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inXile General Discussion Thread

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
http://www.kotaku.co.uk/2015/10/02/uncovering-the-fallout-series-true-origins

Uncovering the Fallout Series' True Origins
By Keza MacDonald on 02 Oct 2015 at 1:23PM
The Fallout Anthology is out today, a collection of every game in the greatly loved post-apocalyptic series so far (that's 1997's Fallout, Fallout 2 from 1998, Fallout Tactics from 2001, 2008's Fallout 3, and New Vegas from 2010) that comes in an actual nuke-shaped container, which strikes me as deeply ironic given what the Fallout games have to say about nuclear war. But one crucial game is missing from that collection: Wasteland, a 1988 game for the home computers of the time. Its creator Brian Fargo would go on to make the first two games in the Fallout series with legendary studio Black Isle Studios. (He would also finally make Wasteland 2 in 2014, after a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. A PS4 and Xbox One version is coming this month.)

Wasteland is the Fallout series' true origins. And not just spiritually: Fallout literally exists because Fargo could not get the rights to the Wasteland name from EA, who originally published it, so he had to come up with something else. As a consequence, perhaps unsurprisingly, a lot of Fallout's iconic things, people, places and plotlines originated in Wasteland.



"I think that people have forgotten, or don't know, how much Fallout was actually [the original] Wasteland 2," Fargo tells me. "My charter was like, OK, I can't get the rights to Wasteland 2 from Electronic Arts. I'm never going to pry it from their cold, dead fingers anytime soon. So, what can we do that hits on the open-world nature of it, the sense of a persistent world? Because that's what made Wasteland very revolutionary: this whole concept that you could solve things by using skills and stats on the environment, that you could talk, sneak or shoot your way out of a problem.

"There's a lot of stuff that was literally lifted straight from Wasteland into Fallouts 1 and 2, and even today. I wanted to specifically reference as much as possible without being sued by Electronic Arts. It's like if there was a movie with Han Solo in it before Star Wars."

Brian and I went through some of the specific references. These are some of the ways that Fallout pays tribute to (or, indeed, directly lifts from) its heritage.

  • The Brotherhood of Steel is a practically identical military organisation to Wasteland's Guardians of the Old Order. Both are quasi-religious (or overtly religious in the case of the Guardians of the Old Order), both use and preserve old technology, both are extremely xenophobic, both have a propensity to build fortified bunkers, sometimes in the sides of mountains.


  • Power armour, which is "a huge deal in Fallout", as Brian says, appeared in Wasteland first. "That was inside the Citadel [the Guardians' base] in Wasteland, it was one of the great pieces of armour towards the end of the game," says Brian.
  • When you die in Wasteland, you get an on-screen message saying "Your life has ended in the wasteland". In Fallout you get an image of a picked-clean corpse – and, sometimes, the exact same words. "We took the message verbatim," Brian says.
  • There is a Desert Ranger named Tycho in Fallout, whose grandfather was also a Desert Ranger. In dialogue, Tycho mentions a "fat freak" from Las Vegas - a direct reference to a character called "Fat Freddy" from Wasteland. Freddy was a crime boss, and I feel compelled to share the description of him from the story-book that came with the original Wasteland, because the writing is so delicious: "Fat Freddy is a genetic nightmare - a squamous mass of slimy flesh shuddering and twitching before you like some animated blob of flesh-coloured jello. He smells like a swamp, a foul, choking miasma of rotting mastodonian flesh left to putrefy."
  • The dreaded Deathclaws in Fallout were taken from Wasteland's Shadowclaws. They look kinda different, but are both lizardy, mutated and dangerous. Ghouls also came straight from Wasteland, in various forms.
http://media.kotaku.foxtrot.future....oads/sites/52/2015/10/Fo2_Vault_13_Ending.png


  • Fallout 3 had a quest to do research for a Wasteland Survival Guide. This is a reference to the hint book that came with Wasteland, which had the same name. Wasteland actually came with THREE books: one was a "paragraph book" that contained the game's story and description text, because there wasn't enough memory for all of it in the actual game, one was a manual, and the last was a survival guide with maps and advice. I've actually got these, here's a picture:


  • The name Red Ryder – a reference to a real-life comic strip – appears in both Fallout 1/2 and Wasteland. In Wasteland, Red Ryder was a character who appeared to seek vengeance on child-killers. In Fallout it's an arms manufacturing company. The Red Ryder BB Gun appears in both. There are plenty of other almost-identical weapons, too.
  • So, about that Wasteland paragraph book that added text that would not fit on the disc: Fargo and co created an entirely fictional story about a Martian invasion, which was designed to throw off anyone who tried to read ahead. This fake Martian invasion was later played up in both the Fallout series and Wasteland 2. Fallout had a UFO hidden in the vast expanse of the wasteland, which you could randomly come across.
  • Fallout 3's Mothership Zeta expansion is essentially a continuation of this long-running alien invasion in-joke. So is the Firelance, a unique "alien weapon" in Fallout 3.
  • Wasteland had a ornijetcopter in the storyline while Fallout introduced theornithopter.
  • John Cassidy from Fallout 2 uses Wasteland combat taunts, as described in the paragraph book. (He's also the father of Rose of Sharon Cassidy in Fallout: New Vegas.)
  • Christine in Dead Money (the Fallout: New Vegas add-on) and indeed all the DLC’s for New Vegas was an homage to the Wasteland companion, Christine.
Of course, Fallout belongs to Bethesda now – which surely must be strange for Brian and the other people who worked on the originals. "I created my little monster there and I try to stay away from it now. It'll squash me if I get anywhere near!" he laughs. "Even if it's competition now, you can't help but be proud." But Bethesda's Fallout games still carry plenty of references to their roots in the original Wasteland. The most recent is something you might have spotted in Fallout Shelter: a Wasteland pinball machine, sitting there in the rec room.

 

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Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
wat!

http://gov.louisiana.gov/index.cfm?md=newsroom&tmp=detail&articleID=5146

GOVERNOR BOBBY JINDAL AND INXILE ENTERTAINMENT FOUNDER BRIAN FARGO ANNOUNCE CREATION OF VIDEO GAME STUDIO IN NEW ORLEANS

Game development facility to result in over 100 new direct and indirect jobs in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal and inXile Entertainment founder and CEO Brian Fargo announced the company will establish a video game development studio in New Orleans. The company will create 50 new direct jobs over the next five years, with an average annual salary of $75,000, plus benefits. Louisiana Economic Development estimates the project will result in 64 indirect jobs for a total of more than 110 new jobs in Louisiana’s Southeast Region.

The new facility in New Orleans will be inXile’s first expansion outside its headquarters in Newport Beach, California. The company specializes in the development of interactive entertainment software for all popular game systems, ranging from the PlayStation 4 to iOS and Android smartphones. Game designers at inXile have been the creative force behind such titles as Torment: Tides of Numenéra, The Bard’s Tale and Wasteland 2.

Governor Jindal said, “With each new digital media investment, New Orleans is becoming a brighter beacon in the tech sector. Our strong business climate and highly skilled workforce are attracting innovative companies like inXile to our state, along with the great new jobs they’re creating. We’re confident they will find qualified professionals here in Louisiana as they provide creative, interactive entertainment to gamers around the world.”

Fargo founded inXile in 2002. Along with President Matthew Findley, Fargo guides the company in using cutting-edge game engines, including Unreal Engine 4 and Unity 5, as well as making in-roads in new technologies, such as virtual reality. The company employs a mix of studio veterans and new talent to collaborate on high-quality products. Building strong relationships with its core audiences, inXile uses this input to deliver high attention to detail for a memorable gaming experience.

“We are very excited to be opening inXile's first satellite office in the state of Louisiana,” Fargo said. “The people here have an amazing energy and friendly way that can only be understood when you visit. We’re proud to be part of the first wave of companies that will help establish Louisiana as the next major high-tech center. Every year, colleges and universities in Louisiana graduate qualified candidates that would love nothing more than to work in the games industry. We are proud to be a part of a movement to keep those talented people in Louisiana.”

A longtime industry veteran, Fargo established Interplay Entertainment in 1983, which became a Top 5 PC game publisher, producing some of the biggest franchises in video game history, including Bard’s Tale, Fallout and Wasteland. Fargo continued the Wasteland legacy at inXile with the production of Wasteland 2, which was recently financed by its fans through a Kickstarter campaign.

“We are proud to welcome inXile Entertainment to New Orleans. Digital media has become a major growth industry for our local economy, and that is why we are seeing companies like inXile choose to do business here,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. “I applaud our economic development agencies for their partnership in positioning New Orleans and Louisiana as one of the best places to do business in the nation.”

LED and GNO Inc. began discussions with inXile in June 2015. To secure the development office project, the State of Louisiana offered a competitive incentive package that includes the services of LED FastStart® – the nation’s No. 1-ranked state workforce development program. The company, which is expected to utilize Louisiana’s Digital Interactive Media and Software Development Incentive, also will receive support from a combined $10,000 in relocation expenses from GNO Inc. and the New Orleans Business Alliance, or NOLABA.

“Following months of working with inXile leadership, GNO, Inc. is thrilled to welcome this renowned studio to our region," said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “inXile adds significantly to the critical mass of game developers in Greater New Orleans and Louisiana, and augments our momentum as one of the fastest growing locations for knowledge jobs in the United States. We look forward to supporting inXile’s growth and success in New Orleans."

“The decision by inXile to relocate to New Orleans further validates the city’s increasing recognition as a creative digital media mecca,” said NOLABA President and CEO Quentin Messer. “We are thrilled to welcome the inXile team, and anticipate that their success will be accelerated by this decision. Recognizing that this announcement is only the beginning, we are very excited to assist them during this important moment in the company’s history and will help integrate inXile fully into the city’s business and creative communities.”

About inXile Entertainment
Founded by longtime industry veteran Brian Fargo in 2002, inXile entertainment develops interactive entertainment software for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. The most company’s most-current projects are Wasteland 2, Torment: Tides of Numenéra and The Bard’s Tale IV – all financed by its fans via Kickstarter. For more information about inXile Entertainment, visit www.inxile-entertainment.com.
 
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Roguey

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Remember when you said inXile was the mainstream developer least likely to abandon the hardcore market. Looks like Fargo hasn't changed much.
 

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Remember when you said inXile was the mainstream developer least likely to abandon the hardcore market. Looks like Fargo hasn't changed much.

Two locations is still less than Larian's four!

It is funny though because Brother None used to laugh at large and expanding companies and brag about how inXile wasn't interested in that. He has been kind of silent for the past couple of months, though...
 

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Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire
California is turning into a desert. So let's move to a city that's one hurricane away from vanishing into the Gulf.

We don't know what the new studio will be working on so far, right?
 

Athelas

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Two locations is still less than Larian's four!

It is funny though because Brother None used to laugh at large and expanding companies and brag about how inXile wasn't interested in that. He has been kind of silent for the past couple of months, though...

Maybe he's busy renovating his new summer home in New Orleans.
 

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I can go there personally and help them fix Bard's Tale 4. Oak Street is an interesting location. Sort of the 'college hang out' area as it's near Tulane University. I'm surprised they have this kind of money to open a branch office of 50+ people.

He said the people from the Governor's office approached him in July so this was a pretty quick time-span to make a major decision.
 

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California is turning into a desert. So let's move to a city that's one hurricane away from vanishing into the Gulf.

We don't know what the new studio will be working on so far, right?

Seems likely that they'll assist with Bard's Tale IV (maybe inXile want cheaper level artists for their super duper graphical level they're aiming for), but we'll see.
 
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Today, Governor Bobby Jindal and inXile Entertainment founder and CEO Brian Fargo announced the company will establish a video game development studio in New Orleans.

A match made in heaven.
 

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Maybe he's busy renovating his new summer home in New Orleans.

I think it's delightfully hilarious how he hasn't checked in at the Codex since September, but was posting at Something Awful, like, earlier today.

Fargo saw all those goon dollars Obsidian made. I look forward to the Codex getting cucked by inXile as well.
 

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New Orleans is, in general, a cheaper area to live than California. He can pay people around 10-20k less. And, let's face it, in today's internet world of fast data transfer, teleconferences, etc. you don't need people to physically work in the same location.
 
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I think it's delightfully hilarious how he hasn't checked in at the Codex since September, but was posting at Something Awful, like, earlier today.

Hm, his final post was to celebrate the first anniversary of WL2. Maybe he was paid to post on these forums for exactly one year post-release?
 

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It's not exactly a secret that BN and especially sea were becoming increasingly exasperated with the tone of this forum.

Funnily enough, inXile's senior designers still happily lurk and post here on a regular basis.
 

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That might have something do with the fact that Codexers probably don't know them by name and therefore can't directly insult them. :M
 

Metro

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I will happily be the New Orleans office ambassador to the Codex...

...for $100,000/year plus benefits.
 

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That might have something do with the fact that Codexers probably don't know them by name and therefore can't directly insult them. :M
Senior, he's talking about Colin, Adam, and Kevin. :)
 
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I will happily be the New Orleans office ambassador to the Codex...

...for $100,000/year plus benefits.

All my knowledge about N'awlins comes from watching Treme, but I'm pretty sure you can live like a king there for half that much (as long as you don't declare it).
 

Metro

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All my knowledge about N'awlins comes from watching Treme, but I'm pretty sure you can live like a king there for half that much (as long as you don't declare it).
Well I live there now but I dunno how keen I'd be on switching career tracks for a $25k/year entry level job... considering I know dick about game design/programming.
 
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Well I live there now but I dunno how keen I'd be on switching career tracks for a $25k/year entry level job... considering I know dick about game design/programming.

You could be our new Brother None, conducting chirpy Gamescom interviews with Roxor, arguing with Jasede about the lack of beast races in BT4, and posting special promotions in the beg thread. Can't put a price tag on that.
 

Metro

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Had I known I would have attended today's press conference.
 

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