Why Bethesda needs Fallout like Vault 13 needs a waterchip

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:52 am

[ Community -> Editorial ]

I've written up a new article called Why Bethesda needs Fallout like Vault 13 needs a waterchip. Here's a quote:<blockquote>There’s a fundamental key that
any developer or publisher bravely striding into the Fallout universe should
know, and if they don’t, they’ll learn it by the time their game is released:
Fallout is all about
the fans. The decent games stopped coming almost ten years ago; what’s left is
a fanbase that’s notorious amongst geek and gaming culture for being rabid,
mutated, angry, discordant, for infighting and for being argumentative and
perverse. In other words, a fanbase that’s assumed many of the characteristics
which placed Fallout outside the cosy campfire circle of Tolkien-themed fantasy
worlds, an ugly, rejected duckling that turned into a beautiful two-headed
swan. And the point, for an aspiring developer, is this: the route to any
Fallout game’s success is through those fans. 
</blockquote><a href="http://www.duckandcover.cx/content.php?id=88" target="_self">Go check it out</a> and see what you think!

Thor Kaufman · Post by **Thor Kaufman** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:20 am

You wrote it, I thought it was Rex :wheelchair warez:

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 11:40 am

Aside from using the word hardcore, it was a great article teabag.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:53 pm

It's not like Bethesda needed Fallout? They probably have enough imagination to come up with their own new PA game. Seeing how unimaginative their other games are, it really isn't a big deal.

I didn't read the article yet, anyway.

Post by **King of Creation** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:59 pm

S4ur0n27 wrote:I didn't read the article yet, anyway.

If you did, you'd understand the implications of the title.

USMCFritz · Post by **USMCFritz** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:03 pm

i agree its a good article with simply that it states that even though we may be crazy raving lunatic fans for fallout we still have a major decision on wether the game is or is not true fallout. O and i can be very dangerous lol goverment tax payed Marine training right here GO INFANTRY! and i still love fallout

SEMPER FI! OOH RAH

Mad Max RW · Post by **Mad Max RW** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:15 pm

Good read, Teatime. I can't for the life of me get excited about Fallout 3. And you appear to be the most optimistic out of the bunch of us old whiners. Bethesda pulling it off is just not logical. Look at what they did to the Elder Scrolls. Or how they forced out Call of Cthulu whatever and that Star Trek game. How about the way they stonewall fans and only talk with various Xbox magazines. Even the way their forums are run, like some totalitarian regime, bent on controlling the opinions of each member.

As far as I'm concerned Bethesda is no different than Interplay back when it had money to spend and franchises to ruin.

Cthulhugoat · Post by **Cthulhugoat** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:39 pm

The Wheelchair Warez release is soooooo much better.

Briosafreak · Post by **Briosafreak** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:05 pm

Very well written Teatime

VasikkA · Post by **VasikkA** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 5:42 pm

Reading that article was a journey. Well done.

Selling a game is easy with a cunning marketing strategy, but getting the players attached to the product is a lot harder; a feat Fallout and a few others achieved. Ultimately a game's success isn't detemined by graphics or other features, but rather the buzz it manages to create. And to create a buzz, you need to take a few risks. In Fallout's case, that risk would be reinstating the old values of roleplaying into the CRPG genre.

Throw the market analyses out the window and make a game worth falling in love to.

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 6:24 pm

Glad you liked it guys. Feel free to <plug> Digg it. </plug>

And I do feel that Fallout is a franchise that requires the fans onboard to work. The problem is, so far, companies have only realised this (or in Iplay's case, still haven't realised) after the product is released.

Difference here, possibly, is that FO3 will sell on the back of Bethesda's name alone and in one night they'll have a new fanbase. I don't think that will happen - unless they make out like it's the start of a new series (ie ditch the '3' in the title and so on). But in that case, why bother with Fallout at all, except out of spite?

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:40 pm

I think theyre going to shit themselves when oblivion with guns gets mixed reviews and only the fanbois on their fourm blow them over it.

Post by **Dogmeatlives** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:02 pm

There is another forum about this article. ANyway, I loved it. It reminded me again of how great Fallout is. I'm gonna play it again now. You make a few great points that I never even thought about. I do think, however, that Bethesda could do as financially well with "Oblivion with guns" type game as with a true Fallout sequel. What do I know though...

Cimmerian Nights · Post by **Cimmerian Nights** » Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:48 pm

Nice piece Teets. Too bad the Bethbois are immune to logically, well-organized ideas. You should've voiced acted it. Remember reading is teh hard.

T-900 · Post by **T-900** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 4:46 am

A reason for optimism would be that under the Fallout name, it must have -some- of the Fallout flavour. Bethesda may have made many mistakes with Oblivion and have some awful habits involving multiplatform releases, but they aren't all that bad a developer, when compared to the rest of the mainstream.

Also; Nomatter what this game turns out to be, we can bet fairly safely it will involve large amounts of violence, sand, and men in armour made of old sofas. This pleases the Jack.

<3

Post by **Dogmeatlives** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 5:03 am

That is very true T-900. If the game turns out to be oblivion with guns, at least i can rent it and lokk a supermutant right in the eyes before i blow his FREAKIN HEAD OFF!

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 8:32 am

Excellent article. Felt it right here brother *beats his chest*

Sooo.. when beth releases Fo3 and t's crap, basicly it's going to be a "meh" to everyone and an outrage to the fans, yes?

Does that mean we have a chance to get Fallout nr. 2 out of beth the way it should be, and an actual spiritual successor?

If Fo3's crap, then we'll definately have to point out every single flaw to them, and make them understand exactly what they're doing wrong.

PsychoSniper · Post by **PsychoSniper** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 9:04 am

Smiley wrote:Excellent article. Felt it right here brother *beats his chest*

Sooo.. when beth releases Fo3 and t's crap, basicly it's going to be a "meh" to everyone and an outrage to the fans, yes?

Does that mean we have a chance to get Fallout nr. 2 out of beth the way it should be, and an actual spiritual successor?

If Fo3's crap, then we'll definately have to point out every single flaw to them, and make them understand exactly what they're doing wrong.

But then they'll ban you from their fourm

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Fri Apr 20, 2007 10:06 am

You don't need to do it on their forums.

If every single Fallout fan page has a "Fo3; beating a dead horse" title on the front then it's a good start.