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Shivering Isles fan Interview

Kingston

Arcane
Joined
Jan 13, 2007
Messages
4,392
Location
I lack the wit to put something hilarious here
Isn't it odd that Bethseda provides fan interviews for the Elder Scrolls crowd, but not for the fallout community ?

EDIT: "We estimate there is 30-40 hours of gameplay here."

Bruce, that's not true is it? Unless you count in picking flowers and admiring scenery and throwing things off rocks and going to search for them.
 

Alexander

Novice
Joined
Jan 7, 2006
Messages
24
Kingston said:
Isn't it odd that Bethseda provides fan interviews for the Elder Scrolls crowd, but not for the fallout community ?

One can't help but wonder however, if Bethesda was even approached by someone yet to be allowed to do a Fan interview :)
 

Frankie

Novice
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
79
I posted it on the TES forums, I'll post it here as well.

Here are some questions that concern me and the answers.

14. Indubitably, Oblivion has seen a major shift in priorities where aspects specifically pertinent to cRPGs are concerned. Most apparent in that regard is the transition from a complex -sometimes complicated- game with faction politics, rich lore background and a large quantity of dialog to a game that emphasizes accessibility and above all else pure entertainment. Additionally, in contrast to its predecessors, Oblivion's game world is to be filled with meaning not by the game itself but rather by the player's own imagination. What are your thoughts on this? Do you believe you managed to achieve a proper balance between depth and complexity on one and accessibility and easy entertainment on the other side? What are your goals in this respect for future productions?

This is more of a statement then a question, but I’ll do what I can with it. First, Oblivion has more dialogue and books then our previous games, so I don’t see a shift there. It also has the most complex NPC behavior we’ve ever done by miles. As far as the game world being filled by the player’s imagination, that’s a common criticism we get on every game, and a valid one. I think we did a better job this time, I mean you play the previous stuff and the world is very static. It’s either nameless NPCs or ones that just stand in place all day. So that was something we tried very hard to address, to make the world feel alive. I think it’s getting better, but it’s still easy to think of 100 things to have the world do to make it feel more alive.

In regards to the politics comment, that’s a valid statement, in that Daggerfall and Morrowind both have main stories dealing with a lot of politics, and that wasn’t the story we wanted to do this time. There was a time that the Oblivion main quest featured a ton of that, dealing with the Elder Council, but we did end up cutting it while it was still on paper, in all our story reads, it really defocused the main quest from dealing with the daedra, which we wanted the focus to be. Anyway, I think the lack of actually seeing and dealing with the Elder Council is certainly one of my “I wish it had this” things, as we wrote some great stuff for it that just didn’t make it in. It was the “nobility” faction line, where you made your way up and became “The Duke of Colovia” and sat on the Elder Council. The only remnant of that questline in the dead Duke in Castle Kvatch, which was to be the beginning of that line.

The next part of the question, which is ease of play versus complexity, that’s a harder one. We’ve certainly gotten praised on Oblivion for how well it walks the line, but I wouldn’t say that all the solutions we had are the right ones going forward. Some are; some aren’t. It’s certainly our desire to push on both ends, to make the game as smooth and easy to play as possible, but have great depth. In the grand scheme of games, we’re still on the “insanely complex” end of the scale, so I do spend a good bit of time watching how first time people play the game, what hangs them up and so forth. So that always bothers me, you don’t want basic actions in the game to be difficult or confusing.

The bottom part I bolded is what bothers me. It seems that the devs are spending too much time worrying about what newcomers think and not enough time with what we TES Fans are looking for. I'm sorry, but if you had problems finding Casius in Morrowind than maybe RPG's aren't for you. What did we get from that? The GPS compass.

18. Do you have any thoughts on some of the negative reactions to Oblivion (specifically the clunky interface for PC, level scaling, and lack of background)? Did you expect this due to the large amount of attention given to Oblivion, or was it a bit of a shock?

We always expect criticism; that comes with doing any piece of entertainment and putting it out there. I expect it and welcome it, it’s the main thing that makes us want to make things better the next time. We also know it’s coming, because we change so much between games that you’ll certainly upset some people, it happens every time.

I mean the changes from Daggerfall to Morrowind were just enormous, and we really heard it then. If people don’t like something in the game, and they spent their money on it, they deserve to [censored], and that’s one of the reasons our forums exist, honestly. I think it’s our responsibility to take it. You probably don’t know this, but I do have a “don’t defend us” rule to the team regarding the forums. If someone doesn’t like something in our games, they are right, always. It is their money, their opinion, and they don’t need or want you to change it. Plus, I do believe the world is 0 for 1 zillion in internet forum opinion change.

At the same time, Oblivion is our highest rated game by a large margin (see gamerankings, metacritic, etc), so it does put the criticism in perspective. I would also like to end the Morrowind versus Oblivion debate – as long as you pick one, you’re cool, I love both my children equally. Just don’t choose someone else’s game.

The critiscism is valid because it's there. Just because the game is rated highly, by those who were blinded by the pretty graphics, doesn't mean that the criticism is any less valid. As far as picking between Morrowind and Oblivion, if the games were similar in RPG experience than there wouldn't be a problem in picking between the two. Me personally, I had no problems with TES games up until Oblivion, that's the only one in my opinion that stands out... and very badly I might add.

22. What are the main things you'd like to do differently from what you did in Oblivion? Will future TES games be more RPG oriented or will they be more mainstreamed and easier for newcomers to the series?

I don’t look at future games based on specifics from the last, I like to start fresh. We have lots of ideas, but anything I say here will be premature. Like the previous games – the next game will be different from what we just did, and many people will scream again.

That is a cop-out answer. They have to know whether they plan on going more RPG or more along the lines of "Hold my hand and never let go" Oblivion. I don't like the answer and what it "Suggests" for further TES games.


Like my friend Stargelman, my days as a TES fan are numbered. Bethesda has one chance to get it right with TES V or I'll bid my farewell to this series and go back to playing Morrowind and Daggerfall, and wonder what could have been if Bethesda had focused more on RPG and less on "Spending more time how first timers play and what problems they have"
 

Wired_Irony

Novice
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
28
Kingston said:
Bruce, that's not true is it? Unless you count in picking flowers and admiring scenery and throwing things off rocks and going to search for them.

But isn't it sad that that is probably more fun then anything else in the game?
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2006
Messages
5,933
Location
Scotland
First, Oblivion has more dialogue and books then our previous games, so I don’t see a shift there.

No it bloody didn't. More dialogue is a flat-out lie. More books, maybe, but... how many were new books? 20 of them? 25?
 

Stargazey

Novice
Joined
Dec 3, 2005
Messages
29
Duodenum said:
Out of curiosity, where is Todd lying?

18. Do you have any thoughts on some of the negative reactions to Oblivion (specifically the clunky interface for PC, level scaling, and lack of background)? Did you expect this due to the large amount of attention given to Oblivion, or was it a bit of a shock?
We always expect criticism; that comes with doing any piece of entertainment and putting it out there. I expect it and welcome it, it’s the main thing that makes us want to make things better the next time. We also know it’s coming, because we change so much between games that you’ll certainly upset some people, it happens every time.

I mean the changes from Daggerfall to Morrowind were just enormous, and we really heard it then. If people don’t like something in the game, and they spent their money on it, they deserve to bitch, and that’s one of the reasons our forums exist, honestly. I think it’s our responsibility to take it. You probably don’t know this, but I do have a “don’t defend us” rule to the team regarding the forums. If someone doesn’t like something in our games, they are right, always. It is their money, their opinion, and they don’t need or want you to change it. Plus, I do believe the world is 0 for 1 zillion in internet forum opinion change.

At the same time, Oblivion is our highest rated game by a large margin (see gamerankings, metacritic, etc), so it does put the criticism in perspective. I would also like to end the Morrowind versus Oblivion debate – as long as you pick one, you’re cool, I love both my children equally. Just don’t choose someone else’s game.

Sort of flies in the face of "I Love Oblivion" ... :p
 

Frankie

Novice
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
79
Boo Hoo, they baned yet another one of my accounts. :roll:

Yeah, Todd say they have no problem with people bitching.... yeah, right. Every time I do it they ban another account. I didn't even do anything to violate the TOS.

Oh well, good thing I have pleanty of spares. :D
 

Sparrow

Novice
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
9
Location
Australia
Nothing particularly surprising in that interview. There were some good questions, which Todd managed to avoid answering, but nothing to suggest it will be anything other than "wackier fun-filled Oblivion".

Just follow the green pointer to zaniness! Ugh.

Boo Hoo, they baned yet another one of my accounts.
Unless you said something really inflammatory that was deleted, I can't think why. Other than you and stargelman being the only two people that weren't giving Pete and/or Todd e-blowjobs, that is.
 

Frankie

Novice
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
79
Sparrow said:
Boo Hoo, they baned yet another one of my accounts.
Unless you said something really inflammatory that was deleted, I can't think why. Other than you and stargelman being the only two people that weren't giving Pete and/or Todd e-blowjobs, that is.

Somehow they found out it was me and they banned me since I was UNFAIRLY banned before.
 

Journeyman

Novice
Joined
Feb 14, 2007
Messages
31
Stargazey said:
Duodenum said:
Out of curiosity, where is Todd lying?

18. Do you have any thoughts on some of the negative reactions to Oblivion (specifically the clunky interface for PC, level scaling, and lack of background)? Did you expect this due to the large amount of attention given to Oblivion, or was it a bit of a shock?
We always expect criticism; that comes with doing any piece of entertainment and putting it out there. I expect it and welcome it, it’s the main thing that makes us want to make things better the next time. We also know it’s coming, because we change so much between games that you’ll certainly upset some people, it happens every time.

I mean the changes from Daggerfall to Morrowind were just enormous, and we really heard it then. If people don’t like something in the game, and they spent their money on it, they deserve to bitch, and that’s one of the reasons our forums exist, honestly. I think it’s our responsibility to take it. You probably don’t know this, but I do have a “don’t defend us” rule to the team regarding the forums. If someone doesn’t like something in our games, they are right, always. It is their money, their opinion, and they don’t need or want you to change it. Plus, I do believe the world is 0 for 1 zillion in internet forum opinion change.

At the same time, Oblivion is our highest rated game by a large margin (see gamerankings, metacritic, etc), so it does put the criticism in perspective. I would also like to end the Morrowind versus Oblivion debate – as long as you pick one, you’re cool, I love both my children equally. Just don’t choose someone else’s game.

Sort of flies in the face of "I Love Oblivion" ... :p

Really dumb not to at least answer the UI question that was on many of the exsctatic reviewers negatives.

Admiral jimbob said:
First, Oblivion has more dialogue and books then our previous games, so I don’t see a shift there.

No it bloody didn't. More dialogue is a flat-out lie. More books, maybe, but... how many were new books? 20 of them? 25?

I can see how he changes around the question. But still the questions weren't pointed enough. Enough dialog options. Not in the game as a whole.
 

Lumpy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
8,525
Sparrow said:
Unless you said something really inflammatory that was deleted, I can't think why. Other than you and stargelman being the only two people that weren't giving Pete and/or Todd e-blowjobs, that is.
Not as of late, no.
 

Lumpy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
8,525
Many things will be different here. Even going to jail. Criminals are thrown into the bottom of a dungeon. All of their equipment is confiscated. If you can make it out of the dungeon alive, without your stuff, you are free. All your crimes are forgiven. All of your confiscated goods are in a chest right next to the exit, so you do eventually get them back.
I love this.
Great idea.
Yeah, that sounds great.
Wait, what?...

25. I know it's hard to refer to a game that hasn't come out yet, but given what you've seen of the dialogue system in Mass Effect, do you think a similar system will be integrated into future TES games? That is to say, will different emotional responses become part of future games or will they keep the system of simply naming topics you want to ask/talk about?
I have no idea what our future dialogue system would be. Like everything else, you should expect it to change. Regarding Mass Effect, that game looks fantastic.
Yes, I also think that Mass Effect's dialogue system where you choose from among different phrases rather than one simple topic really sounds interesting. It's strange nobody's done it before.
 

Duodenum

Novice
Joined
Jul 15, 2004
Messages
42
Journeyman said:
Stargazey said:
Duodenum said:
Out of curiosity, where is Todd lying?

18. Do you have any thoughts on some of the negative reactions to Oblivion (specifically the clunky interface for PC, level scaling, and lack of background)? Did you expect this due to the large amount of attention given to Oblivion, or was it a bit of a shock?
We always expect criticism; that comes with doing any piece of entertainment and putting it out there. I expect it and welcome it, it’s the main thing that makes us want to make things better the next time. We also know it’s coming, because we change so much between games that you’ll certainly upset some people, it happens every time.

I mean the changes from Daggerfall to Morrowind were just enormous, and we really heard it then. If people don’t like something in the game, and they spent their money on it, they deserve to bitch, and that’s one of the reasons our forums exist, honestly. I think it’s our responsibility to take it. You probably don’t know this, but I do have a “don’t defend us” rule to the team regarding the forums. If someone doesn’t like something in our games, they are right, always. It is their money, their opinion, and they don’t need or want you to change it. Plus, I do believe the world is 0 for 1 zillion in internet forum opinion change.

At the same time, Oblivion is our highest rated game by a large margin (see gamerankings, metacritic, etc), so it does put the criticism in perspective. I would also like to end the Morrowind versus Oblivion debate – as long as you pick one, you’re cool, I love both my children equally. Just don’t choose someone else’s game.

Sort of flies in the face of "I Love Oblivion" ... :p

Really dumb not to at least answer the UI question that was on many of the exsctatic reviewers negatives.

You must have missed these:

16. What mods, if any, do you personally use? And why?
The BT interface mod of the PC. That’s really the only one I use. I dabble in the others, but when I play Oblivion, I’m usually testing a new DLC or Shivering Isles, so running other stuff can really screw with them. Why BT mod? I can see more stuff on my giant PC monitor of course! That’s something we messed with internally, but never had a nice solution for having the game switch between different menu configurations, so we went with the larger font for safety.

17. Oblivion had a long development time, but as George Lucas said in regards to movies, “Movies are never finished, they are just abandoned”. What are some things you wish you could have put in Oblivion? What are some things that you are very glad to be able to put in?
On the PC, a small font option would top my list.
 

stargelman

Scholar
Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
337
Location
Funky Bebop Land
Frankie said:
Like my friend Stargelman, my days as a TES fan are numbered. Bethesda has one chance to get it right with TES V or I'll bid my farewell to this series and go back to playing Morrowind and Daggerfall, and wonder what could have been if Bethesda had focused more on RPG and less on "Spending more time how first timers play and what problems they have"
Ah, so that was you. I really can't understand how you can be willing to give them another chance, especially after this? Oh well. Hope does die last, I suppose.

Lumpi said:
Sparrow said:
Unless you said something really inflammatory that was deleted, I can't think why. Other than you and stargelman being the only two people that weren't giving Pete and/or Todd e-blowjobs, that is.
Not as of late, no.
Careful, wee man.
 

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
Patron
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KA.DINGIR.RA.KI
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
If people don’t like something in the game, and they spent their money on it, they deserve to bitch, and that’s one of the reasons our forums exist, honestly. I think it’s our responsibility to take it.

Why do they ban us, then, if we criticize their game?
 

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
stargelman said:
I really can't understand how you can be willing to give them another chance, especially after this? Oh well. Hope does die last, I suppose.

I'm also giving them another chance, but I doubt they're going to make something decent. Oblivion was just a too big disappointment, especially after all that hype which promised for it to be so much more. There still were the mods which made it halfway enjoyable.

And it was commercially successful, so no need for getting the hopes up...
 

Frankie

Novice
Joined
Aug 24, 2006
Messages
79
stargelman said:
Frankie said:
Like my friend Stargelman, my days as a TES fan are numbered. Bethesda has one chance to get it right with TES V or I'll bid my farewell to this series and go back to playing Morrowind and Daggerfall, and wonder what could have been if Bethesda had focused more on RPG and less on "Spending more time how first timers play and what problems they have"
Ah, so that was you. I really can't understand how you can be willing to give them another chance, especially after this? Oh well. Hope does die last, I suppose.

Lumpi said:
Sparrow said:
Unless you said something really inflammatory that was deleted, I can't think why. Other than you and stargelman being the only two people that weren't giving Pete and/or Todd e-blowjobs, that is.
Not as of late, no.
Careful, wee man.

I love the series too much to watch it die without a fight. The thing is, the TES series is a one of a kind. What other RPG lets you play as many races, as many classes and gives you the freedom of TES? If there are any, they are far and few between.

There is just so much that can be done with the TES series if they would pull their heads out of their asses and watch what RPG players want, not newcomers that aren't smart enough to follow freaking directions to find Casius.
 

Bradylama

Arcane
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Location
Oklahomo
You know that reminds me. Of the dumbest continuity errors in Oblivion nobody around the Codex seems to mind Khajiit and Argonians with human kneecaps.
 

psycojester

Arbiter
Joined
Jun 23, 2006
Messages
2,526
Many things will be different here. Even going to jail. Criminals are thrown into the bottom of a dungeon. All of their equipment is confiscated. If you can make it out of the dungeon alive, without your stuff, you are free. All your crimes are forgiven. All of your confiscated goods are in a chest right next to the exit, so you do eventually get them back.

Brilliant! Finally a system of justice that encourages only the most violent, ruthless and sneaky criminals just what we need!
 

JarlFrank

I like Thief THIS much
Patron
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Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Frankie said:
There is just so much that can be done with the TES series if they would pull their heads out of their asses and watch what RPG players want, not newcomers that aren't smart enough to follow freaking directions to find Casius.

There are more newcomers than RPG players.
So, income from newbs > income from RPG junkies
more income = lotsa money for Todd and the crew
lotsa money = the way to go

As long as this is their philosophy, there's no chance for us.
If, on the other hand, they wanted to create a classic like PS:T instead of a money cow, our hopes could be higher. But they don't want to.
 

Lumpy

Arcane
Joined
Sep 11, 2005
Messages
8,525
Can't blame them for wanting to make more money though.
 

HardCode

Erudite
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
1,138
Lumpy said:
Can't blame them for wanting to make more money though.

I'm so tired of that lame-ass excuse to make shit games.
 

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