"Choices that resonate throughout the gameplay"

[geargrinder]

"Choices that resonate throughout the gameplay" was one of the most memorable quotes from Brian Fargo's pitch for Wasteland 2. I can't think of any games that would match that description.

Could a fan of Wasteland expand into detail and give examples on what that means for me as a player?

[Drool]

Well, the one that most people would probably think of immediately is in Highpool. If you mucked around in the little stream, you'd eventually slip on some rocks and fall, causing kids to laugh at you. If you wanted, you could murder those children and, if you kept going, eventually kill all the kids at the camp, and then kill Red Ryder who showed up to avenge them. Doing so would turn the Highpool from a lush canyon to a completely desolate dustbowl. The stream and pond dry up and vanish, the dormitories become dilapidated husks, the doctor (the cheapest in the game) vanishes, the trees die, etc. It's actually pretty horrifying when it happens, and nothing you can do (aside from reloading) can ever bring Highpool back; you've made the world more desolate because you're a jerk.

There are also plenty of smaller things throughout the game. Now, this was in '88, so it was somewhat limited in global effects, but the choices you made did have an effect on the path you took. You could accept Ugly's offer and let him get away, or you could gun him down and run the risk of the Mayor's wife being blown to pieces. You could rescue Jackie from the cave, but you had to kill Bobby's dog to do so, and if you did, he'd be after your blood. Things like that.

[zebe]

You could rescue Jackie from the cave, but you had to kill Bobby's dog to do so, and if you did, he'd be after your blood.

I haven't tried this, but I wonder if you could run away from Rex, until you get to Jackie, Hire her, and then run away until you get out of the cave, without killing Rex.

[Drool]

I think you can, and it changes Bobby's reaction.

[zebe]

I think you can, and it changes Bobby's reaction.

Oh man. After all my playthroughs of the game over the years, I don't think I've ever tried that method. Now I need to start a new game again and try it out! Still new things to do in a 24 year old game.

[Hell Razor]

I've done it. You don't see Bobby again. It wasn't really until Fallout that we got multiple choices. Wasteland sometimes had one choice, which if you took it resulted in something, and if you didn't, nothing.

[Mathsorcerer]

To the best of my knowledge, Wasteland was the first game where your choices actually mattered and, more importantly, were permanent. Dragon Wars did this, too, but I cannot recall which one came out first.

With Pool of Radiance, there was a limited version of this but you remove all characters from the party and start over. In Wasteland, even if you removed all the characters from the party, created new ones, and ventured back outside the kids you kill in Highpool are still dead.

[Zylock]

...Doing so would turn the Highpool from a lush canyon to a completely desolate dustbowl. The stream and pond dry up and vanish, the dormitories become dilapidated husks, the doctor (the cheapest in the game) vanishes, the trees die, etc...

This really, really excites me. If there's anything like this in Wasteland 2, I'll be immensely glad. Now I regret only being 2 years old when Wasteland came out...