Adventurer's Guild 𝙲𝙻𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙲 Issue #11 — Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge

[rusty_shackleford]

I like the trap disarming mechanic, it's a nice blend of character+player skill. Could be made a bit harder on the player, but still.

[rusty_shackleford]

Correct me if I'm wrong:

Class switching completely resets your class level, there's no way to swap back to the class at the level you were.
You keep any of your bonus attributes you gained from leveling up(?)
You keep your skills(?)

[edit]
spell points too

[Tangerine]

Correct me if I'm wrong:

Class switching completely resets your class level, there's no way to swap back to the class at the level you were.
You keep any of your bonus attributes you gained from leveling up(?)
You keep your skills(?)

[edit]
spell points too

It completely resets your class level and resets your attributes to the new class' minimums. You can only swap back once your stats RNG their way up to the previous class' minimums. You keep HP, Skills, and spells learned, and spell points.

Supposedly the previous class affects HP growth, but I'm not sure about the mechanics to that.

[rusty_shackleford]

Got to the hazard area, time for a breaky

[Lich]

The SNES version looks so good.

[Dorateen]

@Dorateen have you played the SNES version of Wizardry 6 by chance?

I'm assuming you already beat the DOS version long ago

I haven't played the SNES version. I'm a DOS exclusive player. In fact, I got into PC gaming after playing consoles.

[rusty_shackleford]

Made it to the mines.

I haven't played the SNES version. I'm a DOS exclusive player. In fact, I got into PC gaming after playing consoles.

You should consider giving it a try if you decide to play it again. There's very few times I've preferred the console version of a game, but this is one of them.

[DagothGeas5]

I like the trap disarming mechanic, it's a nice blend of character+player skill. Could be made a bit harder on the player, but still.

Wanted to ask, how is it different UI wise and similar from the DOS version? (where every character gets a turn to guessing what the trap might be and you get a sort of hangedman's game of letters, is the SNES version something similar?).

[rusty_shackleford]

I like the trap disarming mechanic, it's a nice blend of character+player skill. Could be made a bit harder on the player, but still.

Wanted to ask, how is it different UI wise and similar from the DOS version? (where every character gets a turn to guessing what the trap might be and you get a sort of hangedman's game of letters, is the SNES version something similar?).

It's effectively the same, it's a very good port

[rusty_shackleford]

To those of you that mapped this by hand: Wow.

► Show Spoiler

Wizardry VI - Bane of the Cosmic Forge English by TiCo V0.99a - Snes9x_007.webp

[rusty_shackleford]

Enemy called Miner Dwarf
Enemy called Major Dwarf

[rusty_shackleford]

My opinion on the class system is:
It isn't one beyond being it in name only.

All my characters effectively feel like mashups of the same archetype. There is one class, let's call it 'Hero', and each character is working towards being 'Hero' on their own path.

[rusty_shackleford]

What I wrote(and was going to delete but didn't):
I enjoy the greater depth some parts of this has over WoX, especially with regards to combat, but currently I'd say WoX is the better game. I don't think this will change prior to me finishing the game(I'm near the end of the mines but I have no idea how close I am to the end.)

---

I didn't delete it and decided to leave it, but I went and looked it up and Clouds of Xeen came out the same year as Wizardry 7, so that's likely a better comparison to make, perhaps. I'll see when I get there.

[DagothGeas5]

To those of you that mapped this by hand: Wow.

► Show Spoiler

That is nothing actually, to me the pyramid has been the most convoluted thus far. That and some of the underground mine areas.
This is the same area but through my map (spoilers abound), some areas are missing (crossed out at the top for example) because I made a separate paper for "darkness areas". I am very glad the maps are still around because I made a trap for some small flies and tipped it over the maps by accident (apple vinegar, dish soap and sugar). It left brown stains on some of the papers but it could have been much worse.

► Show Spoiler

Example of convoluted (Pyramid) spoilers abound
I forgot I even made notes (on the left) for when I got lost XD First time I just gave up on mapping something, fortunatly the area I was missing I just needed to visit twice and won't need to go back again (area where the pharaohs and "Indiana Jones" things are).

► Show Spoiler

[rusty_shackleford]

One area I've allowed myself to 'cheat' on is looking up item details. I have the identify spell, and using it just takes (real life) time, and the game does not remember I identified something. So I just look it up.

[rusty_shackleford]

Had to look this up:

Hitting it again here at the south end will cause it to shatter. It will only break if your last hit is in this area.

Ridiculous point-and-click adventure game "logic" **** added to pad the game out

[DagothGeas5]

Had to look this up:

Hitting it again here at the south end will cause it to shatter. It will only break if your last hit is in this area.

Ridiculous point-and-click adventure game "logic" **** added to pad the game out

Wanted to ask, is this related to the barrier below in the mines? I recall it "bugged out" for me, could it be instead it was this mechanic? And if so, is there a way to learn of this in-game? I just went went back and looked over things again after nothing happened and was worried I missed one "room" (as it did happen during my first attempt).

[Tangerine]

Had to look this up:

Hitting it again here at the south end will cause it to shatter. It will only break if your last hit is in this area.

Ridiculous point-and-click adventure game "logic" **** added to pad the game out

Wanted to ask, is this related to the barrier below in the mines? I recall it "bugged out" for me, could it be instead it was this mechanic? And if so, is there a way to learn of this in-game? I just went went back and looked over things again after nothing happened and was worried I missed one "room" (as it did happen during my first attempt).

I had to look this up to, because nothing in the game says to do this. I think it's a bug, where only hitting the south wall does the check to shatter the barrier.

[DagothGeas5]

Had to look this up:


Ridiculous point-and-click adventure game "logic" **** added to pad the game out

Wanted to ask, is this related to the barrier below in the mines? I recall it "bugged out" for me, could it be instead it was this mechanic? And if so, is there a way to learn of this in-game? I just went went back and looked over things again after nothing happened and was worried I missed one "room" (as it did happen during my first attempt).

I had to look this up to, because nothing in the game says to do this. I think it's a bug, where only hitting the south wall does the check to shatter the barrier.

Quite sad to learn this, I was sure it was some sort of riddle that I missed as I often wander into endgame areas or similar ahead of time due to simply exploring and wanting to see things, sad that it instead doesn't seem to have more depth to it
Thank you for sharing!

[rusty_shackleford]

I was angry when I posted that message because I spent half an hour trying to figure out why it wasn't working. I'm sure it was just a bug or had to be implemented that way.
SNES version having it too is funny because I know it's a complete reimplementation of the game, but it's a testament to how accurate it is to the source material. They even copied what is likely just a bug.

[J1M]

Unlike Shard of Spring, this seems viable to play on an Android device. (Virtual controller is less painful than virtual keyboard.)

Steps:
1. Install an emulator that supports patching, such as: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... Snes9xPlus

2. Install a program to unpack RAR files, such as: https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... rarlab.rar

3. Download the Japanese Wizardry VI rom file. Extract if needed. Rename the rom file to "Wizardry6.smc".

4. Download the translation. Extract the RAR file. Rename the translation patch to "Wizardry6.srm".

5. Create a folder. Call it whatever you want. Put both renamed files in it.

6. Launch the emulator and open the ROM file.

[J1M]

Why is the Wizardry series considered 'good'? Is it just first to market, were some games in the series great and VI is a dud?

I've browsed 3 different guides in the hopes of understanding the character choices before the game even starts.

All of them essentially agree:

• The premade party is extremely weak.
• Creating custom characters is a bad idea unless you sit there rerolling them for an hour.
• You should just use cheats to make a party.
• Even with max attributes you can easily allocate your skill points in a permanently detrimental way.
• You start the game with instructions to explore a castle. If you do this you will die. You are supposed to wander around the featureless first floor grinding until level 3.
• Castle is full of locked doors you can't open without 10 skill points in lock picking.
• Transitioning to more powerful classes is required, but also you need to save scum every level up along the way to make sure you get attribute growth.
• The first enemies you meet can kill even front line characters with a single hit. Or you can defeat them without taking any damage.
• Make sure to save scum before you open every door, every chest, at the end of each combat, and before each level up.

It sounds like a list of reasons to **** on the game but this is from people who like the game enough to write a guide.

[rusty_shackleford]

Why is the Wizardry series considered 'good'? Is it just first to market, were some games in the series great and VI is a dud?

I've browsed 3 different guides in the hopes of understanding the character choices before the game even starts.

All of them essentially agree:

• The premade party is extremely weak.
• Creating custom characters is a bad idea unless you sit there rerolling them for an hour.
• You should just use cheats to make a party.
• Even with max attributes you can easily allocate your skill points in a permanently detrimental way.
• You start the game with instructions to explore a castle. If you do this you will die. You are supposed to wander around the featureless first floor grinding until level 3.
• Castle is full of locked doors you can't open without 10 skill points in lock picking.
• Transitioning to more powerful classes is required, but also you need to save scum every level up along the way to make sure you get attribute growth.
• The first enemies you meet can kill even front line characters with a single hit. Or you can defeat them without taking any damage.
• Make sure to save scum before you open every door, every chest, at the end of each combat, and before each level up.

It sounds like a list of reasons to **** on the game but this is from people who like the game enough to write a guide.

I enjoyed World of Xeen significantly more than Wiz VI.

[Tadeusz]

Why is the Wizardry series considered 'good'? Is it just first to market, were some games in the series great and VI is a dud?

I really liked Wizardry 8 though I haven't played other games in the series. And Wiz8 doesn't have problems that you mentioned.

[Tangerine]

You start the game with instructions to explore a castle. If you do this you will die. You are supposed to wander around the featureless first floor grinding until level 3.

This will also take forever if you don't crank up the cycles to 10k+ and spin in circles. The encounter rate in the castle is pretty low.

[rusty_shackleford]

Why is the Wizardry series considered 'good'? Is it just first to market, were some games in the series great and VI is a dud?

I really liked Wizardry 8 though I haven't played other games in the series. And Wiz8 doesn't have problems that you mentioned.

Wizardry 8 is great

[J1M]

You start the game with instructions to explore a castle. If you do this you will die. You are supposed to wander around the featureless first floor grinding until level 3.

This will also take forever if you don't crank up the cycles to 10k+ and spin in circles. The encounter rate in the castle is pretty low.

Yes, the advice was shocking because I did not have an encounter until I found the top floor.

Other sage wisdom for level 1 characters from the pros:

• The best skill is Use->Lute (Bard). Most races need above average rolls to be a bard. Faeries can always choose Bard. But faeries can't equip most Bard equipment. Including their starting gear. Including the Lute. But don't be concerned, they can still use it in combat.
• The action your front line melee characters should focus on the most is Hide.
• Put all of your spellcaster skills in a single school. But select spells from different schools or you will have half or a third as much mana as a focused caster.
• Waste mana. Your casters should use all their mana each fight to raise their casting skill via use.

[J1M]

Update: Wizardry 6 is a bad adventure game that takes place in a maze. There is also combat to make it longer. At levels 1 and 2 combat essentially boils down to some coin tosses for whether you win or die. At level 3 and beyond you have spells that wipe out entire groups of enemies and can rest freely between combat. At no point is the combat interesting.

[rusty_shackleford]

Update: Wizardry 6 is a bad adventure game that takes place in a maze. There is also combat to make it longer. At levels 1 and 2 combat essentially boils down to some coin tosses for whether you win or die. At level 3 and beyond you have spells that wipe out entire groups of enemies and can rest freely between combat. At no point is the combat interesting.

Considering how much I saw this get praised over the years I found it to be… not that great. Definitely a game I'd have completed back in the day if I had nothing else to play, but did not live up to what I thought it'd be.

---

Anyways, there's maybe a new AG issue coming soon. Maybe you guys will participate?
Probably picking something that will be much easier to get running than usual.

[J1M]

Typical of the adventure game genre, multiple items that were sitting in your inventory for the whole game were used to open doors at the very end.

My main advice to someone attempting this is to understand how skill points work and have multiple characters with access to the anti-magic spell. I don't know if you can finish the game without it. Casting that in the first round nullifies so many nasty status effects and instant death spells the casters at the end of the game have access to.

Also of note, this minor boss in the later part of the game greatly resembles Diablo. Given the timeline of the SNES Wizardry 6 port, it seems plausible that someone at Blizzard North could have been inspired by this for Diablo 1.





@Oyster Sauce badge please.