Weird West: Definitive Edition - top-down immersive sim action-RPG from Arkane founder Raf Colantonio

[rusty_shackleford]

it's also the first game set in this time period that features a number of Black and Asian characters

Honk honk! Pozzed game.
It's gonna be shit

Hard West already did it

I thought it was pretty good, btw.

 

[Roguey]

it's also the first game set in this time period that features a number of Black and Asian characters

Honk honk! Pozzed game.
It's gonna be shit

You cut out "I've played" for some agenda-related reason. It's just the author of the article displaying his own hang-ups and ignorance. Raph didn't do moralizing-on-race speeches in his previous games, seems unlikely he'd start now.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

Most concerning thing from the screenshots is the typical diablo/WoW color-coded loot bullshit.

 

[HeyCheckOutHowHardICanPee]

That PCGamer preview mentions "Deathloop" more than it does "Weird West", which would be a really great comparison
..if they played the same..
..were both first person shooters..
..had the same gameplay or story..
..or shared literally anything aside from being "immersive sims"

aside from that, the only thing the two share in common is that I have played neither

 

[rusty_shackleford]

That PCGamer preview mentions "Deathloop" more than it does "Weird West", which would be a really great comparison
..if they played the same..
..were both first person shooters..
..had the same gameplay or story..
..or shared literally anything aside from being "immersive sims"

aside from that, the only thing the two share in common is that I have played neither

they both have minorities
the only thing video game journalists care about

 

[Acrux]

it's also the first game set in this time period that features a number of Black and Asian characters

Honk honk! Pozzed game.
It's gonna be shit

Maybe they'll be former slaves and railroad workers.

 

[Atomboy]

I went on Steam to preorder Weird West, and it turns out it isn't a turn-based party based lovecraftian western RPG. Why did I think it was? Might be the dementia acting up. Will wait for reviews now, since not all action RPGs work for me unfortunately, though I really like the look of that one. Immersive sim is such a weird "genre". I always thought a first person shooter where you can sneak into a vent or hack a computer to skip the shooting part was an immersive sim. But it turns out that Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain was an immersive sim all along?

 

[Maggot]

Reading this made me gag, the writer cannot stop sucking Deathloop's cock to the point where they think the time loop concept is a first for Arkane, or even something that is original in the first place. And his comparisons to RNG because he is shit at the game along with the minority worship certifies him as a retard.

 

[Harthwain]

I went on Steam to preorder Weird West, and it turns out it isn't a turn-based party based lovecraftian western RPG. Why did I think it was? Might be the dementia acting up. Will wait for reviews now, since not all action RPGs work for me unfortunately, though I really like the look of that one. Immersive sim is such a weird "genre". I always thought a first person shooter where you can sneak into a vent or hack a computer to skip the shooting part was an immersive sim. But it turns out that Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain was an immersive sim all along?

You were probably thinking of Hard West. It suits the description of a turn-based party-based kind-of-lovecraftian Wild West game (although I am not sure I'd call it an RPG myself).

 

[V_K]

I went on Steam to preorder Weird West, and it turns out it isn't a turn-based party based lovecraftian western RPG. Why did I think it was?

Probably mixed it up with West of Loathing.

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[Silentstorm]

Just learned it's apparently going day 1 on Game Pass...does Microsoft really pay that much?

Devolver Digital does have it's fans and this game has some Arkane staff, i think it would sell fine by itself, not a best seller, but fine, i just can't help but think GP will make them lose sales because Game Pass does have quite a few users already and seems to be growing, and why pay for a game you can beat for much cheaper?

Sure, there are people who do then buy the games or want them forever, but most people only play a game once regardless of how much they loved it, i'd think Game Pass would be for games the developer really isn't sure they will sell or a few years after release, hence wondering just how much MS pays.

 

[baud]

Just learned it's apparently going day 1 on Game Pass...does Microsoft really pay that much?

Devolver Digital does have it's fans and this game has some Arkane staff, i think it would sell fine by itself, not a best seller, but fine, i just can't help but think GP will make them lose sales because Game Pass does have quite a few users already and seems to be growing, and why pay for a game you can beat for much cheaper?

Sure, there are people who do then buy the games or want them forever, but most people only play a game once regardless of how much they loved it, i'd think Game Pass would be for games the developer really isn't sure they will sell or a few years after release, hence wondering just how much MS pays.

Maybe Microsoft gives any games going on GP a lump sum regardless of how much it's played, I'd guess the devs see this as a kind of safety net.

 

[<3sRichardSimmons]

Yeah, it’s basically the same deal as EGS exclusives, although I don’t think it’s been disclosed how much MS pays.

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[Jenkem]

Colantonio doesn't look good.

That means it's working!

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://www.well-played.com.au/the-accidental-immersiveness-of-shovels-in-weird-west/

INTERVIEW
The Accidental Immersiveness Of Shovels In Weird West
We chat with WolfEye Studios about their upcoming western



If Weird West isn’t on your most anticipated games of 2022 lists already, it’s about time you caught up. A collision of Immersive Sim mechanics, old school Western trappings and magical realism inspirations, Weird West is shaping up to be one of the most exciting debut titles we’ve seen in a long time. The game comes to us by way of WolfEye Studios, the latest endeavour of industry veterans Raphaël Colantonio and Julien Roby, both formerly of Arkane Studios. As we close out another year of uncertainty and adaptation, I spoke with Colantonio about the impacts of COVID, the inspiration behind the game and how a simple shovel mechanic broke my heart.

Spoiler

WellPlayed: Having worked in large studios before, how has the team handled the transition to a smaller one?

Raphaël Colantonio: Both Julien and I were there at the very beginning of Arkane, back in 99 so it felt pretty familiar, to be honest. Start with the core team, it’s the most fun part of the project – quiet, efficient, we can pick and choose the best elements… it feels amazing.



WP: Do you feel there are inherent creative freedoms in smaller team structures?

RC: Yes, simply because what’s at stake is not comparable with a big AAA team. The budget to recoup in a AAA studio encourages you to do what’s familiar and safe.



WP: How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted development and team wellbeing?

RC: We were already set up for remote working prior to the pandemic, so it only impacted us in the sense that it was (and still is) hard on families, on mental health. We also haven’t met in person in 2 years, so it did impact us for sure. It’s hard to do creative work and finish a game without ever meeting people in person.



WP: Devolver Digital has amassed something of a cult following in the industry over the past few years, how has it been working with the irreverent publisher?

RC: It’s been perfect. Devolver is amazing to work with; competent, great communicators, fun, fast to make decisions, flexible… a dev’s dream.

This ain’t your grandaddy’s Western…







WP: Can you talk a little about the inspirations for the game? Other media, personal aspirations to create something in the Western genre and so on.

RC: We see it as our take on a fantasy version of the wild west, which seemed like a cool creative opportunity. A bit of horror, a subtle bit of supernatural stuff. I personally was a big fan of the HBO show “Carnival” that had an amazing balance between reality and the supernatural. References are always a touchy topic because what I see in there might not be what you see, it’s all filtered through perception.



WP: Weird West is evidently not aiming for historical accuracy, but it is still a love letter of sorts to the Western genre. How important was it to the team to present a diverse cast of characters in a genre that has traditionally been whitewashed by mainstream media? And did the liberties taken with the era by the team encourage you to include a more rounded cast?

RC: Our team is diverse in many aspects, so I believe we were naturally inclined to represent the different facets of the characters while maintaining our artistic integrity, as opposed to turning it into a box-ticking exercise. On top of that, we consulted a variety of people on some of the more sensitive topics specific to the old west. The trick is: it’s a fantasy world but we’re still hinging on some of the tropes, so it was complex to navigate.



WP: There’s a small touch early in the game where you can choose to bury your son’s body using the shovel you picked up for another objective. I adored this detail; it really spoke to the consideration given to your cast of characters. Are there many of these small, bespoke moments of character building in the game?

RC: It’s hopefully one of the pillars of the game. The interesting thing here is that this emotional moment came for free thanks to the systems and the story the players tell to themselves. We never authored the game that way, no one said “we should allow the player to bury their kid”. Instead, we designed a shovel and listed the action that can be done with it, including burying any corpse, and that was way before the kid story was even in the game. We then realized players would do that naturally and feel emotional about it. I guess it’s a good example of the power of the immersive sims philosophy.

Playing your way will have consequences







WP: What draws the team toward the immersive sim genre?

RC: It’s a life mission and passion. Immersive sims offer a space of possibilities like no other games, that’s why we’re in it.



WP: I noted in my preview that Weird West was very easy to pick up and play, using genre/medium visual shortcuts like enemy cones of vision and the like to convey stealth mechanics to the player quickly and easily. How much does player accessibility and readability play into your design ethos given that the immersive sim genre has been quite impenetrable in the past?

RC: We believe that the strength of Immersive Sims is not related to its traditional inherent obscurity, and the more we can resurface things to the players, the better the game is. A consequence (whether mechanical or Story) is only meaningful if the player connects the dots. So, lately, we’ve made a good effort to show how the dots connect.



WP: Speaking of the game’s writing, can we look forward to our narrative choices having tangible impacts on the game world?

RC: Yes, all in all, there are quite a few of those choices to be made, and some stay with you until the end of the game.



WP: No spoilers of course but what are you most looking forward to players discovering in Weird West?

RC: Personally I hope the players will care for the world and the characters, will want to lose themselves exploring it, and that they’ll get a kick at having moments that feel personal.

 

[Child of Malkav]

So, has anyone played this? The beta has been leaked for some time now. Played it for a little bit, when I got time. It's good. The controls are good, the aiming is good, the movement is good, you get a horse but so far it's only for fast travel and for carrying extra stuff. You can do all sorts of stuff. I placed one barrel on another, climbed on top of them, jumped on the roof of a barn, jumped in through the window of a nearby building, get out through the main door of said building by destroying the door and the planks barricading it. Really cool that you can do this stuff at random. Tried to kill a kid but doesn't let me, whatever. You can interact with pretty much anything, any object in the environment, search it, pick it up, kick it. You can cut cacti and drink water from them. No invisible walls yet. Runs pretty well on 770 gtx. I'll play more later.

Edit 1: you can kick people and objects into people. Kicking people knocks them out but they get back up after a while, kicking objects into people repeatedly can and will kill them an they do pretty serious damage. Lowering reputation attracts sheriffs, deputies and bounty hunters after you.
Edit 2: you can mine with a pickaxe, get the ore and smelt it into ingots and then either sell them for good money or use them to upgrade your weapons. You can bury or dig out pretty much every corpse I've come about so far but exhuming them causes a reputation loss.

 

[Jinn]

Child of Malkav, I'm very interested to know how they handle progression between character scenarios. If they do at all, that is. Would be very thankful if you would report in on when you get to that point.

 

[Child of Malkav]

Child of Malkav, I'm very interested to know how they handle progression between character scenarios. If they do at all, that is. Would be very thankful if you would report in on when you get to that point.

Sure but it will take some time as I will be playing this quite irregularly depending on other factors.

 

[V_K]

But is it an RPG?

 

[Harthwain]

But is it an RPG?

What is an RPG?