Welcome to the Nukapedia News Digest, brought to you by the Chryslus Corvega Highwayman - Chryslus, it will take more than a Nuclear Winter to stop our cars!
In your digest this week:
From the administrative enclave[]
Threatening behaviour[]
Recently a user who's name I won't mention (and would ask readers not to reveal in the comments) had to be banned for physically threatening a chat moderator (again, who I also won't name, unless they wish to make themselves known) after a chat ban was issued.
For most of you, I'm sure this goes without saying, but threatening other users, admins, mods or otherwise isn't acceptable; in some places, it may even be a crime. Threats will not reverse a ban, they can however make it permanent.
Regular readers know I don't like to editorialise in the news, but I'm sure most, if not all of you are with me when I say I hope this never happens again.
If you become aware of, or are the subject of any sort of abuse or threatening behaviour on the wiki; please do not respond in kind and seek immediate assistance from an Admin or Bureaucrat. If you believe that a threat is credible, please also report the matter to your local authorities.
Admin Nomination[]
Limmiegirl Has nominated for Admin. Have your say here, before March 4
News from the Wastes[]
Brian Fargo has been doing the rounds with his new wasteland project. Here's the highlights.
Brother None at No Mutant's allowed talked to Brian primarily about the upcoming Kickstarter and previous attempts to bring back Wasteland, here's some choice cuts:
(On the prior attempts to bring back wasteland)
- Jason [D Anderson] was working with me to create a new Wasteland and pitch it to publishers and I was quite surprised at how little interest there was. Here we had the co-creator of Fallout working with the lead designer of Wasteland (Mike Stackpole) and the guy who helped produce them both all on the heels of a massive success with Fallout 3. Publishers just had no interest in a party based RPG and they felt like they would need to go up against the production costs of Bioware which are in the tens of millions of dollars. It was frustrating for both of us as we had fans on one side pinging us constantly for a new Wasteland but we just had no way to finance it. Jason did a fantastic job on the design and story material so you can bet we fully plan on using it in this game.
(On links to the old game)
- You will be pleased to know that we don't have continuity issues with a new Wasteland for a number of reasons. People who had a great time with Wasteland will step quite comfortably into the new world and feel at home... exploding mutants like blood sausages of course.
(On Platforms you can expect to see it on)
- Clearly we need to focus on the PC based on the audience and kind of game that it is. We have had a lot of request for tablet and Iphone so we will consider that based on the money that is raised but the most important thing is that we don't make any production tradeoffs in the design and implementation of Wasteland. We know what the fans want on this game and we are going to deliver. Gamers still rule this industry just like they did when Wasteland came out.
(On the elements in the game)
- Party and turn based combat is an absolute critical requirement for me. I like finding the right mix of Desert Rangers combined with NPC's and I enjoy the tactics that come from that dynamic. Players will spend more time doing combat than most anything in an RPG so it needs to be deep and rewarding. The skill based system is another must have to me as it opens up the world to be explored in ways that the player wants to do. You can have someone picklock the door, use demolitions on it, sneak over the back wall or try and let a rocket loose to blow the door off. A good RPG always offers many options for the player to move forward and with some of their choices may open or close off entire areas. I think the 3rd element is the way NPC's had a mind of their own within combat or game mechanics. The best storytelling often comes from the moments that happen from within the system. Almost everyone remembers when Angela Deth would empty an entire Uzi clip into a rat and completely waste hard earned ammo.
- Things that will have big changes will be the use of audio and how you communicate and receive missions from the Desert Rangers HQ. I won't go into detail yet but we have some innovative ideas that will make that whole aspect of the game become more entertaining and meaningful. We also plan to dial up the things that NPC's can do or cause affect the party. We will have some NPC's that you will love in combat but be looking forward to snuffing out once you get the chance. We will also have a more cohesive story thanks to all the efforts that Jason and Mike have already put in. We have learned a lot more about storytelling than we did back in the day.
You can read the whole interview here.
VentureBeat has also been discussing "croudsourcing" in relation to DoubleFine's success and Fargo's wasteland project:
- InXile has a variety of properties that could use funding and 15 employees. Fargo shopped Wasteland around to publishers, but they were risk averse and really wanted to games that had a chance to rake in $1 billion in sales. If he does the project on his own, Fargo can make the game edgier, with a gritty world full of moral dilemmas for the players.
- “The game industry has separated itself into the huge blockbuster companies and the independent developers in their garages,” Fargo said. “But it’s pretty hard to be in the middle. Is there any business model left standing for the mid-size developers?”
…
- “Crowd-funding might give a second life to a whole class of companies,” Fargo said. “You can get a lot more creativity and innovation and you don’t have to kowtow to a major publisher.”
Brian has also been talking to RPG codex,Part one of their interview is here. Other than talking about his experience in reviving The Bards Tale, I think most of the major points are covered in the other quotes.
Edit, Breaking news: Mark Morgan, composer for Fallout 1 and 2 has signed on to compose for Wasteland 2. For those of you who are yet to experience his work, you can download his "Vault Archives" (the music of Fallout 1 and 2) free (and legal) from Aural Network.
March Mayhem 2012[]
The Escapist Magazie is putting 64 top developers, including Obsidian Entertainment, Bethesda Game Studios, and Beth's sister company ID in a popularity contest. You can vote, or put your predictions here.
Have your say on the Polls[]
Yes-Man has created this forum to discuss bringing back the poll on sundays. If you have an opinion on the polls we have, would like to see more or less, or have ideas for other interactive features, speak up.
Wrap[]
Relic of the war that… wasn't[]
Want a tank that can kick anyones ass AND looks good? Believe me, there's more! The Chryslus Chrysler TV-8 has it all!
The TV-8 on first looks screams 50's Sci-Fi with is beautiful curves… The TV-8 differs from most tanks in just more than aesthetics; unlike most tanks it doesn't have a separate discrete rotating turret - the entire hull, engines and all rotates; leaving only the tracks headed in the direction of travel. This I am informed would increase its survivability should the nukes start dropping.
Its armaments were to include a 90mm turret gun, perhaps ahead of its time with its ammo in a separate steel bulkhead in the rear of the tank. Secondary weapons were to include 2 .30 Caliber machine guns on the turret, and an extra .50 caliber machine gun on top. CCTV would ensure that the crew could stay inside the tank in the event of nuclear war without losing track of the outside world.
Its powered initially by a V8 engine, wich in turn powered electric motors that drove the tracks, but plans were also drawn up for gas turbine and mini-nuclear engine. All up weight a mere 25 tons.
But I did promise you more didn't I. Time to call Q-Branch - this tank is also a boat. Its watertight and the hull floats. A jet pump in the turret would allow the tank to be a true all terrain vehicle.
Sadly, it never got off the drawing board - but I almost feel like setting up a kick-starter to build this baby.
You can find more here. Thanks to Victor the Securitron for the tip. Want your name in bold - just drop be a tip!
Your Next Wiki News Digest[]
A weekend wrap-up of the weeks' Fallout news seems to be working, so presuming theres news to report there will be another digest 7 days from now. Remember you can drop your news stories, and relic suggestions on my talk page.
Agent c 18:52, February 25, 2012 (UTC)