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

[Severian Silk]

How the fuck do they even find gullible enough "outside partners"?

Could be a long-term investment. The game will be profitable eventually... years later.

 

[cruelio]

How the fuck do they even find gullible enough "outside partners"?

They probably looked right here, the forum that helped kickstart multiple Brian Fargo games despite Brain Fargo being one of the biggest failures in gaming.

 

[prodigydancer]

Also I'm not sure that inXile realized what a steaming pile Torment really was.

There's proof - visible, tangible proof - that the project died long before release. You may dismiss my words as a conspiracy theory but I will always trust my own eyes. To me TToN was a deliberate scam. I'm not a Fargo hater, I genuinely believed in inXile for a long time and I liked WL2 very much. I don't know what exactly caused them to release a scam-grade product but I believe they knew what they were doing. Thus my hopes for WL3... I currently have none.

 

[Iznaliu]

To me TToN was a deliberate scam

I think a more likely explanation is that InXile got burnt out from making it and decided to wrap things up. The most likely explanation is that Fargo is a naive idiot who thinks what makes him money is what makes him loved. Hanlon's razor applies here.

 

[cruelio]

Also I'm not sure that inXile realized what a steaming pile Torment really was.

There's proof - visible, tangible proof - that the project died long before release. You may dismiss my words as a conspiracy theory but I will always trust my own eyes. To me TToN was a deliberate scam. I'm not a Fargo hater, I genuinely believed in inXile for a long time and I liked WL2 very much. I don't know what exactly caused them to release a scam-grade product but I believe they knew what they were doing. Thus my hopes for WL3... I currently have none.

What made you believe in inxile? Was it the award winning 2004 Bards Tale game? The cell phone shovelware? Brian Fargo's history of running one of the most successful gaming companies ever into the ground?

 

[FeelTheRads]

Also I'm not sure that inXile realized what a steaming pile Torment really was.

There's proof - visible, tangible proof - that the project died long before release. You may dismiss my words as a conspiracy theory but I will always trust my own eyes. To me TToN was a deliberate scam. I'm not a Fargo hater, I genuinely believed in inXile for a long time and I liked WL2 very much. I don't know what exactly caused them to release a scam-grade product but I believe they knew what they were doing. Thus my hopes for WL3... I currently have none.

They didn't even put the game installer on the CD, even if an installer that requires Steam, they just put the installer for Steam on it. looooooooooooooooooooool
That's what you call a fucking coaster.

And this after for W2 they had to send DRM free CDs... which also became useless since there's no way to update them, but still, I can't understand the reasoning. Just have a poll or something and see if people want to wait for the physical versions until the game is finished patching and then manufacture discs with the actual fucking game on it.

 

[Roguey]

They didn't even put the game installer on the CD, even if an installer that requires Steam, they just put the installer for Steam on it. looooooooooooooooooooool
That's what you call a fucking coaster.

My copy of ToN has 5.4 gb on it, that's more than a Steam installer.

And this after for W2 they had to send DRM free CDs... which also became useless since there's no way to update them, but still, I can't understand the reasoning.

Also not true because my DRM-free version of Wasteland 2 is the fully patched non-director's cut, which is better in some ways than the DC.

 

[FeelTheRads]

My copy of ToN has 5.4 gb on it, that's more than a Steam installer.

I'm going by what it was said in that thread.

So, did you try it? Does it actually install anything besides Steam? You never know, could be just 5GB of 0's, which is just what the game is anyway so... fair deal.

 

[Roguey]

I'm going by what it was said in that thread.

So, did you try it? Does it actually install anything besides Steam? You never know, could be just 5GB of 0's, which is just what the game is anyway so... fair deal.

I haven't tried to install it yet, no. It'll be a while.

 

[BilboBaggins]

Need flamethrowers in this game so I can create Kurt Russell from THE THING.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/wasteland-3?update=407#updates

Rangers Plan Their Attack
POSTED: 06/30/2017
The Mage's Tale begins!
Hi everyone, Paul here to bring you a quick look at what has been a big and busy month here at inXile Entertainment. The biggest news by far is the release of inXile's latest game: The Mage's Tale, an action RPG that takes place in same world as The Bard's Tale series.

The game is also our first VR title, the result of a partnership between inXile and Oculus. The early buzz has been positive, as you can see by watching our latest trailer, which also shows off some of the game itself.

The game is currently an Oculus exclusive, which means you can currently find it only in the Oculus Store. Down the road, we will bringing the game to other VR platforms. The Mage's Tales marks a milestone for Wasteland 3 as well, as Creative Producer Thomas Beekers explains.

From Newport to NOLA: "We're getting the band back together!"
Thomas here! We mentioned in our previous update that Wasteland 3 is moving from pre-production to full production. A big part of that is rolling in new developers from projects that are wrapping up. Now that The Mage's Tale is released, that team is dispersing across inXile to our different games. Some developers are moving over to The Bard's Tale IV, others are staying on The Mage's Tale to continue support for that title, and there are some that are joining us on the Wasteland 3 team.

Back when inXile opened a new studio in New Orleans, a number of key developers who played vital roles on Wasteland 2 ended up moving to the new studio. Now that Wasteland 3 is in production, we're very happy to bring some familiar faces back into the fold. Wasteland 2 level designers/scripters Jeremy Kopman, Ben Moise, Joby Bednar, and Zack Vulaj are all back to work on Wasteland 3, as is engineer Jeffrey Corrales. As you can imagine, bringing people in that are so familiar with the tools and setting means we can really hit the ground running. Having this kind of veteran carryover makes us very confident that our team gets what makes Wasteland tick and knows what lessons we want to carry over from the previous project.

As a small studio, we also benefit from being flexible regarding developers moving between projects and we want each of our devs to be on the project that best fits his or her skills. It's a quality of life element that we strive for, too: letting developers be where they can find the ideal professional/personal balance for their goals.

To help with the process of onboarding, last week we had part of the Wasteland 3 team (Chris Keenan, George Ziets, Jeremy Kopman and Alex Kerr) fly to New Orleans to meet with the level design team there, as well as inXile president Matthew Findley. With a solid base of knowledge of the setting and game already there, we could really delve deeply in meetings about multiplayer, the mechanics of our Ranger Base, and more. On top of those were the opportunities to have a number of in-person general meetings on story and level design pipelines, processes, and best practices.It was a real marathon of meetings, but those of you who have been with us longer may recall that we've had similar gatherings for both Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera, and they always pay off in a big way.

A small bit of inXile trivia: the main conference rooms at our Newport and NOLA studios are nicknamed Ranger HQ and Cochise Base respectively! The shots below are from Base Cochise on the NOLA side, and show off the team reviewing the Stanley Hotel's early level blockouts - we'll have more to share about that in a coming update.

Newport and NOLA devs meeting up for a zone design meeting.

Chris Keenan (white shirt) manages the conversation between the two studios.

The team reviews design work for the Stanley Hotel.

Next, here's Charlie Bloomer with an early look at vehicles in Wasteland 3.

Until next time,
Thomas Beekers
Creative Producer

Hitchin' a Ride
Hi all, Charlie here. Vehicles? In Wasteland 3? Oh it's happening, and we've made some good progress on that front in the past few weeks! We now have a vehicle playground, a test scene in Unity that we're using to drive around in so we can figure out our parameters for fun vehicle gameplay. While we intend to show that at least one faction in post-apocalyptic Colorado is equipped to build their own vehicles, most of the drivable machines you'll find are examples of ingenuity and resourcefulness, with a healthy dose of auto shop and welding skills thrown in. In this world, scrounged materials can make the difference between barely mobile and fortified, armed transport.



The "Beater"

The first vehicle you'll acquire in the game is a bit of a beater. We wanted to provide the player with something that is functional - it can be trusted to get you from point A to point B - but that would be sparse when it comes to weaponry or armor. Our beater has nice big tires and some attached armor plating, so it's a whole lot better than walking. On the other hand, the starting place for those modifications is a vehicle that looks like its previous owner might have been a "soccer mom." Not to worry, if you survive with this puppy, you will be well rewarded with the next vehicle, which is a beast!

Cheers,
Charlie Bloomer
Art Director


inXile at E3
Hi everyone, Paul here to close out this update. Another reason why this month has been jam-packed was, of course, E3. inXIle was there talking with fans, press, and fellow developers. Though members of all the production teams made it over there at some point, the inXile E3 contingent was led by Bard's Tale IV team leads Jeff Pellegrin and David Rogers. Tastefully adorned in their authentic Scottish kilts, the two of them stopped to chat with fans and some of their industry peers, including Final Fantasy XIV Director Yoshi-P! There are more pictures and stories to share, but we will be saving them for our next Bard's Tale IV backer update.

Jeff Pellegrin & David Rogers

Jeff & Yoshi-P

Backer Reward Updates: Of Shoes & NPCs
In the last update, Thomas mentioned that we were reaching out to those backers who were designing NPCs for the game and also those are receiving the special edition Wasteland 3 GamerShoes. Kudos to the Wasteland 3 community: we received most of the feedback we needed over the last month! However, there are still a few backers we need to hear from! If you are one of those, please check your email and get back to us!

Crowdfunding Corner
Finally, a couple of crowdfunding projects that caught our eye!



As you can imagine, we're always on the lookout for an old-school RPG to play, so we were very excited when Pathfinder: Kingmaker was announced! Not only does it feature design work from old friend Chris Avellone, it represents the first cRPG to use the outstanding Pathfinder game world. Kingmaker was a landmark product for Paizo - it merged their traditional Adventure Path elements with the unique opportunity for players to build and rule a kingdom of their very own. The tabletop version is considered a classic, and we can't wait to try its cRPG counterpart! Check it out here!



The second project we'd like to highlight is FIG's most recent campaign: KnightOut, which looks like a video game cross between the board game Crossbows & Catapults and the classic Disney cartoon Donald's Snow Fight. In other words, it looks like just the right mix of organized mayhem! Take a look for yourself here!

That's it for now! See you in a month! And for those of you in America, a Happy Independence Day!

Best,
Paul Marzagalli
Public Relations & Community Manager
inXile Entertainment
@phimseto

 

[Lacrymas]

What a bunch of nerds. Too bad they can't channel their inner nerdness to make a good game.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

TLDR: They've done absolutely fucking nothing since the previous update.

 

[Iznaliu]

authentic Scottish kilts

Kilts were invented by Victorian romanticists.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

authentic Scottish kilts

Kilts were invented by Victorian romanticists.

Kilts were a development of the late-16th century, though the rise of Romanticism eventually led (starting before Victoria became Queen) to myths about the kilt being traditional Scottish dress since ancient times, a false notion that became entrenched in the Victorian era.

 

[Iznaliu]

Kilts were a development of the late-16th century, though the rise of Romanticism eventually led (starting before Victoria became Queen) to myths about the kilt being traditional Scottish dress since ancient times, a false notion that became entrenched in the Victorian era.

Yes, but they were longer than the modern kilt.

 

[Abu Antar]

https://www.fig.co/campaigns/wasteland-3?update=446#updates

Names Change, But The Story Remains
POSTED: 08/10/2017
Building the Everest: From Concept to Design
Hey everyone!

Colin here to talk about some of the early design we’ve been working on for the game. Right now, I’m the narrative designer for an area in the northern reaches of the world map, a place originally called the Stanley Hotel. We’ve recently changed the name to “the Everest Hotel” - in part, because I wanted a name that fit the function of the hotel better. See, not only is this hotel up in the mountains (thus "Everest"), but it's also a place for a guest to sleep forever, or Ever-rest.

I need to give a special shout out to Alex Kerr, the level designer for this area. He’s taking ideas and really making them shine - discussing features, conversations, and quests, and then suggesting improvements after he begins implementation and blockout of the quest areas. You will see more about the work Alex is doing in a future update.

By the way, this being a design diary-style entry, I have to warn you that this whole section is FILLED with spoilers. Skip to the Crowdfunding Corner section if you don’t want the the hotel ruined for you.

If you’re still reading, this is your own fault.

Still here?

OK, let’s talk design. Part of the fun of this series, and it's certainly part of the fun of developing the game, is watching as these rough early sketches and layouts become the finished product that you will experience in the game. At this stage in "Building the Everest", you're seeing us lay the foundation for the zone - specifically, refining the concept and then beginning to move from concept to implementation, iterating on ideas the whole way through. What you see here is the earliest part of development, where the practice of narrative and level design meet for the first time.

Background
The idea for the hotel was born from the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, inspiration for Stephen King’s Overlook Hotel in “The Shining”. I wanted to make a haunted hotel, a place with a hideous secret that would entrap the unwary. As a secondary goal, I wanted to include several references to The Shining itself as an homage to an author whose early work had an outsize influence on my career (read: gave me nightmares as a kid).

Originally, I was looking at the basement of the hotel as the home to a dimensional rift, and it was voices from the rift that spoke to the caretakers of the hotel, exhorting them to murder/“preserve the spirits of the lost”. The first comment on this plan was, “This is Wasteland, not Torment.”

OK, fine. What if instead of an actual rift, the caretakers just believe there’s a hole to another world there? That’s still cool, but now we need to explain why it is that they’d believe such a thing. The easiest solution to that? Mass hallucination and charismatic cult leaders.

So now I needed to find a way to induce mass hallucination in this crowd, and what easier way to do that than via the fungus the caretakers use for food? Throw some hallucinogens (similar to psilocybin), maybe include something like Cordyceps to rewire their neural pathways, and suddenly having the caretakers believing that they can kill people to save them starts to sound almost reasonable.



The Suicide Forest (click for full-res version).



This led me to consider a fungus greenhouse, decorative fungus in the hotel, and a bunch of fungus-related content (ironic, since I hate mushrooms), but, as with the idea of the dimensional rift, I realized that it wasn't the right direction to take this level. It took away agency from the Caretakers, and made their actions the fault of an exterior force. Worse, as we plotted out the flow of the fungus quests, it just wasn't fun. Back to the drawing board! We kept some of the ideas that we liked, while reworking others. This is all part and parcel of the review process.

So now the hotel's caretakers are straight-up murderers. But why? Why would the custodians of a pre-war hotel decide that they had to kill their guests? I had to dig still deeper into caretaker psychology to help understand their motivations, and to keep them from becoming simple Bad Guys Who Should be Killed.

Where This Goes
Eventually, we settled on an explanation, and I added a section to the Zone Design Document outlining the foundational thoughts of a murder cult:

The Caretakers – once a devoted and active group whose primary mission is to keep alive the grace of the old world – have been slowly dying out, age and accident claiming them faster than they can replenish their ranks. Their generational knowledge is vanishing with them… and as they die, the standards of the hotel itself have been slipping away, and fewer people come every year. The Caretakers are taking matters into their own hands now, luring guests they deem “unhappy” back to the hotel. Why do they persist?

They have, over the years, altered their philosophy. They have built the idea of the Everest into something more than an old building. They believe they must fill its halls with spirits to protect it - and that it, in turn, will protect those spirits from the frozen wastes outside.

They’re offended by the accusations that they’re killing people. They use euphemisms (like funeral directors), and do not want to say the actual words, like “murder”, “desecration”, “corpses”, or “victims.”

Now it’s just a matter of defining the hotel’s interior space, defining the characters and conversations, filling the place with fun and challenging things to do, and figuring out the quest and encounter variables. (ha ha, “just” - see, this is where the real work is!

I’ll talk about that process later. Right now, the important thing is designing a way to get the players there in the first place. And this is where pointer quests come in handy. A pointer quest is a way to encourage players to go visit a new area. We can combine these with other missions and content that encourage players to go there, explore, and come back.

Hotel exterior early level design draft.



In this particular area, we run into a character named Donnelly. I’m actively in the process of developing his conversation as I write this, so I’m still sharpening aspects of his character… but he’s a friendly guy, and a wide smile is a welcome sight in the frozen wastes. He’d *really* like you to get up the Everest Hotel. His traveling companion, a Mr. Parker, checked in to the hotel several days ago, and Donnelly’s worried sick about him. And, incidentally, he’d sure like the Rangers to bring back the floppy disk that his partner went in there to find.

The path to the Everest taking shape.

Now that we’ve got Donnelly’s background, we need to figure out how to communicate all this to the players. First, Donnelly hails the player and introduces the area. He delivers the crucial information we need - data about his partner, a teaser about the hotel, and just enough sketchiness that we’re going to be suspicious of this character. He’ll also provide some basic information about the rest of the Suicide Forest area - about the mountain lions, for instance, or the rumors of armed partisans in the mountains at his back. The Rangers might want to talk to him again, so we’ll set up conditionals to make sure the players haven’t progressed further in the quest… and then we need to determine what the quest states are after the Rangers return from the hotel. Have they located the disk he sought? Have they killed all the Caretakers? Have they found his partner? And is that partner pissed off?

But that’s probably enough discussion for now. We’ll address quest design in a future update.

Thanks for reading!

Colin McComb
Narrative Designer

Crowdfunding Corner
Hi everyone, Paul here to share a couple of crowdfunding suggestions that caught our interest.



The first is one of the newer Fig campaigns - Bounty Battle, which aims to be the indie version of Smash Bros. or Playstation All-Stars! They boast an impressive line-up of indie characters and the gameplay looks on-point! Take a look for yourself over here.

The other item is one near and dear to every programmer and gamer who is constantly battling slouching because of our beloved interests. It is an unique chair designed to promote better posture called SitTight.



One of the key designers behind it is a friend of our CEO Brian Fargo, who had this to say: "A good friend of mine launched this Kickstarter for his balancing chair recently and it’s worth a look if you sit in a chair all day like I do. He dropped a sample off about a month ago, and I use it daily. Thumbs up from me." Details behind the design and science of the chair can be found here.

That's all for this month!

Best,
Paul Marzagalli
Public Relations & Community Manager
@phimseto

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[Lacrymas]

Oh, right, this game still exists.

 

[Sizzle]

Oh, right, inXile still exists.

:D

 

[Zorba the Hutt]

Thought Colin might have moved on to "explore other exciting opportunities" by now.

 

[Background Character]

I want to punch Fargo in the face

 

[Lacrymas]

Oh, right, inXile still exists.

:D

I've been amazed at that for a long time. What's also weird is where they get money from, and who gives it to them, to continue their schemes. That Kickstarter money should've run out a long time ago.

 

[Infinitron]

I'll say it again. If Beamdog is still alive, then inXile who did two more crowdfunding campaigns while developing Torment and earned over 10 million dollars from Wasteland 2 sales sure as hell will be too. It's not that easy to kill a small game developer that's even just moderately successful.

 

[Lacrymas]

It depends on how many employees they have. Also, I'm pretty sure Beamdog are smaller and they get money from the EEs. Pulling from Steamspy, BG1EE has sold around 600k copies, BG2EE has around 400k, IWD EE 150k and PS:T 40k. That doesn't count the sales from their own website or GOG. Wasteland 2 has sold around 700k, without counting GOG. Beamdog's only true failure has been Siege of Dragonspear, for which I can't find any numbers. Beamdog might get flak but their things have sold (IWD and PS:T show a downward curve, though) and they haven't spent so much money on making them. InXile have only released Wasteland 2 (which is admittedly successful, undeservedly so, I'm theorizing it was due to hype, people have been criticizing WL2 since its beta) and Numanuma (which is a flop). Both have cost more money to make than probably everything Beamdog have made combined (pulling this out of my ass) and the absolutely wretched state of Numanuma shows something going wrong somewhere.

 

[fantadomat]

Oh, right, inXile still exists.

:D

I've been amazed at that for a long time. What's also weird is where they get money from, and who gives it to them, to continue their schemes. That Kickstarter money should've run out a long time ago.

I wouldn't surprised if it turns out that most codexers are closet backers.