Posted October 21, 2023
Well, after 80-something hours, one catastrophic TPK and a comedy of errors trying to get a rescue expedition going, and so, SO many Murphy's Ghosts killed...I did it, I finished the game. I think it's my first time finishing it, and it's definitely my first time finishing it in such a way that I wasn't camping out besides the "reset" or "reload" button as I did it.
Given that, my current feedback/thoughts in relation to this, and in how it relates to some of the other versions of the game I've played.
First, as I mentioned before, I'm pumped for what I think this is going to be when it releases.
I really liked the stuff scattered about the opening hallways (The skulls, the shield, the gargoyle statues), and hopefully there will be more little details like that throughout the dungeon on final release. More generally, one cool thing the NES version did was given Floor 10 a different wall texture than the rest; other versions actually gave *every* floor a different texture and made the Floor 10 music even more foreboding. It'd be cool to see that in this version.
Also on Floor 10, at least some versions had a sign after the first group of monster/teleporter telling you "One group of monsters has been defeated, but there are many more! Turn back while you can!", which seems to be missing from this version (Or I missed it, always possible).
It seems like experience for really high-level monsters was actually adjusted downward slightly? I think Wills o' Wisp are supposed to give 4XXXX experience, but only give about 35000 instead. Unsure if this was intentional.
Speaking of Wills o' Wisp, holy cow did their lighting effects slow my computer to an absolute crawl, particularly after being alive for a bit. That could be a "my computer" thing, but it was actually funny how bad it was.
Text bugs/typos: The sign right outside Werdna's door calls him "Wernda". Also, when casting Madi in battle, the battle log says that that character was poisoned instead of cured.
Speaking of Werdna, I was under the impression that once you beat him, if you tried to do it again with the same party, the sign would say "The Wizard is *OUT!*" and he just wouldn't be there. Yet I was able to do it again and get another 250000 experience (And lose my equipment again) with the same party (Or more accurately, with one character in the party after MALORing up near the stairs to the castle, dropping the person with the Amulet, having the Amulet-less party return, then making the character with the Amulet return solo.). I don't know if this is original Apple ][ behavior, but the "Wizard is *OUT*" thing definitely happens in the NES version.
Looking forward to some more music being added (Particularly for the final battle against Werdna) once official release gets closer.
I think I mentioned this before, but besides a potential option for "Wizardry 2+ Spells" strength-wise, one other Quality of Life thing from later console ports I'd like to see is the ability for Thieves (And I think Ninjas can do it too) to Hide and Ambush from the back row. It could be an option like some of the other Quality of Life stuff.
Two other final things--first, a couple "overly faithful to the original" things that you may want to consider changing. First, The south wall at 3E8N4D should be a door that leads to a ring of other doors. Second, the east wall at 4E12N9D should also be a door, leading to the "A" that makes up the part of the dungeon layout (Thus completing the "ACG" easter egg that is Andrew Greenberg's initials). And finally, I'm sad that the Blade Cusinart' is now apparently a Vorpal Blade. But such is life, I guess.
Still, great job to this point, I'm happy I played through it all, and I look forward to it getting even better!
Given that, my current feedback/thoughts in relation to this, and in how it relates to some of the other versions of the game I've played.
First, as I mentioned before, I'm pumped for what I think this is going to be when it releases.
I really liked the stuff scattered about the opening hallways (The skulls, the shield, the gargoyle statues), and hopefully there will be more little details like that throughout the dungeon on final release. More generally, one cool thing the NES version did was given Floor 10 a different wall texture than the rest; other versions actually gave *every* floor a different texture and made the Floor 10 music even more foreboding. It'd be cool to see that in this version.
Also on Floor 10, at least some versions had a sign after the first group of monster/teleporter telling you "One group of monsters has been defeated, but there are many more! Turn back while you can!", which seems to be missing from this version (Or I missed it, always possible).
It seems like experience for really high-level monsters was actually adjusted downward slightly? I think Wills o' Wisp are supposed to give 4XXXX experience, but only give about 35000 instead. Unsure if this was intentional.
Speaking of Wills o' Wisp, holy cow did their lighting effects slow my computer to an absolute crawl, particularly after being alive for a bit. That could be a "my computer" thing, but it was actually funny how bad it was.
Text bugs/typos: The sign right outside Werdna's door calls him "Wernda". Also, when casting Madi in battle, the battle log says that that character was poisoned instead of cured.
Speaking of Werdna, I was under the impression that once you beat him, if you tried to do it again with the same party, the sign would say "The Wizard is *OUT!*" and he just wouldn't be there. Yet I was able to do it again and get another 250000 experience (And lose my equipment again) with the same party (Or more accurately, with one character in the party after MALORing up near the stairs to the castle, dropping the person with the Amulet, having the Amulet-less party return, then making the character with the Amulet return solo.). I don't know if this is original Apple ][ behavior, but the "Wizard is *OUT*" thing definitely happens in the NES version.
Looking forward to some more music being added (Particularly for the final battle against Werdna) once official release gets closer.
I think I mentioned this before, but besides a potential option for "Wizardry 2+ Spells" strength-wise, one other Quality of Life thing from later console ports I'd like to see is the ability for Thieves (And I think Ninjas can do it too) to Hide and Ambush from the back row. It could be an option like some of the other Quality of Life stuff.
Two other final things--first, a couple "overly faithful to the original" things that you may want to consider changing. First, The south wall at 3E8N4D should be a door that leads to a ring of other doors. Second, the east wall at 4E12N9D should also be a door, leading to the "A" that makes up the part of the dungeon layout (Thus completing the "ACG" easter egg that is Andrew Greenberg's initials). And finally, I'm sad that the Blade Cusinart' is now apparently a Vorpal Blade. But such is life, I guess.
Still, great job to this point, I'm happy I played through it all, and I look forward to it getting even better!
