Cain on Games - Tim Cain's new YouTube channel

[Infinitron]

I talk about my biggest development regrets, one for Fallout and one for Fallout 2.

 

[Roguey]

Companion AI (predictable) and that he wasn't able to introduce a rival faction for the Brotherhood of Steel (a group that wanted to rediscover and share the knowledge of the old world with everyone).

 

[Bester]

a rival faction for the Brotherhood of Steel (a group that wanted to rediscover and share the knowledge of the old world with everyone).

Followers of the Apocalypse seem to fit the description, no?

 

[Roguey]

a rival faction for the Brotherhood of Steel (a group that wanted to rediscover and share the knowledge of the old world with everyone).

Followers of the Apocalypse seem to fit the description, no?

"It [The Abbey] did not have the Followers there. It was supposed to be an independent organization, probably of Jesuits or something like them (I'd probably go with the latter to avoid right-wing complaints). The monks preserved knowledge in the form of books, blueprints, and items, and they tried to preserve technical knowledge mainly. Unlike the BOS, who hoarded their technology and used it to stay superior, the abbey was open to anyone as long as they did not damage anything. All they had to offer was knowledge, because not a single preserved item functioned."
"One more thing: the monks did not understand the knowledge in the books they preserved. They treated them like holy materials, to be read and copied and cared for, but not acted upon. Think of the book "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter M. Miller, which was the inspiration for the abbey."

 

[Diggfinger]

The Abbey of Lost Knowledge, a direct reference to Miller's classic book, sounds brilliant and way more interesting than most quests/storylines that ended up in F2 IMO

 

[Roguey]

Hedonic Adaptation


Like many Codexers, Tim has entered a malaise where he feels like he's seen and done everything now, and he's bored with it all.

Unlike many Codexers, the guy decided to replay and finish(!) Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 in preparation for Starfield so that anything new will really stand out (he tried Daggerfall and gave up ). I think he's likely burned himself out on Bethesda-design.

 

[Eirinjas]

Hedonic Adaptation


Like many Codexers, Tim has entered a malaise where he feels like he's seen and done everything now, and he's bored with it all.

Unlike many Codexers, the guy decided to replay and finish(!) Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 in preparation for Starfield so that anything new will really stand out (he tried Daggerfall and gave up ). I think he's likely burned himself out on Bethesda-design.

That was depressing to listen to. Don't let the homies in the suicide thread watch this video.

 

[Egosphere]

Hedonic Adaptation


Like many Codexers, Tim has entered a malaise where he feels like he's seen and done everything now, and he's bored with it all.

Unlike many Codexers, the guy decided to replay and finish(!) Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and Fallout 4 in preparation for Starfield so that anything new will really stand out (he tried Daggerfall and gave up ). I think he's likely burned himself out on Bethesda-design.

Man wants variety in gaming, ends up playing the whole bethesda lineup from the past 25 years LOL
What I don't understand is how he can say that he's tired of tropes in gaming, yet Outer Worlds was this pastiche of them?

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Roguey]

What I don't understand is how he can say that he's tired of tropes in gaming, yet Outer Worlds was this pastiche of them?

Perhaps a question for Leonard.

 

[PapaPetro]

He said it in the vid, the Marketing Department designs the game these days, not him or any of the devs like in the 90s.
It's "Product" now.

 

[Roguey]

He said it in the vid, the Marketing Department designs the game these days, not him or any of the devs like in the 90s.
It's "Product" now.

Interplay's marketing department had quite a bit of say in the 90s, especially after Fallout turned out to be a proven success.

 

[PapaPetro]

He said it in the vid, the Marketing Department designs the game these days, not him or any of the devs like in the 90s.
It's "Product" now.

Interplay's marketing department had quite a bit of say in the 90s, especially after Fallout turned out to be a proven success.

Yeah, he telegraphs it pretty hard that it has been the lifelong archnemesis of his career (it especially irked him when they would take undeserved credit for his game).
I imagine every new cool idea that pops in his head gets quickly shot down by his own mental Marketing Department demon:
"Oh they'll never go for that."
"That's not realistic!"
"Does it appeal to the zoomer market segment?"


You can tell he just wants to make games. Big Games.
He doesn't want to do this dumb meta calculation crap he has to layer over it.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

Wants to try something new.

Comes up with literally Fallout except in space and everybody is a communist.

 

[PapaPetro]

Wants to try something new.

Comes up with literally Fallout except in space and everybody is a communist.

He seems smart/wise enough to avoid obvious hackery like that.
I'd like to ask him what his & Leonard's initial vision was before concessions were made.

 

[Infinitron]

He seems smart/wise enough to avoid obvious hackery like that.
I'd like to ask him what his & Leonard's initial vision was before concessions were made.

This is cope. Tim's a light-hearted guy who wanted to make a game with a Futurama/Rick and Morty vibe. Apparently those aren't tiresome tropes to him. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[PapaPetro]

This is cope. Tim's a silly guy who wanted to make a game with a Futurama/Rick & Morty vibe in space.

I'd still like to know.
Even if it were the case, I'd ask him how he didn't notice.
Seems too thoughtful of a guy to be oblivious like that.

I *know* Tim is simulating silliness.

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

I was about to rant about ToW story but it took me about 5 minutes to vaguely remember what it was even about, which basically sums it up.

The opening hook and first 15-20 minutes was really solid and sets up the tone well, but it becomes disjointed and aggresively unfunny shortly after and never really picks up.

 

[Bester]

I alt+f4'ed when I met the first planetary security (basically police) who camp at your ship, which was 3 chicks or something like that. If someone makes a mod to turn all females into males, I'll give it another try.

 

[Diggfinger]

Can Infinitron please henceforth start each and every news-post with the phrase...

"Hi....it's me, Infinitron"

 

[IHaveHugeNick]

The funniest thing was when modders replaced angry lesbian ship computer with a hot lady and redittors got butthurt.

 

[Moink]

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Infinitron]

I talk about how some game bugs become game features, and give examples of this from several of my own games.

 

[Roguey]

The examples he lists aren't really things I'd consider bugs, just unplanned features

1) In Fallout, the ability to place items in any NPC's inventory when stealing was unplanned
2) In Arcanum, you could enter the hand-crafted areas that weren't yet marked on your map or areas you weren't supposed to get to (e.g. a place that's completely walled off) by placing your character on the coordinates and going to the game world view.
3) In The Outer Worlds going through a loading screen clears the hostility from any creatures that had seen you on that map. In one map you had to make it to a computer that can only be interacted with outside of combat, so some people would rush through it, step into the new area nearby, and then step back so they could interact with it in peace. The balance-fixated would dislike this and a number of simulationists would also dislike it for being incredibly gamey.