Just started the game. Very nice presentation of character creation screens. Extra character clothing options would`ve been nice, but no biggie. I liked the way that the movie intro turned into the game with the characters in the same positions- Gave you a clear idea of where you are at.

The interface is cleaner. Starting areas are different in some parts with some unexpected twists. Makes exploring again refreshing. Graphics are better- I noticed this especially when in a cave and the ground glistened with moisture to the point I had to comment on it. Combat itself is not as different as I`d hoped. You can choose parts of the body to hit, but I was hoping for abilities like going prone, etc and for long distances in combat generally.

Anyway, very good, looking forward to a proper play through. I didn`t get that far in the previous game.

I've just checked the first radio area yet (the Ace demise location), and I have mixed feelings about this edition. So far,

PRO :
- It seems a bit better optimised. The former version made my computer fans scream like a jet fighter turbine, and things calmed downed a bit now. A bit.
- The perks seem nice. The ones you can select at character creation seem more handicapping than truly interestingly balanced, but the list that gets unlocked in-game is quite attractive.

CON :
- The new camera limitations make the game view very annoying, compared to the original. I still hope the fix will arrive shortly on gog, and, well, actually fix it. [EDIT: camera distance patch fixes this issue indeed, still no isometric distant view but even so it's cool enough now]
- I actually preferred the original interface, on the character charts.

I'M A BASTARD :
- People disliked how you had to hotlink or manually select a character and a specific action, for disarming traps, unlocking crates, etc. So they streamlined it a lot. The team's "ass" dialogue options are readily available without selecting the interlocutor, and a pop up appears over crates to let you select your team's best abilities directly. Well, I think I liked the original roleplayish individual micromanagement better ("YOU, go do THAT"). I'm probably the only human in that case.
- The game feels much much easier, but that's probably just me being more experienced and making less dumb creation and tactical choices. KIlled that frog in a few seconds, while my first encounter with it had been a pathetic reload marathon. Also, easily opened all the area content, while I had to grind and come back during my first run.

All in all, the pros and cons seem balanced. I'll play the DC version because of the perks and the rumoured little content addition, and for the less deafening computer, but if it had been just the cosmetic bits, I would have rolled back to the original version. The 'feel' seemed better, but I don't know if it's a (definitive) matter of interface or a (temporary) matter of camera distance... [EDIT: yes, the pre-patch cam distance was temporarily ruining the feel, and the feel is back]

I like it so far. I haven't played the original in months, so I can't remember everything that's different. The new visuals are nice. It plays a bit smoother as mentioned and it feels easier to me as well. Only time I've been overwhelmed was by a random encounter with some gila monsters right at the start.

You can turn this off in settings, there's an option along the lines of "Always use the best character"

I wasn't able to play it last night with that claustrophobic camera. I couldn't even recognize the orientation of the first map!

Has the number of random crates and containers been reduced dramatically? They were littered around every map in a random fashion.

I know there's been a few map changes eg Highpool - for better or worse.

Still don't think much of the stock portraits and those models. I couldn't even see a bald male model listed to match a portrait. I still don't think the models & portraits are a good match for the soldier/cowboy/ranger theme.

Do character descriptions finally match up to their NPC models?

It's sad that tactical depth wasn't improved in this edition, called shot's is nice, but really doesn't change anything.
Oh well, i'll replay Silent Storm once more. I'm aware that Wasteland wasn't meant to be tactical game, it's RPG after all, but there was hope...

It was almost impossible but they made combat interface even worse than previous. That red overlay, covering current target is killing me, as UI isn't cramped without it already. Most random encounter maps is still "straight passages with obstacles" as well as some primary location maps (AG Center, Prison, Atchinson camp), am i playing console shooter here? Disability to attack without being noticed, before "encounter begins" is strange thing. You literally must give up opponent first turn in combat. All combat reduced to toe-to-toe brawling with guns.

My experience was almost exactly the same. Previously that toad was a nightmare, this time it was easier, not that easy, but easier. But I really do think it`s because we ran it once before and are a lot more prepared. Certainly, regarding the toad, I had everyone set up position and every man was specialised in his craft unlike the ragtag group I had before. And on Ranger level.

Some things are still as annoying though, such as new Followers deciding to run off by themselves even though I had 2 leadership this time! AGGHH!

Oh and this time I decided to save the AG centre first, but now i`m so roped into that, that I can`t leave to help the other place, so I guess I`ve just swapped one group that hated me in the last game, for a different group that will hate me. Oh well, such is life.

Hah, I created a leader-type character with high charisma and lots of points spent on leadership, but Angela & especially Rose still frequently go nuts.

I also went with AG Centre first, mostly because I found it much much easier to deal with the remains of Highpool than the other way around. My group kept getting slaughtered by the now harder post-Highpool monsters at AG Centre so I eventually gave up and restarted my game. I don't know if my new party was just that much better, or if going for AG first was simply the easier route.

I also did/redo the ag center because :

1) radiation barriers on the way to highpool
2) the ag works and installations seem more important for the future of mankind than highpool
3) i've heard that highpool involved a tedious back-and-forth button door labyrinth part, and those bore me.

I also plan meticulously flawless ambushes that get ruined by all these leroy jenkins. But to be honest, I sometimes like these characters to take initiatives. Sometimes.

Half-relatedly : I like frogs. Seriously. It is now official. Wasteland frogs that steal your weapons with their tongues, temple of elemental evil frogs who swallow your party members whole, frogs are the unsung badasses of roleplaying games.

I want to play as a party of giant frogs.

Don't forget one particular frog in SaGa Frontier 2. It appears to just be a normal enemy but it is quite dangerous and can drop the Golden Axe (which isn't as strong as one would like for that point in the game).

---

Okay. Update.

Applied the camera hotfix. It is of course the usual asymprotic forced angle, but it does zoom high ebough for it not ti bother me that much. It does stretch the field of view enough for the game to feel okay again.

As a consequence, the atmosphere is back. I still hope some patches will allow more visual customization in the future, but nothing important or urgent is at stake. WL2 is enjoyable again.

Thanks for reading and nice work,
I didn`t realise it would be harder than the original! Thanks for the heads up.

That is good to hear, because in my last playthrough of the original game, basically no fights were challenging on Ranger difficulty, even the ending went pretty straightforward. Don't think I healed a single bloke.

Though it should also be said that these games can't really be optimised for min-max type builds across the board, or people who play with more balanced characters could find it too tough. From a game developer and balancing point of view, it's probably not easy choices to make.

For those who have played a fair bit, are there any serious issues so it would be worth to wait for a patch or three?

No serious issue.

Some non-serious issues, though, apparently.

Edit: No, it may be the normal WL2 way to display item types, like one same "hat" icon for all different headwears, one same "jacket" icon for all different chest clothes, etc... Hard to say if it's intended or not.

But apart from that, I'm in the AG center, and have encountered no bug. I mean, hm, no glitch. Whatever.