New Shit
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 12:11 pm
While there seems to have been a massive explosion of information over the last couple of days the overwhelming majority of it has simply been a repeat of what we have read in the past. Here is the NEW information from all of the recent press coverage. This thread is to discuss what we didn't already know before, as listed chaotically below.
Kotaku
"The Pip-Boy 3000 has many of uses for interacting with your character as well as emitting light for use in those darker areas of which there are many."
"If things get too dangerous, you can always have him (Dogmeat) wait nearby or send him back to Vault 101 where his safety will be assured." (Vault 101 = Safe?)
IGN
"This is when you get to actually choose your character's look, picking from either preset selections or creating a custom look by mixing and matching different attributes. There are plenty of options to choose from, some quite colorful, like the "gunslinger" option for facial hair."
"It's during your toddler phase where dad also introduces you to a quote that will apparently play an important role in the game (We won't print it here for spoiler reasons, but if you're curious and don't mind a spoiler, it's taken from the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Look for Chapter 21, Verse 6)"
"...the idea with Dogmeat is that you can converse with him (he'll answer in barks, whimpers, and other appropriate canine noises), and he'll be knowledgeable about the surrounding area."
"There are even grenades to help clear out rooms."
"Throughout this battle the demonstrator switched between weapons using the Pip-Boy 3000."
"The supermutants carried everything from sledgehammers to rocket launchers."
Joystiq
"...but Hines expects more than Oblivion, with roughly 50 to 60 different character voices."
GameShark
"You're given a final opportunity to make any desired changes to your character--confirm sex, name, attributes, perks, etc--and then it's off into what remains of the post-modern world." - Looks like you can pull the sewer gate trick instead of redoing the tutorial, but will skipping it altogether be an option?
"Once a popular tourist spot (mall of Washington D.C.) it has degraded into a war zone, ravaged by battles between the Brotherhood of Steel and legion of super mutant that have annexed the Capitol Rotunda as their headquarters."
1up
"However, I was a bit bummed when Hines said we won't be able to become mutants."
Shacknews
"But while the general background is the same, none of the characters or locales from the original two games will make an appearance."
"It may not be a lonely world out there--what with super mutants, the mercenaries of the Talon Company, and the cult-like Brotherhood of Steel all marauding across the landscape--and it sure isn't a friendly one, either."
"Abandoned vaults and bombed-out buildings are to Fallout 3 what the generic caves and decrepit Elven ruins were to Oblivion."
"...though an interesting touch to each glowing one you encounter is a very brief (think blink-and-you'll-miss-it) flashback scene showing what that ghoul's life was like before it mutated into a hellish husk."
Gamespot
"You'll even get to take on a few rudimentary quests at your party or just watch the many-armed robot of the future, Mr. Handy, mangle your birthday cake with one of its buzz saw-arm extensions." - confirmation that "many-armed" device in birthday screenshot is Mr. Handy?
"...you can't have any meaningful conversations with him (Dogmeat) or have him carry a ton of inventory." - While you do interact with Dogmeat through the same conversation mechanism as other NPC dialog, thankfully the options are limited to commands. It is also mentioned that scolding and/or praising Dogmeat will not affect Karma.
"Feral ghouls are extremely swift and vicious, leaping at you with tremendous speed."
"...coupled with the weapon's (minigun) startup delay..." - A nice touch of realism for the minigun
"...you'll receive most of your alerts, such as new quests, as brief text messages that fade away, similar to friends notifications on Xbox Live."
Team Xbox
"...we were already impressed by little touches, such as how the loading screen offers a selection of statistics and your level progress taken directly from your gameplay."
"when 'Dogmeat' joins you on your trek, it isn’t something that’ll happen in the game at the same point if you play it three times in a row." - confirmation that Dogmeat is part of a random encounter as suggested in earlier previews
Gamespy
"Vault 101's overseer presents you with your very own Pip-Boy 3000, which will serve as your quest log, map, and radio receiver throughout your wasteland jaunt, sporting a handsome cathode ray tube display that doubles as a flashlight when clicked on its highest setting." - More on the Pipboy "flashlight". Confirmation that instead of a flashlight setting the players turns up the brightness on the display for a light halo similar to previous Fallouts (sorry if this is boring but I had been wondering about that for ages)
Games Radar
"We also toured a mall of Washington D.C., where we saw the Washington Monument. In the future, it's full of holes, but still standing, and the elevator will still goes to the top." - Confirmation (?) that the Washington Monument from the official trailer is in fact a playable area.
"After watching the fight, we got too close and one of the mercenaries fired a few shots at us. Then he really surprised us by running over to a dead mutant, picking up his mini-gun and using it against us."
Gametap
"One interesting side detail: A Bethesda representative was demonstrating the combat and had power armor equipped. While he was basically a nigh-impenetrable tank, his visibility was cut down, so the perception stat had a significant penalty--one that made VATS nearly impossible to use, which was just one example of the hard tactical decisions you'll need to make."
So there you go, all the new info from the latest previews consolodated into one quick to read thread. Hopefully that will save a few people some time and frustration.
Edited for updates.
Kotaku
"The Pip-Boy 3000 has many of uses for interacting with your character as well as emitting light for use in those darker areas of which there are many."
"If things get too dangerous, you can always have him (Dogmeat) wait nearby or send him back to Vault 101 where his safety will be assured." (Vault 101 = Safe?)
IGN
"This is when you get to actually choose your character's look, picking from either preset selections or creating a custom look by mixing and matching different attributes. There are plenty of options to choose from, some quite colorful, like the "gunslinger" option for facial hair."
"It's during your toddler phase where dad also introduces you to a quote that will apparently play an important role in the game (We won't print it here for spoiler reasons, but if you're curious and don't mind a spoiler, it's taken from the Book of Revelation in the Bible. Look for Chapter 21, Verse 6)"
"...the idea with Dogmeat is that you can converse with him (he'll answer in barks, whimpers, and other appropriate canine noises), and he'll be knowledgeable about the surrounding area."
"There are even grenades to help clear out rooms."
"Throughout this battle the demonstrator switched between weapons using the Pip-Boy 3000."
"The supermutants carried everything from sledgehammers to rocket launchers."
Joystiq
"...but Hines expects more than Oblivion, with roughly 50 to 60 different character voices."
GameShark
"You're given a final opportunity to make any desired changes to your character--confirm sex, name, attributes, perks, etc--and then it's off into what remains of the post-modern world." - Looks like you can pull the sewer gate trick instead of redoing the tutorial, but will skipping it altogether be an option?
"Once a popular tourist spot (mall of Washington D.C.) it has degraded into a war zone, ravaged by battles between the Brotherhood of Steel and legion of super mutant that have annexed the Capitol Rotunda as their headquarters."
1up
"However, I was a bit bummed when Hines said we won't be able to become mutants."
Shacknews
"But while the general background is the same, none of the characters or locales from the original two games will make an appearance."
"It may not be a lonely world out there--what with super mutants, the mercenaries of the Talon Company, and the cult-like Brotherhood of Steel all marauding across the landscape--and it sure isn't a friendly one, either."
"Abandoned vaults and bombed-out buildings are to Fallout 3 what the generic caves and decrepit Elven ruins were to Oblivion."
"...though an interesting touch to each glowing one you encounter is a very brief (think blink-and-you'll-miss-it) flashback scene showing what that ghoul's life was like before it mutated into a hellish husk."
Gamespot
"You'll even get to take on a few rudimentary quests at your party or just watch the many-armed robot of the future, Mr. Handy, mangle your birthday cake with one of its buzz saw-arm extensions." - confirmation that "many-armed" device in birthday screenshot is Mr. Handy?
"...you can't have any meaningful conversations with him (Dogmeat) or have him carry a ton of inventory." - While you do interact with Dogmeat through the same conversation mechanism as other NPC dialog, thankfully the options are limited to commands. It is also mentioned that scolding and/or praising Dogmeat will not affect Karma.
"Feral ghouls are extremely swift and vicious, leaping at you with tremendous speed."
"...coupled with the weapon's (minigun) startup delay..." - A nice touch of realism for the minigun
"...you'll receive most of your alerts, such as new quests, as brief text messages that fade away, similar to friends notifications on Xbox Live."
Team Xbox
"...we were already impressed by little touches, such as how the loading screen offers a selection of statistics and your level progress taken directly from your gameplay."
"when 'Dogmeat' joins you on your trek, it isn’t something that’ll happen in the game at the same point if you play it three times in a row." - confirmation that Dogmeat is part of a random encounter as suggested in earlier previews
Gamespy
"Vault 101's overseer presents you with your very own Pip-Boy 3000, which will serve as your quest log, map, and radio receiver throughout your wasteland jaunt, sporting a handsome cathode ray tube display that doubles as a flashlight when clicked on its highest setting." - More on the Pipboy "flashlight". Confirmation that instead of a flashlight setting the players turns up the brightness on the display for a light halo similar to previous Fallouts (sorry if this is boring but I had been wondering about that for ages)
Games Radar
"We also toured a mall of Washington D.C., where we saw the Washington Monument. In the future, it's full of holes, but still standing, and the elevator will still goes to the top." - Confirmation (?) that the Washington Monument from the official trailer is in fact a playable area.
"After watching the fight, we got too close and one of the mercenaries fired a few shots at us. Then he really surprised us by running over to a dead mutant, picking up his mini-gun and using it against us."
Gametap
"One interesting side detail: A Bethesda representative was demonstrating the combat and had power armor equipped. While he was basically a nigh-impenetrable tank, his visibility was cut down, so the perception stat had a significant penalty--one that made VATS nearly impossible to use, which was just one example of the hard tactical decisions you'll need to make."
So there you go, all the new info from the latest previews consolodated into one quick to read thread. Hopefully that will save a few people some time and frustration.
Edited for updates.
