And it's a big one:<blockquote> SPOnG: What’s the whole deal with rabid Fallout fanboys desperately worried that Fallout 3 is not going to be a proper RPG?
Pete Hines: Well, at its core Fallout 3 is definitely a role-playing game. If you are of the opinion that any Fallout RPG has to be exactly like the games that came out in 1997 and 1998 down to every feature and detail, that’s definitely not the game we are making. We are trying to make a true successor in the Fallout franchise, something that is a true role-playing game that immerses you in this world, and hopefully brings out the best of what that series is about – which is great tone and setting and themes and characters and player choice… You know, it’s a really interesting, special role-playing system.
If folks are interested in a new Fallout game (as opposed to being slavishly interested in a specific list of demands relating to Fallout or Fallout2); or [they] are just interested in role-playing in general but may not have played the original games; or they are just looking for the next big RPG or the next big RPG coming from Bethesda… we certainly hope all of those folks are interested in what we are up to with Fallout 3.
SPOnG: I suppose the mere fact that there are still ardent Fallout fans out there speaks volumes for the enduring quality of the first games.
Pete Hines: Yeah, not just the quality, but how different the original games were for their time, you know? They really broke the mould of all of the classical fantasy stuff being done around that time.
Bethesda had just put out Daggerfall around that time (1996) for example. Fallout really cut against the fantasy grain and did some pretty unique things: with full facial animations, lip-syncing and that kind of thing. It definitely resonated and has stuck with folks – both rabid and non-rabid; both those who have talked about it every day of their lives since it first came out, and those who just really liked it and can’t wait to play another one.
(...)
SPOnG: One of the features in Fallout 3 that really stands out is V.A.T.S. (Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System) – can you explain how this works?
Pete Hines: V.A.T.S. was really born out of a desire to make the game work best as a first-person game – remember that the original games were third-person with turn-based combat. We feel that first-person is the most immersive way to put a player in a world. However, at the same time we wanted something that stayed as true as possible to role-playing. We don’t want something that rewards the ‘quick-twitch’ FPS player. We’re not trying to reward players who are good at Call of Duty or Halo or whatever.
We want the skills and abilities of your character to determine success or failure. So, one of the things we’ve included is this V.A.T.S. mode allows you to stop time and queue up moves for your character to implement, in almost a compressed time mode. And then we play it out in a cinematic fashion.</blockquote>Link: Pete Hines interview on SPOnG.
Thanks Briosafreak.
Pete Hines: Well, at its core Fallout 3 is definitely a role-playing game. If you are of the opinion that any Fallout RPG has to be exactly like the games that came out in 1997 and 1998 down to every feature and detail, that’s definitely not the game we are making. We are trying to make a true successor in the Fallout franchise, something that is a true role-playing game that immerses you in this world, and hopefully brings out the best of what that series is about – which is great tone and setting and themes and characters and player choice… You know, it’s a really interesting, special role-playing system.
If folks are interested in a new Fallout game (as opposed to being slavishly interested in a specific list of demands relating to Fallout or Fallout2); or [they] are just interested in role-playing in general but may not have played the original games; or they are just looking for the next big RPG or the next big RPG coming from Bethesda… we certainly hope all of those folks are interested in what we are up to with Fallout 3.
SPOnG: I suppose the mere fact that there are still ardent Fallout fans out there speaks volumes for the enduring quality of the first games.
Pete Hines: Yeah, not just the quality, but how different the original games were for their time, you know? They really broke the mould of all of the classical fantasy stuff being done around that time.
Bethesda had just put out Daggerfall around that time (1996) for example. Fallout really cut against the fantasy grain and did some pretty unique things: with full facial animations, lip-syncing and that kind of thing. It definitely resonated and has stuck with folks – both rabid and non-rabid; both those who have talked about it every day of their lives since it first came out, and those who just really liked it and can’t wait to play another one.
(...)
SPOnG: One of the features in Fallout 3 that really stands out is V.A.T.S. (Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System) – can you explain how this works?
Pete Hines: V.A.T.S. was really born out of a desire to make the game work best as a first-person game – remember that the original games were third-person with turn-based combat. We feel that first-person is the most immersive way to put a player in a world. However, at the same time we wanted something that stayed as true as possible to role-playing. We don’t want something that rewards the ‘quick-twitch’ FPS player. We’re not trying to reward players who are good at Call of Duty or Halo or whatever.
We want the skills and abilities of your character to determine success or failure. So, one of the things we’ve included is this V.A.T.S. mode allows you to stop time and queue up moves for your character to implement, in almost a compressed time mode. And then we play it out in a cinematic fashion.</blockquote>Link: Pete Hines interview on SPOnG.
Thanks Briosafreak.
OS on page 4.