Kikizo has something they call an interview but which is actually a preview with a Q&A stuck in it.<blockquote>"The thought of doing anything with Van Buren was never even considered. We're not going to pick up something someone else started and try to make something out of it. We got it because we wanted to make Fallout 3 and so we're going to start from what we know and what we do," says Hines.
"We were going to make the game we wanted to make," he says. Our first few minutes with the game leave us in no doubt of that.[/i]</blockquote>I have no idea what they mean by that.<blockquote>Dogmeat is your canine companion in Fallout 3. He's a loyal attendant who will do chores for you, fight alongside you, and generally make your life easier. "It's basically an extra pair of helping hands, so to speak," says Hines. Dogmeat can keep you alive by scrounging for food or help you in battle by attacking enemies directly or bringing you ammunition and weapons. And it's all real stuff that you could find yourself, says Hines. "We're not magically creating things for him to bring back to you."
Probably the most interesting aspect of Dogmeat, the one that speaks most to Bethesda's vision, is his mortality. To keep Dogmeat by your side, you'll need to treat him well and think about his welfare. Sure, you could send him in to a Super Mutant camp and order him to attack, but he probably wouldn't last long. And once he's gone, he's gone. "Forever," Hines says. "There's only one Dogmeat, so you're not going to meet another one just like that one." And there won't be some other sort of replacement either. If Dogmeat dies, that functionality is lost forever.</blockquote>And again, everyone is in shock and awe that an NPC is actually mortal.
On combat<blockquote>You can play the entire game in first- or third-person, and Bethesda has put extra effort into making both play well. "Much more finely tuned and playable than what we did for Oblivion," says Hines. It's also here where we get a first real look at what playing this RPG as a shooter would be like. So far, we're not convinced.
Let us preface these comments by saying that we didn't actually play the game ourselves. But watching Hines play, we got the impression that the shooter system is still very loose. It doesn't seem to flow as well as you would expect a dedicated shooter to and enemies don't seem to show any outward signs of being damaged by repeated gunfire before they finally fall into a pile on the ground. In one scene Hines fires a chain gun at an enemy who fires back but is otherwise unperturbed until he drop dead.
V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), too, isn't perfect yet, Hines admits. Those familiar with the original games will feel comfortable immediately with V.A.T.S., which exactly replicates the body-part-specific targeting system. Percentages show your probability of success, taking some of the action out of the mix but allowing you more time to think things through - very helpful if you find yourself in a tough spot. If that's not your thing, don't worry. "You don't ever have to use V.A.T.S.," says Hines.</blockquote>On the game.<blockquote>That's because, and this is a point that Hines comes back to again and again, Fallout 3 is about choice. It's about creating a real world for RPG and shooter fans alike to have fun in. Sure, it doesn't look anything like the world outside, but it's been designed to react realistically to your presence in it - no matter what you're doing.
"The idea is that we create a big sandbox game where you can create whatever kind of character you want and spend all your time doing whatever it is you want to do," he says. "We're not going to tell you what you have to do. We don't put time limits on it. We don't say you have to do this quest next. Just go have fun doing whatever it is you want to do."
"It's not like we're asking to see your RPG genre card at the door or you can't buy a copy. We're making the best game that we can, that we think is a lot of fun, that is true to what we think a Fallout game should be and should include and is true to the type of games we make."</blockquote>Link: Kikizo Fallout 3 interview that's actually a preview (watch out for snakes!).
"We were going to make the game we wanted to make," he says. Our first few minutes with the game leave us in no doubt of that.[/i]</blockquote>I have no idea what they mean by that.<blockquote>Dogmeat is your canine companion in Fallout 3. He's a loyal attendant who will do chores for you, fight alongside you, and generally make your life easier. "It's basically an extra pair of helping hands, so to speak," says Hines. Dogmeat can keep you alive by scrounging for food or help you in battle by attacking enemies directly or bringing you ammunition and weapons. And it's all real stuff that you could find yourself, says Hines. "We're not magically creating things for him to bring back to you."
Probably the most interesting aspect of Dogmeat, the one that speaks most to Bethesda's vision, is his mortality. To keep Dogmeat by your side, you'll need to treat him well and think about his welfare. Sure, you could send him in to a Super Mutant camp and order him to attack, but he probably wouldn't last long. And once he's gone, he's gone. "Forever," Hines says. "There's only one Dogmeat, so you're not going to meet another one just like that one." And there won't be some other sort of replacement either. If Dogmeat dies, that functionality is lost forever.</blockquote>And again, everyone is in shock and awe that an NPC is actually mortal.
On combat<blockquote>You can play the entire game in first- or third-person, and Bethesda has put extra effort into making both play well. "Much more finely tuned and playable than what we did for Oblivion," says Hines. It's also here where we get a first real look at what playing this RPG as a shooter would be like. So far, we're not convinced.
Let us preface these comments by saying that we didn't actually play the game ourselves. But watching Hines play, we got the impression that the shooter system is still very loose. It doesn't seem to flow as well as you would expect a dedicated shooter to and enemies don't seem to show any outward signs of being damaged by repeated gunfire before they finally fall into a pile on the ground. In one scene Hines fires a chain gun at an enemy who fires back but is otherwise unperturbed until he drop dead.
V.A.T.S. (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System), too, isn't perfect yet, Hines admits. Those familiar with the original games will feel comfortable immediately with V.A.T.S., which exactly replicates the body-part-specific targeting system. Percentages show your probability of success, taking some of the action out of the mix but allowing you more time to think things through - very helpful if you find yourself in a tough spot. If that's not your thing, don't worry. "You don't ever have to use V.A.T.S.," says Hines.</blockquote>On the game.<blockquote>That's because, and this is a point that Hines comes back to again and again, Fallout 3 is about choice. It's about creating a real world for RPG and shooter fans alike to have fun in. Sure, it doesn't look anything like the world outside, but it's been designed to react realistically to your presence in it - no matter what you're doing.
"The idea is that we create a big sandbox game where you can create whatever kind of character you want and spend all your time doing whatever it is you want to do," he says. "We're not going to tell you what you have to do. We don't put time limits on it. We don't say you have to do this quest next. Just go have fun doing whatever it is you want to do."
"It's not like we're asking to see your RPG genre card at the door or you can't buy a copy. We're making the best game that we can, that we think is a lot of fun, that is true to what we think a Fallout game should be and should include and is true to the type of games we make."</blockquote>Link: Kikizo Fallout 3 interview that's actually a preview (watch out for snakes!).
