Fallout's 10th anniversary: Jason D. Anderson interview

I just finished speaking with you mother, and it turns out you were an accident as well, though you didn't turn out quite as well.
 
Consider the 'hero cast out' ending is the only 'good' ending of PC, this is trutly a memorable game ending of all time.

Sometimes the special thing in life is always happen in an 'accident' way :mrgreen:
 
14. In your opinion, what are the key ingredients that every RPG should have?

I believe that the player should be able to create a character that feels unique and that the player should also be able to make decisions for their character that impact the world around them. I feel this is the core ideal behind an rpg.
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Interesting, that he feels character creation is so important to RPG's.
 
zioburosky13 said:
Consider the 'hero cast out' ending is the only 'good' ending of PC, this is trutly a memorable game ending of all time.

Sometimes the special thing in life is always happen in an 'accident' way :mrgreen:
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I wish I would of met any of the Fallout 1/2 developers, they all seem like nice people and highly funny.


Well reading your comment got me thinking of how Bethesda introduces SPECIAL in fallout 3. The most awesome thing about SPECIAL in the REAL games is it wasn't tangled inside the game story/dialog, or to introduce your character. It seems more like fallout 3 is a gimmick of all the old ideas. I look at the CHAR screen in fallout 1/2 and think "SPECIAL"....hey it spells special!! that's so bad ass. I know this is off topic but your post reminded me of it, maybe I'm a bit retarded. :(. Why couldn't they of kept SPECIAL in fallout 3 but not give it some piece of shit Disney movie feel to it? "Oh your special!!! I am.... yes you are... awww."
I know a bit off topic but oddly enough it reminded me of that :( Sorry! Just on fallout 1/2 I look at SPECIAL and think, damn my character is a fucking pimp ready to beat the shit out of anything that moves!! Watch out hes got charisma!
 
Interesting, that he feels character creation is so important to RPG's.
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What a waste of freshly polluted air you are.

The part where he said Torment is one his favorites - you seem to have missed that. Isn't that cute. All things make sense when you pick up only what fits in your dim vision, am I right?

And I somehow doubt he meant choosing the color of your hair or the width of the cheek-bones.
I suppose he meant developing an unique character, as in how that characters treats the world, what he chooses to do and what consequences he has to suffer.
Because setting your strength two points higher at the start of the game doesn't necessarily mean you've made an unique character, you know?
 
Jidai Geki said:
14. In your opinion, what are the key ingredients that every RPG should have?

I believe that the player should be able to create a character that feels unique and that the player should also be able to make decisions for their character that impact the world around them. I feel this is the core ideal behind an rpg.
Click to expand...

Interesting, that he feels character creation is so important to RPG's.
Click to expand...

I think you misread, he says it's important that the player should be able to have a unique character who can make choices that impact the world. Nowhere does the specifically imply he highly values character creation.
 
What a waste of freshly polluted air you are.

The part where he said Torment is one his favorites - you seem to have missed that. Isn't that cute. All things make sense when you pick up only what fits in your dim vision, am I right?

And I somehow doubt he meant choosing the color of your hair or the width of the cheek-bones.
I suppose he meant developing an unique character, as in how that characters treats the world, what he chooses to do and what consequences he has to suffer.
Because setting your strength two points higher at the start of the game doesn't necessarily mean you've made an unique character, you know?
Click to expand...

I think you misread, he says it's important that the player should be able to have a unique character who can make choices that impact the world. Nowhere does the specifically imply he highly values character creation.
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Certainly, his words are open to interpretation. Did he mean 'create' as in shape throughout the course of the game, or actually create a character from scratch? Since he says:

I believe that the player should be able to create a character that feels unique
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He didn't say "develop", he said create. If you 'create' something, you make it from scratch.
 
Jidai Geki said:
He didn't say "develop", he said create. If you 'create' something, you make it from scratch.
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No by definition, if, like in PS:T (one of his favourites), you define your character by the choices he makes, you create your character, despite the fact that it's obviously not from scratch.

His definition of RPGs is very similar to that of Tim Cain or Chris Taylor, so just combine and compare to get a general impression of the Fallout/Troika school of RPG design:

Tim Cain: In a good RPG, you should be able to make a good variety of starting characters and then develop them in very different ways. Your choices should affect the game in meaningful ways, both in the ongoing game and in the ending you get. Of course, the game should be fun to play and easy to interact with, but that’s true for every genre of game.

Chris Taylor: To me, key ingredients of an RPG include: Consequence of action, characteristics and decisions that matter and character creation and development that affect the game. It's a role-playing game. I should be able to pick a role and play it. And it should mean something.

The obvious common element here is that choices and characteristics should be meaningful. The definition you give your character, either through actions as in PS:T or through stats as in Fallout, should have meaningful consequences in the game. Character creation is just a tool for this, it's a gross simplification to represent it as more than that, since RPG mechanics are key, and the importance of character creation is only in that you have a wide range of meaningful choices in it.
 
Jidai Geki said:
He didn't say "develop", he said create. If you 'create' something, you make it from scratch.
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Someone didn't read the full definition, eh?

I suppose you think that someone who creates a work of art just makes it pop into being as well, starting without a canvas, brush or colours to paint with?

Stop trying to take things ultra-literally or you'll only add to your growing reputation you gained for making a total ass out of yourself.
 
His definition of RPGs is very similar to that of Tim Cain or Chris Taylor, so just combine and compare to get a general impression of the Fallout/Troika school of RPG design:

Tim Cain: In a good RPG, you should be able to make a good variety of starting characters and then develop them in very different ways. Your choices should affect the game in meaningful ways, both in the ongoing game and in the ending you get. Of course, the game should be fun to play and easy to interact with, but that’s true for every genre of game.

Chris Taylor: To me, key ingredients of an RPG include: Consequence of action, characteristics and decisions that matter and character creation and development that affect the game. It's a role-playing game. I should be able to pick a role and play it. And it should mean something.
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Actually, those quotes seem to pretty much reinforce my point. Both of them state that making/creating a character should be in a good RPG and/or are a key ingredient.

Someone didn't read the full definition, eh?
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No, someone has the intelligence to realise that not all of the definitions apply to what he said. For instance, this definition:

3. Theater. to perform (a role) for the first time or in the first production of a play.
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clearly has nothing to do with what he said.

I suppose you think that someone who creates a work of art just makes it pop into being as well, starting without a canvas, brush or colours to paint with?
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What the hell are you talking about?

Stop trying to take things ultra-literally or you'll only add to your growing reputation you gained for making a total ass out of yourself.
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Yes, because I'm clearly attempting to become the most popular guy around here. It's not taking things "ultra-literally"; it's reading what the guy wrote.
 
Jidai Geki said:
Actually, those quotes seem to pretty much reinforce my point. Both of them state that making/creating a character should be in a good RPG and/or are a key ingredient.
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That's a pretty banal truism. Does anybody here actually want to attempt to disagree with it?
 
Jezz people, take a chill pill, if you disagree with someone, fine, but cut the childish insults, it's exactly helping your cause.
 
Jidai Geki said:
Actually, those quotes seem to pretty much reinforce my point. Both of them state that making/creating a character should be in a good RPG and/or are a key ingredient.
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Yeah. We've known that for some time. Realise they're talking about systematic character generation, tho', not character/avatar customisation.

Nothing shocking about that, they've always been p&p system freaks, and character creation is important for p&p. Just not the core ideal or anything, but a part of it, yeah.
 
Bernard Bumner said:
Jidai Geki said:
Actually, those quotes seem to pretty much reinforce my point. Both of them state that making/creating a character should be in a good RPG and/or are a key ingredient.
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That's a pretty banal truism. Does anybody here actually want to attempt to disagree with it?
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Actually, yes. This was an ongoing discussion in another thread.
 
Jidai Geki said:
Actually, yes. This was an ongoing discussion in another thread.
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It wouldn't have been as big of a discussion as it was (on topic of character creation) if you had said "key" instead of saying "core" element.

Either way, you argue it's a key element, but there are plenty of instances that say otherwise. Take out character creation in Fallout and you'll still have a great game. Now, I prefer Fallout with character creation, but it's not a key element for an RPG as long as character development and character roles are present. It's simply more immersive with character creation. Character creation didn't make Oblivion less of a hack-and-slash type of game. It was just a nice little feature that brought a tad bit more immersion into the game, nothing more, especially since basically it was useless. No matter what type of character I'd try to create, I'd end up being forced to play the same way. Take character creation out of Oblivion, and it's still the same game, just with a nice, immersive feature removed.
 
Jidai Geki said:
Actually, yes. This was an ongoing discussion in another thread.
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Well, in that case it is bloody odd that anybody could argue that.

Character creation is an inherent part of roleplaying, whether that be by rolling a character spec, or by ingame character creation. (I'm inclined to think that creation and development are synonymous - at what point is character complete? - which would lend itself more to the sentiments of the Fallout creators.)
 
Jidai Geki said:
Actually, yes. This was an ongoing discussion in another thread.
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No it wasn't. The discussion wasn't about whether or not character creation is an important element of RPGs, but rather whether or not character creation is *the* core element of RPGs.
 
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