Interview Massive Wasteland 2 Audio Interview with Brian Fargo and Nathan Long at Through the Aftermath

[dunno lah]

I'd expect that you can still go to Cali but you can lose your affiliation with the Rangers. That'll make for some proper main story branching.

 

[tuluse]

I see Fargo's going the outdated route of having the game (instead of the world) punish the player for their behavior, a relic from the past that should have been left behind. I guess the dinosaurs at inXile aren't learning animals, maybe they'll go extinct as a result.

It's not clear there will be punishment. It might have wildly varying end game content.

 

[hiver]

Dont fucking answer. What the fuck is wrong with you? She is quite well aware of what she is farting there and why.

 

[AstroZombie]

I'd expect that you can still go to Cali but you can lose your affiliation with the Rangers. That'll make for some proper main story branching.

That'd be good.

 

[I_am_Ian]

I once thought of putting Roguey on ignore.

But a part of me just knew that she masturbates while browsing her "who is ignoring me" list and I was repulsed by the thought of her climaxing while looking at my name.

 

[80Maxwell08]

I once thought of putting Roguey on ignore.

But a part of me just knew that she masturbates while browsing her "who is ignoring me" list and I was repulsed by the thought of her climaxing while looking at my name.

Well at least someone will get pleasure from my existence then.

 

[crawlkill]

Huh. I've...never read anything by Nathan Long. That's an awful lot of Warhammer serials. I elect to remain calm.

It might have wildly varying end game content.

maybe I am just a gae but Fallout 1/2/New Vegas-style variable endgame slideshows give me all the hard-ons. I know they're a little bit fiat/not as good as having proper branching within the game, but it's not like those things are mutually exclusive.

 

[Zeronet]

Lots of games have multiple endings, who says they can't be spread throughout game, so there's multiple points at which you can win or lose. Seems like a pretty good idea.

 

[MicoSelva]

Now, this was a cool interview. I am really considering playing original Wasteland right now, but I think I will limit myself to reading the Codex LP again.

 

[tuluse]

The youtube lp InXile linked during the kickstarter was really good.

 

[Infinitron]

FYI, GameBanshee have done their own breakdown of the podcast: http://gamebanshee.com/news/111869-wasteland-2-podcast-interview.html

• While knowledge of the original won't be needed to play Wasteland 2, people who have will get more out of the game. Fargo mentions being able to type keywords related to the original to get new dialogue nodes as an example.
• The storyline is a lot more complex than the original's, and Fargo mentions that the game is possibly the biggest RPG he's ever worked on.
• The game will apparently even feature a few references to the infamous fake paragraphs included in the paragraph book for the original.
• The party you create in the game is assigned to investigate some mysterious radio broadcast of unknown origin.
• Fargo mentions that, because the game will allow for multiple solution, it frees the developers to do things like difficult puzzles, which would not be acceptable for an adventure game due to the frustration they generate when you get stuck and have no other way to progress.
• Speaking of reactivity and multiple solution, according to Nathan Long, speed-runners might miss as much as 60% of the content, and the very first game choice involve choosing what town to save between two.
• Not every companion will have the same kind of systemic utility, but Fargo feels that some people will want to keep them around anyway because of their personality. Because of that, those characters will get a bigger payoff, like sequences you might miss if you don't have them in your party.
• To that, Nathan Long added that every major companion has "some kind of story", and you'll be able to interact it with it, either by helping the NPCs solve their issues, or by aggravating them.
• Fargo teased the possibility of "non-standard ending" that aren't game overs during the game, and gave an example of the Rangers deciding to not send your team to Los Angeles because you're acting like vigilantes. From what I can understand, it sounds like an expansion of the concept behind the Super Mutant ending in Fallout.

 

[Lancehead]

Nice interview, except for all the wow!s from one of the hosts. Like most of the stuff talked about WL2; especially the focus on sandbox elements. Hope they pull that off well.

 

[Excidium]

I hate podcasts so much, thanks for the bullet points.

 

[Q]

don't hate, Bioware can't do plot for shit but you liked Morrigan, don't lie

No.

 

[General Maxson]

The biggest problem now is that W2 is months away...

 

[likaq]

I want play this game NOW.

 

[valcik]

I'd gladly wait several years for a well polished game, rather than playing some rushed buggy mess. Remember Fallout 2. That tight deadline for W2 scares me as hell.

 

[General Maxson]

I'd gladly wait several years for a well polished game, rather than playing some rushed buggy mess. Remember Fallout 2. That tight deadline for W2 scares me as hell.

Well me too. And I hope most of their audience. I just said that it's very hard for me to wait for the game to finally ship, because I haven't played a good new crpg in years. And now, that there's hope, I'm giddy like a schoolgirl again. That makes it hard for me to wait, but I'll wait and won't be pissed if they delay to polish and improve the game. :D

 

[Commissar Draco]

I expect the game to have multiple ending with option to change sides and complete the story for at least major factions like in New Vegas. As to game was waiting for proper F2 sequel 16 years can wait till Thursday Christmas.

 

[likaq]

I must agree that delayed game is much better than rushed one.
I hope that they delay release to Q1 2014.

 

[Roguey]

I see Fargo's going the outdated route of having the game (instead of the world) punish the player for their behavior, a relic from the past that should have been left behind. I guess the dinosaurs at inXile aren't learning animals, maybe they'll go extinct as a result.

Uh, this interview said nothing about the game's mechanics or systems

http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/543617080

Once you talk about games in the mid-90s or earlier, I don't think many would qualify. Character choice RPGs are really a western, late 90s+ phenomenon. There are a few earlier examples where morality/reputation came into play (Ultimas, Darklands), but often they were designed to be inherently punitive to "bad" players. That is, the game punished the player instead of the world.

 

[Infinitron]

I see Fargo's going the outdated route of having the game (instead of the world) punish the player for their behavior, a relic from the past that should have been left behind. I guess the dinosaurs at inXile aren't learning animals, maybe they'll go extinct as a result.

Uh, this interview said nothing about the game's mechanics or systems

http://www.formspring.me/JESawyer/q/543617080

Once you talk about games in the mid-90s or earlier, I don't think many would qualify. Character choice RPGs are really a western, late 90s+ phenomenon. There are a few earlier examples where morality/reputation came into play (Ultimas, Darklands), but often they were designed to be inherently punitive to "bad" players. That is, the game punished the player instead of the world.

Do you realize what that even means

Wasteland 2's not going to have some kind of built in morality system that locks you out of content, like Ultima IV. It's purely scripted choice and consequence.

Yep, I'm afraid you fucked up this time. Better just forget you posted that.

 

[Rake]

I like Sawyer, but that thing of yours to consider his every quote as some kind of divine truth is...weird.
And you don't know that W2 will punish the player in the way he meant.

 

[I_am_Ian]

How is the game punishing the player in this case?

 

[Roguey]

Do you realize what that even means

Wasteland 2's not going to have some kind of built in morality system that locks you out of content, like Ultima IV. It's purely scripted choice and consequence.

Yep, I'm afraid you fucked up this time. Better just forget you posted that.

Don't act like proper rangers = no LA for you ("ending the story prematurely").

The same shit with joining the slavers in Fallout 2. A false evil option that gives you no worthwhile benefits and a load of penalties.