Todd Howard: "No feature is off limits"

[Mr. Teatime]

<strong>[ Game -> Interview ]</strong>

<p>Don't get your hopes up. But I pulled that quote from a <a href="http://www.next-gen.biz/index.php?optio ... 3&Itemid=2" target="_self">lengthy interview over on Next Generation with Todd Howard</a> discussing Bethesda's business plan for Fallout 3. Lots to read but not much information; here's the part I find most interesting:</p><blockquote><p><em>Howard says he wants the team to keep an open mind about what it&rsquo;s
trying to achieve. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re fortunate in that people are allowing us to
make these big virtual crazy games. No feature is off limits, right?
It&rsquo;s a role-playing game and you do what you want, so almost anything
we think of we have an avenue to put into our kind of game.</em></p></blockquote><p>Wonder if they'll take the risk of making the game turn based - it'd certainly be a departure from what they've normally done. Aw, go on Todd, <em>do it</em>!
</p><p>Spotted @ <a href="http://www.nma-fallout.com">No Mutants Allowed</a></p>

[johnnygothisgun]

lets all keep in mind what bethesda means when they say they've given you, the player, the freedom to "do what you want".

[ApTyp]

So basically, they don't know what they want to do with the license. Either that, or they're not telling.

[Wolfman Walt]

My guess is the former.

[hoochimama]

the business people came back six months later and handed it[the Fallout IP] over saying ‘have fun’.

...followed by 'MOUHOUHAHAHA'.

[Dogmeatlives]

I am really honestly amazed at the ability to reveal absolutely nothing about the game. It is incredible. I admire the guy for that.

[Wolfman Walt]

I think what's more incredible isn't that he managed to do it once, but for like the past year.

[Splatterpope]

Oblivion was the opposite. They released oodles of information weekly on it, through the entire development process. I don't think they want to repeat that, as they realised that their real market was the people that didn't actually read up on it at all, and the people who were following the game were either disappointed, or had too much time to mull over the thought of "level scaling" etc.

They know that their market for this game is going to be primarily people who play ze Xbox, or people who are going to walk into a store and see the "95%, PC Shameless Misinformation." sticker on the front and buy it without knowing.

They're keeping their lips shut to prevent community speculation, and possible self-sabotage.

I'm guessing we'll get nothing more than a few obscure gameplay trailers.

That, and Pete singing the rainbow connection.

[PsychoSniper]

[VasikkA]

Yay, thongs!

[PsychoSniper]

[S4ur0n27]

I really really wonder if it'll be for PC.

[Dogmeatlives]

If I'm not mistaken, most if not all the interviews where he has said anything about Fallout 3 have been in console magazines. Then again he never says anything about it anyway but its obvious to me at least that this will be an XBox to PC port. DAC should start a public boycott of the game. I sure as shit won't buy it.

[jetbaby]

I really really wonder if it'll be for PC.

ATARI only, sorry.

[DaC-Sniper]

“We’re fortunate in that people are allowing us to make these big virtual crazy games. No feature is off limits, right? It’s a role-playing game and you do what you want, so almost anything we think of we have an avenue to put into our kind of game.

seriously, he talks like a teenage boy "big virtual crazy games" WTF? or something and still believes in the huge success of oblivion caused by his great ideas of "making the gameplay so easy as possible to let even noobs have their fun". Sure, there will be some progress in the right direction, but with him its only in child steps. I only hope that Emil has more understanding of true roleplaying and can work some things out.

Also even if its turnbased, i fear, that they forget to set the difficulty high enough that your character is actually vulnerable, even with a power armor. Also i dont want to "kill the mutants first" without any alternative or peacefully ways only to be able to see a story sequence or to continue the game.

edit: I think Todd got some Developer Award(s?) plus thosands compliments from lying media journalists(while some of them really think its the Greatest Game EvaR!!), which only leads to wrong motivation. When it comes to games, you need to make those people happy who care about the game(fans, who pay the bucks) and not some stupid media, who only go out for their own bucks.

[Splatterpope]

The only thing I found marginally difficult, in that I had to think, was one of the sidequests that had a level reccomendation of 18, and I went in at level 3. All the monsters in there were ~level 19.

I think that Beth have coined on to what makes people really buy games these days: Winning.

Doesn't matter if it's actually a challenge or anything, as long as you win, it makes you(You being general gaming community) feel like god.

Think about it. When you join an online game these days, the people on there are having no fun at all unless they're winning. And if they're losing, they make some crass statement about how you cheated or some shit, have a tantrum and then leave.

Bethesda have simply taken the least fun part of gaming these days out, competition. I mean, if the only fun you get out of a game is winning, why not make it so that winning is all you can do? It's teh funnest game EVAR!

[Tarnopol]

I think that Beth have coined on to what makes people really buy games these days: Winning.

I've never played a game to loose. But when I'm looking at current games, I see that difficulty has vanished, and is replaced by babysitting, player-sided advantages, puzzles for the weak-minded, and dialogue for the retarded ones.
To satisfy the last unlucky guy who still can't beat the game, there are forums, hintbooks, walkthroughs, cheatcodes, adjustment options and modding tools.
So the "winning" gives not the same satisfaction any more, and games become boring very soon, because they're no longer challenging.
So games are played faster, play-times become shorter, people are bying next game sooner and players have to spent more bucks to get same desired satisfaction in summary.
Lucky gaming industry!

[VDweller]

Ze Fallout 3 forum

http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index ... owforum=32

http://fallout.bethsoft.com/

[AnneGwish]

Not far off the mark there Tarnopol. But Bethsoft isn't the end of the line for games by a long shot. Even on the console, some games out there are still challenging and, even if they are an action first-third person shooter, the developers have started pushing things like having to think on your feet, when plain ol' strategy becomes second nature.

No, I don't look for any wonders of maginificence to come from BSoft, but I do have hope out there, even if it is on a console. :/

[PsychoSniper]

Winning akes a great game not.