Wasteland Wasteland 3 Pre-Release Thread [GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Lilura]

Yeah its probably best not to mention JA2 (vanilla or 1.13) in this thread at all. I mean some people actually backed W3 with real money.

lolUnity. Takes 100 times longer to load and doesn't let you do what JA2 let you do 18 years ago.

 

[Zetor]

Yah, the reasons definitely aren't technical. Games from the 1980s and early 90s like the OG Wasteland, the Magic Candle series and Fate Gates of Dawn had async / simultaneous parties, and some of those games simulated a more complex world than your average AA / AAA RPG of 2010+...

Do you really think Wasteland 2 with its performance issues would have been able to handle two or three more squads on the same map? Or different maps with all that loading?

WL2's engine as it is? Hell no. But that's because of resource usage when loading / rendering assets, actually managing the state of the world and making multiple player parties possible isn't a huge problem. (e: I suppose it can get annoying at times like if one of the parties is in combat, but you can do what DivOS did and/or just force all squads on the map into TB mode)

 

[GloomFrost]

Yeah its probably best not to mention JA2 (vanilla or 1.13) in this thread at all. I mean some people actually backed W3 with real money.

lolUnity. Takes 100 times longer to load and doesn't let you do what JA2 let you do 18 years ago.

haha vehicles, destructible environments, massive battles(militia vs deadriana army), fully customizable gear, dozens if not hundreads of unique mercs, complete freedom of movement around the map, AI that reacted to sound,time of the day, the weather, economic,tactical and strategic aspects....... oh and i think you could have a robot in your team too!

 

[Roguey]

WL2's engine as it is? Hell no. But that's because of resource usage when loading / rendering assets, actually managing the state of the world and making multiple player parties possible isn't a huge problem. (e: I suppose it can get annoying at times like if one of the parties is in combat, but you can do what DivOS did and/or just force all squads on the map into TB mode)

Party-splitting was mentioned as a feature in Wasteland 2's vision document and had to be cut, I gloated about it http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...at-wasteland-2-guru.85907/page-4#post-2833210

 

[FeelTheRads]

At this point whoever donated to this should be happy if the game is even made and if it has a party.

Hoping for multiple parties, let alone comparisons to JA2 is almost like bullying inXile.

 

[Zombra]

Hoping for multiple parties, let alone comparisons to JA2 is almost like bullying inXile.

Multiple parties is like the big, front page, above the fold, selling point of the game. From day one this was this case. True, they still might trash it, but it's really not unreasonable to expect it.

 

[Abu Antar]

At this point whoever donated to this should be happy if the game is even made and if it has a party.

Hoping for multiple parties, let alone comparisons to JA2 is almost like bullying inXile.

It will be made, but we'll see about the quality of the game. I know what to expect after their last two efforts. It was worth $20 bucks + another free game, imo.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Multiple parties is like the big, front page, above the fold, selling point of the game.

They upgraded it to that already? They were just "exploring the possibility" of this last time I heard of it.

It won't matter anyway, you realize that if this will happen if it will be at best some scripted thing and that's it, just so they can say they did it.

 

[Maggot]

WOW!! 2 games later and Fargo finally realizes that maybe post-ap RPGs should have a bit less of pop culture references, easter eggs, "whacky" characters and "funny" inventory junk and a bit more staff about the people trying to survive in the world that survived a God damn nuclear war!!!! There was more desperation and social problems in Dernholm alone from Arcanum then in all of the W2.

Turning your game into grimderp edgy shit doesn't make it any better. Funny you mention JA2 because the new Wasteland games would be far better with a tone like that.

 

[Zombra]

Multiple parties is like the big, front page, above the fold, selling point of the game.

They upgraded it to that already? They were just "exploring the possibility" of this last time I heard of it.

Sorry, I meant that multi-party coop was a day one promise. Wasteland 3 will support asynchronous multi-party gameplay unless they throw away their basic premise. Multi-party single-player is still an unlikely dream, but seriously, they're putting in all the architecture for it sooo it's not impossible unless they pull a Sven and say "We could, easily, but we don't want you to enjoy the game that way." Which I am still pissed off about.

It won't matter anyway, you realize that if this will happen if it will be at best some scripted thing and that's it, just so they can say they did it.

Ehhhhhh I don't see it. Since the game is being designed ground up to be multi-party from beginning to end, if they enable it in single-player it will permeate the whole game.

 

[Lilura]

1.13 doesn't count because it was made by certain devs instead of certain other devs?

That's right, a motley crew of modders are not Sir-Tech. 1.12 is the official version and the only one with authority.

Anyway, I don't want GOAT-level. I just want the asynchronous two-squad functionality they're already making for co-op to be available in single-player as well.

Why only two? In JA2 each of your 18 mercs can be assigned to their own "squad".

haha vehicles, destructible environments, massive battles(militia vs deadriana army), fully customizable gear, dozens if not hundreads of unique mercs, complete freedom of movement around the map, AI that reacted to sound,time of the day, the weather, economic,tactical and strategic aspects....... oh and i think you could have a robot in your team too!

I posted a lil' feature list here, too.

 

[Zombra]

Why only two? In JA2 each of your 18 mercs can be assigned to their own "squad".

I would love to see a new Jagged Alliance type game, and the Wasteland setting would be perfect for a game where you're sending guys out in many different squads to deal with threats, but this is completely out of scope for Wasteland 3.

Wasteland 3, the actual Wasteland 3 that is being made, will be built ground-up to support two independent squads for synchronous or asynchronous play. This is already happening. For co-op. It didn't occur to them at first that a single player might also want to play two squads asynchronously; now they are officially aware that some players might want to do that. Since the architecture will already be in place for asynchronous multi-squad co-op, it will not require much more architecture to allow the exact same gameplay for a single player switching between two squads. This is why I believe it is possible that they might actually do it, and worth it to continue pushing for this playstyle on the forums.

 

[Lilura]

What is the max party/squad size in Wasteland 2/3?

 

[Zombra]

What is the max party/squad size in Wasteland 2/3?

Wasteland 2's limit is four created PCs plus 3 pregenerated companions. We don't know what Wasteland 3's will be yet. We hope it will be the same but god knows.

 

[Urthor]

Wasteland 2's limit is four created PCs plus 3 pregenerated companions. We don't know what Wasteland 3's will be yet. We hope it will be the same but god knows.

pretty sure they said the new party size was lowered to 5 or 6, 3 created and 2/3 pregenerated during the Figstarter

 

[Infinitron]

Wasteland 2's limit is four created PCs plus 3 pregenerated companions. We don't know what Wasteland 3's will be yet. We hope it will be the same but god knows.

pretty sure they said the new party size was lowered to 5 or 6, 3 created and 2/3 pregenerated during the Figstarter

They couldn't have said that, given that we didn't even know if there was going to be more than one created character during the Fig campaign. You might be thinking about Bard's Tale IV (although those numbers are wrong for BT4 also)

 

[FeelTheRads]

Ehhhhhh I don't see it. Since the game is being designed ground up to be multi-party from beginning to end, if they enable it in single-player it will permeate the whole game.

The multiplayer thing also sounds like a gimmick to me that would be reduced to some scripted events and otherwise you'll play alone.

And what is the point in having multiple parties in a game like W2? Seriously, what would the benefit be there? Just to save both of those locations at the beginning? They'd have to add content especially for this feature to be worth it, otherwise why would you even split your party, just so you say you did? I don't remember now, but I don't think there was really any reason to split your party in W1 either.

And by the looks of it W3 will be even more limited and linear than W2, making party splitting even more pointless.

If there are no events like in JA2 to make it worth it to say leave some men in a location to defend it, then splitting them up just means reduced firepower in two locations and more loading screens.
Why not just go with a full party everywhere?

 

[Roguey]

pretty sure they said the new party size was lowered to 5 or 6, 3 created and 2/3 pregenerated during the Figstarter

“You’ll still create your party,” he explains. “You’ll have your initial character, and then you will certainly come across a wide range of NPCs throughout the world. But you will be able to adjust the stats of other party members.”

I bet you'll only be able to recruit up to three.

 

[Zombra]

If there are no events like in JA2 to make it worth it to say leave some men in a location to defend it, then splitting them up just means reduced firepower in two locations and more loading screens.
Why not just go with a full party everywhere?

You misunderstand. No one is advocating for a 14 person party you can split in half if you want to, or a 7 person party you can split into 3 and 4 to cut your fighting strength in half (which is what it was like in Wasteland 1 ... and it was pointless).

 

[FeelTheRads]

Then yeah, I don't understand it. What do you expect or hope they do?

 

[Zombra]

Then yeah, I don't understand it. What do you expect or hope they do?

Exactly what they're already doing - allowing for two parties in different locations, influencing events asynchronously and independently - but allowing this in single-player.

 

[Infinitron]

New update: https://www.fig.co/campaigns/wasteland-3?update=380#updates

1) Now in Production
2) Backer Survey
3) Stanley Hotel will be the game's Vertical Slice

Building the World of Wasteland 3
POSTED: 06/01/2017
Hello everyone,

Matt Findley here. We've been keeping you posted on Wasteland 3's pre-production in our updates, but today I have a bigger step to share with you: Wasteland 3 is moving out of pre-production and into full production! Note that Fig has a handy Game Info tab to keep all our supporters informed on our development stage, and as you can see it has now moved over to "Production."

So what does this mean for Wasteland 3? It means our paper designs are wrapping up and getting finalized for implementation. Our prototype work is moving towards production of our game scenes, starting with rough blockouts that give us a sense of the area's spacing and flow, and let us determine the layout before we work on art. In video game projects, moving from pre-production to production is never like flicking a switch - it's a process and we will still be prototyping and even doing paper designs for the next while, but it is a big step for us as our team is ramping up.

Newest Member of the inXile Team
This next part may be familiar to those of you who also backed The Bard's Tale IV and read our most recent update there, but for those of you who only backed Wasteland 3, some news about backer support! As inXile continues to expand, with more games coming and a growing back catalog, we are receiving more and more requests for backer news, customer support, and general information. Thus, it's time - some would say long past time - we upped our communication game. So here we go.

First, for those of you with questions, troubles with your backer rewards, or who need assistance with Wasteland 3 and our other games, we have launched a new Help Center page which will serve as a one-stop support location for all the info you need. It also includes an upgraded ticketing system, so we can better keep track of your direct emails and social media messages.

Second, and more importantly, we are pleased to announce that we have hired a brand new community manager, Paul Marzagalli. Paul has been active in the gaming community and industry many years as a games writer, consultant, and member of advisory boards such as the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers, the Boston Festival of Indie Games, and the Gerontoludic Society. Paul is also a long-time gamer, playing titles like Bard's Tale and Wasteland during Interplay's golden age, and he remains a huge fan of RPGs from the 80s, 90s, and today. Beyond that, Paul is a great communicator with deep knowledge of inXile and the wider gaming community. We are happy and excited to have him on board, and you can expect to see him popping up in Kickstarter updates, forums, social media, and more going forward.

And now, to kick off this new era of better communication right, here's Paul with some important and exciting info for backers of Wasteland 3!

Matt Findley
inXile President
@BayouBard

Building a Post-Apocalyptic Consensus One Voice At A Time
Hi everyone, Paul here!

As Matt said, this will definitely be familiar to those of you who follow our Bard's Tale IV updates. I want to thank the inXile team for the warm welcome! It has been an outstanding (and fast) first month and a half. Though this is the “official” announcement of my arrival, I have been out in the community for the past few weeks so I may have already spoken with many of you. Whether in the forums, on our game Facebook page, or on Twitter @phimseto, please pop by and say hello!

With Wasteland 3, inXile is building out a post-apocalyptic story first begun in 1988. The success of Wasteland 2 reunited us with old fans and brought in legions of new ones. In getting to know our backers and the greater inXile community, I put together a survey to help me understand where you are coming from as RPG and Wasteland fans. This survey isn’t something that I will be sharing publicly, rather it is to help me better identify who our Wasteland 3 backers are and what they like in a Wasteland game. This will help us with development not just of Wasteland 3, but with how we consider and develop future projects! You can find the survey at this link: Wasteland 3 Backer Survey.



The survey is brief and it is your chance to talk directly to the game devs and let us know what you think. The more of you who participate, the better we can strive to make Wasteland 3 and future titles! Thank you in advance for your help and thanks to everyone for supporting Wasteland 3!

Investor News


If you were interested in making an investment reservation, but missed our original campaign, there are still some Fig Game Shares available for Wasteland 3. The window for that will be closing in the near future. If you are interested in earning a return from sales of the game, please check out this link: https://www.fig.co/campaigns/wasteland-3/invest.



From the Wasteland Fan Community
One last item before I hand over the update to my colleague: we recently enjoyed watching this video from Youtuber Retcon Raider on the story and setting of Wasteland 3. It is a nice summation of what we've shared publicly so far, so if you are either looking for a primer or a reminder, give it a look. Whether videos like this, post-apocalyptic cosplay, art, or whatnot, we always love hearing from (and sharing the work of) our most creative fans!

See you out there!

Paul Marzagalli
Public Relations & Community Manager
@phimseto

Building the Stanley: An Introduction to "The Vertical Slice"
Thomas here to wrap up this update!

In the previous update, we introduced you to Stanley Hotel, one of the zones of Wasteland 3. As part of our production schedule, we'll be looking to flesh out Stanley Hotel early, taking it from blockout (a rough level implementation with no art) into a developed zone, with missions, combat, dialogues and art worked out. That way, the Stanley Hotel will work as our vertical slice, allowing us to proof out the entire process from A to Z. In video games, doing a vertical slice early in production allows you to prove out the production process of your level, catching and correcting any mistakes or factors that'd slow us down for later zones, and it'll give us vital information on questions regarding combat density, balance, and the use of vehicles in our game.

In the coming updates, we'll be sharing various facets of the vertical slice with you, highlighting what this process means for us in art, engineering, design, and writing. Part of the reason we chose the Stanley Hotel as a vertical slice is that the location is fairly isolated from the main storyline, so we'll be able to share a lot of details without spoiling the game's overall story.

Rewards Update: NPCs, GamerShoes
As we're moving into building out our zones, we'll be looking to integrate backer content into our game. If you backed us at the "Design an NPC" level, we recently emailed you to start gathering the details on your NPC! By getting the information this early, we'll be able to work with you to flesh out your contribution to our game and integrate it into the Wasteland 3 world seamlessly. Additionally, we're also producing and sending out another reward soon: the unique Wasteland 3 GamerShoes. If you backed us at a level due this reward, please check your email, as we have reached out to you about this reward as well!

Until next time,
Thomas Beekers
Creative Producer

 

[Lacrymas]

It's pretty surprising they are still in business and have the funds to develop more games tbh.

 

[Excidium II]

P. unfortunate too.

 

[Infinitron]

It's pretty surprising they are still in business and have the funds to develop more games tbh.

Why? They did two more crowdfunding campaigns after Torment, which itself was half-funded by the public. Its failure can basically be written off (although it might mean that BT4 and WL3 don't get as much development time).

When Kickstarter started, one of the things everybody said was that the great thing about it was that even if a game fails, it doesn't matter so much because the developer didn't have to spend their own money on it.