Fallout: New Vegas - PC Gamer Preview

[skavenhorde]

PC Gamer has a preview of what's in store for us with Fallout: New Vegas. It talks about the setting, hardcore options, music, dialogue, combat, quests and more. Here are a few snippets:

Playing Fallout: New Vegas in hardcore mode is a revelation. It feels how its already worthy predecessor was meant to. The vast amount of clutter you can sweep into your inventory starts to make sense, as much of it can be sold. Medicine and the new Survival skill suddenly become central, and the blinking lights of a Nuka-Cola machine can signal your salvation.

………………………………………

Something else you'll notice early on (though perhaps not in the opening town of Goodsprings, which is a tad dull) is an overall improvement in characterisation and dialogue. Here, it honestly does feel as though some tenets of the Black Isle legacy are dripping through into the Obsidian melting pot. Sure, dialogue trees remain limited and conversation brief - but through vastly improved voice acting and some genuinely interesting characters, the condensed dialogue feels streets ahead of the often insipid lines Bethesda offered up back in Washington DC.

More information.

 

[Ovenall]

I played F3 on the Xbox, as my PC couldn't handle it. I enjoyed it for a while, but I had to force myself to finish it.

Shooting 10 bullets from a machine gun into a human being and have them still standing and attacking me really pushes the limits of my "willing suspension of disbelief." And the escort missions were a mess. The ghoul concept was silly, IMO. The "humor" fell flat every. Single. Time.

But it had its fun points. Not very enthusiastic about New Vegas.

 

[Maylander]

That preview makes F:NV sound pretty sweet! Most likely a day 1 buy for me.

 

[BillSeurer]

Shooting 10 bullets from a machine gun into a human being and have them still standing and attacking me really pushes the limits of my "willing suspension of disbelief."

You've never played any other cRPGs have you? They are all this way. It is the legacy of original D&D's hit points, frankly.

 

[Maylander]

Pretty much. Surviving a giant fireball in the face is not uncommon for medium level characters. High level characters will hardly feel a thing.

I generally don't see the problem though, as it would turn action-y pretty fast if it was "realistic".

 

[BillSeurer]

You can play a high tech game using more realistic combat rules. I ran a pen'n'paper Fallout game using the GURPS rules for many years and it worked just fine. If someone (unarmored) took 10 bullets to the chest with GURPS they'd be dead.

I wonder how they were going to handle this when the Fallout computer games were using GURPS?

 

[Thrasher]

The problem is presentation. A superhuman high level character would actually be dodging those bullets, not taking them to the chest (yet hitpoints would still be reduced). When he died he would take them to the chest.

 

[Maylander]

You can play a high tech game using more realistic combat rules. I ran a pen'n'paper Fallout game using the GURPS rules for many years and it worked just fine. If someone (unarmored) took 10 bullets to the chest with GURPS they'd be dead.

I wonder how they were going to handle this when the Fallout computer games were using GURPS?

But how do you solve that in a first person shooter setting? This is not turn based after all. If a few shots can kill in a real time setting, it's a first-trigger-first-win scenario.

The problem is presentation. A superhuman high level character would actually be dodging those bullets, not taking them to the chest (yet hitpoints would still be reduced). When he died he would take them to the chest.

Edit: True Thrasher, that's what hitpoints generally represent, most likely to avoid situations where characters like Drizzt Do'Urden can be killed instantly because someone got a lucky roll..

 

[Ovenall]

You've never played any other cRPGs have you? They are all this way. It is the legacy of original D&D's hit points, frankly.

Just my opinion, but this is a big reason why I strongly prefer fantasy games and fiction to science fiction, etc.

With fantasy, I mentally note things happening by "magic." Explains everything! SF generally tries to explain things using "science" jargon and gobbledygook. And seeing a gritty post apocalyptic world where people are taking 12 bullets to the chest and STILL on their feet attacking you with gusto... just doesn't do it for me.

Hell, realistically, one decent sword wound would effectively take out even the strongest man on planet Earth in the real world. But the "fantasy" part of the game makes it make some sense to me.

 

[Anderson]

That was a good preview. It persuaded me to play in Hardcore mode and gave me a greater appreciation for the improvements in story and dialog.

 

[skavenhorde]

That was a good preview. It persuaded me to play in Hardcore mode and gave me a greater appreciation for the improvements in story and dialog.

Agreed, great preview. It hit on all the points that I wanted to know about. Especially the hardcore mode and dialogue.

The biggest problem I had with F3 was idiotic plot and dialogue. That and they turned Vault Tech into some beyond stupidly evil company, but now we have NCR back and from what I'm reading the dialogue isn't half bad.

I gotta say I'm looking forward to this game.

 

[Thrasher]

I could barely read that preview. It oozes trying to be edgy without really saying very much. Bad sign for a game.

 

[Anderson]

I could barely read that preview. It oozes trying to be edgy without really saying very much. Bad sign for a game.

Wouldn't that be a reflection of the previewer, rather than the game?

Personally, the only thing that bugged me was the apparently obligatory disparagement of Fallout 3, a game I really enjoyed. But I'm getting used to that.

 

[Thrasher]

Perhaps, or maybe there isn't much more to say about the game?

I'll keep my eyes open for more info rich reviews.

 

[JDR13]

What else needs to be said? I think there's been enough told to give people a solid idea about the game, without getting into spoiler material.

 

[skavenhorde]

All I cared about was the part about the plot/dialogue being better than F3, which was horrible, and the new hardcore mode. Thank god I won't have to wait around for some kind of mod to put essentials in there and have food actually serve some kind of purpose this time around.

Gotta agree with JDR, not sure what else you want to know.

 

[BillSeurer]

That and they turned Vault Tech into some beyond stupidly evil company

Fallout 2 did that. Vault Tech was an integral part of the whole "let's experiment on the survivors" plot of the government.

 

[skavenhorde]

Fallout 2 did that. Vault Tech was an integral part of the whole "let's experiment on the survivors" plot of the government.

I know it's been a long time since I played F2, but seriously? How could I forget that…

Ok, I stand corrected then Black Isle were the ones that came up with that beyond stupidly evil company. I overlooked the whole bomb worshipping thing in F3 because they had that in F1, but it looks like Beth really did try to stay true to Fallout.

Thanks, Bill. Appreciate the correction. Still didn't like the dialogue or plot in F3, but maybe I was a little too harsh on them.

 

[BillSeurer]

The first time I played Fallout 2 and I got to the Big Plot Reveal my thought was "WTH? That's it?"

 

[skavenhorde]

That might be the problem then. I never made it to the oil rig because of some bug. I was screaming holy hell over that. I've replayed it a few times since the unofficial patches where they cleared that up, but never stuck with it until the end....I figured I got close enough to the end that I passed it......Sorta like how in Ultima 3 I couldn't get past the floor to get to exodus no matter how many times I tried, but I consider that one passed as well becasue IT WAS RIGHT THERE!!! Damn floor was too hard.

Anways, thanks again. If Fallout: NV wasn't coming out so soon I load up Fallout 2 and see this plot reveil in all its....wai?WHAT???? glory