Riddles in Wiz 8 compared to Wiz 6&7

[Ugaya]

Warning: There might be spoilers for the monastery and Arnika (just in case a newbie like me reads this).

Well, at last I got enough time to play Wiz 8 and it's exactly as I feared I got hooked quite easily. I have finished Arnika for now and just met Rattus Rattus on my way to Trynton.
So far I found a lot of good old Wizardry stuff (combat, character development, skill system) and something new (and even better). What a pleasant surprise: no more rolling the dice and rolling and rolling and... to get a samurai.
What I did not found (at least not to the extent I hoped for) are challenging (and/or frustrating) riddles. Everything seems to be very straightforward. In the monastery all I had to do was touching a skull here and turning on two devices there. Gaining access to the tomb was just as as easy/straightforward as getting into all those bank vaults or the HLL. So far no trace of beans or instructions to operate a certain drawbridge.
Will that change when I get deeper in the game or will I find the missing item for that orbital tracking thingie as easily as I got the wheel key? No spoilers please, I just want to know if Wizardry 8 is as tricky as Wiz 6 and 7 regarding riddles or not.

[Wereboar]

What I did not found (at least not to the extent I hoped for) are challenging (and/or frustrating) riddles.

There are none. Except maybe the graveyard eastereggs.

Will that change when I get deeper in the game or will I find the missing item for that orbital tracking thingie as easily as I got the wheel key?

Well, this is about the most difficult riddle in the game. It's the one where you don't get the item you need in the same area. But there are no less then 4 clues for it, so i doubt anyone had any problems with it.

[Nightowl2]

Yeah, unfortunately, there aren't any real riddles/puzzles to speak of in the game. The tracking ball is easily found when you reach the right place, and that's pretty much how it is the whole way through.

Nightowl2

P.S. There are some questions to answer in the Rapax Castle, and again at the very end on Ascension Peak. However, those should be little trouble to you.

[Ugaya]

SPOILERS DEAD AHEAD!
(again, just to be sure)

6
5
4
3
2
1
Your fault!

Graveyard Grief (OR: An easteregg experience)


Well, that was interesting.
Found the runes. Turned them on. Nothing happened. Checked the crypt, checked the gravestones, checked the walls for new openings, checked the area outside. Nothing.
Reloaded.
Maybe they have to be used in a certain sequence? Tried another one. Checked everything again. Nada.
Reloaded.
Tried another one. Nothing, nada, zero. (In the meantime I know of every scratch on every gravestone, can spell the names backwards.)

No, that can't be, wrong approach. You can only turn them on but never off. There are 720 possibilities or reloads, too complicated (crossing my fingers) and unfair (crossing my fingers again). Maybe a trigger is needed? Maybe an item in my inventory, a hint from a so far unknown NPC? Yes, that sounds good. I really should move on to Trynton, shouldn't I? That's the way to go.

OK, Trynton is done. Lots of Marten and Shaman stuff, must find Crock. Why does nobody care about the local graveyard?
Well, I feel adventurous and optimistic today, let's try it again.

Nice, the runes are still illuminating my misery. Wandering around aimlessly. Nothing. Not even cannonfodder. I very much would like to have that kind of distraction. RIGHT NOW!

What was that? The cursor! The pillar! I did it, unbelievable (insert a flourish of trumpets here). Just a lousy oversight during my endless search patterns. RELAX! Nobody is perfect.

Hhm, a specific item is needed. Probably to loosen a brick. Something pointed. Right. A sword, a dagger maybe. Tried them all I had with me. A specific item is needed. Maybe pure force? Try an axe. A specific item... Damned, where is a sledgehammer when you need one?

What have I done to deserve this? This place is haunted.

OK, I give up. The game IS great. Don't let one failure ruin everything.
Be a good loser! No bad feelings about that. None at all. Let's just move on to the swamp and forget that stupid pillar. I said: Forget it.

Stumbled over some suicidal Highwaymen or whatever. That's good news, at least someone will pay for it!
Got a plain and simple dagger. Never had one. Useless, not even worth to sell. Could it be? No, that's ridiculous. Come on! Where is the risk? You have to be sure. Try it!

I don't believe this. It works. A godforsaken simple dagger does the trick. Well, at least it does something. But what exactly?

Hey, you are an experienced Wizardry Player for most than a decade. You ARE capable of learning and repeating endless search patterns without complaining. Yes, you're right. Let's do a last (definitely the very last) area check.

BINGO!

Sometimes it's a thin line between love and hate...


PS:
I just had to tell...

[Nightowl2]

And just think: there are two more easter egg dungeons ahead...

But this is probably the toughest of the three to enter.

The toughest, in terms of critters, still lies ahead.

Congrats on findind your way in!

Nightowl2