Josh Sawyer clarifies gun skills and the gender issue

[King of Creation]

<strong>[ Game -> Update ]</strong> - More info on <a href="http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Josh Sawyer">Person: Josh Sawyer</a> | More info on <a href="http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Fallout: New Vegas">Game: Fallout: New Vegas</a>

<p><strong>Josh Sawyer</strong> has <a href="http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/t ... >clarified the recent issues</a> about the weapons skills in <em><strong>Fallout: New Vegas</strong></em>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Gun chat.

In 1997, I played the original Fallout. Like the games that followed it, Fallout had Small Guns, Big Guns, and Energy Weapons. In F1, the gun skills were designed for phased obsolescence. If you tagged Big Guns or Energy Weapons early on, you would not be able to gain much, if any, benefit from it for a long time. Even back then, I thought this was problematic. Before playing the game, players could not know how content would limit the applicability of weapons. Ultimately, it came down to three weapons: the minigun, rocket launcher, and flamer. Large, with heavy ammo, and either burst or AoE only. In Fallout 3, the list of Big Guns was expanded to include the fat man, rock-it launcher, and gatling laser. In most situations, these weapons were all still at least mid-power at their weakest. In talking to people in person and online, and in reading online commentary, I found that people were also still unclear on what marked the clear division between Small Guns and Big Guns (and even Energy Weapons, in the case of the Gatling Laser). Certainly the UI could be improved to help with this (something we have already done for F:NV), but it conceptually was a sticking point.</em> <em>

When I was looking at Big Guns for F:NV, I considered that the list of weapons was small compared to any other weapon category and several of the weapons arguably belonged (or at least could be easily categorized) elsewhere. Moving the Big Guns to different weapon skills and dissolving the Big Guns skill would allow weapons like the minigun to remain as a powerful top tier weapon without needing to invent low-tier "Big Guns" that might further confuse the dividing line. Coming up with a wide power spectrum of Guns, Energy Weapons, and Explosives would not be hard at all. Since our skill point economy is more frugal (I'll delve into this another time) and since we do have Strength requirements on weapons (resulting in increased sway for firearms and a decreased rate of fire for melee/unarmed), where you invest your skill points and SPECIAL points is still pretty important. A fully upgraded minigun wielded by a character with high Guns and high Strength cuts down rooms of people like a scythe, even at relatively long range. In the hands of an unskilled, low Strength character, it sprays a lot of bullets all over the place.</em> <em>

The exact categorization of weapons in F:NV isn't rooted in the logic of transferable skills from real life, but it's arguable they never were previously, either (missile launcher/flamer/minigun, for example). The categorizations have more to do with being clear and consistent with definitions. It follows this basic pattern:</em> <em>

* Does it explode? It's an Explosive.</em> <em>
* Does it use Small Energy Cells, Microfusion Cells, or other energy ammo? It's an Energy Weapon.
* Does it use conventional bullets of some flavor as ammo? It's a Gun.

So while it's accurate to say that Big Guns no longer exists as a category, it's not accurate to say that Big Guns and Small Guns were combined. The weapons in Big Guns were divided among the other weapon skills.</em> <em>

I know not everyone will be happy with this re-organization, but those are the reasons for the change. I hope the reasons are clear, even if you disagree with the decision. Thanks.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>In addition, there was apparently <a href="http://borderhouseblog.com/?p=2344">a load of controversy </a>from a guy who was seriously offended by the Tabitha character. Josh has <a href="http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/t ... 1">cleared the air</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Before being dipped in the vats, Tabitha was a female human. She continues to self-identify as female. Descriptions of her as being "in drag" are not accurate; FEV transforms female humans in the same way as male humans, leaving their appearance very similar.
(...)
Tabitha certainly has personality problems, but they don't have anything to do with gender identity.</em></p>
</blockquote><p>Spotted @ <a href="http://www.nma-fallout.com">No Mutants Allowed</a></p>

[POOPERSCOOPER]

I don't really mind the change with big guns because it was always a kind of tricky thing to use. You kind of had to the building up of the big guns stat with the moment you actually got a big gun. If you had just focused on big guns in the beginning you wouldn't really be able to do much unless you also used the strength for melee stuff. I personally probably would have just combined small energy weapons with small guns and then have everything else that is big as big guns. I don't know if there really would be much difference in using a laser weapon compared to a bullet one I dunno.

[ekkaman]

Quick round up the fan boys oh the outrage.

[Macky]

I was only heavy on the Big Guns skill in Fallout. But I was a lot younger then and I was probably compensating for my young penis, which is now 20 + inches incidentally.

By the time Fallout 2 came out I only put as many points in the Big Guns and Energy Weapons as the game demanded, or as I had anticipated from playing F1.

By the time I played Fallout 3, I concentrated all my points into melee and small arms. That's were the survival experience is at. Not with a fucking mac truck chain gun and semi-automatic grenade launcher.

[jetbaby]

I generally used small guns the entire time :gauss rifle: I wasn't a big fan of the mini guns and rockets. I left those to Marcus, or ignored them entirely in FO1.

[St. Toxic]

So now a BB Gun is the same as a Gatling gun, because both fire solid projectiles. Well that's rich.

Big Guns and Energy Weapons are weapon categories for semi-rare, unpractical and expensive equipment that's bound to wipe the floor with any conventional weapons if used properly. The whole idea is that we're talking about a select few who can actually master these weapons, let alone get their hands on some, and if you've happened to invest points into Big Guns or Energy Weapons right from the start, you're ordained to be one of the lucky few.

As it is now, you can start by mastering the pipe rifle and then switch to the minigun mid-game and become unstoppable, or throw lots of grenades as if you were playing Modern Warfare and then move right on to the rocket launcher. I'm sure you'll be given a laser gun of some kind early on, so that nobody tags Energy Weapons only to discover they aren't getting any for a few hours, and kill their parents in a passionate ADD fit.

[Yonmanc]

I don't think I ever used big guns anyway. Though saying that, I rarely used combat if I could avoid it.

[Burning Oasis]

I don't think I ever used big guns anyway. Though saying that, I rarely used combat if I could avoid it.

PUSSY.

[Yonmanc]

[Manoil]

:gauss rifle:

mah nigga.

Toxie's point is valid, though. While this looks like convenience, it doesn't seem all that far from another wave of skill dumbing-down, as if it were the aftershocks to the cataclysm of FO3.

I still stand by the idea that greater complexity allows for greater potential.

[Burning Oasis]

:gauss rifle:

mah nigga.

Toxie's point is valid, though. While this looks like convenience, it doesn't seem all that far from another wave of skill dumbing-down, as if it were the aftershocks to the cataclysm of FO3.

I still stand by the idea that greater complexity allows for greater potential.

Well, it's ridiculous! I may have read it incorrectly, but doesn't he say they did this because Big Weapons come to far in the game?

Boo fucking hoo. Now, lets just get our Gatling Gun at lvl. 5 and tear shit, Fawkes style. Bullshit move on their part.

[SenisterDenister]

They'll probably put in safeguards in the form of perks that enable heavy weapon usage early on, if the guns have a minimal level cap for usage that is.

[Burning Oasis]

They'll probably put in safeguards in the form of perks that enable heavy weapon usage early on, if the guns have a minimal level cap for usage that is.

I hope to Science you are wrong.

[Manoil]

They'll probably put in safeguards in the form of perks that enable heavy weapon usage early on, if the guns have a minimal level cap for usage that is.

I hope to Science you are wrong.

[jetbaby]

They'll probably put in safeguards in the form of perks that enable heavy weapon usage early on, if the guns have a minimal level cap for usage that is.

Then what purpose did it serve?

Honestly it's a terrible idea all around. There is no logical reason for this save to condense skills and "make it easy," as it were. At least none that I can see. Sure there aren't enough big guns to cover from level 1 to level 99, but who the hell cares? You took big guns and/or energy weapons? Well I hope you like scraping by until you get one. Their reasoning is lackluster, at best. Toxie pretty much hit this one on the head.

[Megatron]

maybe they should just get rid of all the skills because it doesnt fucken matter anyway jeez

*fires minigun wildly in the air & screams*

[inomel]

Silent Hill: Fallout!