Fallout 3 at E3 - IGN impressions

Per

Per

Vault Consort
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Next one out in the expected wave of E3 preview reports is IGN. Most of the piece consists of another look (but not touch) at the demo from a couple of weeks back. There is also this little snippet:
<blockquote>We had the chance to revisit some of the content in the Vault and discover some of the new story elements there that we hadn't heard about the first time. To begin with, we learned a bit more about the Tunnel Snakes, the gang of bullies who inhabit the Vault, and the object of their attention, the young girl with whom you've had a lifelong friendship. We won't spoil the details of the story, but the connections definitely add some weight to the story.</blockquote>Wooo, love interest?

Like pretty much everyone else, IGN is satisfied with where the thing is headed:
<blockquote>The demo hadn't changed and neither has our high impressions of the work that Bethesda was putting into reviving the Fallout franchise. While some opinions have been divided with regard to the game's new perspective and some of the game mechanics, we're still convinced that Bethesda is on the right track to bring Fallout to a new generation of gamers while also staying true to the spirit of the franchise.

In all, Fallout 3 looks to be a great if somewhat modernized take on the franchise that's sure to please those who are new to the franchise as well as those old timers who don't mind the shift in perspective.</blockquote>Spotted at one of those Fallout 3 blogs.
 
Nothing new here except the mentioning of a gang inside the vault. A gang?

I wonder how big the vaults in F3 will be? I always thought that the vaults in the originals games was a bit too small to house 1000 individuals and be self sufficient in every way. I hope it's alot bigger and with more detail on how the vaults actually work.

I really don't like the love story angle.
 
Salkinius said:
I wonder how big the vaults in F3 will be? I always thought that the vaults in the originals games was a bit too small to house 1000 individuals and be self sufficient in every way. I hope it's alot bigger and with more detail on how the vaults actually work.
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you surely wouldnt have liked to need 40 mins of walking and using the elevators to get out of a vault, would you?
 
I always regarded everything in Fallout to be a basic representation of the game's world, like an enhanced version of the Buck Rogers RPG.
There's no need to go into excruciating, exact detail unless you're making some sort of life simulator..

.. which is evidently what Toddler wants..
 
Kukident said:
Salkinius said:
I wonder how big the vaults in F3 will be? I always thought that the vaults in the originals games was a bit too small to house 1000 individuals and be self sufficient in every way. I hope it's alot bigger and with more detail on how the vaults actually work.
Click to expand...
you surely wouldnt have liked to need 40 mins of walking and using the elevators to get out of a vault, would you?
Click to expand...

No, but there wasn't even a hint of the vaults being bigger than what we saw.
 
Let's see... My dirty laundry... Beth's... IGN's... Nope, nothing new in there. Except the hunch they'll screw up (with) the love story.
 
It doesn't sound like the girl is necessarily a love interest. They don't mention if that character switches sex according to the player's sex so she may be "just a friend."

I'm interested in the effort to build a life for the player in the Vault before leaving. I very clearly remember the first time I went back to Vault 13 (with the water chip, I didn't know about the quests there or even the ability to go back without it) the place seemed strange and shocking and the only familiarity I had with it was comparing it to the ruined Vault 15 and Vault 12. So it will be neat to grow acclimated to the Vault and then be thrust into the real world. If there is a quest involving some gang in the vault then it will let us start roleplaying our character and earning XP, which means that the hour we're expected to spend in the Vault might not all be forced tutorial.
 
Love stories usually come in the following types:

Sociopathic - mainly found in J-RPGs like Final Fantasy VIII. Obsessive teens refuse to admit they love one another until they suddenly do, at which point nothing else in the universe matters.

Oh you tease! - Bioware's favourite as seen in KOTOR and Jade Empire; lots of hints and innuendo and maybe even *gasp!* a kiss, but that's it.

Komedy - The style of choice in Fable. Because it's so funny to shack up with the first body you come across and then engage in domestic abuse. Or, you know, not.

I'm sorry? Is there a love story or not? - As seen in Neverwinter Nights. You keep thinking something might develop.. but it never actually does, leaving you to wonder what all the character development was for.

Hot Coffee - Not actually love at all really. Also gets your game banned. Woo!
 
Having seen it once before, we were impressed this time with some of the details we missed the first time around. To begin with, the faces look much more realistic and varied.
Click to expand...

I can never stop reacting to quotes like these. I can't understand why people care so much about stuff like this. Sure it's a good thing that the faces look better than Oblivion (which isn't saying much), but there are things that I'd much rather read about.

I wonder if this girl will be used in the main plot somehow, wouldn't surprise me. They seem to want to bring the emotional connections into this, first dad and then a friend. It makes sense in that we go through growing up in the Vault, but it doesn't make sense to have these connections in a Fallout game.

Also, have there been any mention on where the Megaton quest is in the storyline, or is the demo actually the beginning of the game? I think it'd feel rather weird to be able to blow up an entire town a few minutes after exiting the Vault for the first time.
 
Salkinius said:
Nothing new here except the mentioning of a gang inside the vault. A gang?
Click to expand...
it is entirely possible if the Overseer let his grip slip. what a nuub... repression is the key!

Salkinius said:
I wonder how big the vaults in F3 will be? I always thought that the vaults in the originals games was a bit too small to house 1000 individuals and be self sufficient in every way. I hope it's alot bigger and with more detail on how the vaults actually work.
Click to expand...
all communities and cities were HEAVILY downscalled in FO because it would not only pose a significant technical problem, but it would also be impossible to create such an environment & make it feel alive. i'd be filled with endless droves of Oblivion NPCs. ;)

Salkinius said:
I really don't like the love story angle.
Click to expand...
another thing shoved down our throats in which i bet there is little choice at all.

does this also mean btw that you cant play a female in FO3?

either way, it's stupid. in FO you could be straight male/female, homosexual male/female or even bi...
 
Fosse said:
It doesn't sound like the girl is necessarily a love interest. They don't mention if that character switches sex according to the player's sex so she may be "just a friend."
Click to expand...

She could be ugly! But I'm not betting on that.
 
Tunnel Snakes
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What!? Sounds like some latin american crime gang - they going to have tattoos as well? I can see rivalries developing in a vault, but I could never see them adopt such a stupid name. That's the sort of name a raider gang would use... did those guys who wrote 'let us in motherfuckers' actually get admitted?

Love interest... Gah.. sounds like they have been playing Bioware games. Could turn out ok, I guess.... but it really doesn't interest me.

Heh, I love how they state the faces in Oblivion were rubbish, funny how that wasn't mentioned (or implied) in their review of Obliv. Typical.

Regarding FO's vaults being tiny: I was always under the impression (you see the map of the base on the entry screen) that there were loads of generic habitat levels, to simplify the game they didn't bother showing them. A lift with ~15 levels (most of which would be carbon copies) would be rather frustrating and pointless.
 
I have been thinking about this love twist to the story... I can only guess that it just will be something that either just flavours the life in the vault or set things going.

It isn't surprising, even though it doesn't fit fallout, to have a 19 year old sheltered boy/girl fall in love with someone the same age. It fits life in the vault. When the character enters the wastes he'll get hardened and forget about the sheltered and boring life of the vault.
 
Not only Nuclear Motorcycles, but they will weild Nuclear powered ripper blades.

And when you talk to them the first time they will threaten to kill you unless you use:

Response A: I will give you 2 flares to spare my life!
Response B: I will give you nothing of the sort cur!
Response C: Rumors. (in which a totally different voice takes over and tells you about the Vault Overseer's toliet being overflowed by poor water management)

YOU MAKE THE CALL!!
 
I wouldn't mind mucking about in the vault before I have to leave. I loved that I was able to muck about in Arroyo before I left.
 
SuAside said:
Salkinius said:
Nothing new here except the mentioning of a gang inside the vault. A gang?
Click to expand...
it is entirely possible if the Overseer let his grip slip. what a nuub... repression is the key!
Click to expand...

I remember the gang of bully boys being mentioned before, apparently having the (tacit?) support of the Overseer.

The relationship with the girl is probably unimportant for the main plot, but it would have to be resolved, so she might have to leave the vault or die. More likely the thugs are killed, unrealistically disciplined, or persuaded to see the error of their ways to make goody people happy. A compulsory long-term love interest would require too much writing whilst disrupting role-playing so I think not.

I wouldn't be surprised if the demo was roughly the opening, as it looks like an opening, potentially kicking off with a stupid Megaton quest that helps define your Karma. Previous laziness is apparent in the seeming recycling of the teaser trailer into the intro and the provision of *concept art* to the gaming mags. I doubt they'll work on a new opening sequence when it is easier to remove the cheats from the current demo and work up from that.
 
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