The Romanian Level previewed Fallout 3. It contains no new information, but Feeltherads translated a few key paragraphs for us:<blockquote>Finally, let's get back to what really interests you. Will Fallout 3 be the isometric wonder you all wish for? If you belong to those that consider the iso-metric perspective and the turn-based combat system to be the defining elements of the Fallout series, I'd suggest you stop reading now. Fallout 3 won't be isometric and the combat won't be turn-based. In Fallout 3, Bethesda opted for a first-person perspective, but for those who can't live without the holy isometric one, Bethesda also promises to add a 3rd person camera. With a bit of patience and skill and a bit of help from the zoom function, we can only hope the problem of the isometric perspective we'll be at least half-solved.
Another "psychological block" you'll have to pass is the fact that Fallout 3 will also visit the consoles. Console owners will be ecstatic, but the conservatory types will, as usual, wrinkle their noses. Their theory states that a console is not able to support such a complex game like Fallout, and a console owner can't swallow such a game. Nothing more false. On consoles we have Final Fantasy, Jade Empire, KOTOR and the coming Mass Effect, so I wouldn't be too worried. There is still the issue of porting, though. Here the things seem better. They are working at the same time for the PC, PS3 and XBOX360 versions, so the problem of porting is gone. The PC version will be made especially for the PC, so probably the specific problems of porting (like the huge Oblivion fonts) will be gone.
(...)
Todd Howards declared in an interview that "violence done well is fucking hilarious". Partially I agree with him. If ten years ago we were happy like little children when seeing minuscule pieces flying from a 2-3 centimeters sprite, imagine what you'll feel when blowing-up heads and playing pool with eyeballs, all in 3D. However, the general impression I had from Howard's commentary on Fallout 3's violence is that there's too much focus on slaughter in a game that's part of a series that can be completed without firing a single bullet. The man had too much enthusiasm when talking about blood and limbs flying, and the Fatman, the hand-held catapult spewing mini-nukes, is a proof that things might go a biiiiiit too far. Like any normal person, I sometimes like to blow-up someone's head with a sniper rifle or break another one's hand with a wrench, but still I don't want Fallout to become Manhunt. To each its own...
(...)
Children? They're there. Will we be able to punish them with a minigun for not doing their homework? I'm afraid not. The developers gracefully evaded the questions about child-killing asked by a more insistent journalist. They answered with a question "...do you really want to be able to kill children?". In an official setting (where each and everyone is an undercover psychiatrist), you can only scream from the top of your lungs "Yes, I do!", so the discussion became a little uncomfortable and moved to safer waters. Like with what little cannons you can't kill the poor children with.
(...)
So, let's put everything together. Bethesda got their claws on Fallout 3, Interplay held the rights to a possible Fallout MMO and everybody was happy. Except the hardcore fans, who, a year and a half before even the first artwork to be available, quickly drew the conclusion that Fallout 3 will be "Oblivion with guns". I'll refrain from further comments, but if we are to apply the same reasoning, it would mean Half-Life is just "Doom with a storyline" or that Baldur's Gate is a simple Diablo with more words... I say we wait will the autumn of 2008 (I'm a bit skeptical about this one, but if they say so...) and only then start throwing rocks or flowers. I have a feeling Bethesda will have a nice surprise for us. Until then...let's dream."</blockquote>"Final Fantasy, Jade Empire, KOTOR and the coming Mass Effect" had the depth of PC RPGs like PS:T or Fallout? Must've missed that.
Another "psychological block" you'll have to pass is the fact that Fallout 3 will also visit the consoles. Console owners will be ecstatic, but the conservatory types will, as usual, wrinkle their noses. Their theory states that a console is not able to support such a complex game like Fallout, and a console owner can't swallow such a game. Nothing more false. On consoles we have Final Fantasy, Jade Empire, KOTOR and the coming Mass Effect, so I wouldn't be too worried. There is still the issue of porting, though. Here the things seem better. They are working at the same time for the PC, PS3 and XBOX360 versions, so the problem of porting is gone. The PC version will be made especially for the PC, so probably the specific problems of porting (like the huge Oblivion fonts) will be gone.
(...)
Todd Howards declared in an interview that "violence done well is fucking hilarious". Partially I agree with him. If ten years ago we were happy like little children when seeing minuscule pieces flying from a 2-3 centimeters sprite, imagine what you'll feel when blowing-up heads and playing pool with eyeballs, all in 3D. However, the general impression I had from Howard's commentary on Fallout 3's violence is that there's too much focus on slaughter in a game that's part of a series that can be completed without firing a single bullet. The man had too much enthusiasm when talking about blood and limbs flying, and the Fatman, the hand-held catapult spewing mini-nukes, is a proof that things might go a biiiiiit too far. Like any normal person, I sometimes like to blow-up someone's head with a sniper rifle or break another one's hand with a wrench, but still I don't want Fallout to become Manhunt. To each its own...
(...)
Children? They're there. Will we be able to punish them with a minigun for not doing their homework? I'm afraid not. The developers gracefully evaded the questions about child-killing asked by a more insistent journalist. They answered with a question "...do you really want to be able to kill children?". In an official setting (where each and everyone is an undercover psychiatrist), you can only scream from the top of your lungs "Yes, I do!", so the discussion became a little uncomfortable and moved to safer waters. Like with what little cannons you can't kill the poor children with.
(...)
So, let's put everything together. Bethesda got their claws on Fallout 3, Interplay held the rights to a possible Fallout MMO and everybody was happy. Except the hardcore fans, who, a year and a half before even the first artwork to be available, quickly drew the conclusion that Fallout 3 will be "Oblivion with guns". I'll refrain from further comments, but if we are to apply the same reasoning, it would mean Half-Life is just "Doom with a storyline" or that Baldur's Gate is a simple Diablo with more words... I say we wait will the autumn of 2008 (I'm a bit skeptical about this one, but if they say so...) and only then start throwing rocks or flowers. I have a feeling Bethesda will have a nice surprise for us. Until then...let's dream."</blockquote>"Final Fantasy, Jade Empire, KOTOR and the coming Mass Effect" had the depth of PC RPGs like PS:T or Fallout? Must've missed that.
last time i bought that thing was ... uhm ... i guess 5-6 years ago .. they were decent enough back then... [oldspeak] seems like everything was better back in the day [/oldspeak]
