Bethesda opens blog

Sander said:
That's because fusion reactions are extremely hard (almost impossible so far, in fact) to create stably and hence get mentioned a lot less than fission reactions. A fusion reaction is still a nuclear reaction and is still referred to as a nuclear reaction.
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Thanks, just as I thought so, but I wasn't sure.

On a second note, it is possible that since fusion reaction is being tried to be exploited much later than fission, scientists don't want to scare people (not excluding politicians) off by using the word 'nuclear'.
The same thing happened with MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging), which was NMRI (Nuclear ...) in the beginning. But who would dare to put his/her head into a machine that says 'Nuclear'!!! Funny...

Per said:
The full term is "nuclear fusion".

Wikipedia and Google exist.
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I actually did try Wikipedia, but on reactor and not on reaction, as a reactor is more relevant if you want to compare it to a car engine.
With fission reactor, I got redirected to nuclear reactor technology, and with fusion reactor I was spot on. So that's why I was a bit confused.

And Brother None is right, the word 'nuclear' has so many meanings, that it isn't really a good choice to use it in relation to fusion reaction powered anything. Of course unless you have no clue about it.
 
Emil and Todd Howard working on Foblivion:

T: Emil, now that the team have implemented my nucular catapult i want you to start working on that magic ... i mean err special nucular powers system for the chosen one to use !
E: But sir thats not ...
T: Hush hush my good man, and another thing .. i played the prealpha the other day and i did not see any mudcrabs ? Get on that !
E: But ...
T: Yes i know .. horrible creatures .. i avoid them whenever i can
 
pexxx said:
Brother None said:
pexxx said:
Funny they weren't in Fallout games I played...
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If you put Micro Fusion Cells in your car, it's nuclear-powered.

If you put Small Energy Cells in your car, it's battery-powered.

Still, nuclear-powered car.
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Oops.I thought he was talking about those cars with mini nuclear power plant inside that will go BOOM when you scratch them with a bullet.My mistake…
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Oh, he probably is.
It's rather easy to corrupt "nuclear car powered by micro-fusion cells" into "nuclear car powered by world's most unstable, unshielded and fragile fusion reactor".
For an arrogant hack, anyway. And Bethesda has those in abundance.
 
I wasn't going to say anything, but since everyone else is debating the nature of fusion/fission reactions...

Is anyone else bothered by the 'radioactive drinking water' they keep mentioning? Having it as a health item is already silly enough, but what really gets me is that fact that water doesn't become radioactive! You'd think they'd have done some research on post-apocalypse survival guides.

*Ahem*

When a nuclear bomb detonates, there is an initial blast of Gamma rays et al, but that it is instantaneous and temporary. 'Fallout' refers to the particles that become irradiated by this EMR flash, and their medium-length half-life is what become dangerous. Water, however, is not affected (to the best of my knowledge). The only worry is radioactive particles floating in the water - let it sit for a day and they'll all settle to the bottom.

I say again - water does not become radioactive, though it may contain radioactive particles.

If I'm wrong, please correct me, because each time I read about 'radioactive water' it makes my eye twitch.

Also, I'm worried they've been playing way too much Half Life 2 - one of the weapons sounds like a rigged-up gravity gun. Stupid.
 
water can be contaminated by fallout and other particles. but in itself, water like food does not become inherently radioactive.

which is why if you wipe down an unopened can of beans that have been exposed to fallout, it should be ok to eat.
 
SuAside said:
water can be contaminated by fallout and other particles. but in itself, water like food does not become inherently radioactive.

which is why if you wipe down an unopened can of beans that have been exposed to fallout, it should be ok to eat.
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If I was desperately hungry/dehydrated, I'd eat/drink mildly radiated food or water. Honestly, you can't be too picky in a post apocalyptic environment, you find a water bottle with inky black water - you drink it. :|
 
I like Emil. He was responsible for the best parts of Oblivion (which were actually damn good). On the subject of the nuclear cars (which I don't find to be terribly tasteful and I hope they're not overused), fusion reactors can actually break in a fashion similar to that described. Especially after being generally rusted and partially damaged by a nuclear explosion. I'll post the explaination if anyone wants it, but I think most people here have already seen me postingit left and right on the beth forums.

But hopefully having Emil as lead designer will mean Fallout 3 is higher quality in terms of dialogue and quest chains. Hopefull he'll also be able to cut out some of the mudcrab based filler dialogue that was rife in Oblivion.
 
Mori said:
...fusion reactors can actually break in a fashion similar to that described.
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Right. Too bad there's no fusion reactors in the cars of the Fallout Universe. Beth made it up, probably to justify the all-around-mushroom-boom-fiesta-candy-eye. They just adore seeing things go mushroom, I guess.
 
lisac2k said:
Mori said:
...fusion reactors can actually break in a fashion similar to that described.
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Right. Too bad there's no fusion reactors in the cars of the Fallout Universe. Beth made it up, probably to justify the all-around-mushroom-boom-fiesta-candy-eye. They just adore seeing things go mushroom, I guess.
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Aren't microfusion cells basically tiny nuclear reactors?
 
Yes they are.
Fallout Wiki said:
A medium sized energy production unit. Self-contained fusion plant.
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Still, if you shoot at an Enclave soldier and hit his plasma rifle, the Navarro Base won't go mushroom. Sorry.
 
lisac2k said:
Yes they are.
Fallout Wiki said:
A medium sized energy production unit. Self-contained fusion plant.
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Still, if you shoot at an Enclave soldier and hit his plasma rifle, the Navarro Base won't go mushroom. Sorry.
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Neither will the reactor on his and every other Power Armoured soldier's back, for that matter.
 
Mori said:
Aren't microfusion cells basically tiny nuclear reactors?
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By the wording of the name, and their use, I'd assume that they were actually Nuclear Fuel CELLS.

kinda like a hydrogen fuel cell.

it's almost like a battery, but it stores a tangible fuel source instead of energy that has already been converted from fuel.

I have harbored a suspicion for quite some time now, that by "microfusion" they meant a weak (possibly partial) fusion reaction that could be used to produce mechanical energy (like the highwayman) and/or electrical energy in the form of a laser beam or plasma bolt. (like the energy weapons)

This way, whatever you fill up with the micro fusion cells, has it's own small reactor in it (that makes a partial/small fusion reaction), and the cells are just the fuel.

In addition, I don't think they'd have weighed so much in-game, if they meant for the "micro" in the name to describe the nuclear fuel cell itself.
 
If they're a fuel cell along the lines of hydrogen fuel cells, then they're probably using tritium gas like a real fusion reactor. Maybe there are small fusion reactors in the cars?
 
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