Reply With QuoteI'd still rather Bethesda have it in the option menu, but grayed out, ala Monkey Island 3.Originally Posted by Desslock
Psh, chill out you Jyggalag.
Is it an abysmal attempt at humor? Can I use my lifeline?
I'd still rather Bethesda have it in the option menu, but grayed out, ala Monkey Island 3.
Psh, chill out you Jyggalag.
We do have a full preview as well, written by Dan Stapleton, supplemented by a related piece I contributed to, so there's lots of info coming. I haven't read the GameSpot piece (or Dan's), so I don't know how much they overlap -- I'm also doing my column in the following issue on Fallout 3, as a sequel to my "memo to Bethesda" column a year or so ago, commenting on how I think things are looking on what I highlighted in the earlier column as the five most important "Fallout" features I was looking for in a sequel.
But if you have any additional questions on anything you've read anywhere - shoot - I'll try to answer them now that I'm no longer prohibited from doing so. I've waited a year and a half to be able to talk about Fallout 3, so I'm more than happy to do so, heh.
What's your general impression of the game at this point, Desslock? Do you like where Bethesda seems to be going with the game? Everyone likes to deride it as "Oblivion with guns" but is that, indeed, the closest comparison that comes to mind? Is there a better comparison? Other posters can go crazy with the nuts and bolt questions, but I'd prefer a big-picture impression, if possible.
Me too. Mostly I'd like your impression on how the atmosphere comes across with the restraints on killling kids/punching inthe nuts etc. ie is it still Fallout enough?
The thing that I want to know is if the writing is good. Even is the story winds up being a retread, if it's written so that I feel I'm there, talking to real people trying to make it in the wasteland, it's all good. I have no worries about immersion on the graphical side.
I watched the presentation on gametrailers and I'm a little worried about his comments that it could be played like a straight-up FPS with rpg elements. It makes me wonder how much the RPG elements are going to matter (not just the appeasement system VATS), but the megaton bomb quest they talk about seems really neat.
Oh, I just had an awesome idea: what if the bomb was a "smart" bomb a la Dark Star, so that if you have a high enough speech skill you can talk the bomb into exploding itself?
Sorry. I'm just so excited about this game I can't stop myself from wild speculation.
PS: Not killing children is something enforced by the ESRB. They won't rate you if you allow children killing in a game.
But it's not censorship!
I'm just wondering if since a big element of Oblivion was managing spells and gear that the engine they used will mean a that Fallout 3 will be missing a large portion of potential combat strategy due to a lack of variety of things to equip or use. Fallout 3 does not have psychic abilities to emulate spells, but perhaps there are some fantastic weapons (plasma rifles, miniguns, automatic shotguns, grenades, etc) that may emulate some of the gameplay behavior of spells, albiet one at a time and unlike being able to cast and wield a weapon at the same time.
... not by the government anyway, and if they dropped that requirement you can bet your ass that Hillary would be legislating gaming.
I actually think people will be very happily surprised with the writing, and the characters, in Fallout 3, compared to Oblivion's NPCs. The dialogue options are meaningful and different, not just a list of items that NPC can speak about, organized in a list where the only real choice is the order in which you hear the items. There's only a few hundred NPCs (down from 1500 or so in Oblivion, and 2500 in Morrowind), so they're much more fleshed out and unique -- it also helps that there's 30-40 different voice actors instead of just a handful in Oblivion. At least from what we've been shown, that stuff feels much more like Fallout 1/2 than Oblivion.
You also won't be a jack of all trades, as in Oblivion - you have to make real choices that matter, and which dynamically change the fortunes of other characters. Aside from enhancing replayability, since you obviously won't be able to do competing objectives, those choices deepen the roleplaying. To elaborate more on the "Megaton bomb quest" -- when you arrive at that town, you can greet and be friendly with the sheriff. When you get the quest to potentially blow up the bomb, you can instead inform the sheriff that these dudes are trying to blow up the town. Or you can decide to blow up the town, but actually be unable to because you lack the mechanical skills to activate the bomb. Or you could just decide to blow the sheriff away when you meet him, in which case you'll likely be attacked by his buddies when walking through the town. Or you could, after blowing him away, decide to put on his sheriff's uniform, in which case some NPCs may attack you for killing the sheriff, but others may actually defer to you as the new sheriff. In short - meaningful options and real choices, and interesting characters to interact with - in that respect, I think Bethesda is appropriately emulating some of Fallout's best and most distinctive features.
I also wouldn't read anything negative into not being able to kill kids - it's still definitely an M-rated game - there's graphic violence, swearing, and "adult" topics like slavery, etc. -- some other stuff that Bethesda isn't revealing yet, involving mutation, and one tracked stat was "corpses eaten", which makes me suspect there'll be something similar to the Vampire-path in Oblivion/Morrowind, where you can get into doing some nasty stuff. It doesn't feel sanitized. I also like the changes to the level-scaling, the use of SPECIAL and level-based character development as opposed to the use-based skill system of the Elder Scrolls games.
Other general impressions -- while calling it "Oblivion with guns" is an oversimplication given some of the differences I've described above (and without also getting into the combat differences, etc.), I also think it's a superficially apt description because it definitely looks like Oblivion, not like Fallout, because of the perspective. Sure, they've doled out the carrot of being able to view the game from an isometric perspective, but I'm skeptical that it'll be in any way practical to do so. But the graphics look great - far better than I think they come across in still screenshots.
Areas of uncertainty - the VATS system looks really cool, and is visually spectacular, but I think we need to see more of the combat to judge how it feels in practice. I really like the VATS system, but I'm not sold on combat in general - there's also a few pieces we haven't seen at all, like melee combat (which is definitely an important part of the game). Also, everything in the demo occurred in relatively congested areas as well, with lots of rubble around blocking views, etc. - I'd like to get a better sense for how large the world feels, and looks, by seeing more expansive vistas, etc. (obviously one of the real strengths of Oblivion).
Other stuff I really like - the implementation of the PIP boy, and the ability to pick off radio broadcasts as you're wandering the wasteland. The use of robots like Mr. Handy from the Fallout 1 cinematic - the nuke effects -- and the overall atmosphere: the perspective gives you a better sense that you're exploring a place that's been blown apart and is messed up (suitably "postapocalyptic") as opposed to a flat, top-down view. It's actually kind of creepy -- it's one thing to see a giant castle in the background while playing Oblivion, and think that's a cool, realistic view -- it's another to be walking around and then to look up at Washington D.C. buildings that have been fucked up, since we have a vested attachment to that setting.
Desslock, the only thing i REALLY want to know about is : do you know if it will support modding like Morrowind or Oblivion? Because back when i heard that Bethesda was making Fallout^3 that was the thing i thought about immediately.
After Mass Effect comes out, do you think that Bioware will have raised the bar as to what people should expect from a high-quality RPG on the consoles? I mean, I'm just wondering if Fallout 3 will be a little disappointing since it will not (as far as I know) feature any sort of tactical control over companions. Which is another question-- ARE THERE companions of any sort? Oblivion did a reallly piss poor job on that front, and I haven't read anything confirming or denying party members (something prominent in F1/2).
On modding: I really hope they do, and I hope they make it more flexible. Modding in Oblivion was even more restrictive than Morrowind, which is a shame. I know people love to complain about how people want dual wielding in fantasy games all the time, but wouldn't you like to add in guns akimbo if it is missing in F3?
Sounds great... thanks!
Desslock: Do you talk at all about the food/water/radiation poisoning thing that the game previews keep mentioning offhandedly, as if any game ever had made Tamagotchi mechanics fun? (and I'm excluding you people that play the Sims...if that's what you call fun, I want no part of it. I understand those games from the perspective of a simulator or something, but that's about it.)
Also, when does that PCG hit newsstands? I don't really play PC games any more, but a Fallout in depth article is an automatic sell for me. Depending on how demanding these character choices are, I may have to pick up the PC version of the game anyway...I enjoyed playing Fallout 1 and 2 straight quite a few times, but I also enjoyed doing ridiculous things with character editors and messing around. If it's going to be as vast a difference in customization as it was with Oblivion PC/360, it'll be no contest for me.
Play STALKER and it's pretty much the exact same thing (minus water).
If I remember correctly, and Desslock can step in, Howard mentioned that it will be similar to Fallout, in that you can hire people to tag along, but you have no direct control over them.
Please tell me that they have a much better inventory management layout than Oblivion's.
There won't be a party, or controllable companions (even the original Fallout games had AI-controlled companions), but there will be characters that fight alongside you. Expect Dogmeat or his doppelganger.
I think the plan is definitely to support modding. I did ask if Fallout 3 would ship with a construction kit like the past 2 Elder Scrolls games, and that hadn't been decided yet. To be honest, that stuff doesn't interest me personally, so I didn't delve deeper into it.
I'm hoping to god that they are more intelligent than Oblivion's combat AI for companions, and not nearly as buggy (or as buggy/stupid as STALKER's friendly AI). I really can't take another battle where they rip me in half with the minigun because they're too stupid to realize that I'm between them and their target.
I think Mel is calling the dog Jewbiter these days.
And that means?
Also, I'm glad the party thing is mostly dead. I much prefer the idea of short term FPS/TPS style squadmates. It was fun in F1 and F2, but mostly for how fucked up it was (PUT THAT MACHINE GUN DOWN YOU...dammit.)
I think the PCG hits newstands next week.
I'm not certain what you mean about Tamagotchi mechanics. Water is basically a precious resource in the game, which you need to restore health (or stimpacks) -- surface water is often irradiated, so if you're going to drink it you'll need radaway to avoid radiation effects. But it's not an "Iolo-in-Ultima7"-style caretaking system.
Saxman - I think the inventory graphics, etc. we saw were placeholder, but it seemed pretty standard "press I to pull up inventory" style system, not Oblivion's goofy journal tab system.
It means having a few things to watch out for and keep regulated (as long as it doesn't become overbearing or unnecessarily tedious) increases immersion and the sense that you're at odds with the dangerous environment around you. Radiation, limited ammo, equipment state, thirst, these things are good concepts to sell in a game where you're basically scrounging to stay alive.
We didn't see any friendly fire incidents in the combat that was demonstrated, which was basically you and some Brotherhood of Steel guys against supermutants. They seemed intelligent enough to be fanned out - I don't know if friendly fire is possible or was disabled, but it didn't seem to be a factor.
Like I said, even though you won't have a controllable party in the traditional sense, you can have allies and/or followers, to a greater degree than in Oblivion (and there were actually quite a few occasions in that game where you worked with other characters).
SWEET! I'm sure after a little modding I'll be able to shoot that nuclear catapult into a child's groin and store the remains in pudding cups.
So it's integrated into the health, and not in a Lost Planet/Shinobi steadily declining way. I was concerned it would be a whole 'nother gauge to worry about (I already despise fatigue meters in most general implementations). That sounds better.
Man, I hated that system. Thanks for reminding me of that. Here's to hoping they don't resurrect the equally awful Fallout store mechanism.Saxman - I think the inventory graphics, etc. we saw were placeholder, but it seemed pretty standard "press I to pull up inventory" style system, not Oblivion's goofy journal tab system.
Limited ammo, sure. Limited inventories are kind of essential, much as they may spit in my eye as I try to gather every single object.
Decaying equipment is a fat meh that had better include an option to crank it way down, or it's going to piss me off.
A separate thirst and/or hunger thingy to track could be a deal breaker in the long run. I've yet to run into a game (offhand) where that brand of mechanic improved the experience for me. What you call immersive might well be what I call a pain in the nuts.
Which is, again, why I suspect a moddable PC version might be the way to go for me. I want you guys to be happy with your immersion, of course, but I know there's others who will join me in bypassing that stuff ASAP.
Awesome. I want a mutant power that lets me be a radioactive corpse-eating ghoul sheriff. Come on Bethesda, you can do it. PANDER TO THE DEGENERATE GOREHOUNDS, BETHESDA! YESSSSS, MY PRECIOUSSSSS!!!!!
No wonder they all loved it and didn't ask any good question.In addition to an hour-long demo and chats with the game's designers, the trip included a two-night stay in downtown's swank Helix Hotel, dinner at Logan Tavern and a private party at a nightclub in Adams Morgan. Airfare, hotel, food, drinks and shuttle bus were provided, courtesy of Bethesda Softworks. Although a few attendees paid their own way, most did not.
No mention of cocaine and hookers though.
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