Fallout 3!!

[Craig]

What do you mean chaotic, non-linear part?


Also I think that the Fallout would have been an, imo, aweful 3d thing.

[alpha_hazard]

I really didn't read all through everybodies' posts because I'm lazy, but I think s few things would be ionteresting.

I think that if they change the game play a lot, as in making it third person, or Real Time it would be very important to not call it Fallout 3...Fallout 3 in general gives it the feel that it should be similar in gameplay and appearance to the original...I think some sort of subtitle would be more appropriate if it was to be changed significantly...Another possibility would be some sort of MMPORPG...

I would definitely like to see a better developed engine that the BOS one...I had way too much trouble with that one not changing screens and views..obviously it will not be the same engine, but I'm trying to say that I'd rather wait a long time and have a well developed game than have a shody game released before it was ready (Especially since I need time to play Kotor 2!)

I would definitely like to see a way to design or build your own weapons...For instance, if you have high enough repair skill you can use certain tools to upgrade weapons (My KOTOR experience is showing here...)

I would also really like to asee a more hgihly developed animation...Bloody mess is a totally thrill, but it grows old kinda fast. This is one reason I like the idea of a third person perspective view...although at the same time I love the classic isometric view too. The fact remains that I'd like to see more advanced animations for combat and such.

I'd also like to see the return of piloting, this was something I really liked In BOS.

Similarly, I would like to see positioning again, I really liked to take advantage of crounding and prone positions, although those are a little more conducive to a Strategy environment, I think that they are still something that can add to the combat in FO3...

I'd also like to see special attacks and weapons only available or useable by a particular npc..say there is a robot in your party, he could have night/infrared vision. Or a mutant who can break through walls...perhaps someone who is very skilled in martial arts who can have a one hit kill under certain conditions...

Finally, I'd like to seeless linear play...Not so mcuh in the plot, but as far as weapons and armor and the like go. I I find that as you progress you make the same progressions through the same armor, I would like to see less dependence on the same type of armor, there was some of this in BOS, with the environmental armor

The only thing that I am truly worried about is that Bathesda will want to set themselves too far apart from the originals that they lose support from the hard core fans.

[Xandax]

Originally Posted by alpha_hazard

<snip>
Finally, I'd like to seeless linear play...Not so mcuh in the plot, but as far as weapons and armor and the like go. I I find that as you progress you make the same progressions through the same armor, I would like to see less dependence on the same type of armor, there was some of this in BOS, with the environmental armor
<snip>

This would be very difficult.
Getting high powered weapons early to low level characters will unbalance the game significantly, because then there will be no difficulties in killing off "lower level" enemies also. Unless you want that to be non-liniar also, so you risk running into an enemy 20 times stronger then you after you have taken your first few steps

Imagine in Fallout 2 if you had the Pulse Rifle early (or Gauss for thoese heretics out there, whom only want medium damage ), you could blast your way through anything withouth even thinking twice.

Weapons and equiptment will almost always have to be placed in regards of the level of the character, if nothing else then for game balance.

[alpha_hazard]

Originally Posted by Xandax

This would be very difficult.
Getting high powered weapons early to low level characters will unbalance the game significantly

I did not mean you should be able to get high powered weapons early on, I just meant that I felt too dependent on finding the powered armor and a heavy weapon. My character often only had a small guns or large guns skill, but most guns under those categories required high ammounts of time and smmunition to take down even a mid level enemy. Similarly, the power armor was often the only thing that could protect you from the more ruthless baddies, making you vulnerable until you go some, furthermore, most of the armor tends to impare you if you are a more melee/unarmed character, but going without armor is seriously damaging too. what I am suggesting would be more types of armor and more types of small guns with a higher power. Not neccesrily allowing you to get a gauss minigun the second you step to the pavement (Although, that would be sorta fun for a while)

[Craig]

What yopu really want is equal levels in guns, base energy weapons that do similiar damage to small guns and up. That'd be dificult to pull of, suddenly the only difference between the three (if they still exist! ) is the animation when they die.

I'd also want bloody mess to A) not only effect enemies, walls explode not crumple, vats or acid explode not tip over, nuca-cola explodes no give you nuca cola B) not just equal the highest setting on the Gore knob in preferences.

[Celos]

I'm very concerned about the game being possibly made in third person or first person view. I for one enjoyed the BIs attention to details and I'd love to see the same from Bethesda. But then the atmosphere of the game would dissapear. I mean F2 had a huge amount of places to visit and that was a part of the joy in playing the game. I doubt they could make the game even remotely close to F2 if they'd make it 3rd person view.

[alpha_hazard]

I agree...While third person games like Kotor definitely look good they lack to openendedness and general frustration of having so many things to do...Fallout's huge maps and almost endless quests made the game fun.

I like the idea of being able to change the view, but an even worse problem arises from the fact that now you have THREE different POV to design the game for...yikes, not good...I would definitely prefer an isometric view...One thing I would like to see is sort of a sim whatever style, where you can rotate around your character to get to those hard to see bodies and stuff like that...although once again,I'm not sure how feasible that is.

[Craig]

There isn't that much different with a 3rd person iso and a 3rd person is there (and even less then iso where you can move around!) But for some reason I really dislike the character animation from NWN I much prefere the spites from Icewind dale or baldurs gate

[Xandax]

The difference between Isometric and 3rd person view is not as large as with for instance first person view.
But 3rd person view is more like SW:KotORs "over-the-shoulder" whereas Isometric is a birds eye view from the "sky".
Both are in effect 3rd person views, because you are looking from outside the character.

[darkultra]

With 3D engine you can have both isometric view and zoom in when you wanto.

NWN everything is 3d and you can pan and zoom around alot, but zooming around buildings can get daisy after a while...


Temple of elemental evil have 3D characters and some but 2d maps..


I guess i'd want fully 3D rendered graphics with a locked isometric view with excellent and fluid animations like Temple of elemental evil. This is important for gameplay, nice reload ka-chunk sound and animation, polygonized blood that splatters around, skeletal physics that show how shotgun-pellets can rag-doll an EVIL monster, maybe even demolishable buildings.

Think Half-Life 2.

I belive satesfying death-animations and sound effects is part of what made Doom 1 and 2 so fun.

[Nihilanth]

Personaly, I couldn't care less for the gamplay... Personaly, I think any type of view can have it's bonuses... Let's say first person:

You sit in your car, turn it on and hear a door close behind you... You turn your head and see Marcus cramping on the back seat and tightining the vices on his shoulders... And Sulik next to him with the big bone and hammer whistling... That would be really cool!

And Isometric/3rd person:

Original fallouts! Need I say more!

What I care for is that there is no obvious linearity (hide it a bit...), Same excelent humor, beautifull death scenes and perks. I think Bethesda will do a good job...

Someone before me said something about Morrowind NPCs being deadish (or something like that) True... They even don't converse! That should be different because in FO 1 & 2 some characters seemed to converse... Half-Life had converstions between sidekicks! FO3 needs that! A good move for Bethesda would be to hire someone from BI's developement team (a story person) and give him/her/them the freedom to create a new story in the good 'ol FO way...

When the time is right, we will see what came out of FO3.. I only hope for the best!

[cjdevito]

I have reasonably high hopes of Bethesda. Both that they'll make a good game... and that, like Morrowind and the forthcoming oblivion, they'll include a construction tool kit with it.

That way, if the core game isn't what I want, I'll just make a new one. (Or at the very least consider adding a branch of the Illuminated Order to the wastelands...)