Interview Fallout 3 and things learned from Oblivion at Play.tm

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Fallout 3

<A href="http://play.tm/">Play.tm</a> has <A href="http://play.tm/story/17696">an interview</a> with <b>Petey Boy Hines</b> about <a href="http://fallout.bethesda.com">Fallout 3</a>. Topics include the choice of first person, the story, the humor, this and that, and this:
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<blockquote><b>What have you learned from Oblivion and how important a release was this, in relation to Fallout 3?</b>
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Every game we make always helps us learn how to make these types of games better. There are lots of things we're doing differently in terms of quests and gameplay balance based on our experiences with Oblivion, but also realize that Fallout 3 is a different game in terms of scope. There are fewer people living in this post-nuclear world, and so that change alone makes it a lot easier to give everything more depth and meaning that when you make a game like Oblivion that has so many more characters living in this one place, and all these big, thriving cities to account for.</blockquote>
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Less can still be less if you get people to think it's more? Even more less if you can convince people it's more work even when it's less. That's it, more or less.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.bluesnews.com">Blue's News</A>

 

[Vault Dweller]

Fallout 3 is true to the Fallout series; it's an RPG. That doesn't mean that we don't spend a lot of time on the combat and making it as fun and as good as possible. Most people spend a lot of time in RPGs exploring around and killing things. We want to make that as much fun as it can be.

Fallout 3 is an RPG. No, no, folks, please don't go away. Even though it's an RPG the combat is fun. Did you know that most people play RPGs to kill things? You see where I'm going with that? If you think about it, RPGs and shooters are pretty much the same genre. In fact, RPGs *are* the new shooters, improved and repackaged. Yes, son, you can buy two copies.

 

[fastpunk]

PlayTM: Will the series' trademark dark humour survive the transition over from Interplay?

PeteBoy 3000: Absolutely. Another key element to the series. It wouldn't be Fallout without dark humour to offset the bleak reality that is life in a post-nuclear wasteland.

A better question would be: "Will the series' trademark humour survive the transition to the new audience?" Cause if previews are any indication, that trademark humor has been magically converted into cheesy humor.

 

[bezimek]

Fallout 3 is true to the Fallout series; it's an RPG. That doesn't mean that we don't spend a lot of time on the combat and making it as fun and as good as possible. Most people spend a lot of time in RPGs exploring around and killing things. We want to make that as much fun as it can be.

Fallout 3 is an RPG. No, no, folks, please don't go away. Even though it's an RPG the combat is fun. Did you know that most people play RPGs to kill things? You see where I'm going with that? If you think about it, RPGs and shooters are pretty much the same genre. In fact, RPGs *are* the new shooters, improved and repackaged. Yes, son, you can buy two copies.

You are twisted evil VD but it is good to have you on board.

 

[kingcomrade]

I just took at a look at the Iron Tower forums and just read a post about how Brave New World is a "poor" book.

edit-
The rest of that thread is just embarassing to read.

 

[elander_]

Pete views are that FPS games are an evolution of TB and PnP rules only exist because they didn't have computers at the time. What exactly does Pete thinks he has learned from Fallout?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Thank you for bringing it to my attention, KC. Now, back to Fallout 3...

http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/fallo ... w-878.html

Memorable quotes:

It'll take something pretty special to follow The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda Softworks' must-own next-gen RPG ushered in the new generation of consoles spectacularly well, offering hundreds of hours of gameplay in a world impossible to imagine only a few years ago.

... only something of truly epic proportions could follow Oblivion. It's a good job Bethesda had Fallout 3 up its sleeve then.

Lucky us, eh?

For Fallout 3 to have the success of Oblivion it's going to have to be more than a game for hardcore fans. Vault 101 and Pip boy mean nothing to most people, and they didn't to me either.

Yeah, fuck the hardcore fans. Power to the people!

Time skips forward one year. You're now a toddler, walking around in a play area. Again, this is all in-game, and a disguised tutorial. Your father calls you over, so you slowly stumble over to him, pressing A to shout out "Dadda". It's incredibly immersive...

... if you are a fucking moron, aka the target audience.

If you send him into an area and he gets into trouble, he could die - gone from the game forever.

I like how every preview stresses out that if your dog dies, he's gone for good. I bet the dog will replace Caius as the new iconic character: "Help! I used a nuclear catapult on my dog and now he doesn't want to play with me anymore. He's lying on his back and looks very sad.... *sobs* I want my dog back..."

It certainly seems like a brave move on Bethesda's part, putting the dog's life in your hands, but we're yet to see how awkward it'll be to constantly keep him out of harm's way.

Ok, now that's just creepy. Nobody is that stupid, right. Right?

Super mutants are your biggest foe in the game, with super mutant strongholds being set up across the wasteland.

StrongholdS ? As in stupid Oblivion ruins that were everywhere?

Fallout 3 isn't a game for kids...

I take it you've never been to the ESF.

And for the closing comment...

There's no denying its potential to be a grittier, more action heavy RPG than Oblivion, but until we get some extensive hands-on time, it's hard to say if it'll be just as epic.

Kids these days...

 

[JarlFrank]

It certainly seems like a brave move on Bethesda's part, putting the dog's life in your hands, but we're yet to see how awkward it'll be to constantly keep him out of harm's way.

Hahaha, aaaahahahahaha, hahahahha. Oh my gods, they're making your dog not invincible! You have to take care of him and keep him out of harms way, lest he dies! I'm so glad the original Dogmeat in Fallout was invincible, as was the dog in Arcanum!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Is there even a reason to have immortal companions in ANY rpg?

 

[JarlFrank]

You mean besides not pissing of the fanboys who complain when their favourite party-NPC dies?

 

[DraQ]

ITSF needs some special user titles,it really does.

Time skips forward one year. You're now a toddler, walking around in a play area. Again, this is all in-game, and a disguised tutorial. Your father calls you over, so you slowly stumble over to him, pressing A to shout out "Dadda". It's incredibly immersive...

... if you are a fucking moron, aka the target audience.

I believe such memories are still fresh in the minds of the target audience, hence the immershun.

There's no denying its potential to be a grittier,
more action heavy RPG than Oblivion

Most kindergartens are grittier than oblivion, so the first part is hardly a feat, but the second part is downright ridiculous.

 

[Vault Dweller]

ITSF needs some special user titles,it really does.

Pastel is Lumpy, btw.

 

[VonVentrue]

Time skips forward one year. You're now a toddler, walking around in a play area. Again, this is all in-game, and a disguised tutorial. Your father calls you over, so you slowly stumble over to him, pressing A to shout out "Dadda". It's incredibly immersive...

... if you are a fucking moron, aka the target audience.

Of course, the game won't progress unless you actually push the damned "A" button, I presume?

Super mutants are your biggest foe in the game, with super mutant strongholds being set up across the wasteland.

StrongholdS ? As in stupid Oblivion ruins that were everywhere?

More like Oblivion gates, they'll start to pop up like mushrooms after rain at some point. Mark my words.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

How Pete can contain so much stupid inside just one person? Should't he, I dunno, blow up or something?

 

[Joe Krow]

I hear the zombies will look like orcs!!!!

 

[Jason]

Of course, the game won't progress unless you actually push the damned "A" button, I presume?

Pretty sure it's been said that it's just a little "flavor" bit rather than a gameplay mechanic.

 

[Lurkar]

Jesus, this is the worst one yet.

 

[Micmu]

Jesus, this is the worst one yet.

Actually, it's worse that they made it a packmule, capable of picking up loot on it's own ( :!: :!: )

 

[deuxhero]

Is there even a reason to have immortal companions in ANY rpg?

When the AI is suicidal? (KotoR would be imposible otherwise)

 

[Grandpa Gamer]

Only meat dog? It won't be Fallout without a bad luck dog and a robot dog as well! Can't I have a cat instead this time around? A hamster? Ah... never mind. Royal time combat rules and all that. Just passing by...

 

[Lurkar]

Jesus, this is the worst one yet.

Actually, it's worse that they made it a packmule, capable of picking up loot on it's own ( :!: :!: )

I meant it's the worst interview yet, although I love that landmark quote of "We're putting special effort into this game to make it exactly like the RPG genre is. We didn't have to, but we did. Because that's what staying true to the franchise is about."

 

[Acleacius]

It was quite agonizing waiting for the Codex to get this article up, it was painful enough to even know the article existed. I have only a selfish request, so I have a reason to smile once more, knowing what great hands Fallout is in at bethseda.

Could someone post that pic of pete in the nazi uniform and mustache giving us the ziggy?

 

[Mister Arkham]

We're putting special effort into this game to make it exactly like the RPG genre is. We didn't have to, but we did. Because that's what staying true to the franchise is about.

No, that's what making an RPG is about.

I second the question in one of the previous comments... how does he not explode in a glorious and terrible wave of liquid stupid?

 

[MetalCraze]

It certainly seems like a brave move on Bethesda's part, putting the dog's life in your hands, but we're yet to see how awkward it'll be to constantly keep him out of harm's way.

I really pity the target audience of this game... not only they are retards by themselves, but reviewers are now pointing it out.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Is there even a reason to have immortal companions in ANY rpg?

I don't like anything in a CRPG being immortal unless there's a damned good reason for it to be immortal. By "damned good reason", I don't mean, "this NPC has a quest that's important". I mean, "This NPC is some god or other celestial being who is immortal as part of the background story line" or some such. If you made a CRPG out of Highlander, yeah.. There probably should be some immortal NPCs. A revenant should probably be immortal. Things like that. Otherwise, NEIN!

There's so many ways to allow every NPC in a game to get killed, it's almost silly to not to do it. It's basically a cop out because they don't want to think of an alternative way to fetch a quest or get some critical plot line item or some such.