Fallout 3 at E3 - Gametactics.com interview

[Per]

Gametactics.com has posted an E3 video interview with Fallout 3 lead designer Emil Pagliarulo. The interview is about four minutes long and is then followed by the trailer. A few quotes from Emil:
<blockquote>Imagine a city built around a bomb crater that was formed from an unexploded atomic warhead. So this town built up around this warhead because of its proximity to Vault 101 and because people worshipped the bomb.

Our biggest city is called Rivet City, it's a scientific community/city built from the remains of an aircraft carrier. Those are our two largest cities.</blockquote>In other words, nuking Megaton at the start of the game removes one of the two largest settlements in the game from the game?
<blockquote>You don't have to use combat if you don't want to, you can talk your way through some situations and use stealth.

The demo is a condensed version of your first few hours of gameplay.

[The release date is] Fall 2008, so we've got quite a bit of time to finish it up.</blockquote>Thanks to anonymous.

Link: Video interview at Gametactics.com

 

[Starwars]

Having a quest like Megaton that close to the start of the game seems like a really strange design decision.
I'm all for not having really boring fed-ex quests near the start of RPGs, but I think there needs to be some form of progression from "Vault 101 newbie" to "Destroyer of towns".

 

[Per]

I wonder how much of a crater you get from an unexploded warhead? Unless there were some conventional explosives strapped to it (for that extra "boom") I don't suppose it'd make more of a hole in the ground than a big fridge.

Another funny thing is that a little while back, Bethesda's Steve Meister caused a bit of confusion by saying that the aircraft carrier depicted in the concept art had nothing to do with the actual game.

 

[Grey_Ghost]

Imagine a city built around a bomb crater that was formed from an unexploded atomic warhead.

The atomic warhead didn't explode... but it's in a bomb crater?

 

[Tora]

Having a quest like Megaton that close to the start of the game seems like a really strange design decision.
I'm all for not having really boring fed-ex quests near the start of RPGs, but I think there needs to be some form of progression from "Vault 101 newbie" to "Destroyer of towns".

There is. It involves you delivering this detonation device after insulting the sheriff about his hat.

 

[Ausir]

I wonder how much of a crater you get from an unexploded warhead? Unless there were some conventional explosives strapped to it (for that extra "boom") I don't suppose it'd make more of a hole in the ground than a big fridge.

Another funny thing is that a little while back, Bethesda's Steve Meister caused a bit of confusion by saying that the aircraft carrier depicted in the concept art had nothing to do with the actual game.

I think he was just saying that the identification of the carrier as specifically USS Oriskany, the surrounding buildings etc. had nothing to do with the game, not that the aircraft carrier is not from the game. They did ask the guy to make a picture of an aircraft carrier in a ruined city, so that's it, but extrapolating any other stuff from the actual image is meaningless.

 

[Bad_Karma]

I don't know why, but i would rahter love to see the Aircraft-Carrier-City from the artists picture, then the version Beth will come up with i think ...

The city around a nuke, just because the nuke didn't explode and Vault101 is near... okay, near to vault 101 might be a logical thing. But i don't know why anyone would built a city around a fucking nuke... hmm :/

 

[Sorrow]

Also, why they would build a city near V101 when they didn't come out of the vault?

 

[Bad_Karma]

In hope of being let in someday? Getting 'rescued' or whatever... So that's a thing i could imagine.
Sure not a very strong reason to settle there... but at least some reason, i think...

 

[pexxx]

Megaton must be really near Vault when I´m going to find it in this big openended world without any informations about outside world or Liam Neeson left my some notes where to start loking for him?!?

 

[Vault 69er]

Imagine a city built around a bomb crater that was formed from an unexploded atomic warhead.

The atomic warhead didn't explode... but it's in a bomb crater?

I suppose that even if the warhead failed, the impact would produce a crater.

 

[Joe Kremlin]

Megaton must be really near Vault when I´m going to find it in this big openended world without any informations about outside world or Liam Neeson left my some notes where to start loking for him?!?

You use your quest compass, of course!

 

[pexxx]

Megaton must be really near Vault when I´m going to find it in this big openended world without any informations about outside world or Liam Neeson left my some notes where to start loking for him?!?

You use your quest compass, of course!

I guess they will introduce quest compass like super cool new feature of PipBoy...

 

[xdarkyrex]

Imagine a city built around a bomb crater that was formed from an unexploded atomic warhead.

The atomic warhead didn't explode... but it's in a bomb crater?

I suppose that even if the warhead failed, the impact would produce a crater.

That's my guess.

A rocket hitting the ground will still cause a crater, even if the nuke didn't go off.

 

[Per]

It might create a hole a few metres in diameter, perhaps, but is that a "bomb crater", and can you meaningfully structure a town around it?

 

[Bad_Karma]

A hint about the size of cities? *laughs*....
Just wait and see how big the bomb is. By the way, does the crater really matter if it's an nuclear bomb? I mean, is it very meaningful if it's a small crater with a nuke in it or a wider crater with a nuke in it?

 

[xdarkyrex]

It might create a hole a few metres in diameter, perhaps, but is that a "bomb crater", and can you meaningfully structure a town around it?

what about something the size of an icbm falling from space?

 

[Dougly]

Having a quest like Megaton that close to the start of the game seems like a really strange design decision.

Do we know for sure that the "blow up Megaton" quest will be close to the start of the game in the final release?

Bethesda may have rearranged the order of things somewhat, in order to show off the "cool" quest where you can blow up an entire town.

Just a thought.

what about something the size of an icbm falling from space?

My understanding is that ICBMs didn't exist in the Fallout universe. All of the nuclear weapons were delivered via planes that dropped bombs.

 

[esoj]

"and because people worshipped the bomb" - is this stoneage? A generation of wild undeveloped humans? People worshipping / claiming things to be an act of GOD or SATAN, which they can not explain? What? WORSHIPPING A NUKE.. WHAT? It's like people of the post-nuclear world are completely retarded, without any scientific background, worshipping nukes and other WONDERS of the modern life, which already took place in their past... WHAT?

 

[Dougly]

"and because people worshipped the bomb" - is this stoneage? A generation of wild undeveloped humans? People worshipping / claiming things to be an act of GOD or SATAN, which they can not explain? What? WORSHIPPING A NUKE.. WHAT? It's like people of the post-nuclear world are completely retarded, without any scientific background, worshipping nukes and other WONDERS of the modern life, which already took place in their past... WHAT?

I actually don't have too much of an issue with the concept of people worshipping atomic weapons. Much scientific understanding was likely lost in the aftermath of the war, and I doubt there are very many avenues open for "ordinary" people in terms of education. So, an atomic weapon - coupled with at least some sort of knowledge of the awsome power of destruction that it held in the past - might seem awe inspiring and worthy of worship.

Besides, people already worship all kinds of strange - sometimes outright dumb - things today.