Wiz8 debate

magerette · December 22, 2006

Thaurin said:
I'm still in the lower monastery. Granted, I don't play all that much. I also have no clue what the hell I'm doing most of the time. I should probably read up on a lot of stuff...

You might find this site helpful. I use it a lot, primarily for the maps which I find can be a little hard to decipher as you travel along being relentlessly attacked:

Flamestryke's Wizardy8

You can read about the quest progression in both spoiled and unspoiled format as well.

Flame also has a great M&M7 site.

magerette · December 22, 2006

dteowner said:
My current crew is doing a 3/3/0 arrangement because I'm melee-heavy and my ranger is a mook (we'll leave it at that to stay away from spoilers).

A neat arrangement I've seen for melee-heavy and upper-level parties is 0/1-3-1/1 (1 left, 3 middle, 1 right, 1 back). Allows 5 melee attackers regardless of weapon range. In fact, one person I knew did a "magic sux" party of 6 lizzy fighters and used a 0/2-2-2/0 formation to deal some serious whoopa$$.

Well, as usual dte you've given me some insight into how the PF circle is supposed to work, or is that "how it can be best exploited"

I rarely go the full melee route, but that 0-2-2-2-0 formation is enticing me with visions of major blood and spilled interior body parts flying everywhere.

I also will try putting the ranger to the rear--I have realized that the problem was having him in left flank position with a polearm-thusly he was only using his bow on opponents who hadn't closed with the party.

dteowner · December 22, 2006

I've always hated using healing potions. Couldn't say why that is, but that would make a "magic sux" game rather challenging for me. The carnage would certainly be breath-taking. It might be a little tight on equipment, though, with everyone needing the same stuff. I guess fighters wouldn't have to use swords, though.

magerette · December 22, 2006

Not to mention very minimal buffs. I suppose you could patiently wait for the Valk and Lord types to get their divinity spells, but if all you had were pure fighters, I don't see what you would do the first time you hit a Sige.

txa1265 · December 22, 2006

Did I mention that I hate you guys?

Well I DO!!!!

I didn't know it supported widescreen resolutions!

magerette · December 22, 2006

Don't blame others for your obsessive-compulsive disorder, mike

dteowner · December 22, 2006

@mike- I have no sympathy for anyone that goes with "Sprocket the Gadgeteer". I mean, sure I had "Ook the Mook" and a monk named "Hong Kong Phooey" a few parties back, but Sprocket? Ya could have at least gone with "Pocketprotector" or some such.

@magerette- same thing whether it's a sige or a seeker or a rat...CHARGE! To be honest, all those stupid lizzys would make me scared to death of insanity attacks. L&T would be interesting, too.

txa1265 · December 22, 2006

dteowner said:
@mike- I have no sympathy for anyone that goes with "Sprocket the Gadgeteer". I mean, sure I had "Ook the Mook" and a monk named "Hong Kong Phooey" a few parties back, but Sprocket? Ya could have at least gone with "Pocketprotector" or some such.

Actually, for this time around I only created *one* character (upper left, my mage) and the rest are picked from the list for general interesting traits.

dteowner · December 22, 2006

Pre-mades? Oh, Mike, please seek help. Creating your very own merry menagerie and watching them grow is half the fun. It's better than children, cuz you can always start over with a new party if they get on yer nerves.

First thing I do when I start a new round is delete the entire library of characters, even though I've got a few characters (female human monk) that probably end up identical outside of voice and portrait when I use them.

txa1265 · December 22, 2006

dteowner said:
Pre-mades? Oh, Mike, please seek help.

I will go back and restart - I just know I won't do too much gaming until the new year, so if I can get myself into Wiz8 using this band then I can go back and restart with a nice custom group.

dteowner · December 22, 2006

Temporary reprieve granted., but I'm watching you mister.

Thaurin · December 22, 2006

A quick note; I haven't read all posts since my last one. I noticed that my hunter does the most damage with his bow-- more than the fighters in front. Is that normal?

EDIT: reading this thread, I've gotta conclude that there is NO other game out there that has this level of strategic combat and party combinations in it. I mean, just look at the discussion and suggestions for various stuff in the game. I mean, wow.

dteowner · December 22, 2006

Possible. With good ammo, a good bow, and decent stats, a ranger could out-damage a fighter (not berserking) with an average weapon and average stats. There's a ton of variables to consider, including any resistances the critters might have. Overall, your fighter will soon out-damage the ranger.

Thaurin · December 22, 2006

dteowner said:
There's a ton of variables to consider

This is exactly what makes this game so special.

Sorry, I don't have much time for lengthy replies right now. But it also makes this game one that needs a lot of knowledge before it really starts getting good.

Cormac · December 22, 2006

I've read that the ranger can use his bow at melee range. If so he'd never need to carry another weapon -- as long as he always carries sufficient ammo.

magerette · December 23, 2006

Surely there would have to be some sort of handicap for using a bow at point-blank range! If not, I'll be disabling the weapon auto-swap pronto.

@Thaurin
Don't be intimidated by all the detail--I was the first time around and gave up. The game does require some thought, especially with finding the characters that work for your play style, but you don't have to know the algorhthyms behind the damage rolls for it to be fun!

Cormac · December 23, 2006

I dont really know, Magerette. I read of that in Scorpia's strategy guide and not in the game manual. I posted a link to that guide in another thread but it wont hurt if I link it here too.

Scorpia's Wiz8 guide.

magerette · December 23, 2006

Nice guide, and she definitely states rangers can use their bows in melee range.
I have a rough battle ahead at the Temple in the SW Wilderness(already reloaded twice) so I'll give it a shot. Thanks Cormac.

dteowner · December 26, 2006

Confirming that rangers can use bows full time. In fact, I would highly recommend (for first timers at least) locking the bow in so that it can't sneak out by accident. Keep in mind that you're going to go thru a buttload of arrows that way. Plan ahead and carry enough.

I've hit my first ironman disaster. Ferro got mobbed by his fellow Rapax and had the gall to die before I could so much as speak to him. I was casting healing on him and everything and the rat-bastard still croaked. I've been in trouble for decent ammo (my Dominus is suffering from an arrow shortage) and was counting on Ferro bailing me out. Not to mention a few customs... No reloads for the wicked...

@magerette- that's one of the more enjoyable battles in the game, IMO.

@thaurin- I don't know that you have to become a guru to complete the game, but it can be a bit frustrating living with "mistakes" that you didn't realize were mistakes at the time. It's a nice carrot to replay, though.

magerette · December 26, 2006

@dteowner
Yes, this kind of spellcaster battle is always the best, where the AI is actually using the same tools you are, but with the relentlessly perfect logic of the machine. At the moment I appear to be totally outclassed, but the whole point of an encounter like this is to make you use every resource you've developed, and some you didn't even realize you had.

Too many games are afraid to give you a real fight--one that isn't just about being faced with more firepower than you can dish out.

Sorry about the Rapax thing. You know how they are.

I still resent a snub I got from Antone too much to do anything but want to kill them on sight. Ammo is the least of my problems at the normal level, but getting the good stuff is rare--I have a stack of fear bolts I've been holding in reserve but I have a feeling they may be coming out for this battle --when I tear myself away from my Christmas presents, that is

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