GameSpot interviews Todd Howard

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Tannhauser

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GameSpot has released a post-E3 interview with Fallout 3 executive producer Todd Howard.
<blockquote>GameSpot: What platform was the demo running on? What's the primary development platform? Will there be any major differences among the three versions of the game?

Todd Howard: We showed it on the 360, which is the platform we do a lot of the initial work on, as it's very developer friendly and contained…unlike a PC, where even in the office it can be hard to get the same results on everyone's system. That's one area the 360 really excels--awesome development tools. In the end, all three versions (PC, 360, PS3) should look the same.

GS: The Fallout community can be pretty vocal about its favorite game. What's the feedback been based on what you've shown of the game thus far? Have you managed to make some converts?

TH: Most haven't seen it yet, so I don't know if they'd be converted by screenshots or a teaser. Perhaps, but I doubt it. My general impression is they've hated the idea of us doing anything at all with it since 2004, so there's not much you can do about that except make the best game you can that is true to the series and yourself. To any fan that's actually seen the game, like many of the press guys, the feedback's been great…far better than any game we've ever shown. And it's pretty nerve-racking because you work for years on something and then pop your head up like "ta da!" with your fingers crossed. All the E3 awards certainly make you feel good because you really have no idea how you compare at the actual show. But to be called "best in show" so many times…and with hundreds of great games at E3, it definitely gives the whole team something to be proud of…to know we're heading in a direction a lot of people like.</blockquote>Of course, it was entirely Bethesda's decision not to show the demo to any representative from the fan-base. This also is a turn-around in Todd Howard's statements concerning the fan community.

Link: Fallout 3 Q&A - E3 Thoughts and More at GameSpot.
 
It seems to me the people that disliked it back in 2004, like Rosh, disliked it because they pretty accurately predicted what Bethesda was going to do.

Good factual straw man, though. Some of us disliked it in 2004, so those of us who dislike some or most of the info released on the game so far as probably irrational.
 
To any fan that's actually seen the game, like many of the press guys, the feedback's been great…far better than any game we've ever shown.
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Including all the fansite people they invited to the press event. Oh, wait...
 
Well, at least we know what kind of fans he's talking about anyway, the "OMGZ0R I AM FALLOUT FANZ0R" type who's prob only popped the game into the computer only once at best, and that's very recently.
 
Todd Howard said:
In the end, all three versions (PC, 360, PS3) should look the same.
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This is sad. But really it was expected.

Well I must say at least one good thing about them... they are doing a much better version of BOS than Interplay did. They just keep mis-quoting the name in their interviews... dunno why that is, someone should tell them about that :roll:
 
Nope, sorry Todd, this fan* doesn’t fit into your myopic straw man of why Fallout fans are, at the least, concerned and critical and at the most rabid and ravenous, looking to feast on corpses (with a tall glass of toilet-water, of course).

So a typical step for Beth really, praise the gaming media for they are greedy and well bribed…

Dismiss the fans as fanatics wanting a 1997 FO clone is 640x480 ISO/TB...

Dismiss the fans as having already decided the effort will fail as of 2004,

Backtrack on your lip-service to the fans in the past twisting the paid-for praise of the Publisher driven game industry into a sword to strike at the fan base, as being uninformed, never-mind that it’s Beth’s choice to keep us in the dark.

Well, they have a year, let's see if they find the Water Chip.


* I didn't become concerned until after the demo, my real concern started with the comment from the first GI article is which the dialogue tree was compared with that in Oblivion rather than the FO system... so back in 2004? No. Since then if some questions that are unanswered and serious revervations as to if this game will even be fun.
 
Tora said:
Well, at least we know what kind of fans he's talking about anyway, the "OMGZ0R I AM FALLOUT FANZ0R" type who's prob only popped the game into the computer only once at best, and that's very recently.
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Yeah, 'cause you would know.
 
Tora said:
Well, at least we know what kind of fans he's talking about anyway, the "OMGZ0R I AM FALLOUT FANZ0R" type who's prob only popped the game into the computer only once at best, and that's very recently.
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Also the "fans" who got the setting/atmosphere confused with the gameplay.
 
I'm gonna have to ask you guys to reduce your usage of the term straw man. Everybody loves free speech but there is such a thing as being polite and leaving some for other people. What are you going to say to a child, never used the term straw man before, his heart is set on it, he's been thinking about it for weeks, but when the time finally comes the straw man warehouses are cleared by NMA members. I don't know how you can sleep at night.
 
Jiggly McNerdington said:
I'm gonna have to ask you guys to reduce your usage of the term straw man. Everybody loves free speech but there is such a thing as being polite and leaving some for other people. What are you going to say to a child, never used the term straw man before, his heart is set on it, he's been thinking about it for weeks, but when the time finally comes the straw man warehouses are cleared by NMA members. I don't know how you can sleep at night.
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I know I'd say

"Hey kid, them's the brakes"
"You're a poo-poo head"
"POO-POO HEAD!?" (shoots kid, spends life running from bounty hunters and angry townsfolk)
 
It's more fun complaining to you guys. Especially since I rarely see the straw men that lurk in everything they say.

The 2004 comment for instance didn't really strike me as "Ho ho ho, those silly fans. Anyone who dislike Fallout 3 is irrational". Seemed more along the lines of "There are some nutty fans (He's probably talking about you guys, you all still seem pretty alien to me) but you make the best game you can and hope for the best, maybe they'll change their minds after they see the game in action/try it". Not really an in-depth reply by any means, pretty damn generic, but it didn't seem like an attempt to discredit anyone who dislikes Fallout 3 in my eyes.
 
Jiggly McNerdington said:
he 2004 comment for instance didn't really strike me as "Ho ho ho, those silly fans. Anyone who dislike Fallout 3 is irrational". Seemed more along the lines of "There are some nutty fans ... but it didn't seem like an attempt to discredit anyone who dislikes Fallout 3 in my eyes.
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Indeed let's looks at a little more of that 2004 quote (*blows dust off the cover*)

Todd said:
My general impression is they've hated the idea of us doing anything at all with it since 2004,
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It's a long way to twist what was actually said "general impression"
into "some nutty fans" no matter how I look at it.

As for what the strawman is in this instance, you've nailed it, it's the 2004 quote above.

Why is it a Straw man? Simple, it replaces the actual reservations people have, with a generalization that is absurd and misleading. After all at one point NMA had a ban on speculation threads and took the "wait and see" attitude with any attempt at speculation being dropped inot the Vats.

Also, I note this is a Straw Man for me, and merely seek to point out that this fan dosen't fall into that particular generalization. When Pete or Todd scuessfully describe me I'll be happy to point it up just as I've pointed out how far off the mark they were, again, for me, on this one.

Now, if they wanted to describe me, they could say a FO1/FO2 fan that greatly valued the dialogue and deep world interaction, who isn't married to any particular perspective or combat schema and likes the message of capturing the original gritty atmosphere, and dark irony of the Fallout setting. My concern now arises from the pieces being stripped away - to be specific on this last point the lack of <4 INT dialogue trees is a big blow to Fallout for me, just as missing ‘Bloody Mess’ would be for Todd.
 
trollingzc3.jpg
 
Alright all rigth, simmer the hell down before you two get the thread locked.

The way I see it you guys are reading to much hostility into this statement. It's not like Todd is an all knowing demon who seeks to destroy Fallout fandom. He's like most people, not totally informed and speaking in broad generalizations (and you guys don't?). From his perspective, he's speaking the truth. The fan community (even if there threads are deleted at NMA or other sites) have been fairly negative since Beth acquired the license. Every bit of info that has come out has been torn apart, and it's mostly the potentially unfavourable stuff thats been discussed. Combined with the Bethsoft board trolling that some fans have been doing (whos sig goes "I've got 50% warn level of Beth forums, beat that"?) I don't blame them for feeling put upon.

Now I've got my reservations about Fallout 3, and I'll be the first to say Todd Howard has said some pretty stupid things, but if we want them to be communicative, we have to be willing. It's not like we've been friendly Ghandi/ET here, there has been alot of hostility on both sides. There hesitant to extend the hand to the dog that has bitten them (or is so perceived), and I for one don't blame them. I don't believe they should let a few angry trolls taint the reputation of the whole community, but Fallout fans have a long standing reputation.

I say, if you want them to communicate with us, make the effort to communicate with them. Get the emails of the devs, or something, and send them a friendly message about yourself and the fan community and how most of us want to have friendly and constructive dialog, like which existed with the old Fallout devs.
 
NukaColaClassic said:
<picturemajig>
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Oh look, you've devised a cute new way of saying the same tired argument that no one can possibly critically analyze a game that hasn't come out yet. Amazing.

Anyways, criticizing a game after it's out is the most useless time to do so, since that's when nothing about it can be changed. Granted, it's not likely Team Podd (my new word for the unholy Todd/Pete alliance) will pull their heads out of their collective buttocks long enough to actually listen to the fanbase's reaction to what they show of the game, but whatever.

Bethesda has shown parts of the game. Game journalists have reported on it in quite a number of previews. Interviews with Team Podd and others involved with FO3 are out there. It's completely ridiculous to suggest that no one is allowed to comment on what's been revealed. Is it likely there will be changes to the game between now and its release? Sure. Does it really matter? No. All we have to go on is what Bethesda has shown/talked about so far, and that's what people are criticizing. Further, most reasonable people are not saying that it will obviously be a horrible horrible game (although in my view VATS doesn't sound fun, the whole Megaton quest plot sounds stupid, and the humor and tone sucks even on its own merits). They're just comparing it to the originals, and finding it lacking in the areas that made the originals great. Which is perfectly valid, since Bethesda bought the freaking Fallout IP and are using the license, ideas, and name for this game. If they didn't want those comparisons, and they didn't want to keep it true to the originals, then they could've just made up their own post-apocalyptic faux-RPG and left Fallout alone. But they didn't.

*sigh*
 
It's too late to complain when you've forked out £30. If it looks and smells like shit, odds are it is shit....

Gravity guns, FATMAN, Orcs, VATS, FPP, 'Action RPG', Thermonuclear cars, 5 nukes to kill a behemoth, Mutant infested tunnels.. the list goes on, all the way down to silly little things like baggy vault suits. They've missed the point, entirely - this is patently obvious now. Even their attempt at matching the poster artwork = FAIL. Their almost as far off as that GCG PnP was - and that's saying something!

The facts are already largely in place, one doesn't need to have played the game to know it won't be F3, the true sequel to the classic cRPG's of yester year. It may yet turn out to be an ok, perhaps even mildly entertaining 'game' - but that's not what were interested in. Fallout (the brand) is just a name, it's the gameplay underneath that we covet.
 
Tannhauser said:
[.

My general impression is they've hated the idea of us doing anything at all with it since 2004,
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Oh my, isn't someone feeling sorry for himself.

Of course, it may have been different if they communicated a bit more with the fan base but no............... That's not what a PR department needs to do.
 
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