Massively on Fallout MMO, plus tidbits

Per

Per

Vault Consort
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MMO news site Massively has a small piece on the viability of a Fallout MMO.<blockquote>Fallout 3 is out this week and I've spent a whole lot of time exploring and fighting in Bethesda's singleplayer MMO world. I've always wondered whether a post-apocalyptic MMO would work well or not, which is part of the reason I've kept a close eye on Fallen Earth in the past. But what's always been in the back-burner of my mind is whether or not the Fallout license would be necessary for a post-apocalyptic to flourish. While endlessly exploring our own personal post-apocalypticia is incredible fun, do we want a massive one?

The first thing to address is the why of a post-apocalyptic MMO. The fantasy genre offers us an escape into a magical world. Superheroes allow for all sorts of wish fulfillment. So what does a big, giant wasteland offer up? The human endeavor and the chance to help or impede it. Fallout is a world where corrupt corporations, mislead governments, slavers, raiders, mutants and worse all threaten humankind. Wasteland Earth is practically a siren song for challenging heroics, and an easy temptation for cruel villainy.

[..]

An MMO that offers players a chance to truly experience a world in dire need of help, that's what a Fallout MMO should be at its core. And it needs to be Fallout because of the spirit, lore and ferocity of the world that's been created. Although combat and exploration would most certainly play highly important roles too. There really isn't any reason for a Fallout MMO to work and work quite well. Worryingly, the nearly lifeless husk that is Interplay currently owns the rights to such a thing. So even if it does come to fruition, we may not really care to play it. I hope that never comes to pass, though. I'd rather not ever have a Fallout MMO than see a mediocre or even bad one released.</blockquote>I believe they may have meant "to not work and work well".

MCV reports that Fallout 3 is doing well in the UK sales department.<blockquote>Bethesda can celebrate a wonderful debut in the world of European self-publishing now that it has been confirmed its 360, PS3 and PC outing Fallout 3 has shot straight to the top of Gfk ChartTrack All Formats Top 40 this week.

It replaces Lionhead’s Fable II at number one, which in turn slips to fourth place behind EA’s FIFA 09, which climbs one position to second, and Wii Fit, which shoots from eighth to third.</blockquote>Podcast Major Nelson includes a 30-minute talk with Pete Hines in its latest instalment, talking about the legacy of Oblivion and design choices. I had some technical problems listening to it, though, and I doubt there's much new in there.

AddictGaming draws attention to a little graphical oversight. Yawn.

Finally, Canadian studio Meduzarts was tasked with making hi-hi-resolution versions of Fallout 3 images for promotion purposes. A 1600x922 version is available in case someone needs a new desktop background. By the way, this is the image that spawned a very minor controversy which we never bothered to report on.

Some of this was found via N4G, also thanks to Jokerb.
 
ve spent a whole lot of time exploring and fighting in Bethesda's singleplayer MMO world
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MMO means massively multiplayer, not open ended, F3 is not multiplayer.

Personally, while looking foward to FOOL, I just don't see Fallout online possible. All it will end up doing is dumbing the franchise down even more. Just imagine 40 thirteen year olds in Klamath or the Den spouting nonsense:
"LOL will sell Leather armor for CAPZ!"
"plz give free money plz"
"need two theives and one big guns to raid gecko caves!"

I think it would ruin the whole Fallout setting.
 
TheRatKing said:
I think it would ruin the whole Fallout setting.
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Most definitely. It'd lose the loneliness of the wastes in the worst way possible. I don't even want to think about it.
 
I hope I'm going to be able to try that unofficial Fallout MMO. If it's going to be good, there's so hope for the Interplay's FOOL too.
 
Sorrow said:
I hope I'm going to be able to try that unofficial Fallout MMO. If it's going to be good, there's so hope for the Interplay's FOOL too.
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They had a test already and it sounded fun yet very chaotic. I think the second test is coming up.
 
A real wasteland would self-regulate. There would be guards at the gates of important towns, and they would be vastly overpowered compared to average joe. There would be a whole hierarchy... you kill someone's guards, you get even stronger mercenaries on your ass. Your face will be on "wanted" posters everywhere, with a reward.

In order to maintain this sort of balance programmatically, a MMO would have to stick to mirroring "reality" of such situation. However, games are not reality. Games are meant to be fun, an escape from reality.

Even if a Fallout MMO manages to maintain this balance for one "average joe", and even if it does mirror real consequences to uncanny degree... there's still the fact that a real wasteland wouldn't suddenly get an influx of thousands of psychopaths who have a hidden bond as "human game players", who can plot behind the scenes, band into groups and overpower pretty much anything.

These kinds of considerations is why I believe the Russian FOnline project's success will depend heavily on 24/7 "authentic" roleplay by Russian players. A Fallout MMO cannot survive with the current MMO formula. It needs a new formula - an ever-present human element, roleplaying the NPCs in large numbers.
 
I don't think an MMO in the "WoW" sense would really work as a true fallout MMO.

I find the best way to preserve the Fallout feel to it, would be to create multiple instances of the world for small group of players, with the players having no way of communication unless they are within range of each other perhaps by radio, or directly face to face. Sort of a Diablo II multiplayer, but on a larger scale and in a persistent world.
 
I think personaly that the Wasteland is about social withdrawal, you can and must only count on yourself to survive. So it doesn't really matter if the wasteland is full of people, as long as any other human means a lethal threat. Therefore you will be alone, even in a crow. In fact, it would be a MMO, where you would want to avoid people!

But to obtain such a result, it would imply that the game mechanic try to discourage the people to cooperate (to be two goodie shoes or something). So that it would bring you more benefit to you to kill and robb the " two thieves and big gun" who would accept to go on a journey than to "explore some dungeon lol".

But it is clear that a WoW with a wasteland setting would be of absolut no interest. Well, just my opinion thought.
 
Strange, the link that takes me to the "high res" backgrounds is smaller in size than the one of the Fallout 3 site, which has less "logoage" as well.

Unless I'm missing something?
 
I just assumed it would be the biggest size they'd let people get their hands on, so it may very well not be so.
 
Post Apocalyptic MMOs can work - Neocron was one of the best MMOs around (until developer Reakktor started focusing more on content and less on existing bugs), that combined MMO and FPS in a similar way (Though no turn based) to FO3

I think the servers are still running, although the population has dwindled to triple figures, but it proves it can be done and will work.
 
Imagine if a Fallout MMO turned out looking like one of those Korean TB MMOs... Super Deformed Power Armor...
 
Grayswandir said:
Therefore you will be alone, even in a crow. In fact, it would be a MMO, where you would want to avoid people!
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I agree on this. On the last open test of FOnline, I really feared to enter a bigger town. It was pretty dangerous and you could die everywhere if you where careless.

Also it was fun to see the nice traps, some people made for other players just to rob them easy.
 
Lexx said:
Grayswandir said:
Therefore you will be alone, even in a crow. In fact, it would be a MMO, where you would want to avoid people!
Click to expand...

I agree on this. On the last open test of FOnline, I really feared to enter a bigger town. It was pretty dangerous and you could die everywhere if you where careless.

Also it was fun to see the nice traps, some people made for other players just to rob them easy.
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I also agree on this.

I remember The Den was pretty much a killing zone of chaos. I was quite scared to go there because people jumped on you like madmen. I remember being ambushed by two guys, one with a club. I managed to kill one and the other fleed in fear. It was like being atacked by a gang. Thieves were everywhere, too. I can't say "die you fucking thievery scum" because I was one of them. I remember stealing a lot of 10mm bullets and small energy cells for my power fists. I was killed a lot of times because people thought I was stealing from them and just as many times because I actually was robbing them. Paranoia was rampant and the world was chaotic. It captured the wasteland feeling very well, and you had to watch your back.

THIS. IS. FALLOUT.

I think not everywhere should be chaotic, though.
EX: Places like The Den New or Klamath should be chaotic. Except in places with security. Like the Slaver's guild, shops with guards or mafia cassinos. Make trouble and then you can either go out without making more fuss, get beaten and tossed in the streets or you resist and you'll have to talk to the bullets about that. They have very penetrating arguments that you can't defend against, so good luck :twisted:. Also, faction members should get a advantage on their home turf EX - A Mordino gangster should jave full rights to shoot a Wright mafioso inside the Desperado and even get help from their faction's NPC and PC allies.

Places with a police force, like NCR or Vault City should be ordely. The guards would't let people beat each other in the middle of the streets (unless they don't give jack shit), so criminal actions should be commited in places away from guards, like slums, outskirts, desert buildings, rough bars or behind closed doors without making too much noise and fuss.
 
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