Game News Gavin Carter of Bethedsa speaks

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Fallout 3; Gavin Carter

<b>Gavin Carter</b>, an associate producer over at <A href="http://www.bethsoft.com">Bethesda</a>, hopped on <A href="http://www.rpgdot.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=397552">this thread</a> over at <A href="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPGDot</a> to clear up a few things about <b>Fallout 3</b>:
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<blockquote>It's not going to be Morrowind with guns, geez
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I've played Fallout, I love Fallout. Todd has played Fallout, Todd loves Fallout. Tons of people in the company have played and loved Fallout. If I find out they haven't played Fallout, I will make them People who think we will never progress from Morrowind are going to be in for one hell of a wake-up call.</blockquote>
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You know, the old, <i>I've played Fallout, I love Fallout</i> line kind of got ran through the mud by the developers of <A href="http://www.interplay.com/fbos">Fallout Enforcer</a> as well as by <a href="http://www.microforte.com">Micro Forte</a>. Not saying <a href="http://www.bethsoft.com">Bethesda</a> can't pull off a good <b>Fallout 3</b> here, but that statement has been heard before.
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Thanks, <b>Dhruin</b>!
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[Vault Dweller]

He thinks we are funny

Glad to see lots of people excited about it. I know I am. If you want to read something hilarious, check out the thread on rpgcodex.com. Most hilarious thing I've read in weeks [Big Grin] I think I better start screening my mail!

 

[Cholox]

G. Carter made a similar post at Gone Gold. http://www.gonegold.com/ubb/ultimatebb. ... 003323;p=2

It will not be Morrowind with guns. It won't be because we are not idiots. We are game developers, and we're good at what we do.

That is what everyone is worried about. People who think we will never progress beyond Morrowind are going to be in for one hell of a wake-up call.

edit: sorry for the repeat ^

 

[Transcendent One]

We'll see.

 

[evilmonkey]

So it will be fallout that looks like morrowind, but not - as it is post apoc anyway - with guns and a gamplay like morrowind, but not - as it is fallout, but not - and in the you have morrowind with guns but with a grain of salt and the name of fallout.

 

[FrankHorrigan]

I've been a long time lurker here and over the TES forums for a long time and never been compeled to post on either site until today. In relation to Gavin Carter and anything he has to say... Carter ran the Destination Morrowind fan site for 2 years or so( now hosted on the TTLG.com site ) before being taken on as a intern towards the end of Morrowinds development. His role in morrowind was populating the world with items and minor scripting VIA the elder scrolls contruction set, the same one that shipped with the game. So his title of associate producer is misleading, or to be honest, bullshit.

Again, as a long time TES & fallout fan, i fanaticaly followed the morrowind project from its very first announcment. The first 4 screenshots that bethesa released for morrowind where 3dsmax mockup's. Alot of people pointed this out at the time, myself included and carter(running the fansite at the time) was one of the people to jump on those saying they were mockups, claiming himself that they were actual in game shots. No other screenshots came out for morrowind for close to a year, and when they did, they looked totaly different and bethesda conseeded the initial shots where just meant as a rough guide.

My point is, and i could give other examples, Bethesda is not a company, i guess like 99% of others, that you can trust. Also Gavin Carter was basicaly a clutter monkey on morrowind, something that even i have done thru the editor and ive no formal computer skills. I know rpgcodex has a much more "educated" and much less niave audience and are rightly cynical, but i just thought i'd throw this out anyway.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

My only thought on the subject is this.. Why would such big fans of Fallout buy the rights to Fallout from under the original developers of Fallout?

To me, that doesn't make much sense. It'd be like someone buying the rights to Ultima from EA because they had more money than Richard Garriot at the time and then saying they're going to develop Ultima 4 on their own because they loved the first three so much. If you loved the first three, really loved them, then wouldn't you want the people who made the original three to do them?

 

[FrankHorrigan]

I would look on it as an indugence on the part of bethesda. Bethesda is a privatly owned company in very good financial health after the money morrowind brought in. It is'nt run in a way like most other game companies.. that is to say its a fairly relaxed place. Intellectual property wise, they are very limited though, they have a the Dragster franchise, the TES franchise and thats about it. Im pretty sure buka has parted ways with them, so no more sea dogs stuff published via bethesda, not that it was in house stuff, so irrelevant.

So anyway, back to my what i was saying, theirs probably not a market for 2 simultaenously developed TES games, so the dev's have stated their fallout fans, they had cash sitting around doing nothing and as i said, its a fairly relaxed place where the studio lead, howard has alot of say. I guess he always wanted to do a fallout game, the company had the money to pay to pimpster caen and that is that. They prolly think they can do it better than cain(they cant) so the sate their own want to make the game, rather than do whats best for the game.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Not Morrowind with guns? I call Bullshit on that one. Sorry, but I've had enough of people "Contributing" to the fallout universe thank you.

 

[Voss]

Carter may be in for a surprise, but I think peoples' doubts about their ability to progress beyond Morrowind is rooted in the games they've produced. The elder scrolls series is a simple progression of improved graphics on the same game, and well, drag racing games... aren't exactly a factor here.

MW is that vain cheerleader that everyone knew. Pretty enough to look at if you like that sort of thing, but not exactly a lot of depth there. And no indication that her parents could raise a completely different kind of child. Or something like that. Sigh. Another potential metaphor gone horribly wrong.

 

[kathode]

I've been a long time lurker here and over the TES forums for a long time and never been compeled to post on either site until today. In relation to Gavin Carter and anything he has to say... Carter ran the Destination Morrowind fan site for 2 years or so( now hosted on the TTLG.com site ) before being taken on as a intern towards the end of Morrowinds development. His role in morrowind was populating the world with items and minor scripting VIA the elder scrolls contruction set, the same one that shipped with the game. So his title of associate producer is misleading, or to be honest, bullshit.

Sweet, you know my whole life!

Actually, I did town interiors on Morrowind. A few dungeons too, come to think of it. Tel Vos was my favorite. Cluttermonkey yes. I also did a quest. I imagine you disliked it.

I did quests on Tribunal. I am credited as a full designer on that project. I will not ask your opinion on them

Now I work here full-time as an associate producer (yes, an assprod). I check up on schedules, do a bunch of QA related stuff, and attend a ton of meetings. If that's bullshit, so be it

I made basically the same post all around the web. Bet you can't find them all!

EDIT: Oops, better clean up my language in case you want to put me on the front page again!

 

[FrankHorrigan]

I do agree with you on that Voss, Morrowind is the pretty & vain cheerleader that everyone knew... but i do think theirs a small bit of the "tart with a heart" in their too. At the end of the day, everything is a question of taste, beastiality anyone? but personaly i did like daggerfal alot and i did like morrowind too, though i was fanatical about fallout. And you gotta ackowledge that a company that has been going for over 20 years in this industry, and isnt EA or Atari, must have done something right.

But i dont think their the right people for fallout and im gonna be scared until i see some real details about what they have in mind, then i might be even more scared.

 

[FrankHorrigan]

I've been a long time lurker here and over the TES forums for a long time and never been compeled to post on either site until today. In relation to Gavin Carter and anything he has to say... Carter ran the Destination Morrowind fan site for 2 years or so( now hosted on the TTLG.com site ) before being taken on as a intern towards the end of Morrowinds development. His role in morrowind was populating the world with items and minor scripting VIA the elder scrolls contruction set, the same one that shipped with the game. So his title of associate producer is misleading, or to be honest, bullshit.

Sweet, you know my whole life!

Actually, I did town interiors on Morrowind. Cluttermonkey yes. I also did a quest. I imagine you disliked it.

I did quests on Tribunal. I am credited as a full designer on that project. I will not ask your opinion on them

Now I work here full-time as an associate producer (yes, an assprod). I check up on schedules, do a bunch of QA related stuff, and attend a fuck-ton of meetings. If that's bullshit, so be it

I made basically the same post all around the web. Bet you can't find them all!

A sad but true fact kathode is that games are a big part of my life and so i know alot about them, so i havent got a "play misty for me" complex just for you. You are illustrating tho what my point about you was, you have an inability to accept critisim/negative comments about yourself or when you were running destination morrowind, about bethesda. Not that i have any under my belt (but i dont declare myself an assprod) when you have a complete game under your belt that you have done some good work on, and that is in fact a good game, maybe then my own opinion of you will be higher, until then you statements dont carry much weight in my gaiming wise, experienced mind.

 

[kathode]

A sad but true fact kathode is that games are a big part of my life and so i know alot about them, so i havent got a "play misty for me" complex just for you. You are illustrating tho what my point about you was, you have an inability to accept critisim/negative comments about yourself or when you were running destination morrowind, about bethesda. Not that i have any under my belt (but i dont declare myself an assprod) when you have a complete game under your belt that you have done some good work on, and that is in fact a good game, maybe then my own opinion of you will be higher, until then you statements dont carry much weight in my gaiming wise, experience mind.

Play misty for me? I'm not the one who put my quote on the front page. It's pretty darn flattering that anyone would put anything I say on the front page of anywhere. Where did I not put up with your negative criticisms? Would you really like to know the list of quests I did? Assprod is my job title, like it or not. I'm not "declaring" myself that. The company did it when they hired me as such. In case you don't know, it means "Junior producer." I.E. No power whatsoever You are welcome to think it is nothing special, but that is in fact what I'm paid for at the moment.

 

[Cholox]

All over the net... but not, apparently, any Fallout fan sites or forums. Being a fan yourself, I would have expected a little more consideration.

 

[kathode]

All over the net... but not, apparently, any Fallout fan sites or forums. Being a fan yourself, I would have expected a little more consideration.

Ha, if I ventured into the den at this point, they'd consume me whole with a side of fava beans and a nice Chianti The water here is plenty warm enough, thanks!

 

[FrankHorrigan]

Play misty for me? I'm not the one who put my quote on the front page

Obviously, unless your Saint P's alter evil ego?

[It's pretty darn flattering that anyone would put anything I say on the front page of anywhere.

This could be indeed your 10 seconds of fame.

[Where did I not put up with your negative criticisms?

Its a general comment of which i gave 1 example, the mocked up shots. Theirs plenty others, people can belief me or not, my orignal elderscrolls.com account is long forgotten to me as are the posts long gone.

Assprod is my job title, like it or not. I'm not "declaring" myself that. The company did it when they hired me as such. In case you don't know, it means "Junior producer."

What i said was not so much a personal jibb at you, though you took it as one, more of a comment to let people know what you said was not influential in what might be bethesda plans for fallout.

You are welcome to think it is nothing special, but that is in fact what I'm paid for at the moment.

At least we can agree on something

 

[kathode]

This could be indeed your 10 seconds of fame.

Awesome.

 

[FrankHorrigan]

The odd thing is though, even if you want to ignore my points, as *actual* fallout fans go, im in the infinetly small group thats as close to the school of thought that says maybe, big maybe bethesda can do something with the fallout franchise.

 

[Jarinor]

You know what Bethesda could do to really impress me with their acquisition of the Fallout license? Sell/Give it to Troika ASAP. Bitch slap Herve for not doing it in the first place, so to speak.

 

[Pope_Viper]

Come on.

This could be indeed your 10 seconds of fame.

Awesome.

This kind of indifference/sarcasm isn't going to benefit anyone.

I hope Bethesda truly thought about fan interaction/input prior to shelling out the bucks for the license.

It's going to be difficult dealing with it, but if you want a sucessful game, YOU'VE GOT TO LISTEN.

Look at the last two FO games that came out where the devs provided an uplifted finger to the fans.

Didn't really go over well.

Or, perhaps I'm mis-reading your comment, and putting more into it then actually exists.

 

[FrankHorrigan]

Kathode aside, bethesda is generaly speaking a company who does listen to their fanbase and from time to time actualy acts upon it. For example, werewolves where a big element from Daggerfall that alot of people wanted in Morrowind, supposedly the devs said it couldnt be done, due to the engine not being able to handle morphing. Anyway, it was eventualy added to the game.. in an expansion pack that had to be purchased. Their are other minor things the devs changed/added due to fan feedback, another example is the enemy health bars that were added in a patch.

BUT, the TES fanbase is alot less vocal than the fallout fanbase. They dont really get as agrressive as we do and TES wasnt anywhere near as dependant on a core fanbase that fallout 3 would be.

 

[Pope_Viper]

Aggressive??

Fallout Fans?

What the hell are you talking about?

 

[FrankHorrigan]

Aggressive??

Fallout Fans?

What the hell are you talking about?

Shut the fuck up you stupid cocksucker.

 

[Pope_Viper]

Hump a dead chicken, ass meat.

I just hope BEth doesn't pull another Carsten.

"Of course we'd listen to the Fallout fans."

"Well, your ideas are ok, but really wouldn't fit into SSE's vision of the game."

"FUCK YOU GUYS, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A REAL FALLOUT IS, I'M GOING BACK TO WORK ON THE FALL."