Science consultancy firm Thwacke working on Wasteland 2

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While some of you might have caught the news when Fargo tweeted it a while ago, only now science consultancy firm Thwacke has sent out a press release announcing that they're collaborating with inXile on Wasteland 2's setting.

Here's the full PR:<blockquote>Reinventing science fiction in a post-apocalyptic future

While a post-apocalyptic future is a bleak one to imagine, with the right minds, it is a feasible one to speculate. In order to bring a novel sense of believability to narrative, inXile will be working with the Montreal-based science consultancy, Thwacke. Thwacke will bring in experts in the realms of evolutionary biology, nuclear physics, and medicine to add depth and believability to the wasteland, its people, its creatures and its afflictions.

As part of their collaboration with inXile, Thwacke, will be working closely with the writers and producers behind Wasteland 2 to enrich their fiction with interesting science. Thwacke CEO and molecular biologist, Sebastian Alvarado, has ensured that his entire team will align good science from their respective expertise to build rich stories. “We’re interested in creating moments where the player feels the line blur between reality and fiction, ultimately impacting gameplay and narrative”.

What to expect…
Role playing games bring some of the most personalized gaming experiences to the player. At the core of their gameplay, immersion is required to sell the believability of this experience. While writers can craft this experience with artistic merit, Thwacke offers to enhance it with interdisciplinary science. But what does this mean to the player? Expect creatures that are a natural byproduct of their environment, biological and chemical warfare that makes sense and the medical know-how to survive with the scarcest of resources.

While the full details of Thwacke’s involvement cannot be fully disclosed, they have already brought in unique perspectives from entomologists, nuclear engineers, surgeons and geologists. We plan on using these insights to shape a world capable of capturing the imagination of players and offer relevant, creative and immersive experience for the player.

"The more smart guys we have in room looking at the writing and design is always a good thing and in this case we have a group of very bright people checking our work." –Brian Fargo

Thwacke: A science consultancy for the gaming industry
Thwacke’s extensive network has been built around two pillars; a passion for scientific research and a love for video games. Maral Tajerian, co-founder at Thwacke and neuroscientist has assured that “Thwacke isn’t interested in fact checking or burdening a player with details. We’re only interested in working within the realms of a player’s interest to discuss next generation research“. With a team that represents fields from rocket science to brain surgery (and everything in between) they bring in the brightest of minds to build a team unique to a specific project’s vision.</blockquote>
 
Most times when people spot news before our newsposters they use the news submit form. As I told you to do the last time, but you ignored me.

You're welcome to join our newsposting staff, if that's what you're asking. We have formatting and spelling (and attitude) rules for our newsposters though, and your posts don't follow even basic grammar rules. If you're willing to follow basic grammar and formatting rules, sure I'll consider making you a newsposter, if not, then again, use the news submit form.
 
Alright thanks. So you're looking for format, punctuation, and spelling? What specifically about grammar are you wanting me to improve on?
 
AtomBomb said:
Alright thanks. So you're looking for format, punctuation, and spelling? What specifically about grammar are you wanting me to improve on?
Click to expand...

A better phrasing would be "What specifically about grammar do you want me to improve?" imo. :P
 
Sounds awesome. At least there won't be as much of that childish narrative that makes a fool of the game. Brian keeps surprising me with his investments - in a good way.
 
Sub-Human said:
Sounds awesome. At least there won't be as much of that childish narrative that makes a fool of the game. Brian keeps surprising me with his investments - in a good way.
Click to expand...

What do you mean, "childish narrative"? Can you give some examples of this?
 
Childish narrative is essentially explaining something fictional with complete nonsense. Hyperbole: 'Virus X was created through combining an apple and a tree'. 'A war between Russia and the US broke out because Makarov killed an American at the airport.'

It's used very often in today's industry, combined with cheap thrills and scares.
 
Well, a science consultancy firm wouldn't necessarily mean that the game doesn't feature bad writing. The writing team they put together is quite impressive, so it doesn't sound likely, but yeah.
 
It's less about bad writing and more abous trylu ridiculous Science! happening, I'd wager. As Wasteland is amore grounded setting than, say, Fallout, I'd imagine they must have some guidelines about was is and isin't possible. I would imagine wondrous, hand-waved tech like the ones in New Vegas's DLCs (specifically Old World Blues and Dead Money) are right out.
 
Sub-Human said:
Childish narrative is essentially explaining something fictional with complete nonsense. Hyperbole: 'Virus X was created through combining an apple and a tree'. 'A war between Russia and the US broke out because Makarov killed an American at the airport.'

It's used very often in today's industry, combined with cheap thrills and scares.
Click to expand...

Okay I see what you're saying. Yeah I agree, I think if this works it will make for a pretty good setting. I like to think that when I play certain games that this could actually happen. Although more than likely we won't be destroyed due to nuclear apocalypse, its nice knowing that if we did, the survivors would experience what the fellas over at Twacke claim to be the aftermath....and of course we get to play in this setting :D
 
That means we can kiss goodbye the giant onions and potatoes with eyes that speaks to you from the ground like in Wasteland?

At least now they have an experts opinion about the nonsense of a world war starting because of a global phenomenon like a meteor shower; such gem was presented in the vision document.

geologists! yummy. they'll have an experts opinion on "soil erosion" like Beth$ had on fallout 3

all that means that surrealism in wasteland 2 is out of the question?
bullocks for the hardcore fans!
 
I'm a great fan of science and well-written games, and Wasteland 2 looks like it will benefit from both. Couldn't be more happy about this news. And I'm sure it won't exclude all manner of absurd wonkiness.
 
Calm down. They are not hired to write the script, but to advice on how shit works.

Just like grammar! These are the rules we follow, but the message we are conveying has nothing to do with the ruleset. :)
 
I'm pretty stoked that they're investigating plausible scientific explanations for shit. Fallout 3 was utterly retarded when it came to believability and, yea, I'm playing a game based on retro-futuristic expectations with super mutants, I still need something based in reality to relate to.

The whole water thing at the end was the last straw - I was with a super mutant who was immune to radiation, yet I have to go inside this chamber to sacrifice myself to get clean water... which can be filtered from radiation by passing it through dirt? Total crap!
 
AtomBomb said:
Alright thanks. So you're looking for format, punctuation, and spelling? What specifically about grammar are you wanting me to improve on?
Click to expand...

This writing is fine. It was the lack of capitalization in the post I was replying to that made me pause.

Idiotfool said:
The whole water thing at the end was the last straw - I was with a super mutant who was immune to radiation, yet I have to go inside this chamber to sacrifice myself to get clean water... which can be filtered from radiation by passing it through dirt? Total crap!
Click to expand...

Don't forget the filtering station is at the end of a river. That's hilariously stupid too.

But still, the whole "you have to sacrifice yourself" thing was an example of terrible writing, not of bad science.
 
From what i have seen from the wasteland replay, the game is wacky as hell and full of crazy stuff.
Hiring a science consultancy firm to work in this kind of setting is a bit weird :lol:
 
Ilosar said:
It's less about bad writing and more abous trylu ridiculous Science! happening, I'd wager. As Wasteland is amore grounded setting than, say, Fallout, I'd imagine they must have some guidelines about was is and isin't possible.
Click to expand...

Wasteland really ISN'T a more grounded setting than Fallout. Quite the contrary, you could clone your rangers in the original, visit an android's mind, fight against a super-powered farmer who commanded an army of, you guessed it, farm animals, etc.

I don't know where this "Wasteland was more grounded than Fallout" thing comes really (not the first time I see it), if anything it's pretty much the other way around: Wasteland was zanier than Fallout 2.

EDIT: This doesn't mean that a Wasteland game could just pull everything off, mind you. It still would need to keep internal consistency to pull you into the main setting and plot, suspension and disbelief and all. But I'm going to be surprised (and disappointed, frankly) if the game doesn't allow itself to be silly.
 
I really hope that we will find the ion beamer schematics with a detailed technical description hidden in some abandoned military database now!
*shivers with anticipation*
 
This is a good thing.

As a nerd (basically W2's target audience) I tend to notice the idiotic stuff writers come up with. I don't need or want 100% accuracy, I just want the world to be coherent enough to keep my suspension of disbelief up.

This has ruined way too many otherwise decent works of fiction for me.
 
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