Kickstarter Drive Update #10

[fax_]

To some degree I agree with Roger Wilco and bobbinite about getting more of an 80s flavour to it - but don't get me wrong, it's a great concept, and I would probably be happy if that (style) is how the game looks at the end of things.

I just think a little more of an 80s bite, and a bit more colour (although it's really silly to say too much based on one piece of art - before we've even seen the Cybertrikes and New Wavers) would help give the new game something unique to stand out from the low-key generic 'post-apocalypse', as well as help immediately portray some of the off-kilter wackiness of the Wasteland. The characters in the current piece remind me a bit too much of 'The Fall - Last Days of Gaia' (which was a quite pleasant, but not really memorable wasteland/fallout-wannabe - I'd still recommend a playthrough from a mediocre but relatively enjoyable baldurs gate/fallout combination-type game. NMA have a translation patch to English)



Without a very distinct art style (fallout had the 70s) the result in the actual game may just look bland, especially if they end up going 3d on a low-ish budget. See how 'The Fall' turned out:




I do find the balaclava man with his tasselled leather jacket and the fellow behind him with the visor and metal-bowl-with-nails-in-it helmet and backpack quite appealing though, even if it does look more 'raider' than 'military-man'. More of that corniness please.

[Roger Wilco]

I don't know why everyone keeps assuming Wasteland 2 will be retro-80s. inXile has mentioned no such thing. It might be. I see no reason to assume it would be.

Nobody is making the assumption that it will be retro-80s, so much as stating the opinion that pen and paper games of the 80s time period would be a good way to capture the feel of the original. It was my opinion that Fargo wanted feedback on these things.

But beyond that, the important thing is that the cold war ended with the 80s and losing the Cold War vibes would be a pretty major blow to the setting. Take a look at the change to the setting that retconning Bionic Commando to the modern global viewpoint did for an example (not talking about gameplay here, just setting). The nuclear war, in Wasteland, happened during the cold war and I would hope that they don't retcon things to make it more in line with our current world view, as most games have.

Plus, I know a number of of people will be disappointed if there are no New Wavers, on a lighter note.

[undecaf]

Please no, no more of those Gaia pics. I do not want Wasteland to look as bland and washed out as that game.

I just raised my pledge from 115 ro 165 in a drunkard passion. Do not make me regret it.

[Valka]

I'm happy with the funding progress and really LOVE the concept art.

[vadrick]

I like it. The M4 with the front foregrip is a nice touch and I like the old west throwback mixed with dark post apocalypse.

Yeah, makes me wish I had an M4 back in the 80s.

Eh, it's too freaking cool to even care. Just upped my pledge $10.

Keep the carrots coming, Mister Fargo.

[PlayRanger]

(First, let me say that the new concept art is extremely cool )

1. Late 80s/Early 90s Feel

I find nothing wrong with aiming for a feel in the art style that matches what it would have looked like at the time, had Fargo been allowed to make it. This is key to maintaining the original spirit. I for one am in the camp of hoping that the art style will have a noticeable 80s influence, for this very reason. (Note that this in no way prevents modernizing the graphics resolution, etc.)

2. Colorscheme

It seems quite obvious that the monotone colorscheme is more in line with making a cool piece of concept art than in showing what finished game graphics will look like...however I do get a little bit nervous when the largest hope for Wasteland 2 is the avoidance of "brown brown gray brown and for variety some gray" and the very first piece of official concept art...is rather monotone (cool as it is ). I'm hoping for a lot of amazing colors. (Note that this in no way suggests that suddenly the game be EGA colored or painted up like a circus -- colorful doesn't mean eye-bleed any more than "where's the beef" means serving an entire cow.)

It is clear that Andree Wallin has honed his amazing skills in this era of Call of Modern Warfare Duty, but let's put on the puppydog eyes and plead for the remembrance of the original style (in the same way that someone filming an 80s style movie shouldn't use the current "orange+teal" fad)

[bobbinite]

I don't know why everyone keeps assuming Wasteland 2 will be retro-80s. inXile has mentioned no such thing. It might be. I see no reason to assume it would be.

if anything, based on the concept art, I would assume that inXile was ditching the retro-futuristic idea altogether that's why we're giving our feedback.

I get the sense that the retro futurist 80s people are viewed as a disproportionately vocal bunch who just wantv to impose their views but... I'm not so sure we're such a small group in the first place.

I was really looking forward to the concept art and kept refreshing the page after Brother None posted that more was coming up soon, but i realized i was a lot more "excited" by Roger Wilco's series of images than the actual thing when it finally came out.

[Drool]

It doesn't strike me as a sandstorm. Going by the localized orange glow in the background, I'd say it's night and they're standing in front of something burning. The "sand" in the air is actually smoke. Their gear looks military, but ratty military, like they just finished a long mission. The personal touches (fringe, smilie face on a helmet) were probably added in the field, but it's clearly military. You can even see Angela Deth's dogtags around her neck.

I like a lot of the little details in there that are easier to see now that I've got a full screen version and zoom in a little. The animal skull necklace, the ranger smoking, the central Ranger's eyes through his glasses, the bits of gear, Ranger badges as beltbuckles and necklaces... it's just concept art, but it provides some very nice detail. It really looks like a team of Rangers who have just finished destroying something, taking a quick break and thinking about their next move.

Hopefully the next bit of artwork will be set during the day, so we can see even more.

[PlayRanger]

Is it controversial to hope that the first people inXile should be pleasing are the ones that, ya know, actually played the game and, ya know, always hoped for a sequel? Their whole lives. With deep bittersweet yearning.

"Nah, we'll go over here and make it to match all these other needs". That doesn't seem fair, does it?

(Note that this in no way suggests the tastes of these other groups are inferior )

[Harpo]

Is it controversial to hope that the first people inXile should be pleasing are the ones that, ya know, actually played the game and, ya know, always hoped for a sequel? Their whole lives. With deep bittersweet yearning.

"Nah, we'll go over here and make it to match all these other needs". That doesn't seem fair, does it?

(Note that this in no way suggests the tastes of these other groups are inferior )

There are Also those that played the first game and liked it, but still want Brian to carry his vision into 2012 and make Wasteland 2 What Wasteland 1 would have been, would he have made it now.

[TheSpartan]

Goddamn I'm loving that trigger discipline. Maybe this time they'll even stop being referred to as "clips". One can hope anyways...

[Azriel]

It's not bad, but I am not really feeling it. For one thing, why for the love of god does every post apoc game have to have a cowboy theme thrown in. I get the whole the world is a apoc wasteland (not to confuse with the wasteland game) and its lawless like the old west, yes there is the desert rangers and a desert feel. However, that does not mean it actually reverts to the old west. I admit, I am heavily biased because I HATE westerns and not ashamed of it. It smacks way to close to red dead redemption and far away from the 80's punk apok future that I think a fair number of people expect. Ok, enough with that rant, had to get it out of my system. Lets see if I can get my thoughts together:

Ok, for one thing, it feels way to modern, like others I was hoping for a more 80's APOK PUNK FUTURE feel. Another thing is the art feels a little generic, it looks like something I would see on the cover of a modern first person shooter, not art for an rpg. Also, I am not sure how to describe it, but everything looks a little too clean? Can't explain, but something is off, sort of like how CGI in movies/tv come across as too clean to be real sometimes. A "little" more color would not hurt, but just a tiny bit more.


Short Recap:
Art is ok, but the opposite direction I was hoping for.
Lose the cowboy theme
put more of an 80's future punk apok image(mad max inspired for example)
I still think the game will be great

[Phaederuss]

It's not bad, but I am not really feeling it. For one thing, why for the love of god does every post apoc game have to have a cowboy theme thrown in. I get the whole the world is a apoc wasteland (not to confuse with the wasteland game) and its lawless like the old west, yes there is the desert rangers and a desert feel. However, that does not mean it actually reverts to the old west. I admit, I am heavily biased because I HATE westerns and not ashamed of it. It smacks way to close to red dead redemption and far away from the 80's punk apok future that I think a fair number of people expect. Ok, enough with that rant, had to get it out of my system. Lets see if I can get my thoughts together:

Ok, for one thing, it feels way to modern, like others I was hoping for a more 80's APOK PUNK FUTURE feel. Another thing is the art feels a little generic, it looks like something I would see on the cover of a modern first person shooter, not art for an rpg. Also, I am not sure how to describe it, but everything looks a little too clean? Can't explain, but something is off, sort of like how CGI in movies/tv come across as too clean to be real sometimes. A "little" more color would not hurt, but just a tiny bit more.


Short Recap:
Art is ok, but the opposite direction I was hoping for.
Lose the cowboy theme
put more of an 80's future punk apok image(mad max inspired for example)
I still think the game will be great

It's a desert get over it.

[rudel_dietrich]

I like it. The M4 with the front foregrip is a nice touch and I like the old west throwback mixed with dark post apocalypse.

Yeah, makes me wish I had an M4 back in the 80s.

Eh, it's too freaking cool to even care. Just upped my pledge $10.

Keep the carrots coming, Mister Fargo.

Well okay if it makes you feel better, it is a CAR-15
They have nice foregrips for those too.

[Vryheid]

Without a very distinct art style (fallout had the 70s) the result in the actual game may just look bland, especially if they end up going 3d on a low-ish budget. See how 'The Fall' turned out:

Why would you think that a game published in 2004 is in anyway comparable to the 3D tools and hardware power devs have today? That's like comparing BlazBlue to frigging Street Fighter II on the SNES. These days we can expect Shogun 2 or Dawn of War II quality unit designs for this game, and those games could hardly be called "bland".

Personally I think the concept art is fantastic. It gets the unique punk/survivalist vibe along well, and has done quite a bit to encourage excitement over the Kickstarter. Sure, I'd like to see more elements of cybernetics featured in future concept art but I certainly wouldn't mind if my desert rangers ended up looking something like this. Also, I'd like to repeat the sentiments of several Redditors that it's a good thing that the female character in this art is actually dressed like a soldier rather than a pin-up model. Hope to see more of this as the game gets developed.

[dmazz]

Was Wasteland retro 60's? If it wasn't why should Wasteland 2 go back over two decades? It makes no sense except through player nostalgia. But from this concept art it looks like Wasteland is drawing from the noughties mostly, and is a contemporary sequel. The influence of STALKER + COD modern warfare is very clear.

The art also has some 80's influence. The cowboy hats from the 80's westerns, the leather tassles on the jacket from the 70/80's too. The long hair and facial hair. The sunglasses polarized from the 80's.

The woman though is clearly inspired by more recent badass action heroines, (Blade II, Resident Evil series) previously she wouldn't have had her face covered or be wearing a figure hidng trench coat. (Resident Evil Extinction) The guy with the visored helmet with spikes is straight up cyber punk from the 90's.

[Drool]

Was Wasteland retro 60's? If it wasn't why should Wasteland 2 go back over two decades?

...because it's a continuation of a game steeped in 80's themes and moods?

[dmazz]

Yeah but that was only the case cause it was made in the 80's it's not like they did it on purpose. They made a contemporary game for their time, that was in the 80's. If Wasteland 2 is consistent they will make a contemporary game for their time too, 2012.

In that respect the cowboy 70/80's theme IS old fashioned and looks dated and out of place in modern times. But I guess they are paying a degree of homage to the 80's game most likely.

[Drool]

Except that there is a lot in Wasteland that only makes sense through the lens of the 1980s. Randomly "updating" it wouldn't make any sense. For one, there isn't a USSR anymore to engage in a nuclear strike with the US. Unless inXile is planning on completely rewriting the backstory and utterly retconing the original, there's going to have to be at least a bit of the 80s in there.

[dmazz]

inXile is planning on completely rewriting the backstory and utterly retconing the original,

Yeah I think this concept art clearly demonstrates they are doing that. But that doesn't mean they will lose all reference to the 80's original though. There needs to be a sense of continuity, but clearly this game will be set in the late 90's at the earliest.

Notice the 'leader' would have grown up during the 80's so the influence will be there.