CVG Talks to Pete

[Odin]

Mr.Teatime informed me of another Pete Hines interview, man these are getting famous aren't they. This time around it's CVG that has spoken to Pete and he dances like he usually does:<blockquote>CVG: What's impressed you most about the Fallout series and, going forward, will this or these things still remain a core part of the third in the series?
Hines: There are a number of things that stand out. Fallout had a great setting: the environments, tone, story, characters, and so on. The role-playing aspect and the SPECIAL system were terrific. From a technical standpoint, it had great animation, voice work, lip-synching, etc. So there were a lot of elements that went into making it the memorable title it was. Our plan is to bring as much of that into Fallout 3 as possible.

CVG: And how do you foresee such features combining with Bethesda's strengths as a developer?
Hines: Well, we do RPGs. That's our genre, that's what we play, that's what we know. So there's no question that what we're interested in making is a role-playing game. In addition, our Elder Scrolls games are open-ended, offer the player lots of options to play the game as they choose... Things like that. I think those qualities are consistent with those in Fallout</blockquote>Other than that it's the usual "cannot talk about specifics yet" answers..
Link: CVG Talks to Pete

 

[carter]

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere yet, so I figured I might just post that Pete Hines has spoken on the Bethesda boards.

Here it is:

I played KOTOR with auto-pause turned on in the options, so that it pauses between each round of combat, thereby turning it into more of a turn-based (or round-based, let's not split hairs) experience. Baldur's Gate worked the same way -- KOTOR really just built on that combat system, IMHO -- depending on the settings you used. It's not true turn-based, but it sure is similar and I quite liked it.

referring to the infamous IGN interview:

Sure, that was a phone interview and he slightly misquoted me. What I said was, "I don't know if we'd suddenly..."

All the other interviews I've done were by email.

It's too early to say because it's too early to say. Nothing's been decided. Sure we have intentions and ideas, but nothing firm yet. There are certainly things we fully INTEND to do, and I could simply and easily answer those questions, but since no team has sat down and decided yet for sure, then it doesn't make sense to give definite answers, even if it's as simple and fundamental as the SPECIAL system.

Looks like it's too early to tell...

 

[God is Dog backwards]

It looks like SPECIAL is in, since he's mentioning it as 'core' and fundamental now. The fact that he doesn't talk about the turn based combat of the old Fallouts has me worried a bit.

 

[King of Creation]

So there's no question that what we're interested in making it a role-playing game.

PHEW!

 

[SimpleMinded]

Sounds like he's starting to get his act together on dealing with these interviews. Answering questions a bit more to our liking

 

[laggerific]

I don't see how this interview is any better...their idea of an open ended game is to just have a world you can roam around in with no real point. You can do that in the fallout series, but the random stuff you do has an affect on the world, so there is more to openended than just being able to go wherever you want.

Similarly, there is more to a game than being able to do what we want to do, we want what we do to have some meaning.

 

[laggerific]

Of course, I am basing my statements on Daggerfall and Morrowind, but if they are referring to their own past as a defense for this project, I am very nervous.

 

[Taintspore]

This does seem to lean towards looking like half-assed-semi-sorta-good-news. But looking like something and being something are two very different things. But it is still very early and I doubt they've done much but natter back and forth a bit with only some very loose ideas being thrown around. I'm going to (maybe stupidly) stick with the "wait and see" approach for a bit, though a very skeptical one. Who knows, maybe we scared them a bit; I don't think Bethsoft is used to this kind of backlash.

Mr. Teatime, I'm with you on the mention of special and the lack of him saying anything about TB.

Laggerific: "Similarly, there is more to a game than being able to do what we want to do, we want what we do to have some meaning."

Bingo.


Taintspore

 

[Macaco]

Let's hope that this change for better(small, but anyway) is true, and he isn't just making these to throw our dogs of war out of his track.

Sounds like he's starting to get his act together on dealing with these interviews. Answering questions a bit more to our liking

About time for someone who gets paid to answer interviews huh?

 

[Stevie D]

It looks like SPECIAL is in, since he's mentioning it as 'core' and fundamental now. The fact that he doesn't talk about the turn based combat of the old Fallouts has me worried a bit.

Does make you wonder how you'd tyre-iron SPECIAL into a FP style venture, though. I mean, how would you model low-value small guns, for instance - have the cursor wobble a bit as you try to aim?

Perhaps I'm clutching at straws, but maybe it's not too much of a leap of faith to say that SPECIAL = isometric. In the same way that TB (what's the one for not-equal-to? That one, anyway) FP. Maybe.

 

[Brutulf]

I believe "not equal to" often is expressed as "!="
Please correct me if I am wrong (one of many small curiosities picked up from Slashdot).

 

[Role-Player]

I believe "not equal to" often is expressed as "!="

Yes, that is correct.

 

[Hirle]

either that or "<>". but i think only people still crazy enough to still program in Pascal (me) use that one

 

[ratburger]

Sounds like he's starting to get his act together on dealing with these interviews. Answering questions a bit more to our liking

Yup he's definitely been visiting NMA.

I played KOTOR with auto-pause turned on in the options, so that it pauses between each round of combat, thereby turning it into more of a turn-based (or round-based, let's not split hairs) experience.

Notice how he covered his ass by pointing out that it wasn't truly turn-based. If he hadn't, we'd be ripping him to shreds over it right now. I doubt he was even aware that KOTOR wasn't turn-based until a couple days ago.

 

[Araanor]

Oh, let's point out that we're not splitting hairs here then. KOTOR is far from turn-based gameplay regardless of how often you pause.

 

[Roshambo]

either that or "<>". but i think only people still crazy enough to still program in Pascal (me) use that one

Yeah, because in some other languages, it's usually meant for STDIN or I/O operators.

Finally, what do you think will be the next big progression in the RPG genre?

Hines: An increased emphasis on immersion and allowing players to play the game any way they want. Obviously the Elder Scrolls has always been about that very thing, but games like KOTOR were great not just because they were fun to play, but because you could have a blast playing as the good guy while your friend was enjoying it as the most evil son-of-a-gun you can imagine. Same game, but completely different experiences and choices that let you customise your experience.

*facepalms*

Pete...while I understand it is a good idea to name-drop in the world of marketing, you're not earning respect from the fans by naming titles that are a result from BioWare half-ass copying Fallout's speech system into an RTS. "Evil" was a joke in KoTOR, just like it was in every BioWare and most Infinity Engine games. Shades of grey and having to screw one people over to save another is a possibility and strength of the Fallout setting.

 

[IMissLark]

So there's no question that what we're interested in making it a role-playing game.

PHEW!

I know, I was worried for a second there that they'd give us a Post-Apocolyptic Wayne Gretzky's Hockey.

 

[Lady Ronin]

At the very least we can say... we think they will not be stupid to make a new version of Fallout like say.... oh... FO:BOS... and just name it Fallout: Operation Vaultdweller...

hmm now I have an image of Pipboy.. a la Operation style... me with tweezers trying to get some .223 outta his spleen or something... maybe I'm the only one who remembers the game Operation...

Anyway... I am still floundering... will I run out and buy it... or wait until some brave souls... true lovers of FO say... "Hey... it isn't bad!"

I'll just keep trying to have happy positive thoughts... for now.

 

[Pope Viper]

Ultimately it's going to come down to how true to the path made the first two Fallout's great Bethesda follows.

Time will tell.

Of course, we're not liable to know anything for a couple of years.

 

[Hirle]

*facepalms*

Pete...while I understand it is a good idea to name-drop in the world of marketing, you're not earning respect from the fans by naming titles that are a result from BioWare half-ass copying Fallout's speech system into an RTS. "Evil" was a joke in KoTOR, just like it was in every BioWare and most Infinity Engine games. Shades of grey and having to screw one people over to save another is a possibility and strength of the Fallout setting.

I totally agree, we do not need more "HAR HAR GONNA KILL ALL TEH PEASANTS" evil.

but RTS? as in Real Time Strategy? KoTOR? Strategy? i'm definitely missing something here...