"Wizardry Gaiden: The Five Trials," a 3D dungeon RPG currently available for PC and Nintendo Switch from Game*Spark Publishing.While the game offers a simple, fast-paced, and hardcore RPG experience, a major update is scheduled for this fall regarding the scenario editor—a key feature exclusive to Steam edition purchasers.
Therefore, in this series of articles, we’ll be providing an overview of the features to be added in the scenario editor’s major update. (Please note that since the game is still in development, the details described here—particularly the names of features and terms—are subject to change.)
While the scenario editor itself is exclusive to Steam edition purchasers, scenarios created with it—including those utilizing features added in the major update—can, of course, be played on the Switch version as well. It will be interesting to see what kinds of scenarios users create in the future.
Adding Background Images: Now You Can Create Modern-Style Scenarios
In Part 2, we’ll introduce “the addition of background images.” In previous versions of the editor, you could only choose from two types of background images to display at your base. However, with this major update, you’ll be able to select from four new types of background images.
Absence of Mercy (Winter)
This is the background image used in the additional scenario “Absence of Mercy.” It depicts a cold winter village, offering a different atmosphere from the previous images, which had a strong “fortress city” vibe.
Absence of Mercy (Spring–Summer)
This image is similar to the one used in the add-on scenario “Absence of Mercy,” but instead of a snow-covered winter background, it features a spring to summer setting. No indoor images are provided (since they are identical to the winter version).
The Underground Labyrinth of Electric Town
This is the background image used in the special scenario “The Underground Labyrinth of Electric Town.” The image is inspired by modern-day Japan and can be used when creating scenarios set in the real world.
No Background
This setting sets the background image to black (solid black). You can use this when no suitable image exists or when you want to create a simple visual effect.
These background images will be available for use in any scenario following the major update.
Setting Your Own Background Image
Please note that this is a core game feature already available at this time, independent of the editor update. Players of the Steam version can apply their own background images to the game.
While scenario creators cannot directly set their own images within a scenario, they can distribute the images via social media and have individual players apply them to their own games.
If you want to use your own background image, you’ll need to make changes to the following folder:
(Steam installation directory)\common\Wizardry The Five Ordeals\Data\User
Inside this “User” folder, create a folder with one of the following names, depending on the type of UI you want to use.
HD A: MyTownHDA
HD B: MyTownHDB
3:2: MyTown32
SD: MyTownSD
In the folder you created, create background images with the following filenames, depending on the scene you want to display.
City panorama: town0.png
Tavern: town1.png
Inn: town2.png
Temple: town3.png
Shop: town4.png
Castle: town5.png
Outskirts: town6.png
Training Ground: town7.png
Labyrinth Entrance: town8.png
When you launch the game in this state, the background images you’ve prepared will actually be displayed in-game. If you want to revert to the default background images set in the scenario, you can do so by renaming the folder you created.
That concludes our second installment on “Adding Background Images.” Please look forward to city images with a different atmosphere than before. Next time, we’ll cover “Adding Monster Images.”
*Wizardry Gaiden: The Five Trials* is now available for PC and Nintendo Switch. The Steam version is available at a 40% discount for 2,388 yen until 2:00 AM on September 22.
