102: Gaming's Fringe Cults
- Thread starter The Escapist Staff
- Start date
I'm surprised this forum hasn't erupted again into an argument over just what and how the new Fallout should be made. I had a number of questions for the people Joe Blancato interviewed. Hopefully they will be dropping by here or Joe can answer some of them?
I'd be curious how the moderators and admins of No Mutants Allowed would go about re-creating the original Fallout experience. The experience is so much more than just the actual design elements of the game. When I played the game it blew me away, it did. But I am no longer the person I once was, so much of that experience was who I was then, what my expectations were from a game and what the general game market was. All these can never be recaptured by another game, ever. You could re-make the game, using the same script, voices and design system, just a shiny new exterior, and I don't believe the game would do well. The industry has moved on, the field is more varied... How would they deal with the console market, the hard-core, and casual markets, etc?
I'm not looking to start a flame war I'd just like to see how they would meet these challenges. Moving on, I was excited to see that there was a Freespace MOD community that I had no idea about. I greatly miss the long dead space fighter sim. Freespace 2 was very much it's swan song. That fact that Volition opened it up to amateurs and that vibrant community has sprung up around it warms my heart, plus I'm dowloading it now from the site mentioned!
I'd be curious how the moderators and admins of No Mutants Allowed would go about re-creating the original Fallout experience. The experience is so much more than just the actual design elements of the game. When I played the game it blew me away, it did. But I am no longer the person I once was, so much of that experience was who I was then, what my expectations were from a game and what the general game market was. All these can never be recaptured by another game, ever. You could re-make the game, using the same script, voices and design system, just a shiny new exterior, and I don't believe the game would do well. The industry has moved on, the field is more varied... How would they deal with the console market, the hard-core, and casual markets, etc?
I'm not looking to start a flame war I'd just like to see how they would meet these challenges. Moving on, I was excited to see that there was a Freespace MOD community that I had no idea about. I greatly miss the long dead space fighter sim. Freespace 2 was very much it's swan song. That fact that Volition opened it up to amateurs and that vibrant community has sprung up around it warms my heart, plus I'm dowloading it now from the site mentioned!
Believe it or not, the guys at NMA are apparently pleased with Joe's story, and have agreed to not cripple our forums in the name of all that is holy and right. I'm more than a little displeased by this.
I'm sure, though, Joe can hook you up with some answers when he gets back to the office tomorrow.
I'm sure, though, Joe can hook you up with some answers when he gets back to the office tomorrow.
Thanks to Joe and the gentlemen (women?) at NMA for the responses!. I didn't think that the folks at NMA wanted a complete re-hash of the game but I wanted to be sure. As Brother None said it would be an exercise in futility, both the players and the market and industry are too different. I agree with the statement that FO and PS:T were flukes made possible by the state of the industry of the time. I also agree that with the major publishers and design houses such a state coming about is not going to happen. Perhaps a smaller publisher or a indie house might be able to put something like it out.
For myself, I would accept any game steeped in the mythos created by the first and second games. The problem with this though is that I don't know how much mythos is actually there. My impression then and when I play again today is that the game paints on a very large canvas and its all mostly background and line work, the player's imagination filled in the rest. Designers can't use what is only in the individual gamer's head. It seems like Fallout is largely a lose-lose situation.
In response to Sander's comments, What were the primary design goals of the original game? How do designers re-create feel? How much different can a game be from it's original when you want it to still have the same combat system and viewpoint? I don't think 3rd person view was an original primary design goal. It was more a constraint of the systems at the time, a compromise between designers ideals and technology.
Just throwing some thoughts out there. Thank you guys for your responses. I hope to keep the discussion going here.
For myself, I would accept any game steeped in the mythos created by the first and second games. The problem with this though is that I don't know how much mythos is actually there. My impression then and when I play again today is that the game paints on a very large canvas and its all mostly background and line work, the player's imagination filled in the rest. Designers can't use what is only in the individual gamer's head. It seems like Fallout is largely a lose-lose situation.
In response to Sander's comments, What were the primary design goals of the original game? How do designers re-create feel? How much different can a game be from it's original when you want it to still have the same combat system and viewpoint? I don't think 3rd person view was an original primary design goal. It was more a constraint of the systems at the time, a compromise between designers ideals and technology.
Just throwing some thoughts out there. Thank you guys for your responses. I hope to keep the discussion going here.
I have some mutagen lying around...if all else fails, we can always pour goop down on all bethesda employees.
Or...toss them into 'the glow'.
Or...toss them into 'the glow'.