Interview Yet Another Chris Avellone Interview

[hiver]

I know. thats because youre a simpleton.

Ill see whats the new version like when i play it. Obviously if they changed that schtick - it means it wasnt good. As me and others said.

 

[Dokkalfar]

The point is that the choice is to save either AC or HP, so whatever one you choose you're gonna have to follow through and save it, because apparently it's going to be something that affects the plot way down the road (saving HP for water or AC for food).

Dealing with multiple game world states is probably a tricky thing, so Inxile have taken some liberties in the "introduction" map of Arizona, including a compulsory starting dungeon in either AC or HP, which is quite linear but they obviously did it for story reasons.

I think the awkwardness of the start of WL2 is mostly because they chose to have it in the old WL1 locations, instead of starting the player off in California right at the start.

 

[Crooked Bee]

Dunno about the villain etc. but one thing that's pretty ridiculous is that in a location where stuff like tomatoes have mutated and gone on a killing spree you don't actually get to combat any giant killer tomatoes, at least if I remember MicoSelva's LP right (I haven't played the game myself yet - waiting for a later release.)

Now that's a game design crime if you ask me.

 

[Dokkalfar]

Sorry for spoilers, should I edit my posts?

 

[hiver]

There is no killer tomatoes. The only vegetable to kill is those exploding pods. You have mutated rabbits, pods and pod people as enemies.

The point is that the choice is to save either AC or HP, so whatever one you choose you're gonna have to follow through and save it, because apparently it's going to be something that affects the plot way down the road (saving HP for water or AC for food).

How do you know thats going to affect the plot down the line?

How do you know it will be anything else then a difference in ending slides?
Arguments from ignorance - :applause:

Dealing with multiple game world states is probably a tricky thing, so Inxile have taken some liberties in the "introduction" map of Arizona, including a compulsory starting dungeon in either AC or HP, which is quite linear but they obviously did it for story reasons.

I think the awkwardness of the start of WL2 is mostly because they chose to have it in the old WL1 locations, instead of starting the player off in California right at the start.

I think its rather because the design and content of these locations is all shallow, simplistic and stupid, uninspired and vacuous. With forced stupid binary choices where you can choose between saving someone or something - or NOT - regardless of what you do previously.
Instead of some theoretical global reasons you just pulled out of your ass.

I found it enjoyable regardless.

Ill put this without any so much deserved insults... - this is the last argument anyone should use to argue whether something is good or not.

 

[Infinitron]

Sorry for spoilers, should I edit my posts?

No, but you might want to consider the wisdom of arguing with hiver!

 

[Dokkalfar]

Inxile devs have stated multiple times that AC/HP choice will branch the game.

The reason you are faced with a binary choice to save either location is because both locations are attacked at the same time. When you receive the radio message from Vargas telling you to save one of them, if your speaker has a Smart Ass skill they can say "Both", to which Vargas says only go to one. He also notes that it's extremely suspicious that both locations send out distress calls at the same time.

The Wreckers were enticed to attack Highpool, the Red Scorpion militia at highpool are killed by what sounds like razer blades over the radio at the very time they are needed. So the choice to save either town is not really contrived, it's forced upon the player.

What I meant is that Inxile seem to be fine with AC/HP as a linear starting dungeon, as opposed to the player being allowed to explore all over the wasteland right from the start. Other optional locations like Rail Nomads exist which you can reach right from the beginning of the game (if you can get through the radiation).

 

[hiver]

He seems to be right on track to follow your lead infintron. Arguments from absurdity, arguments from ignorance and cheap, stupid, blatant strawman ad hominems.

Inxile devs have stated multiple times that AC/HP choice will branch the game.

They stated a lot of things that came not to exist.

I know the story reasons for AG-HP choice. I know the details. I played it.
I dont mind there being such a choice. Things like that sometimes happen and you cant always save everyone or do everything. Thats fine by itself.

I loathe the way it was introduced and apparently - they changed it - which means i was right, (ofcourse i was, it isnt rocket science), even from that angle.


From what we know about those additional hints - i could say its pretty clear it was the crazy preacher Mathias, that we get to hear over the radio - that influenced the attacks on HP and AG.
While Synths will play a role of good faction - under the guise of possibly being villains, which will turn out not to be the case in a BIG SURPRISE.

Anyway, there is nothing suggesting any of these things will have any further influence in the actual content and gameplay - since so far there has been none, except some NPCs make a mention of it - which doesnt change anything for you at all.

 

[tuluse]

Inxile devs have stated multiple times that AC/HP choice will branch the game.

The reason you are faced with a binary choice to save either location is because both locations are attacked at the same time. When you receive the radio message from Vargas telling you to save one of them, if your speaker has a Smart Ass skill they can say "Both", to which Vargas says only go to one. He also notes that it's extremely suspicious that both locations send out distress calls at the same time.

The Wreckers were enticed to attack Highpool, the Red Scorpion militia at highpool are killed by what sounds like razer blades over the radio at the very time they are needed. So the choice to save either town is not really contrived, it's forced upon the player.

What I meant is that Inxile seem to be fine with AC/HP as a linear starting dungeon, as opposed to the player being allowed to explore all over the wasteland right from the start. Other optional locations like Rail Nomads exist which you can reach right from the beginning of the game (if you can get through the radiation).

No shit InXile seems fine with it. That's not the point. The point is whether it's good design.

 

[hiver]

What I meant is that Inxile seem to be fine with AC/HP as a linear starting dungeon, as opposed to the player being allowed to explore all over the wasteland right from the start. Other optional locations like Rail Nomads exist which you can reach right from the beginning of the game (if you can get through the radiation).

These are locations. Not dungeons. They just contain dungeons.

More importantly... what the fuck does exploration of the whole map has to do with specific locations being simplistic linear dungeons fit for diablo, with no C&C inside them whatsoever?

RN is - was fucked up in so many ways it isnt even funny.

 

[Dokkalfar]

Most people would of complained if we didn't see old Wasteland locations in WL2. And I doubt Inxile would be willing to make the Ag Center or Highpool in a "peaceful" state with no quests, just because. Making them into "dungeons" means there's stuff to do in them.

As I said I do think it's awkward that there's going to be two world maps and so on. They could've just started the game in California, an intro saying how you are sent there to follow mystery radio signals. But we're past that point.

Game is going to be either really lengthy, or it's going to be too long at the start.

 

[hiver]

Most people would of complained if we didn't see old Wasteland locations in WL2.

Wut?

what does that to do with anything?
who ever mentioned that?

And I doubt Inxile would be willing to make the Ag Center or Highpool in a "peaceful" state with no quests, just because.

what the hell are you talking about?

Making them into "dungeons" means there's stuff to do in them.

As I said I do think it's awkward that there's going to be two world maps and so on.

No it isnt.

They could've just started the game in California, an intro saying how you are sent there to follow mystery radio signals.

Why the hell would they?

Game is going to be either really lengthy, or it's going to be too long at the start.

wtf..?


Infinitron could you take over? this seems like more on your level.
tnx bye.

 

[Rake]

You didn't read my review? Other areas were just as bad too.

Me and Hiver talked a lot about that already on other threads... but the biggest problem is that, just like the rest of W2, it's a banal, cookie-cutter RPG area that doesn't absolutely nothing new or even well, just a vast sea of mediocrity... made even worst by the fact that the basic premise is so promising

That was what i remembered from your reviews. It seems to me that you two dislike the whole direction of the game and not just the A.C., so i'm not sure Chris is the one to blamed for this.

To be clear, im not sure how much of that is Chris fault.

P. much this

 

[hiver]

Its all stuff that is actually easy to correct and improve. If someone actually wants to.
If game design was a completely linear process, this first beta felt like as if youre playing a game that has been built up to the .. quarter (fifth, sixth?) of full game. In everything, all parts of the game.
Only of course it isnt, so that wishing well option falls off quickly.


From what one can see in AG center, it feels like Chris came up with those NPCs, made up a general plot setup with that villain guy, but only in rough sketches and... maybe came up with layout for rooms and hallways and stuff?
- but then again... if i recall correctly it was said that he didnt do any writing at all?

so... i dont know. Im not sure what im supposed to criticize there exactly - as Chris content.
(yet even so, its hardly, hardly what one expects when someone says "hey, we have Chris Avellone designing a location!" - and its an actual stretch goal for a very serious sum of money on top of that)

It may very well be that he
1. Didnt do anything more then that and just left it to Inxile to "finish up", - as planned by Inxile. They simply didnt ask for more.
2. He did design more and then Inxile didnt have time to implement it because they were rushing to release any kind of public beta, etc.
3. They decided not to use it thinking, for some reason, this would be satisfactory to the backers (in which sadly, they werent that off, seeing or hearing about various splurges on their forums and fans like this guy or deadalos and such)

...

Most of us hopes it was just the case of option 2. of course.
It would be great if option 2 also worked for the whole game. Not just AG-c.

-
Guess well see in the next version. If this new upgraded beta doesnt show any improvements... then we could start seriously thinking its not going to turn out good.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

So is Dokkalfar you an alt of Daedalos by any chance? How about that shiny brian fargo tag ?

 

[Dokkalfar]

So is Dokkalfar you an alt of Daedalos by any chance? How about that shiny brian fargo tag ?

I think you'll find that pretty much everyone, or at least a clear majority of backers, have received the WL2 very well. The only real negativity I've seen is on the RPG Codex, and it's for very nitpicky reasons. I think you guys should take a look at reality if you think this site is a reliable indicator of what the WL2 KS backers actually think.

 

[Chaotic_Heretic]

I think you guys should take a look at reality if you think this site is a reliable indicator of what the WL2 KS backers actually think.

Please go and post in those other websites which are "reliable indicators" and "look at reality" there. Maybe RPGwatch?

If this throwaway of your is for trolling.... carry on. Take some tips from Roguey though.

 

[Dokkalfar]

I'm just saying that if I had to guess, I'd say most backers are satisfied with the beta and with where the game is headed. And if you'd played the beta you'd see that's it's actually a damn fun CRPG and way better than anything that's been released in years, sure it has problems but it's also a beta.

 

[felipepepe]

And if you'd played the beta you'd see that's it's actually a damn fun CRPG and way better than anything that's been released in years

NO, it falls short even when compared to other games still in beta, like Underrail and Divinity: Original Sin.

 

[Dokkalfar]

I have played Underrail alpha and enjoyed it immensely, though not as much as the WL2 beta. But I don't see what good comes from comparing a bunch of games to each other, especially when none of them are even finished. They are different games and they do different things, falling back on "X is bad because Y is better" is weak, really.

EDIT: My sense for WL2 is that many of the areas in the beta are of small/limited scope because Arizona is supposed to be an "introduction" area before the Ranger party is sent beyond their borders in search of the origin of the radio signals, so the "main plot" in earnest will take place in California.

The thing is, you guys look at A Center, Highpool, Nomads, and assume that the rest of the game will be like that, when Inxile have themselves stated (they said it in the Kickstarter update FFS) that they are linear starting areas, so obviously they didn't put much resources into them. I don't think the beta maps are badly designed, I think they're designed to be of small scope.

As I said earlier, it probably would been better if WL2 started in California, instead of having to go through this routine of repairing radio towers to trace the signal, but what's done is done. The reason is obviously to tie WL2 to Wasteland, to see the old locales.

 

[Daedalos]

Underrail is very interesting, graphically it still irks me, but it's better than WL2 in terms of everything else at this point, but WL2 still has alot of potential left.

Divinity: Original sin looks like shit, plays too.

 

[Rake]

Divinity: Original sin looks like shit, plays too.

I don't know how it plays, but if you think W2 looks better than D:OS you have terrible taste or bad eyesight.
D:OS is the best looking game of 2014 after Pillars of Eternity

 

[Daedalos]

Divinity: Original sin looks like shit, plays too.

I don't know how it plays, but if you think W2 looks better than D:OS you have terrible taste or bad eyesight.
D:OS is the best looking game of 2014 after Pillars of Eternity

Yeahh.. no.

Divinity definitely doesn't top WL2 and is nowhere near close to PoE

 

[Dokkalfar]

Divinity: Original sin looks like shit, plays too.

I don't know how it plays, but if you think W2 looks better than D:OS you have terrible taste or bad eyesight.
D:OS is the best looking game of 2014 after Pillars of Eternity

They have different styles, so to each their own. I personally prefer WL2's graphics because they are more realistic and gritty look, and the proportions of human bodies to objects is more appropriate. WL2's maps, especially say the Ag Center, are also much more "busy", there's debris and objects everywhere that give it a detailed look. I think D:OS takes many too many tropes from the art-design of modern fantasy, the World of Warcraft school, big shoulder-pad armor, scenes are very colorful, the attire isn't realistic and the armor doesn't look like it would really protect anything. I mean even the cover of D:OS with the guy and girl holding hands is just cringeworthy.

If anyone really thinks WL2's graphics looks like shit, I can load it up in max AA right now, all settings to max, and then dump some screens to bring some truth to this thread.

 

[Daedalos]

Divinity: Original sin looks like shit, plays too.

I don't know how it plays, but if you think W2 looks better than D:OS you have terrible taste or bad eyesight.
D:OS is the best looking game of 2014 after Pillars of Eternity

They have different styles, so to each their own. I personally prefer WL2's graphics because they are more realistic and gritty look, and the proportions of human bodies to objects is more appropriate. WL2's maps, especially say the Ag Center, are also much more "busy", there's debris and objects everywhere that give it a detailed look. I think D:OS takes many too many tropes from the art-design of modern fantasy, the World of Warcraft school, big shoulder-pad armor, scenes are very colorful, the attire isn't realistic and the armor doesn't look like it would really protect anything. I mean even the cover of D:OS with the guy and girl holding hands is just cringeworthy.

If anyone really thinks WL2's graphics looks like shit, I can load it up in max AA right now, all settings to max, and then dump some screens to bring some truth to this thread.

Do it please

Let the comparisons flow freely