Brother None

You know that for sure? If he doesn't, I sure do - the crowdfunding money and then some (as with WL2, we put in significant funds of our own) was spent on making Torment for PC. No backer money is being spent on the port. One can actually die during character creation if you screw up enough. Somehow I doubt they're going to remake the entire game just to appease the console peasants over the master race. That's the nice things for fans here - we jumped into early access quite a while ago now, all our backers can play that PC game, with all its walls of text, hard choice & consequence and PC-specific interface. Obviously we're not going to change any of the game's content for the PC port, and even if you're not wont to take a dev's word for that, you can simply play the game and confirm for yourself. Kinda comforting!

I think it is pretty safe to assume it will be Wasteland II with swords. No way this will be a first person game...IMO anyway. But it is InXile so I am pledging no matter what. A lot of this will become more clear when we show our prototype footage later, but no, this game's exploration is in first-person blobber mode.

They don't really have an exact AD&D analogue, they're more like a mix of warrior/rogue with a bit of mage. "Jack-of-all-traits". Rogue is probably closest. Thanks for the peek. Did you guys have to ask permission from Obsidian to show off this stuff or is this just not a big insider deal? We asked them if it'd be ok yes. It's their tools so it would've been rather rude to just show it without checking.

Everyone here see our latest update. It has an expansive look at Obsidian's conversation editor tools (albeit adapted for our use), I figured that would be of interest to this crowd?

Hey guys, We requested a set of keys for Pillars of Eternity backers from GOG.com last week but unfortunately didn't get them before release or on Friday. The moment we get them from GOG.com Obsidian will get them from us and hopefully have them up on the site. And yes, to be perfectly clear, all "extra copies" are always game-only. Additional copies from WL2 Kickstarter, "copy of Wasteland 2" for Torment and "copy of Wasteland 2" for PoE are all standard, game-only keys.

If you want you can mail us at support@inxile.net and we can look into the issue. We might be able to figure out what's wrong to either a) suggest a fix or b) work on the problem to fix it on our end. We'd need the following files from you: dxdiag report, any crash logs that were generated and output_log.txt output_log.txt is in the Steam install folder; Wasteland 2\Build\WL2_Data folder (it is an output log of all errors) Generated dxdiag from in Windows\System32 or by going to Run -> dxdiag. Save all info and send us the resulting file.

Those are some pretty screenshots. Nice!

You saw nothing. Nothing! :uses mindwipe:

inXile/Obsidian bromance continues to flourish

I believe he has a chaotic neutral alignment to further highlight how from a modron perspective he is broken, since they are ruled by rationality and chaotic is anathema to their existence. It was very much a theme with PS:T, yes. I don't think Vhailor is much of an exception, but that might depend on perspective. He is a belief given shape but that belief is so unforgiving and unremitting that that becomes a brokenness in its own right.

For the most part, yeah, especially if studios are close together. The Blizzard and Interplay guys used to get along great, and now inXile and Obsidian are pretty close. BioWare's a bit further away geographically and that tends to be a factor more than anything, heh, but in my experience it's a lot more likely for there to be bad blood between producers and creative people or producers and producers than between creative people and creative people.

I'm certainly fine with it doing 30K-ish a day now. It's not great but it's well sufficient. We did expect it to slow down around this time. More exciting things to show and announce though, so I think we'll be fine down the stretch!

Soundtrack will be offered in FLAC as well. A map is not concept art. The concept art book is not low-res, but hi-rest concept art will likely be spread before the concept art is, and the concept art book may have size edits or overlapping text, and not everyone will be willing or able to manually extract images from it (it will be PDF). Hi-res concept art is a nice extra. The map mentioned specifically is the digital version of the cloth map, it won't be in the player's guide or manual. Digital/physical balance is always tricky, but digital does get more extras like alpha/beta access, additional copies, and the different text and sound bonuses well before physical does. The 65 physical box is relatively barebones, compared to its surrounding digital versions. The $95 CE tier has already capped out, at $135, where it is unlimited. We either go unlimited at some point if it makes sense to us or stop expanding the tiers. It works pretty much like any early bird and limited sales system, I'm here to answer questions/listen to feedback or receive abuse if anyone needs to vent. I was too busy to check in with you guys for a while. How you enjoyin' the campaign?

It does cut off at 2 million, so the max he'll pledge is $100K, which is a very significant sum even for a pretty affluent man like him, but he really wanted to put his money where his mouth is. Thanks for all the support guys!

It's not that we want to, it's more that we have to. Videogame production cycles have a natural way of working in which concept artists and writers are pretty much done at this stage, when we're in full production of Wasteland 2. Allowing them to start working on the next project now will give them a long pre-production period and allow us to roll into full production more fluidly once Wasteland 2 is out. Not having such a product pipeline means we'd have to fire the current writer/artist staff, and then after Wasteland 2 is out create an awkward rollover to the next project. Every company works like that, or at least should, Interplay did in the good old days. Some companies just fire most of the team after a product is done and that sucks, because you're destroying your talent pool and experience. The difference between inXile and - say - Obsidian is that inXile is a much smaller developer, and doesn't have other sizable projects to move people to and from. So what's the most natural thing? Rolling into yet another oldschool-style cRPG. Tides are key levers in the C&C system of Torment: ToN. Kevin Saunders explains it here: Well, as you have seen by now, we’ve gone with Torment: Tides of Numenera. =) You may wonder what the significance of "Tides" is. (These are not a core Numenera concept, though they are compatible with the setting in multiple ways.) The Tides are key levers (but not the only ones) in the choices and consequences system we’re designing. They could be loosely compared to D&D's alignments or Ultima IV's principles and virtues. But unlike alignments, they are not in direct opposition to each other and unlike the virtues, you won’t necessarily want to achieve them all. Nor can you, really... you’ll have to decide what’s most important to you. The Tides are more nuanced and complex, with the “best” choice for any situation being a personal decision for you (or how you want to play) rather than a decision that we as designers judge. Now, NPCs in the game will certainly judge you based upon their own beliefs and agendas, but we will strive for the game itself to be impartial. We want to provide satisfying reactivity and allow you to explore your own answers, for you to play as you wish and have the game’s story unfold accordingly. We’ll talk more about the Tides down the road and there are aspects of the system for which we’ll be seeking backer input.

The tiers, based on feedback from the UV, are up now, for those interested.

The elements are all cited directly from the original Torment vision doc, and "zero link" is a bit much considering there are several people working on this that worked on the original (and/or on the orginal's setting). Ah. So, if I'm reading you right, you are arguing against sticking with sequels and the creative constraints that come with it? To that I say: yeah, I can see that. People do like and want sequels but there is a creative constraint. I can't say we're suffering much under it though, Torment: ToN is definitely doing some very interesting things narrative and game design wise that PS:T did not do. It creates a measuring stick more than a creative constraint. It's a challenge, but I don't think it being a challenge is a good reason not do it. Would it be nice to see inXile branch out more into fully original properties? Yeah, it would, but the time for that might not be quite there yet. Anyway, I'm not really lookin' to get embroiled in an argument, and it makes sense that the Obsidian forums would be less receptive to the notion of not-Obsidian doing a Torment follow-up than other places. Just hope you'll check out our pitch and see if it works for you.

So did Wasteland 2, or even Project Eternity - games that also "allegedly [have] a small chance of financial success" that still had no trouble at all making their goals via Kickstarter. In fact, your statement is misleading because even Feargus notes that Torment eventually made money, even using the publisher model. Indeed they didn't. Because they used existing properties or leveraged connections to existing properties like Baldur's Gate. They're both games they really wanted to make, but they're also relatively safe pitches because they hinge on nostalgia. Torment really is no different from them, nor is inXile in a position to take greater risks right now. I mean, Torment is a game inXile really wanted to make, one for which we like to think we have some great concepts in place to lay the foundation for a thematic franchise, and one in the hands of a lot of people with ties to PS:T or Planescape. It's not like inXile slapped the name Torment willy-nilly on something that really doesn't deserve the name, at least I don't think so. Still, this is a matter of impressions. If you feel there's just not enough there to warrant the usage of the name in a legitimate, creative sense, then yeah, not surprising it feels a little off to you. But from our perspective, it's no different than previous Kickstarters, a combination of a title we really creatively believe in with the "VIP" value of name-dropping developers and titles so we have a good chance to fund it and be able to make it.

The biggest problem I have for it is is that, for all of Fargo's bluster about how it's great to be free of publishers, he's just doing the same thing that publishers do (leverage a sequel to get additional money). It's one thing to do Wasteland 2 since it's a game he's wanted to make since Fallout was released (it's also a true sequel), but this one just rubs me the wrong way. His actions come across more as former CEO of a big Publisher rather than former game developer. Just my opinion on the matter. I can see that, but I wouldn't call it so much publisher as producer. He does still run a company, and he has to be aware of risks, costs and production cycles. The truth is that a production cycle where WL2 is out, polished up and modkitted up and only *then* can you move on to pre-production of Torment or WL3 or Bard's Tale 4 or whatever is next, well, it creates a very negative workflow: it means you have to fire the writers and artists now, and it means you're going to have a problem giving your programmers and modelers much to do in the pre-production period of the next game, since a lot of the basic work was already done on this engine. I get why this isn't very interesting from a consumer side, but publisher or producer of a small development house, you have to be aware of it. Fargo's reasons for coming back to Kickstarter are no different than Feargus' reasons for still pitching projects to publishers, smart producers like those guys knows you have to create a good project cycle and think several months ahead at all times. Again, I know this doesn't necessarily mean much from the consumer end of things, if it feels wrong to you it feels wrong, period, but I hope you can see it's not driven by greed or publisher-like thinking, but simply by the reality of game production cycles.

Don't think there's much Kickstarter fatigue. Just some poor pitches and a general Kickstarter dip around Christmas. Videogaming overall is still going strong, per Kickstarter's numbers, just didn't see a lot of huge projects, until this one swings around again. Well, it's not ideal. But sometimes reality isn't ideal, and you roll with the punches. inXile either fires a bunch of people and tries this Kickstarter after WL2 is out, or goes back to Kickstarter now to create a more ideal production flow where they can naturally roll from one project into the next. I have a hard time blaming them for giving that latter option a try. But it is less than ideal, and some people will want to wait to pledge or take a pre-order option until Wasteland 2 is out, and that's fine. They've got a good team together, an interesting setting, an attention-grabbing IP, but they need funds. Would it be better if this was another studio rather than inXile making this pitch? I don't see how, they'd still have to prove themselves as a studio. It does make it *look* more odd, but the logic of it "we have a project, we need funds" doesn't change simply because they have another Kickstarter project running. We don't have more or less reason to trust inXile right now than we did when they pitched Wasteland 2. But overall, it's a tough situation, and they're aware it's not ideal "PR wise", but they'll explain the situation and the why as best they can and then hope people are convinced. Only thing they can do. They have my interest, in any case.

Again though. All-new setting. I see what you're saying but people want games that can produce the same experience as the classics did, and that's not a bad thing. That the franchise is defined by its core themes. Telling a personal story, tied with philosophical teams, in a unique, strange setting with unexpected rules, and subverting RPG tropes. We shall see.

Oh man. I'd play the hell out of Gorkamorka: Torment. What can change the nature of WAAAAGH?

You're asking for originality yet objecting to it having a new setting? This game will be thematically tied to Torment, but have a whole new setting and characters. Seems pretty original to me! Hell, the whole idea of having a franchise like Torment be a thematic one rather than one defined by setting or a single story is pretty novel. I can see why one would object to it, but I hardly think it's a despicable idea, or "cash in". This isn't PS:T:EE, haha.

Indeed it is not.

Those posts are from Roshambo, famed grumbly old man who once cameod in Fallout: Tactics. He was never the owner of NMA, though he was an admin, and has been gone from the site since before Fallout 3's release. Using posts from him from 5 years ago to reflect on NMA now seems a bit of a stretch. I'm an admin from NMA, and while not the owner I am in charge of the site right now. I can't answer for every singly post made by every singly user but we do have very strict rules against any kind of threats. It, like piracy, has a zero-tolerance policy. No threat has ever been uttered from NMA itself and any user uttering threats on the forums are given strikes or banned, with their posts removed. No doubt such posts have been posted at times, but NKKKK can't find them because they're gone, because we do not allow that behavior. We do have a more critical tone and that no doubt brings in some folk who think that kind of behaviour is ok, but they don't last, because we as mods are not ok with that behaviour, and have fostered a community that knows the limits of good behaviour. Just like we rooted out any kind of cross-community trolling. It's really that simple. Everyone is welcome to join our forums. We have plenty of users who like Fallout 3 and/or New Vegas better than the classics. If you opt to base your opinions instead on spurious claims like "NMA issued death threats", then I probably can't convince you to give us a fair chance, and we'll go our merry ways. What do we do? Post news and discuss it? Write articles? Doesn't seem so over the top. Also, the devs of Bethesda actually do read NMA, from lower down to higher up, and devs from Obsidian even more so, since many of them really like the site. But the function of the site is not really to try to convince Bethesda of anything, it's why we don't do or back petitions like this one. Bethesda will do what they want to do, we have never been their target audience and that's fine. But we do like to give fans of the old games and of certain "old-school" RPG styles a place to call home, and have been having a lot of fun supporting Wasteland 2. It's a good time to be an NMAer, really. There, that's the NMA topic closer, I'm sure this thread will get back on topic now.