Bethesda Softworks - Todd Howard Interview

Caddy said:

This was a great watch. An unbiased documentary from a biased POV is not an easy feat.

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These two documentary videos aren't bad either, but yes the interviewer is a fanboy.

I really like Howard's laid-back and straightforward style - and I'm very glad they've managed to establish a financial foundation from which they can branch out and create several huge and ambitious games at the same time, with complete support from the suits.

I know there's a vocal minority who would have loved it if Bethsoft had kept turning out games exclusively for the hardcore crowd without the focus on technology and immersion.

Ironically, I'd say potentially the biggest change and step towards what Bethsoft is today - was the love pearl of many of the most vocal detractors: Morrowind

Probably coincides with them being young enough - at the time - to not realise the compromises made to appeal wide.

Daggerfall was much more hardcore and traditional in terms of the CRPG mechanics. It was also hollow, crude and broken.

That doesn't mean you can't focus an unhealthy amount on games you don't enjoy and spin some kind of narrative that superficially touches upon reality, here and there, to make you feel better about your misguided negative emotions.

That's the beauty of the Internet, which is truly enabling for the deliberately blind

It's too bad they couldn't progress the way they have and kept their games a little more hardcore at the same time. They've taken a two steps forward one step back approach to get where they are.

It's been more good than bad, but I'd still like to see a little more complexity in their games rather than the continued simplification that's been their trend over the years.

JDR13 said:

It's too bad they couldn't progress the way they have and kept their games a little more hardcore at the same time. They've taken a two steps forward one step back approach to get where they are.

It's been more good than bad, but I'd still like to see a little more complexity in their games rather than the continued simplification that's been their trend over the years.

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Oh, I completely agree.

I'm not happy with the mainstreaming they've been doing since Daggerfall - but I think they're allowing for more hardcore mechanics as the games evolve.

If you look at something like Oblivion and, for instance, the Survival mode in Fallout 4 - the difference is almost night and day in terms of the latter being much more challenging.

But it's no secret that I'm a big fan of complex mechanics and hard choices when progressing my character.

While I love the arsenal of powers and toys in Skyrim and Fallout 4 - the balance is such that the choices don't carry the kind of weight they should.

It's more about how you want to destroy your enemies than finding a way to do it.

But then we have mods - and they can solve most of the issues I have with these games.

If they keep doing stuff like Survival mode for future games, I'd be quite happy with that.

The only really serious complaint I have with modern Bethsoft games would be the writing, which - at best - is mediocre and often much worse.

Since I don't play their games for the story or the narrative, it's not a huge issue for me - but I can see why others are more bothered by it.

But I'd love to get that "total immersion" where everything comes together, including the story and the characters.

It shouldn't be that hard. I mean, they could simply hire good writers

Of course, integrating a satisfying story into what's essentially thousand-hour games isn't easy - but it's not impossible, either.

What's this "Starfield" again ?

Alrik Fassbauer said:

What's this "Starfield" again ?

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It's a big singleplayer space game that Bethsoft are working on - and have been for a number of years.

Not much is known in the way of details, but it's sort of written between the lines that it will be somewhat different from Fallout 3/4 and recent TES games.

My own guess would be something like Freelancer combined with Fallout with some modern technology driving the gameplay. Essentially, a game with multiple worlds and space travel - on top of the single character freeform CRPG stuff from TES/FO.

Sort of like the Mass Effect of Bethsoft, I guess.

I doubt it'll be just a reskin of Fallout 4 - and I have a feeling they'll be doing a very different kind of RPG system. Probably more streamlined and action/player-driven.

Of course, it could also be something genuinely novel and we won't know for a while yet.

While most engines are definitely something that's constantly updated and consisting of different parts, it's blatantly obvious Bethesda's is generation or more behind competitors…cell loading, animations, optimization, etc. You cannot even climb a freaking ladder!

They have no real excuses here, after designing the same type of game for nearly two decades.

But that's far from their only problem:

- on audio: hire good sound designers ( it's embarrassing that modders surpass them even on this) and more than twenty voice actors.

- visuals: better concept artists. Everything post Morrowind was just bland and uninspired artistically.

- combat/gameplay: learn what it makes a good action combat ( feedback, rhythm and telegraphing). Actually put effort into balancing your systems: so it isn't broken past 10-15 hours. Proper physics, animations, hit reactions, competent enemy AI, proper boss fights, etc. With exploration, I've already mentioned their problems.

- Rpg mechanics: non linear quest design with actual choices, in narrative or gameplay. Ditch can-master-everything-approach/be lord of all factions. C&C, Perks more interesting than generic passive bonuses, non combat skills, meaningful interaction with the world.

- and ofc, characters and storytelling, UI design, economy, etc, etc.

But probably they won't change their design, not until it hits them financially.

I'll wager They'll keep expanding crafting and "light Sims" elements, add some of features from most popular mods ( like Frostfall), while keeping everything else as simple/poor as it is ( I mean some things, like quest design, cannot be made any simpler) .

Pongo said:

Good news. I'm glad they're not trying to blend them with multiplayer.

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Hopefully good news... However, if F76 is super successful, who knows what current road maps may shift. I'll believe 'em when I have the single player game in my hands.

Didn't read the interview (the translation to be exact) because I don't care about mmos. But guru3d says Howard promised that unlike FO76MMO (Fallout Online), FO5 will concentrate on singleplayer:
http://www.guru3d.com/news-story/fallout-5-will-focus-on-single-player.html

In addition to the lack of cross-play in Fallout 76, Todd Howard revealed in his interview with German PC magazine GameStar that Fallout 5 would be a single-player experience, just like previous installments.

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Comments there speak what I think too. After E3 reactions, it definetly looks like damage control.

I'm pretty sure Bethsoft are in an extremely comfortable position, financially. I doubt damage control is a high priority for them.

Probably more like clarity because this is a new thing for them.

Remember Fallout 3 - when all the obsessive, narrowminded fans essentially wanted to burn the whole thing down with fingers in their ears from start to finish, it didn't have the slightest impact on the success of the franchise - or the position of Bethsoft about what they wanted to do with it.

Quite the opposite, in fact.

Most people came around. But I know we still have a few people who prefer to embrace their old misguided dislike of what other people do with something they own and, by rights, have full control over.

To each his own

You are totally right they earned tons of cash.

Now, they are not blind to what happened to another Holy Milking Cow (aka IP) and what happens when you do a half assed attempt: Mass Effect.
They are also not blind to the fact than all their games were made better or playable by mods.

Looks like I triggered (another) one of them

Spin that narrative my man!

?

Ok, obviously a teen applauding himself and doing High fives with his mirror because someone is replying to one of his post.

Good job

Thanks.
Oops sorry, forgot the punctuation

Darth Tagnan said:

Looks like I triggered (another) one of them

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Is that surprising?
I mean… "extremely comfortable position, financially" and still bullshitting both with releases and statements - that's supposed to be EA, not others.

Not very surprising, no

Seems like every time I go away, you guys attract more Codexians. There's some kind of pattern here!

There is a pattern, yes. Codex is dying and their people are moving here.

You sacrificing rpgwatch first because of phones then consoles (or was it vice versa) and recently because of mmos is not a pattern really. It's chaos.

Did joxer just say Darth has the power to "sacrifice" the Watch?

If that is the case, I wonder who should go first...... Let me think

I said that, yes. I ment the membership.
But we can continue the play in your world, so go sacrifice facebook next and make that world a beauty.