Wasteland Half-Life Press Release (3.12.01)

The time has come for the Wasteland development team to unveil its work, our massive project that we have come to regard as one of the most ambitious modifications yet to surface in the field. This document covers our next two public releases, beta 2.5 and 3.0, and is designed to once and for all show our critics as well as those unfamiliar with our work that we indeed do mean business. We have spent over a year as an underdog, hard at work while shying away from too much hype. However, as you will soon see we are of much greater proportions then any may have realized, and on the verge of some marvelous things.

I will begin in regards to our initial betas; Many musingly dismissed them as halfhearted or incomplete work, and some even questioned our integrity as if it was the sum total of our labors. The truth of the matter is that they were hardly a fraction of the whole that is Wasteland; if nothing more, mere demos and flow tests of artwork and firearms. Upon the release of such we made efforts to make this clear, but it seems to have come about that most did not heed our words. Make no reservations and hold no doubt in your mind that you haven't seen anything yet. The show has just begun, and this press release marks the beginning of our public affairs. These next few months will be times to remember.

Despite the degree to which we stressed that 2.0 was not the complete mod, many seemed to utterly ignore this fact, particularly a review on "Duck and Cover". We are saddened at the manner in which many have blinded themselves to our efforts, and were further hindered by complications with our installer and servers. If such is the case with yourself, you are urged to look instead into the near, and very real future, that this document explains.

We shall begin with 2.5; 2.5 marks the first time that the entire core of the mod will be released to the public. Our design doctrine was laid out so that the main mod itself is a basis of sorts, and each progressive beta from the initial establishment of it serves as an 'expansion' to that base. 2.5 is divided into DM (which itself has many divisions which I will go into later) and teamplay. We are often asked how our gameplay will function, but the beauty of that is that it isn't so strictly defined. Rather, through the aid of a modified version of the Desert Crisis objective engine (www.desertcrisis.com) mappers are able to compose elaborate multi-stage missions that, as we have designed it, can even carry on through multiple linked maps. Thus, instead of just "Team A blows up Point B" it can be "Team A blows up Point B, shuts down Point C's generator, Captures object at Point A, delivers object to Point D, Eliminates a specific player, then escapes to Point E".

It should be fairly obvious just how many possibilities such a system can have. Add then onto this our team system; we have three basic teams, and one special (again which I'll go into later). The mapper determines which are involved, and can specify everything for them from available weapons and equipment to the difficulty of opposing forces. Each team has several unique characters, of which there is only one on the battlefield at any given time, and the remainder of the team is composed of 'generic' troops with a wide array of variations to distinguish them. (i.e. Player 1 might be a raider with a mow hawk and a shoulder pad, whilst Player 2 might be bald with a goatee.) This is not only designed to eliminate the "clone" effect, but also to aid clan play, as clans will be able to distinguish their leaders and ranking players. Additionally, we have multiple types of armor, visible on the players, fitting to each team's "style" available in teamplay. Not only does all that I have described as of yet offer unbelievable variety and potential, but it is simply our -basis- for the future 'attachments' each beta will offer. We currently have more then 30 maps slated for our 2.5 release.

Now, to briefly touch upon deathmatch, which is most prominently marked by the ability to change gameplay modes on the fly. Basically players, if bored of one mode of play, can elect to shift to another, or even move to a teamplay scenario (and vice-versa). Some examples of the many DM variations in 2.5 include "Melee Only" (something unanimously demanded by our community), "Roll the Bum" (in which players fight to maintain control of an object for points, becoming the "bum" while doing so) and "Last man standing". The biggest draw will no doubt be "Partner Play", with small teams pairing off; Players will give their counterparts willpower bonuses and be able to bind the wounds of one another, as well as pool ammunition and weaponry. We have 6 modes of gameplay slated for 2.5's DM, and plan to add more with each subsequent beta.

Features, details, the nitty gritty of any game or mod; Our biggest pride and joy comes from the mind numbing number of little changes we've made, intricate details that have left us as a Total Conversion, sans singleplayer. All of these little intricacies come together to make Wasteland that much more unique of an experience. Exit wounds, decapitations, distinction between shell casing sounds, impact effects, four times the number of texture-material types then originally accounted for in Half-life, all with their own conditional ricochets and footsteps making knowledge of layouts that much more useful. We strive to make it as much of an adrenaline-pumping innovative experience as possible; to borrow the oh so true phrase coined by Interplay™: By gamers, For Gamers. We've covered a great many common sense aspects most titles overlook; we allow players to pistol whip, mix-and-match their side arms akimbo, progressively zoom their ranged weapons, and take aimed shots with their normal firearms and more. The most prominent thing players will currently merit is that 2.5 marks full client side utilization. Tests have proved that things remain playable (and even successful) at upwards of 500 ping. We like to cater to customization as well, and not only offer tons of optional server settings, but allow players to choose between a variety of HUD "themes", all of which are full color. We have, of course, covered the now-standard aspects such as visible reloading, pain animations, etc.

Arsenal; The Wasteland arsenal is quite hefty, and boasts 26 individual slated weapons (not including those of power armor), 34 if you include akimbo combinations. One might state it to be ludicrous, but bare in mind that weapons will be sanctioned to appropriate times (access, usage, etc will not always include all 26), but even with so many we have managed to avoid redundancy with advantages and disadvantages to each. There is also a certain degree of style to a player whom specializes in a less frequented choice. They're all balanced in such a fashion so that all of them, if one becomes skillful in their quirks, are equally potent in their own manner.

The Future; Beta 3's expansion focus will be the inclusion of the Power Armor scenario; mechanized suits with heavy armor, targeting aids, and other enhancements along with their own arsenal of heavy weapons take on a large team trying to stop them at any cost. The other expansion is the 'tribe wars', which pits a team of unique, heavily armed characters who only live once against a horde of tribesmen. It's a lot harder to survive then it sounds, and has proven to be immensely entertaining in action. Also, we may elect to incorporate proper vehicles in Beta 3, as we have devised conceptual means of producing massive outdoor maps utterly devoid of r_speeds.

Does all of this sound enticing? Our efforts don't just end with mod development. We are preparing to launch an expansive site network that will not only provide materials for all manners of customization, but also serve host to our own tournaments, leagues, and other events. Needless to say there is a very broad, bright future ahead of the Wasteland project, and we invite you to join us. Rest assured we are no mere text of ideas and promises- what you have read is a reality.

So, in closing, we can not but shake our heads at those whom assumed our test releases are the best we have to offer; Watch, and you shall not be disappointed-a silent titan is emerging.

-Gaist Heidegger
Wasteland Representative