Talk:Wasteland (game)

Desslock interviewes Tim Cain (NMA)
Desslock: As a game "from the makers of Wasteland", as your web site indicates, are there any features or other touches in Fallout which veterans of Wasteland will particularly appreciate (other than the obvious similarities in setting)?

Tim Cain: You'll finally be able to see what "exploding like a blood sausage" really looks like. We are violent like Wasteland, and I think we share the same "feel" in the adventure seeds. Remember the boy's dog that you went looking for and found, but it was rabid and you had to shoot it, and the boy hated you? We have seeds like that, seeds that make it tough if you try to be a good guy, seeds that are just plain dark in tone.

Are there any Wasteland references at Fallout 3?--dotz 10:24, 8 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Unknown for now, but I doubt any of the devs played it. Ausir 12:05, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
 * What about deathclaws? It seems Wasteland references were significant element of Fallout setting. May be this deficit should be described at F3 article or F3 Q&A?--dotz 21:39, 9 February 2008 (UTC)
 * The firelance is an obvious reference. The Firelance features prominently in the fake 'decoy' storyline of Wasteland's paragraph books as an alien weapon used by the Martians, and so it is appropriate for a goofy Easter Egg alien weapon.

Vapid points of similarity.
I feel that these quoted points of similarity are meaningless, and can (mostly) be found in every game from Chaos Overlords through to Warhammer.

References: Comments Unless this was the first-ever usage of Energy Weapons as a skill, I feel its a pointless reference.
 * (Energy Weapons - an obtainable skill introduced in Wasteland)

Almost every game ever has had laser weaponry, there needs to be stronger points of similarity for any valid comparison. Is the model similar? The described mechanism? Was Wasteland the first to use laser weapons?
 * Laser pistol (Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactic's "Wattz 1000 Laser Pistol", and Fallout 3's "AEP7 Laser Pistol" - a reference to Wastelands plain Laser Pistol'
 * Laser rifle (Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and Fallout Tactic's "Wattz 2000 Laser Rifle", and Fallout 3's "AER9 Laser Rifle" - a reference to Wastelands plain Laser Rifle'

Robots - appeared in Wasteland as adversaries

Robots have been an in-game adversary for as long as games. Again, unless this was the first usage, or the robots exhibited any form/function/behavioural similarities, it is a very weak comparitive point.

What about him makes him a relative comparison? No information is given!
 * Job - Mr. Handy administrative police robot in Denver

I feel that these listed points of similarity are pointless, and am asking for justification as to why they should remain, idealy from someone who has played all the games listed, and can identify specific linked themes.Kahlzun 13:53, March 14, 2010 (UTC)


 * Ok, as no-one seems to be especially concerned with defending these points, I will remove them from the wiki Kahlzun 09:07, March 16, 2010 (UTC)
 * Well, I wouldn't until you play or talk with someone who has played Wasteland and the original Fallouts. I know the references are poorly written and poorly explained in the article, but don't remove what you don't know. Research it first.--Gothemasticator 09:12, March 16, 2010 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. Anyone out there fit the bill?Kahlzun 09:18, March 16, 2010 (UTC)

I do. Fallout is a spiritual sequel to Wasteland and most of these things fit. Especially energy weapons - they have a similiar feel in Fo1 to Wasteland weapons. It's hard to grasp without actually playing the games, mind you. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/0/08/Personal_Sig_Image.gif Tagaziel (call!) 22:46, March 16, 2010 (UTC)


 * The list has some validity. The injection of energy weapons and robots into a post-nuclear setting is unconventional (I don't remember Rockatansky and Lord Humungous trading laser blasts with each other) and Fallout has always been touted as Wasteland's "spiritual successor". It really should be cleaned up, however, as some of the points are clearly nothing more than coincidences. 220.121.133.174 19:13, June 27, 2010 (UTC)

---

I have been playing post-apocalyptic games since the 80s. I played through Wasteland, several times, on the C-64 as well as the x86 PC. The FIRST thing that came to mind when I read through these "references" was how absurd the connections are with the majority of them. Some are vague at best. It was with great pleasure that I discovered I was not the first to arrive at this conclusion. I wholeheartedly agree that there need to be significant revisions to this page or, at the very least, it needs to be separated into "references" and "similarities". A reference is a specific "object", added intentionally and in direct relation to a previous offering.


 * Completely invalid references:


 * - GECK - The only similarity this has with Project Darwin in Wasteland is that Irwin John Finster (who was in charge of the project) MIGHT be a reference to Howard Finster, who mentioned "Eden" in a quote. In Wasteland, the project was genetic and biological research which (now insane cyborg) Finster focused on creating life adapted to the wasteland, not transforming the wasteland to support pre-war life/ecology. This included a plague being developed to decimate what was left of the world. The eventual goal, in concert with the Cochise computer, being much similar to that of the Master in FO1:  Replacing humanity with a superior race.


 * - Dugan - Both games/series are filled with addicts... nothing about this guy is similar to the Hobo Oracle save for an addiction to a liquid - one a soda, one an alcoholic beverage.


 * - Gizmo - Two fat criminals an homage does not make.


 * - Junktown - "a reference to the Savage Village, the home of the Junk Master" because we all know that since "Junktown" and "Junk Master" both have the word "Junk" in them, that it's a WINK WINK from the dev team! Forget about the fact that the two places have absolutely nothing similar beyond the words and the presence of junk in both players (Which is rare, of course, in the wasteland).


 * - "The little Casino War in Wasteland's Las Vegas appears to be a model for the Situation in New Reno" - simply stunning. If it APPEARS to someone to have some similarity, surely it belongs on this list.


 * - The EPA, which didn't make it... oh wait, why is it on this list again? Forget the fact that there is no similarity worth mentioning between EPA and Darwin.


 * - Keller Family Transcript - "individual digits of a combination held by different individuals is similar to Huey, Dewey, and Louie, of Quartz." Egad!  But wait, in Wasteland you get a Jeep... and in FO2 you get a car... and in Wasteland you have to use a password to talk to Ellen, and in New Vegas you have to use one to get in to the Ruined Store!!!  THE REFERENCES ARE EVERYWHERE!!!!


 * - Tesla Cannon - "Similar to Wasteland's Meson Cannon" - Also similar to the Drone Cannon, the Auto-Cannon, the Meat Cannon, the Plasma Cannon, the X277 Viper rail cannon, and any other things with the word "cannon" in them I may have missed. I mean, aside from being a single-shot heavy weapon with splash damage and DoT instead of single/burst/full-auto like the Meson Cannon, the Tesla Cannon is pretty much the exact same gun.  I am sure that if there were any graphics of the hand-held version of the Meson Cannon in Wasteland, it would look identical.


 * - Las Vegas as a setting. I am SURE Obsidian gathered around a table, and there was a unanimous decision that the next game should be set in Las Vegas in a nod to Wasteland.  The cities are indeed quite similar, for the reasons listed.


 * - The enormous statue outside of the Mojave outpost - since it says Desert Rangers on it - must be another nod in and of itself. Thanks Obsidian.


 * - Carbon, a small town has trouble with raiders - clearly a reference to Quartz, a small town which has trouble with bandits. But wait... Shady SANDS had trouble with raiders too... and SAND has QUARTZ in it!!!  ...


 * - Giese, the junk master (dubbed so by the author, apparently) whom can fashion weapons from pieces of junk (i.e., anyone who makes weapons in the post-war world...) - clearly a reference to "Junk Master" from Wasteland. Even though Junk Master wasn't a merchant, and wouldn't make you anything.


 * - The Entire Van Buren Section - I won't even get into the absurdity of listing possible references that possibly could have made it into the final cut of a cancelled game, let alone the fact that only the "ZAX" and "Christina Royce" entries even qualify for that.


 * Similarities aren't references or homages:


 * - Calculator - Again, another arch-evil with machinations of destroying the world. This is called, once again, a similarity, not a reference. Let's say... for argument's sake... that the computer at the end of Wasteland was named... Abacus... then, a cyborg named Calculator would be a reference, or homage, etc.


 * - Children of Atom - this, again, isn't a reference. It's a post-apocalyptic cult of crazies that worship the forces of destruction.


 * - Ghoul - Same name (well, none are just called "Ghouls" in Wasteland), ugly humanoid. That's it.  There is another enemy in Wasteland called the "Radiation Angel" which could be argued to be the predecessor to the Glowing One, but even that is a stretch without developer commentary.


 * - Laser Pistols, Laser Rifles - simply similarities. If they'd included "Meson Cannons" and "Ion Beamers", you'd have a valid argument that these are "references".  As far as being something new, post-apocalyptic books, movies, and games have included energy weapons for a long, long time.  Fallout's huge departure from Wasteland (the 50's-style vision what-if future) and its funky 50's style energy weapons would be there regardless of the ancestor title's inclusion.


 * - As previously stated, "Energy Weapons" are not a "reference" but a "similarity". (And aren't in-game skills, by definition, "obtainable"?)


 * - Robots - Seriously?


 * FINAL ANSWER - Here's an idea: if you believe that something qualifies as a REFERENCE, how about cite a source?


 * There are TONS of little things that are really easter eggs/homages (since we are talking about completely separate universes here) - don't junk up the list with your opinions, regardless as to how compelling they are. For example, Deathclaws, were they inspired by Wasteland?  SURVEY SAYS: http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout_Bible_7#So..._deathclaws Archon888 01:19, November 17, 2010 (UTC)

Red Ryder
While it's possible to get the Red Byder BB Gun by use of an exploit, I don't recall that being the only way. Can anyone confirm/debunk? --Faran Brygo 23:18, April 8, 2010 (UTC)
 * Super loot bag is the only way. The item is obiously broken in the game, as it deals heinous amounts of damage, has 63 bullets in its magazine (the most out of all 7.62mm weapons) and can kill nearly every enemy with a single shot. Including the Scorpitron. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/0/08/Personal_Sig_Image.gif Tagaziel (call!) 07:54, April 9, 2010 (UTC)

I can buy this and play on a Mac OS X, right?
Can I still buy this game, buy it, and play this on Mac OS X? Nukey   talk  22:18, April 11, 2010 (UTC)

terminator?
has anyone noticed that the plot is a possible refference to terminator- a machine wanting to kill humanity (skynet), machines killing people (terminators) and a group of people trying to defeat them (the Resistance) and the nukes (Judgement day). Mary roc 15:56, July 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * It's not. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/0/08/Personal_Sig_Image.gif Tagaziel (call!) 17:46, July 3, 2010 (UTC)
 * That's as far a stretch as saying The Children of the Atom are a reference to that X-Men arcade game. 99.196.128.59 22:11, July 7, 2010 (UTC) predcon
 * That's as far a stretch as saying The Children of the Atom are a reference to that X-Men arcade game. 99.196.128.59 22:11, July 7, 2010 (UTC) predcon

Its not as streched as that it just sounded like terminator two me. Mary roc 09:58, August 31, 2010 (UTC)


 * It is, 100% irrefutably, a reference to the Terminator movies. The comparison to X-Men is asinine.  The fact that the :words "Skynet became self-aware" are used should be a clue bright enough for even the dimmest to recognize.


 * The Fallout series is absolutely rife with references to other movies, games, cartoons, etc:


 * http://www.nma-fallout.com/fallout2/eggs/


 * And, aside from the incredibly glaring obviousness, just read the Skynet entry on this wiki:


 * (Scroll to the bottom)


 * http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Skynet


 * So, Mary roc, you are indeed correct =)


 * Archon888 21:00, November 16, 2010 (UTC)
 * Uh, May was asking about the Cochise AI. L2RC. http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/fallout/images/0/08/Personal_Sig_Image.gif Tagaziel (call!) 23:43, November 16, 2010 (UTC)


 * You know what, you are absolutely right - I was reading about the references in the game re: the issues with what is on this list, and forgot that this page was encompassing the entire game and not just the "references" list. Sorry about that, I apologize for the inability to read correctly.  Operating under the assumption that the two brilliant responses prior to mine would have, of course, simply written "Terminator 2 came out 3 years after Wasteland" was my downfall. Archon888 01:33, November 17, 2010 (UTC)