Penitential Screenshots and a Belated Fan Interview

Aonaran · Post by **Aonaran** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 5:43 pm

[ Community -> Interview ] - More info on <a href="#Bethesda Softworks">Company: Bethesda Softworks</a> | More info on <a href="#Fallout 3">Game: Fallout 3</a> | More info on <a href="#Todd Howard">Person: Todd Howard</a>

Bethesda Softworks' Todd Howard stopped by the official <a href="http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index ... 3">Fallout 3 forums</a> on July 3rd to apologize for not delivering on the community fan interview
after nearly six weeks of inactivity. Included with the personal
apology was the promise of a completed interview along with community
exclusive screenshots to be delivered on Monday, July 7th. 
 <blockquote>Ok, I know this has been a long time coming. Too Long. I just wanted to
drop in and apologize. It’s 100% my fault, and Gstaff can tell you that
he’s asked me every day for the last several weeks for it and I keep
saying “today!” but the days seem to be getting crazier and crazier.
Finishing a game is kinda like that. Anyway, I finally started
answering it today, and was hoping to have it up before the July 4th
holiday, but that’s not going to happen. So – it will be up Monday,
writing that here makes me stick to it as opposed to just telling
Gstaff. And to seek everyone’s forgiveness - we’re also going to put up
some exclusive images here on the forums, just for you folks who have
been waiting. Thanks for your patience, you guys have been great. </blockquote>Update: The interview and exclusive screenshots are now up. <blockquote>1) Which of the following, if any, will be featured in Fallout3~
Romance, Sex, Homosexuality, Nudity, Prostitution, Slavery,
Cannibalism, Children, Child killings, drugs, addictions? And of the
things that won't be featured, can you explain why they won't be
included in the game?

It touches on most of those. Slavery,
children, drugs and addiction more than the others, as those factor for
into the setting more. In regards to nudity and child killings, no, it
features neither of those, as they don't really add to the flavor of
the game (I'll get into children in the next question more). I think if
you look at Fallout 1, and the footprint it has with the topics you ask
about, Fallout 3 is pretty much the same, in that it features the types
of things you mention at about the same rate, no more, no less. Drugs
and drug addiction play a larger role perhaps, as it's a key gameplay
device. I think the heart of this question is "has the harshness and
maturity of the world of Fallout 3 been tempered from the earlier
games?" and I can certainly say "No, it hasn't been."

2)
Are children and otherwise non essential or non-quest related NPC's
vulnerable or invulnerable to accidental or purposeful (deadly) harm?
And how about quest essential people? Please elaborate as much as you
can, especially on why you choose to do it that way.

You
will not be able to be a child killer. There are several reasons for
this, some of them are very basic, like we wouldn't be able to sell the
game, anywhere to anyone, if the children could be killed. I'm not
using that as a scapegoat. We never wanted the game to offer any
incentive or desire to be blowing kids away, so from our initial
designs, we didn't know how we were going to handle if you shot them,
we just knew it was going to be a big no-no, especially with a system
like VATS and the graphic fidelity the gore has. Anyway, when attacked,
all children flee and any regular NPCs friendly to the children will
instantly attack you, so it feels good in the game, in that there is an
appropriate response.

In regards to essential NPCs, it works
like Oblivion, in that when they "die" they get knocked "unconscious"
and get up a little while later. It worked well in Oblivion, so we kept
that system, as you can still attack everyone that you want, and get at
least a small benefit (being able to avoid them while they are down). I
will say that the number of essential characters is minute compared to
Oblivion and we've gone to pretty big lengths to cover a lot of
people's deaths, but sometimes that's just not possible. </blockquote>Read all 25 questions <a href="http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index ... >Exclusive Screenshots:<a href="http://fallout.bethsoft.com/images/art/ ... g">Megaton Bar</a>
<a href="http://fallout.bethsoft.com/images/art/ ... g">Shotgun on Robot</a>
<a href="http://fallout.bethsoft.com/images/art/ ... g">Pip-Boy Skills</a> You can read his apology as well as the resulting discussion <a href="http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums/index ... /a>. Spotted @ <a href="http://www.bethsoft.com/bgsforums">Bethesda Forums</a>

Aonaran · Post by **Aonaran** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 10:26 pm

I haven't managed to read through it all yet since Todd apparently posted it as he was leaving from work and I was leaving for it. What I did notice was that in the Megaton Bar screen the ghouls actually looks halfway ghoulish and not just like a big orange zombie.

cazsim83 · Post by **cazsim83** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:06 pm

I thought ghouls couldn't just hang out because they were enemy-only and not friendly in the slightest?

Aonoran wrote:Drugs
and drug addiction play a larger role perhaps, as it's a key gameplay
device. I think the heart of this question is "has the harshness and
maturity of the world of Fallout 3 been tempered from the earlier
games?" and I can certainly say "No, it hasn't been."

Except morphine. Absolutely NO morphine!

@ Ausir - thanks now I know

Ausir · Post by **Ausir** » Mon Jul 07, 2008 11:20 pm

No, they never said that. They said that some ghouls are feral, but not all.

Cimmerian Nights · Post by **Cimmerian Nights** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:28 am

Does anyone here give a shit?

I can't be bothered to read any of Todd's half-truths and excuses.
Have you seen what kind of games that numnuts makes?

Dreadnought · Post by **Dreadnought** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 2:34 am

Also, the guy in the bar looks like Cpt. Jack Sparrow. Harr....

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 4:27 am

:pete: wrote:In regards to essential NPCs, it works like Oblivion, in that when they "die" they get knocked "unconscious" and get up a little while later.

Damn I feel like this one will annoy me a lot. Gothic 3 also had it and killing a bunch of non-aggressive NPC was a pain : the button combo to finish off an unconscious character was so hard to time up that you could be killed by other ennemies; and if you'd instead attack the other ennemies, the unconscious guy would wake up again.

Anyhow, emptying a 9mm magazine will only knock unconscious people?

mixmastermind · Post by **mixmastermind** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 5:11 am

I think many people want to play "good" and want to play "evil". Both are fun in different ways.

I think some people want to play "amoral". Will that possibly work?

Like mechanic's coveralls that boost your repair skill, that kind of thing.

How does that even work? "Oh, I put on some slacks, now I'm a better golfer."

But, there are beards.

The female characters will be so pleased.

Other than different cloud types that come and go, there are no other weather effects.

lolnextgen

Oh, and Fast Travel. Hurray.

Dreadnought · Post by **Dreadnought** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:26 am

In Fallout 1 and 2 you were able to blast the fuck out of every single brat in the motherfucking game and both games sold well enough to whore out a 3rd one. You could kill everyone, even though risking fucking the game up. You could be a FUCKING ASSWIPE and actually FEEL CONSEQUENCES.
In times of feminism, acceptance towards fags, equal rights for all kinds of retards, etc. it could be considered politically incorrect to actually CAUSE something and see CONSEQUENCES. Might ruin the picture that people can wiggle their ass out of every inconvenient situation in life. Wake up, you dumb fuckers.

Soon they will announce that the main char can't die. When he'll be hit by a salvo from the nuclear missile shooting gatling gun, he'll sit down and smile. Otherwise ADHS kids will be frustrated, that you can actually LOSE a game.

mixmastermind · Post by **mixmastermind** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:20 am

Dreadnought wrote:Soon they will announce that the main char can't die. When he'll be hit by a salvo from the nuclear missile shooting gatling gun, he'll sit down and smile. Otherwise ADHS kids will be frustrated, that you can actually LOSE a game.

lolbioshock

Dreadnought · Post by **Dreadnought** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 7:35 am

Smiley · Post by **Smiley** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:55 am

Damn those graphics are shitty... Especially the bar one.

entertainer · Post by **entertainer** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:34 pm

The low resolution textures or something are...

Killzig · Post by **Killzig** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 3:46 pm

the textures do look pretty shitty but the lighting looks improved from oblivion. The shotgun might have enough kick to stop me from playing stealthy mcheadshot but I doubt it.

POOPERSCOOPER · Post by **POOPERSCOOPER** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 6:19 pm

Graphics look okay to me unless you look at them in full size instead of thumbnail. It seems oblivion has lost its graphical edge but who cares.

rabidpeanut · Post by **rabidpeanut** » Tue Jul 08, 2008 8:53 pm

Cimmerian Nights wrote:Does anyone here give a shit?

I can't be bothered to read any of Todd's half-truths and excuses.
Have you seen what kind of games that numnuts makes?

No one gives even a nanoturdlet.