Brian Fargo on multiplayer, DLC and quest compasses

Brother None

Brother None

This ghoul has seen it all
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We approached InXile CEO Brian Fargo for a very quick Q&A on some issues that have popped up in discussions here and on the Wasteland 2 forums. The quest compass question was also asked and answered on the Codex, but regardless, here is Fargo's thoughts on it, multiplayer and DLC.<blockquote>Will the game contain any form of multiplayer?

We are looking into how to make the game more social as we speak. I'm just not sure such a narrative game is going to lend itself to a strong multi-player but we have not ruled it out. One thing I do find interesting is the way Demon Souls handled things like leaving notes for others in game. There are some very interesting ideas along those lines that would be more powerful if controlled to your social group rather than strangers. Perhaps your buddy can drop things into the world for you to aid you along with the notes. Again just ideas but we are exploring that.

Will the game contain any form of day-one or small DLC (not expansion pack-sized ones post-release)?

Hell no there won't be day one DLC... everything is going to the game as it should be. I feel like I've been taken advantage of in other games in which they tried to sell me stuff that was already completed. This isn't a free to play model. Now of course I might insist on a red boots DLC pack for fun.

Will the game contain a quest compass?

We have no plans for a quest compass. We are designing this game to maximize exploration and discovery and through good design it should work fine. I like the tension of wandering off and stumbling upon random encounters... makes you pay attention. I made one comment that IF for some reason despite everything people are complaining about getting lost all the time then maybe we would look into ways to counter that. We are not making this game to try to appeal to a mass market and it has always served me well to assume the audience is smart.</blockquote>
 
Er... isn't 'every game having multiplayer' part of the mainstream thing this game is rallying against? I really don't see the need for multiplayer in a single-player RPG. I think it's a big deal if BF suddenly starts saying Wasteland 2 might have a multiplayer mode - it would certainly make me reconsider my pledge, as to be honest it's a deal-breaker for me. I can get multiplayer crowbarred into SP games from EA.

It's a big enough deal that I feel he needs to be upfront about this before Kickstarter ends.
 
I'd hardly call BG2, NWN1,System Shock 2 etc which had co-op mp mainstream. It worked fine and didn't impact upon the singleplayer.

EDIT: I am tired of people saying mp sucks because that's how E/A do their mp games... just because a company implements it badly doesn't mean the idea itself must suck.
 
Yeah, and I never liked BG2 and NWN that much.

Plus, Brian Fargo is talking about MP elements in the SP game (ala Demon's Souls), which is doubly worrying for me.

I just don't want any of my kickstarter pledge going towards a multiplayer mode - maybe that's just me. But I want to be backing a SP RPG, and that's it - no unnecessary MP modes. If you play Demon's Souls or Dark Souls in offline mode, you miss out on part of the experience - those games are designed to be played online, so people can warn you about insta-death traps, help you out with bosses, start and join factions, etc.
 
Well you can't please everyone and he will decide ultimately what direction to go in. Of course, if he turns it into a FPS deathmatch game loads of us will revolt. If he decides to add in a co-op mode and says it will not impact upon the singleplayer at all, yet people decide it's unacceptable and pull out. Then that's their decision but they will be missing out.

As for the player note drops..could be a bugger I guess as every village has its idiot.

"L0L UR MOM"

I doubt he'll go with that idea though.
 
Co-op would be so badass.

Brother None said:
Will the game contain a quest compass?

We have no plans for a quest compass. We are designing this game to maximize exploration and discovery and through good design it should work fine. I like the tension of wandering off and stumbling upon random encounters... makes you pay attention.
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This. This. This!
 
just learned about this project today (I really should stop not visiting nma for too long) I had tears in my eyes reading all about it. I am so exited right now. I really hope something big is starting about now and part of the future of gaming will be directed more to the fans who play them. Also as a mature gamer I feel there are less games made for me nowadays.

I also hope this will keep the dirty hands of ea and activision out of my favourite franchises.
 
No multiplayer Brian, please. Don't do it dude. Other than that I liked the interview. I do like the Demon Souls concept, but I don't think it could be implemented in such a short time span. It also seems like the game would have to be designed with that sole purpose in mind, ya know? Either way I have faith in the Fargomeister. :mrgreen:
 
I wouldn't mind a co-op mode or a tactical skirmish mode akin to Fallout Tactics. I thought the FOT multiplayer was quite fun.
 
Well, as Fargo explained it to me, MP is kind of a far-away thought. The focus is on the SP and the narrative of the SP. If they can do something with MP, like something small like skirmish mode or a little interaction between friends (like different Ranger groups radioing each other), they will, but never to the cost of the SP.
 
I don't see how coop, if the balanced get's adjusted, shouldn't work. I think what most don't realize is that I wouldn't mind not having control over the talking/walking and so forth as the second player just being able to join in the combat.
->Basically just playing one of the group members in combat.

It's not like we have no ways of communicating with a friend over skype.
 
By revealing more info about the game it is inevitable that B.F will make unhappy people like God is Dog backward.
But it's a courageous stand.
As long as nothing is shown/said everybody can imagine his own perfect version of W2. And even if 9/10 of what B.F says is going "our" way we focalize on the negative part.
I'm not for any kind MP for W2 because even if a MP co-op like in Baldur don't bother me (it was clearly made as a bonus and not designed for it) i supose it cost money.
But B.F idea of multiplayer seems to be one of the worst kind of MP. The kind to impact SP campain or at least to be designed to be integrated to the SP campain.
It's the 1/10 i dislike about this interview, all the rest is very good. I'm certainly not withdrawing my pledge for that (especially it's only a posibility).
I'm ready to see some ideas i dislike go through anyways.
 
I wouldn't mind a basic multiplayer, coop or vs, after the game is pretty much done and shipped. It's just additional fluff then, nothing to really worry about.
 
I just want the best single player campaign possible. Multiplayer is just fluff to me.
 
Again, I say no MP. It's a slippery slope where you end up with something like Mass Effect 3. Totally 'optional' multiplayer but in fact you essentially need to engage with it to get the best ending of the game. It's a SP game, let's stick with thtat....

And MP is very cool in games like Journey and Demon's Souls - but in both cases, it's integral to the game and if you don't engage with it you miss out on a core part of the game experience.
 
Multiplayer is not really integral in either Baldur's Gate (co-op) or Fallout Tactics (skirmish). Just a bonus (although Tactics multiplayer was very popular in Poland years ago, more so than anywhere else that I've seen). As long as it isn't more important to the overall experience than in these games, I'm fine with it.
 
God is Dog backwards said:
Again, I say no MP. It's a slippery slope where you end up with something like Mass Effect 3. Totally 'optional' multiplayer but in fact you essentially need to engage with it to get the best ending of the game. It's a SP game, let's stick with thtat....

And MP is very cool in games like Journey and Demon's Souls - but in both cases, it's integral to the game and if you don't engage with it you miss out on a core part of the game experience.
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I agree. Like I said, it would have to be designed around those concepts, or just be a extra mode tacked on. With a modkit people could make skirmish maps and shit like that, so I can dig it, but it has to be implemented right. Fallout Tactics did a few things right in those regards.

It's just whenever I think of Wasteland I don't think of multiplayer. Wasteland isn't Fallout Tactics. Whatever resources put into the multiplayer wouldn't be enough to launch a solid multiplayer experience. Maybe a Skirmish mode, or something like that, as others have said. Now, if they could get a co-op mode going that was just like the single player story, except you are playing with a buddy...that would be cool. I personally wouldn't even bother with a Skirmish mode unless it was really badass.
 
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