Fallout 3 - Comments from Desslock

I agree, Corwin can be found in several forums around the net and they are all ME. Plus, all my reviews and articles have that name. There's value in Brand recognition!! :)
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
12,806
Location
Australia
Hey guys, thanks for the memories and kind words. Man, I'm touched that some of you guys remember my old tales and anecdotes, like my law office being used in the movie American Psycho.

Hope you found my Fallout 3 information interesting - there's more in the current issue of PC Gamer, as well as in my column in the following issue. I can usually be found buzzing around the Quarter to Three forums, so that's probably the best place to catch me if you want to ask questions, or feel free to e-mail my PCG address (myname@pcgamer.com). Keep fighting the good fight!

- Stefan
(and yes, the pseudonym is just a memorable branding thing, at this point, although initially I used it because I didn't want my legal clients and associates to find my game writing when searching for me for other reasons!)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
One thing bothers me and tells me this guy doesn't know a lot about fallout. He refers to Mr. Handy as the robot "from Fallout 1 cinematic" when he actually appeared in BOTH games... -_- I mean, there's no need to say who Mr. Handy is, it appears in both games so everyone knows him.

Heh, I've been playing these games religiously since they were originally released (and reviewed them when initially released, written strategy guides, columns for gaming magazines, etc.). I definitely know me some Fallout.

You have to remember that I'm writing for a broader audience than diehard Fallout fans - and although I've always been a believer in not "talking down" to readers and presuming they have some basic knowledge (or can pick up enough on the fly to follow along), even people who played Fallout 10 years ago might not remember off-hand who Mr. Handy was, so I added a reference they could immediately check out if they wanted to boot up the game.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
Desslock is the CRPG equivalent of Harry Knowles. The fact that he attacks anyone who dares speak about a Bethesda game in less than glowing terms shows what a sycophant he is.

Well, I'm sorry you think I come across that way. I think I understand very well why some people don't like Oblivion, or Morrowind, or other games that I love, like the Fallout games, Planescape Torment, the Ultimas and the Gothics -- they each have features that some gamers will find appealing, and while other gamers will find those features annoying or less interesting. And they all do some things worse than the other games in that list, and some gamers inevitably are more bothered by those omissions/flaws than other gamers are, based upon what they personally feel are the most important RPG attributes (which, in my experience, tend to corrolate closely with the features of the first game in the genre that they really loved).

For me, Oblivion hits a real "sweet spot" in terms of what I like in an RPG, more so than any game since the Ultima series - I actually think it's really "Ultima IX, done right", and I know a lot of the Bethesda developers are big Ultima fans as well, and I think it really shows in their games. I also loved Morrowind, but I think Gothic 2 trumped it in a lot of ways, other than I think the background lore/setting is more developed and interesting in the Elder Scrolls games.

And obviously I'm very opinionated - like you guys, I'm very passionate about the games I like -- and I'm more than willing to defend/justify the reasoning behind my viewpoints. If you think that makes me come across as a Bethesda sycophant, well, frankly you probably don't have a lot of knowledge of what I've written over the years. I didn't exactly give Battlespire a glowing review, heh (in fact, the only positive review I've ever given a Bethesda game was for Oblivion), and for years I was very critical at my news site about Bethesda's handling of the Elder Scrolls series after Daggerfall.

Harry Knowles hates me, by the way! I wrote a few things for him years ago, but he hated my negative review of American Beauty so much that he never spoke to me again - damn that sycophant!
 
Last edited:
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
We hear about branching, meaningful quests, but only get the same exact example every time. Are there other meaningful branches? How could there be in a game that is only 20-40 hours long? If someone has a quarter-to-three account this would be a good question for Desslock.

My impression is not that there are different quest branches, which then also branch into their own branches, creating a zillion alternate paths -- but rather that there are just alternate solutions (good/neutral/evil) for various areas or quest lines in the game. So, for instance, you can help Megaton, leave it be, or destroy it, and obviously depending upon those choices that area of the game will be altered. Similar to how in the original Fallout games you could opt to help certain communities, but doing so would mean you wouldn't be able to help a different community (or would hurt that different community), and those choices would ultimately be reflected in the game - for example, in its closing cinematics, where you'd learn the fate of those communities.

So there aren't really "branching paths"- just a variety of choices that will affect what happens in the world to those quest-givers, and may affect your ability to deal with other "factions" (although not to the same extent a game like Gothic 3 had different factions). Hope that helps.

Anyone can create a QtT account, by the way, so feel free to come on by.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
Hey man, thanks for the input and welcome to the Watch. Hope you can find the time to drop by occasionally. I very nearly joined your profession, but friends who were studying law at U of T while I was still an undergrad there talked me out of it. Anyway, I was too busy playing Bridge to make money at the time!! :)
 
Joined
Aug 31, 2006
Messages
12,806
Location
Australia
welcome Desslock. Anymore news on on the UO lawsuit or the delays Bioware is having releasing NWN1? (j/k)

Incidentally, you must have known EA would hit those suing them with a "give me all your documents". Its what keeps you guys paid.
 
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
5,212
Location
The Uncanny Valley
A few of us here have Qt3 accounts but, to be honest, it can be a difficult place to post on CRPGs.
Depends on whether you find head-butting contests fun ;)
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,936
Incidentally, you must have known EA would hit those suing them with a "give me all your documents". Its what keeps you guys paid.

Yeah, there's no "trial by ambush" in civil suits -- you have to give the other side all of your evidence in advance of any trial, which is supposed to facilitate settlement, since you know all the "ammunition" against you, and can reasonably assess your likelihood of success on that basis.

I hate EA. They ruined all the franchises I love. I want to box an EA sychophant.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
It's a pleasure to have you drop by, Desslock.

A few of us here have Qt3 accounts but, to be honest, it can be a difficult place to post on CRPGs.

I'm sorry that's been your experience. There's definitely gamers with a variety of different perspectives there - some of whom love console games only, or MMOs, or multiplayer shooters, etc. and don't understand the appeal of CRPGs. But there's still a decent number of RPG fans. You're probably better off using a dedicated site like the 'watch as a resource for RPG information in general, but it's a pretty good forum to get a broader sense of what's going on in the gaming world, in all genres and on all platforms.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
I'm sorry that's been your experience. There's definitely gamers with a variety of different perspectives there - some of whom love console games only, or MMOs, or multiplayer shooters, etc. and don't understand the appeal of CRPGs. But there's still a decent number of RPG fans. You're probably better off using a dedicated site like the 'watch as a resource for RPG information in general, but it's a pretty good forum to get a broader sense of what's going on in the gaming world, in all genres and on all platforms.

Oh, it can be a real gas over there, I definitely enjoy it for things like talking about handheld games Etrian Odyssey or Dungeon Maker with folks who are geeky about them and at the same time love classic PC RPG's.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
14,936
I always thought QT3 was for games industry folks - designers, journalists and whatnot. I read their forums since it's great for news, but they seem to come down pretty hard on those not of the hallowed brotherhood.
 
Joined
Jun 17, 2007
Messages
658
It's not a big deal...I've been a member for a couple of years and read Qt3 daily but I find the troll ratio extremely high and it's hard to discuss CRPGs without the hilarious "I keep telling Tom we should ban NMAers" or somesuch.

Aaaaaanyway, it's a good place to have access to someone such as yourself - and I hope Steve Bauman comes back soon. I really enjoy his posts.
 
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
11,842
Location
Sydney, Australia
Aaaaaanyway, it's a good place to have access to someone such as yourself - and I hope Steve Bauman comes back soon. I really enjoy his posts.

Bauman's taken a job in the gaming industry - I don't know if it's public yet, so I probably shouldn't announce it, but he's shifted to the other side of the gaming world equation, heh.
 
Joined
Oct 18, 2006
Messages
37
Off Topic

This is not against any of forum members but I wonder how privacy policy works in QT3 forum. I tried to register to the forum once and everything worked fine till someone addresses himself as a forum moderator began to ask me about my personal details such as my occupation although, as far as I can see, there was no beforehand explanation on it on the site at all. In fact, I couldn't tell whether it's the forum policy or the would-be moderator overreacting. I was kind of freaked away and have never continued the "registration procedure." Even if it was "legitimate," I don't think it is even remotely successful in securing the forum from some immature activities such as what Dhruin mentioned.

Sorry for the off-topic but I am still wondering what it was.
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Messages
278
It´s their kind of anti-spam and anti-troll policy. Qt3 is full of writers and developers, even a dozen or so people you could really know if you read print mags with open eyes. That´s like a magnet for trolls.
It was probably Tom Chick. He tried to find out if you are a human being and if he thinks you´re okay. (Meaning he doesn´t spontaneously hate you. ;) ) That´s how they do it nowadays. Mike, Dhruin and I became members when the registration process was easier. I only had to wait a day or two until Tom sent me an activation mail.

http://www.octopusoverlords.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=52127
 
Last edited:
Joined
Aug 30, 2006
Messages
7,830
Thanks for the quick and clear reply, Gorath.

Yes, vaguely I remember his name was Tom something. Then, he was a real moderator, after all. I think they should make it clear (in FAQ, for example) that they equally ask the same question to everyone before he/she starts registration process but in Rome... Well, last time I checked, I was a human-being if I remember correctly but I don't care to check it again just for joining a forum. ;)
 
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Messages
278
Back
Top Bottom