Hence in follows is the list of demands that I press upon Bethesda to do with Fallout 3 if they want to preserve the universe and not just use it in a similar manner to the workings of classical nature of Electronic Arts.
#1: Do not trivialize atomic devastation.
Yes, I'm talking about things like the Fatman. Fallout wouldn't be Fallout if it didn't hold the kinda/sorta political message held in its own fiction. Nuclear weapons are not to be used in a wanton fashion, and honestly I feel they're misplaced in any sort of handheld weapon. Fallout isn't a game like Unreal, Doom, or Turok. You can't have uber weapons, as it takes away from the authenticity of the environment in which you're trying to immerse yourself.
#2: Do not drastically change the style of the armor.
Honestly, I'll say this... the design of Advanced Power Armor to me is something that makes me shudder and drool at the very thought of it. I love that insectoid, slightly carapaceous look that the armor has, and would be highly upset if it was not allowed to appear in much its original form in Fallout 3. I can understand if Bethesda wants to press in their own style of weapons and armor, but they have to remember this to keep to the style.
#3: No devas, no elves, no orcs.
This is no magical fantasy world. The screenshots of Orcish super mutants with glistening, well-oiled musculature weilding shiny mithril maces really make me think they're missing the point. I want rust, I want grunge, I want filth and dust and things so horrible it makes me wretch. And by horrible, I mean like the Centaurs and Floaters. The style of John Carpenter's 'The Thing' did so much for Fallout.
#4: Mad Max.
Yes, Mad Max. Max Rockatansky. What are these movies most known for, other than being the height of Mel Gibson's career which afterwards would lead to a steep downhill fall to alcoholism, god addiction, and antisemetism? I'll tell you. Grunge. Leather. A giant wearing a hockey mask and bondage gear. What does this have to do with Fallout 3? ...Nothing.
To clarify, my position on this is as follows. I don't mind that Fallout 3 is on the east coast. I really don't. My one concern is that they'll be able to manage a post-apocalyptic wasteland that isn't a desert environment without it turning into something like I Am Legend. Honestly, I'll admit I've seen very few post-apocalyptic scenarios in temperate climates. Normally, the only finds you'll make in such areas are ones involving the living dead. What Bethesda essentially has to do is to create an entire new subgenre of how this will work. So yeah, there's a high concern they might mess it up due to the difficulty, though if the long-ago-released video shown is right, they're going the correct way. Being able to comb through the infrastructure of ruined cities, as long as it's a lot better than the crap style seen in Hellgate: London, is an interesting new course.
#5: The Art Of Impact.
There are certain areas within both Fallout games that give off a relative feel that I've never seen duplicated. Through a mix of the ambient background music, and the sheer sense of loneliness, areas like The Glow (FO1), and the excavated Mariposa Military Base (FO2) and to a lesser extent the Sierra Army Depot (FO2) gave a unique gaming experience. You didn't need enemies to make the game good in those areas. You didn't need fighting. You didn't even need puzzles. The sheer sense of isolation, of being so utterly alone in an environment which in the case of The Glow, could kill you by itself without you being able to do anything about it. This is the sort of thing I'd love to experience in Fallout 3. The sheer feeling of having your spine tingling through that soft chirring ambience in the background... utterly brilliant on the part of the original develop team of Fallout.
#6: Don't make the Super Mutants on the east coast some sort of dark scheme created through the scientific dabbling of the Enclave into improved handling of the FEV meant to inspire fear and create chaos to allow the Enclave to solidify a base of power via an underground base. Seriously, don't. Don't, Bethesda. DO NOT DO THAT.
#7: Don't make the mistakes of the genre.
If you make eating necessary, don't make it overly necessary. If you make NPCs as party members, don't make them WHINE at you. If you make weapons, make weapons that are either useful or nostalgic but still reasonably useful.
#8: Don't follow the Fallout Bible religiously.
Honestly, trying to follow the FOB isn't a genuinely good idea. I'll respect the developers, and hell, I'll even respect Avellone, but some things entered in contradict a lot. As a game, I look at Fallout 2 from the stance of the recently released Restoration Project modification that's reintegrating content from the resource files. Fallout 2 wasn't a completed game (yeah, go ahead and flame me about this, but I feel a game with cut off quests and dead ends isn't finished), so the FOB entries on it aren't credible enough in my opinion.
#9: Use creativity, and don't be stupid.
Before I mentioned how I liked the style of The Thing when it came to Centaurs and Floaters. Well, I want to add something to that. If you're adding in those critters for Fallout 3, keep them to the style. Don't give them some EPIC CUT SCENE INTRODUCTION in Doom 3 fashion, or you'll be lynched in the parking lot by your own boot straps. Make it so they're just /there/. Make models of the creatures, and post them in a stop motion environment. Use the stop motion style movement for such creatures. Replicate it in a 3d rendering engine. Stop motion doesn't get enough love these days, and I feel it's the best way to give something the unnatural movement style that's needed to present an utter awkwardness in odd creatures. CG hasn't cut it by itself in movies, so trying to mix old and new technologies for a virtual environment would be interesting.
#1: Do not trivialize atomic devastation.
Yes, I'm talking about things like the Fatman. Fallout wouldn't be Fallout if it didn't hold the kinda/sorta political message held in its own fiction. Nuclear weapons are not to be used in a wanton fashion, and honestly I feel they're misplaced in any sort of handheld weapon. Fallout isn't a game like Unreal, Doom, or Turok. You can't have uber weapons, as it takes away from the authenticity of the environment in which you're trying to immerse yourself.
#2: Do not drastically change the style of the armor.
Honestly, I'll say this... the design of Advanced Power Armor to me is something that makes me shudder and drool at the very thought of it. I love that insectoid, slightly carapaceous look that the armor has, and would be highly upset if it was not allowed to appear in much its original form in Fallout 3. I can understand if Bethesda wants to press in their own style of weapons and armor, but they have to remember this to keep to the style.
#3: No devas, no elves, no orcs.
This is no magical fantasy world. The screenshots of Orcish super mutants with glistening, well-oiled musculature weilding shiny mithril maces really make me think they're missing the point. I want rust, I want grunge, I want filth and dust and things so horrible it makes me wretch. And by horrible, I mean like the Centaurs and Floaters. The style of John Carpenter's 'The Thing' did so much for Fallout.
#4: Mad Max.
Yes, Mad Max. Max Rockatansky. What are these movies most known for, other than being the height of Mel Gibson's career which afterwards would lead to a steep downhill fall to alcoholism, god addiction, and antisemetism? I'll tell you. Grunge. Leather. A giant wearing a hockey mask and bondage gear. What does this have to do with Fallout 3? ...Nothing.
To clarify, my position on this is as follows. I don't mind that Fallout 3 is on the east coast. I really don't. My one concern is that they'll be able to manage a post-apocalyptic wasteland that isn't a desert environment without it turning into something like I Am Legend. Honestly, I'll admit I've seen very few post-apocalyptic scenarios in temperate climates. Normally, the only finds you'll make in such areas are ones involving the living dead. What Bethesda essentially has to do is to create an entire new subgenre of how this will work. So yeah, there's a high concern they might mess it up due to the difficulty, though if the long-ago-released video shown is right, they're going the correct way. Being able to comb through the infrastructure of ruined cities, as long as it's a lot better than the crap style seen in Hellgate: London, is an interesting new course.
#5: The Art Of Impact.
There are certain areas within both Fallout games that give off a relative feel that I've never seen duplicated. Through a mix of the ambient background music, and the sheer sense of loneliness, areas like The Glow (FO1), and the excavated Mariposa Military Base (FO2) and to a lesser extent the Sierra Army Depot (FO2) gave a unique gaming experience. You didn't need enemies to make the game good in those areas. You didn't need fighting. You didn't even need puzzles. The sheer sense of isolation, of being so utterly alone in an environment which in the case of The Glow, could kill you by itself without you being able to do anything about it. This is the sort of thing I'd love to experience in Fallout 3. The sheer feeling of having your spine tingling through that soft chirring ambience in the background... utterly brilliant on the part of the original develop team of Fallout.
#6: Don't make the Super Mutants on the east coast some sort of dark scheme created through the scientific dabbling of the Enclave into improved handling of the FEV meant to inspire fear and create chaos to allow the Enclave to solidify a base of power via an underground base. Seriously, don't. Don't, Bethesda. DO NOT DO THAT.
#7: Don't make the mistakes of the genre.
If you make eating necessary, don't make it overly necessary. If you make NPCs as party members, don't make them WHINE at you. If you make weapons, make weapons that are either useful or nostalgic but still reasonably useful.
#8: Don't follow the Fallout Bible religiously.
Honestly, trying to follow the FOB isn't a genuinely good idea. I'll respect the developers, and hell, I'll even respect Avellone, but some things entered in contradict a lot. As a game, I look at Fallout 2 from the stance of the recently released Restoration Project modification that's reintegrating content from the resource files. Fallout 2 wasn't a completed game (yeah, go ahead and flame me about this, but I feel a game with cut off quests and dead ends isn't finished), so the FOB entries on it aren't credible enough in my opinion.
#9: Use creativity, and don't be stupid.
Before I mentioned how I liked the style of The Thing when it came to Centaurs and Floaters. Well, I want to add something to that. If you're adding in those critters for Fallout 3, keep them to the style. Don't give them some EPIC CUT SCENE INTRODUCTION in Doom 3 fashion, or you'll be lynched in the parking lot by your own boot straps. Make it so they're just /there/. Make models of the creatures, and post them in a stop motion environment. Use the stop motion style movement for such creatures. Replicate it in a 3d rendering engine. Stop motion doesn't get enough love these days, and I feel it's the best way to give something the unnatural movement style that's needed to present an utter awkwardness in odd creatures. CG hasn't cut it by itself in movies, so trying to mix old and new technologies for a virtual environment would be interesting.
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