Wasteland 2 Interview

The German version of Eurogamer is offering an interview with Brian Fargo, which luckily for our non-German reading speakers has also been translated in English, which touches upon the usual subjects you’d expect, such as crowdfunding, managing expectations for the project, the ongoing development of Wasteland 2, etc.

Here’s an excerpt:

Eurogamer: What will be the biggest difference between the original Wasteland and Wasteland 2?

Brian Fargo: Obviously the visuals have come a long way since the original and we had no music or real SFX so the world will be a lot more engaging than back in the day. We are able to create a mood that was not possible before. Also the scope and scale of the game is of another level. Gamers demand more density and we have a great deal more writing based on the amount of memory we have available, which wasn’t technically possible before. We took the elements we liked about the first game like ranged combat, skills systems, world maps, gritty text and moral dilemmas and put a whole new shell on top. We focused on the elements that were fun and timeless.

Eurogamer: How much advancement is there in terms of gameplay mechanics in comparison to the original? Do you want to stay mostly true to it, but with a modern touch? Can you give us a few examples of things that have been or had to be modernized?

Brian Fargo: Combat is the biggest fundamental change from the first game. In the first game you controlled a party that was bundled together for the most part. The player could split the party up but they moved as a single unit for most of the game. Wasteland 2 is far more tactical in that they are always moving as indidivuals in the game maps (the world map is a different story). Combat is the thing you do the most so it better require thought and give you satisfying feedback. There was no cover, height advantages or formations to consider in Wasteland 1.

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Eurogamer: Do you consider yourself to be in competition now with today’s Fallout games?

Brian Fargo: My focus of this game is on the vision for what I want it to be and qualities that I want it to have. Obviosuly all RPGs compete and Fallout sets the bar for tone and writing so I am cognizant of needing to improve upon what has been done before. I certainly think anyone who enjoyed the Fallout series will quite like what we are doing with Wasteland 2. We are really pushing the envelope of meaningful cause and effect and morality is never clear cut. There are so many choices that affect gameplay that it will be near impossible for two people to have the exact experience on a playthrough.