Todd Howard's quote of the day

[Vault Dweller]

Tags: Bethesda Softworks

In the future, when Todd Howard is a mega global star, beloved by billions, many aspiring young developers will wonder how Todd became the most awesome and celebrated game developer evar. This thread is for them.
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<blockquote>I still look to other games for gameplay ideas, as it's pretty easy to pick something up that is done and out and mess with it, if it has an idea you are already thinking about. It could be any game. I even played Barbie Horse Adventure to see how their horses worked.</blockquote>Well, that explains the ground-breaking implementation of mounted combat in Oblivion. Learn to think outside the box from uncle Todd, kids!
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<a href=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=12818>link</a>

 

[kingcomrade]

My idea of a Barbie Horse Adventure is riding around on a horse killing things.

 

[Elhoim]

Words: "I don't have the time to read as much as I'd like, only when I'm on a long vacation or something do I find the time. Last book I read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which is absolutely brilliant. That book will stay with you long after you read it.

I've made it required reading for a lot of people here. There's great Fallout type stuff in there: a post-apocalyptic world with people struggling to survive. It's a very harsh story."

OMG, don´t give them books Todd! They brains will malfunction and you´d be left with only 1/8th of your staff!

 

[Elhoim]

After thinking about it... give them more books!

 

[MisterStone]

Words: "I don't have the time to read as much as I'd like, only when I'm on a long vacation or something do I find the time. Last book I read was Cormac McCarthy's The Road, which is absolutely brilliant. That book will stay with you long after you read it.

I've made it required reading for a lot of people here. There's great Fallout type stuff in there: a post-apocalyptic world with people struggling to survive. It's a very harsh story."

OMG, don´t give them books Todd! They brains will malfunction and you´d be left with only 1/8th of your staff!

Haw haw Cormac McCarthy is brilliant... I feel sorry for all of the stupid fanboys that go out and look for Cormac McCarthy books after reading this...

 

[Sovy Kurosei]

I even played Barbie Horse Adventure to see how their horses worked.

They implemented horses a lot better than the ones that did it for Oblivion too.

 

[serch]

Now he is trying to dumb down his own bashing. Genius!

 

[suibhne]

The Road was a fantastic book, but probably the most depressing thing I've read in years.

 

[One Wolf]

yeah, that book was depressing as fuck. just remembering the basement of that house gives me the chills.

 

[MisterStone]

In the interview, Todd said:

"I've also been listening to a lot of music for Fallout 3 - stuff from the '40s."

"The Ultima series is still my favorite, and probably is still my biggest inspiration as far as presenting a fully realized world in a game. Ultima 4 to 7 are so ahead of their time it's just unbelievable."

Hmmm... maybe Todd needs to stop listening to his Ipod in hopes of somehow channeling the aesthetic spirit of Fallout, and go back and play the Ultimas again.

Actually, I can't understand how a RPG developer could be a fan of the Ultimas and yet fail to produce a game even remotely like them in terms of interaction, quest design, etc. I guess when it comes down to it, he just goes for the lowest common denominators (eye candy, phat lewt, minigames, etc. etc.) like everyone else. But then again, why would he possibly want to lie about that?

 

[Micmu]

Jesus Christ, how transparent.

He tried to impress the "hardcore" fan base.

 

[kris]

Jesus Christ, how transparent.

He tried to impress the "hardcore" fan base.

Better than just telling them to fuck off. At least he said a couple of good things, even if they may never been implemented.

 

[dongle]

Is this a daily feature now?

 

[made]

Welcome to BethesdaCodex. Enjoy your stay.

 

[Sae]

It's kinda funny that everything he's been playing lately is Xbox 360/PSP exclusive...

 

[Mefi]

Learn to think outside the box from uncle Todd, kids!

It is a very small box at Bethesda right now, after all...

 

[aries202]

I think that Todd Howard really means what he says. (and this without spin).

However, some PR guys, I think, at Bethsoft decided they needed to a different way (or route) with Oblivion.

And I think that Todd Howard actually has a girl or two, so maybe that's the reason, he's been playing
Barbie's Horse Adventure.

I like the music from the 40's, especially the jazz music from the 1940's, as much as the next guy.

However, the fallout series has a 1950's setting, so a Fallout game really need a 1950's music score.
(before rock'n roll entered the scene --- something like Pat Boone, I think )

 

[Journeyman]

I prefer the 1980s Mad Max era style but I guess 1950s seems more authentic.

 

[Brother None]

However, the fallout series has a 1950's setting, so a Fallout game really need a 1950's music score.
(before rock'n roll entered the scene --- something like Pat Boone, I think )

Inkspots - Maybe is from 1940.

 

[dagorkan]

Yeah, me too. I think when people go for a fifties setting the cheesy cliches go into overdrive. With the 80's most of us have some idea what it was like and it can turn out more 'real'.

 

[Micmu]

Yeah, I prefer stardate 75432.43 setting. It would make an awesome Fallout game.

 

[dagorkan]

Don't be stupid

 

[Section8]

I still look to other games for gameplay ideas, as it's pretty easy to pick something up that is done and out and mess with it, if it has an idea you are already thinking about. It could be any game. I even played Barbie Horse Adventure to see how their horses worked.

That's actually a reasonable comment, to a point. Prototyping design ideas within a very limited dev schecule is next to impossible, so why not let someone else do it? It's easy to see something working when it's in action, and it's also easier to pick apart and critique something that exists as opposed to an idea.

But, where Bethesda and also Bioware traditionally fail, is by ignoring the context of a feature, both in its original incarnation, and within your own model.

And it goes without saying that you have to balance existing ideas with fresh ones of your own, otherwise, what's the point?

 

[taxacaria]

I still look to other games for gameplay ideas, as it's pretty easy to pick something up that is done and out and mess with it, if it has an idea you are already thinking about. It could be any game. I even played Barbie Horse Adventure to see how their horses worked.

Toddy gives a poor account of himself.
Looking to others for gameplay ideas isn't very creative.
Barbie? Next will be Sesame Street and the Cookie-Terminator.

Long time ago I've heard about horses in Oblivion, that Beth's horse artist posesses a number of horses and so "she does really know, how a horse is walking".
After mis-enjoying Oblivion I've learned, that riding on horseback is just the same as in Daggerfall - same controls, same tank-feeling, but without a cart which isn't needed for the crappy levelled loot.

 

[MisterStone]

I even played Barbie Horse Adventure to see how their horses worked.

If he had said "I even played Mount and Blade to see how horses should work", then maybe we'd have something to look forward to.

Then again, he'd probably open himself up to a number of lawsuits once the next Bethesda game with horses comes out.