Fallout's 10th anniversary: Fallout Retrospective Interview

Wow, just wow.

Chris Avellone
We ran two simultaneous sessions at Black Isle, trying out character development and advancement, letting 10-12 players (divided into two parties) stomp up and down on an area design, revise the area, and then build an area design document based on that. In addition, because they were adventuring in the same world, it was cool to see how events from one party caused ripples for the other party (which was intended to be part of the theme/goal in Fallout 3).
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Yes! That's how ya' get a good CRPG. Make these people sit around a GM and interact with the system of the world.

This was a fantastic read.
 
Brother None said:
Meh, it's not for me to sit on the sideline and criticize the modders. After all, they're doing it for free, never look a gift horse in the mouth, and only the sun rises for nothing.
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Yeah like I said, I'm not making anything myself so I was hoping my post wouldn't be viewed as rant, I just find the whole thing odd. Yes, there are many small mods but nothing major. I could be wrong about this but I think there are quite a few games that have much more and bigger mods than Fallout does. At the same time, and I could be wrong about this too, Fallout fan base may be the most loyal and obsessed one. That's what makes this so weird. If it's a lot more difficult to mod Fallout, then that explains it of course.

It's pretty ridiculous though that people keep starting new Fallout projects while not a single one has been completed. Why not work together on one and finish it?
 
maximaz said:
It's pretty ridiculous though that people keep starting new Fallout projects while not a single one has been completed. Why not work together on one and finish it?
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It's just like Sawyer said:
JE Sawyer said:
There's a lot of dissonant noise from fans about what those strengths really are. And that's fine. It's not their job to make the game. They aren't a team.
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And it'd require to make a real Team to do this...
 
Feargus Urquhart said:
In the end the specific aspects of the rules system, the game perspective, the locations, all of those don't matter when it comes to making a Fallout game. It is the feeling of Fallout. It's the Overseer kicking you out, it's getting to kill both Killian and Gizmo, getting to play at being Mad Max, having Dogmeat around and winning the game the way you want to win it.
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One thing that worries me in this interview is the fact that none of them explicitly acknowledge that the P&P-like gameplay was essential to the series. Feargus even goes as far as saying it doesn't really matter. This could be seen as further justification to where Bethesda is going with Fallout3. On the other hand, this could just be the "politically correct" thing to say. Anyway, Feargus probably isn't an avid RPG player, from what we see in the rest of his interview.

Best of luck to all of them in their projects.

Edit: Here's hoping for an interview with Tim Cain, when possible, of course.
 
generalissimofurioso said:
10. What advice would you have for someone making another Fallout game?

Chris Avellone
Don't do one. Do something better and raise the bar even higher.
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Truer words have never been spoken... :salute:
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Heh...
I agree with that. I would prefer to finally see a turn based isometric cRPG that is better than Fallout and has a new interesting world than another "Fallout".
 
It was a great read. Some very interesting answers, and I think you can read a lot into what they said.

Thanks for great read, and thanks to all the old devs for answering the questions! I think no one wishes you guys more luck in the future then the people here. As long as you don't make a first person shooter and call it an RPG, that is:)

And is a turn based cRPG too much to ask for? :)
 
Briosafreak said:
This should have been the grand finale
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Briosa doesn't think the Fallout source code, Tim Cain's secret diary and releasing Van Buren over Steam is very impressive.
 
Per said:
Briosafreak said:
This should have been the grand finale
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Briosa doesn't think the Fallout source code, Tim Cain's secret diary and releasing Van Buren over Steam is very impressive.
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Muhahahahaha


Ok people, he's just kidding, move along...

And this is the grand finale, ok, someone should have mentioned it. And someone should give a few lessons in hype to BN. :eyebrow:
 
Sorrow said:
Heh...
I agree with that. I would prefer to finally see a turn based isometric cRPG that is better than Fallout and has a new interesting world than another "Fallout".
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Wow, praise from Caesar, I mean Sorrow...

The fact of the matter is nobody is going to be able to match Fallout by merely attempting to recreate the series. Bethesda's endeavor was doomed from the start because of this.
 
I think that it's very hard or even impossible to create a new Fallout story that would be more powerful than the story of The Master.
 
Mikael Grizzly said:
Not that powerful compared to VD's.
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Noob.

VD doesn't have a story. Or in other words, VD has a story in the Fallout 2 manual, but that's it. There's no story being told for the VD in Fallout 1, the principal story is that of the Master. The VD is you, and that lack of storytelling is exactly one of Fallout's strengths. Interplay TSR never tried to tell a story about your character except determining the start and the end.
 
NMA On Mac Site

NMA On Mac Site



Was looking for Mac shareware to view avi format files of Zero Punctuation game reviews.
Windows Media Player for Mac appears only to play wmv files,
and Quick Time does nothing or sometimes says need a plug in and then links me to a NOT helpful page of poker attitude shareware.
None will say what they do about avi files -- unless I invest more time than it takes to memory stick the avi files to the XP machine 6 feet away.

Either link to Win machine? Too much trouble. Too much time. Win home network file sharing has and will always be dysfunctional.


Well NMA ... stumbled onto macgamefiles page, http://www.macgamefiles.com/

and saw ""A Fallout Retrospective"" on side bar,

dated yesterday October 8,

http://www.insidemacgames.com/news/story.php?ID=15725

Sample quote of Leon B. and JE Sawyer ...

Short description links to NMA.

""Buy Fallout 2"" links to a page but no FO 2 product, 'in store' stock sold out a year or two ago ??? ... RPG's? yes Mac game world view desperately qualifies Diablo as a RPG ...


I see this anniversary interview of the original FO makers as significant .
Not news, not hype, just the facts.
In these days of deconstruction and reinvention, it is important that there are timely quotes about the original intent and design process of the FO's.

Oblivion has been deified like the ''second coming of Christ'' , crown of thorns, Nex Gen post apocalyptic ravages, Book Of Revelations and all.
Only distinction remaining for FO3? ... -- the second coming of Sliced Bread --, that's what the rumored ingame toaster maybe all about ...


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Just the facts.

This interview. This is an excellent peak to Fallout 10th Anniversary 'week'.


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Brother None:
... and that lack of storytelling is exactly one of Fallout's strengths. ...
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Recall a similar creative process in Stephen King's ""On Writing"".

Create a situation and cast your characters into that reality.

Situation.

Characters.

The writer becomes a narrator of what happens. Characters in action.

Avoid plot lines more then adverbs. Tell the story of characters in a situation.

No 'sand box' for single child, wandering, self absorption.

A world of truth telling where the character reacts, develops, and lives a believable life.

At last report, King is rich and infamous.


4too
 
Brother None said:
Mikael Grizzly said:
Not that powerful compared to VD's.
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Noob.

VD doesn't have a story. Or in other words, VD has a story in the Fallout 2 manual, but that's it. There's no story being told for the VD in Fallout 1, the principal story is that of the Master. The VD is you, and that lack of storytelling is exactly one of Fallout's strengths. Interplay TSR never tried to tell a story about your character except determining the start and the end.
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NO U

I never said anything about the "lack of storytelling". I feel the Vault Dweller's story is more powerful because I am creating it and then seeing the consequences.
 
Was looking for Mac shareware to view avi format files of Zero Punctuation game reviews.
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You got the one from Bioshock on my blog, it uses a flash player that works in Macs.
 
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