Game News Wasteland 2 Kickstarter Update #46: Quick Status Update

[Excidium]

real CRPG experience

This is a Wasteland 2 thread

 

[set]

We want a real CRPG experience! Gets a real CRPG experience, whines about graphics.

I would be inclined to agree if the Wasteland 2 I played offered me any choice, be it in combat or in the narrative or even where I can fucking go at the start of the game.

FO1 is more complex and complete, hell, I'd say Wasteland 2 is substandard even among modern RPGs; at least the alpha that I participated in. I've not bothered to play since the update and don't intend to until I get my 'final' copy.

So far, Wasteland 2 is a classic example of a fucked up sequel. W1 is better in nearly everyway. It shows how -- how it would be ten thousand times better to have scrapped fucking Unity and instead make a true successor to W1. Do what Tarn does, build an ascii or zero-budget graphics engine, do text-focused delivery with an emphasis on deep convoluted mechanics. This is what makes an enduring game. Maybe not a super profitable one, but then again, DF makes enough money to pay two people to work on it year round -- and that's donation run, I'd wonder how much it'd sell if it were on Steam, with the right marketing, even with it being as niche and unintuitive as it is.

Unity was chosen probably because a mobile port is planned in the future. It was also chosen because Fargo maybe sees it as a flexible engine to skill his team up in. He wasn't really interested in producing a throwback RPG or anything of the sort; the game is so simple even modern TBS games like fucking Shadowrun Returns or XCOM feel more properly executed. It's embarassing, because these games didn't even try to appeal to "us" when they were created, they were clearly intended for a more mainstream audience. And so far, they feel far more complete than Wasteland 2 circa 2013.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

We want a real CRPG experience! Gets a real CRPG experience, whines about graphics.

This argument doesn't really work amongst WL1 fans you complete fucking moron.

 

[Davaris]

Why do they describe a storyline from fallout 3 (village of bomb worshippers)

Just as an aside, Fallout 3 copied it from the original Wasteland (well, it wasn't a village in wasteland, but a sect in the 'temple of the mushroom cloud', but the idea was the same).

Beneath the Planet of Apes -> Wasteland -> Fallout 3 -> Wasteland 2

Do what Tarn does, build an ascii or zero-budget graphics engine, do text-focused delivery with an emphasis on deep convoluted mechanics. This is what makes an enduring game. Maybe not a super profitable one, but then again, DF makes enough money to pay two people to work on it year round -- and that's donation run, I'd wonder how much it'd sell if it were on Steam, with the right marketing, even with it being as niche and unintuitive as it is.

I think it could do well if it was more presentable and accessible than Tarn's game. Something that looked as good as some of Cryptic Comet's games would work for me.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[J_C]

We want a real CRPG experience! Gets a real CRPG experience, whines about graphics.

Unity was chosen probably because a mobile port is planned in the future.

Yes, that's why they made an interface which is not suitable for mobile at all.

 

[J_C]

We want a real CRPG experience! Gets a real CRPG experience, whines about graphics.

Do what Tarn does, build an ascii or zero-budget graphics engine, do text-focused delivery with an emphasis on deep convoluted mechanics.

Now that would have been great. That would have been the biggest fuckup ever. Ascii engine? Could you tell me who would have payed for that? Let me tell you, not even 99% of the Codexers. Maybe somebody threw a dollar or two, but you can't keep up a company from that?

 

[Grunker]

Yeah, because being worried about the gameplay more than the graphics is the true sign of a sellout

I'm not talking about graphics. I'm talking about artistic direction, or rather, the complete lack of. Hopefully you're as smart as I generally give you credit for and understand the difference between the two.

The art direction seems fine to me as well. Hence the comparison to another game that looks good: Commandos. Commandos has a brilliant colour scheme in comparison, but eh, I can more than live with WL2's.

 

[set]

We want a real CRPG experience! Gets a real CRPG experience, whines about graphics.

Do what Tarn does, build an ascii or zero-budget graphics engine, do text-focused delivery with an emphasis on deep convoluted mechanics.

Now that would have been great. That would have been the biggest fuckup ever. Ascii engine? Could you tell me who would have payed for that? Let me tell you, not even 99% of the Codexers. Maybe somebody threw a dollar or two, but you can't keep up a company from that?

So you admit you're as shallow as the mainstream gamer. Graphics don't mean a lick of anything if the game is any good, but you don't care, you'll refuse to even try a game that doesn't have 1k+ polygon models for every actor. You affirm every AAA developer by proving that graphics are 90% of the reason a game sells - that this paradigm can't be contested.

Any srs codexer has played tabletop. Tabletop is all about imagination. That's what ascii invites - it provides just the barest graphics to represent things. This is cheap but effective and frees up programmers to actually build game mechanics instead of convoluted animation systems. Of course, it doesn't have to be ascii, it could just be sprites like Fallout, but any time I suggest using sprites I'm shit on by the likes of people like you for suggesting it, "Sprites are just as expensive!!!1" you'll say as a coutnerargument, without any evidence to backup your claim, but I'll accept it nevertheless, I have no idea how much money you'd save by using Sprites today over 3d.

If 99% of codexers can't appreciate a cheap ascii game or something on par with W1 or Bard's Tale they should consider throwing their lot in with BioWare and the rest of the industry.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

The art direction seems fine to me as well.

Not compared to a game like Underrail it doesn't. Unless you have nigh but an artistic bone in your body and less the ability to recognize it when confronted with it.

 

[J_C]

We want a real CRPG experience! Gets a real CRPG experience, whines about graphics.

Do what Tarn does, build an ascii or zero-budget graphics engine, do text-focused delivery with an emphasis on deep convoluted mechanics.

Now that would have been great. That would have been the biggest fuckup ever. Ascii engine? Could you tell me who would have payed for that? Let me tell you, not even 99% of the Codexers. Maybe somebody threw a dollar or two, but you can't keep up a company from that?

So you admit you're as shallow as the mainstream gamer.

No, I don't admit it. Graphics of Might and Magic V and up? I like it. Jagged Alliance? Ok. Duke Nukem 3D? Bring it on. Some Ascii shit? Fuck you! There is a difference between being a graphics whore, which I'm not, and liking those Ascii "graphics".

but you don't care, you'll refuse to even try a game that doesn't have 1k+ polygon models for every actor.

Yeah, sonny, I liked and played, and still play old games, I don't care about AAA graphics, but there is a limit I can take. And the Ascii graphics is beyond that limit. If you like it, good for you, bot not being able to bear Ascii graphics doesn't automatically makes me a graphics whore.

Any srs codexer has played tabletop.

You might want to check up on this.

f course, it doesn't have to be ascii, it could just be sprites like Fallout,

Now hold on sonny. Those 2 are not the same. Not by a mile. I love Fallout but Ascii shit is not like that at all.

 

[Grunker]

The art direction seems fine

No.

Yes

No

Yes

No

etc.

 

[Abelian]

Yeah, because being worried about the gameplay more than the graphics is the true sign of a sellout

I'm not talking about graphics. I'm talking about artistic direction, or rather, the complete lack of. Hopefully you're as smart as I generally give you credit for and understand the difference between the two.

The art direction seems fine to me as well. Hence the comparison to another game that looks good: Commandos. Commandos has a brilliant colour scheme in comparison, but eh, I can more than live with WL2's.

Arguments on art direction? This seems to be a job for 1eyedking!

Spoiler

I didn't actually page him, just linked a thread

 

[Excidium]

Yeah, because being worried about the gameplay more than the graphics is the true sign of a sellout

I'm not talking about graphics. I'm talking about artistic direction, or rather, the complete lack of. Hopefully you're as smart as I generally give you credit for and understand the difference between the two.

The art direction seems fine to me as well. Hence the comparison to another game that looks good: Commandos. Commandos has a brilliant colour scheme in comparison, but eh, I can more than live with WL2's.

I'm not even going to bother with side-by-side comparisons

 

[circ]

I remember the alpha demo that got released and I thought environs looked fine except for the placeholder globe. But I wasn't happy with the character portraits and their 3d equivalents. That's it for art for me.

 

[Junmarko]

Is it still due for release early this year, or have they scrapped those plans?

 

[DragoFireheart]

I have a few important questions:

Will I be able to jump?

Will there be romances?

Is the dialog retarded?