Bethesda Softworks - Interview @ Shacknews

Can I say something not about Oblivion?

Okay. What I don't get is if F03 isn't going to be turn-based, and/or isometric, and/or feature the SPECIAL system, then why did they bid on the franchise in the first place? It's not like Bethesda needed to fork out the extra cash to insure a hit. Why not just make your own post-apoc game from scratch and avoid the scrutiny of crazed, frothing Codex-type fans?

Originally Posted by screeg
Can I say something not about Oblivion?

Okay. What I don't get is if F03 isn't going to be turn-based, and/or isometric, and/or feature the SPECIAL system, then why did they bid on the franchise in the first place? It's not like Bethesda needed to fork out the extra cash to insure a hit. Why not just make your own post-apoc game from scratch and avoid the scrutiny of crazed, frothing Codex-type fans?

No information has been released. It is possible it is all 3 things you mentioned (although unlikely).

EDIT: sorry I missed that you had the "if" in italics. Ignore what I said.

Originally Posted by KasperFauerby
And btw, personally I'm not that big a fan of the TES series. I generally prefer the story to be more fleshed out in my games, even if it means a more linear experience. My favorite RPG series of all times are the Ultimas and the Gothics.

TES stories are more than adequate. You just have to use imagination a bit. You know..like in roleplaying games.

This is almost as bad as the hype for the 2008 elections! I'm already so tired of this "Is it really Fallout if Bethesda makes it" stuff that I dismiss it on sight, and by the time it's released, it will be so talked into the ground that the issue will have no credibility at all. Why don't we wait at least til there's some info before the gnashing of teeth begins?

All that's happening is that anyone who likes a turn based, isometric style rpg is going to be lumped in with the rabid maniacs, and the whole concept dragged down into --pardon me- oblivion.

"The people who tend to say that the "vast majority of people feel ripped off by Oblivion or hated it" or whatever, regardless of the vast amount of data showing otherwise"

i would like to think that you weren't attempting to place me in this category as my original comment was more against what i saw as an exercise in hyperbole considering i doubt the "vast majority of people" even own a computer/console while in regards "gamers" i personally see rpgs as being one of the smaller genres and therefore even with Oblivion's success at shifting units i was questioning if it was accurate to discribe those even discussing the merits and otherwise of Oblivion as the "vast majority"

Originally Posted by Punter X
i would like to think that [etc.]

Sounds good. Go with it.

Corwin didn' the interview bring it up?

Look nobody, at least I am aware of, is claiming there is nothing good about oblvion, Hines said in the interview "good RPG", sure the game has many good qualities but RPG is not one of them.
Claiming it is either shows as I mentioned, you have a very forgiving view or you are profiting from it possibly, like Hines.

The point by listing problems wasn't to just "bash" oblivion iit was in specific context and reply to how great the media said oblivon, which I was showing was much hyperbole at the very least.

I clearly don't understand people running to defend oblivion about being an RPG, it's not like there aren't good things about the game, just because it fails at one area doesn't mean it's a total failure and didn't sell.

Some are acting like all of a sudden the media is also beyond question, when clearly they had some connection to misleading or not reporting the problems ahead of the release.
Hell it's like claiming the media wasn't complicit for going along with the cigarette industry, even claiming it was healthy.

If some are so hot to talk about oblivion's good points why don't you open a thread about that?

Originally Posted by screeg
… if F03 isn't going to be turn-based, and/or isometric, and/or feature the SPECIAL system…

You're completely missing the point. Those are not the qualities that made F one of the best RPGs. F3 can easily be turn-based, isometric, SPECIAL and crap.

It's not like Bethesda needed to fork out the extra cash to insure a hit.

How do you figure that?

Originally Posted by Acleacius
If some are so hot to talk about oblivion's good points why don't you open a thread about that?

Indeed.

Originally Posted by Acleacius
If some are so hot to talk about oblivion's good points why don't you open a thread about that?

What for? To have it trolled into ummm… oblivion by you whiny little cry babies who have barely even played the game (if at all) and who need to rely on making up factually incorrect stuff to mindlessly bash the game? How about 'no, thanks' . Just keep on flaming it and on dwelling in your world of illusions where everyone hates Oblivion. It's entertaining to watch you suffer . Carry on…

it is at this juncture that i'm reminded of a 17th century saying involving a pot, a kettle and the colour black

Originally Posted by magerette
This is almost as bad as the hype for the 2008 elections! I'm already so tired of this "Is it really Fallout if Bethesda makes it" stuff that I dismiss it on sight, and by the time it's released, it will be so talked into the ground that the issue will have no credibility at all. Why don't we wait at least til there's some info before the gnashing of teeth begins?

Agreed. Hella tired topic. That said, the issue is of course that Bethesda does make a lot of key design decisions before showing the game, and by that point certain decisions are irreversible. Whether or not combat/viewpoint is amongst these, I dunno…

But that does make the "if"-questions pretty relevant. This interview with Pete shows that some of the comments did get through to him. Whether or not he takes them to heart…don't know, but at least he knows.

Those are not the qualities that made F one of the best RPGs.

No, they're what made it one of the best RPGs that had the intention to emulate a P&P game (in this case, GURPS). As Tim Cain put it:
"We'd like to think the computer version will be as close as you can get to playing GURPS, short of playing GURPS."
http://groups.google.com/group/comp….9bbe7ddc45100#

How do you figure that?

Would you say shelling out 1.175 million *guarantee against royalties* was a proper investment in the word-of-mouth it has generated so far?

In other words, was the 1 mil a proper investment to propagate a certain reaction?

Originally Posted by Moriendor
What for? To have it trolled into ummm… oblivion by you whiny little cry babies who have barely even played the game (if at all) and who need to rely on making up factually incorrect stuff to mindlessly bash the game? How about 'no, thanks' . Just keep on flaming it and on dwelling in your world of illusions where everyone hates Oblivion. It's entertaining to watch you suffer . Carry on…

amen brother

Originally Posted by Kharn
Agreed. Hella tired topic. That said…

You're so reasonable, Kharn. By the way, the time to delete the 'project' threads from your sites is right now. Give it a chance to make its way out of Google cache before it goes live.

Originally Posted by abbaon
You're so reasonable, Kharn. By the way, the time to delete the 'project' threads from your sites is right now. Give it a chance to make its way out of Google cache before it goes live.

'project'? Dude, get your facts straight, that's DaC, I'm NMA.

PS: that whole thing is kinda silly since BethSoft is quite aware of what's going on. Secrecy? Silly.

God help me, but I actually disagree with you about this. It's a "some of the/all of the" thing. Yes, Beth knows, but Beth won't tell anyone. If you (plural; your ilk) can minimize the number of real people who know, you can keep them from spilling the truth every time it comes up on any forum or news site, and actually end up causing the desired effect for a considerable number of people. In any case, the experiment deserves the best possible chance of success. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Originally Posted by abbaon
God help me, but I actually disagree with you about this. It's a "some of the/all of the" thing. Yes, Beth knows, but Beth won't tell anyone. If you (plural; your ilk) can minimize the number of real people who know, you can keep them from spilling the truth every time it comes up on any forum or news site, and actually end up causing the desired effect for a considerable number of people. In any case, the experiment deserves the best possible chance of success. I can't wait to see how it turns out.

"your ilk"? Again, not NMA.

Anyway, *shrug*, you believe in it more than me. I don't think it has any intention or direction to achieve any kind of "desired" effect. The achieve an effect, you have to know what it is. They don't. I'm also curious to see how it turns out, and give it the best possible chance of success, but it's not exciting anyone on my site, and I can't make them.

You're probably right about secrecy. But BethSoft can easily blow it wide open if they don't like where it goes. As long as it serves as free adspace for them, everything will be fine. Talk about giving them the weapons to fight with for free.

Bethesda Softworks is a software developer, not the NKVD. It genuinely, honestly doesn't care about you. It doesn't regard you as a threat, and won't expend any effort unmasking your plot. So it could work.

I don't think it will work, since you guys-- sorry, THOSE guys have the organisational skills of crazed pigrats, but it could.

Re. direction, the last version of the plan sounded perfectly cogent to me. Perhaps they've lost their way since then. I don't know any more than what they've discussed (all too) publicly.

Originally Posted by abbaon
It doesn't regard you as a threat, and won't expend any effort unmasking your plot.

Reality shows you're wrong. Look at the RPGCodex. Look at the Star Trek Gamers site. Look at the fact that right after the STG story was blown wide open they suddenly have an opening for a community manager. Please tell me how they don't regard us as people to take into account.

Originally Posted by abbaon
Re. direction, the last version of the plan sounded perfectly cogent to me. Perhaps they've lost their way since then. I don't know any more than what they've discussed (all too) publicly.

I never heard any unified plan of action, but meh, maybe I missed it.

Suffice it to say that I believe the ESF moderators' explanation for the first two events, and see no great significance in the third. PMed.

@KasperFauerby
I wanted to reply to your enquiry on why i believe the two are killing RPGs but damn…The avalanche of replies that ensued from the rest is more or less what I wanted to say.

The TES series were brilliant RPGs until Oblivion because they unquestionably dumbed-down the game (not "streamlined" as they so often strenuously claim)

@Moriendor
Oblivion does HAVE good points. But , to me at least, it's bad points outweigh them by far. And I played the game for around 20 hours. Long enough to reasonably assess the game.

Oblivion is a GOOD game. But dear God, the hype is ridiculous and the accolades it garners borders on the ludicrous. And I thought the Halo series were overrated…