Game News Fallout: New Vegas Tidbits

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Tags: Fallout: New Vegas; Obsidian Entertainment

<p>The Vault has a <a href="http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Ausir/J.E._Saywer_post_roundup" target="_blank">round-up</a> of more Josh Sawyer quotes.</p>
<p>Example, on <a href="http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3358074&amp;userid=0&amp;perpage=40&amp;pagenumber=344" target="_blank">blasting locks with explosives</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It was specifically excluded because it makes Lockpick obsolete. Why take a skill that allows you to unlock doors and containers when you can take a skill that allows you to blow up enemies and also unlock doors and containers? Unless the materials cost of the explosive charges is significant, it really disincentivizes you from putting points in Lockpick.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Additionally, The Vault <a href="http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/User_blog:Ausir/Fallout_tidbits_17-2010" target="_blank">gathers newsbits</a> too.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/arts/television/26video.html?_r=1" target="_blank">New Vegas isn't for small children</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS: The only game on this list that is clearly inappropriate for small children, New Vegas deserves to be here because it will appeal to a certain sort of lapsed gamer: a guy in his 30s or 40s who liked computer games back in the day but doesn&rsquo;t get to play much anymore now that he has kids and a serious job. New Vegas sets you loose in a postapocalyptic Western wasteland, where you decide how good or evil you want to be. For teenagers New Vegas certainly contains more depth of narrative and character than the big-name shooters (though a lot fewer explosions).</p>
</blockquote>

 

[20 Eyes]

It was specifically excluded because it makes Lockpick obsolete.

Lame. Just have it either damage or destroy the contents of the containers.

The only game on this list that is clearly inappropriate for small children, New Vegas deserves to be here because it will appeal to a certain sort of lapsed gamer: a guy in his 30s or 40s who liked computer games back in the day but doesn’t get to play much anymore now that he has kids and a serious job. New Vegas sets you loose in a postapocalyptic Western wasteland, where you decide how good or evil you want to be. For teenagers New Vegas certainly contains more depth of narrative and character than the big-name shooters (though a lot fewer explosions).

 

[Kz3r0]

It was specifically excluded because it makes Lockpick obsolete.

Lame. Just have it either damage or destroy the contents of the containers.

So Arcanum is still too hardcore then?

 

[Jim Cojones]

The art design in New Vegas feels really inconsistent when it comes to weapons. Most of them seem really grounded in terms of visual design, but the 10mm and 12.7mm guns seem really incongruous.

The fact that they're in older games, or that the inconsistency was in previous games, doesn't really matter. In FO1/2 it wasn't as apparently because there were only a handful of world map sprites (small pistol, big pistol, etc)

Jesus fucking Christ, it's 90% of small guns that are out of place in New Vegas. How can you blame the original models for not being consistent with design from a game created 13 years later?

EDIT: VoD, can you change the link to the second article? The one you used leads to a logging page. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/26/arts/television/26video.html should work properly.

 

[Kz3r0]

The art design in New Vegas feels really inconsistent when it comes to weapons. Most of them seem really grounded in terms of visual design, but the 10mm and 12.7mm guns seem really incongruous.

The fact that they're in older games, or that the inconsistency was in previous games, doesn't really matter. In FO1/2 it wasn't as apparently because there were only a handful of world map sprites (small pistol, big pistol, etc)

Jesus fucking Christ, it's 90% of small guns that are out of place in New Vegas. How can you blame the original models for not being consistent with design from a game created 13 years later?

Really this seems some kind of Codex' joke:
"Hey guyz, NV sucks because there aren't enough badass guns and cool explosions hurr durr"

 

[Relay]

The Vault has a round-up of more Josh Sawyer quotes.

Example, on blasting locks with explosives:

It was specifically excluded because it makes Lockpick obsolete. Why take a skill that allows you to unlock doors and containers when you can take a skill that allows you to blow up enemies and also unlock doors and containers? Unless the materials cost of the explosive charges is significant, it really disincentivizes you from putting points in Lockpick.

Yeah why have alternative ways to do something in a RPG. That dude is a huge piece of shit and the real FO3 would have sucked even harder than FO2.

 

[IronicNeurotic]

His reasoning is sound though.

It's not his fault but a fault in the system.



Too many gameplay ways that aren't fucking viable because you just use the better alternative are Avellones corner since Kotor 2.

 

[Drakron]

Fallout 2 allowed us to do that.

Then again, you could have it going off when placing it, failing to detonate and pretty much being as much of a hazard as being useful. Unless you invested in Traps.

FO3 and FO:NV system works in absolutes so I understand the reasoning as it would make Lockpick useless.

 

[Excidium]

On blowing containers, could have made it just like KOTOR 2: if you force a lock open most of the stuff end up as junk that you can still use on crafting.

 

[Relay]

His reasoning is sound though.

It's not his fault but a fault in the system.



Too many gameplay ways that aren't fucking viable because you just use the better alternative are Avellones corner since Kotor 2.

Yeah, alternatives are not viable that's why no one plays rogues in RPG anymore. How about you don't talk out of your ass ?
In the elder scrolls if you did the right powergaming build you could have a perfect 100 in everything. Most people didn't bother. The mages have a spell to unlock doors but some people still put points in lockpick because they like roleplaying a rogue better than a man in a dress (though, I personally don't mind the dress..).

You don't remove features just because they might be better on a meta/powergaming level. If you want to powergame, fine, but that's not how everyone rolls.

While it is perfectly okay to restrict the loot in containers to people who have lockpick since explosives should blow things up, it is ABSOLUTELY RETARDED to be unable to BLOW A FUCKING DOOR OPEN.
So I play a humongous big guns/explosives user and he can't access some place because it's locked ? Seriously ? how about fuck off.

 

[TNO]

I'm surprised they couldn't balance it.

As above, for containers you risk destroying contents. For doors, you risk losing stealth/other hazards with planting explosives. Seems doable to me.

Of course, in a post apoc wasteland, things like C4 and bombs should be expensive. Unfortunately, fallout (NV) included tends to let you rack up the caps without even trying.

 

[Relay]

Of course, in a post apoc wasteland, things like C4 and bombs should be expensive. Unfortunately, fallout (NV) included tends to let you rack up the caps without even trying.

Sawyer is why there's energy weapons everywhere. He's also why most of them suck. Massive rape of the setting. First time I saw a patch in a solo RPG that is going massively change the game balance because he's going to make the energy weapon have built-in DT bypass, making even crappy, starter energy weapons (but there should be no starter EW. EW is for the elite Brotherhood, Enclave and really lucky/powerful wastelanders.) better.

Fucking raiders (the fiends) have energy cells and weapons like it's candy.

 

[Roguey]

If it isn't for small children then why does it try to hold my hand like a child? It's craziness.

I bet Tim Cain must be really conflicted right now because "FO is going a little monty haul" while "(exploring) more of the world and more of the ethics of a postnuclear world" AND "(making) a better plasma gun." Obsidian does it all baby.

 

[Elwro]

First time I saw a patch in a solo RPG that is going massively change the game balance because he's going to make the energy weapon have built-in DT bypass, making even crappy, starter energy weapons better.

Are there any notes for the upcoming patch? Haven't seen them yet. What are you referring to?

 

[Ausir]

He posted about it in the Beth forum. It was in one of my previous roundups.

 

[Elwro]

Thanks.

 

[Malakal]

DnD games tend to suffer from the 'skills or abilities replacing other skills or abilities' syndrome badly. Why lockpick when there is a handy level 2 spell that does it better? Why detect traps when there is a better level 3 spell, why hide when etc etc. Good choice in my opinion.

 

[flushfire]

Because you run into traps before a spell casting class gets to spellcasting level 3? Because rest isn't always unlimited? Because a sorcerer has limited spell selection? Because sometimes there are more chests than available scrolls?

Why are melee and unarmed separate skills when they are all close combat and unarmed is OP? Why are small guns and firearms and explosives separate when they are all ranged and small guns is OP? Why are there different stimpaks when they all heal and one heals a lot more and a lot faster? Why are there so many weapons and armor when a lot of them have the same damage/DT? Why so many trash perks? Why is there charisma? etc etc. Forget balance, forget fixing availability, forget variety. Way too much work. Just remove the inferior alternatives - good choice.

Way I see it there's no problem putting in alternatives as long as there's a reason to take the them. The proper fix to using explosives in locks has already been stated. And if skill points and magazines were actually hard to come by then having explosives as an alternative to lockpick esp. since it's also usable in combat would make it a lot more attractive.

 

[Drakron]

True, also spells are limited to the slots you have and you dont start with all slots available from the start.

Its a issue for TES system that is mana based but TES mechanics have bigger problems besides that one.

Also it have been ages but I dont think you could use explosives in containers in FO1-2-T, only in doors (that had hit points if I recall, you could powerfist it open if you wanted it) so it was of even more limited use, considering FO3 is a solo game it did allowed players to be able to progress in the game without being forced to raise their Lockpick skill.

 

[Relay]

DnD games tend to suffer from the 'skills or abilities replacing other skills or abilities' syndrome badly. Why lockpick when there is a handy level 2 spell that does it better? Why detect traps when there is a better level 3 spell, why hide when etc etc. Good choice in my opinion.

D&D is a party game and a mage has better things to do than waste slots for unlocking doors when your rogue is drowning in skill points and can unlock doors at will. You are going to have a rogue in the party, because you don't just need to unlock doors, but you need traps, stealth and steal too and he's gonna have everything covered. A good D&D party is ALWAYS going to have at least a rogue and a cleric.

This criticism works better for TES but even then people who like to roleplay rogues will do so even if it is less efficient than a spell on a metagaming level. Look, not everyone is a powergaming whore.

 

[UserNamer]

they should have fused lockpick, stealth and sneaking into a single "roguery" skill.

 

[Havoc]

Sneak and Stealing is the same skill.

 

[Xor]

They probably could have done a better job with the character system. I disagree about explosives making lockpick obsolete; I only ever came across a handful of C4 in my playthrough. They could have easily limited what kinds of explosives would open doors and made those explosives rare/difficult to make.


Also, I can't fucking stand crafting systems, but I seem to be in the minority on that one. At least you didn't NEED to craft anything in NV.