value, right?

magerette · December 29, 2006

Just ran Wizfast-the difference is pretty dramatic and eliminates a lot of the tedium--but none of the strategy elements. As far as I can see, it just accelerates the enemy animations to light speed.

dteowner · December 29, 2006

Helpful pointer o' the day:

I assume everyone has figured out that you can put items into chests and they will remain there forever? This is particularly useful for stockpiling ammo and ridding yourself of various already-used/soon-to-be-used quest items, as well as dropping "undrop-able" items.

I haven't tested "forever" in every chest since there's one in particular that's just too darn convenient, but I doubt there'd be a problem in any chest you chose.

GothicGothicness · December 30, 2006

Don't forget to put a teleport point at the chest! I always have two characters with the teleport spell, makes it so easy to get around.

GG

magerette · December 30, 2006

Yes, I was wondering if you could set a different portal with each char who has the spell. Thanks for the confirmation. And I have discovered the usefulness of the chest stash system--since there is only a rudimentary sort function on the inventory, it helps keep things from getting overwhelming.

I don't know if any of you have read the thread about Troika and their bug issues, but it got me thinking about how buggy almosy all CRPG's seem to be--POR2, BG series(tho somewhat less) now NWN2, etc--and I was trying to think of an exception.
I decided Wiz8 was remarkably bug free at least for me--then I reflected about the extremely long time this one spent in development. (The word "epic" comes to mind

) And that it also was the last gasp of it's dev team. Seems like a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" quandry.

Corwin · December 30, 2006

The problem with Wiz8, was that they had to self fund/publish the game!! None of the big companies wanted any part of the game!! Pity, isn't it!!

Now, yesterday, I decided to re-install the game ready to play after I finish NWN2. Well, I had to check it out, to make sure it was working properly didn't I!!

Five hours later.........!! :biggrin:

GothicGothicness · December 31, 2006

And that it also was the last gasp of it's dev team

everytime someone says that it brings a tear to my eye! It's sad how they created a game that is superior in so many ways ( less bugs is just one of them ) to other RPG's and they can't even get a publisher! Those guys deserve to make a Wiz9.... it could be the best darn CRPG ever made...... just this thread proves how great wiz8 is... how many other SINGLE-PLAYER games are we playing through and discussing this much so many years later??

Cormac · December 31, 2006

What happened when the publishing arm of Sir-Tech went under ? I assume the devs tried to find a new publisher, but then what, none wanted to take a risk -- if risk it was -- in bringing out a hardcore CRPG ? It cant be as simple as that.

Corwin · December 31, 2006

Basically, it was a simple as that!!

dteowner · January 2, 2007

Well folks, I cut it a bit short and hit the endgame at level 21. Some of those battles were challenging, but we made it thru yes we did. Team Ironman becomes win number 7 and somehow this game is still incredible fun. What a treat.

So Corwin, what does your team look like?

magerette · January 2, 2007

Congrats, dte--my team of babies is still struggling toward Bayjin. Thanks for all the help and for inspiring me to play this game again after many years gathering dust. (The game, that is, not me--well mostly the game...

)It is indeed a treat and a stand out in the genre.

Wiz8 debate

SasqWatch

Sentinel

Shoegazer

SasqWatch

Hedgewitch

Shoegazer

Sentinel

SasqWatch

Shoegazer

SasqWatch

Hedgewitch

Shoegazer

SasqWatch

Hedgewitch

On The Razorblade of Life

SasqWatch

Sentinel

On The Razorblade of Life

Shoegazer

Hedgewitch