FO: NV

[Fionavar]

To our community at OBS, it is clear that there is a definite passion for this new title and we respect that. We also need to balance our relationship with Bethesda as significantly important. We have, therefore, taken some time and looked through the large 500+ collection of posts thus far and have found the three following categories that will hopefully allow us a larger breadth of discussion:

 

• Gameplay Mechanics
  
• Story & Plot
  
• Setting & Canon
  

 

This is an opportunity to have more thorough discussions. Each of these conversation must adhere to the Forum Guidelines. If any of the Guidelines are broached, especially in respect to disrespectful critique of Bethesda, a member will be placed immediately in Mod Status for no less than two weeks and will be issued a Formal Warning.

 

We do not wish to police or be authoritarian. We simply wish to find a balance to offer ways for our community to interact about FO: NV, while also respecting the reciprocal relations with Bethesda.

 

with respect,

 

The Mod Squad

 

Note: Previous FO: NV Discussions

• In the Waste
  
• Where did I put that part?
  
• The Waterchip
  

[Gizmo]

Well I guess the question about game mechanics, is will they be like FO3 or like the rest of the entire series?

 

(Or in the least... lean one way or the other.)

 

Myself I expect that FO3:NV will [iMO sadly] follow FO3 about as close as FO2 followed FO1.

 

Great news for most I guess.

[Jaesun]

yay thank you The Mod Squad.

 

As for mechanics, with only a year dev time, I just am going to expect a "much tweaked" VATS system. I don't really like VATS, but I think it could possibly be tweaked enough to make it.... more enjoyable.

[TwinkieGorilla]

If any of the Guidelines are broached, especially in respect to disrespectful critique of Bethesda

 

not being facetious, just wondering where the lines are drawn in this regard. 'cause truth be told, i have a really hard time respecting this company.

 

ALSO: massive thanks to all involved who helped make this happen.

Edited May 14, 2009 by TwinkieGorilla

[Slowtrain]

Josh has previously expressed reservations about VATS. If Obs has the freedom to do so, I would not be at all surprised to see significant changes to VATS.

 

I would also not be surprised to see a reduction in XP awards, especially for combat.

 

I would also not be surprised to see new perks and possibly perk level changes.

[Slowtrain]

If any of the Guidelines are broached, especially in respect to disrespectful critique of Bethesda

 

not being facetious, just wondering where the lines are drawn in this regard. 'cause truth be told, i have a really hard time respecting this company.

 

 

 

Just address the game(s), not the company. That's what I am going to do.

[Matthew Rorie]

If any of the Guidelines are broached, especially in respect to disrespectful critique of Bethesda

 

not being facetious, just wondering where the lines are drawn in this regard. 'cause truth be told, i have a really hard time respecting this company.

 

 

 

Just address the game(s), not the company. That's what I am going to do.

 

This is the wisest course of action.

[Killian Kalthorne]

Then lets stay on topic then. Any queries like this could be done using the private messaging function on the forums here.

 

Anyhoot, game mechanic wise I am quite pleased with Fallout 3. For the most part Bethesda did a great job bringing Fallout to the 21st century in form and function. There are a number of tweaks I would do to it that make it even more fun, mostly with VATS. I would add in a Groin target area and animations and cries of pain to reflect harsh hits. Also I would let melee be able to target specific areas. A tweaking of the number values may be in order to make such nastiness more rewarding since they should be rare, and I would like to also see better dismemberment as well. A 10mm bullet shouldn't rip the head off of a baddie.

 

Another game mechanic thing I would like to see is have the body form be more malleable for the player and reflect the physical attributes of the character. A character with a 8 Agility should be able to move faster than someone with a 4 Agility. A character with an 8 Strength and Endurance should look more brawny than a person with a 4 Strength and Endurance. I think that this function, along being able to govern height of the character could bring forth a more varied and more interesting player characters. At least on the physical aesthetics are concerned.

[Gizmo]

double post.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Gizmo

[Gizmo]

Just address the game(s), not the company. That's what I am going to do.

 

This is the wisest course of action.

The games reflect the company (when speaking of in-house projects).

 

The company has (to examine their TES series), shown an interest in simplifying the scope of their game mechanics in each new iteration of their series. ~Will this continue with FO4? (and will it be encouraged of FO:NV?).

 

Anyhoot, game mechanic wise I am quite pleased with Fallout 3. For the most part Bethesda did a great job bringing Fallout to the 21st century in form and function.

Does that mean... hmmm, What does that mean?

 

(FPP RT combat? You'd have to be kidding... FPP RT combat pre-dates Wasteland, and was a staple throughout the 1990's and the present day.)

 

(Or stepping away from Turnbased? That's what the series was based on and conceived for, and IMO its a shame that they've strayed. The new series choice of play mechanics leaves a gaping hole when compared, and with

coming out later in the year (or next), TB games cannot be said to be a relic from the past. Its also not the case that TB games are surpassed by RT games when RT games were developed first, and cannot compete on the same field when it comes to the intended scope in most TB games).

 

There are a number of tweaks I would do to it that make it even more fun, mostly with VATS. I would add in a Groin target area and animations and cries of pain to reflect harsh hits. Also I would let melee be able to target specific areas. A tweaking of the number values may be in order to make such nastiness more rewarding since they should be rare, and I would like to also see better dismemberment as well. A 10mm bullet shouldn't rip the head off of a baddie.

 

Another game mechanic thing I would like to see is have the body form be more malleable for the player and reflect the physical attributes of the character. A character with a 8 Agility should be able to move faster than someone with a 4 Agility. A character with an 8 Strength and Endurance should look more brawny than a person with a 4 Strength and Endurance. I think that this function, along being able to govern height of the character could bring forth a more varied and more interesting player characters. At least on the physical aesthetics are concerned.

In these we mostly agree Edited May 14, 2009 by Gizmo

[Enoch]

I don't like the idea of messing around with running speed based on attributes. It would end up being either too miniscule to make any difference, or too gamebreakingly powerful. (Like the Dart Gun, but selected on character creation.)

 

Also, nobody would ever want to play a low-AG character simply because of the associated trudging around the gameworld more slowly. (While this AG-supremacy would be true to the imbalances of FO1-2, I wouldn't consider that something to be emulated.)

[GreasyDogMeat]

Then lets stay on topic then. Any queries like this could be done using the private messaging function on the forums here.

 

Anyhoot, game mechanic wise I am quite pleased with Fallout 3. For the most part Bethesda did a great job bringing Fallout to the 21st century in form and function. There are a number of tweaks I would do to it that make it even more fun, mostly with VATS. I would add in a Groin target area and animations and cries of pain to reflect harsh hits. Also I would let melee be able to target specific areas. A tweaking of the number values may be in order to make such nastiness more rewarding since they should be rare, and I would like to also see better dismemberment as well. A 10mm bullet shouldn't rip the head off of a baddie.

 

Another game mechanic thing I would like to see is have the body form be more malleable for the player and reflect the physical attributes of the character. A character with a 8 Agility should be able to move faster than someone with a 4 Agility. A character with an 8 Strength and Endurance should look more brawny than a person with a 4 Strength and Endurance. I think that this function, along being able to govern height of the character could bring forth a more varied and more interesting player characters. At least on the physical aesthetics are concerned.

 

I was going to mention this myself, but then I wondered about the various item/chem tweaks.

 

For instance, if a character uses Buffout, does the player's model suddenly bulk up? Likewise, if a character uses some stat changing outfit should characters physically change from their effect?

 

For that matter will Obsidian be bringing back clothing that effects statistics? Personally I didn't mind it but there were quite a few boos and hisses about it and I wonder what Obs stance on it will be.

 

Be pretty funny if the character face became more and more 'duh' looking as intelligence lowered.

[Slowtrain]

Anyhoot, game mechanic wise I am quite pleased with Fallout 3. For the most part Bethesda did a great job bringing Fallout to the 21st century in form and function. There are a number of tweaks I would do to it that make it even more fun, mostly with VATS. I would add in a Groin target area and animations and cries of pain to reflect harsh hits. Also I would let melee be able to target specific areas. A tweaking of the number values may be in order to make such nastiness more rewarding since they should be rare, and I would like to also see better dismemberment as well. A 10mm bullet shouldn't rip the head off of a baddie.

 

If there are changes to VATS, I would like to se those changes increase the tactical options within VATS to make it more interesting to use. For example, adding the option to make a carefully aimed shot at the cost of significantly more APS. ALso adding the ability to access inventory within VATS at the cost of APS.

 

 

Simply adding a groin shot option doesn't really do much to make VATS more interesting.

 

I would also like to see the slo-mo eliminated. It siomply takes way too much time to play those long drawn out animations on every shot. MAybe just resrve the slo mo for super nasty critical hits or something.

[Gizmo]

If there are changes to VATS, I would like to se those changes increase the tactical options within VATS to make it more interesting to use. For example, adding the option to make a carefully aimed shot at the cost of significantly more APS. ALso adding the ability to access inventory within VATS at the cost of APS.

Same here; that would be a welcome return.

 

Simply adding a groin shot option doesn't really do much to make VATS more interesting.

Agreed. In the originals each of the eight targets had a static risk associated with increasing gains. A groin kick for the sake of the visuals would be a waste IMO.

 

I would also like to see the slo-mo eliminated. It siomply takes way too much time to play those long drawn out animations on every shot. MAybe just resrve the slo mo for super nasty critical hits or something.

I would see them eliminated for all shots not scoring a really great critical strike.

~Its old, and moot at this point, but here was a concept example from last year...

 

 

*** Also, I would love to see a few non-generic hand keyframed over the top critical deaths, (there, but never over used) to go along with the standard Havok (which seems always over used and gets old pretty fast IMO).

 

*** Its a fact though, that [ironically], any serious deviation from FO3 (like making perks come every 3 or 4 levels) would see the fans of the previous game [FO3] a little put off at the unexpected nature of the new title . So I cannot expect the damage undone. In sales, you can always lower your prices, but try to raise them and...

 

Perks have been changed and I would expect them to remain (but hopefully reworked a bit ~whatever that really means )

Edited May 14, 2009 by Gizmo

[Jaesun]

I would also like to see the slo-mo eliminated. It siomply takes way too much time to play those long drawn out animations on every shot. MAybe just resrve the slo mo for super nasty critical hits or something.

 

This. Please for the love of all that is holy.

[Gizmo]

Given the location, Id like to see some heavy designs for the high-end military 'bots (never mentioned/or existed AFAIK, but they are adding to the setting).

 

Troika showed us a big 'bot in their

(that look utterly perfect for the Fallout IP).

 

I know you can't copy Dawn of War (of course), but I'd sure like to see something of this sort in the setting.

Edited May 14, 2009 by Gizmo

[J.E. Sawyer]

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that in VATS, your character is actually acting/moving/operating faster than everyone else. So going to "real time" would still create some problems.

[Aristes]

I don't like the idea of messing around with running speed based on attributes. It would end up being either too miniscule to make any difference, or too gamebreakingly powerful. (Like the Dart Gun, but selected on character creation.)

 

Also, nobody would ever want to play a low-AG character simply because of the associated trudging around the gameworld more slowly. (While this AG-supremacy would be true to the imbalances of FO1-2, I wouldn't consider that something to be emulated.)

 

I second.

[Slowtrain]

I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure that in VATS, your character is actually acting/moving/operating faster than everyone else. So going to "real time" would still create some problems.

 

 

Do you mean that making the shoot/hit/death animations play out in RT would create problems?

 

Or are you referring to something else? (That I must have read past)

[Slowtrain]

I don't like the idea of messing around with running speed based on attributes. It would end up being either too miniscule to make any difference, or too gamebreakingly powerful. (Like the Dart Gun, but selected on character creation.)

 

Also, nobody would ever want to play a low-AG character simply because of the associated trudging around the gameworld more slowly. (While this AG-supremacy would be true to the imbalances of FO1-2, I wouldn't consider that something to be emulated.)

 

 

but if you have fast travel, than running speed is real only important in combat. And if you sacrificed points of your agi than you have them to spend somewhere else: int, end, whatever.

 

The point would be to differentiate player characters. There's no reason to think faster movement would overpower the agi stat. All the developers have to do is make sure each stat has important positive effects so that sacrificing one stat and builiding another, does not make your character gimped, but rather makes it different.

 

 

The GIfted trait in FO1 and 2 was supremely overpowered so most people took it. That's just bad game design. Overpowered stats would only exist because of bad design.

Edited May 14, 2009 by CrashGirl

[Slowtrain]

ANother small thing I'd like to see would be an actual flashlight with a directed beam rather than a diffuse glow that only lights the ground about a meter ahead.

 

I've seen flashlights in plenty of games whether its Half Life, Far Cry, Stalker (headlamp), and they work much better for actually navigating around in the dark.

 

You could also make the light glow larger and brighter but then it might kill some of the ambience of creeping around in the dark.

 

FLashlights keep the ambience better than a general glow, but are less annoying.

 

 

edit: also. nightvison scopes and/or goggles would be pretty cool also.

 

edit: FLIR also

 

 

There's a lot of cool ways to make exploring in darkness fun!

Edited May 14, 2009 by CrashGirl

[J.E. Sawyer]

Do you mean that making the shoot/hit/death animations play out in RT would create problems?

Yes, or at least it would alter the balance as I understand it.

[Aristes]

Is it possible to speed it a bit? I mean, not real time, but something a little less dramatic than the painful slo mo we have now?

[Slowtrain]

Do you mean that making the shoot/hit/death animations play out in RT would create problems?

Yes, or at least it would alter the balance as I understand it.

 

 

hmmm. That's too bad.

 

Still, there would be other ways of dealing with the same issue in a roundabout way.

 

 

For example If you made VATS combat more interesting by providing more options, perhaps it would feel more engaging and so the slomo wouldn't be quite as tedious.

 

Or you could make VATS combat more lethal, so it uses fewer shots and resolves quicker, thus minimzing the number of slomo animations that need to be watched.

 

 

Or thirdly, you could spruce up the RT combat a bit so VATS doesn't get used so much.

[CoM_Solaufein]

VATS is flawless, leave it as is.