LOL! You're in Arnika already? I guess I'm a tourist, Wyvern...I've been wandering around the Monastery, going up levels, taking screenshots of the scenery! I'm almost in Arnika myself now, but...well, come to think of it, working 10 hour days during the week doesn't give much gaming time. I'd say I've actually had maybe 6 hours gaming.
Bards are great for ID'ing; they gain Artifacts much more quickly than any of the other races. Plus, the Bard in Wizardry comes pre-equipped with a "Sleeping" Lute...very handy in the beginning.
And, yes, you want all of your characters to get some form of ranged weapon...either that or waste a round closing in on the monsters.
The sci-fi elements are probably not going to be too overpowering. In Wizardry 7, your characters had to operate two computers to get two codes, but that was about it. I don't think there will be much more than that in this game. I did think blowing the microwave oven was rather hilarious, though! [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img]
Cheers,