Emil Pagliarulo answers some questions on BGSF

Brother None

Brother None

This ghoul has seen it all
Orderite
Over on BGSF, lead designer Emil Pagliarulo answered some questions.<blockquote>can you target cars in VATS to explode?

No, you can't. We actually experimented with that for a while, but found that the "battlefield" got so littered with explodable objects that you ended up having too many targets to cycle through, or the the camera would autozoom onto a car instead of the target you wanted, etc. So, like a lot of things, we started off that way, played the game and realized it didn't work, and changed it.

does stealing cost less -karma then murder?

Yes, definitely. I find that's how I maintain my "Neutral" karma level with my current character (crazy Raider-looking girl named Fahrenheit) -- I'll generally be nice to people (which earns good karma), and then rip them off blind (which earns bad karma). If I were to go around murdering people, I'd jump pretty quickly down to "Evil."

can an evil character make a redeeming decision and become good and vice versa? (and it makes sense)

Yes! That became one of our big goals, actually -- redemption. There are ways a completely good character can turn evil, but that's easy -- just go on a killing spree. But there are also ways for a completely evil character to turn good. You can complete quests in an obviously "good" way, donate money to a church, give purified water to a better, etc. etc. So yeah, we definitely support that.

I had one character who was totally evil. I blew up Megaton, went on a killing spree... and then Dogmeat taught me how to love. Role-playing FTW!</blockquote>Thanks Incognito.
 
No, you can't. We actually experimented with that for a while, but found that the "battlefield" got so littered with explodable objects that you ended up having too many targets to cycle through
Click to expand...

Does EVERY-FUCKING-THING blow up now if you shoot at it?
I had one character who was totally evil. I blew up Megaton, went on a killing spree... and then Dogmeat taught me how to love. Role-playing FTW!
Click to expand...

Meh, I think that's actually chaotic evil, mindless berserker. The most shallow way of being "evil".
 
Still not sure about the Karma system, but at least I won't be locking on to the giant red flammable barrels that they call "cars".

Also Gamesradar did a top 7 dogs feature and no Dogmeat, shame on them. :cry:
 
I hope that more than just straight up evil there will be situations that wont be clear...just two evils and now choose the lesser one (if there is such a thing).And that sometimes consequences will be long term..
 
Black said:
Meh, I think that's actually chaotic evil, mindless berserker. The most shallow way of being "evil".
Click to expand...

It is also, sadly, the way most games approach evil. It would be disappointing if Fallout 3 goes down that same path.
 
I like how Torment "created" interesting evil ways. The incarnation that made Deionarra sacrifice herself for TNO- classic. Brilliant evil.
Also, the way MotB allows you to be evil is interesting.
 
"Think"!?!

Anyway, if Bethesda says a faction is good, it is simply, one-sidedly, goodie-goodie. See: Brotherhood of Steel. No confusing grey morality there. Good, evil. Hurting bad people is good, hurting good people is bad. Morality distilled to its kindergarten variety.
 
I do like the idea of redemption on a RPG, that was a good call. Still weary of their karma system though.
 
Briosafreak said:
I do like the idea of redemption on a RPG, that was a good call. Still weary of their karma system though.
Click to expand...

Weary or wary?

Still optimistically hoping Beth has kept some grey areas up it's sleeves. Seeming as Megaton is a bit of a nooby intro to Fallout there might be some deeper stuff later.
Wonder if you can side with the old skool BoS rather than the goody goody ones (checking up on design notes there are two groups supposedly).
 
Brother None said:
Over on BGSF, lead designer Emil Pagliarulo answered some questions.<blockquote>can you target cars in VATS to explode?

No, you can't. We actually experimented with that for a while, but found that the "battlefield" got so littered with explodable objects that you ended up having too many targets to cycle through, or the the camera would autozoom onto a car instead of the target you wanted, etc. So, like a lot of things, we started off that way, played the game and realized it didn't work, and changed it.
Click to expand...
Concern: Cars will be just like explosive barrels in FPSes and there will be a large number of them
Status: Confirmed
Concern: Nuclear explosions will be trivialized by excessive number of explosive cars
Status: Confirmed

I swear that they assured people that this wouldn't be the case on the BSF but either way, this shows that they really don't care about trivializing nuclear explosions. It also shows a fundamental problem with level design, you should never have so many explosive terrain elements that it creates any sort of problem when looking at the terrain in a mode such as VATS. Hell, "007 Everything or Nothing", a TPS, never even had that issue and you could look at all of the interactable terrain when paused (just like VATS).

All in all, I don't see anyway that there could be so much explosive terrain that it creates issues unless you're profane about the placement of it. My guess is that this is a confirmation that every car in the game will be a bomb which is a real bummer for multiple reasons.
 
Ausir said:
"Know"
Click to expand...
*Has a sudden and violent Planescape flashback and starts beating himself in the face with his keyboard*

Seems pretty bad that you can't target exploding things like cars in VATS. Even though I think the exploding cars are pretty stupid, you'd think they could simply make it so when you enter VATS, it defaults to a meaty target instead of a vehicle. And as you're scrolling, it sorts all of the actual targets together, then gives you exploding objects separately. So if you just want to shoot people they're your first and quickest options, then you can keep scrolling to get to the cars. Seems a bit like lazy design to me but what the hell.
 
Black said:
I like how Torment "created" interesting evil ways. The incarnation that made Deionarra sacrifice herself for TNO- classic. Brilliant evil.
Also, the way MotB allows you to be evil is interesting.
Click to expand...

MotB is in the top 5 for serious choices/consequences style RPGs. I never got around to finishing NWN2 itself (that whole castle thing was so boring), but MotB had me hooked hard.
 
No exploding cars is VATS? RT fighting now officially has more tactics involved in it than VATS. But then again, looking at that video with the mudcrabs where he shoots the car almost right next to them and they don't even flinch, I guess exploding cars are just there to look pretty (and make BS look stupid)
 
I hope it's not a case of 'do evil act, donate the required amount of money to church to make up for it.' That kind of... cheapens the whole idea.

But - yeah, I echo what others have said. The karma system should have been scrapped, the idea of some omniscient force determining what is good and evil in a post-apocalyptic wasteland doesn't work.
 
GIVE MONEY TO CHURCH!?!!11

What the fucking hell? This is Baldur's Gate all over again.
And not to mention the stupidity in itself.

I'll generally be nice to people (which earns good karma), and then rip them off blind (which earns bad karma)
Click to expand...

Which has nothing to do with neutrality. This is chaotic if anything.

and then Dogmeat taught me how to love. Role-playing FTW!
Click to expand...

:facepalm:

If this is role-playing I'm eating my hat.
 
When it comes to good and evil in videogames most go for the complete black and white picture. Worse than that the only option for evil is the chaotic evil. Someone on the AoD forums said it best:

"For once we get a game with evil options that let you play malevolent character not just an obnoxious cunt. Happy times."

I'd have like to see Fallout 3 improve on Fallout and make the areas more grey and the options for good and evil more interesting. Sadly it looks like we'll get the same generic good/evil options as every game has. Bethesda’s view that neutral means inaction isn’t a good one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top