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[Arulan]

This is a rather short interview by Felipe Pepe, who is working on the CRPG Book Project. Despite it being only made up of two questions, I think it's interesting enough for some discussion.

Interview: D.W. Bradley on Wizardry 6 & 7

D.W. Bradley is best known as the man behind the second wave of Wizardry games.

After Andrew Greenberg and Robert Woodhead left, Bradley took over the series on Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstorm (1988), expanding the game’s systems and dungeons. In Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge (1990) he revamped the graphics and character systems, added more story & NPC interactions and set the stage for an ambitious sequel…

Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant (1992) took the series to new heights with a large non-linear open world, where several alien factions searching for a legendary artifact – with NPC parties roaming the land and looting dungeons alongside the player.

After that he worked with Warren Spector at Origin on CyberMage: Darklight Awakening (1995), an early FPS\RPG hybrid, then went on to found his own company – Heuristic Park – and release two more RPGs: the vastly underrated Wizards & Warriors (2000) and the recently re-released Dungeon Lords (2005).

Despite this impressive career, there are extremely few interviews with D.W. Bradley, and most are about Dungeon Lords. However, I’ve managed to contact him this week and he generously replied two of my questions on the Wizardry series:

It's interesting to note that Chris Avellone has frequently spoken about a rival party being a central part of what would have been Fallout 3 (Fallout Van Buren).

RPG Codex Interview: Chris Avellone at Digital Dragons 2016

JMR: Van Buren was supposed to have another party in the world that would wander around and complete quests. Can you tell us how that was supposed to work?

MCA: Yeah, basically what they would do is they would go to alternate locations, and they had their own agenda path they were trying to follow to accomplish certain objectives. And the trick with them is each one of the rival party members actually had a separate agenda, which they didn't fully share with everybody else in the party. So sometimes they would do certain things at locations where it worked with one of their agendas but nobody else's, but the other guys wouldn't know about it, so you could use that against them, where you're like, ”Well you know that guy in that location left a note for us to follow you”, and they're like, “Oh my god! Are you a traitor?” [shooting sounds] But... it was basically a very heavily scripted NPC mechanic, where we were like, we're trying to increase reactivity and the sense the world was moving on. So, when the player characters would go to one location and do a bunch of stuff, they would be notified that something else was happening in the location and those guys would take care of the quests in an area or conquer that location, and you were like, “Oh, shit”, like, “We gotta move.” But it was all intended to give the sense that something else was happening in the world without waiting for you.​

 

[thecrpgbook]

Thanks for posting this Arulan.

For those who don't know, Wizardry VII (1992) was a very unique game. You and several other factions would arrive at the mythical planet Guardia, looking for the universe's most powerful artifact!

What's cool is that the game has a "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World!" kind of vibe, as you must compete against the other factions for the clues leading to the treasure.

The game is open-world-ish, so if you go out to explore Fort Orkogre and take too long, another NPC party will likely go to the Sacred City of Munkhamara and collect the map clue that was lying there. So if you want that clue now, you'll have to find out who has it, track him down and trade/steal/kill for the clue - or try to beat the puzzles without the clue (they aren't mandatory).

It's a neat concept. We all remember Garry / Red / Douche from Pokémon, but overall in-game rivals is an extremely underused concept I would love to see more of.

As for the interview, it reveals more about Bradley than about Wizardry, but that's interesting too.

 

[The Dude]

One of my all time favorite series.. And yea crusaders of the dark savant was so good, I loved it. Started with them in mid 80s, I miss when this was our primary pc gaming style rpgs

 

[Bl@de]

WIzardry 6-8 are in my top list of best RPGs Nice to hear something from Bradley (even if it's very short). I wonder what he is doing nowadays. Strange thing to see a WIzardry thread on NeoGAF (I predict 20 posts maximum ).

 

[thecrpgbook]

I wonder what he is doing nowadays. Strange thing to see a WIzardry thread on NeoGAF (I predict 20 posts maximum ).

He told me was very busy. And since he made Wizardry 7 basically by himself 24 years ago, it like to imagine he's now locked in a tower doing a spiritual successor to those games.

It's either that or wait for Cleve to finish Grimoire... which is basically a remake o Wiz 7 - at least the first hour is identical: Start at forest -> introductory dungeon -> kill undead boss -> gain enough levels to survive ambush -> enter huge city.

But I actually thought Grimoire's Super Demo has better level design than Wizardry VII. :3

 

[Bl@de]

He told me was very busy. And since he made Wizardry 7 basically by himself 24 years ago, it like to imagine he's now locked in a tower doing a spiritual successor to those games.

I still hope that Bradley will join Kickstarter at some point with a spiritual successor for WIzardry 6/7 or Wizards & Warriors (a very underrated but also buggy and unavailable game). I would drop a lot of money for that game. At least we will get Bard's Tale IV Looking forward to it.

It's either that or wait for Cleve to finish Grimoire...

How many microfixes left? 3?

 

[thecrpgbook]

How many microfixes left? 3?

Oh ye of little faith, it's being released right now:

Actually it's being released for over a week now, but you can't expect a gave 20+ years in the making to be released instantly.

 

[Lanrutcon]

Wizardry 8 is one of my top 5 crpgs. Replayed it a lot. Best character progression mechanics ever.

 

[Sinatar]

Oh ye of little faith, it's being released right now:

Actually it's being released for over a week now, but you can't expect a gave 20+ years in the making to be released instantly.

Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

 

[Spectone]

Reminds me I should finish reading this article
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/wizardry/wizardry.htm

And that I need to play Wizardry VI and VII that I purchased from GoG
https://www.gog.com/game/wizardry_6_7

 

[Arulan]

Thanks for posting this Arulan.

Not everyday we get an interview with D.W. Bradley!

I can't say I'm very familiar with his other work (outside of Wizardry). What's unique about Wizards & Warriors?

Despite the recent CRPG renaissance, we have yet to really push past the peak of world reactivity of many older RPGs. The Age of Decadence being one of the few noteworthy examples.

 

[UncleSporky]

All I know about DW Bradley is from the CRPG Addict's commentary when he played Wiz 6, which isn't too favorable, but then I don't believe he ever corresponded with him.

 

[cj_iwakura]

Always wondered what these guys think of the Japanese Wizardry popularity and the spinoffs they made.

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Wizardry 8 is one of my top 5 crpgs. Replayed it a lot. Best character progression mechanics ever.

I remember it being rather interesting (after speed fix and figuring out quickly to bottleneck); I cooled it off to play new games but remember leaving off stealing from some priests and trying to smooth talk my way onto a spaceship to no avail.

 

[The Dude]

I'd love to see nice well done remakes of at least 7 and 8. Id pay 60 for a new wizardry without even batting an eyelash.

I miss those days of pc gaming, they were glorious.

So many amazing games back then. Betrayal at Krondor, lands of lore, wizardry, might and Magic, and so many more... Old pc gaming was such a standout compared to all other forms of gaming

 

[thecrpgbook]

Always wondered what these guys think of the Japanese Wizardry popularity and the spinoffs they made.

From this 2012 interview: http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8129

RPG Codex: Why do you think the early Wizardry games became so popular in Japan that clones and similar games continue to be released there to this day?

Robert Woodhead: I'm pleased, of course, but any explanation I could give would likely be psycho-social bullshit. : )​

I had a question like that for Bradley, but it was about why his games are "ignored" - there are over 30 Japanese Wizardry clones, but they all follow the old Wizardry formula of multi-level dungeons + a city to go back to. The changes Bradley did were all discarded, and not a single Wizardry 7 (or 8) clone was ever made... Grimoire aside.

Now that I'm living in Japan, it's on my to-do list to find some Jap devs and ask them about this.

 

[Just take it with you.]

After playing Wizardries 6 and 7, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that his responses would read like that.

 

[cj_iwakura]

From this 2012 interview: http://www.rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=8129


I had a question like that for Bradley, but it was about why his games are "ignored" - there are over 30 Japanese Wizardry clones, but they all follow the old Wizardry formula of multi-level dungeons + a city to go back to. The changes Bradley did were all discarded, and not a single Wizardry 7 (or 8) clone was ever made... Grimoire aside.

Now that I'm living in Japan, it's on my to-do list to find some Jap devs and ask them about this.

A good start would be Acquire, who did the Renaissance games. Their office is in Akihabara.

 

[thecrpgbook]

A good start would be Acquire, who did the Renaissance games. Their office is in Akihabara.

Yeah, I would really like to talk with them and the folks at Experience & Starfish, who IMHO are the top Wizardry-like devs around.

This Japanese fascination for Wizardry - but without ever copying Wiz 4, 6, 7 or 8 - is something that I've always wondered. Sadly, no journo ever bothered (or knew enough) to ask. :/

 

[Hesemonni]

I remember loving Wizardry 7 even though I literally didn't know what I was doing. I got my ass whooped so all the time and saving & reloading like every minute and after each succesful random encounter. But the world felt so living and huge.

 

[Arulan]

Yeah, I would really like to talk with them and the folks at Experience & Starfish, who IMHO are the top Wizardry-like devs around.

This Japanese fascination for Wizardry - but without ever copying Wiz 4, 6, 7 or 8 - is something that I've always wondered. Sadly, no journo ever bothered (or knew enough) to ask. :/

It's the lack of puzzles that I've often wondered about.

 

[NolbertoS]

I remember Wizardry was a series I really wanted to try out. I know Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have their origins in Wizardry but would love to have all Wizardry games on PSN someday

 

[Bl@de]

I remember Wizardry was a series I really wanted to try out. I know Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have their origins in Wizardry but would love to have all Wizardry games on PSN someday

You surely mean the JP titles. Because the old wireframe Wizardry games (1-5) on PSN?. 0. No Chance. Nein. They're not even on GOG/Steam. Maybe the NES Ports. But even if ... It will most likely be JP only.

 

[luka]

interesting that this would pop up now. lately i've been in the mood for an old-school dungeon crawler and just yesterday picked up an old cd-rom copy of dark savant. looking forward to trying it out!

 

[Arulan]

Don't most of the Wiz ports have full English available, though? It wouldn't be a bad idea to dump those on digital distros at some point. The sprite based graphics are a nice upgrade from the PC versions, too.

The Super Famicom versions, which seems to be what a lot of people play to revisit Wizardry 1-2-3, were only released in Japanese. There is however a fan translation.

 

[Sinatar]

The best versions of Wizardry 1 - 3 is the Playstation 1 Llylgamyn Saga which has an english translation built in, you just gotta navigate a japanese menu to turn it on.

EDIT: In case anyone wants to give it a whirl, these are the options for english:

1. Message - Jap(1) Jap(2) English
2. Monster name - Jap English
3. Item name - Jap English
4. Spell Name - Jap English
5. Monster Display - Classic Playstation
6. Dungeon - Wireframe Polygon
7. Sound - Stereo Mono
8. BGM - ON OFF
9. Sound Effects - ON OFF
10. Combat Effects - ON OFF
11. Automap - ON OFF
12. Controller Settings
13. Exit

 

[Arulan]

^ Thanks. I haven't tried the PS1 versions, but I may have to sometime.

 

[The Dude]

Not as deep but lands of lore are fun romps as well, I definitely suggest them if you never played them. They were like wizardry lite to me, but great feeling games

 

[Zarovitch]

Wizardy 7 is my best rpg ever.
No games come close to it.

 

[mclem]

Not as deep but lands of lore are fun romps as well, I definitely suggest them if you never played them. They were like wizardry lite to me, but great feeling games

If we're talking blobbers, I was surprised just how much I enjoyed Might & Magic when I played it a few years ago.

 

[Kyuur]

Very cool. I haven't finished any of his games (started a new 6 file with intents of carrying it through the trilogy, got sidetracked and haven't touched it in a month or two) yet but they are close to my heart. I hope to see a renaissance of sorts for the genre in the future.

 

[thecrpgbook]

Yeah, I second the PS1 version of the old Wizardry games.

Sadly, Wizardry has such a convoluted legal history that we'll likely never see a GOG re-release of Wiz 1-5. If you're curious, just google "Greenberg Sirotek lawsuit" for some insight into Sir-Tech's incredibly shady business practices.

It's the lack of puzzles that I've often wondered about.

Very good question, I'll be sure to ask them this. Thanks.

Not as deep but lands of lore are fun romps as well, I definitely suggest them if you never played them. They were like wizardry lite to me, but great feeling games

Lands of Lore is amazing game. It's real-time, combat is simple and more accessible, but the exploration & puzzle solving feels spot on.

For real-time blobbers I would also suggest Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, Stone Prophet and Anvil of Dawn.

For something more Wizardry-like, there's the amazing Might & Magic: World of Xeen and some excellent recent releases, like Stranger in Sword City and Elminage: Gothic.

 

[Tye The Czar]

SNES versions also have the translation. You can switch to wireframe graphics, as well. They're crazy complete, well-crafted versions of these games.

They make me curious about other console ports of RPGs from this era. Screens of Might and Magic on NES look tempting, they seem like a 1:1 port of the layouts with better graphics. These are nothing like what people usually associate PC to console RPG ports to be. They're far from Ultima VII type failures.

I tried 6, but was turned if by the dated and convoluted class system based on RNG stats.

I would go wild for remakes of 6-8 with revamped UI, better graphics, custom UI, and customization & class systems based less on luck (like Wizardry 8).

Wizardry is an RPG series that deserves to live on.

 

[Nimmermehr]

Wizardry 7 and 8 are my favourite RPGs in terms of Setting and Character Progression.

Thank you for posting this!