The hacking portion is actually one of the more annoying things I saw in it. The guy next to me (I didn't catch what he was from, but he was definitely Australian) was so awed by it that I wanted to just kick him in the shin and show him a site like Pogo where he can play that game for free.
Fallout 3 at E3 - Kotaku
- Thread starter Brother None
- Start date
Brendon said:
Haha, glad to hear that comradeship amongst fellow reporters is still alive.
well done..we have some good minigames to look forward to 
maximaz
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
I don't hate the hacking idea. Yes, both of the Oblivion's minigames are nothing but annoying, however, this one doesn't seem that horrible.
Oblivion's 'disposition' and 'lockpicking' minigames suck because you have to do those a lot, there is a crap load of stuff to open and a lot of people to talk to. On top pf that, those minigames don't change; you do the exact same crap over and over. Lockpicking does get easier and harder but you have to do that so many times in the game that the difference just isn't big enough. In F3 however, there simply cannot be that many computers to hack so I'm sure it doesn't get nearly as annoying. Plus, the hacking minigame changes so it shouldn't be that bad.
Minigames are not necessarily bad, when done right. They can offer a change of pace and can actually be fun. There were hacking minigames in System Shock 2 and those weren't too bad even though they were very common. So, the idea itself isn't that horrible, the question is how it's implemented.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's going to be great. I've played Oblivion and I know how Bethesda can have what sounds like a good idea and not think it through. Every single thing about Oblivion, including its minigames, were fun at first and then got extremelly annoying later, but who knows, maybe this is well done.
What is really bothersome is the bit about characters. Oblivion's character's are completely boring. The combination of those retarded faces and the dialogue content was unbearable. Thousands of NPC's and not a single memorable character except maybe Sean Bean's character, whatever his name...
Oblivion's 'disposition' and 'lockpicking' minigames suck because you have to do those a lot, there is a crap load of stuff to open and a lot of people to talk to. On top pf that, those minigames don't change; you do the exact same crap over and over. Lockpicking does get easier and harder but you have to do that so many times in the game that the difference just isn't big enough. In F3 however, there simply cannot be that many computers to hack so I'm sure it doesn't get nearly as annoying. Plus, the hacking minigame changes so it shouldn't be that bad.
Minigames are not necessarily bad, when done right. They can offer a change of pace and can actually be fun. There were hacking minigames in System Shock 2 and those weren't too bad even though they were very common. So, the idea itself isn't that horrible, the question is how it's implemented.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's going to be great. I've played Oblivion and I know how Bethesda can have what sounds like a good idea and not think it through. Every single thing about Oblivion, including its minigames, were fun at first and then got extremelly annoying later, but who knows, maybe this is well done.
What is really bothersome is the bit about characters. Oblivion's character's are completely boring. The combination of those retarded faces and the dialogue content was unbearable. Thousands of NPC's and not a single memorable character except maybe Sean Bean's character, whatever his name...
S
Stag
Guest
As has been stated, minigames based on the player's (rather than the PC's) skills have no place in Fallout, other than the minigame known as "not fucking up dialogue and getting attacked."
Joe Kremlin
First time out of the vault
So if I'm good enough at a minigame I have no real reason to have be high in the skill that helps it, right? Or will there be more than one use for said skill?
maximaz
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Doesn't it say that it is based on PC's skills?
Yes, but probably in the same way that Oblivion handled minigames: you get more time to solve the minigames if your skill is higher.maximaz said:
Which hardly makes it reliant on PC skill.
whirlingdervish
Brahmin Cavalry Commander
the big problem I see is that minigames tend to only fit with a completely different type of RPG than Fallout is.
Everything in fallout was 95+% stat/skill/trait based and the only input the player had was the direction to travel and the strategy of telling your PC what to do and when.
Your own luck had nothing to do with your character's luck, and your own timing barely ever mattered compared to your character's sequence.
Minigames don't really fit that at all unless they are like the aforementioned: "try not to piss of the NPC and get whacked for it" minigame.
for example, Final Fantasy 7.
this game had tons of minigames strewn throughout the 3 discs of the quasi-RPG.
They fit with the franchise and the storyline, and quite often they broke up the monotony of questing and then promptly running in circles waiting to be attacked for hours in the new area you accessed... they fit because FF7 had plenty of moments where good timing would avail you and poor hand-eye coordination would screw you good.
I enjoyed the snowboarding game and the submarine battles because they actually added something to the repetitive gameplay, and they capitalized on your already trained psx controller reflexes.
Fallout on the other hand had no such questing monotony and boring repetition, because you weren't just trying to get from here to there, and there were plenty of other things to do when you got tired of levelling up. There really wasn't much room for minigames, since there were so damn many quest options and ways to possibly complete them.
furthermore, you NEVER had to count on your abilities with mouse and keyboard to carry you.
the closest you will find to a minigame in the Fallout RPGs is the incredibly ghey shocking floor puzzle in FO2(not canon! argh!)
Of all things to emulate from the franchise, that should have been the very last thing on the list right after furry deathclaws, FOBOS and the tandi blowup doll.
Everything in fallout was 95+% stat/skill/trait based and the only input the player had was the direction to travel and the strategy of telling your PC what to do and when.
Your own luck had nothing to do with your character's luck, and your own timing barely ever mattered compared to your character's sequence.
Minigames don't really fit that at all unless they are like the aforementioned: "try not to piss of the NPC and get whacked for it" minigame.
for example, Final Fantasy 7.
this game had tons of minigames strewn throughout the 3 discs of the quasi-RPG.
They fit with the franchise and the storyline, and quite often they broke up the monotony of questing and then promptly running in circles waiting to be attacked for hours in the new area you accessed... they fit because FF7 had plenty of moments where good timing would avail you and poor hand-eye coordination would screw you good.
I enjoyed the snowboarding game and the submarine battles because they actually added something to the repetitive gameplay, and they capitalized on your already trained psx controller reflexes.
Fallout on the other hand had no such questing monotony and boring repetition, because you weren't just trying to get from here to there, and there were plenty of other things to do when you got tired of levelling up. There really wasn't much room for minigames, since there were so damn many quest options and ways to possibly complete them.
furthermore, you NEVER had to count on your abilities with mouse and keyboard to carry you.
the closest you will find to a minigame in the Fallout RPGs is the incredibly ghey shocking floor puzzle in FO2(not canon! argh!)
Of all things to emulate from the franchise, that should have been the very last thing on the list right after furry deathclaws, FOBOS and the tandi blowup doll.
Plasma-pip
First time out of the vault
Great, another spinning-wedges-game. You'd think they'd learn from their mistakes. 
maximaz
Sonny, I Watched the Vault Bein' Built!
Sander said:
Well, then I guess it all depends on how important your PC skill is in solving the minigame. I didn't even notice that you got more time in Oblivion, because you didn't really need it. If that's the PC skill contribution to the minigame then of course it sucks.