Bethesda and the SPECIAL license

Brother None

Brother None

This ghoul has seen it all
Orderite
During the recent chaos, we've all been forgetting one essential thing: the Fallout license is not the SPECIAL license, just because someone has the right to use Fallout, doesn't mean he actually has the right to use SPECIAL. A bit concerned, we approached Bethesda and asked them some questions. While they could not answer everything, they did give us this:<blockquote>Q: Have you purchased the right to use SPECIAL for any and all Fallout games from Interplay?
A: yes, we have full rights to SPECIAL.</blockquote>I want to avoid too much crazy speculation here, but remember that SPECIAL is completely seperate from Fallout. If they bought it alongside Fallout, Interplay will have probably charged for that priviledge too. And since they're willing to pay for it, it's very like they'll use it.
 
The question is are they going to use it intact, tinker with it for their own ends, or use it as a guideline into making their own system for the project.
 
MrMarcus said:
The question is are they going to use it intact, tinker with it for their own ends, or use it as a guideline into making their own system for the project.
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I doubt they'll use it intact, but neither was BIS for VB
 
That's at least some level of good news/speculation.

Should be interesting to see what level of bastardization it goes through.
 
Arcanum also didn't use the original SPECIAL, I have no problems with adjustments as long as they don't go for any class based ruleset ("This armor is not suitable for your scout character" - *shivers*).
 
yeah, i guess they'll add some things try to change some things around to improve/balance the system (for better or for worse), just like BIS tried. But yeah they wont change all that much, it'll still be the same system with some minor changed, otherwise, they wouldnt have licenced... SPECIAL staying intact should be the least of worries imo
 
Yes, the dialog in morrowind sucked bad, it was basicly just some interface over a database, they have to totally change that system around to get something that'd fit Fallout. I'm more concerned with that then with whether or not they'll implement an isometric view.
 
Thank god. The next step is the big one - a fully fledged turn based combat game, with no real time combat in sight, and the default isometric viewpoint.
I don't mind SPECIAL being tweaked, in the way Josh Sawyer was doing for VB. An evolution, in a way.

Also Odin, did you ask them what happens if Interplay dies - do they still keep the rights?
 
Also Odin, did you ask them what happens if Interplay dies - do they still keep the rights?
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Why wouldn't they? It's not like they are Interplay's anymore,
Way I see it, they don't have anything to do with Interplay anymore.

anyway that's some good news, then again they just bought it, still doesn't mean anything. Let's hold the conclusions shall we ?
 
Ché said:
Why wouldn't they? It's not like they are Interplay's anymore, Way I see it, they don't have anything to do with Interplay anymore.
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Well that's what we're wondering, but I don't think that Bethesda is dumb ie I believe they have a clause like this..
 
Seeing what they've said earlier, I think it's pretty obvious they had the rights to use SPECIAL. I don't see how this changes anything - they're avoiding the issue as much as always. As Briosa said, there's nothing to stop them from pulling a Lionheart.
 
Bobbin said:
Arcanum also didn't use the original SPECIAL, I have no problems with adjustments as long as they don't go for any class based ruleset ("This armor is not suitable for your scout character" - *shivers*).
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Two points:

1.) Arcanum couldn't have used SPECIAL, because IPLY would have sued the pants off Troika. IPLY was already attacking Troika with lawyers for percieved similarities between Fallout and Arcanum.

2.) Arcanum would have greatly benefitted from SPECIAL.
 
Odin said:
Mr. Teatime said:
Also Odin, did you ask them what happens if Interplay dies - do they still keep the rights?
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We have, no answer yet...
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In fact, from what we got, it's a safe bet to say they simply can't talk about this. i.e. Interplay rather not have them discuss such matters publicly, it's a bit sensitive, as such a clause would indicate they expect Interplay to go belly-up

It's a safe bet, tho', the only question really is if the clause says "ownership of the Fallout license goes to Bethesda" or "Bethesda gets to develop an X number of games/gets to develop Fallout games for X period of time regardless of where the license goes"

Araanor said:
Seeing what they've said earlier, I think it's pretty obvious they had the rights to use SPECIAL.
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Everyone was just assuming they did, nobody actually posed the question, which had me a bit worried
 
Shouldn't you be somewhere in Siberia teaching bears how to smoke pot, Kharn?
 
The situation can be easily summarized with this photo

5.jpg
 
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