Wizardry Just started a new Wizardry 8 run...

[Zboj Lamignat]

Both 7 and 8 aged well actually.

Also voting dumbfuck for calling a 2001 game early 3d.

 

[cvv]

Also voting dumbfuck for calling a 2001 game early 3d.

Sperglord detected.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

8 is beautiful.

 

[Jaesun]

7 is actually more beautiful...

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

For me the animated portraits in 8 puts it over the top. Full disclosure thtough I ahve not played 7 through. I dabbled... missed a lot of blobbers due to Ultima fascination in the early-mid 90s.

 

[Jaesun]

Full disclosure thtough I ahve not played 7 through

Color me surprised...

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

I'm not surprised anyone missed finishing anything in that era. There was just so much to play. It's on my list to finish but I'm not really sure I will ever finish it.

Here's highlights of what I was busy with from '92 - 94 on PC. I also played a ton of console shit and a ton of roguelikes.

1992: Ultima7 The Black Gate, Forge of Virtue, Ultima Underworld
1993: Ultima 7 II - Silver Serpent, Ultima Underworld 2, Betrayal at Krondor
1994: System Shock, M&M Worlds of Xeen, Elder Scrolls Arena, Jagged Alliance

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

7 is actually more beautiful...

It looks nice and that's about it, wouldn't really pick it as the spectacular example of VGA crpgs (that would probably be the first LoL). That said, 8 is nothing extraordinary either, they both simply look good and also have aged quite gracefully.

Doctor is also right that the portraits and VOs are what distinguishes Wiz8, they really add a ton of charm and character to the game.

 

[TigerKnee]

Whoa! Someone better create a Modesty Mod to cover up that cleavage before CRPGAddict gets to it!

 

[Azrael the cat]

7 is actually more beautiful...

Agreed, but it has the easier task of stationary images for encounters. Wiz 8 has those stuttering animations for NPC movement which, combined with a general aesthetic clutter in encounters due to the way that masses of similar behaving enemies mob you. It also doesn't take visual advantage of its open world design: it often feels like a corridor with a skybox, and there's never a visually satisfying sense of looking out upon the land.

 

[DraQ]

It also doesn't take visual advantage of its open world design: it often feels like a corridor with a skybox

The thing is it doesn't *have* open world design - it's a bunch of boxed-in levels connected with narrow load points.

That said, some areas are more corridor-y than others - Mountain Wilderness, for example is pretty nice and open, Bayjin is nice and so on.
Looking out upon the land is usually hampered by draw distance, but you do get places like that ledge with Burz in Monastery or some places in Rapax Rift.

Of course, some sort of Morrowind/Wizardry 8 hybrid would make me all hard down below.

 

[Wizfall]

I like Wiz8 better but i agree Wiz7 looks much nicer even though animated talking portrait add quite a lot.
I dislike true open world design, the first time you play this kind of game it is great but after you realize that it lacks focus (it just too much to make everything interesting).
And Wizardry 8 is as open design as Wiz7 IMO and overall the right amount of open design (you always have some meaningful choice to where you want to go and the "corridor map" are large enough to not feel too much like it).

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Open world doesn't mean the levels have to be expansive and give a sense of scale though that is perferred. It really means you are not railroaded into specific sections as the narrative unfolds, yeah?

 

[DraQ]

Open world doesn't mean the levels have to be expansive and give a sense of scale though that is perferred. It really means you are not railroaded into specific sections as the narrative unfolds, yeah?

You're railroaded through specific load zones if you want from A to B.

Problem?

 

[Dorateen]

Until you activate the Humpawhammer.

(I know, that doesn't negate the fact that the areas are linear and adjacent to one another, I just like to say the word Humpawhammer.)

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Open world doesn't mean the levels have to be expansive and give a sense of scale though that is perferred. It really means you are not railroaded into specific sections as the narrative unfolds, yeah?

You're railroaded through specific load zones if you want from A to B.

Problem?

Meh. Wide open spaces is not the same as in the world is open to you. We can speak the same terms but mean two different things is my point and a lot of people confuse the two.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

God, that and the Rapax Teleporter were friggin lifesavers.

 

[DraQ]

Open world doesn't mean the levels have to be expansive and give a sense of scale though that is perferred. It really means you are not railroaded into specific sections as the narrative unfolds, yeah?

You're railroaded through specific load zones if you want from A to B.

Problem?

Meh. Wide open spaces is not the same as in the world is open to you. We can speak the same terms but mean two different things is my point and a lot of people confuse the two.

Wide open spaces do contribute to the world being open, because they limit game's ability to control your movement by funneling and gating.

Dorateen , Major_Blackhart
Isn't T'Rang teleporter far better in terms of connectivity?
It can go to a house near Arnika, entrance to Rapax Rift, entrance to Umpani Base, and Bluff exterior from where you can reach Crock in semi-reasonable time.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

T'Rang teleporter is indeed better.
Humpawhammer only goes I believe to the Umpani house.

 

[Dorateen]

Dorateen , Major_Blackhart
Isn't T'Rang teleporter far better in terms of connectivity?
It can go to a house near Arnika, entrance to Rapax Rift, entrance to Umpani Base, and Bluff exterior from where you can reach Crock in semi-reasonable time.

I believe so. I placed a portal spell with a destination in the T'Rang control room, so that we get there from any region, and then access various locations through the teleporter.

Kind of disturbing that the T'Rang had access to all those places.