New Fallout 3 bits and pieces

[Gorth]

Start of old thread

 

End of old thread

 

Looks like the previous thread turned into a general Fallout 3 discussion

[Starwars]

Just saw the other gameplay demo... Same feelings as before. VATS looks strangely non-satisfying (limbs seems to pop loose in rather strange and all-together to easy ways), and FPS gameplay looks pretty lackluster when compared to a game like STALKER, or to Call of Duty 4 in terms of how visceral it feels. Environments look great, but overall this is a big meh.

 

And yeah... Teddybears.

[random n00b]

FPS gameplay looks pretty lackluster when compared to a game like STALKER, or to Call of Duty 4 in terms of how visceral it feels

Never played CoD, but the trailer played EXACTLY the same as the few Clear Sky trailers I've seen. "Visceral"? Nondescript.

 

It stands to reason that what they have shown are what they feel are the strong points of the game. Which probably means that the roleplaying and stealth options aren't anything to write home about.

 

Funny though, that everyone is panning VATS, when it looks remarkably similar to a feature Obsidz has talked about, for AP, and which was unsurprisingly well received. Please, please. Teach me to doublethink like you.

[Starwars]

I most definetely have never praised it in Alpha Protocol, in fact, I'm likely to dislike the combat in Alpha Protocol as well (the statement in one of the interviews that Fallout 3 and Mass Effect is the new wave of RPGs and AP is inspired by the likes of them kinda tore down a lot of hope I might have for the game). Fact is though that VATS has been hyped in pretty much every preview out there, many people describing it as pseudo turnbased combat and a "nod to RPG fans" or whatever. And it's somewhat of an alternate way of fighting instead of FPS (though as I understand we can't use VATS all the time because of action points). When in Alpha Protocol it seems to be "just" a super power. But yeah, I'm not excited it by its inclusion there either.

 

And I didn't mean that STALKER feels visceral, I was only referring to CoD4 with that comment. But STALKER instead has intelligent enemies which run and take cover, try to flank you etc. Granted, the demo was fast since Todd ran right in to blow everything up, but the enemies didn't take cover and in some instances tried to run up straight to his face.

[random n00b]

I don't know what were they trying to achieve with VATS, but to me it seems to break the flow and pace of combat. Which is a bad thing and may limit its usefulness. But since it's optional, it's as simple as not using it.

 

The criticism about the AI is fair enough, but since the demo was played with cheats on, I'm not drawing conclusions yet. A dumb AI could be a big thumbs down for a game whose combat has been highlighted so much, that's true. Of course, the complete opposite (Clear Sky's insane AI) doesn't sound too fun either. I guess that no matter what, somebody isn't going to be pleased.

[LostStraw]

In the G4 TV demonstration video the enemy on the bridge with the turret just squats there doing nothing while the player fires bears at her.

 

In the Gametrailers demonstration video the enemy on the bridge actually destroys the turret because she was hit by the turrets crossfire when it was targeting the player. The enemy destroys her own best defense . You'll also notice she drops her gun (probably injured) and does a weird run away/squat thing before pulling out a knife and running back toward the player.

 

There's definite room for improvement. Here's hoping they can polish the game some more in the short time before release.

[Tigranes]

Funny though, that everyone is panning VATS, when it looks remarkably similar to a feature Obsidz has talked about, for AP, and which was unsurprisingly well received. Please, please. Teach me to doublethink like you.

 

As I recall, there was one special ability which acted like a carbon copy of VATS. I made that comparison before in the AP forums. And personally, I was glad that it would only be one special ability, because I had been suspecting I would not like VATS that much (I didn't like Max Payne's bullet time, either). And the gameplay footage we've seen reveals VATS to be a boring piece of non-gameplay that is perfectly suited for juvenile "WOO LOOK AT EXPLODIES" but not much else.

 

I mean, you are determined to accuse certain people of 'doublethink' and bias, and that's fair - I know a couple of your jibes at me have been on the mark - but aren't you doing kettle/pot yourself with some of these?

 

Anyway, not too bothered by Bloody Mess since outrageous and 'they-look-the-same' body explosions were in the originals, too. Disappointed it hasnt improved, but not a big deal. More concerning is the dumbness of the combat AI: I suspect that the enemies dont move while your VATS is executing because they realised players die too often when that happens (or the shot % would no longer be accurate if they moved, now would it? So they have to force a TB situation and make them freeze in time). They don't really seem to take cover like Beth said, either.

[random n00b]

Anyway, not too bothered by Bloody Mess since outrageous and 'they-look-the-same' body explosions were in the originals, too. Disappointed it hasnt improved, but not a big deal. More concerning is the dumbness of the combat AI: I suspect that the enemies dont move while your VATS is executing because they realised players die too often when that happens (or the shot % would no longer be accurate if they moved, now would it? So they have to force a TB situation and make them freeze in time). They don't really seem to take cover like Beth said, either.

Todd's decision to showcase Bloody Mess in the only(?) gameplay demo of the game so far is nothing short of retarded.

 

And yeah, VATS seems to work on a split-second like mechanic. I hope they don't force the player to use it to defeat bosses or whatever. As for the AI, I'm thinking that maybe it's been toned down for the exhibit. I mean, they wanted to highlight how great it is to shoot stuff and have it die in generically gruesome ways.

 

Other than that, the game looks very pretty and atmospheric. It remains to be seen how good the fiction turns out.

[Sand]

I miss the text box.

[random n00b]

Which text box?

 

EDIT: oh right *the* textbox. Nevermind.

Edited July 15, 2008 by random n00b

[Pop]

Apparently calling 1-888-4-VAULTTEC gives you some sort of (coded?) message relating to Fallout 3.

[LostStraw]

More concerning is the dumbness of the combat AI: I suspect that the enemies dont move while your VATS is executing because they realised players die too often when that happens (or the shot % would no longer be accurate if they moved, now would it? So they have to force a TB situation and make them freeze in time). They don't really seem to take cover like Beth said, either.

In the gameplay demonstration video on Gametrailers the enemy near the turret runs at the player with a knife while VATS is executing. The lack of some of the enemy movement during VATS probably has more to do with your character being a still target (no need to reposition) rather than VATS itself.