Crispy Gamer and VideoGamer play Fallout 3

[Tagaziel]

Uh, no. They designed and did the entire game, while the plot was being worked on WITH Marc Laidlaw.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

I find the text written in http://news.bigdownload.com/gallery/five-reasons-to-love-fallout-3/960780/ rather illogical.

...
These guys are obviously huge fans of the previous games, but they're also wonderfully talented developers. The biggest fault anyone who played The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion could find was that the world, it's people and generally the lore itself was kind of bland and arguably trite in some ways.

None of that is fully Bethesda's fault, though. Creating your own IP can be both challenging and expensive in terms of time and money, which are two things a developer requires to create a great game. It's reasonable to think that this is part of the reason they bought the Fallout license.

So what it comes down to is that Bethesda are amazing game designers. They think up wonderfully creative ideas and do everything they can to implement them perfectly (or nearly so) in their games.
...

So it's not Bethesda's, and all of their wonderfully talented developers, fault that Oblivion was a bland game? And they're amazing game designers at the same time?

I can really see the wonderful talent of Bethesda's developers in their 'creative' ideas in Fallout3. We'll only have to wait and see how perfectly they have implemented it.

I have this nag at the back of my head that says that article was satire, it's just so stupid and poorly written that it's disgusting that anyone would be serious with it.

 

[shorrtybearr]

That's funny. You accuse him of having an opinion about certain aspects of the game while he hasn't played the game yet, but you do agree on the "totally shitty AI". And there's no real proof of that "totally shitty AI" either. Plus: it's an aspect of the game they can still tweak, contrary to the overall look of the game.

aenemic answered that perfectly.

You're running around in a post-apoc Washington D.C., fighting all sorts of mutated critters and raiders and robots, and whilst doing so, you can pick up various radiostations. Not one, but various stations. You'd think that life in the wasteland would be a harsh thing, no? Yet, instead of fending off fire ants and giant wasps and behemoth supermutants, some people still find the time and the place to be D.J.? Come on. Try to imagine how utterly ridiculous that sounds.

I’m not sure how acquainted you are with "cities" or "towns" but they tend to be safer than usual and thus have a higher population. When you get lots of people you usually get culture hence music ect.

Anyway long winded comment short.

Radio stations

 

[welsh]

Personally.... I get a nice warm fuzzy feeling in my loins every time Fallout 3 gets slammed by a journalist.

 

[deanimate]

Personally.... I get a nice warm fuzzy feeling in my loins every time Fallout 3 gets slammed by a journalist.

umm....why?

 

[Slaughter Manslaught]

That radio stations thing is a bit strange. I can easily imagine radio stations in places like NCR, New Reno, The Hub, Vault City or Hoover Dam. But a dangerous Washington DC full of dangers and no strong state? No way. The Enclave radio kinda makes sense IF they changed tactics, though.

 

[ushdugery]

This isn't doctor bloodmoney but if the military base and all those generator stations in the game powering lifts survive and those bots that fly around surviving can still be powered and vertibirds which almost definately use power cells not petrol are around transmitting radio isn't hard and the enclave still had decent radio transmition from them and gecko power station I think radio is a workable idea they forcefields; walls of energy in ncr and the military base and vault city that's gotta take more power than a radio transmitter I think you're all blowing this up too far the transmitter doesn't even have to be big it's only covering a mid sized city area with futuristic technology.

EDIT: Just to show my reasoning a bit more the enclave with hand radios communicated half way across california of which washington dc is a fraction the size of culture food halls porn film spectator sport and recreational drugs have developed is music really that much of a cultural step up the answer I think you'll find is no. Bethesda/bestheda however the fuck you spell it have raped a game that is really close to my heart but this is just nit picking.

 

[ookami]

Just to show my reasoning a bit more the enclave with hand radios communicated half way across california

Well, not really 'half way' across, but you're also talking about a faction with very advanced tech capabilities. I can see them having radio broadcasting capability. I can also see them not being keen on sharing it and being very keen on confiscating such equipment from others. Same with the BoS.

culture

Does not require any modern technology.

food halls

Have been around since long before the harnessing of electricity.

porn film

That's New Reno and it's not particularly a part of Fallout 2 that is looked at as fitting the Fallout setting. Does that mistake really justify another? Hey, this stuff in FO2 was pretty stupid and its plausibility was quite a stretch even for this setting, let's do that again in FO3 while we continue to criticize the stuff in FO2. Yeah, sounds like a great way to go. It just shows that the folks at Bethesda don't actually know what a mistake is (likely just parroting what they've read from people who have actually played FO1 and 2) nor how to learn from it.

spectator sport

Once again, this is not something that requires modern tech.

recreational drugs

Well, the drugs used didn't look particularly 'recreational' other than alcohol (Jet being more of a desperation drug and, once again, part of the dubious New Reno), but there will always be dregs who will abuse whatever out of desperation.

is music really that much of a cultural step up

Nope, but broadcasting it is a technological step up and a bit too frivolous of a use of the technology.

 

[JR Jansen]

minstrels! ROFL!

Then we'd have a 4 page discussion about where they found the coconuts on the east coast to clap together as they follow the PC singing his praises..

Well, a mutated swallow could have carried it.

 

[Xenophile]

Nope, but broadcasting it is a technological step up and a bit too frivolous of a use of the technology.

I love how everyone is treating this as a major outlay of technology. The parts to make a transmitter could be scavanged from any car I think. In fact an FM transmitter is one of those "electronics" kit projects that you have a kid.

Take a look and see just how simple a FM transmitter is.. I don't think the BOS or Enclave is going to be particularly interested in this "advanced" technology. http://www.cie-wc.edu/fmtransmitter.asp

Now this is only a 1/4 mile transmitter, but I just wanted to show you how easy it was. It's not much more work for a 1-5mile transmitter.. and literally just a few VERY basic parts.. we are talking a simple transmitter. Even if you say "transisters" were not created in this alternate future and it has to be "tube" based, that is a very easy change. But with robots and super computers, they must have some kind or transisters and microelectronics.

 

[Polynikes]

The technology angle doesn't matter. Sure, it's possible in the Fallout universe, but no one in their right mind would walk around a dangerous wasteland with a radio blaring, whether out loud or in some super-futuristic ear buds. They'd need to hear danger coming.

The radio is simply a game feature lifted from other games for the sake of having something else tossed into the game to grab the console kids. (More wool to pull over everyone's eyes so we miss the bigger failings of the game.) Console kids don't like ambient/moody/background music, they like hearing rock and roll or hip hop playing while they cruise around in their stolen car.

These are the reasons why this "feature" doesn't fit in with Fallout.

 

[Xenophile]

The technology angle doesn't matter. Sure, it's possible in the Fallout universe, but no one in their right mind would walk around a dangerous wasteland with a radio blaring, whether out loud or in some super-futuristic ear buds. They'd need to hear danger coming.

The radio is simply a game feature lifted from other games for the sake of having something else tossed into the game to grab the console kids. (More wool to pull over everyone's eyes so we miss the bigger failings of the game.) Console kids don't like ambient/moody/background music, they like hearing rock and roll or hip hop playing while they cruise around in their stolen car.

These are the reasons why this "feature" doesn't fit in with Fallout.

So let me get this straight, your reasons for the fact that radio shouldn't be in fallout are

1) It's dangerous to listen to it in the wastes.

2) Some other game used it.

hmmm.. Well number 2 is right out, I don't even think I need to argue that one. But number 1.. well that's a different story. I have no problem with them making the radio "alert" things around you. Just because it is dangerous doesn't mean people won't do it... and quite frankly I would argue that the radio stations are primarily for the residents of the communities, not generally people wandering the wastes. I would venture that even wandering the wastes people would still listen to it if they had the equipment and were in range.

 

[ookami]

The parts to make a transmitter could be scavanged from any car I think.

In 200 years since the war. Yeah, I'd imagine they would have been scaveneged. Many years ago for some other purpose than to start a radio station in order to play some old records that most people aren't going to have the ability to hear and would probably attract the wrong kind of attention anyway.

I just wanted to show you how easy it was.

Yes, much easier before a massive nuclear war.

I'm not even arguing against the existence of radio, I'm arguing against the use of it for musical entertainment in Fallout's setting. This radio DJ bullshit is just New Reno Foolishness Part II. It's not really going to add to and may well detract from the 'survival in a harsh wasteland' feeling that Bethesda claim to be going for.

 

[terebikun]

But playing music just for fun doesn't make too much sense.

...Really? I'm a radio DJ, and I do it entirely unpaid as does everyone else at my station, but beyond that I'm pretty sure most of the intent behind music is, well, fun.

while progressing in the game, you suddenly pick up a broadcast[...]when you arrive, you find him dead and robbed.

This exact scenario has already been mentioned as being in the game.

why are there tons of radio stations?

How many is tons? Because so far I only know of about 3.

The BoS would quite likely want to take and preserve what they could as well. It also seems more likely that the Enclave would be making a grab for it. I find it very hard to buy that there's some enthusiast DJ out there that can stand up to scavengers, the BoS and the Enclave effectively enough to hold onto their broadcasting equipment for the frivolous purpose of playing some old tunes?

My standpoint is that people in Fallout 1/2 could have already been broadcasting stuff on the radio, like the BoS or Enclave or whoever, because I haven't seen anything in canon that says the radiowaves are completely dead. Maybe I'm wrong, if someone could show me a page in the Fallout Bible that says so, then I'll retract my statement. But even if you disagree, why would you think a radio program means you've automatically become a target? The BoS and Enclave, as keepers of technology, should know that a pirate radio station is really not that big a deal in terms of hardware and sophistication. Certainly not worth attacking innocent people over (ethically for the BoS, waste of time for the Enclave). Anyone else who wanted to attack the source of a radio signal most likely wouldn't have the technology to track said signal, which would require a great deal more sophistication than simply broadcasting.

Finally, I don't see any problem with broadcasting even if no one's listening out there, or it represents some sort of vulnerability. I can easily imagine someone finding a transmitter, or figuring out how to build one from an old electronics book or kit (I even had a kit when I was a kid that you could build a radio transmitter from. Powered by a whole 2 AA batteries). Working that transmitter would be a symbol of hope for the DJ, futile or not. And if no one in the end is actually listening, so much the better for the cynical atmosphere.

 

[UncannyGarlic]

But playing music just for fun doesn't make too much sense.

...Really? I'm a radio DJ, and I do it entirely unpaid as does everyone else at my station, but beyond that I'm pretty sure most of the intent behind music is, well, fun.

Last time I checked, it isn't 200 years after a near world-ending nuclear war. You have it just a tad bit easier than someone living in a hostile nuclear wasteland, especially when it comes to the essentials, food and water. The point is simply that one could not scrape by a living running a radio station in the setting. Is such a thing possible? Sure, it's just not probable and is damaging to the verisimilitude of the setting with benefits which could be achieved with non-damaging methods.

 

[rcorporon]

The technology angle doesn't matter. Sure, it's possible in the Fallout universe, but no one in their right mind would walk around a dangerous wasteland with a radio blaring, whether out loud or in some super-futuristic ear buds. They'd need to hear danger coming.

The radio is simply a game feature lifted from other games for the sake of having something else tossed into the game to grab the console kids. (More wool to pull over everyone's eyes so we miss the bigger failings of the game.) Console kids don't like ambient/moody/background music, they like hearing rock and roll or hip hop playing while they cruise around in their stolen car.

These are the reasons why this "feature" doesn't fit in with Fallout.

Wow...stereotype much?

The assumption that most younger gamers today are too stupid / illiterate / or some other reason to appreciate anything is a bold, and incorrect one.

Also, making the assumption that somebody who enjoys a game like Halo is some urbanite who only wants the newest / greatest games to play is also incorrect.

Blaming "console kids" for the absolute shit that Beth is taking all over Fallout seems a tad elitist to me.