CanardPC Fallout 3 magazine Preview

Genoq said:
Fallout's "pulp 50's" atmosphere was nowhere close to this contrived.
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Uh-huh. Because shooting "bolts" of laser isn't contrived at all. Nor is using a "laser gatling" gun.

In a universe with a motion detector, Stealth Boy and similar blatant impossibilities, other 50's pulp like this fits in fine. It's consistent with the Fallout universe because it's consistent with what might have been experimental weapons at the time of the war. This as opposed to the hand-held nuke launcher.

Genoq said:
I mean, they were still somewhat realistic in a sort of Si-Fi way. If they had names like the "Atomic Raygun" or "Nuclear Plasma Cannon" beth's new weapons would fit right in. But they didn't, they had names like the "YMK2B Pulse Rifle" and "Winchester P34 Plasma Rifle". And they didn't do dumb shit like freeze or hypnotize people
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If the name is the only problem, we don't now the way names are shown ingame. Like Fallout had shorthand and longer names, dunno if Fallout 3 does the same.
 
I really like the idea of the cryolator. A gun that freezes people would be a suitable addition to weapons that burn or melt people. I haven't totally made up my mind though, as I haven't seen it in action.

I was really hoping that the gloomy ambient style of music from Fallout 1 and 2 would make a return. The haunting emptiness and minimalism expressed through the music music was a perfect companion to the barren world the games presented. However, it does not surprise me that Bethesda went for an orchestral score, seeing as they mostly seem to stick to their own traditions instead of doing something fresh and new they haven't attempted before.
 
Brother None said:
Uh-huh. Because shooting "bolts" of laser isn't contrived at all. Nor is using a "laser gatling" gun.
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You got me there, I hadn't thought of the gatling laser. (odd, because it's my favorite weapon)

Brother None said:
If the name is the only problem, we don't now the way names are shown ingame. Like Fallout had shorthand and longer names, dunno if Fallout 3 does the same.
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The name is not the only problem, as I said at the end of the paragraph, but it is significant imho. Even if they called it the H&K LN2 cryolater, "cryolater" is still a stupid name. And freezing and hypnotizing people is a bit over the top, although not as bad as a nuclear catapult.
 
shihonage said:
Dweller, defend this mutant, over ! Dweller, RPG on rooftop, over. That's a kill. Mission accomplished. Dweller, get to the Vault, double-time, over.
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all voiced by harrison ford of course!! ahahaha

the weapons SOUND cool. applications are good. freeze guys. maybe that's a lame excuse for TB

mesmetron sounds good too, but providing non-combat applications may possibly make the game easier than normal...without considering your skill points...

"I HATE YOU! DIE!"
*zap*
"I LOVE YOU! LIVE!"

no need for branching dialogue OR int/speech checks! genius!
 
big blow on the soundtrack. the f1 / f2 soundtracks were incredible... i find myself sleeping to the theme from Madoc regularly...

well, at least we'll be able to plug in our own music on PC.

(360 as well but that's another story)
 
Those two sound like weapons outta the Ratchet & Clank Series (Name Wise) I'll bet you a cookie that they're likely to look similar to boot.
 
It's very disappointing to hear that they aren't going for a gloomy ambient soundtrack like Fallout 1 and 2 had... I was really hoping they'd at least get that right considering that for me the music of the first two games were what really set the tone of the whole world...

Is it too much to ask that they just keep a few things around besides the Vault Boy to remind us it's supposed to be a sequel to Fallout?
 
It'll be pretty annoying if that's actually the music that plays for the whole game. I could stand it if it goes all orchestral for behemoth wrestling once or twice, but it'd be a damn shame if that and the licensed music is all it has.

Kinda like Doom 3. I enjoyed it, monster closets and all, but the thing I think I missed most was the funky Doom music.
 
Well, I dunno if any of you played the PSX version of Doom (consoles RRRRRRRRRG) but aurally speaking it was the definitive version. The ambient soundtrack took an already tense game and made it spooky, and it was way better than the PC's generic synth rock. Plus it had a special track for Club Doom.

I also dunno if Fallout needs to be fully scored with strings and horns, but some Road Warrior type overtures would be a welcome addition.
 
Never did the console versions, as I jumped from Atari to Dreamcast in my consoles. Might have to see if I can find a video of gameplay or the soundtrack to that and check it out.
 
Bodybag said:
... it was way better than the PC's generic synth rock.
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Harsh, truly, harsh.

Part of the problem is that eveybody remembers the upbeat rock music from e1m1 (and, of course, had a 16-bit soundcard, at best). There was a different piece for each level, and the score was carefully constructed to alternate tension and adrenalin. Go find the tune for e1m7, or e2m2.

Bodybag said:
I also dunno if Fallout needs to be fully scored with strings and horns, but some Road Warrior type overtures would be a welcome addition.
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Given that there is an already established musical reference for Fallout, in the form of The Ink Spots, then any score has to dovetail into that, or else it risks being quite jarring. The beauty of the original's ambient score is that it complements the environmental art and provides atmosphere, without ever really being noticable as soundtracking per se. It provides a great contrast to Maybe - which was, presumably, the point - without ever clashing against it.
 
Yes, but I feel that the use of "I don't want to set the world on fire" for Fallout 3 was a bit jarring even though it was the Ink Spots. Even though it was a license used in the original, it was kinda...for me personally, to ironic. "Maybe" set a beautiful and dark mood, which complimented the artwork and feel. IDWTSTWOF is a little to "haha irony". They could of been more creative than that.
 
Dopemine Cleric said:
Yes, but I feel that the use of "I don't want to set the world on fire" for Fallout 3 was a bit jarring even though it was the Ink Spots. Even though it was a license used in the original, it was kinda...for me personally, to ironic. "Maybe" set a beautiful and dark mood, which complimented the artwork and feel. IDWTSTWOF is a little to "haha irony". They could of been more creative than that.
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Well, without wanting to read too much into it, I don't want to set the world on fire, as well as queueing a rather broad joke about nuclear holocaust, is actually a rather sweet little love song about a man who has no ambitions to do great things with his life, other than get into the knickers of his loved one. It actually resonates rather well with the idea of the reluctant messiah.

Of course, it was never cleared for use in the original, and the more suspicious might suspect that Bethesda used it to signify their obstensive commitment to the series, rather than for any good artistic reason...

Still, I say that it is a good thing to use it all. I seem to remember some promise that Enclave radio would play more Ink Spots and the like. If there has to be ingame music, then I would say that it is a good a thing, but I'd always thought of the world post-apocalypse as being a world without music.
 
Man. I still remember to this day when I first heard the music in Vault City. It was so different than anything in FO1, and it really put a definitive stamp on the tone of the game at that point. That makes me disappointed big time. What a massive loss.
 
Bernard Bumner said:
Bodybag said:
... it was way better than the PC's generic synth rock.
Click to expand...

Harsh, truly, harsh.

Part of the problem is that eveybody remembers the upbeat rock music from e1m1 (and, of course, had a 16-bit soundcard, at best). There was a different piece for each level, and the score was carefully constructed to alternate tension and adrenalin.
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The rest of the problem is that PSX Doom's soundtrack crushes everything that came before it. (Sorry Robert Prince :( )

Go find the tune for e1m7, or e2m2.
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Or alternately, you could just do a head-to-head comparison here and arrive at the same conclusion. Which is that the PSX (and Doom64!) soundtracks set the standard. Well, seriously, neither really runs away with the prize out of context, but the Aubrey Hodges score upgraded the game's fear factor by an order of magnitude.

Given that there is an already established musical reference for Fallout, in the form of The Ink Spots, then any score has to dovetail into that, or else it risks being quite jarring.
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The Ink Spots were used purely for ironic juxtoposition. It was jarring when the camera panned out after Maybe started skipping.

The beauty of the original's ambient score is that it complements the environmental art and provides atmosphere, without ever really being noticable as soundtracking per se. It provides a great contrast to Maybe - which was, presumably, the point - without ever clashing against it.
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You're joking, right? Maybe clashed against every aspect of the current reality depicted in the game, soundtrack inlcuded. That was the whole point! It's this cute and ironic little reminder of the naivety that led to the apocolypse. You know, pretty much like every other damn thing in the game.

If Fallout 3's soundtrack is a fully orchestrated score, then this will be among the biggest departures from the original. Just say that.
 
Bodybag said:
If Fallout 3's soundtrack is a fully orchestrated score, then this will be among the biggest departures from the original. Just say that.
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What? No it won't be. The Fallout 1 soundtrack was intended to be orchestral but couldn't be due to technical limitations of the time. Bethesda is taking this vision and putting it into modern technology. Orchestral is more immersive.
 
Brother None said:
Bodybag said:
If Fallout 3's soundtrack is a fully orchestrated score, then this will be among the biggest departures from the original. Just say that.
Click to expand...

What? No it won't be. The Fallout 1 soundtrack was intended to be orchestral but couldn't be due to technical limitations of the time. Bethesda is taking this vision and putting it into modern technology. Orchestral is more immersive.
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Wow, you really fired up the way-back machine for that zinger. Only whenever I bothered to cite technical limitations it was never anything as silly as "no room on the CD for redbook audio."

Besides, I've learned from my mistakes since then - that there were exactly zero technical limitations affecting the production of Fallout. I mean, if anything, they were just throwing resources on the trash heap since they were drowning in excess.
 
The fun thing is that while my argument does paraphrase a popular argument actually made concerning the Fallouts, your argument has never been said by anyone. Oh Frith, what do we call that again? I don't remember.

But still, it's funny, I can sarcastically paraphrase and still be accurate in what kind of arguments are made, you have to twist it into a more extreme form of insanity. I guess that means the detractors are less crazy than the protractors. Huh, go figure.
 
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