Interview Oblivion - spiritual successor to Fallout!

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks; Fallout 3

<a href=http://bethblog.com/?p=285>Comedy Gold</a>, brought to you by Bethesda Softworks:
<br>
<br>
"One question. Lots of answers. We asked the team: What did you like best about the original Fallout games?"
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Emil Pagliarulo, Designer</b>
<br>
I loved the true open-endedness of the world, and the fact that I was this lone guy in a completely unknown world...</blockquote>Which is why you now have a prominent and dramatic father who is your moral compass and the main quest.
<br>
<br>
<blockquote>... and had the power to shape my own destiny in whatever way I saw fit. In Fallout, the Vault Dweller could be anything I wanted. So in a lot of ways Fallout was the progenitor of the “sandbox” game, and its principles have been replicated in everything from Oblivion to Grand Theft Auto.</blockquote>Does ignorance truly know no bounds?
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Dane Olds, Artist</b>
<br>
My favorite moment from Fallout was when I discovered the sheer destructive power of grenades. I got into a fight with some bandits and was in way over my head. ...</blockquote>The sheer destructive power of grenades, you say?
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Todd Vaughn, VP of Development</b>
<br>
Murdering everyone in Shady Sands.</blockquote>...
<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Ryan Ashford, QA</b>
<br>
The first time I played Fallout 1 and got Power Armor and a Plasma Rifle (I didn’t know about the Turbo Plasma Rifle yet), I created a save, and killed every single person in every single town I’d ever been to.</blockquote>...
<br>
<br>
<br>

 

[thesheeep]

The last two quotes are not bad. Everyone tried to kill every person in a town in Fallout just for fun. What's so bad about that?

For the rest. Yeah, well,...

 

[ixg]

Hey i just played oblivion today for the first time (im last gen lewl) and i'd like to say that it really does suck ass

rest in peace, fallout, you was a true homie

 

[Paranoid Jack]

You didn't play Oblivion... Oblivion played you. Especially if you bought it.


The Part 2 of the Witcher hands-on is up over at RPG Watch. Looks and sounds damned good to me.

 

[Jeff Graw]

Fallout 3 is officially fucked.

 

[pkt-zer0]

So, we have a guy as FO3 lead designer that tried to dispel the misconception of Fallout being turn-based, and considers GTA and Oblivion to be the spiritual successor of it.

*breathe*

WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!?!?!

I don't know how long I can keep believing that this is just some sort of elaborate joke on Emil's part.

 

[Jaime Lannister]

The designers seem to be the smartest:

Jess Tucker, Level Design
I definitely enjoy the stats manipulation, and figuring out how changing my stats affects Fallout in so many ways. A close second would be some of the more-out-there random non-combat encounters.

Jeff Browne, Level Designer
Revenge. Trying to kill the Deathclaws in Boneyard with explosives at a low level - not having the skill to do so and blowing myself up half the time. Then coming back later all decked out with my fancy gear and finally taking them down. Yeah, revenge was sweet in Fallout.

They already seem to be anti-level scaling.

Jon Paul Duvall, Designer
I enjoyed the setting and characters, the story, the wry sense of humor. I wasn’t introduced to the series until years after it came out, but even in the later years, there weren’t many cRPGs where I felt like I could actually “role-play” my character’s choices and attitude to the same degree.

Alan Nanes, Designer
I was always pleased to see unique dialog choices pop up if the player had crazy high or crazy low stats in some particular skill or attribute. How cool is that when you get surprised to find more than just the standard “where’s the widget” questions?! I also loved how the NPCs would react (sometimes brutally) to your choices… you weren’t just funneled along a single path. It could even shut down a quest or make questing impossible depending on how harsh they were. Now that’s some hardcore RPG’ing right there. It’s those little hidden gems that made Fallout a special game.

Second designer who wants stats to affect dialogue.

Philip Nelson, Level Design
I liked how combat wasn’t the only option, 99% of the games that come out these days are FPSs and its nice to play something different.

Nice.

Fred Zeleny, Designer
Fallout: The great dialogue, characters, and story; Fallout 2: The tremendous freedom to explore the world; Fallout Tactics: The excuse it gave to me reminisce about Fallout 1 and 2.

Ricardo Gonzalez, Programmer
That I could dynamite the entrance to the Shady Sands Radscorpion cave instead having to kill anything. That I could hack my way into the depths of the Glow without firing a shot. That I could join the Skulz gang, double-cross them in the middle of a gun fight, and still get credit for it. In essence, Fallout is one of the best games I’ve played in allowing you to play the character you want, as you want, and still have a meaningful game experience.

In too many other RPGs, I just can’t play the lazy, self-centered intellectual that I so enjoy playing. Because I have to save my village. Or avenge my village. Or gather happy, glowing stones for my village. You don’t want to? Tough. Take this sword. Or twin daggers. Or talking hauberk. Or whatever. Fallout gives you the exact same opportunity to be the hero, go slay the bad guys, finish that main quest line, but then lets you say, “Screw this. I’m going to go get laid and play chess with my super-computer friend.”

 

[KevinV12000]

Really quite funny in the sense that moronic simpletons are funny when they are speaking and unaware of the fact that: 1) they are morons; and 2) they are simpletons.

But, not surprising. This is the console mindset. Games are about lining us something in your sight and blowing it away. Mash buttons. Use a joystick. Action, action, action.

The Big Bad Market came and crushed our hobby and, like indie music lovers lamenting Justin Timberlake and Keith Urban, the money only goes to what the masses buy in thousands of units.

Of course, you could think that, having crushed us,they could at least show a little class and not go the extra step of pissing on something we love, but the crass and the low have a special, instinctive cunning that guides them on-target, unawares.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

The last two quotes are not bad. Everyone tried to kill every person in a town in Fallout just for fun. What's so bad about that?

For the rest. Yeah, well,...

Yeah... I did that too. First game I ever played, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get into The Glow (well that, and I got so irradiated I died afterwards) so I reloaded, tok out the Gun Runners (greatest battle ever as I'm running away out the doors avoiding the dude with the rocket launcher) and used the leader's plasma rifle to take out everyone else ('cause in my wisdom, I'd been pumping up mah lazer skillz all game so far). Taking out Aradesh has a certain charm to it... After you've saved his daughter and done all their quests.

 

[cardtrick]

The last two quotes are not bad. Everyone tried to kill every person in a town in Fallout just for fun. What's so bad about that?

For the rest. Yeah, well,...

What's so bad about that? They weren't asked "please name one of the many mildly amusing things you did in Fallout." They were asked for the best thing about the game, and they thought that it was killing everyone in town.

 

[Jora]

What's so bad about that? They weren't asked "please name one of the many mildly amusing things you did in Fallout." They were asked for the best thing about the game, and they thought that it was killing everyone in town.

And? I think they've got it right. And not only that, they've made killing everyone much easier - all you have to do is press the button and nuke it all to the ground.

 

[Ion Flux]

Some of the comments are pretty good, but they seem to be in the minority. The net result seems negative.

It wouldn't be so bad if this wasn't Fallout they were talking about. I know it sounds pussytastic, but some of the stuff they do and say actually hurts my feelings.

 

[cardtrick]

What's so bad about that? They weren't asked "please name one of the many mildly amusing things you did in Fallout." They were asked for the best thing about the game, and they thought that it was killing everyone in town.

And? I think they've got it right. And not only that, they've made killing everyone much easier - all you have to do is press the button and nuke it all to the ground.

Oh, good call, you're totally right.

 

[Volourn]

More Codex whining. Wonderful. And, great. I fell for the trap as I just whined myself about the whining. HAHAHA!

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Oblivion was best rpg evar lol wot u guys tlking bout

 

[Cassidy]

The title of this thread reminds me the standard issue threads in Elder Scroll Forums...

Oblivion was best rpg evar lol wot u guys tlking bout

LOL

RPG = Realy Prety Graphix (I wouldn't be surprised to see people thinking this is what RPG means, really)

MMORPG = MMooaar blOom Realy Prety Graphix :lollerskates: (Bonus)

So now I guess you all know what "Action RPG" really means...

 

[Callaxes]

Right now, the only pebble in my shoe is the silly humor, ilogical things thrown in a supposedly dark post-apocaliptic world, nuclear hand weapons and a game with less pesimisism then any Bioware game.

If it wasn't for this, then I would actualy be looking foward to this, becaus - you got to admit - it looks pretty interesting as a non-Fallout game.

 

[Callaxes]

The server is fucked up today

 

[Callaxes]

triple post

 

[Jack_Deth]

Todd Vaughn, VP of Development
Murdering everyone in Shady Sands.

And that was the farthest you got fucktard.

 

[Lumpy]

<blockquote>... and had the power to shape my own destiny in whatever way I saw fit. In Fallout, the Vault Dweller could be anything I wanted. So in a lot of ways Fallout was the progenitor of the “sandbox” game, and its principles have been replicated in everything from Oblivion to Grand Theft Auto.</blockquote>Does ignorance truly know no bounds?

But he's right, you know. You can clearly see Fallout's influences in Daggerfall.

 

[elander_]

Daggerfall isn't a sandbox. It's a 3d rogue with rp side-quests and a branching main plot. Neither Fallout was ever a sandbox, but a PnP simulator. Emil has gained a few bonus points in imbecility when he posted that. If he continues he risks reaching Todd H. level.

There are some very good posts from other guys. I was surprised to see so many of them enjoying the quest choices. And that Bethesda intern who tried to be a porn star and had to take chemicals to get her stamina up. LOL

 

[Futile Rhetoric]

I absolutely love how it's the interns and QA people who come up with the best, most thought-out, intelligent answers.

 

[thesheeep]

What's so bad about that? They weren't asked "please name one of the many mildly amusing things you did in Fallout." They were asked for the best thing about the game, and they thought that it was killing everyone in town.

I'd say, let everyone decide himself what he likes best about Fallout. If it is not what you found to be the best - so be it.
But you can't really judge a person just by what he points out as his "most fun experience".
What are you gonna do next, dimension the head of a person to tell what profession he should follow?

It is a mere sign, a clue, not more.
But, of course, this isn't the only sign that leads to the conclusion that those guys have no idea about Fallout...
Except some of them.

 

[Ladonna]

But he's right, you know. You can clearly see Fallout's influences in Daggerfall.

Nice one....