Todd Howard mentions Fallout 3

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:01 am

[Game -> Update]

There's a new <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelder ... terview</a> up at <a href="http://www.gamespot.com">Gamespot</a> with Todd Howard, the head guy at <a href="http://www.bethsoft.com">Bethesda</a>. Mainly they ask about <a href="http://www.elderscrolls.com/splash/index.htm">The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion</a>, but there's a Fallout 3 related question as well, and an interesting attitude toward console development that is probably going to affect Fallout 3.<blockquote>GS: Tell us about what Bethesda is trying to accomplish with The Elder Scrolls IV. Will the next game expand upon the huge and open-ended framework of Morrowind, which let you travel pretty much anywhere and talk to (or fight) pretty much anyone, or will it feature a completely different structure? What lessons has the team taken from Morrowind's development, launch, and postlaunch support? How is this being brought to bear in the new game's development?
 
 Todd Howard: All of our Elder Scrolls games follow a similar philosophy: "Live another life, in another world." With each game, we go back and look at how we can make that come alive for the next generation of hardware and gameplay. So the "big-world, do-anything" style remains, and I think that's an essential element to what we do with the series. The player needs a certain size and a large number of choices to really make role-playing feel meaningful. Lessons we learned? I think we learned that taking risks works. We took a lot of risks in changing our game systems to create Morrowind. Also bringing it to the Xbox was a big risk for us. Both of those paid off huge, particularly the Xbox, which is where the majority of our sales came from. I think a lot of publishers really underestimate how much a console player wants out of game, and how much they can handle. They're not stupid, and they love deep games done well. So going into this one, we knew we wanted to reinvent a lot of the game again, take on big technology jumps, and bring the game to as many platforms as possible.
 
 ...
 
 GS: We have to ask--how, if at all, has Bethesda's recent acquisition of Black Isle Studios' Fallout license and confirmation that it will work on a Fallout 3 affected The Elder Scrolls IV's planning and design? How will the two games be different, or complementary? It seems safe to assume that Elder Scrolls IV will be Bethesda's next huge, sprawling role-playing game, while Fallout 3 will be a more-compact, self-contained adventure. Is this the case? Has Bethesda found itself forced to rethink or adjust its plans for The Elder Scrolls IV so as not to compete with its own plans for Fallout 3?
 
 TH: Oblivion has been in development since 2002, so getting the Fallout license recently hasn't changed our plans for Oblivion at all. By their nature, I don't think they compete with each other. They will be very different games--not just in style, but in how they play. Also, for some time our plan had been to use this technology in other games, and Fallout is a great fit for that.</blockquote>At least (he says) the games will be different. Though I'm still unhappy at the thought of a Fallout RPG on the consoles. Especially one called Fallout 3.
 Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.shacknews.com">Shacknews</A>

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:05 am

Why would Fallout 3 be more-compact and self-contained?

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:10 am

Fuck. They get the Longest Questions EVER award. One question at a time, please. Dammit. Gamespot sucks.

Post by **King of Creation** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:17 am

Also, for some time our plan had been to use this technology in other games, and Fallout is a great fit for that.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

MORROWIND WITH GUNS

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:19 am

I'm hoping he meant it will be a good challenge for their technology, to adapt it to a 3/4 top down view with turn based combat and no real time combat mode.

That's what he meant.

MrSmileyFaceDude · Post by **MrSmileyFaceDude** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 12:30 am

S4ur0n27 wrote:Why would Fallout 3 be more-compact and self-contained?

That was Gamespot's assumption/question, not Todd Howard's words.

Post by **King of Creation** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 1:38 am

Mr. Teatime wrote:I'm hoping he meant it will be a good challenge for their technology, to adapt it to a 3/4 top down view with turn based combat and no real time combat mode.

That's what he meant.

I really hope so. I think, if adapted properly to fit that view, the Oblivion engine could be very sweet.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 2:01 am

MrSmileyFaceDude wrote:
S4ur0n27 wrote:Why would Fallout 3 be more-compact and self-contained?
That was Gamespot's assumption/question, not Todd Howard's words.

Yeah, I know, I was just amazed someone could say FO is more compact and self-contained then MW.

Blargh · Post by **Blargh** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 6:27 am

S4ur0n27 wrote:Yeah, I know, I was just amazed someone could say FO is more compact and self-contained then MW.

If you compare Morrowind to Fallout, it could be said with a fair degree of logic.

Fallout is by no means a small, stupidly linear experience, but Morrowind is a vast, empty shell of a game. Hence Fallout could be said to be small by comparison.

'Tis a question of perspective.

My reasons for pessimism on this subject are reinforced every time someone says anything of Fallout 3.

Sovy Kurosei · Post by **Sovy Kurosei** » Fri Oct 29, 2004 10:48 am

Ugh, here comes that paranoia that Fallout 3 will be a first person, real time shooter.

Both of those paid off huge, particularly the Xbox, which is where the majority of our sales came from.

*cries* No, no, no, not multiple consoles! Argh, damn you capitalist trends to cater to the lowest denominator!

Syko · Post by **Syko** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:08 pm

Why is everyone scared of Fallout becoming a first person RPG?. Have you no hope in the fact that Fallout 3 as an FP-RPG may actually be good. You give up already, yet you have no idea what the developers may be capable of. You just assume that making Fallout into a good real-time FP-RPG is impossible. I would personally love to see Fallout 3 like Morrowind, except way, way more lively and realistic in terms of what people do and how the game world reacts. I don't want to see Morrowind Fallout, as that would be a boring, static experience with guns, but i want to see Fallout 3 in the same vein as Morrowind.

The thing we should really be scared of is Fallout 3 turning into KOTOR or some shit 3rd-person kids RPG like that. That seems to be the "style" these days. Or, maybe they could give us 2 or 3 views. FP, Isometric, and 3rd person. That would be an excellent way of pleasing everybody. But then again, developers are fuckheads and don't give people options like that for some strange fucking reason. It's like with KOTOR and GTA. Theres a first person view thing while your standing still, but no option to move while in FP like an FPS. Totally dumb.

Franz Schubert · Post by **Franz Schubert** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 1:37 pm

SDF wrote:You give up already, yet you have no idea what the developers may be capable of.

We know exactly what the developers are capable of... pandering to the x-box kiddies.

SDF wrote:maybe they could give us 2 or 3 views. FP, Isometric, and 3rd person. That would be an excellent way of pleasing everybody.

No, that wouldn't please everybody. You can't just add an Iso view to a game that has been built as a first person game and say "There, we included iso". That eliminates the point.

Mismatch · Post by **Mismatch** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 3:30 pm

Syko wrote:I suck cocks

obviously.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:04 pm

Morrowind had a 3rd person view and it blew.

PiP · Post by **PiP** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 8:42 pm

Mr. Teatime wrote:I'm hoping he meant it will be a good challenge for their technology, to adapt it to a 3/4 top down view with turn based combat and no real time combat mode.

I really doubt it. Well 3D top-down view is a myabe, and I'd like to see it, but turn-based? Even the guys at Troika say it's practically impossible to convince publishers to turn-based games these days.

I think from this interview it's plain that Fo3 will employ ES Oblivion's engine and will ship on console(s).

Anyway the view and the combat system are not the elements I'm most interested in.

Ozrat · Post by **Ozrat** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:18 pm

Syko wrote:Why is everyone scared of Fallout becoming a first person RPG?. Have you no hope in the fact that Fallout 3 as an FP-RPG may actually be good. You give up already, yet you have no idea what the developers may be capable of. You just assume that making Fallout into a good real-time FP-RPG is impossible. I would personally love to see Fallout 3 like Morrowind, except way, way more lively and realistic in terms of what people do and how the game world reacts. I don't want to see Morrowind Fallout, as that would be a boring, static experience with guns, but i want to see Fallout 3 in the same vein as Morrowind.

The thing we should really be scared of is Fallout 3 turning into KOTOR or some shit 3rd-person kids RPG like that. That seems to be the "style" these days. Or, maybe they could give us 2 or 3 views. FP, Isometric, and 3rd person. That would be an excellent way of pleasing everybody. But then again, developers are fuckheads and don't give people options like that for some strange fucking reason. It's like with KOTOR and GTA. Theres a first person view thing while your standing still, but no option to move while in FP like an FPS. Totally dumb.

I thought you were banned? Like a year ago?

Spazmo · Post by **Spazmo** » Sat Oct 30, 2004 11:34 pm

I thought you were banned?

Ozrat · Post by **Ozrat** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 12:02 am

They haven't raised the full $100 USD Paypal sum for my bannishment yet!

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 12:07 am

You could be banned as a gesture of goodwill.

Wolfman Walt · Post by **Wolfman Walt** » Sun Oct 31, 2004 4:37 am

But can it count towards a tax write off?

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Todd Howard mentions Fallout 3

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