Development Info InXile consults academics to create Wasteland authenticity

[Vault Dweller]

What the hell?!

This is Wasteleand we are talking about here, which was built on top of Gamma World! The point is not to be realistic, it is to be as fucking absurd as you can. Even in Fallout this wouldn't fit that well, as the 50s theme was much more important than the things happening there being plausible. ..
Not about hard science fiction.

Pretty much. We want to see some crazy shit out there, not what's scientifically "possibly" possible. And the comment about Oblivion is spot-on. Nobody gives a fuck about such things in games. Not about soil erosion, not about alien languages in Mass Effect that Bio paid some linguists to develop (what a waste of money that was), not about real star data in that recently announced KS.

Considering that "paying consultants to make a realistic gameworld" was not one of the stretch goals, it would have been real nice if Fargo asked the fans if that was a good idea. You can take a man out of the mainstream business, but you can't take the mainstream business out of him.

 

[Haba]

I am sure they can bring nice ideas to the project, but I want something that feels like a continuation of Wasteland out of this game. While this certainly is not enough to "spell doom over the entire project", it just seems like the complete opposite direction they should travel. Heck, hiring a bunch of pre-schoolers to brainstorm science fiction ideas after watching a bunch of 70s and 80s movies seem more in line with the basic premise of Wasteland, I guess.

I dunno, my microbiologist and nuclear physicist friends have pretty dope ideas, especially if you get them drunk. In a way experience in the area can open your mind to Science! applications that you'd normally never think of. Lets way "weird" in ways that are... uncomfortable.

Though I do agree that doping up some preschool kids on LSD and writing down their hallucinations after forcing them watch some quality retro Sci-Fi would sure produce good material too.

 

[Vault Dweller]

Apparently, yeah. Look at Fallout 2. It was retarded when compared to Fallout 1 and while not as retarded as Fallout 3 there were fire Geckos, magicians and other shit. With scientists looking over inXile's employees shoulders such epic ideas are less likely to be implemented.

Do you have potato for brains? They didn't add that stuff to Fallout 2 because they thought it was plausible, they added because they wanted more wacky stuff in an already wacky setting.

Exactly. I don't think they added ghosts, yakuza, and gangsters with tommy guns because they thought it was scientifically plausible.

 

[Captain Shrek]

Though I do agree that doping up some preschool kids on LSD and writing down their hallucinations after forcing them watch some quality retro Sci-Fi would sure produce good material too.

You just found out how the Matrix Plot was conceived.

 

[Kron]

This is fucking retarded. Scientists do not have the mind set to create videogames.
They think like fucking robots, and whenever these science men talk about mixing science with creativeness or art, we get some serious shit.
SERIOUS SHIT.

 

[Oesophagus]

Fargo: We'll have more scienc-ey shit in the game
Codex: Wasteland 2 is ROOIND!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Fargo: We'll have more scienc-ey shit in the game
Codex: Wasteland 2 is ROOIND!

Fargo: another pointless bit of info about the game
Codex: sounds dumb
Apologists: Oh noes! The Codex thinks that the game is "ROOIND!"

 

[Alex]

I am sure they can bring nice ideas to the project, but I want something that feels like a continuation of Wasteland out of this game. While this certainly is not enough to "spell doom over the entire project", it just seems like the complete opposite direction they should travel. Heck, hiring a bunch of pre-schoolers to brainstorm science fiction ideas after watching a bunch of 70s and 80s movies seem more in line with the basic premise of Wasteland, I guess.

I dunno, my microbiologist and nuclear physicist friends have pretty dope ideas, especially if you get them drunk. In a way experience in the area can open your mind to Science! applications that you'd normally never think of. Lets way "weird" in ways that are... uncomfortable.

Though I do agree that doping up some preschool kids on LSD and writing down their hallucinations after forcing them watch some quality retro Sci-Fi would sure produce good material too.

You are right here, Haba. People who have worked with science can have some insights into wonderful ideas that might fit very well in this kind of science fiction. It is just that, I don't know, it seems to me that it also requires a certain humility, naivety and simplicity that sometimes experts in this or that area aren't always fond of. Now, I am not saying these guys can't do it, I am just talking in generics trying to justify my surprise at this decision.

Pretty much. We want to see some crazy shit out there, not what's scientifically "possibly" possible. And the comment about Oblivion is spot-on. Nobody gives a fuck about such things in games. Not about soil erosion, not about alien languages in Mass Effect that Bio paid some linguists to develop (what a waste of money that was), not about real star data in that recently announced KS.

Considering that "paying consultants to make a realistic gameworld" was not one of the stretch goals, it would have been real nice if Fargo asked the fans if that was a good idea. You can take a man out of the mainstream business, but you can't take the mainstream business out of him.

I do think there might be ways of making very "realistic" games that are fun to play too (well, to some people at least). But yeah, you gotta keep gameplay in focus. Soil erosion when terrain doesn't even affect your combat in any meaningful way is just a big waste.

 

[Infinitron]

I think the key is this - it's not about realism, it's about authenticity.

Fargo: We'll have more scienc-ey shit in the game
Codex: Wasteland 2 is ROOIND!

Fargo: another pointless bit of info about the game
Codex: sounds dumb
Apologists: Oh noes! The Codex thinks that the game is "ROOIND!"

Vault Dweller: another passive-aggressive quip about Wasteland 2 and Brian Fargo
Codex: *snore*

 

[Albers]

 

[Captain Shrek]

I think the key is this - it's not about realism, it's about authenticity.

No it isn't. You don't need paid scientists to sound authentic. For that you need wikipedia.

 

[Infinitron]

You don't need paid scientists to sound authentic. For that you need wikipedia.

Maybe so, but that doesn't negate what I said. Scientists can do it too (and better)

 

[Captain Shrek]

You don't need paid scientists to sound authentic. For that you need wikipedia.

Maybe so, but that still doesn't negate what I said. Scientists can do it too, and better.

Dude. It is a video game. People call MASS EFFECT WITH ELEMENT ZERO THE BEST SCI FI EVER ON INTERNET. That should teach us something.

 

[Infinitron]

Hmm. I wonder what science consultants Mass Effect had.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I think the key is this - it's not about realism, it's about authenticity.

Fargo: We'll have more scienc-ey shit in the game
Codex: Wasteland 2 is ROOIND!

Fargo: another pointless bit of info about the game
Codex: sounds dumb
Apologists: Oh noes! The Codex thinks that the game is "ROOIND!"

Vault Dweller: another passive-aggressive quip about Wasteland 2 and Brian Fargo
Codex: *snore*

When I joined the party, it was already in full swing.

As for quips, I'm still waiting to hear something specific about gameplay. You know, these are the combat mechanics, this is how the crafting system is going to work, this is our quest design example, etc.

If Fargo mentioned that sci-fi consultants thing while talking about the world or quest design, nobody would have said anything. But when once again it's only news item, what reaction do you expect?

 

[Infinitron]

As for quips, I'm still waiting to hear something specific about gameplay. You know, these are the combat mechanics, this is how the crafting system is going to work, this is our quest design example, etc.

If Fargo mentioned that sci-fi consultants thing while talking about the world or quest design, nobody would have said anything. But when once again it's only news item, what reaction do you expect?

Fair enough. If they're really on schedule, preproduction should be wrapping up any day now, so maybe they'll have something for us soon.

 

[Captain Shrek]

Hmm. I wonder what science consultants Mass Effect had.

Stop scaring me.

(Did it have one??!!! )

 

[OSK]

I'm ok with this.

A little bit of authenticity can be a good thing. For example, I'm pretty sure Bioware romances were written by people who have never experienced romance.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

Wasteland 2 status: avoiding actual work.



You just made me realize that no one on Fallout 3 team finished high school.

Lul, what? Do you have a source on that?

 

[Infinitron]

It's a joke. Todd Howard went to the same college as MCA.

 

[Harg Harfardarssen]

The expending precious resources concern seems a bit overblown. Since Thwacke appears to be a bunch of PhD students' and postdocs side gig while they get their degrees, I seriously doubt it will be much of a resource drain.

On the other hand, when money is spent on lore, there is a temptation to shoehorn it in. I can't wait for NPCs to explain how evolution amidst the unique environmental stresses of a post-apocalyptic wasteland has plausibly led various animals to become monster-ish before asking me to kill ten of them.

 

[Grunker]

I hope it'll be on par with the work on soil erosion that was done for Oblivion.

haha

nailed it

 

[felipepepe]

I just hope they don't turn this into a in-game "Science Codex" or something... developers need to understand that lore/science/explanation are cool things, but integrated in the game, not in a massive wall of pointless text you reach via menu; leave that for the Wiki, or the manual ("lol what manual", I know)...

 

[Jaesun]

4 pages! Keep it going codex.

 

[villain of the story]

Hmm. I wonder what science consultants Mass Effect had.

Stop scaring me.

(Did it have one??!!! )

They had at least two, IIRC. Bioware came up with shit. Consultants put the shit into golden frames to make it look like National Geographic Approved Science.