Yeah basically it seems the game is wlking out the stores worldwide.

If that's the case will SirTech be closing down still?

If I'm not mistaken the plan to close were in the works long before the game was released. It was not dependent on sales of the game. It was a done deal while they were seeking a distributor.

I'd rather Sir Tech leave on these terms! Wouldn't you rather have great memories of the last Wizardry game, as opposed to the horrid abominations that Origin released during their End Times?

G.

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Gambleur:
I'd rather Sir Tech leave on these terms! Wouldn't you rather have great memories of the last Wizardry game, as opposed to the horrid abominations that Origin released during their End Times?
G.<hr></blockquote>

Agreed. The old saying in showbiz "leave them screaming for more" is sad but very true, Origin's name for many was tarnished beyond recovery by U9.

I don't know if it's considered part of Origin's abominations (I personally hated every ultima after part 5), but one of my favorite games was and still is Privateer 2: The Darkening. It's several years old and it still beats out the graphics on most other flight combat Sims... I remember 2 years after that, wing commander prophecy came out (also by origin), but they hadn't changed much since WC 4, Privateer 2 is still a great game to sit down and play a bit.

As for Sir-Tech, I wouldn't worry about companies folding, it's the developers you have to watch, because the next project they do will have a lot of the heart of Wizardry in it. I'm still waiting for Fred Ford and Paul Reiche to do a follow up to Star Control 2 (Star Control 3 is a piece of crap, and wasn't done by them).

You may be waiting a long time. Last I heard, there were still no plans for a Star Control 4 from its original developers.

Concerning Sir-Tech: The Siroteks made a series of bad deals when they were still a development/publishing house. They got screwed over by a distributor that went bankrupt owing them a ton, and they distributed products by a British company that were inferior. As developers only, they discovered that they lacked the kind of clout they counted upon, and that distributors had a chokehold on computer games. Nor were publishers exactly sympathetic. After sitting on Wizardry 8 for nearly a year following its finish, they got together the cash to release it themselves, along with a distribution deal that promised them more of the pie in exchange for some time-limited exclusivity.

The Siroteks were disgusted with the way the market currently is, and they've said so, repeatedly. They've also stated that this will be their last game; at the very least, they plan to take a long vacation. The development team has broken up. So I doubt there will be a Wizardry 9, unless somebody can approach 'em and make an offer they simply cannot refuse.

If this fine dev company does really close it's doors (and it sure seems that this is true), I am certain that some company will vacume them off the floor and put them to good use and hopefully they will get a chance to work together in the future. My hat is off to Sir-Tech. /kneel

Maek

I am new to Wizardry, but i am a long time player of Jagged Alliance 2, one of sir-techs materpieces. It's been released some 4 years ago, and i'm stil enjoying it. And believe me this is not something that happens frequently, i generally grab a game play it and move to the next.
Sir tech seem to know how to make games with soul, maybe not the most technically solid, maybe not completely original, but they surelly grab you and make you want to come back for more...
I hope this way of making games isn't lost for good.

Does anyone remember the rpg series, arkania something.. anyone know what it was called? The only one I was into was star trail, the second in the series. That was a great rpg for way back when.. I could spend days just creating characters. Reminds me of Darklands as well.. Anyone play that one either? btw star stail was sir-tech but darklands was ah.. microprose?

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Zuljin:
Does anyone remember the rpg series, arkania something.. anyone know what it was called? The only one I was into was star trail, the second in the series. That was a great rpg for way back when.. I could spend days just creating characters. Reminds me of Darklands as well.. Anyone play that one either? btw star stail was sir-tech but darklands was ah.. microprose?<hr></blockquote>

Realms of Arkania. The three were Blade of Destiny, Star Trail, and Shadows Over Riva. Each one had very different interfaces. Riva's engine was pretty similar to Wiz8 but a bit more basic. I actually found I liked the Blade of Destiny better than the others. The other two were too linear for my tastes but Blade was more like Wiz 7 in that you had a lot more options of where you wanted to go until you got close to the endgame. My least favorite of the three was Star Trail because I kept feeling like I was being forced along one particular path. That wasn't so bad in Riva, though you definitely had fewer options after certain things happened.