I posed a few questions to the Dev’s of Fallout:3 at BethSoft. Here, is one of their answers! From KamakaziKangaroo. Let me start this out, by posting my questions followed by His answers.
Now into the madness:
I want to start by asking a question of the Dev. Crew. Something I haven’t really seen answered here, even in Todd’s moving speech. That question is this: Many of the TES: fans felt it a depature from the norm they had seen. Many Fallout fans feel that F3 is going to be, to quote one of my readers, “the mentally handicapped sibling” of the Fallout Franchise. I’m pretty sure you guys know all of that. I also know that, Beth, as a company, is going to take the franchise in the route they thing best.
Now my personal stake in this is different. I’m a fan here, not just an outside set of eye’s like I am with so many other games. While there are many questions, I think i’ll just pose my most important one’s now, and see how it goes.
1. What is your “Vision” for F3? By that I understand the “Best we can make it”. But at this point what are you shooting for? Classic Fallout? Or will this be a new vision under the same franchise?
2. How much freedom are you shooting for as far as dialog options, quests, factions, feats, stats, ect. go?
3. Do you take a “Fan-first” Perspective to development? Meaning, are you fans of Fallout, who now get to work on it?
4. How shocked are you that I, as a Vault Dweller, am currently writeing to you from the future?
5. In all reality, everyone knows that Beth. will probably assemble the finest team possible to put this game togeather. Do you ever sit in a round-table room, dress in medievel garb, and discuss spreading the holy word to the heathens?
6. What is going to be more important to you for F3? Freedom of choice, or the over-all story?
In closing, I hope that you guys will do the best you can with this amazing franchise. While I understand that the hard-core fans will probably never be completely happy, and the rest of the outside world may never truely understand that, I do pray you can find a happy medium, in which the Hardcore fans are pleased, and the newbies for the franchise are amazed. To be honest, even with some of the worst parts of TES:IV, you guys really amazed many of us, and helped many of my freinds understand why I was so obsessed with that IP. Suddenly HARDCORE FPS fanatics are borrowing my copy of Oblivion. When I look back on that, I get it, and it really made me happy. So here’s to hoping you can breathe the same life into a very loved franchise, and strike the balance that many of us hope you will.
Let me preface this by saying that I joined the Bethesda crew a few months before Oblivion was released, so I only got to playtest it for a while before they put me to work making monsters.
On the one hand I was floored by the graphics, recorded audio, all the new gimmicky things Oblivion introduced to the TES series. I was also immediately addicted to the gameplay, I was impressed with the game mechanics, and I thought it “felt” fantastic.
On the other hand, visually and conceptually I felt let down, since I thought that Morrowind was one of the most visually creative games I’d ever seen. Here was a concrete world, much like our own, but with art, architecture, clothing and culture that was utterly alien. I was entranced completely, and everything felt truly impressive and realistic. Oblivion didn’t do it for me. In terms of graphics and gameplay, it was farrrr superior. The vision was what was lacking, in my mind. Of course, part of this had to do with the different setting within Cyrodil, but still. However, in no way do I think this is indicative of where we’re going as a series… I think perhaps we got so wrapped up in making it truly FUN that that became somewhat of a priority?
I could go on for a while, but let me get to the questions.
1. I’m just a lowly artist, but for my own part, I want the same look and feel of the creatures… just more realistic. In terms of overall game… I think we are doing our best to capture the spirit of Fallout. That’s why we purchased the IP, not just make our own game… we’re in love with Fallout.
2. As much freedom as possible, of course.
3. Absolutely. It’s a lot of fun, it’s a lot of pressure, and there’s a lot of pride when something new gets added that is just SOOOO very Fallout-appropriate. Anything involving nasty laughter, a disturbed, stomach-churning “ohhhhhh…”, to shocked silence… yeah, that’s Fallout for me.
4. I’m only shocked that you’ve made it that far. Am I still alive?
5. Of course we do. The problem is, everyone took all the good garb, so I’ve got to wear the retarded sheep outfit, and a cow-bell. That cow-bell gets annoying, I tell ya.
6. I’m gonna be a douche-bag here and say both. Yeah, I know I just ruined that game, but hey. Although I will say this… I think the main story in Oblivion could’ve gotten amped up a bit, since ultimately you could complete the main quest at your leisure… which is fine usually, but in a “demons-are-invading-through-rapidly-spreading-warp-gates” kind of story, you’d imagine there’d be a certain sense of urgency.
I think we learned a lot from Oblivion, and I believe that a lot of the criticism we got - particularly in the forums, but like someone said earlier (Fizzbang?), mainly from ourselves - is being addressed very consciously.
Ok I’ve got to get back to monstering, I’ve spent way too much time on this post..!
Yes, for everyone out there. You should know. The Dev’s are creating a game for Fallout Fans, and are fans themself. This game could be in no better hands.
