Editorial The Brainy Gamer studies Fallout 3: Will it be 'Fallout'?

[Vaarna_Aarne]

Why can't more teachers be like this? Seriously, there need to be obligatory gaming lessons so the kids of nowadays can see the wonders of *real* RPGs without being discouraged by their peers who say "LOL U R FAG PLAYIGN A GAEM WITH SHIT GRAFFIX LOL"

One day.... The children will read both Hemingway and Avellone in schools... One day....

 

[denizsi]

They are an unexpected mix of gamers: a small handful of RPG veterans, a large majority of relatively casual gamers (mostly sports games and shooters), and a few with almost no experience playing video games at all... a small legion of hardcore D&Ders with a possible cosplayer or LARPer thrown in. Fortunately, they're all terrific guys willing to try anything I throw at them.

So when I handed them Fallout (half played the original, half the sequel) with no instructions or special preparation, they struggled. A lot. They had the original manuals, but almost nobody read them. After exiting the vault, they had no idea where to go or what to do. Their movements were limited for no apparent reason; "action points" made no sense; and they died within minutes nearly everywhere they went.

WTF, just WTF? Where the fuck do they keep finding these "RPG veterans & hardcore D&Ders"? What kind of "hardcore" D&Der don't read stuff that comes with the product!?

I often jump straight to the game without reading the manual as well, just to experiment, but I keep the manual right before me so I can look up anything I'm having trouble with in the game.

Also, back when I first played Fallout, it was a pirate copy without manuals, and I did well above fine without a manual, though I should admit familiarity with the demo or older TB games might have factored into that.

So far, I appreciated being left to my own devices, but because the game is so old, with the graphics it has and whatnot, it sometimes is hard to recognize what needs to be done. Like it's only after you play a game like this that you realize how much easier having glowing objects of interest is.

I first thought "what needs to be done? wtf?", thinking that he didn't follow the dialogues and was asking for a hand-holding pop-up window. I noticed later that he means to say it's sometimes hard to discern things in graphics. People can have varying visual perceptions of things, where 2D imagery can make little meaning to people accustomed to higher resolution clearer imagery, so this one is forgivable I guess.

Our first Fallout conversation was a disaster. Few students had posted on the forum as I had asked them to, and it was obvious that almost no one had devoted much time to playing. They basically tried the game, got frustrated, threw up their hands, and walked away.

They had the original manuals, but almost nobody read them.

I felt the urge to quote that again. Instagratificationist newage punks.

And so we met again this morning. After a long and productive conversation I asked them how they were feeling about Fallout 3. "They're totally gonna screw up that game," said one student. "They're gonna say shoot this guy in the eyeball, like they're giving you all these choices, but you know they're gonna make it run and gun. You're gonna be running around blowing stuff up, and all the shooter players are gonna love it. But it won't be Fallout. I promise you. It won't be Fallout." "It looks pretty amazing," observed another, "and it should be fun. But yeah, it probably won't be Fallout."

Should one take this as a sign that there is hope for niche games even with potential morons (or vice versa, though who really cares about them, other than publishers)? Or that the teacher just picked the better reactions to keep the dream alive?

 

[Rhombus]

Manuals are for pussies... besides they're full of big words and stuff.

 

[phanboy_iv]

Instagratificationist newage punks.

And a new word enters the lexicon. I can already see the uses.

Should one take this as a sign that there is hope for niche games even with potential morons (or vice versa, though who really cares about them, other than publishers)? Or that the teacher just picked the better reactions to keep the dream alive?

I think it just shows that "modern gamers" actually do like deeper games, if they are forced to sit down, devote some quality time and plug away at them, instead of throwing up their hands and playing Peggle.

 

[KevinV12000]

Gotta love this comment:

Not to bash your teaching skills, Michael, but I'm surprised that you converted your students.

Fallout is almost impenetrable. I haven't played Fallout 2, but, from what I hear, it's broadly similar.

It's not just that the player is thrust into a hostile world without having been taught how to fight, heal or communicate with others - the player is forced to define their game experience from the get-go by personalising their character, with little understanding of what each attribute means, or what the implications of deciding you'll play through by "kill[ing] some things and level[ling] up" are.

In that sense, the experience of being thrust out of the vault is complete, as the player doesn't just start with no information. The player starts with no information, and the niggling suspicion that they are responsible for having made their survival impossible.

Posted by: Spencer Greenwood | October 21, 2008 at 08:50 PM

Garden-variety morons I don't really object to. They're dumb and annoying but it's not their fault, strictly speaking, that they are idiots.

But this guy....this guy is smart enough to type in paragraphs and declares Fallout, a simple, straight-forward computer role playing game, "almost impenetrable".

Yes, Spencer, just like your skull.

 

[phanboy_iv]

Garden-variety morons I don't really object to. They're dumb and annoying but it's not their fault, strictly speaking, that they are idiots.

But this guy....this guy is smart enough to type in paragraphs and declares Fallout, a simple, straight-forward computer role playing game, "almost impenetrable".

Yes, Spencer, just like your skull.

Just shows that he didn't read the manual, and didn't spend enough time with it. Fallout is far from inpenetrable. He should try playing Wiz 7.

 

[Lesifoere]

A bit of a tangent, but I clicked on some archived posts on Brainy Gamer and found links that led me to... well, this and this.

OMG I totally slept with Kaiden Alenko tonight but I closed my eyes and pretended it was Carth Onasi the whole time.

But at one point in the conversation, he said, "I'm all ears, beautiful."

My choices were:
1. "I think that's inappropriate."
2. "Beautiful? You've got to be joking."
3. "I like the sound of that."
4. "Are you flirting with me?"

It might have been a one-time thing that'll never crop up again, but suddenly this simple exchange became swollen with promise of romance. What if I responded by calling him "the handsomest pilot in the galaxy?" Would he try to intervene to save me from myself, rescuing me from my own Dark Side? Would he die romantically in my arms telling me he loved me? Would we share a kiss at the end of the game after having rescued the galaxy from the evil Sith? Or would we part forever in tragedy?

For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you.

Justin and I have long talked about a romance game. We even played the "Sweet Valley High" board game. ("Can you find your boyfriend in time for the big dance?")

"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."
"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."
"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."

I think that's a bit like admitting that you fapped to those sex cards in the Witcher, only much worse. That's my nightmare quota filled for the next few weeks.

 

[Darth Roxor]

"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."

I won't be able to sleep thanks to that for at least 3 days. Thanks a fucking lot.

 

[Rosh]

They had the original manuals, but almost nobody read them.

I felt the urge to quote that again. Instagratificationist newage punks.

The most striking first impression of Fallout for me was the construction and quality of the manual.

A pity that most game companies are coddling the barely-literate console chimps, which often results in those annoying and design compromising "tutorial levels" that really do little but add extra annoyances when replaying the game.

It is catering to these kinds of morons, who likely similarly failed basic schooling and who hold jobs not requiring critical thought, that is quickly turning this entire industry into shit.

I guess that's why I play mostly indie games except for the classics. I've already played most of the "new" games years before they were recycled into brainless trash for the cattle consumers.

Spencer Greenwood also fails on counts of failing to read a status window (like when you click on ANY stat in Fallout, there's a description of what it does in the game world), and if anyone can't figure out how to kill the rats in the first cave or can't figure out how to work the speech system, use skills (BIG RED FUCKING BUTTON LABELED SKILLDEX), heal ("I wonder what this shit in my inventory does, I can't bother to read any of the descriptions. Maybe if I just click on the knife or flares a few times they will heal me...where's the health potion hotkey?!"), or anything else, then they need to acknowledge that they failed simple education and be content as one of the human trash that requires a point and drool console FPS interface.

 

[Lesifoere]

I won't be able to sleep thanks to that for at least 3 days. Thanks a fucking lot.

If I have to suffer, I don't see why I should suffer in solitude. You're welcome!

Edit: just to make people's nightmares/insomnia that much more interesting, I also found this.

So the next time I played it safe, acting all but abusive to Liara (because let’s face it, I felt she’d violated me in the first playthrough) and playing mother hen to Kaidan’s paper-thin male ego, and successfully ended up with him in the end.

In a surprising development, last night the two of them confronted me to make a definitive choice. Oh, the drama. I opted for Kaidan but noticed that I did have the option to ask if I could have them both. Now THAT, my friends, is replayabilit

Choices and consequences, baybee! I wonder if anyone ever bothered telling her that there's no replayability there: try to have them both and Kaidan freaks out and walks out on you.

 

[Darth Roxor]

A pity that most game companies are coddling the barely-literate console chimps, which often results in those annoying and design compromising "tutorial levels" that really do little but add extra annoyances when replaying the game.

Indeed. What the hell happened to the "Do you want to play the tutorial first?" message, if people really need basic training.

 

[Rosh]

Indeed. What the hell happened to the "Do you want to play the tutorial first?" message, if people really need basic training.

Unfortunately, the social wastes would similarly ignore the tutorials as they do the manual, and so it is an enforced part of the actual game itself. Thank the Viehmenschen for this "required" gameplay standard.

 

[DraQ]

"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."

Swelling of necromantic excrement what now?
:shock:

*slowly crawls in under the desk*

 

[St. Toxic]

I always swell of necromantic excrement when I play KOTOR (well I did once).

 

[denizsi]

Indeed. What the hell happened to the "Do you want to play the tutorial first?" message, if people really need basic training.

Why do they ever make tutorials compulsory?. They must be thinking that the ways they supposedly "blend" tutorial into the initial game are so awesome and genius, it must be experienced every time. So awesome, who wouldn't like to, right?

Unfortunately, the social wastes would similarly ignore the tutorials as they do the manual, and so it is an enforced part of the actual game itself. Thank the Viehmenschen for this "required" gameplay standard.

A few questions everytime you start a new game then:

1. Choose the group the games you liked more belongs to:

a) Oblivion / Fallout 3 / Fable etc.
b) Fallout / Arcanum / Gothic etc.

edit:

Reading the article once more, I couldn't help feeling this:

They had the original manuals, but almost nobody read them.

Original manuals. Wasted at the hands of instagrato punks.

What a shame.

 

[Kiree]

For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you.

In 20 to 30 years (in the more developed parts of the world), the majority of romance and sex will happen with virtual characters. A vocal minority will demand legally binding marriage, citing "My love is real!"

 

[DraQ]

"Die, instagrate!"
Has some nice ring to it, don't you think?

 

[Chefe]

Where the hell did he find these "students"? Undergrads of the Pat Robertson Law School? I was 12 years old when I first played Fallout. I didn't pick Max Stone "hopin' to shoot me sum things", I realized that action points go away when you use them, I realized that if you talk to people they can give you locations, I figured out how to rest... and that was before I read the manual (I admit I used to jump right into games without reading anything... but that was before I hit puberty).

What the fuck is wrong with these people? I mean, seriously, this is something to be genuinely worried about. I'm fucking scared that these morons are out there and were able to get into college.

I'm so damn shocked I couldn't even type out a coherent response. I... I...

 

[Rosh]

As Futurama accurately described, colleges have become little more than overpriced child care centers.

With beer, pot, and tits.

EDIT: I suppose it's no coincidence that the ads here have been heavily for Sylvan Learning Centers. A pity they don't have a "CRPG" category else some of the visitors would have more of a clue. Including David Gaider.

ZING!

 

[Ion Flux]

"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."

Dood. And here I thought I was a tragic weirdo.

 

[Rat Keeng]

Heh, "a swelling of that romantic excitement"; is that what they call erections in these here politically correct days. I do know what he means though, that Carth wears some awfully tight leather pants...

Like it's only after you play a game like this that you realize how much easier having glowing objects of interest is.

Like it's only after you fuck a horse like this that you realize how much easier having sex with a pony is.

^Fixed

 

[Drakron]

"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."

Seen worst ...

http://sagakure.livejournal.com/268492.html#cutid1

 

[Gragt]

I think that's a bit like admitting that you fapped to those sex cards in the Witcher, only much worse.

Hey!

 

[DefJam101]

For a moment, while playing Fallout 3, I actually felt a wave of those curative fluids you feel when someone you like is spewing them at you.

 

[Rosh]

"For a moment, while playing KOTOR, I actually felt a swelling of that romantic excitement you feel when someone you like is looking at you."

It could be worse in just three words, when the cheezy game romance just isn't spicy enough for some people.

Imoen Incest Mod.