Wizardry 8 - Storming the Castle

Dhruin

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Jay 'Rampant Coyote' Barnson resumes his tales of Wiz8. This time we're Storming the Castle:
The main floor of the castle was largely the same story - infuriatingly long combats. Rapax are minotaur-looking beasts which have some of the most infuriatingly boring combat in the known universe. They are - tough. Very tough. Most magic barely touches them. They hit like a ton of bricks. They have hundreds of hit points. And I usually end up fighting them a couple dozen at a time. I blow through most of my magic in each combat. Usually the best spells are buffs, heals, and insanity spells - since if even one or two Rapax berserkers go nuts and begin wailing on their comrades for a couple of rounds, It can shave precious minutes off of an hour-long fight.
More information.
 
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Good to see you back in the saddle. I don't remember if you installed WizFast or not. That helps considerably with the length of combat. That said, the game is going to continue to frustrate you with long combats.

One thing I would recommend is that you watch your radar a little more closely. If you're regularly getting multiple groups showing up for a fight, you need to be a little more careful about choosing the where and when of your battles. Wait for wandering groups to seperate so you only have to tackle one at a time.

I don't think it's a spoiler to warn you that the final end game is a heck of a gauntlet run. There's lots of new critters to meet and interesting zones and even a little humor here and there, but there's also a major buttload of combat. Better get psychologically prepared...
 
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Since encountering the Rapax, WizFast has been at full warp-speed. But there's still a lot of waiting for combat animations and spells to fire. Really - even if they only take 7.5 seconds per enemy, we're talking 2 minutes per round JUST for the AI to finish making their moves for 16 opponents. And the Rapax fights take many, many rounds. It's a slug-fest.

I've tried to be pretty careful about dodging the multiple groups (or even fleeing when too many reinforcements arrive in mid-combat), and it's worked well in some areas - like the Rapax camp (which I haven't written about yet). But in the tight confines of the castle, I can only dodge a few encounters and hope for the best with others. The mini-map with the scanner effect up reveals huge swarms of red dots at every other turn. I guess I got 'em riled up.

I'm assuming level 23ish isn't unusually high (or low) for this part of the game?
 
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You might be a bit on the low side at 23rd, but not dramatically so.

It is a little tough to navigate the castle without getting mobbed. Actually, keeping Ferro from getting killed in the crossfire can be a big challenge sometimes. That's not a merchant you want to do without. It pays to mow the entire map in the castle, though. There's lots of interesting things to find. It sounds like you might have caught most of them, but there's at least one sorta-kinda puzzle that I think would have prompted a designer-type comment had you found it. That's OK, [ominous music] you'll be back [/music].
 
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7.5 seconds per enemy is much longer than I experienced, I could see why that would be frustrating waiting for so many enemies on so many turns.
 
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Heh, those were the days. Its always what I tell the kiddos when they complain today's games are too difficult or complicated. ;)
 
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I'm assuming level 23ish isn't unusually high (or low) for this part of the game?

I think 23 is pretty adequate for that part of the game.



This is probably quite a major spoiler but


you can become a rapax templar in the rapax castle - start is on the left balcony of the throne room. Then you can enjoy exploring the castle without being slowed down by the enemies since all rapax will become neutral.
Also, the whole rapax camp will be friendly/neutral then, and I´d recommend to go through that sequence since it´s a rather cool one, shedding more light on the whole Umpani - T´Rang business.
That said, that part of the game is potentially rather tedious, although still pretty fun in the case of rift, and I remember completely missing the possibility to befriend the rapax in the castle during my first playthrough. However, when you know about it, rapax castle is quite a bliss.

Nessie is easily killable around levels 12-14, or so. Usual protective spells, plus enchanted blade and superman are your friends.
 
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I still have this!

I was so bummed when Sir-Tech went under. The Siroteks and their staff really had heart and put everything they had into their games. I remember when Wiz8 came out, and they were already going under. I saw the game and said, "Maybe this will save them!" It's truly an excellent title, and really the only downside I found to the game were the insanely long combat sequences. The sequences were long enough that I finally had to quit playing around level 15 or so because I was watching my hair grey before my very eyes.
Your "Storming the Castle" article, however, has just caused me to reinstall and remember how many gems are in this game. Thanks!
 
All of these threads keep getting me wanting to replay this and really get going with M&M VI again ... I really need more time!
 
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All of these threads keep getting me wanting to replay this and really get going with M&M VI again ... I really need more time!


Yeah Wizardry 8 is a great CRPG, I really enjoyed playing through it.

That being said, the only drawback is the time investment required. Wiz8 is a looooong game, I'm not sure if I'll ever replay it.
 
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It goes a bit faster on replays. Well, numerous replays, at least. There's still some choices to be made, but overall you've got a better feel for what/where/when. Plus, you don't feel quite as guilty for skipping a side quest or two if you want to.
 
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