Fallout: New Vegas

[Slowtrain]

I'm surprised adding options isn't a bigger selling point in game design. Seems like a good way to increase the potential sales of a game without watering down the experience.

[HoonDing]

These "Hardcore" options are just a nuisance if they don't go all the way. Either make it The Sims: Post-Apocalyptica with potty breaks, need to shower, etc. or leave them out.

 

There's also the issue of needing to eat/sleep/drink to make it "more realistic", yet on the other hand one needs to shoot multiple bullets into someone's head to kill.

[WorstUsernameEver]

I don't think hardcore mode is made to make the game more realistic, but rather to enhance the survivalist feeling.

Granted, I perfectly understand why some people hate it, but I liked S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and Fallout Wanderer's Edition so I personally am happy that they chose to introduce it.

 

IIRC Sawyer said that they made hardcore mode because he likes to play the game that way, lol.

 

[Mirage]

I think that in an interview with the sound director of Obsidian he talked about things like the themes subtly changing depending on your reputation with the community you're visiting and things like that, and I'd be interested in seeing how they pull it off in-game.

I also suspect that I'll end up using the radio of the Pipboy as a soundtrack most of the time.

 

 

That is interesting, and yeah if the DJ had more lines it would compensate for a poor soundtrack, I guess. As long as the DJ's lines were better written Bethesda's version, that is.

[WorstUsernameEver]

That is interesting, and yeah if the DJ had more lines it would compensate for a poor soundtrack, I guess. As long as the DJ's lines were better written Bethesda's version, that is.

 

Obsidian at its worst can't come with writing as bad as Bethesda as its best.

For all their flaws, Obsidian still has few rivals in that department.

[entrerix]

so long as hardcore mode feels like its adding to the experience and not just being a stupid meter you have to watch constantly then it should be good. I think its a very fine line to walk though......

 

in my mods I made stimpacks heal only 1hp, food was the main source of healing but food had far more radiation in it so you actually had to watch your rad levels, it made the game more immersive for me.

[HoonDing]

Obsidian at its worst can't come with writing as bad as Bethesda as its best.

For all their flaws, Obsidian still has few rivals in that department.

Did Obsidian remove the 100 character limit in the engine?

 

Bethesda dialogue: "I'm looking for my dad, middle-aged guy. Have you seen him?"

 

Super-awesome enhanced Obsidian dialogue: "I'm looking for my father, who is a middle-aged man. Have you by any chance seen him?"

[WorstUsernameEver]

Obsidian at its worst can't come with writing as bad as Bethesda as its best.

For all their flaws, Obsidian still has few rivals in that department.

Did Obsidian remove the 100 character limit in the engine?

 

Bethesda dialogue: "I'm looking for my dad, middle-aged guy. Have you seen him?"

 

Super-awesome enhanced Obsidian dialogue: "I'm looking for my father, who is a middle-aged man. Have you by any chance seen him?"

 

A reference to the Pip boy on his wrist could have easily made that dialogue more plausible. Also, you don't really need long-winded responses to make dialogue decent.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Inside the Vault : Obsidian's Jason Fader

[HoonDing]

In hindsight, Bethesda should've stuck to their wiki-style "keyword" dialogue system. There was really no reason to change it, only to flaunt with thousand-and-one [skillChecks] and give the illusion that skill choices actually mattered.

 

They could've even tried to be revolutionary, and introduced a wiki-style dialogue wheel, enabling one to ask every single NPC about "Dad", "Capital Wasteland", "Brotherhood of Steel", "Enclave" and "Vault".

[entrerix]

"I saw a Vault once, disgusting creatures"

Edited August 4, 2010 by entrerix

[Pop]

There's also the issue of needing to eat/sleep/drink to make it "more realistic", yet on the other hand one needs to shoot multiple bullets into someone's head to kill.

Remember Fallout where you could shoot someone in the eyes and most of the time it wouldn't automatically drastically incapacitate or kill them?

 

That game sure was bull****.

[Thorton_AP]

I'm surprised adding options isn't a bigger selling point in game design. Seems like a good way to increase the potential sales of a game without watering down the experience.

 

 

Options increase the amount of work. Often without actually increasing any of the content or other metrics used to determine "value" for a game.

 

It won't water down any games, but it also means that you're compromising other aspects of the game in order to implement those options.

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

I'm wondering, how does health work in Hardcore? Because if I still need to empty 150 machine guns rounds into a super mutant's head to kill him, and anyone needs to empty a dozen clips on the player to kill him, that pretty much breaks the hardcore difficulty.

 

I'm thinking it should be like FEAR's difficulty: guns get more lethal, so you can kill enemies easily if you aim right (and cripple them faster) and they can kill you easily if they aim right. I hated how in FO3's endgame I was only a giant tank on legs and so were my enemies. Of course, some creatures can take a lot of punishment, like a giant armored radscorpion and I'm guessing super mutants or enemies with power armor or metal plates could take more punishment as well, maybe even have the armor plates reflect bullets so you'd have to hit them where they're not protected (think super mutant brutes with their horned metallic helmets and shoulderpads).

[Pop]

Josh isn't an idiot, you know.

[J.E. Sawyer]

Hardcore Mode does not affect damage done or received.

[Tale]

I'm really looking forward to hardcore mode. Novelty alone. I haven't played a game that needed that since. I can't remember it at all.

[Mirage]

That is interesting, and yeah if the DJ had more lines it would compensate for a poor soundtrack, I guess. As long as the DJ's lines were better written Bethesda's version, that is.

 

Obsidian at its worst can't come with writing as bad as Bethesda as its best.

For all their flaws, Obsidian still has few rivals in that department.

 

Good point. My fervent hope is that NV, despite its probable combat flaws, is a game I keep coming back to because of the story/characters/well-defined setting. I like the premise of NV, that combined with Obsidian's pedigree makes me less weary. I'm just wondering if it will be among the greats. I, of course, hope so.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Mirage

[WILL THE ALMIGHTY]

Hardcore Mode does not affect damage done or received.

Well, is there any hope for a revamp of the difficulties?

[Wombat]

Hardcore Mode does not affect damage done or received.

Well, is there any hope for a revamp of the difficulties?

If other factors remained exactly same, you would be in trouble with hardcore mode of FO:NV. However, information so far tells it is unlikely to be the case.

 

The problem is that we haven't seen how things work in FO:NV, which is, indeed, based on the same engine but with some additions and tweaks such as twice as many weapons, re-grouped skill system, damage thresholds and weapon modification system. Nowadays, Sawyer won't give us detailed answers (I'm not blaming). So, I guess it would be suitable for us to come back after we have our hands on it since things are very unlikely to be changed in this stage of development, i.e. bug-fixing phase.

[Slowtrain]

Even if hardcore mode doesn't change damage received/damage dealt vs non-HC mode, the change to the stimpack healing mechanic (over time vs instant) which I believe IS part of HC mode, will make a pretty big difference to how combat plays out.

 

I'm curious if the AI is also affected by the healing mechanic change of HC vs non-HC mode.

Edited August 5, 2010 by Slowtrain

[Mikhailian]

In case any of you missed Mr. Sawyer's comment on the bethboards yesterday:

 

"Hardcore Mode inherently discourages Fast Travel as a solution to dehydration/starvation/sleep deprivation because Fast Travel takes time. In Hardcore Mode, time = all your Hardcore meters keep increasing. And the time it takes is based on your speed, so if you're wearing heavy armor and have both your legs crippled, it will take that much longer. That's not to say you can't do it, but there is a cost associated with it. In some cases you will be better off looking around for supplies in the immediate vicinity. In other cases, Fast Travel to a nearby supply depot/bed will be the best solution."

[WorstUsernameEver]

In case any of you missed Mr. Sawyer's comment on the bethboards yesterday:

 

"Hardcore Mode inherently discourages Fast Travel as a solution to dehydration/starvation/sleep deprivation because Fast Travel takes time. In Hardcore Mode, time = all your Hardcore meters keep increasing. And the time it takes is based on your speed, so if you're wearing heavy armor and have both your legs crippled, it will take that much longer. That's not to say you can't do it, but there is a cost associated with it. In some cases you will be better off looking around for supplies in the immediate vicinity. In other cases, Fast Travel to a nearby supply depot/bed will be the best solution."

 

Interesting. It seems like they've put a lot of thought in Hardcore Mode.

[Tale]

Thanks Mikhail.

[Mikhailian]

No prob. The more I hear about it, the more I seem to like it. Sawyer definitely seems to have a positive preoccupation with systems.