The GWJ CRPG Club - Game 11: Wasteland 2

I’m not in the mood for creating characters, I just want to start playing the game. It offered me a default party so I took it. Not sure if I should restart or just carry on. I’ve only played about half an hour.

Redherring wrote:

I’m not in the mood for creating characters, I just want to start playing the game. It offered me a default party so I took it. Not sure if I should restart or just carry on. I’ve only played about half an hour.

The short version of that 45-minute video is this spreadsheet <- POTENTIAL SPOILERS with NPCs, in case it helps. I think you could probably just plug and play with those numbers, if you're concerned about the default party.

EDIT: I played for a bit tonight, getting the first level up in the Radio Tower area and doing a couple of random encounters on the way there. So very much reminds me of an upgraded and improved Fallout 1, really like where things seem to be going.

Thanks, that does help. I will pass on watching the 45 minute video

Redherring wrote:

Thanks, that does help. I will pass on watching the 45 minute video :)

Heh. I've watched it three times now.

Which probably explains why you finish all the club games and I make it through half of them.

The video and spreadsheet builds have some differences.

Also quick warning, the spreadsheet has some spoilers regarding the followers that join you. Some spoilers are there to explain the build choices, but At least one is a fairly dramatic spoiler.

Yeah I really liked Fallout 1 and 2 but haven’t taken to the direction Bethesda took the series. Digging this so far.

I think that the water mechanic is balanced pretty well to reinforce the idea thematically without being much of a drag on gameplay.

Hardek wrote:

The video and spreadsheet builds have some differences.

Also quick warning, the spreadsheet has some spoilers regarding the followers that join you. Some spoilers are there to explain the build choices, but At least one is a fairly dramatic spoiler.

Yes, I noticed that, and now I'm a bit confused. I swear when I watched that video he talked about having the Leader having Assualt Rifles as a skill, but in currently linked video he talks about shotguns, and the spreadsheet recommends assualt rifles. Makes me wonder if he made a newer version of the video.

And thanks for the heads up on the spoilers, I've added a note to the link to the spreadsheet above so people will know.

The fast was to get at the video build is pause at 40:32 which shows the team outline. Right about here

The build in that video seems to make some odd choices, considering the information in the GameFAQs guide. I built my party according to the info in that guide, which is less about minmaxing and more about avoiding useless stats (luck, cha) and then understanding a) how the other stats contribute to the derived things like AP and initiative and b) breakpoints for AP and skill point gain.

steinkrug wrote:

Yeah I really liked Fallout 1 and 2 but haven’t taken to the direction Bethesda took the series. Digging this so far.

That's what I loved most of about this game. I enjoyed Fallout 3 and 4 for what they were, but they weren't what I loved about Fallout 1 and 2. (For all the obvious reasons, but also because Bethesda does not understand how satire works.) This was a bit of a return to many aspects (not all) of what I liked about those games. But then, seeing as Fallout 1 and 2 were carrying the torch forward for the original Wasteland, it kind of comes full circle here.

The build spreadsheet thing is extra confusing because it appears to be a goal rather than a starting point. So I’ve loosely copied it but I think I will ignore it from now on and just play the game.

Redherring wrote:

The build spreadsheet thing is extra confusing because it appears to be a goal rather than a starting point. So I’ve loosely copied it but I think I will ignore it from now on and just play the game.

I've found it somewhat helpful to point me in the direction that the original stats are intended to support. So I'm using it as a rough guide for potentially how to develop my characters as they level up.

EDIT: I put in another hour tonight. I'm on the one of the next locations after the first one. So far so good, but I seem to be burning through a lot of ammunition. I wish I had a person or two who could hit things with a big stick.

Yeah, the combat reminds me a bit of Shadowrun and whereas I’d take shots in that with a low percentage chance just for “the hell of it,” I am finding it better to conserve ammo in those cases here and wait for a better chance.

steinkrug wrote:

Yeah, the combat reminds me a bit of Shadowrun and whereas I’d take shots in that with a low percentage chance just for “the hell of it,” I am finding it better to conserve ammo in those cases here and wait for a better chance.

I'm really liking my sniper. So deadly. Now I just need to find her some bullets.

I played for another hour tonight. I'm taking my time going through the second mission. Our party is totally clueless skill-wise. The game does a pretty good job of making you feel like newbies at the start.

I've also managed to get my main character infected with some sort of spores. Apparently I blow up and die if the timer runs out before I can figure out how to solve the problem.

Other than that, things are going swimmingly.

Fun times, though. I'm liking the skills, the combat, the setting.

Got to the character creator last night, realized that the portrait selection wasn't quite doing it for me, and downloaded an extra set ......of almost 300!!??!

There are some pretty great ones in there though.

Didn't create any characters because many of the class descriptors don't have much meaning for me. Guess I'm actually going to have to put some work into understanding the world

I’ve got a couple infected with that biological time bomb as well.

I'm in to play. Used the spreadsheet for character creation. Working my way through the Ag Center now.

deceivious1 wrote:

I'm in to play. Used the spreadsheet for character creation. Working my way through the Ag Center now.

Most excellent, welcome aboard!

That's where I am as well, going to see if I can get through it without blowing myself up tonight. I put my odds at 50-50.

I'm really liking the game systems so far. I always take it as a good sign when you see disagreements as to optimal strategies and tactics in a game. In reading a bit more on the game, there are some pretty divergent opinions on how to build parties. Makes me think that there are many different ways to play and be successful.

Just arrived at the Ag Centre. I’m going to get killed by bugs. This game doesn’t seem very forgiving when you’re just starting out.

I read Ag is harder than highpool. That’s where I’m going

Well, my session last night was sort of frustrating. Despite knowing I probably need to conserve ammo, I’m apparently not doing so enough. I have 2 of my 4 with ARs. But I also picked up the first NPC who also uses ARs. I think maybe I should have had her using the melee weapon she has. And I think I’d almost rather not have any duplication within my squad of 4. I got deep into the Ag Center and was in a pretty bad way with characters out of ammo, low on health. I guess I need to play even more conservatively than I was. And maybe try to avoid some combat if that’s possible.

Highpool, Ag Center, Rail Nomads... This has been like a trip down memory lane for the first time I played Wasteland. Still can picture those EGA graphics in my head. Still remember killing that rabid dog then having that annoying pale kid with his belly hanging out attack my squad like an idiot.

How long ago was it? [Looks it up] Over 30 years ago. Damn, I'm getting old.

steinkrug wrote:

Well, my session last night was sort of frustrating. Despite knowing I probably need to conserve ammo, I’m apparently not doing so enough. I have 2 of my 4 with ARs. But I also picked up the first NPC who also uses ARs. I think maybe I should have had her using the melee weapon she has. And I think I’d almost rather not have any duplication within my squad of 4. I got deep into the Ag Center and was in a pretty bad way with characters out of ammo, low on health. I guess I need to play even more conservatively than I was. And maybe try to avoid some combat if that’s possible.

I stayed up way too late last working on the Ag Center. I can totally relate to this. Pretty much everyone ran out of bullets all the time. I started a few battles with our 3 ARs either totally out of ammo or with 2-3 bullets each. (I did have Angela Deth switch to a big stick to conserve ammo and she hits pretty hard.) Our sniper ran out of ammo. Backup weapons ran out of ammo. We never totally ran out for any battle, but a couple of battles involved many of us hitting the bad things with sticks until they died. Fortunately, people leveled up frequently enough that we didn't have to use so many med kits, and most battles ended with us finding a handful of bullets for the next battle.

Despite the shortages, it was a really fun area. We got wiped out once in a battle I wasn't expecting, but other than that, battles were manageable. The enemies don't seem that strong yet. Our main party is Level 5 and 6 now.

I'm hopeful going forward that ammo will be less of an issue. I'm also going to see what I can do to have no NPCs with ARs, which I think will help with the Assault Rifle ammo issue.

gewy wrote:

Highpool, Ag Center, Rail Nomads... This has been like a trip down memory lane for the first time I played Wasteland. Still can picture those EGA graphics in my head. Still remember killing that rabid dog then having that annoying pale kid with his belly hanging out attack my squad like an idiot.

How long ago was it? [Looks it up] Over 30 years ago. Damn, I'm getting old.

Even on my second run, it's the same experience for me, as the original was one of my first "favorite RPGs." Super nostaligic!

This time around, I hit Highpool instead of the Ag Center first. I found it less monotonous than the grind of the Ag Center, more straight up firefights, etc. And there are some specific nods to the dog and kid (Ralphie?). Everybody in Highpool either hates or mistrusts the rangers because 30 years prior, the W1 ranger team killed them (not a choice). I feel like protecting Ag Center is probably better canon for Wasteland 2, but I definitely like the Highpool experience followed by exploring the wreck of Ag Center better from a play standpoint.

Either way, my ranger team has cleared out both (including the source of Highpool's troubles) and moved on toward the prison. Many a Red Skorpion has taken the dirt nap this day.

Aha, thanks! I just cleared Highpool out after finishing up the Ag Center, and I ran into someone who referred to the dog. Totally lost on the reference at the time, but now it makes sense.

I'm on to the Prison next. Highpool was straightforward. Ammo is becoming less of an issue now. We miss less often and have some better weapons. I think the four main characters are Levels 6-7 now.

EDIT: Snipers are total badasses in this game. Wow, they hit hard. I try to initiate combat with the sniper, then she’ll usually go first once the combat triggers, which gives us two 75%+ shots that do a ton of damage. If both hit the target, the target its usually dead. Fun times.

I guess I'm in. Halfway through Ag Center, chose that over HighPool. Kind of just running and gunning and not worrying about much.

tboon wrote:

I guess I'm in. Halfway through Ag Center, chose that over HighPool. Kind of just running and gunning and not worrying about much.

Nice, glad you're in!

I made a bit of progress tonight in The Prison, explored a few areas, got in a firefight. Good stuff so far.

Question: Let's say I found a weapon mod and one of my characters has the requisite weaponsmithing skill, do I have to unequip the weapon, give it and the mod to my weaponsmith and have them do the work, then give the weapon back to the original character? Or is there some shortcut that I am totally not seeing that will let me do this "in place"?

tboon wrote:

Question: Let's say I found a weapon mod and one of my characters has the requisite weaponsmithing skill, do I have to unequip the weapon, give it and the mod to my weaponsmith and have them do the work, then give the weapon back to the original character? Or is there some shortcut that I am totally not seeing that will let me do this "in place"?

I don't think so. Having the highest skilled party member perform the skill check wasn't in the original (non-Director's Cut) release because "the game would play itself at that point" (citation needed, but I remember that vaguely from an interview), so I would think that's left over from that line of thinking.