Fallout not influential

[uziel]

Fallout was influential on the return of good RPG's, but the way the game was designed isn't very revolutionary at all. It was more evolutionary in my opion, by taking RPG's into a different direction of gameplay. However, as previously stated, it just never caught on. I think that if Fallout 3 comes out with a real-time system, it will combine the old system of turn-base and somehow mix it in with real-time elements of BG (Not to be insulting). Once that happens, I think that list will change.
It will change very much so.

 

[Ekarderif]

How exactly was GTA3 evolutionary at all? Or Halo?

 

[Silencer]

the way the game was designed isn't very revolutionary at all. It was more evolutionary in my opion, by taking RPG's into a different direction.

You could do some research into the meanings of evolution and revolution to discover which one adheres to your thesis better.

In other words, BS!

 

[Maphusio]

Now, if I were independantly wealthy and self funded that would be a different story.

Told you we should have robbed that French bank

yeah seriously lets start NMA's donations rolling and create our own publishing co. boy... I am going to quote Sierras "Space Quest - Spinal Frontier" and say, " Boy wouldn't it be cool if that really worked?"
. Well when I get rich I will definately remember the lesson of Fallout. ... err. I, its on such a scale I cant even comprehend... That or the countless 15 hour shifts are getting to me

 

[Roshambo]

You know, it's funny to say that a game is not influential, when those who can recognize good development and who develop games themselves enjoy the game.

How to correctly phrase it is in the following:
"This is what a batch of slack-jawed media whores thought were influential based upon trends."

What's next? Crediting marketing departments for "inspiration"? I suppose we now know who gives a "1Up" to the publishers, if you'll pardon my porn slang. I have to wonder if the cretins understand that Atari wasn't the same entity it once was, and so they might not want to...ah, hell, they look so happy while they're at it, why spoil their fun?

 

[Ciberputa]

Hmm, no offense Odin old boy but my understanding was that BG was credited with revitalising the crpg genre.

No actually Fallout started it all, before Fallout there weren't many successful RPG titles around. RPGs were pretty much dead and then came Fallout and changed that, after Fallout came of course Baldurs Gate and it was a fact again..RPGs were again here to stay.

I'm not disputing the fact that BG sold more then Fallout, but Fallout was the first RPG to have success after a long period of nothing..

You forgot the Ultima Series, especially Ultima VII.

I do not speak englisg well, but I think that influence means "cloning" or something like that, by example, Gauntlet had a lot of influence in many other Arcade games.

But I don't care the influence of Fallout, it's one of the best RPG series ever.

 

[Roshambo]

You forgot the Ultima Series, specially Ultima VII.

You forgot the events around Ultima VII, and the games that came afterwards. Serpent Isle was cut down, Ultima VIII was shit, and Ultima IX ruined the franchise for anyone who was still playing it. EA obviously did not care to keep the same sense of depth and quality previously seen in CRPGs, much less the game series. The CRPG genre really started to look like it was going to die along with the Adventure genre, to be replaced by console games that played themselves and combat systems that play for you as well.

Yes, there were few good CRPs before Fallout reintroduced that style back into the genre to inspire others. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any question as to the genre Baldur's Gate really fits into. The speech system of Fallout inspired others, though I personally prefer Ultima VII's speech system of topic branches nested into keywords.

 

[Ciberputa]

You forgot the events around Ultima VII, and the games that came afterwards. Serpent Isle was cut down, Ultima VIII was shit

I've said Ultima VII, also Ultima Online.

Yes, EA fucked Origin, but Ultima VII was a masterpiece

 

[Silencer]

Ultima VIII was shit.

murmurmurmurmurmur I respectfully disagree, I found Ultima 8 to be extremely enjoyable (I played it about the same time I played Fallout, actually) and while it was lacking in terms of the character system as such, as well as certain aspects of the interface, it was long, playable, indepth, with a well-thought out, magical and brimming with life world. Also isometric.

I can't really tell how much of an influence it had on Fallout, or other RPG titles, but it was a good RPG, with a vast world to explore and savour.

 

[Ciberputa]

However, the influence usually means sales. If a game sells millions, many clones will appear. Unfortunately, Fallout did not sell a lot, too much clever for the majority.

 

[Roshambo]

murmurmurmurmurmur I respectfully disagree, I found Ultima 8 to be extremely enjoyable (I played it about the same time I played Fallout, actually) and while it was lacking in terms of the character system as such, as well as certain aspects of the interface, it was long, playable, indepth, with a well-thought out, magical and brimming with life world. Also isometric.

Bullshit. It was a mostly linear action game that had nothing other than the name and a few connecting elements to supposedly make it "Ultima". That was the main reason why it was not set in Britannia. In one game, it defecated upon what made the series great. In that regard, it IS shit. I'm sure some people might have also liked Virtue Raider (and if you want to go through the long, playable, indepth etc. rest of Hythloth that is brilliant compared to the jumping and backtracking nonsense in UVIII, you can do so) and there are the dozen or so people who showed up for the UXO gathering. That doesn't make those games any less poor in construction or their regard towards the Ultima setting. In one game, they threw away almost EVERYTHING that was dear to the Ultima games. The only way they could have completely turned the game to shit was by including an end boss. Which they made sure to do in several parts of Ultima IX.

In other words, it was another trend, one of greedy and moronic suits looking at successful games or games that developers themselves liked to play, and in turn decide to do something "visionary" with them. Which is just a marketing term for "avoid this shit at all costs because the marketing dept. and suits at EA decided to make it more of an action game than anything else to try and cash in on the Lowest Common Denominator".

 

[Silencer]

But what it did have, Rosh, was at least some of the basic capacities of an RPG. It had something along the line of dialogue trees, it had a multitude of items and locations and most importantly, it had many choices, where you could, despite the linearity, either ignore a quest or person altogether, or choose different ways to do it (Vardion and Bane, for example)

Calling U8 a pure action game is, in my opinion, somewhat unfair. While it is an example of whoring an RPG with action- and dexterity- oriented elements, it is still heaps better, considering the terms I mentioned, than such hack&slash bollocks as, for example, Revenant.

(which I finished in three days time just for the fun of it, and which is a perfect example of how linearity and combat-orientation kills a potentially good game. It's also not an RPG).

 

[Roshambo]

Compared to what Ultima VII had, and what Ultima VIII had wrong with it, it wasn't that notable. The influence you have in the game, compared the the deeds you would do in Ultima VII, is extremely thin. The stupid jumping puzzles are a game killer for many, and hence why it is loathed by most Ultima vets.

I will admit I liked some parts of it, like the exploding mushrooms, but there was little enjoyable to be found in the game versus replaying other games, especially if you ran into one of the frequent stacking glitches in the game. By that merit, it was a polished turd.

 

[Ciberputa]

Compared to what Ultima VII had, and what Ultima VIII had wrong with it, it wasn't that notable. The influence you have in the game, compared the the deeds you would do in Ultima VII, is extremely thin. The stupid jumping puzzles are a game killer for many, and hence why it is loathed by most Ultima vets.

I will admit I liked some parts of it, like the exploding mushrooms, but there was little enjoyable to be found in the game versus replaying other games, especially if you ran into one of the frequent stacking glitches in the game. By that merit, it was a polished turd.

I don't like it, but I have to agree with Rambo in this isue. Ultima VIII was the worst Ultima game, it had good points, but it lost the Ultima essence.

Anyway, the true renaissance of the CRPG's was Baldur's Gate, and not becuse it was better than Fallout (of course not), simply because it sold 4 million copies.

Regards.

 

[Volourn]

"simply because it sold 4 million copies."

No. It didn't. The entire series has sold over 6 million. BG1 has sold just over 2 mil. Nice try though.

However, I do think BG should be on there. Afterall, look at all the games sense that are influenced by it. Heck, even the silly Bethesda dinks referred to BG when theyw ere discusisng about whetehr or not FOI3 would be isometric view or not even though they were discussing a FO game. That says A LOT about which game has more influence.

Sadly, neither series made this obviously bogus list.

 

[Silencer]

The stupid jumping puzzles are a game killer.

Amen!

Ultima VIII was the worst Ultima game,

heh, ever played Ultima 0, also known as Akalabeth?

Here's a word from Lord British himself on Ultima 8:

The important lesson of this game is that every Ultima has been late except for two, and this is one of them. The reason it wasn't late is because it was the first project with a public company, and they were screaming 'quarter, quarter, if we don't make this quarter the stock price is going to crater,' which it never does. So I sacrificed everything to appease stockholders, which was a mistake. We probably shipped it three months unfinished

Doesn't that sound familiar?

 

[Ciberputa]

"simply because it sold 4 million copies."

No. It didn't. The entire series has sold over 6 million. BG1 has sold just over 2 mil. Nice try though.

However, I do think BG should be on there. Afterall, look at all the games sense that are influenced by it. Heck, even the silly Bethesda dinks referred to BG when theyw ere discusisng about whetehr or not FOI3 would be isometric view or not even though they were discussing a FO game. That says A LOT about which game has more influence.

Sadly, neither series made this obviously bogus list.

I thought that 6 millions sold the BG2 + Expansion, anyway, 2 million units is a lot, for this kind of game. I wish Fallout had soldl 2 million units...

 

[Ciberputa]

heh, ever played Ultima 0, also known as Akalabeth?

Lol, Ultima 0 was released... 1987?. When it was released was a great game.

The important lesson of this game is that every Ultima has been late except for two, and this is one of them. The reason it wasn't late is because it was the first project with a public company, and they were screaming 'quarter, quarter, if we don't make this quarter the stock price is going to crater,' which it never does. So I sacrificed everything to appease stockholders, which was a mistake. We probably shipped it three months unfinished

Doesn't that sound familiar?

Yes, a lot

 

[Fez]

U9 was the worst. I could feel a stabbing pain in my chest as I played.