New CD-Action Preview

[Sander]

Apparently, the Polish gaming magazine has released another new preview. Not much news, but some small tidbits:
<blockquote>
"It looks like Fallout 3 will actually hit the stores in autumn, and... it won't be a bad game. The question is whether it will be Fallout as I would like to see and remember it."

Some bits:
* The game was quite complete and stable
* It won't be "Oblivion with lasers" - Pete's knowledge of Black Isle games and respect towards them was astounding
* The aim of Vault 101 was to house the best and brightest of the pre-war world. But now, 200 years after the holocaust, no one remembers it...
* It's disappointing that you can only have one companion at a time
* One new perk is mentioned - Exploding Pants, which allows you to plant grenades on your opponents (note - this was clarified by Gstaff as not a perk, but just one of the things the game keeps track of, like "Corpses Eaten")
* Most of the weapons and armors (even power armor and turbo plasma) can be found by in early parts of the game, but they have their disadvantages
* It will be possible to finish the game with a character focused on hand to hand combat or stealth (they call Emil the "maker of the Thief series")
* Every action - discovery, dialogue, combat - rewards us with experience point, which is accompanied by the sound of an old cash register. The Karma system works in a similar way.
* Fallout 3's world is smaller than the one in Oblivion, but less empty
* Fast travel between known locations, no vehicles
* Full day and night system

There will be more tales from the Vault in the next issue of the magazine.</blockquote>
Thanks, Ausir

 

[JR Jansen]

* It won't be "Oblivion with lasers" - Pete's knowledge of Black Isle games and respect towards them was astounding
* Most of the weapons and armors (even power armor and turbo plasma) can be found by in early parts of the game, but they have their disadvantages

1. Reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaly, i would have sworn it wasn't.

2. Why did i got sick when i was reading this ? PA has disadvantages but no worries, you can find THE BEST DAMN ARMOR EARLY IN THE GAME. At least PA should be the best armor in the game but i suspect they'll come up with something like 'brahmin armor +20' with a loss of motor functions so you can't even pee your pants anymore while fighting the behemoth.

 

[kyle]

* It will be able to finish the game with a character focused on hand to hand combat

I find it quite disturbing that somebody felt it was necessary to mention that ... on the other hand, unarmed/meele in real time in FO:BOS was a little hilarious (enemy runs away, turns back and shots, resumes escape, while i chase him with a knife

 

[Black]

it won't be a bad game. The question is whether it will be Fallout as I would like to see and remember it."

I assume this is different journalist but what a nice change of attitude from "Fallout was supposed to be FPP from the very beginning" to "I'm not sure it'll be Fallout".

It won't be "Oblivion with lasers" - Pete's knowledge of Black Isle games and respect towards them was astounding

It's always funny when Pete and Todd fight. YES IT IS, NO IT ISN'T, YES, NO.

 

[ComradeNu]

Technically, you could get Advanced Power Armor, et al. within about 15 minutes of playtime in FO2 if you know what you're doing.

But I have a nagging fear that's not what they mean...

 

[Forhekset]

So, it's possible to finish the game with a stealth-based character, yet you apparently gain no XP by sneaking past enemies rather than killing them (per Joystick). Ok then.

 

[Seymour the spore plant]

I like the concept of having different types of armor for different purposes without a single best all-around, so that choosing the more suited for your character becomes more than a no-brainer.

However, the problem with this is that it A) kinda goes against established Fallout lore, especially on the Power Armor/Perception thing, and B) I wouldn't trust Beth with the execution of such an idea at all. I bet we'll end up with sneak armor, sniper armor and fps armor.

It won't be "Oblivion with lasers" - Pete's knowledge of Black Isle games and respect towards them was astounding

Yeah, their respect for those dated, prehistoric borefests is well-documented. [/sarcasm]

 

[shorrtybearr]

So, it's possible to finish the game with a stealth-based character, yet you apparently gain no XP by sneaking past enemies rather than killing them (per Joystick). Ok then.

maybe they'll give xp for completing stealth based missions, for example sneak by x amount of supermutants to get into their stronghold without being seen, turn off their defence systems and report back.

I thought it would be 1 companion at thats it but im glad its multiple companions just one at a time (which is disapointing)

I dont like the idea of the PA being found early on, i think it should be saved to give it a sort of holy grail feel, maybe you should encounter PA but not being able to obtain it.

Fast travel and no vehicles is a bad idea, i hate fast travel.

Another thing, how do the vehicles blow up if they dont work? the gas would have surely been scavenged and cars dont just blow up without it.

 

[FeelTheRads]

the gas would have surely been scavenged and cars dont just blow up without it.

Cars in Fallout use energy cells. Which of course should have been scavenged too... but no, you see... that doesn't matter. Cars should blow up (that's what cars do) and in nuclear explosions no less. Oh, how wish I lived in a world where a car crash could destroy an entire neighborhood.

 

[shorrtybearr]

Cars in Fallout use energy cells.

haha I forgot, Still i dont get it, without energy cells or gas they're just big lumps of metal....which ofcourse doesnt just blow up. eh i guess alot of things dont make sense. Afterall washington would be a prime target to hit and the whitehouse no less would make an ideal target to attack, yet it seems pretty much intact-ish.

 

[Bofast]

I doubt it would be cool enough for Bethesda if Washington was completely ruined.

 

[H.A.D.E.S.]

Maybe the chinese used neutron bombs (why would they need to do anything else than kill the people?) or intented to destroy the city with that megaton bomb (well if it has 1 Mt TNT equivalen yield it should easily destroy the whole city).

 

[Brother None]

Re: New stuff from Polish CD-Action

* The game was quite complete and stable
* It won't be "Oblivion with lasers" - Pete's knowledge of Black Isle games and respect towards them was astounding

I should note two factual corrections here:

* Previewers don't actually get to see the game, but a scripted demo. I find real conclusions on the complete/stable nature of the game based on such a demo to be ridiculous. Still, it probably is quite complete and stable by now.

* Fallout is not a Black Isle game.

Also

* One will be able to finish the game with a character focused on hand to hand combat or stealth (they call Emil the "maker of the Thief series")

Methinks there goes a bit of one of the BGSF Q&A questions.

 

[Ausir]

Another bit from the preview I forgot to mention:

* Every action - discovery, dialogue, combat - rewards us with experience points, which is accompanied by the sound of an old cash register. The Karma system works in a similar way.

 

[Section8]

* One will be able to finish the game with a character focused on hand to hand combat or stealth (they call Emil the "maker of the Thief series")

The thing is, you could finish Oblivion/Morrowind with a character focused on Alchemy or Mercantile. That doesn't mean there were legitimate gameplay avenues for those skills, it just meant that there wasn't sufficient gameplay challenge for any of the skills, so any chump can succeed at anything/everything.

Also:

* Every action - discovery, dialogue, combat - rewards us with experience points, which is accompanied by the sound of an old cash register. The Karma system works in a similar way.

Bethesda really are fucking morons. They talk up immersion and try to posit themselves as masters of it - and then fill their games with completely unnecessary metagame cheese to constantly remind you you're playing a game.

 

[Mungrul]

(they call Emil the "maker of the Thief series")

Ye gods this depresses me if I think about it too long.
I should have the utmost respect for this guy given his history.
I should trust every decision he makes.
The Thief games are solid gold classics, almost perfect in their focus and implementation. To have worked on those titles, and at such a senior level, should make him a gaming guru in my eyes.

And yet recent evidence brings his ability into question.
The Dark Brotherhood quests, while some of the best in Oblivion, were still only the best of a poor bunch. Compared to other titles, they were rather ham-fisted in their implementation.
And his design decisions for Fallout 3 and insistence that they have to focus on what Bethesda does best rather than something more true to the originals just hammers home his focus on profit rather than integrity.

Anybody have any specifics on what he did on the Thief games?
I've only managed to dig this quote up from a 2005 Evil Avatar Oblivion Q&A:

Jashin: Emil, you are a Thief guy, which Thief game did you work on?
Emil: Yep, I am. I did some level and voice acting work on Thief Gold, and was senior designer on Thief 2 and Thief: Deadly Shadows.

I suppose I should ask over at TTLG really.

 

[JR Jansen]

I like the concept of having different types of armor for different purposes without a single best all-around, so that choosing the more suited for your character becomes more than a no-brainer.

However, the problem with this is that it A) kinda goes against established Fallout lore, especially on the Power Armor/Perception thing, and B) I wouldn't trust Beth with the execution of such an idea at all. I bet we'll end up with sneak armor, sniper armor and fps armor.

You forgot to mention one thing. Either you have to carry several suits of armor with you so that you can switch armor when it is needed or you have to store them somewhere and in that case you have to run back and get it wich is, imo, bloody annoying.

 

[Zaptoman]

* Every action - discovery, dialogue, combat - rewards us with experience points, which is accompanied by the sound of an old cash register. The Karma system works in a similar way.

Seriously. WTF??? So, instead of wandering around the wastes, stumbling upon a particularly interesting pile of scrap, and thinking - "you know, this looks important" You'll be TOLD its important via a massive IMURSHUN breaking Ka-ching!

 

[Pope Viper]

God, let's hope this is something that can be turned off.

 

[Brother None]

Seriously. WTF??? So, instead of wandering around the wastes, stumbling upon a particularly interesting pile of scrap, and thinking - "you know, this looks important" You'll be TOLD its important via a massive IMURSHUN breaking Ka-ching!

Oh, that's quite standard

Remember, this is Deus Ex derivatives that we're essentially talking about. Don't you remember the "exploration bonus" system of DE?