Desslock answers Fallout 3 questions

[Tannhauser]

Desslock, the gaming journalist who let slip that Fallout 3 would be on the East Coast half a year before Bethesda confirmed it, has been answering questions about Fallout 3 on the Quarter to Three forums.<blockquote>But if you have any additional questions on anything you've read anywhere - shoot - I'll try to answer them now that I'm no longer prohibited from doing so. I've waited a year and a half to be able to talk about Fallout 3, so I'm more than happy to do so, heh.</blockquote>One thing he elaborates on under prompting is V.A.T.S.<blockquote>Can you complete the game using VATS exclusively, never aiming in real time?
VATS action points are a limited resource, sort of like fatigue in Oblivion - I think they are still tweaking how fast it regenerates, etc.

Can you pause even if you have no AP, just to stop and think?
Yes, definitely, and doing so will offer tactical advantages, since it allows your character to make a "perception" roll, which will give you additional information.</blockquote>Desslock mentions that his next two PC Gamer columns will be about Fallout 3, the next one explaining scaling in the game; and the column after a follow-up to his older Memo to Bethesda article. Desslock also posted his impressions of Fallout 3. Robur, another journalist invited to Bethesda's press event, also relays his own impressions on RPGCodex.<blockquote>We saw one possible solution for one quest. We were told about SPECIAL, skills, perks, but didn't see the full list or how the tests (?) in the Vault will influence those numbers. Ultima style? Oblivion? I prefer a classic sheet with points actually. We saw three, four battles. Ant, mutants, super mutants, behemoth. We saw no sub quest. We saw the world and I have to say that I like its looks. We were told that there would be more voice actors for less NPCs, instead of 1500 (Oblivion) "just" a few 100. We were not able to play the game ourselves. So, where does that leave me and my opinion? I think it *can* be a good game - *inspired* by Fallout. Kinda like a remix version with Bethesdas flavour. But not a direct sucessor that many F1/F2 fans would have liked it to be. You know, it's Bethesda, not Bioware or Obsidian. They are for example not going to change their art pipeline and forget all that they have done before. Now, do I like that? The jury is still out on that. I wish I could've played it myself and would have been able to mess around with VATS and dialogue (the new and improved Radiant AI) and character stuff myself. That's how I so far have ended each of my previews. Cause there is not more I can say at the moment about it. Anything else would be unfactual, wild guesses. Apologies if this wasn't jubilant or spiteful enough - I wish I had more facts and experiences.</blockquote>Interesting to hear how limited the press event was.

Link: A little bit of Fallout 3 news thread at the QtT forums.

Thanks Lithal.

 

[yevinorion]

Phew, well it's nice to know that AP only counts for actions taken during a pause, and not limiting pausing itself. Although, how useful this 'perception' roll will be remains to be seen.

 

[Starwars]

Ropur seems to speak his honest opinion on how the game looks (actually, Desslock also).

Ropur:

I think it *can* be a good game - *inspired* by Fallout. Kinda like a remix version with Bethesdas flavour. But not a direct sucessor that many F1/F2 fans would have liked it to be.

Rubbish really, but thanks a lot Ropur for posting an opinion that isn't just brown nosing Bethesda.

 

[Tannhauser]

Robur's impressions are the most interesting, as he points out how limited the demonstration really was.

We saw one possible solution for one quest. We were told about SPECIAL, skills, perks, but didn't see the full list or how the tests (?) in the Vault will influence those numbers. Ultima style? Oblivion? I prefer a classic sheet with points actually. We saw three, four battles. Ant, mutants, super mutants, behemoth. We saw no sub quest. We saw the world and I have to say that I like its looks. We were told that there would be more voice actors for less NPCs, instead of 1500 (Oblivion) "just" a few 100. We were not able to play the game ourselves. So, where does that leave me and my opinion? I think it *can* be a good game - *inspired* by Fallout. Kinda like a remix version with Bethesdas flavour. But not a direct sucessor that many F1/F2 fans would have liked it to be. You know, it's Bethesda, not Bioware or Obsidian. They are for example not going to change their art pipeline and forget all that they have done before. Now, do I like that? The jury is still out on that. I wish I could've played it myself and would have been able to mess around with VATS and dialogue (the new and improved Radiant AI) and character stuff myself. That's how I so far have ended each of my previews. Cause there is not more I can say at the moment about it. Anything else would be unfactual, wild guesses. Apologies if this wasn't jubilant or spiteful enough - I wish I had more facts and experiences.

Desslock is a good guy; but I don't trust his taste in the slightest.

 

[Karak]

The guy's nick is 'robur'...

 

[Makagulfazel]

You know, it's Bethesda, not Bioware or Obsidian. They are for example not going to change their art pipeline and forget all that they have done before.

I hate it when this is used as an argument for Bethesda. It's like saying, "It's okay that they are raping the franchise, because that's all they know how to do." They aren't a bunch of uneducated 14 year olds, they're adults. They've had 3 fucking years to work on the game now and people are still defending Bethesda by saying that they were incapable of creating a complex game. It's not that they were incapable, it's that they are sellouts. They care about their big fat dirty dollar, which makes sense in this business-driven world, but why did they even bother to buy the Fallout license then?
They didn't change their "art pipeline" because they wanted to make another fanbase of console retards.

 

[Forhekset]

Desslock overall seems pretty positive about the game. I still think the combat system sounds incredibly clunky, but maybe Bethesda thinks they're somehow throwing a bone to turn-based combat fans. I haven't played the game or seen a demo, so I suppose I'll just have to wait and see what it's like for myself.

Also, I guess I didn't realize that Beth also took out "eye aiming" til I read the poll on the front page. I sure liked zapping baddies right in the eyes with my plasma rifle in the original game....

Ropur seems to speak his honest opinion on how the game looks (actually, Desslock also).

Ropur:

I think it *can* be a good game - *inspired* by Fallout. Kinda like a remix version with Bethesdas flavour. But not a direct sucessor that many F1/F2 fans would have liked it to be.

Rubbish really, but thanks a lot Ropur for posting an opinion that isn't just brown nosing Bethesda.

I guess nothing that guy said is technically false - Fallout 3 *could* be a good game, but it seems like it's definitely not going to be what most fans of the originals expected, or wanted. "Inspired by Fallout" seems like an appropriate label.

 

[Sorrow]

We saw one possible solution for one quest. We were told about SPECIAL, skills, perks, but didn't see the full list or how the tests (?) in the Vault will influence those numbers. Ultima style? Oblivion? I prefer a classic sheet with points actually. We saw three, four battles. Ant, mutants, super mutants, behemoth. We saw no sub quest. We saw the world and I have to say that I like its looks. We were told that there would be more voice actors for less NPCs, instead of 1500 (Oblivion) "just" a few 100. We were not able to play the game ourselves. So, where does that leave me and my opinion? I think it *can* be a good game - *inspired* by Fallout. Kinda like a remix version with Bethesdas flavour. But not a direct sucessor that many F1/F2 fans would have liked it to be. You know, it's Bethesda, not Bioware or Obsidian. They are for example not going to change their art pipeline and forget all that they have done before. Now, do I like that? The jury is still out on that. I wish I could've played it myself and would have been able to mess around with VATS and dialogue (the new and improved Radiant AI) and character stuff myself. That's how I so far have ended each of my previews. Cause there is not more I can say at the moment about it. Anything else would be unfactual, wild guesses. Apologies if this wasn't jubilant or spiteful enough - I wish I had more facts and experiences.

A real professional .

 

[Starwars]

Whoops, hehe.

Also, I wonder why people mention the Radiant AI in the same breath as dialogue. Do they mean the dialogue that the NPCs will engage in with each other or something?
That, by the way, is another big fear of mine. While they say that they've improved it from Oblivion, I'm willing to bet that we will still get NPC dialogues that feel completely out of this world.
Barring crappy writing, it takes good voiceactors to act out having conversation when they are just in a VA booth by themselves. The Oblivion actors certainly didn't succeed.

 

[Stag]

I like Desslock. He's a canuck, and canucks are good people.

That being said, is there that weird sound from combat initiation still in? The beeping one?

 

[The Duke]

We saw one possible solution for one quest

Yet Todd showed them weapon erosion and nuclear catapults. They clearly weren't shaping the preview for fans of the series or rpg gamers...

 

[Forhekset]

I like Desslock. He's a canuck, and canucks are good people.

That being said, is there that weird sound from combat initiation still in? The beeping one?

Beeping? I remember a short, synthesized guitar riff when combat was initiated in Fallout...and then the same riff played backwards (I think) when combat ended.

Does it matter, though? The TF movie is still a turd (haven't seen it, just going off of what I've read), even though they supposedly used the transforming sound. Judging by your avatar, this should be a topic near and dear to you.

 

[lisac2k]

Or you could, after blowing him away, decide to put on his sheriff's uniform, in which case some NPCs may attack you for killing the sheriff, but others may actually defer to you as the new sheriff.

Errrhm... No. Not a chance to wear that sweaty cowboy outfit after killing its owner, Mr. Chuck Norris.

I think he revealed nothing new. A few bits, here and there, from a bit different perspective. Bah.

 

[Madbringer]

We saw one possible solution for one quest. We were told about SPECIAL, skills, perks, but didn't see the full list or how the tests (?) in the Vault will influence those numbers. Ultima style? Oblivion? I prefer a classic sheet with points actually. We saw three, four battles. Ant, mutants, super mutants, behemoth. We saw no sub quest. We saw the world and I have to say that I like its looks. We were told that there would be more voice actors for less NPCs, instead of 1500 (Oblivion) "just" a few 100. We were not able to play the game ourselves. So, where does that leave me and my opinion? I think it *can* be a good game - *inspired* by Fallout. Kinda like a remix version with Bethesdas flavour. But not a direct sucessor that many F1/F2 fans would have liked it to be. You know, it's Bethesda, not Bioware or Obsidian. They are for example not going to change their art pipeline and forget all that they have done before. Now, do I like that? The jury is still out on that. I wish I could've played it myself and would have been able to mess around with VATS and dialogue (the new and improved Radiant AI) and character stuff myself. That's how I so far have ended each of my previews. Cause there is not more I can say at the moment about it. Anything else would be unfactual, wild guesses. Apologies if this wasn't jubilant or spiteful enough - I wish I had more facts and experiences.

A real professional .

I have to say this was the most consistent and unbiased tidbit i've read so far from all the previews that sprung up recently.

Which is simply sad as fuck.

 

[Tannhauser]

That being said, is there that weird sound from combat initiation still in? The beeping one?

Beeping? I remember a short, synthesized guitar riff when combat was initiated in Fallout...and then the same riff played backwards (I think) when combat ended.

The sound the both of you are thinking of is the shutters of the combat window in the interface opening at the beginning of combat, and closing at the end.

I believe it was mentioned in passing in one of the previews that this sound is in Fallout 3, for at least the initiation of combat. I'm not going to go digging for the information however, and I could be misremembering something else entirely. Without the interface however, the sound doesn't make much sense in context, though it is rather nostalgic.

 

[Brother None]

Heh, since it's a demo, it might just be a placeholder sound for Bethesda

Tannhauser, Robur's stuff is pretty interesting, sure you don't want to quote it in the newspost?

 

[Tannhauser]

Sure, I have been toying with the idea since I wrote the newspost; while it makes the post cluttered, the quote is interesting enough.

Definitely something people should keep in mind when reading the various Fallout 3 previews.

 

[Mori]

Well I have been pointing out that the presentation was probably extremely fucking limited for some time now, in various locales, which results in me being called a stupid apologist and beth fanboy. Both things are interesting though.

 

[Makagulfazel]

Which is simply sad as fuck.

EXACTLY my thoughts. I mean, some of these people say they are fans of Fallout and still are sucking Bethesda's [metaphorical] dick. If I was a previewer, I would be hell bent on acting real nice during the preview, then while shaking hands good-bye, sucker-punch Todd right on his upper lip/nose. I would then proceed to yell, "Critical hit, biatch!" then be more than happy to pay battery charges down the road. It would be priceless to see Todd with a busted face during video previews, especially to know that a real Fallout fan did it.
FO3 is not only spiraling downwards, it's plummeting. I'm willing to go the lengths of douche-bagness to steal any copy of FO3 that my friends buy and break them. It's sad to like a game this much, but then again some people actually do care about what celebrities do. At least I'm not that soulless.

 

[Forhekset]

Which is simply sad as fuck.

EXACTLY my thoughts. I mean, some of these people say they are fans of Fallout and still are sucking Bethesda's [metaphorical] dick. If I was a previewer, I would be hell bent on acting real nice during the preview, then while shaking hands good-bye, sucker-punch Todd right on his upper lip/nose. I would then proceed to yell, "Critical hit, biatch!" then be more than happy to pay battery charges down the road. It would be priceless to see Todd with a busted face during video previews, especially to know that a real Fallout fan did it.
FO3 is not only spiraling downwards, it's plummeting. I'm willing to go the lengths of douche-bagness to steal any copy of FO3 that my friends buy and break them. It's sad to like a game this much, but then again some people actually do care about what celebrities do. At least I'm not that soulless.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to punch Todd in the groin?

Seriously though, thanks Tannhauser. I had totally forgotten about the shutter opening and closing. Been too long since I played Fallout.