AtomicGamer is offering an interview with Pete Hines. If nothing else, they should get a cookie for an accurate intro.<blockquote>Hype levels for RPG veterans Bethesda Softworks' latest game, Fallout 3, are reaching peak levels. After an excellent showing at E3 this year and a promise of a significantly different game than anything Bethsoft has ever made before, both new players and the dedicated fans of their past games, the Elder Scrolls series, are really looking forward to this one. </blockquote>Notice who is conspicuously missing from the looking forward group? Anyway, on to the interview, which is of that special rambling topic-hopping quality we always enjoy. but doesn't offer much new material.<blockquote>Jeff: After playing Fallout 3 at E3, it seems to me like the V.A.T.S. "turn-based" system is really meant as a way to augment the real-time combat with extra attacks, as opposed to replacing it, since you can keep moving and shooting while your turn-based Action Points regenerate. Is that a fair assessment?
Pete: It's really designed to work however you want to use it. You can play the game entirely with VATS, use it in combination with real-time combat, or fight in real-time only. It's balanced so that when you use it in combination with real-time fighting, it doesn't become overly powerful. </blockquote>IncGamers offers an interview as well.<blockquote>Story telling in games has become a priority these days. How influential is the story line to the game itself?
It's very important. It's a very compelling and interesting story that takes you to a lot of different Fallout 3locations and introduces you to a lot of different creatures and there are some great plot moments. It plays a lot larger role in the game than the previous games where the main quest is only a small fraction of the story, whereas with Fallout 3 it plays a much more central role, it's a much bigger part of there is to do in the world and a lot of people will feel compelled to follow the story through. But again, it's up to the player. You could walk out of the vault and spend 50 hours playing the game never touching the main quest, so really, it's a player driven experience.
(...)
Is there any real-time time ratio. So what's the timescale, what's 24 hours?
I don't know exactly how long it is, but the 24 hour cycle is around the 40 minutes mark, if I had to guess, because I am! There is a dynamic day-night cycle and there is a dynamic weather conditions. And people do move around in this schedule. So if you go to a town at 3am, there won't be anyone at the shops, you'll have to wait till morning.</blockquote>IncGamers also offers a standard-format preview.
Pete: It's really designed to work however you want to use it. You can play the game entirely with VATS, use it in combination with real-time combat, or fight in real-time only. It's balanced so that when you use it in combination with real-time fighting, it doesn't become overly powerful. </blockquote>IncGamers offers an interview as well.<blockquote>Story telling in games has become a priority these days. How influential is the story line to the game itself?
It's very important. It's a very compelling and interesting story that takes you to a lot of different Fallout 3locations and introduces you to a lot of different creatures and there are some great plot moments. It plays a lot larger role in the game than the previous games where the main quest is only a small fraction of the story, whereas with Fallout 3 it plays a much more central role, it's a much bigger part of there is to do in the world and a lot of people will feel compelled to follow the story through. But again, it's up to the player. You could walk out of the vault and spend 50 hours playing the game never touching the main quest, so really, it's a player driven experience.
(...)
Is there any real-time time ratio. So what's the timescale, what's 24 hours?
I don't know exactly how long it is, but the 24 hour cycle is around the 40 minutes mark, if I had to guess, because I am! There is a dynamic day-night cycle and there is a dynamic weather conditions. And people do move around in this schedule. So if you go to a town at 3am, there won't be anyone at the shops, you'll have to wait till morning.</blockquote>IncGamers also offers a standard-format preview.
