Preview Wasteland 2 Preview in GameStar Magazine

[Infinitron]

Tags: InXile Entertainment; Wasteland 2

Wasteland 2 has an extensive preview article in the latest issue of the German gaming magazine GameStar. The folks at official fansite Wasteland 2 Guru grabbed a copy and have helpfully provided a summary for the rest of us:

Gameplay:

• The game will have between 40 and 50 "maps" (they're compared to Fallout 2's 23 locations, so it might as well be referring to the overall number of places to visit).
• The main storyline will take 20 hours to complete, without side quests or alternative solutions factored in.
• On the subject of radio signals: the ether will play a prominent role in the game, reacting to the player and providing music.
• CLASSIC is indeed the attribute system, comprising Charisma, Luck, Awareness, Strength, Speed, Intelligence, and Coordination.
• 32 skills will be present in the game.
• Combat skills: Blunt Weapons, Bladed Weapons, Anti-Tank-Weapons, SMG, Shotguns, Energy Weapons, Assault Rifles, Sniper Rifle, Handguns
• Scientific skills: Picklock, Safecrack, Alarm Disarm, Toaster Repair, Computer Tech, Synth Tech, Demolitions, Brute Force
• General skills: Silent Move, Salvaging, Hard Ass, B.S. Detector, Outdoorsman, Evasion, Leadership, Folklore, Animal Whisperer, Field Medic, Surgeon, Weapon Smithing, Field Stripping, Perception, Barter
• Like in Wasteland, you can have up to seven characters in your party.
• Energy weapons deal damage proportional to the amount of metal in the opponent's armor. The more, the higher the damage.

Story and setting:

• The game begins in a truly Hitchcockesque fashion, with a sudden corpse and mysterious radio signals.
• A new faction, the Mannerites, are revealed. Led by Mr Manners, they pay great attention to etiquette and proper behavior. They also eat people, following the red meat with a bit of red wine.
• Red Skorpions are provided a little more background, described as a paramilitary survivalist group, similar to the ones existing in the United States today. They also hate Rangers.
• The Pistol Packing Priests are confirmed as a priestly group that wants to mop up whatever human trash escaped the scorching blasts of the holy apocalypse. As the name suggest, they favor pistols.
• The synths return, as the half-man, half-machine Children of the Citadel believing in the union between man and machine as the next step in the evolution of humanity as a whole. Pure humans are beneath their notice.
• The Gippers will also be present. If you're scratching your head, that's because they're a faction built around worshipping Ronald Reagan as a god. The name is a reference to Reagan's role as Knute Rockne in the 1940 biopic Knute Rockne, All American.
• Another faction, the Robinsons, are based on American motivational speakers like Dale Carnegie and Tony Robbinsons. Basically, think positive.
• Finally, the Wrecking Crew. They're your garden variety psychotic raiders, with fun pastimes like raping, pillaging, and making ever more complicated junk armors. Described as perfect practice targets for energy weapons.

Other interesting information:

• New screenshots are shown, including a peculiar shot of a canyon highway rife with tribal markings and other locations in the wilderness.
• Finally, the target sales are 200,000 - 300,000 copies, which will allow inXile to continue work on their games throughout the year.

Boy, I sure wish I could get my hands on those screenshots!

 

[Excidium]

[REDACTED]

Energy weapons deal damage proportional to the amount of metal in the opponent's armor. The more, the higher the damage.

Why

 

[Excidium]

For those too slow to keep up with the rate kickstarter generals get new pages:

Spoiler

 

[poetic codex]

Meine deutsch ist nicht so gut deshalb kann ich nicht die article verstehen.

In the article, did they explain why Brute Force is considered a scientific skill?

 

[AstroZombie]

"Finally, the target sales are 200,000 - 300,000 copies, which will allow inXile to continue work on their games throughout the year. "

I think it should be "throughout the years".

 

[Broseph]

a faction built around worshipping Ronald Reagan as a god

Sounds like the modern day Republican party here in the Kwa.

 

[Cyberarmy]

In the article, did they explain why Brute Force is considered a scientific skill?

Because it is? Any machine will start to work again if you hit it hard enough. Pure science!

 

[dqmoyers]

In the article, did they explain why Brute Force is considered a scientific skill?

Brute forcing as in password cracking etc.

 

[Irxy]

Maybe it's Brute Mindforce?

 

[PlanHex]

In the article, did they explain why Brute Force is considered a scientific skill?

Because it is? Any machine will start to work again if you hit it hard enough. Pure science!

The Fonz was the greatest scientist of our time.
Also, surgeons aren't real scientists. They hardly punch anything!


edit: this was a waste of my 666th post

 

[Lancehead]

If I remember correctly breaking open doors/things was a strength check in the gameplay demo video. Looks like they've turned that into a skill, Brute Force, which is a bit disappointing.

 

[Infinitron]

If I remember correctly breaking open doors/things was a strength check in the gameplay demo video. Looks like they've turned that into a skill, Brute Force, which is a bit disappointing.

It was a skill then too. We've known about that for a long time: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2/posts/361730

In order to make something happen in the world, you will need to use the proper skill. Wasteland 1 allowed players to use strength and perception. We wanted to keep this functionality so we created skills for these; Brute Force and Examine. In future updates, we will go into more detail on many of these skills.

 

[Disgruntled]

Glad they arent selling this game on the screenshots.. might look good once its in front of me but its a bit muddy atm.
Looking forward to release otherwise. Sounds solid.

 

[CWagner]

So if I buy that piece of crap magazine and scan/take pictures of the screenshots, would you be legally allowed to use them? :D

 

[Infinitron]

So if I buy that piece of crap magazine and scan/take pictures of the screenshots, would you be legally allowed to use them? :D

That won't be necessary.

 

[MuscleSpark]

In order to make something happen in the world, you will need to use the proper skill. Wasteland 1 allowed players to use strength and perception. We wanted to keep this functionality so we created skills for these; Brute Force and Examine. In future updates, we will go into more detail on many of these skills.

What's next, 'tying shoelaces' as a skill? If you don't level it you will trip?

 

[Haba]

General skills: [..] Hard Ass

That sounds like something from FATAL.

Raider rolls for RAPE on your ass.

Rolling against HARD ASS skill of 3

Successfully resisted RAPE

 

[mrlutze]

A new faction, the Mannerites, are revealed. Led by Mr Manners, they pay great attention to etiquette and proper behavior. They also eat people, following the red meat with a bit of red wine.

Do they wear white gloves too?

 

[undecaf]

In order to make something happen in the world, you will need to use the proper skill. Wasteland 1 allowed players to use strength and perception. We wanted to keep this functionality so we created skills for these; Brute Force and Examine. In future updates, we will go into more detail on many of these skills.

What's next, 'tying shoelaces' as a skill? If you don't level it you will trip?

Too much to handle for ya?

 

[Tommy Wiseau]

The Gippers will also be present. If you're scratching your head, that's because they're a faction built around worshipping Ronald Reagan as a god. The name is a reference to Reagan's role as Knute Rockne in the 1940 biopic Knute Rockne, All American.

A medium in which right-wing radicals are depicted as a cult of fanatically-devoted idolaters and hero-worshippers. Don't think I've ever seen that done before.

 

[RedScum]

Do they wear white gloves too?

Spoiler

 

[Lancehead]

If I remember correctly breaking open doors/things was a strength check in the gameplay demo video. Looks like they've turned that into a skill, Brute Force, which is a bit disappointing.

It was a skill then too. We've known about that for a long time: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2/posts/361730

In order to make something happen in the world, you will need to use the proper skill. Wasteland 1 allowed players to use strength and perception. We wanted to keep this functionality so we created skills for these; Brute Force and Examine. In future updates, we will go into more detail on many of these skills.

Seems I remembered incorrectly, then. Still, would've preferred attribute(s) check.

 

[Infinitron]

If I remember correctly breaking open doors/things was a strength check in the gameplay demo video. Looks like they've turned that into a skill, Brute Force, which is a bit disappointing.

It was a skill then too. We've known about that for a long time: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/wasteland-2/posts/361730

In order to make something happen in the world, you will need to use the proper skill. Wasteland 1 allowed players to use strength and perception. We wanted to keep this functionality so we created skills for these; Brute Force and Examine. In future updates, we will go into more detail on many of these skills.

Seems I remembered incorrectly, then. Still, would've preferred attribute(s) check.

For all we know, it is an attribute check. These skills might not be upgradable on level-up but rather just numerical reflections of the Strength and Perception stats. Ie, the separation is purely technical.

 

[WetWorks]

Hmmm, there seems to be some dissonance in their naming conventions - from field medic & surgeon into hard ass and brute force.

It almost sounds as if they've rammed perks into skills.

 

[Burning Bridges]

So if I buy that piece of crap magazine and scan/take pictures of the screenshots, would you be legally allowed to use them? :D

I think it's never legal to scan articles and publish them on the internet, unless the copyright owner explicitly says it is.