Wizardry The Wizardry Series Thread

[Paper]

I've also been wanting to play Wiz 7. I wonder, is there no mapping feature at all in the DOS version or is there indeed a mage map-spell like someone told me a while back?

 

[Parsifarka]

This may be useful http://www.moddb.com/mods/wizardry-7-automap-mod

 

[Paper]

Cheers

Too bad I won't be able to play in fullscreen.

 

[Malignant Manor]

That automap mod works great. You can also find a mapmaker kit near the river south of New City. I stopped about halfway through the game on my last playthrough due to random encounters.

 

[TigerKnee]

Weird, I SWEAR I'm playing Wiz7 DOS. Isn't that the version that comes with GOG/Dosbox?

I've also been wanting to play Wiz 7. I wonder, is there no mapping feature at all in the DOS version or is there indeed a mage map-spell like someone told me a while back?

Use the Automap program like others have said.

But there actually IS a mapping feature in the DOS version. You just need to find an item first in the starting dungeon. It's very awkward to use though - you have to go through way too many steps just to pull it up in-game

 

[octavius]

Weird, I SWEAR I'm playing Wiz7 DOS. Isn't that the version that comes with GOG/Dosbox?

GOG has both versions, but it's the inferior Gold version that is default, while the DOS version is a bonus.

 

[TigerKnee]

GOG has both versions, but it's the inferior Gold version that is default, while the DOS version is a bonus.

I'm looking at some screenshots and I'm fairly certain that I'm playing the normal version if only because the portraits in my version looks less moronic than the Gold ones, so I'm guessing at least one poster here might be remembering something wrong involving the scrolling text.

 

[Malignant Manor]

You can try lowering the DOSBox cycles to slow down the text. I think CTRL-F11 does it. CTRL-F12 will increase them again.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

DON'T play the Wizardry Gold version, the text scrolls by and there is nothing you can do about it.

I have a quick fix for the majority of text that scrolls by too fast in Wiz Gold.

To rememdy the problem requies a hex editor with a find and replace tool. I used a free one, which can be found here

The text for the messages are contained in the file MSG.gld which will be in your wizardry gold folder e.g. c:\wizgold. ***Make a backup of this file before editing***

Open MSG.gld file with a hex editor and perform a find and replace on the following strings:

find: &%]

and

replace with: &@]

This will change all '%' to '@' when inbetween '&' and ']' and there should be 1,118 changes in total!

The above characters are commands telling the game how to handle specific bits of text. Here we are changing a command that says to scroll text automatically to one requiring a mouse-click to proceed. Hence after saving the changes the game will now wait for a mouse-click to proceed with certain texts (just like how the narrator messages already work).

I have yet to test the game thoroughly after the changes so a backup may well be necessary!

There are still a few occasions where text scrolls as the code we are replacing does not catch all instances. This is due to the necessity of finding a string that is of equal size to that which it is replacing and unique in its application. To wit, replacing all %'s to @'s will cause havoc

Please post with and queries or problems and I will try to help.


Good luck!


Edit: For another 52 fixes;

find: &%%]

replace with: &%@]

I've tried this and it works but may cause some crashes.

 

[Jaesun]

Interesting. I'd still just play the DOS version, and not worry about any crashes.

 

[Leitz]

I stopped about halfway through the game on my last playthrough due to random encounters.

Like everybody does. Everybody.

 

[TigerKnee]

Wiz 7 Automap mod question:
Are notes you write on the map supposed to disappear when you close the program/leave the area or did I fuck up installing the mod somehow?

 

[Lady_Error]

I stopped about halfway through the game on my last playthrough due to random encounters.

Like everybody does. Everybody.

But there actually IS a mapping feature in the DOS version. You just need to find an item first in the starting dungeon. It's very awkward to use though - you have to go through way too many steps just to pull it up in-game

Yeah, the in-game map is kind of cumbersome and quite limited. You also have to put points into the mapping skill in order to see more things on the map.

 

[Malignant Manor]

The automap saves when you save the game. It shouldn't lose the text when you leave an area.

 

[TigerKnee]

The automap saves when you save the game. It shouldn't lose the text when you leave an area.

Weird, because it deletes everything for me... ah well.

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Yeah, the in-game map is kind of cumbersome and quite limited. You also have to put points into the mapping skill in order to see more things on the map.

My character with mapkit and 30 mapping can see walls and entrances, is there any point in developing this skill any further?

Damn, I felt into class changing cycle and suffer from 'just one more class for another skill points' syndrome, fortunately 2 of my characters got stuck with decent classes with only fighter and thief as alternatives, I hope the same will happen everyone else to cease this class switching madness.

 

[Malignant Manor]

You need a minimum mapping skill of 60 to map stairs and pits.

Weird, because it deletes everything for me... ah well.

You could try making sure the mod and Wizardry 7 are installed to somewhere other than program files (or whatever it is called on your Windows version). I can't remember where it saved the map data.

 

[Anthedon]

Are there any screenshot programs that work with Wizardry 8 (Print key aside)?

 

[DraQ]

Are there any screenshot programs that work with Wizardry 8 (Print key aside)?

FRAPS definitely works and there is built-in screenshot functionality (it does overwrite the shots between sessions, though).

 

[oddech_wymarlych_swiatow]

Short question - are save files from Wiz7 and WizGold compatible? I 'm aware of their different extensions but - importing my party - after I renamed .dbs Wiz6 file to .sgm it worked in Gold.

 

[Avellion]

Short question - are save files from Wiz7 and WizGold compatible? I 'm aware of their different extensions but - importing my party - after I renamed .dbs Wiz6 file to .sgm it worked in Gold.

Yes they are. I switched between gold and Wiz 7 occationally while keeping under one save game. Wizardry 7 crashed whenever I used some items. So I would switch to Gold to get past the section concerning the item and then I would switch back to 7.

However, its not without side effects. You will cringe every time you see the portraits Wiz Gold has assigned your characters.

 

[Parsifarka]

Is the default party in Wiz8 any good?

 

[eric__s]

Has there ever been a good default party in any game?

 

[Parsifarka]

Yes, the default party in M&M3,4&5 is quite capable.

 

[octavius]

Has there ever been a good default party in any game?

Yes, in Might&Magic 1-5.