tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post2403667974616342530..comments2024-03-29T02:34:55.592-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Wizardry V: Won!*CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger137125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67757966296654853822023-07-17T14:32:44.722-04:002023-07-17T14:32:44.722-04:00Ha, I just scanned my entry. Look at the fuss I ma...Ha, I just scanned my entry. Look at the fuss I made about using a walkthrough. I guess this was the game that broke the dam. I still MOSTLY don't use walkthroughs, but I allow myself to use them if I'm completely stuck. I sure wouldn't make that big a deal out of it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-48967145849300758802023-07-17T14:31:02.573-04:002023-07-17T14:31:02.573-04:00Yeah, this one is almost impossible otherwise. Con...Yeah, this one is almost impossible otherwise. Congratulations anyway, though.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-40614709867937830012023-07-16T13:10:20.558-04:002023-07-16T13:10:20.558-04:00Just finished W5 almost 10 years later (along with...Just finished W5 almost 10 years later (along with W1-4). Trippy to see my comment on here- thanks for starting me on my journey. And did I cheat? I sure as hell did.Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-34466186321569975702020-10-10T11:38:14.422-04:002020-10-10T11:38:14.422-04:00Just wrapped up a playthrough of the SNES port. O...Just wrapped up a playthrough of the SNES port. Or at least 99% of a playthrough. It was pointed out to me that I wasn't the first person to be annihilated by the final boss:<br />https://www.videogamesage.com/topic/877-beat-the-snes-library-166714/?do=findComment&comment=125730Reednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-25431652485066510142019-07-08T23:06:00.200-04:002019-07-08T23:06:00.200-04:00I don't know myself, but Wizardry was Sir-Tech...I don't know myself, but <i>Wizardry</i> was Sir-Tech, not SSI.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29505728240616205022019-07-07T18:31:11.429-04:002019-07-07T18:31:11.429-04:00memory check - I know ssi had a phone number to ca...memory check - I know ssi had a phone number to call for a hint if you were stuck, but was there a pay option for more hints?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11142592019138152081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-74470777552789258682015-09-23T23:12:13.153-04:002015-09-23T23:12:13.153-04:00Alas, no.
But it's interesting that I'm no...Alas, no.<br />But it's interesting that I'm not the only one with the problem. I speculated that the problem may have been due to me saving after starting the final "ritual", and then reloading.Brutusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8930623546708035852015-09-23T22:52:40.704-04:002015-09-23T22:52:40.704-04:00Brutus, did you ever find a solution? I just went ...Brutus, did you ever find a solution? I just went through the whole game again, just to continue to be pushed back by the Sorn as well... and all the gates are closed.ClarkBHMnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85410419132849558932015-04-18T22:45:49.494-04:002015-04-18T22:45:49.494-04:00Good thoughts, Joet88. I suppose that in a way, co...Good thoughts, Joet88. I suppose that in a way, constantly reloading and trying again is as much "grinding" as fighting the same enemies over and over. (Your point about killing rats is well-taken.)CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-36906955256865326822015-04-17T22:01:54.704-04:002015-04-17T22:01:54.704-04:00Started reading your blog a few months ago, going ...Started reading your blog a few months ago, going through games played by year (already catching up!) This is an interesting post because it really captures the dilemma of how video games work, why we play them, and why we go back to games from the past. For me, I do my best not to cheat, but if I get to a point where I feel like I won't finish, I relent. The reason is that I personally play games from two perspectives- story, enjoying the characters and immersing in the game world, and analysis, placing a game in my understanding of history, how it fits into a series, how the game mechanics work, things like that. I really don't enjoy grinding. A lot of types of gameplay is actually tedious to me- the perfect form of gameplay is when it works seamlessly with the story, your actions are the characters' actions. I don't need my hand held, but if someone is walking back and forth for hours in the same room, looking for a clue while the main villain is waiting on the other side of the door, it doesn't really make sense to me on a story level and breaks the immersion, so I don't mind looking it up in a walkthrough. And similarly, something like grinding seems so odd- all that heartless murder... Just so you can have better skills? I don't care if they're orcs. Ever had to kill a rat in real life? It's not pleasant (even if it's just a trap!) and killing boatloads of them for stats doesn't seem particularly heroic.<br /><br />I was able to finish Ultima 5 this way, with the walkthrough- I think I would have had to spend a lot of time grinding to figure out the puzzles in Doom otherwise, which didn't seem fair to me, considering I solved most of the game on my own- more than I had originally expected of myself! I ended up with an interesting experience- through savescumming, a walkthrough, and a few choice negate time and summon demon scrolls, I was able to squeeze my way through those last few dungeon screens with level 5 characters. I had to reload over and over, but my plans were creative, and somehow, eventually they worked. It was also very dramatic- each screen, my one or two of my party members sacrificed themselves to get the avatar through. And thankfully Lord British resurrected them at the end, which was actually a very powerful moment- he didn't have to, it could have been implied, which leads me to believe that maybe the game wasn't designed for overpowered characters; maybe you were expected to barely make it. Personally, formulating a plan and forcing the luck to work through reloads is more gratifying to me, and I think is its own form of grinding. It's how fps games work after all- try to beat half life without saving!<br /><br />Anyway, my point is that this blog is great because it lays out the experience of gaming out for people to compare their own ways of playing against someone else's, and learn about why they play, as well as why others play. I'm sure some would say my U5 ending is blasphemous, but reading the craziness that is Wiz 5 helps me understand that there are some gameplay styles I just don't enjoy. And hey... Some folks like grinding, and more power to them! That said, I've also been inspired by this blog to check out a few classics, and really give them a fair shake, with little to no cheating, specifically rogue, pools of radiance, wiz 1 and 6-8, starflight, and the MM series. Ultima was already on my list :)Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2967571514752972014-12-15T03:50:27.238-05:002014-12-15T03:50:27.238-05:00Lizard, good post.
I was going to write something ...Lizard, good post.<br />I was going to write something similar, but now I don't have to (well, not as much anyway).<br /><br />The problem with Wiz 5 is that it's huge and takes a long time to finish. And many of the puzzles are not self contained. For example to find out which three of the nice candles you need to light on lvl 8, you need to remember the description of rooms on lvl 3, including the colour of the curtains (which match the corresponding gate).<br />So if you rush the game and don't keep very detailed notes you are screwed. Combine that with lots and lots of backtracking of huge levels and the game can get frustrating.<br />But nothing is more frustrating when the game bugs out very cose to the end. I have closed all the gates on lvl 4 and I'm ready to face the Sorn, but when I try to enter square 0/0 where The Gatekeeper is imprisoned The Sorn just pushed me back.Brutusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69987768539338594872014-12-15T03:41:35.167-05:002014-12-15T03:41:35.167-05:00It's The Loon that gives you the hint about th...It's The Loon that gives you the hint about the summoning spell.Brutusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42391632564665089332013-10-28T08:51:34.590-04:002013-10-28T08:51:34.590-04:00These old games had some very bad tendencies. They...These old games had some very bad tendencies. They often added space for its own sake. They artificially inflated the length of gameplay by introducing long, repetitive walks and extremely difficult puzzles. The Wizardry series only took it to the top. Many old games had strange mechanics. Today's games are much more streamlined. It seems to me that there are certain conventions on what games should be, what you get if you look for a certain genre, how difficult the game should be and how long they are. I..think...that there was more versatility back then - versatility in the way the mind had to approach games. Today, the better computers do a lot of the work for you. I guess that Wizardry V was the last of these ancient games.Alexander Sebastian Schulzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15135338616598357444noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91907189339868549172013-06-18T12:38:03.733-04:002013-06-18T12:38:03.733-04:00Saw the manual and reference card, I couldn't ...Saw the manual and reference card, I couldn't find the hint about SOCORDI either. <br /><br />Somewhere there was a reference of the SOCORDI and possibly another spell being the opposite of the spell Sorn uses to banish the gatekeeper. jcanonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-6127698944555788932013-06-18T11:59:23.820-04:002013-06-18T11:59:23.820-04:00I don't think it was in the manual exactly. T...I don't think it was in the manual exactly. The game came with a game manual and a spell reference card with a summary of the spells. The description on the spell summary card had the hint... I wanna say an extra blurb at the bottom of this reference card was the hint. <br /><br />I cant find this card on the internet anywhere. I'm curious where this hint was exactly.<br /><br />We couldn't figure out the stealing of the locket from Evil Eyes and gave up on the game for a year, then came back the next summer and finally beat it. jcanonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-10413009342705488772013-06-17T11:53:18.745-04:002013-06-17T11:53:18.745-04:00In any event, congratulations on your blind victor...In any event, congratulations on your blind victory. As hard as it was for me to win WITH cheating, that must have really taken some effort.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4733524387640256122013-06-17T11:52:47.969-04:002013-06-17T11:52:47.969-04:00I just looked at the manual, and all it says about...I just looked at the manual, and all it says about SOCORDI is "conjures a group of monsters from one of the elemental planes to come and fight for the party." Maybe there was some kind of hint in-game?CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-75878074949712536512013-06-17T10:34:37.293-04:002013-06-17T10:34:37.293-04:00"Part of the problem was that she had a magic..."Part of the problem was that she had a magic shield around her that prevented me from doing any damage. It turns out that the solution was to cast the SOCORDI mage spell, which normally summons an elemental to aid you in combat, but which for some reason summons back the Gatekeeper in this combat. I have no idea where I was supposed to get that information, but I was cheating at this point so I got it from the walkthrough."<br /><br />I believe the original manual had a description of the SOCORDI spell and how it worked along with every spell... some comment about returning the most recently dispelled creature. <br /><br />Anyway great blog... me and my brother beat this back in the early nineties without any walkthrough, and every vague text in the game or manual was some clue later on. Tough game.Jcanonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-63838010032241749892013-02-22T15:24:08.460-05:002013-02-22T15:24:08.460-05:00Dad, please stop going on the Internet when you...Dad, please stop going on the Internet when you're drunk.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-28079656341099224122013-02-22T15:16:45.723-05:002013-02-22T15:16:45.723-05:00That would probably depend on who you are. Is this...That would probably depend on who you are. Is this JR Ewing?Amy K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/10892876651484617812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57564213088241675002013-02-22T13:16:59.915-05:002013-02-22T13:16:59.915-05:00What I'm gathering from this is that you think...What I'm gathering from this is that you think I'm an appalling, deceitful scumbag.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-91576350818895930102012-06-24T11:28:27.149-04:002012-06-24T11:28:27.149-04:00Yes, Morrowind din't have quest arrows, but to...Yes, Morrowind din't have quest arrows, but too many players didn't manage to find Caius Cosades despite detailed written directions. <br />Funny that one of the first AAA RPGs developed for a console should be so "difficult", while I don't recall players having problems finding Jaheira and Khalid in Baldur's Gate, for example.<br />Yes, I do blame the decline of CRPGs and computer games in general on the X-Box. Before that console games and computer games were two different genres that appealed to different people. Generally console games were for smaller kids, while computer games were for older kids and (relatively) grown ups. With the X-Box games had to appeal to "everybody" and that meant games had to be dumbed down so that even small kids could enjoy them. I guess Bethesda overestimated the Morrowind players, but they learnt from their "mistake" and put up quest arrowns in Oblivion. Fortunately on the PC you can mod most of the things you don't like, though.PetrusOctavianusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-2618240341227346592012-06-24T10:24:24.993-04:002012-06-24T10:24:24.993-04:00Yeah, Morrowind didn't have the arrows (though...Yeah, Morrowind didn't have the arrows (though the expansion(s) did clean up the journal and make it more searchable). Oblivion and Skyrim allow you to toggle what quest markers are active, IIRC, but the games are not designed to be played without the quest markers and often provide no way to infer where to go next without them.malkav11https://www.blogger.com/profile/06785046340353526574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20692671605994944162012-06-20T16:24:15.803-04:002012-06-20T16:24:15.803-04:00Caron, trust me, it's not just nostalgia. Sinc...Caron, trust me, it's not just nostalgia. Since the game was DOS only and me being one of those cool hipster (yeah, right) Amiga dudes I didn't even know of Dark Heart of Uukrul (or Løkrull, as I like to call him) until a year or so ago.<br />I played it half a year ago and loved it. A solid turn based dungeon crawler with good puzzles, a decent combat system and a novel magic system.<br />Too bad it was DOS only (why no Apple, C64 or 16 bit versions?) and had no sequels. But then it was probably Brøderbund's only foray into publishing CRPGs.PetrusOctavianusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69609500219697849152012-06-20T14:19:59.841-04:002012-06-20T14:19:59.841-04:00Nice, following. I should check out other people&#...Nice, following. I should check out other people's profiles more often. :DZenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.com