Game News Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown expansion announced, releasing on June 3rd

[Infinitron]

Tags: inXile Entertainment; Wasteland 3; Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown

We haven't posted much about Wasteland 3 since it was released last August. In fact, the game has received several major patches since then, the most recent one adding permadeath, more difficult skill checks, additional character customization options and other new features. Yet all that time there's been no sign of any DLC, which inXile repeatedly promised was in the works. Well, there's no time like the present. Here's our first look at Wasteland 3: The Battle of Steeltown, an expansion where the rangers will be tasked with dealing with a disturbance at the Patriarch's manufacturing complex. Naturally the expansion will include new robotic enemies as well as various new combat mechanics. Also, level scaling so you can play it at any time during your campaign. Hmmkay. Here's the announcement:

The towering factory complex of Steeltown manufactures all the tech that keeps Colorado running and the Patriarch in power—trucks, armor, weapons, and robots. But deliveries from Steeltown have stopped cold, and all the Patriarch is getting from Abigail Markham—Steeltown's leader—are excuses. When he sends the Rangers to investigate, they find the place is a powder keg with the fuse already lit. The workers are striking, bandits raid with impunity, and nobody is allowed through the gates, not even on the business of the Patriarch. Without help, Steeltown could crash and burn for good, and take Markham with it—but maybe that's just what it needs.

The Rangers will have to decide that for themselves.

• Traverse the Steeltown manufacturing complex alone or in co-op in this epic narrative expansion. Take on challenging new quests, face off against new robotic enemies, and solve the mystery at the heart of Steeltown however you see fit.
• Tactical combat is taken to new heights with new mechanics like devastating telegraphed attacks, stacking status effects, elemental shields, and non-lethal weapons—letting you solve Steeltown’s skirmishes in brand new ways.
• Combat and gear scaling means that both new and returning players can enter Steeltown during their playthroughs for a level-appropriate challenge, with a story and cast of characters that adapt to the decisions you’ve already made.
• The Battle of Steeltown expands the base game with new enemies, weapons, armor, and world map encounters.
• Music Supervisor Mary Ramos and Composer Mark Morgan return with original scores and new post-apocalyptic inspired covers.

The Battle of Steeltown is the first expansion we’ll be releasing, and will be available for $13.99 on Steam, GOG, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 on June 3, 2021.

The Battle of Steeltown will come shortly after the release of Patch 1.4.0 which introduces some exciting new features. Stay tuned here and follow us on Twitter and Facebook as we preview content and features of Patch 1.4.0 and The Battle of Steeltown in the weeks ahead.​

As stated, The Battle of Steeltown is scheduled for release on June 3rd and will be preceded by another major patch. It's apparently the first of two expansions planned for Wasteland 3. This phenomenon of expansion DLCs coming out ages after the base game must be a Covid era thing.

 

[DeepOcean]

Will be waiting for the Director's Cut version when all the DLC and patches are released to play again from the beginning on Supreme Jerk for the definitive playthrough. Not a fan of playing through piece meal content.

 

[Doktor Best]

Level scaling, yuck.

Will it be optional at least?

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Level scaling... Wasteland 3 is a game for casuals. The philosophy that everybody should always be able to play no matter how bad they are at the game is what has ruined gaming.

 

[DeepOcean]

Why game designers think Oblivion was a good game?

 

[karnak]

Why game designers think Oblivion was a good game?

Because it brought its devs plenty of $$$$$$$$ and the masses thought it was a "gud gaem", filled with fairytale monsters, horses in shining armor and cool castles.

 

[Roguey]

Level scaling... Wasteland 3 is a game for casuals. The philosophy that everybody should always be able to play no matter how bad they are at the game is what has ruined gaming.

It's not a difficulty-issue, it's "we want people who buy the dlc to be able to start it as soon as feasible while also not making it a cakewalk for people who go in right before the endgame." Like all midgame expansions, it's going to break the balance of the base game regardless.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Seems like a big dungeon, me likey.

And level scaling implemented properly is perfectly fine, not that it will stop the residents of this asylum from cherrypicking one bad example from 500 years ago and acting as if they've made some surprising observation.

 

[Kruno]

Level scaling... Wasteland 3 is a game for casuals. The philosophy that everybody should always be able to play no matter how bad they are at the game is what has ruined gaming.

It made it "accessible". Think of people in wheelchairs needing an aid to go places. Some people are disabled in the head and need help in order to think.

 

[Luckmann]

I can't help but to notice the consistent use of "expansion", but it looks like just another shitty little DLC, and the level-scaling enemies and gear ensures that it's all garbage generica either way. I wonder if it's going to be as much of a dumpsterfire as the base game.

 

[Curious_Tongue]

Wasteland 3 was released? And now there are expansions?

I didn't even know.

 

[Dr Schultz]

Level scaling... Wasteland 3 is a game for casuals. The philosophy that everybody should always be able to play no matter how bad they are at the game is what has ruined gaming.

Why game designers think Oblivion was a good game?

Level scaling is almost as old as the CRPG genre and is also a thing in many P&P modules.

Now, every intelligent lifeform can see that Oblivion implemented level scaling in the shittiest way conceivable, but - in the hands of a proper system designer - it may be an extremely useful tool, especially in the context of non-linear titles with lots of side contents, and for the opposite reason that one may naively think.

When properly implemented, level scaling prevents completionists to over-level too much and therefore make the late game a cakewalk.

A concrete example of a intelligent use of level scaling could be the following:

1- Mobs have a fixed base level (1, 3, 9, 10, etc...) and never scale downward. Always upward.
2- The level scaling is applied only when the player is 3+ levels higher than the mob, in order to keep this gap constant for a while.
3 - The scaling has a ceiling, though, which is specific per mob type (a giant rat can scale only up to the 3rd lv while a dragon can scale indefinitely).

Would you define this kind of level scaling "casual"?
To me this is just a tool to balance a big, open game while preserving the feeling of getting stronger level after level.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Well, Day 1 purchase for me. Still have to play the base game to the end, but found it to be very enjoyable

 

[ShaggyMoose]

I don't remember level scaling in Wasteland 2, but maybe I am mistaken? Did they introduce it for WL3 or just for this DLC?

 

[commie]

I don't remember level scaling in Wasteland 2, but maybe I am mistaken? Did they introduce it for WL3 or just for this DLC?

I think the idea is that the expansion will 'scale to your level'(tm) based on your character level in the main game that you achieved. It's just so that after being level 20, the expansion isn't a breeze being set for level 10 parties. People here as usual are knee jerking that it means that everything will scale as you level up like in Oblivion whereas from that blurb I get that the expansion will be balanced to be a challenge based on the character level you are at when you start it.

 

[DeepOcean]

They mentioning of adding new map encounters and Steeltown being a part of the original design they cut from the base game, it seems they are expanding the map and adding the areas they cut before release as DLC. Maybe this is a new sector on the map like the Denver , Bizarre and Aspen sectors.

 

[ShaggyMoose]

I think the idea is that the expansion will 'scale to your level'(tm) based on your character level in the main game that you achieved. It's just so that after being level 20, the expansion isn't a breeze being set for level 10 parties. People here as usual are knee jerking that it means that everything will scale as you level up like in Oblivion whereas from that blurb I get that the expansion will be balanced to be a challenge based on the character level you are at when you start it.

That would make sense if that is the case. They should avoid the phrase auto-scaling as it has terrible connotations.

 

[CarbonCarousel]

The base game ended up way too easy and repetitive.

 

[Luckmann]

I think the idea is that the expansion will 'scale to your level'(tm) based on your character level in the main game that you achieved. It's just so that after being level 20, the expansion isn't a breeze being set for level 10 parties. People here as usual are knee jerking that it means that everything will scale as you level up like in Oblivion whereas from that blurb I get that the expansion will be balanced to be a challenge based on the character level you are at when you start it.

That would make sense if that is the case. They should avoid the phrase auto-scaling as it has terrible connotations.

There really are no good connotations. It's going to be shit no matter how they try to package it - they might as well be honest for a change.

 

[jackofshadows]

level scaling implemented properly

When properly implemented, level scaling

In that hypothetical case they'd have this ingenious system from the start. What I expect here however is that they just took the laziest approach to the mid-game DLC/Expansion and instead of carefully balancing it according to each difficulty as well as making significant ajustements to the base game just created some spreadsheets for each new enemy and called it a day. I also expect that scaling will be pretty much linear while power curve from the base game was not.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

So....
How long until Wasteland 3 complete edition will be available?

 

[Dr Schultz]

level scaling implemented properly

When properly implemented, level scaling

In that hypothetical case they'd have this ingenious system from the start. What I expect here however is that they just took the laziest approach to the mid-game DLC/Expansion and instead of carefully balancing it according to each difficulty as well as making significant ajustements to the base game just created some spreadsheets for each new enemy and called it a day. I also expect that scaling will be pretty much linear while power curve from the base game was not.

Like in which game?

2021 is the 30 years anniversary of my first encounter with a CRPG (Ultima V) and I'm 99% sure that in all these years I've never played a single game carefully balanced according to each difficulty. I'm quite positive I've never played a single CRPG carefully balanced according to ONE difficulty, and I've also a pretty solid idea about the "why".

 

[jackofshadows]

Like in which game?

They could've tried instead of slapping on scaling, no? Anyway, the good example of implementing mid-game Expansion would be UnderRail with its Expedition.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Out of all of MS game related aquisitions, inexile has proven to be the worst investment by far. Wasteland 3 was dead on arrival, it has failed to garner any kind of community enthusiasm, and this dlc was received to the sound of crickets with zero next day coverage after the release of the trailer.

Doublefine and obsidian have consistently been topic of conversation in every xbox related video or podcasts, with people eagerly antecipating psychonauts 2 and unavowed as big xbox game releases while inexile is never even mentioned, shit I believe that most people don't even know they are part of xbox game studios.

 

[Dr Schultz]

Like in which game?

They could've tried instead of slapping on scaling, no? Anyway, the good example of implementing mid-game Expansion would be UnderRail with its Expedition.

Haven't played the expansion but, despite the enjoyment I had with the vanilla game, I wouldn't call UnderRaill "carefully balanced".

Ideally, a carefully balanced RPG according to each difficulty should work as follows:

Very Easy: You can sleep over the keyboard and still beat the game.
Easy: You have a decent challenge with a shitty character build, almost no challenge with a decent build, no challenge at all with a well-tought build.
Normal: You have a challenging experience with a bad build, a balanced experience with a decent build, an easy experience with a well-tought build.
Hard: You can't beat the game with a bad build, you have a challenging experience with a decent build, you have a balanced experience with a well-tought build.
Very Hard: You can beat the game only with a well-tought build and by having a challenging experience.

Now, as I was saying, despite the enjoyment I had with it, UnderRail vanilla is nothing like that and I doubt it has changed a bit aftter the expansion. UnderRail is a game balanced only around well-tought builds that intentionally leaves behind players unable to min-max. Which is a totally legit design philosophy, mind you, but it is also a far-cry from "a carefully balanced game around all difficulty". And I'm not saying it in order to belittle UnderRail: I'm saying it because I'm utterly convinced that balancing an RPG around different difficulty levels is a lost battle and balancing it around a single difficulty level is still extremely difficult.

Smart developers, to me, are the ones who understand that, don't even try to introduces different difficulty levels and use a couples of "tricks" in order to balance the only difficulty they have (one of this tricks, incidentally, is the intelligent use of the auto-levelling).