Looks like we made it! Here we are in the final stretch before Wasteland 3’s release on August 28. It’s been a long haul since our introduction of Wasteland 3’s Fig campaign back in 2016, all the way up through this year.
2020 has not been without its challenges, not the least of which for us was the introduction of working from home and a subsequent delay from our previous release date. It was a daunting prospect filled with unknowns, but the team rallied, and we quickly adapted to these new complexities. The extension on release also offered us more time to consider the feedback from the Beta and to implement much needed polish, general refinements, and focus on additional elements. We shared some of those in our last update, and we have a few more for you.
Let’s get down to it.
Tactical Combat Option: Crouch
You asked for it. We did it. Feedback from the Beta overwhelmingly called out that the absence of crouch made players feel less in control of the tactical options they expected in isometric turn-based combat. In addition to the tactical abilities that characters had control over in the Beta, they will now be able to improve their hit chance, evasion, and detection time when crouching.
Wasteland 3 already had a deep combat system that we think players will be learning to master for quite some time, but we were happy to act on Beta feedback and get this feature in before launch. Crouch is always accessible from the action bar:
UI & You and I
In that previously mentioned update we teased some of the newly-minted options in the UI, including the ability to toggle custom armor visuals, as well as the addition of the much coveted ‘sell junk’ option. In addition to those, we’re happy to announce that the merchant interface has also been overhauled and improved. Each individual character will now be able to be selected while you’re browsing a store’s wares, to make for easier comparison and identification of necessary gear while perusing the merchant’s goods.
We’ve also implemented a minimap to help you locate nearby points of interest and vendors. This won’t take the place of the existing map, but will give you an always-available means of identifying where you’re at in the world. For those who prefer less clutter in their lives and on their screen, there’s an option to disable the minimap if you so desire.
Posthumous Permadeath
A few of the more hardcore among you have asked us for permadeath in Wasteland 3. We actually went back and forth quite a bit on this as an option, mainly because we knew the amount of development work it would need. When you can welcome story critical NPCs into your party, and approach the game content in essentially any order, and those critical story NPCs can permanently die from anywhere in the story… it’s a lot to account for. So, we are working on permadeath, but because of the additional effort, this is going to be a post-launch feature we’ll patch in for the hardcore among you for your second or third playthroughs.
The Final Countdown
As you’ve no doubt seen, the Wasteland 3 Collector’s Edition was finally released into the wild. In particular, we were very fortunate to see CohhCarnage spend some time digging into this delectably radioactive treat (not actually radioactive).
We’ve really enjoyed seeing everyone’s reactions on social media when they realize how much we upgraded the Collector’s Edition (thank you Microsoft!) from what our original backer page had promised. It was a labor of love, and serves as a huge thanks to our backers, as we would not be where we are without them.
We’d also like to thank our Mac and Linux backers who we previously spoke to in our last update. As stated, it’s our intention and priority to get the Mac/Linux versions out the door just as soon as possible. We expect to be able to share that good news before the end of the year. Until then, thank you again for your patience. We want to deliver the best quality game to you that we can, and we know you’ve been very excited to share in this experience.
DEFCON 1
It’s mind-blowing to think that we’ve reached the final days before the release of the game. We can’t wait to see your reactions and follow along with your adventures as you and your squads work to build a Ranger foothold in Colorado … or bury what’s left of them into the powdery snow. Though we’re soon to cross a milestone with the game’s release, this is a product we’ll be supporting for the foreseeable future, and we’re already cooking on some post-release ideas.
Thank you again, Rangers! We look forward to seeing you in Colorado as the saga of Wasteland continues. Wasteland 3 releases on August 28 for Windows 10, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
-The Wasteland 3 Team