Wasteland 2 - Post-funding Update #29

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Wasteland 2 has a new post funding update on the games kickstarter website. In the update they discuss the inventory and even share a new video. Also According to the update the game is currently playable and is on schedule for beta in a few months.

In this update, you’ll find a relatively quick video detailing some features of our inventory screen. Our top design goal with inventory is to make sure it is functional and easy to navigate. We considered the positives and negatives of things like grid vs. list backpacks, weight-based or “tetris” style along with navigation details to see which elements will work best with our design. Being that Wasteland 2 is a party-based game, you will essentially have between 4 and 7 inventories to access at any one point. This could become tedious if the design doesn't promote easy management and trading. To reduce this nasty element, we added things like double-click to equip/use, column-based sorting for major characteristics, hot keys for trading, and our smart-loot favorites system.

Check out the video below (in 1080p for best viewing) and let us know what you think! We want to hear your thoughts on improvements to functionality that could be made before release. Please feel free to do so as a reply to this update, on our Facebook page, and our forums and blog. The more vocal you are, the better chance you have of being heard!
Before you get to the video, here are a few things on our task lists that aren't shown in the video. These weren't fully implemented yet but will be prior to release.
  • Key bindings for menus and commonly used items. You’ll have the ability to designate hot keys for quick navigation of things like trading items to a specific party member or entering into various menus.
  • Mouse-overs for all relevant icons and backpack items to give detailed stats. Each of the icon details on the item pictures and inventory slots will have mouse-overs that show all of the granular stats you've come to expect from hardcore RPG's.
Production Update

In our previous updates we mentioned our end-of-April milestone: “having all level geometry blocked in and all encounters and interactions scripted”. We’re happy to say we've pretty much hit that milestone. "Pretty much?” you ask? We hit what would satisfy the letter of that milestone. While we had all encounters blocked in, there were still issues that needed to be cleaned up and sorted before a full playthrough was really possible. For that reason, we set an end of May milestone to clean up the block-in pass for a true beginning-to-end playthrough from a conversation and mission perspective. This means Wasteland 2 is in a fully playable, “alpha-ish” state. The beta is still months away, and we’re tracking well towards it.

Our first priority was to block in all maps, and now we get to move onto the phase of propping them out to make them more presentable. We will be iterating and polishing the levels from a gameplay standpoint while the art team is making everything look amazing. As the art gets better, we will have many more screenshots to show off to all of you!
More information.
 
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Beta in a few months? That's great news. I wasn't expecting beta that soon. Or was that the plan all along? Anyway, the game is looking great.
 
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Wasn't this originally supposed to be released this summer?
Might be delayed. I wouldn't be surprised as the ETA is just an estimate.
 
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No, not this summer. Oct. 2013 was the plan from the beginning. I should know, I gave them a boat load of money :)
 
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Like the style. HATE the list-based inventory. It's basically Skyrim's setup, where I would end up scrolling through pages and pages of junk to find what I wanted.
 
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Aesthetically, I think it's subpar and rather unattractive. Icons are ugly and font is bad.

However, I think functionality looks good - and I like the favorites feature.
 
Aesthetically, I think it's subpar and rather unattractive. Icons are ugly and font is bad.

However, I think functionality looks good - and I like the favorites feature.

I agree with icons being ugly. Perhaps a more detailed icon would do wonders.
 
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That looks fucking awesome. Everything I was able to see in that vid looked just about perfect. No possible way they could mess this up, now. Right? :)
 
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I like the concept. But the pale and hard to read/see "murky yellow" needs to go! Who came up with that color scheme?? Yuck!

Also, I think its weird that they are going to have a nice big picture of the item, but to see the stats you have to mouse over the item. Come on, surely they can put the stats in the bottom of the text box with the picture, or if nothing else put a handy button on that pretty picture screen where it will show the stats immediately.
 
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I like the concept. But the pale and hard to read/see "murky yellow" needs to go! Who came up with that color scheme?? Yuck!

I think the amber/green monochrome silhouette idea for this kind of game came from Bethesda with Fallout 3. Personally, I liked the Fallout 2 style where they had actual graphic images for inventory items better better:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/197289-fallout/images/screen-6

But I can live with the silhouettes. And I like the amber better than the bright green, especially faded out. I set UI to amber in F03 and set transparency pretty high so that it wouldn't be too "loud". I love the way they kept the riveted rusty-metal plates kinda thing from FO2 for a lot of the UI. Super cool. There was a popular mod that tried to add that look and feel to FO3, but it didn't work very well.

Also, I think its weird that they are going to have a nice big picture of the item, but to see the stats you have to mouse over the item. Come on, surely they can put the stats in the bottom of the text box with the picture, or if nothing else put a handy button on that pretty picture screen where it will show the stats immediately.

The stats are already on the pretty picture aren't they? Isn't that what I see on the sniper rifle panel at 1:31? I think a lot of those item graphics aren't done, though. Some of them hardly even have a description.
 
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Aesthetically, I think it's subpar and rather unattractive. Icons are ugly and font is bad.

However, I think functionality looks good - and I like the favorites feature.

I second this and highlighted all points "Why the current inventory looks ugly and why its design is bad" on their forum. Look at Fallout 1 inventory. More Rangers mean more inventory management, but they could have done better. Combat looks amazing however, so there is still hope. If the team won't freeze solid during this Day After Tomorrow weather-script.
 
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Well, hopefully the input from "hardcore rpgers" on the internet won't ruin the game. I'm old enough to remember when the same crowd ruined hardcore RPGs in the first place. So are some of them, though I'm sure they don't remember it that way. Deus Ex, best game ever made, my ass.
 
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Yeah I will keep faith in the people developing the game and not 3000 people saying a million different things on their forums. Sorry, but Wasteland came out in the late 80's. They have more exp. in game development then most companies. Do I want to play their vision of a game or that of a bunch of whiners and trolls that pop up on any forum ever created?

When they ask for advice they do polls and such. People that want to micro manage every one of their decisions better have given them $10,000 during their K/S campaign. I gave them a lot of money and that was given to Brian Fargo because I have faith in him and his company. I do not have faith in a bunch of babies sitting at their computer crying about every little decision they make :)

Those people need to start their own K/S project and I will be happy to bitch on your forums about every decision that is made. Sorry, angry rant over but some people will never be happy no matter what is made or done.
 
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I don't mind the list-based inventory. I prefer that to the backpack grid where we get to "enjoy" the metagame of making items fit in a backpack.

I didn't know you could have up to 7 in your party, so that makes me happy. Can't wait until this comes out.
 
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Yeah I will keep faith in the people developing the game and not 3000 people saying a million different things on their forums. Sorry, but Wasteland came out in the late 80's. They have more exp. in game development then most companies.

No matter how experienced, feedback is always good, as long as you're sure enough in your own abilities and respectful/knowledgeable enough of your audience to process the feedback, and I don't think that's a problem for us. A lot of the feedback on the inventory has been very useful.
 
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Ok feedback can be well exploited but I appreciate Hastar comment, so agree with it, feedback isn't game design or game creation, it must be just a source of inspiration to bounce on it and no way follow the crap, either of those that shout louder, either of those that are the more numerous, either of those that influence masses the better. Crap. :)
 
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I believe it all comes down to you will never please everybody don't even try. That right there is the purist wisdom ever given by a developer.

As for me I like the inventory layout. Sure it could use a few tweaks but as it is it's fine.
 
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