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Wasteland 3 from inXile Entertainment continues expanding after the release in August 2020 and the Linux version landing in December 2020 with the latest free upgrade out now.

"In Wasteland 3 you take command of a squad of Desert Rangers, lawmen and women in a post-nuclear world, trying to rebuild society from the ashes. More than a century after the bombs fell, you’re fighting a losing battle to keep your beloved Arizona alive. Then the self-proclaimed Patriarch of Colorado radios, promising aid if you'll do a job he can only entrust to an outsider—rescue his land from the ambitions of his three bloodthirsty children."

The 1.3.3 update headline feature is a new Permadeath mode, which is entirely optional and can only be turned on for new games. This mixes things up so characters in your squad stay dead if their Downed timer expires during combat. A mode for those of you who love it tough. Another new mode was added with Difficult Skills Checks which again, can only be turned on for a new game. If enabled it makes all Skill, Attribute, and Perception checks have +2 so you need to really optimize your squad.

Other additions include the option to retrain your squad members to move around their Attributes, Skills, and Perks. 23 new character customization options to use including helmets, masks, makeup, scars, and tattoos are available some of which were designed with "renowned post-apocalyptic costume designers" and they also worked to improve overall performance of the game.

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Nice to see it doing well after release with plenty of updates coming in. Looks like it's been a small hit too, with over six thousand user reviews giving it a good score overall.

You can buy Wasteland 3 from GOGSteam or the Humble Store.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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5 comments

gojul Mar 11, 2021
To be fair the second episode was much better, and much more stable at least on my rig.
TheSHEEEP Mar 11, 2021
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Not a fan of respec - at least if it is given for free or very cheap.

The big fun in these games comes from the thinking you put into your builds, the preparations you do for them, and then seeing it all work out in action.
It forces commitment and is rewarding if done right.

When respec is free or cheap, that removes the need to put in any thinking and to plan ahead. There is no commitment and no reward of figuring it out. You can just brainfart your way around until something works.

That was also the big mood killer for me in Diablo 3. I didn't feel commited to any character for a single second as I knew I could just switch everything around at-will.
furaxhornyx Mar 12, 2021
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Quoting: TheSHEEEPNot a fan of respec - at least if it is given for free or very cheap.

The big fun in these games comes from the thinking you put into your builds, the preparations you do for them, and then seeing it all work out in action.
It forces commitment and is rewarding if done right.

When respec is free or cheap, that removes the need to put in any thinking and to plan ahead. There is no commitment and no reward of figuring it out. You can just brainfart your way around until something works.


It all depends on how it fits the gameplay. For example, in the first Guild Wars game, respec'ing was free, and part of the gameplay to prepare for travelling through some areas.
I, for one, like to experiment and try fun stuff, and respec'ing allows me to try without getting punished too hard in the long term. Yet, I tend to only do it as a last resort, because I find it nice to take into account my "mistakes"

Quoting: TheSHEEEPThat was also the big mood killer for me in Diablo 3. I didn't feel commited to any character for a single second as I knew I could just switch everything around at-will.

Of all the mood killers for me in Diablo III, this one was verly low on the list
ziabice Mar 12, 2021
Quoting: TheSHEEEPNot a fan of respec - at least if it is given for free or very cheap.

The big fun in these games comes from the thinking you put into your builds, the preparations you do for them, and then seeing it all work out in action.
It forces commitment and is rewarding if done right.

When respec is free or cheap, that removes the need to put in any thinking and to plan ahead. There is no commitment and no reward of figuring it out. You can just brainfart your way around until something works.

That was also the big mood killer for me in Diablo 3. I didn't feel commited to any character for a single second as I knew I could just switch everything around at-will.

I share your opinion, but I disagree in some aspects, hope I can explain why, but I'm not a native english speaker, so excuse me if I'm not clear.

If you have a good ruleset (ie D&D) that you have studied, respec is not needed because you play using the rules as its best, and the rules usually are made to give you a balanced gameplay in every aspect.

But if the game is not well balanced as this Wasteland 3, which has rules that aren't describe anywhere and that you learn while playing, respec is very welcome, cheap or not. I played this game for 45 hours before losing interest. I can't invest more time on it, because at where I'm now I have to start a new gameplay, only to avoid wasting some ability points. I created a diversified party from the start (I played lots of RPG, and Wasteland 2 too), nevertheless this game forced me to waste points.

Furthermore, because of lots of random encounters against too strong opponents, having a good party is too seldom thwarted.
ugly Mar 14, 2021
Looks like with the latest version of Mesa, the visual artifact issues with ambient occlusion enabled has been fixed.
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