Game News Wasteland 2 Kickstarter Update #23: Gameplay Video!

[CSM]

Furiously masturbating over that gameplay footage.

 

[SkepticsClaw]

There's clearly nothing objectively 'worse' about a keywords system compared to a branching dialogue tree. You can have a keyword system with reactivity (clicking keywords exposes new keywords or stops you using others) and a branching dialogue tree can be a poorly written, dull and linear load of cobblers. What obviously matters far more is the skill involved in the implementation.

Arguments about whether full sentences are more immershun than keywords are absolute pure powder puffery. It's probably more aesthetically pleasing to have full sentences but at the end of the day it actually makes a totally negligible difference to the depth of the gameplay, and I'd rather they didn't bother with it and focussed on things that are actually important mechanically.

 

[hiver]

Arguments about whether full sentences are more immershun than keywords are absolute pure powder puffery.

No they are not. If they are written with quality.

The thing is that kind of mechanics fit better for some games and others do not need it so much.

 

[SkepticsClaw]

Arguments about whether full sentences are more immershun than keywords are absolute pure powder puffery.

No they are not. If they are written with quality.

The thing is that kind of mechanics fit better for some games and others do not need it so much.

I would say that the writing of the player character is only important when there is something that needs to be communicated about the player character. Whenever this isn't the case it's fluff, nice to have at best. Stuff like the Lucasarts adventure games where the protagonist is an important element of the story is exempt. This game (and I would argue all player defined party RPGs) is not.

 

[hiver]

Thats right.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

Brian Fargo: Dear customer, Wasteland 2 will be utilizing a keyword approach to dialogue.

1. "So what am I supposed to do?"
2. "So?"
3. "I don't have time for this"
4. "Adhan"

 

[Irxy]

I suppose it was to be expected we'd have a group of people who never played Wasteland expecting Wasteland 2 to be more like Fallout than Wasteland.

Has nothing to do with it. I remember goldbox games where you had to read dialogs in a printed manual when the game gave you paragraph numbers, because they had to save on memory that much. But some things are left in the past for a good reason, you know. A fully keyword based dialog is not good - because its not a dialog, but a monologue with obvious inherent limitations, it should at least be a hybrid system (wizardry 8, amalur etc.) if they are too lazy to write real dialogs, imo.

 

[EG]

By the way, for a basic keyword system, take a look at NeoScavaenger. From skill-based keywords, come fully written dialog.

It's adequate, if terribly sparse throughout the early iteration of the game.

Tracking ("Was there someone wearing a robe in here recently? I've seen these markings before" -> RE: "Tracks! Wow! Yeah, totally. Want a job?" -> YES | NO

Glorious.



And, once again, the argument "But it could and has been shit" is the reason why we should entirely abandon sentences appears.

How does that make any any sense?

As to whether an element like dialogs are larping . . . . then what are games, but a huge pile of LARP on a trivial system of rules? See anything that's aesthetically pleasing and doesn't serve its function explicitly by its form? Larping.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

The best of Deus Ex writing

 

[EG]

The best of Deus Ex writing

Imprison Major Blackhard in Propseria for the next week . . .

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

3. I don't have time for this

 

[Scruffy]

so you can't use dialogue with the flies? IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO TOTALLY AVOID COMBAT IN WASTELAND 2???



edit
but seriously
that looks awesome

 

[I_am_Ian]

3. I don't have time for this

Ain't nobody got time for that!

 

[Jaesun]

Skill: Fly Diplomacy.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

The best of Deus Ex writing

Imprison Major Blackhard in Propseria for the next week . . .

Awww, what for? Someone mentioned Deus Ex as a source of writing, and I simply found the best phone conversations I could find in the game.

 

[Excidium]

Skill: Fly Diplomacy.

Wouldn't be out of place.

 

[hiver]

Kalashnikov diplomacy.

 

[tuluse]

Vimo removed the video. Not ineXile.

The point is that it never should have been uploaded there to begin with because it's against the guidelines. This would have required them to read them of course.

After about 190,000 views our original video was deleted by Vimeo. After two days of back and forth with them they apologized for the mistake and put it back up

It's ok, not everyone can bat 1000.

 

[Roguey]

As I said, they should have been more clear in the description.

 

[tuluse]

I have yet to see a chatbot that can even understand pronouns being used to reference the last thing I wrote. So meh until then.

Try this one out.

https://apps.facebook.com/talking-angela/

I'm still not impressed.

It also responded to "who are you calling old" with "I'm 18."

 

[GarfunkeL]

Cumming buckets, video looks awesome.

While I love big and elaborate GUIs, it's good to know that it can be minimized.

Hopefully the camera won't be as annoying as in NWN2. Hopefully animation speeds can be altered. Hopefully the splash screens and XP list can be turned off.

Everything else looks good. Loving the tactical options possible - sneak, walk, run, RT ambush, cover, visibility cones and so on.

 

[Lancehead]

Hopefully animation speeds can be altered.

I'd prefer something like the fast turn-based in Arcanum instead of changing the animation speeds which shouldn't be too long to begin with.

 

[Captain Shrek]

I'd prefer something like the fast turn-based in Arcanum

No please.

 

[Roguey]

Yes please. DNGAF about walking animations.

 

[janjetina]

My impressions, in order of presentation:

- Voice acting is unconvincing. Female voice sounds like she is reading and is an example of how voice acting should not be done. Male voice gives orders in a flat, disinterested tone.
- I like the UI layout and love the fact that UI is customizable. I assume that customized keyboard bindings will be available. I hope for full customization (some examples below).
- I like the description box, but I don't like mixing hints ('select the object to examine') with descriptions. Hopefully we will be able to toggle the hints on/off.
- Combat system: I like all of it. Meets my expectations completely. I hope that combat initiation screen can be toggled on/off.
- Dialogue system, i.e. keywords. I'd prefer the system that contains full text options + the ability to type keywords in, like the one that was present in Fallout (only without the jarring ability to repeat the same sentences). I'd be content with a keyword system which fully utilizes mood + skill + keyword combinations to facilitate maximum reactivity (as reactivity is the buzzword that InIxile wants to associate with Wasteland 2).
- Skill use. Good, just as expected, we'll need to see more.

Overall, I'm glad I backed this, but hope that flaws will be corrected.