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[Sallokin]

This was posted in the trailer thread so I'll just cut and paste.

The article is based on an hour long demo GI was given. I'll list the high points

- Game runs on an evolved version of the Oblivion engine. Third person view has been reworked since the verdict was that the Oblivion version sucked balls.

- Game starts with your birth and your mother's death in a vault hospital. This is essentially the character customization part of the game. Your father hands you up to have your DNA analyzed and you get to pick out all your character traits. Your dad takes off his mask to reveal similar traits to the ones you picked.

- You grow up in the vault and as you grow you get your first book titled "You're Special" which allows you to choose you baseline stats for each of your 7 primary aptitudes. You'll also get your first weapons and wrist computer (menu) as you get older you'll take tests to determine the initial layout of your skills and traits.

- Every aspect of character creation is based on S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system. Of your 14 skills you can tag 3 to grow at a faster rate than the rest as you level up.

- Battle system is called the Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.). The article states. "While you'll certainly be able to tackle enemies in real time using first person shooting, V.A.T.S. lets players pause time and select a target at their leisure". Battle system still uses action points, but once you've used them up you'll still be able to fight targets in real time while they charge back up.

- Game is still violent and gory. One of the featured screens is of a guy's head exploding in super gory detail. Apparently all gory deaths in the game will be in slow motion.

- More than one way to play the game. Go balls out and kill people, or sneak past situations, or perhaps talk your way out of situations.

- Enemies can target you just like you can target them, so you can get injured in very specific points on you body. This is in addition to an all new health/radiation system. This new system has you measuring how radiated certain things (like water) are and how they affect you when you consume them.

- Karma system returns

- XP based system, most XP comes from quests

- Level cap is 20

- 9 - 12 possible endings based on your actions in the game

- No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

- There are NPC's you can hire, but this is not a party based game.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

Sounds good. Seems like a mash-up of evolved Oblivion mechanics with a Fallout makeover

 

[Deacan]

No stupid leveling scaling that ruins any form of exploration, rock on!

Anyways I really want to see what it looks like.

 

[maus]

****ing awesome.

 

[Prime crotch]

So far it doesn't seem to ressemble Oblivion in any way aside from the engine. Which is a very good thing.

 

[TemplaerDude]

- No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

thank the lord!

 

[ivysaur12]

The lack of level scaling is so key.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Sounds great! No word on party members yet? Damn it, I want to recruit NPCs.

 

[Leonsito]

- Game starts with your birth and your mother's death in a vault hospital. This is essentially the character customization part of the game. Your father hands you up to have your DNA analyzed and you get to pick out all your character traits. Your dad takes off his mask to reveal similar traits to the ones you picked.

- You grow up in the vault and as you grow you get your first book titled "You're Special" which allows you to choose you baseline stats for each of your 7 primary aptitudes. You'll also get your first weapons and wrist computer (menu) as you get older and take tests to determine the initial layout of your skills and traits.

- Every aspect of character creation is based on S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system. Of your 14 skills you can tag 3 to grow at a faster rate than the rest as you level up.

- Battle system is called the Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System (V.A.T.S.). The article states. "While you'll certainly be able to tackle enemies in real time using first person shooting, V.A.T.S. lets players pause time and select a target at their leisure". Battle system still uses action points, but once you've used them up you'll still be able to fight targets in real time while they charge back up.

- Game is still violent and gory. One of the featured screens is of a guy's head exploding in super gory detail. Apparently all gory deaths in the game will be in slow motion.

- More than one way to play the game. Go balls out and kill people, or sneak past situations, or perhaps talk your way out of situations.

- Enemies can target you just like you can target them, so you can get injured in very specific points on you body. This in addition to an all new health/radiation system. This new system has you measuring how radiated certain things (like water) are and how they affect you when you consume them.

- Karma system returns

- XP based system, most XP comes from quests

- Level cap is 20

- 9 - 12 possible endings based on your actions in the game

- No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

- There are NPC's you can hire, but this is not a party based game.

Awesome, the Battle system looks like the one in The Fall: Last days of Gaia.

 

[snoopers]

Sounds great! No word on party members yet? Damn it, I want to recruit NPCs.

Reading FTL ?

- There are NPC's you can hire, but this is not a party based game.

 

[Emerson]

Sounds excellent.

 

[ORANGUTAN]

Level cap is only 20? My char in fallout 2 is in the early 20's and still has to beat a few more cities.. San Francisco, Navarro, The Enclave, whatever else there is.

Having a party is great.. it adds a lot, even just 1 other person. I want the same level of party system

 

[Vyse The Legend]

thank the lord!

THANK THE ****ING HEAVENS. This was my biggest fear. I love walking into a Deathclaws' nest in Fallout 1 and getting brutally murdered because I'm outleveled. :lol

Having a party is great.. it adds a lot, even just 1 other person. I want the same level of party system

Honestly, I preferred the more laid back approach to partying in FO1. Just Dogmeat and I taking on the world. Good times.

Also, level cap in FO1 was like 22 or something, so 20 isn't so bad.

 

[Mrbob]

Yay this doesn't sound like Oblivion w/ guns.

 

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

PRAISE JESUS!

 

[Emerson]

I've been told that in the previous games you could kill children. Is this true? If so, I think the question we all want an answer to is: "Can we still?"

 

[Clevinger]

Sounds great if true.

Need.... Magazine...

 

[Vyse The Legend]

I've been told that in the previous games you could kill children. Is this true? If so, I think the question we all want an answer to is: "Can we still?"

In Fallout 2, there is a town where the kids try to pickpocket you as you walk by. I got so tired of it that I chucked a grenade at one of them and watched him explode into a billion pieces. It was quite excellent.

 

[Emerson]

In Fallout 2, there is a town where the kids try to pickpocket you as you walk by. I got so tired of it that I chucked a grenade at one of them and watched him explode into a billion pieces. It was quite excellent.

Well I hope this feature stays. What other games have allowed this? I believe Deus Ex did, right? I was excited that Bioshock would allow this, until they bitched out and made it so you can't.

 

[Prime crotch]

In Fallout 2, there is a town where the kids try to pickpocket you as you walk by. I got so tired of it that I chucked a grenade at one of them and watched him explode into a billion pieces. It was quite excellent.

You know that running by them was enough for them not to steal you right? I bet you had a terrible Karma lol

 

[MirageDwarf]

This sounds hot.

Sallokin, if you have subscription and have access to Unlimited look out for this. Something interesting might pop up: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200706/N07.0608.1040.10718.htm

Starting today and ending on Monday, June 11th at 12 Noon CST, we're allowing you, the reader, to ask Miller anything you want about Fallout 3. We're not promising he'll answer all of your questions, but if you bribe him with Cheddar Bay Biscuits, you never know.

Send all of your questions to askmiller@gameinformer.com and we'll be posting the answers in this month's Unlimited which launches on June 18th.

 

[disc]

NO LEVEL SCALING

That's a good enough reason to open a bottle of beer right now.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

You know that running by them was enough for them not to steal you right? I bet you had a terrible Karma lol

In that town, I was just Neutral, so yeah they did it occassionally. Overall, I'm a "Champion" of the people.

 

[Sallokin]

This sounds hot.

Sallokin, if you have subscription and have access to Unlimited look out for this. Something interesting might pop up: http://www.gameinformer.com/News/Story/200706/N07.0608.1040.10718.htm

Awesome! Thanks for that. I think I'll send in something.

 

[Emerson]

Actually, didn't some GTA4 preview say there'd be kids in there? I can't imagine Rockstar has those kind of balls. Jack Thompson would go apeshit.

 

[X26]

hype meter rising, that all sounds great

 

[Lonesome_Raod]

I need this game.

 

[birdchili]

Battle system still uses action points, but once you've used them up you'll still be able to fight targets in real time while they charge back up.

anyone have a theory on how this would work?

no enemy scaling was mandatory - that's hardly surprising. still sounds way too much like a shooter for my tastes.

 

[Chichikov]

In Fallout 2, there is a town where the kids try to pickpocket you as you walk by. I got so tired of it that I chucked a grenade at one of them and watched him explode into a billion pieces. It was quite excellent.

Grenades, pfft.
Real men travel with lit dynamites in their pockets.
Kids pick pocket lit dynamite.
Profit!

 

[MirageDwarf]

Awesome! Thanks for that. I think I'll send in something.

It's already ended on 11th.

Any info that relates to arts we saw in past weeks?

 

[CreepingDea7h]

- No level scaling like oblivion, you walk into a high level area, you die horribly.

YES, THANK YOU BETHESDA! (even though its been said a bunch of times already)

All of it sounds great really, can't wait to see some gameplay vids.

 

[Sallokin]

I need this game.

Fall 2008 is so far away =(

At least you'll be able to get it on PS3, 360 and PC. There's no reason for anyone to skip out on this one.

 

[MightyHedgehog]

Reading FTL ?

Oops. Dunno how I missed that. Too bad. I was really hoping for real party members... I suppose that would be a bitch to balance out convincingly if you're having to manage AI that doesn't do all of the player's work but also doesn't seem useless and get in the way. I suppose the real-time element and the possibility that it seems to be open world with AI agents running all around doing stuff made this difficult. I was kinda imagining it working similar to KotOR, though...

 

[Sallokin]

It's already ended on 11th.

Any info that relates to arts we saw in past weeks?

D'oh reading FTL. I though it started on the 11th and ended on the 18th.

Which art are you talking about? The stuff that shows DC all ****ed up? The game takes place in D.C. in the year 2277. The map as a whole is slightly smaller than the Oblivion one.

 

[Clevinger]

So, Sallokin, when you run out of AP are you forced to fight in real-time, or is it just a choice?

 

[Flakster99]

Well, Bethesda certainly have my full interests now. Every single point they listed I am a fan of. Here's to hoping they pull off the atmosphere, the dialog and the violent, mature setting. /cheer

 

[Ravager61]

God bless you Bethesda. Please continue to keep the PC RPG alive.

 

[MirageDwarf]

D'oh reading FTL. I though it started on the 11th and ended on the 18th.

Which art are you talking about? The stuff that shows DC all ****ed up? The game takes place in D.C. in the year 2277. The map as a whole is slightly smaller than the Oblivion one.

Yeah. Was wondering if they talk about anything specific about those screens. Nevermind.

Is there any screenshot of menu interface? I didn't like that much in Oblivion.

 

[Sallokin]

So, Sallokin, when you run out of AP are you forced to fight in real-time, or is it just a choice?

I'm not too sure. It seems that by default you can fight in real time, so anytime you aren't using VATS you'll just be able to run and gun.

 

[KTallguy]

God bless you Bethesda. Please continue to keep the PC RPG alive.

I'm just praying that they don't **** it up, personally.

 

[Clevinger]

I was just wondering if Turn-based was a full fledged/constant option, not just a pause type thing where you switch back and forth. I'm hoping for a full fledged Turn-based system, but I can live with this as well.

 

[Avalon]

God bless you Bethesda. Please continue to keep the PC RPG alive.

Oblivion was anything but a PC style RPG...

But, I have some hope for this game now. Gameplay sounds like it could be really good. Now the story and atmosphere... Please don't try to tact on some "epic" storyline. Look closely at what Fallout I and II are... they are not about what's there, it's about what the player makes.

 

[Durante]

Sounds good so far, if this actually does come true.

Now get working on a true branching dialog system that adapts to character traits, and get some interesting, witty and atmospheric writing and we're talking.

Is there any screenshot of menu interface? I didn't like that much in Oblivion.

Ah yes, I hope they take the week or two to ship a real UI on the PC version this time. The engine is obviously well capable of it, as the various great UI mods prove.

 

[Sallokin]

Yeah. Was wondering if they talk about anything specific about those screens. Nevermind.

Is there any screenshot of menu interface? I didn't like that much in Oblivion.

Yes there is. It's a wrist mounted computer called the Pip-Boy 3000, and it is awesome looking.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I'm getting a very Mass Effect vibe from this description, can't wait for the mag. This game is now on my radar.

 

[Wario64]

Someone ask the dude with the GI issue to post the Rock Band stuff please.

 

[Vyse The Legend]

Someone ask the dude with the GI issue to post the Rock Band stuff please.

I was just going to post this. You read my mind.

 

[dogonfire]

Wow, suddenly the doom and gloom is gone. For me at least.

Can't wait to see the combat system in action.

 

[Sallokin]

Someone ask the dude with the GI issue to post the Rock Band stuff please.

Was just getting to that. Give me a few and I'll start a new thread. I have to take care of some work stuff first.

 

[Wario64]

Was just getting to that. Give me a few and I'll start a new thread. I have to take care of some work stuff first.

Thanks man, much appreciated.