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Originally Posted by Shao-Loki  It just can't be more advanced than DOS. After all, this is Fallout, and computer languages were not terribly sophisticated in the 50's and 60's. Mostly machine-code, IIRC.
Besides, if they used a *real* language, then only the l33t3st of the l33t would be able to interact with the computers....hence then commands displayed off to the side, with a higher computer/science skill yielding more commands. All the commands are still there, but you get told about more of them with a high Intelligence / Science rating.
-Loki |
50's and 60's "programming" is all but non existing and would likely have been "punch card" on mainframes (DOS did not appear for many years), so from a technological apsect you would already have to bend the rules. However, one also has to remember that development in the Fallout universe does differ from "50's and 60's" earth, it is just used as a placesetting - an atmopshere. Many things in Fallout universe go well beyond the 50's and 60's techonology (weapon, armor and robotics to mention a few).
Also a pitfall with that line of idea would be that a character with low science skill would be able to extract more/the same information as a character with high science skill, if indeed the interaction with computers would be "player-enabled" so that "I" as a player would be able to interact based on some syntax language. That would go against what Fallout SPECIAL is about that it is the skills and stats which determine what you can get out.
Thus if such commands are to be displayed, they should be impossible to enter manually (for the player) but only as selections possible, meaning if you have skill X you get Choices A, B and C displayed but if you have twice times X you can get A, B, C, D, E and F displayed - and interaction can only occur form these choices. Then it could work, but then it would be similar to the existing Fallouts (but with more choices/usage for computers).
Attempting to mirror (or use) a real life language would be fun the first time, but could be come tedious and would be irrelevant for multiple playthroughs.
A pitfall in RPGs is metaknowlegde which is information the player knows and can use, but which the character wouldn't know and be able to use..