SPECIAL Fallout 3 Rumblings

A bit of controversy on the Bethesda Games Fallout 3 forum, this time about SPECIAL, with Matt “Gstaff” Grandstaff stating that:

I think you might be jumping to conclusions, as SPECIAL in Fallout 3 is an integral part to customizing the character you’ll be taking through the game. The use of of SPECIAL in the game is actually very close to how it was used in previous Fallouts.

Forum member Ares Draxus retorted with this:

Really, you must have missed the fact that Fallout 3 is real time. SPECIAL is a complete rules system, Gstaff. It is character creation, combat rules system, the whole kit and kaboodle. Very close you say? Last I saw Fallout 3 is still real time.

Gstaff again:

Yes, it is very close. Whether it’s in real-time or not, it stays true to the way it was implemented in the original games in terms of what your character is good at, and how it affects your gameplay experience.

I can’t get into much more than that. You might want to keep your questions about SPECIAL in mind for the next time we do a fan interview (when that time comes, I’ll let you guys know).

My personal take on this is that if Gstaff is saying that in general SPECIAL is being kept in the game, with the attributes showing up, with skills and perks and traits and all of that and yeah, I understand that.

But even at this stage, with little info, if one tries to see the specifics of the system and the way they seem to be changed and adapted, then there’s no doubt that the system is quite different from the old games.

So this is definitely material for a new fan interview, in my opinion.

Oblivion With Guns Strikes Back

From XBoxer:

I went to London today to see Fallout 3 in action, and while unfortunately I can’t say too much about it (save for the fact that it looks very much like Oblivion with guns, and thus very good indeed),

He lost me there. Still there’s more info on how Emil’s voice is hilarious as a a placeholder for the PCs mother voice, and this bit that is more interesting:

The game is currently around 80% finished, according to Bethesda’s Peter Hines – though that remaining 20% (involving bug testing, checking and fine tuning) “can often feel as long as the other 80%” Hines admitted.

Spotted on the BethBlog.

No Demo Allowed Part II

Altered from an original image by Christian

As we already knew we won’t have a playable demo for Fallout 3, and now that’s being confirmed on Eurogamer:

Bethesda’s Pete Hines has confirmed that there will be no demo for Fallout 3.

Speaking exclusively to Eurogamer in the shape of Kieron Gillen, Hines said there was “no way” to slice a portion of the world off and have it stand on its own.

“When you build it as one thing, there’s no way to portion off a section and have it stand on its own without putting the whole game in the demo, which we’re just not going to do,” said Hines.

“And it doesn’t really capture the fun of a game like an Elder Scrolls or a Fallout, where you can go where you want and do what you want. So no demo, sorry.”

I didn’t buy Fallout when it was released because the demo was unplayable on my computer. On the other hand I’m going to buy The Witcher after playing their great demo, so it’s not something I really like to see being disposed like that.

But Chris “anarchy” Taylor, former Lead Designer on Fallout, has his own take on this issue, and it’s always interesting to listen to him:

People enjoyed the Fallout 1 demo? Cool.

Personally, with the magic of hindsight, I think the Fallout 1 demo was a mistake. Looking back, I think my issue with the demo is that it took time away from the actual game we could have used for balance issues and bughunting.

I also didn’t think the demo did a very good job of portraying the actual game. I have had a small measure of regret for the demo ever since we released it. (Insert “I regret nothing!” MST3k joke here!)

But if it helped sell a couple of copies… then I guess it worked. We’ll never know if not releasing the demo, but having a tighter release product, would have resulted in more sales.

Videogaming247 Fallout 3 Demo Impressions

Videogaming247 wraps up their coverage of the Fallout 3 showing in London last week with Patrick’s account of what he saw:

As Hines explained, there are several benefits to the VATS system.

Firstly, it means you can play the game exactly as you want to play it. If you’re more of an RPG person, you may want to err on the side of stats and will do a lot of the combat in VATS. If you’re a shooter fan, you may not use it at all. The choice is yours. We pointed out that the system is big on numbers, percentages, and so on, and is likely to be a bit heavy for the “general” player. Without skipping a beat, Hines answered that no one has to use it. Want to blast away in real-time? No worries.

Secondly, VATS is the “bridge” mechanic between shooter and RPG. Traditional RPG conventions permeate the entire game, but it’s still a 3D shooter. Bethesda needed a way to bring turned-based combat to the modern real-time shooter, and VATS was the answer. It’s unique: we’ve certainly never seen anything like it.

It must have been very challenging to beat that specific problem, we say. That’as why we’ve been working on it since 2004, says Hines.

Lastly, VATS adds a hugely enticing layer of depth. Hines gave an example. You’ve just been in a firefight and you’ve taken a kicking. You fix yourself with stimpacks – administered through the Pip-Boy 3000 to any body part you wish – then walk round a corner to find yourself facing another team of enemies. Instead of just blasting away, you drop into VATS and stop the action.

This isn’t just to take a breather. Now you’re in VATS mode you can assess what you’re facing, the strength of the enemies, where they are in relation to you, and so on. You can be tactical without the “twitch”. VATS makes Fallout 3 a game for everyone.[...]

Hines answers all our questions about platform differences, DLC, Dogmeat, system spec for PC, random encounters and FPS targets before telling us that the next time we see Fallout 3, it’ll be playable. Yep, the E3 build will be hands-on.

Fallout 3’s been stamped “game of the year” with good reason. The moniker’s subjective, obviously, but there’s no doubt that Bethesda’s RPG is up there with the likes of GTA IV and Gears of War 2 as one of the most anticipated of 2008. Now we’ve had a chance to see why, there really isn’t much more we’re looking forward to playing.

Best Sequels at VoodooExtreme

New poll at VoodooExtreme, this time about game sequels released this year, Fallout 3 on the list: