Bethesda has opened a blog, with a few messages on it, the most interesting being Emil Pagliarulo answering a few meet the devs questions:<blockquote>What have you drawn on for inspiration in developing Fallout 3? Books, movies, music, etc would be fine, if you don’t want to name any games.
When we first started working on Fallout 3, I completely overloaded my system with post-apocalyptic films. I’m not just talking “Mad Max” and “A Boy and His Dog” here - I’m referring to some of the most depressing movies I’ve even seen in my life. “The Day After,” “Testament,” “When the Wind Blows.” Stuff like that. Fun! I was pulled back from the brink of suicide with a lot of great 50’s sci-fi flicks, like “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and “Forbidden Planet.”
I tend to draw inspiration from a variety of sources, though. The amazing characters from a TV show like “Deadwood,” the strong themes of great classic literature like “A Tale of Two Cities,” maybe the subtle irony in an old Billie Holiday song. It goes beyond just playing the old Fallout games - it’s whatever moves me on a personal level.
How long have you been playing Fallout, and how would you describe your feelings towards the franchise?
My love for Fallout goes back to Wasteland, which was one of the first computer games I ever played, back on my Commodore 64. That’s kind of ironic, considering I didn’t play Fallout when it first came out. It took a friend and colleague of mine (Jordan Thomas, now a designer, whom I worked with at the Adrenaline Vault website back in the day) actually mailing me his copy for me to realize what I had been missing.
As much as I loved the characters and open-ended gameplay, it was really the richness of the fictional world I found so compelling. It would have been so easy for Fallout’s creators to simply make a post-apocalyptic game, set in contemporary America. Instead, they split the timeline after World War II and created an alternate America, a Walt Disney Tomorrow-Land of robots and nuclear-powered cars. It was the ultimate American future - and they blew it all to hell. Brilliant doesn’t even begin to describe that premise.
Have you played the VanBuren Alpha? If so, what were your feelings on it?
Actually, I haven’t played the Van Buren Alpha. Yet. Part of me is, of course, incredibly curious about the game. But another part of me feels like I need to keep my distance. I want to respect Van Buren for what it was, and continue with “our” Fallout 3. But ah, who am I kidding. I know I’ll play it sooner or later.</blockquote>Link: Unofficial Bethesda Blog.
Link: Emil Pagliarulo Q&A.
Spotted on Duck and Cover
When we first started working on Fallout 3, I completely overloaded my system with post-apocalyptic films. I’m not just talking “Mad Max” and “A Boy and His Dog” here - I’m referring to some of the most depressing movies I’ve even seen in my life. “The Day After,” “Testament,” “When the Wind Blows.” Stuff like that. Fun! I was pulled back from the brink of suicide with a lot of great 50’s sci-fi flicks, like “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and “Forbidden Planet.”
I tend to draw inspiration from a variety of sources, though. The amazing characters from a TV show like “Deadwood,” the strong themes of great classic literature like “A Tale of Two Cities,” maybe the subtle irony in an old Billie Holiday song. It goes beyond just playing the old Fallout games - it’s whatever moves me on a personal level.
How long have you been playing Fallout, and how would you describe your feelings towards the franchise?
My love for Fallout goes back to Wasteland, which was one of the first computer games I ever played, back on my Commodore 64. That’s kind of ironic, considering I didn’t play Fallout when it first came out. It took a friend and colleague of mine (Jordan Thomas, now a designer, whom I worked with at the Adrenaline Vault website back in the day) actually mailing me his copy for me to realize what I had been missing.
As much as I loved the characters and open-ended gameplay, it was really the richness of the fictional world I found so compelling. It would have been so easy for Fallout’s creators to simply make a post-apocalyptic game, set in contemporary America. Instead, they split the timeline after World War II and created an alternate America, a Walt Disney Tomorrow-Land of robots and nuclear-powered cars. It was the ultimate American future - and they blew it all to hell. Brilliant doesn’t even begin to describe that premise.
Have you played the VanBuren Alpha? If so, what were your feelings on it?
Actually, I haven’t played the Van Buren Alpha. Yet. Part of me is, of course, incredibly curious about the game. But another part of me feels like I need to keep my distance. I want to respect Van Buren for what it was, and continue with “our” Fallout 3. But ah, who am I kidding. I know I’ll play it sooner or later.</blockquote>Link: Unofficial Bethesda Blog.
Link: Emil Pagliarulo Q&A.
Spotted on Duck and Cover
