Fallout 3 - Todd Howard "We Care About Fallout"

Originally Posted by Nonymous
Why can't developers just TELL THE TRUTH?! Is it really that hard?

Note to F3 developers : If you really want to quell the bile, here's what you say -

"It will be turn-based. It will be isometric. It will include aimed shots. It will have Ron Perlman's voice in the intro. It will have graphic violence, sexual content & obscenities. It will have a great 50's pop tune in the intro. It will include the SDK. These are facts & we guarantee it."

If they did that they would just get another group of people whining but probably larger. I also probably wouldn't buy the game since I can't stand isometric games.

I hated the OUR game, not YOURS comment!! If they want to play it, it's their game. If they want ME to buy it, then they'd better make a game I want!! Do you make a game for yourself, or for your customers/market?

Lovely. *sarcasm off*

No further comment.

Originally Posted by Corwin
I hated the OUR game, not YOURS comment!! If they want to play it, it's their game. If they want ME to buy it, then they'd better make a game I want!! Do you make a game for yourself, or for your customers/market?

But maybe they see themselves as artists? Artists do their work the way they like it. Itīs nice if others like it too, but if not … who cares.

Originally Posted by Gorath
But maybe they see themselves as artists? Artists do their work the way they like it. Itīs nice if others like it too, but if not … who cares.

That's one possible way to look at it though I personally think of game development more as the creation of an entertainment product that is only made up of individual pieces of art but I do not think of the end result as a piece of art in itself. It's entertainment, not art IMHO.
Anyway, Corwin, they will never ever make "your" game, unless you become the one to fund it all. Every game developer can only make "their" game. They can never make a game for individual people and you know that so what's the fuss about if I may be so curious, hm?

I bet Troika could've made a FO3 that would have been Our (the fans of FO1 and 2) game and Their game at the same time.

Originally Posted by roqua
I bet Troika could've made a FO3 that would have been Our (the fans of FO1 and 2) game and Their game at the same time.

Assuming that what you are saying is true then the Fallout fanbase would be the first fanbase in the world to have some sort of overarching, all encompassing, universal community consensus. I think we both know that the FO fanbase would by far be the least likely place in the world to find any such universal consensus about what made FO great .

By 'my' game, I don't mean ME personally, but the type of game I, as a moderate representative of the FO fanbase think I deserve if the game is called FO!! Would it be my perfect game? No, of course not, but it would cater to many of my gaming preferences as the original 2 games did. If they make Oblivion with guns, I'm NOT interested!!

The problem is that even if the attitude is heartfelt it guarantees no great game. Todd and MSFD and all the other are/were similary passionate about Oblivion. I appreciate the attitude by itself, but it also proved pretty meaningless.

Originally Posted by Corwin
I hated the OUR game, not YOURS comment!! If they want to play it, it's their game. If they want ME to buy it, then they'd better make a game I want!! Do you make a game for yourself, or for your customers/market?

eh —-

I didn't. It is their game (now) They have the IP for Fallout 3 - and they will make the game they want, not the game, the suits want, or the game the hardcore FPS game wants nor the game the (maybe even more) hardcore Fallout fans wants. (and these fans, can be really, really hardcore…)

Todd's point was also, I think, to say that he, as the decider, and Bethesda, as the Game Studio, will make the game, they want to make, and then, the customers, us, can decide if & when we want to buy the game.

I'm sorry, but I am tired of gamestudios (or politicians) that run after their market, customers or electorate, and try to please their electorate or market and customers. And so, this statement from Todd reassures me, that yes, Bethsoft will listen to its fanbase, but the final decision on how the game, Fallout 3, will be, is (still) up to Bethesda Game Studios, and Todd Howard, as the 'decider'.

Look, the way I see it, you can wish for something to be in Fallout 3, but it is still Bethesda that make the final decisons about the game. And you might not get what you wished for, but you might get what you need

Originally Posted by magerette
Does anyone find his attitude a bit patronizing? I mean, aside from the "our game not yours"remark?

Your damn right I found that patronizing. Also this statement "Fallout's 'soul', but those decisions are ours, not yours." UH, HUH ooookkkk well you keep that attitude and see how fast you sink buddy. There is in another type of business that had this attitude GM. That remark reminded me sooo much of GM's attitude with their cars. They were at the top of the market but didn't listen to the market because their attitude of we're the best get used to it and now they've let Toyota bypass them in sales. So for the first time in history they are ranked #2 over Toyota.

Some may say that these are two seperate businesses but there are comparisons to be made with 'doing it your own way and screw the public.' Well this is all speculation anyways. Until they really start talking about their game we can all guess as to what they will do but I can guarantee that since both Morrowind and Oblivion did so well, that this game will be first person. Other than that is just speculation. Like will it have a strong story I doubt it, they'll go with what they know and that is making moronic NPCs who say the same things over and over. There are other guesses and comparisons I could make with Oblivion and Fallout but you all know those by now. So now it's just a waiting game until they really start marketing Fallout with actual facts about the gameplay, screens etc…

Originally Posted by Morbus
Ahah! xD While we, Fallout fans, contemplate suicide

Certainly looks like it, doesn't it! I don't think I've ever cared much if some developer or film producer wanted to, ah, "ruin my childhood memories" by making a bad product in a franchise. I do like to see people moan a lot, though!

Originally Posted by Nonymous
Why can't developers just TELL THE TRUTH?! Is it really that hard?

Note to F3 developers : If you really want to quell the bile, here's what you say -

"It will be turn-based. It will be isometric. It will include aimed shots. It will have Ron Perlman's voice in the intro. It will have graphic violence, sexual content & obscenities. It will have a great 50's pop tune in the intro. It will include the SDK. These are facts & we guarantee it."

Yep, and consequently Fallout 3 will be a huge commercial flop and Bethesda will have lost piles of money while a select group of jaded Fallout fans lock themselves up with pizza and Mountain Dew for 6 months to play the game.

Anything less & you know they're just finding the right time to sneak in "teh suck" (aka real-time combat, first-person perspective, snarky comedic sidekick, Oblivion w/ guns, etc.).

This gets old.

Originally Posted by Corwin
Do you make a game for yourself, or for your customers/market?

Exactly. He sort of said, "We care and are going to try to make a game you will really enjoy. If you don't enjoy it, we don't care."

Wow, is Todd on a personality trip or what? Not surprising that there is exactly zero information about gameplay. Do Bethesda plan to surprize us with their FP-real-time post-apoc game? Jeez, talk about the gameplay already - this is ridiculous.

Oh, wait. I forget. This is part of their market-strategy ::HYPE::

Bethesda Softworks hasn't cared about their Elder Scrolls series, why should I trust them that they care about the Fallout series ?

They have simplified the whole game (Oblivion: combat, dialogue, quests …) to make it compatible to the mass market. Adult content was reduced to a minimum level.

Mr. Howard make a Fallout game for the teens - I'm playing Fallout 1 & 2 as long as can hold a computer mouse

Originally Posted by KazikluBey
Nope, that's Pete Hines, the PR guy.

Oh. Thanks for the clarification

Then I guess, by association, Todd is Mother-Of-Lies. Those two can spew never-ending streams of outlandish hype.

Until I see some sort of gameplay video, I'm just gonna be 'meh' about the game.

Bethesda Softworks has never ever revealed anything about the gameplay, neither for Morrowind nor for Oblivion. And the tradition seem to continue. In that respect Bethsoft is acting just like Blizzard…

Originally Posted by Thaurin
Yep, and consequently Fallout 3 will be a huge commercial flop and Bethesda will have lost piles of money while a select group of jaded Fallout fans lock themselves up with pizza and Mountain Dew for 6 months to play the game.

The same kind of commercial flop Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Silent Storm, Advance Wars, Metal Gear Acid and others have been? Or are we talking about the same kind of commercial fizz without fuzz that realtime games like Seal of Evil, the recent The Bard's Tale, Anito: Defend a Land Enraged, Space Hack, Shattered Light, Harbinger, Dungeon Lords, The Fall: Last Days of Gaia, Shadow Flare, Kult: Heretic Kingdoms and Ancient Evil have had?

Bethesda is a huge name in the industry. Hell, they probably carry more weight then Bioware.

Whether they screw up the game or not (currently leaning towards the former), they will NEVER EVER lose money on their product. Just my 2 cents.

Originally Posted by Role-Player
The same kind of commercial flop Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Silent Storm, Advance Wars, Metal Gear Acid and others have been? Or are we talking about the same kind of commercial fizz without fuzz that realtime games like Seal of Evil, the recent The Bard's Tale, Anito: Defend a Land Enraged, Space Hack, Shattered Light, Harbinger, Dungeon Lords, The Fall: Last Days of Gaia, Shadow Flare, Kult: Heretic Kingdoms and Ancient Evil have had?

I understand and have some sympathy for your point but that list doesn't prove much. You have a couple of indies (Anito wasn't released at retail) and none of them are AAA titles.

If Bethsoft makes Oblivion with Guns (assuming that's what they do) with approximately the same competence they made Oblivion (whether you think that is good or bad) it will sell just fine. Not more than Oblivion, but just fine.