The Russian Game Star offers an interview with inXile CEO Brian Fargo, talking crowdfunding and Wasteland 2.<blockquote>Audience's reaction on the first published screenshot of Wasteland 2 was quite diverse. How much does this screenshot reflect what we're going to see after the game is released?
It was a calculated risk to show something so early on in the game but we made a promise to our backers to do so. I was very clear that this was pre-alpha and that we still had much to do. And more importantly the overall tone of the game is still coming about. The music, portraits and UI will all help set the look for which the backgrounds must match. It is a symbiotic process and this was just a quick snapshot of things. I think the main diversity at the shot was whether it was dark and moody enough. As the others elements come in I think you will see the tone come down but we also wanted to let users have some choice in the matter. We want to keep the open dialogue open so we can stay in the zone of what gamers expect.
It was really pleasant news for us that the designer and writer of Planescape: Torment and Fallout 2 Colin McComb is joining the team. This month you were planning to comlete the scenario on 90%. Is everything going according to plan? How do you evaluate Colin's work on your project? Do they get along well with Michael Stackpole? And how important is a good story for a tactical game?
Everything is pretty much on plan. we are going to all have an offsite in the 2nd week of November to review all of the scenarios which is within a week of when I wanted. The best part of having a diverse group of writers is that each one approaches their work differently. We then sit together and borrow the best ideas from each other and get a fresh set of eyes on each other's map. It is collaboration at its finest and everyone's ego is in check. A good story is paramount for an RPG is the most important point. The players do spend most of their time in combat so it better be interesting and make the player use their brain.
Chris Keenan said something about introducing hardcore difficulty level in Wasteland 2, similar to Diablo 2 and that the idea was well-recieved among developers. Can you tell us about this particular game mode? And why do you like the idea of making the game difficult? Isn't it a bit reactionary?
How can backer requests become reactionary? That is the whole basis for our communication. We are not going to jump through hoops for any random idea but if our gamers would like a feature that is easy to implement then why not? This feature was in consideration long before we announced it. This mode will add permadeath and does not allow you to save when you want. You won’t be able to reload battles because you didn’t like the outcome.</blockquote>
It was a calculated risk to show something so early on in the game but we made a promise to our backers to do so. I was very clear that this was pre-alpha and that we still had much to do. And more importantly the overall tone of the game is still coming about. The music, portraits and UI will all help set the look for which the backgrounds must match. It is a symbiotic process and this was just a quick snapshot of things. I think the main diversity at the shot was whether it was dark and moody enough. As the others elements come in I think you will see the tone come down but we also wanted to let users have some choice in the matter. We want to keep the open dialogue open so we can stay in the zone of what gamers expect.
It was really pleasant news for us that the designer and writer of Planescape: Torment and Fallout 2 Colin McComb is joining the team. This month you were planning to comlete the scenario on 90%. Is everything going according to plan? How do you evaluate Colin's work on your project? Do they get along well with Michael Stackpole? And how important is a good story for a tactical game?
Everything is pretty much on plan. we are going to all have an offsite in the 2nd week of November to review all of the scenarios which is within a week of when I wanted. The best part of having a diverse group of writers is that each one approaches their work differently. We then sit together and borrow the best ideas from each other and get a fresh set of eyes on each other's map. It is collaboration at its finest and everyone's ego is in check. A good story is paramount for an RPG is the most important point. The players do spend most of their time in combat so it better be interesting and make the player use their brain.
Chris Keenan said something about introducing hardcore difficulty level in Wasteland 2, similar to Diablo 2 and that the idea was well-recieved among developers. Can you tell us about this particular game mode? And why do you like the idea of making the game difficult? Isn't it a bit reactionary?
How can backer requests become reactionary? That is the whole basis for our communication. We are not going to jump through hoops for any random idea but if our gamers would like a feature that is easy to implement then why not? This feature was in consideration long before we announced it. This mode will add permadeath and does not allow you to save when you want. You won’t be able to reload battles because you didn’t like the outcome.</blockquote>
