Wasteland 2 Dialog System Is Keyword Driven, Immersive

Developer inXile is ready to talk about the keyword dialog system that it will implement in Wasteland 2, giving fans of the project a clear view of how it will work and how it will enhance their experience in the post-apocalyptic world.

The development teams states on Kickstarter that, “The foundation of the keyword system is the player building up a keyword library through interaction with NPCs and the world. The keyword list starts out empty, and as you speak with NPCs they will reveal new keywords to you.”

Wasteland 2 will feature both a local and regional list of words, giving gamers a clear view of what’s important to just one character and what an entire game area is interested in.

Gamers also have the option to type a word in, as they could have done back in the first Wasteland game, although that’s never required and is simply an addition for long-time fans.

inXile offers a gameplay example, saying, “if you use perception to examine an object in the world, your observations might reveal a new keyword. Or, if you explored the level and triggered the descriptor text of some object or feature, it too might unlock a keyword.”

The team is also creating a complex web of influences for character reactions, with party composition, previous choice, used words, answers from other characters, character attributes, skill, armor and items all playing a role in conversations.

inXile says that gamers need to actually pay attention to dialog in Wasteland 2, both on the player and on the NPC side, in order to get subtle clues about the current conversation and more information about the game world.

Wasteland 2 is designed to appeal to long-term fans of party-based action and role-playing genres and will be launched during the fall of this year.