More Fallout 3 details than you can shake a nuke at

by Kyle Orland { Jul 1st 2007 at 8:01AM }

There were so many great tidbits revealed at Bethesda's Fallout 3 press event that we couldn't fit them all into the basic overview. For you obsessive fans, here are some more notes on what the game will, won't and might include:

The game takes place 30 years after the events Fallout 2. The events of the much-maligned Fallout: Brotherhood and Fallout: Tactics never happened in the universe of Fallout 3.
The game will feature a day/night cycle and changing weather.
There will be 21 collectible bobbleheads hidden throughout the game for Easter egg lovers.
The game will feature 20 licensed songs from the '40s that will be played through radio stations accessible via your on-arm PIP-Boy and radios peppered throughout the game world.
There will be no drivable vehicles in the game, but you can travel between locations through subway tunnels.
There are children in the game, but the team isn't sure yet if they will be killable as they were in the previous Fallout games.
The game will have no multiplayer mode and no demo is currently planned.
Downloadable content and player-created mods are being considered, but nothing has been finalized.
The game will feature nine to 12 endings based on how you've played it.
The game's version of Washington D.C. will include iconic landmarks and the general topography of the real city, but will not be a street-by-street recreation. The downtown area represents about one quarter of the in-game map.
There will be fewer non-player characters in Fallout 3 than in Oblivion, owing to the game's post-apocalyptic setting. Almost all the NPCs will be killable.
You'll be able to hire mercenaries to aid you as in the first Fallout game. You won't have much direct control over them.
Among other statistics, the demo's loading screens contained a mysterious metric of "corpses eaten." "We're not talking about that stuff," Executive Producer Todd Howard said when asked about the stat.

Also see: Joystiq First Look: Fallout 3

Tags: bethesda, fallout, fallout 3, Fallout3, nuclear, Oblivion, post-apocalyptic

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Savok @ Jul 1st 2007 8:39AM

No cars? Considering they're inferring you never leave the city limits, I can understand why, but then why the hell aren't we ever leaving the city limits?

Moe @ Jul 1st 2007 8:46AM

Will there be a Wii version?

daniel @ Jul 1st 2007 8:52AM

wait so.. does that mean a quarter of the game map is gonna be some downtown place? Does that mean there won't be any desert trekking? No random/special encounters?

miles foreman @ Jul 1st 2007 9:10AM

What's the point of V.A.T.S? If you can aim and fight in real time, what does V.A.T.S. do that I can't do for myself already? Is it like playing Max Payne without the bulletime or something?

ncxcstud @ Jul 1st 2007 9:24AM

Moe -

No.

Moe @ Jul 1st 2007 9:41AM

Shit the Wii is doomed.

babylon5 @ Jul 1st 2007 9:50AM

"20 licensed songs from the '40s"

60 years since and still collecting royalties for those songs ?

RIAA sure knows how to make money :)

BTW, the post-apocalyptic setting looks cool...

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 10:37AM

Each bit of info sounds worse and worse.

Continue the rape of the franchise Bethesda!

If your Intelligent you will ignore this game, and play something else. Beth cares nothing for the fans of its game, there only after the bottom line. And sure they are a company, but frankly that's not a company I think we as gamers should support. When a fanbase is totally ignored for one game, do you think they will listen to the fanbase when its a game you have followed for years?

klyech @ Jul 1st 2007 11:02AM

Fallout wasn't even as good as these preachers make it out to be and I don't see it being all that difficult for beth to top it.

The funny thing is that hating on the game will still be the "cool" thing to do even if the game is 10x better than the original.

Screw the retard fanboys beth, throw some mudcrabs in the game.

miles foreman @ Jul 1st 2007 11:07AM

RE: klyech

Well, you're who the game is being marketed for, so never fear.

Maybe you can throw some more insults in your next post and show us how mature you really are.

Cykeo @ Jul 1st 2007 11:12AM

@Ralod

Sorry, did you say something? I heard nothing but a high-pitched whining noise. Better check your levels.

el tonot @ Jul 1st 2007 11:14AM

Wow, this game sure is getting alot of coverage a good 15 months or so before its launch. This almost reminded of the coverage Final Fantasy 7 got here in the US back in early 06 even though the game didn't come out until Sept. 07!!!!

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 11:16AM

@9

Yeah bro, eating corpses is awesome *Headbutt*

Your right I was totally being a douche, expecting a RPG to be an RPG instead of a FPS. I was so out of line.

Woohoo!! Mudcrabs in the desert, ur teh smurt!

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 11:18AM

@11

I am sorry, you must be retarded and unable to read. They have classes for that. Don't worry you can still get your GED even if your are a 1000 pound cheeto covered asshole.

miles foreman @ Jul 1st 2007 11:19AM

RE: Ralod

Man, don't sink to their level...

rellik_san @ Jul 1st 2007 11:26AM

Ralod... surely Eldar Scrolls, System Shock and Deus Ex prove you can have a first person perspective RPG, its not always about ATB's and top down views, the experience is about being able to make your choices and progression through the game. Also, from what I can gather, they are staying true to the fans of the original. It seems very close to the pen and paper game I remember playing as a kid. :)

Klyech Fall Out wasn't heralded for being a good or bad game, it was heralded for being the most open ended free form roleplaying experience of the time. In fact it still is today, Baldurs Gate 1+2 seem positively linear by comparison. As for the retarded fan boys, well as I said, I played the pen and paper game, if they fail to do it justice well... how would you feel if Uwe Boll announced he was directing the film of your favourite game?

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 11:44AM

@rellik

I am a huge fan of system shock(s), and the first Deus ex was a good game. Daggerfall was also a wonderful game(Morrowind and Oblivion were disappointments however).

But here is the thing, those games were FPS from the start. They were made with shooter built in and were pretty fun. With fallout there taking an established series, and changing it from a RPG to a shooter with RPG elements.

And the fact they have totally ignored the fans of the game from the get go does not help much. If this was change to Fallout: A post nuke first person shooter adventure or whatever I could live with it. However it is Fallout 3, and yet ignores everything that came before it. That's why I have a problem with it.

When Beth stops ignoring the fans then maybe I will give the game a chance, and even then it will take a lot. This could be a game I would accept but there needs to be some changes, Hand held catapults and corpse eating, oh and toilet drinking are chief among them.

linex7 @ Jul 1st 2007 11:51AM

Perhaps a few of you guys should check out the July issue of Game Informer. The article in there explains how they are keeping it from being a first person shooter by the way they have implemented VATS.

Goober @ Jul 1st 2007 11:54AM

Personally glad there aren't any cars. Vehicles have fucked sequels to many of my favorite games (Unreal Tournament). I'm also encouraged by Bethesda doing the sequel. I really haven't had a problem with most of their other games.

rellik_san @ Jul 1st 2007 11:59AM

Ralod, you also have to bare in mind in the few years since the Fall Out games though, that the audience for gamers has increased and sadly it does now include a lot of apes, it would be all well and good if Bathesda Softworks could stay true to the original material and continue on with the storyline already set. But how many copies do you think that game will sell. Its not nice to admit it, but FPS, with a franchise so unknown to the post playstation gamers is the only way to ensure significant sales on all formats. If it was a PC exclusive title, then I'm sure we'd get the game we all know and love updated and made much better.

I understand what your saying about Deus Ex and System Shock, that yes, for a large part they are FPS's that had roleplaying attached to them. But apart from Biowares work, they are the most successful PC RPG's of all time. In the end, the game could be good the game could be bad, I don't know, all I know is, they are trying to add something to a game that had became stagnant with time and that the fans of it should keep an open mind, until I get to a play a Demo of it, I'm going to reserve overall judgment on the issue. After all how many people thought games like Mario Sunshine and C&C Generals would suck because they weren't true to the source (be it game play or stylisation)and they turned out to be very good games.

Eric @ Jul 1st 2007 12:13PM

@1 - Because you're trying to find your father and he's in the city.

@3 - I'm sure there will be plenty of random/special encounters and there's nothing saying some of the city couldn't have turned to desert. Look at the gallery above...the last picture looks very desert/wasteland-ish to me.

@4 - My guess is if ammo is very limited there may be several situations where every shot counts and you'd want to plan it out precisely using VATS.

@8 - I couldn't disagree more and anyone who has played Oblivion will likely disagree as well. Bethesda puts more care and details in games than most other studios. If Bethesda wasn't doing this game, then if flat-out wouldn't get made, and there's no other studio I'd want to have their hands on this franchise. Yeah it won't be an exact replica of the originals, but it can't be. Bethesda can't make this game for only people who played the original. That was 10 friggin' years ago.

Overall I think the game sounds great. Oblivion is an outstanding game and had a wonderful feel to it and if Bethesda can capture the feel of Fallout this one could be very special.

CaptBlackheart @ Jul 1st 2007 12:22PM

Oblivion was a huge disappointment for me after all the hype it got. I don't know how you can laud a developer that produces such a linear experience that just about everyone you know who has played it to completion will have had a nearly identical experience. Hey you saved Martin Septim? So did I!

Part of the fun of Fallout was talking to people and finding out how they got different endings for different locations. What triggers they set off and so forth.

Anyways, positive note about these new bits: cannibalism, yay. Much needed in the post apoc environment.

Why do the companions keep being mentioned as "mercenaries" ? Does that mean the only followers you'll have in the game are meat shield hires like in Oblivion? The companions in Fallout joined you because you talked/inspired them into it, they were never hired guns.

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 12:25PM

@18

Most of the combat is in real time. VATS is used like a super powered bullet time. So your shooting it out, hit the vats button and queue up a few shots. game un-pauses takes your shots. If the bad guy didn't die you keep fighting in real time.

It is a shooter with a pause superpower that recharges over time. The GI article does a poor job of describing how the system works, try reading one of the other previews out now for a better description.

miles foreman @ Jul 1st 2007 12:29PM

RE: CaptBlackheart

You had to pay Ian 100 (or 200 if he didn't like you) caps if you couldn't convince him to do it for free.

Most of the NPCs save for Dogmeat and maybe Vic and Sulik followed you for their own agenda, not the player's.

I also don't understand all the praise surrounding Oblivion. Once you get past the graphics it was a pretty boring game. I did like the Dark Brotherhood and a few other sidequests though.

Blackheart @ Jul 1st 2007 12:34PM

Yeah Miles, but Ian getting 100 from you to start and later on being open to dialog/instructions is a FarCry from Oblivion's followers. It doesn't sound like there is any kind of cover system or companion commands so with their sorry excuse for AI it's probably a good idea for us not to get attached to any of the follower NPCs.

Eric @ Jul 1st 2007 12:36PM

Agree that the main storyline in Oblivion was liniar, but that doesn't mean you have to play it that way and it certainly doesn't mean Fallout will be as liniar of a main story. Joystiq's points above show there's 9-12 endings.

Blackheart @ Jul 1st 2007 12:45PM

Even the guild quests were linear and nothing you did had any impact on the world. Even as a guild master you were stuck as an errand boy mostly everywhere. They definitely went quantity over quality on the quest design there. But yes, like you said, if everything they're marketing is to be believed Fallout 3 will be a completely different experience.

Mrhorseshoe @ Jul 1st 2007 12:54PM

I'm a longtime hardcore fan of Fallout 1+2 and I'm extremely happy and thankful that the franchise is in the capable hands of Bethesda. The world of Fallout has never looked better.

Savok @ Jul 1st 2007 1:04PM

"Because you're trying to find your father and he's in the city."

That's super, I don't care about the excuse they've worked into the plot, I care about not being able to jump in my glitch-ridden car and go screaming across post-apocalyptic America praying my trunk hasn't disappear when I get there.

Two further nitpicks, wasn't the Vault for Washington DC meant to be Vault 0? Also why isn't the Vault Suit a skin tight leotard? That was an artistic decision from Fallout 1, showing just how out of place Vault Dwellers were in the new world. Why change it now?

More I look at this game, the more it seems to be an elaborate version of STALKER...

Hello @ Jul 1st 2007 1:57PM

Holy crap Fallout fans are whiny and annoying.

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 2:00PM

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Vault

That's the known vaults and there numbers.

Vault 0 was the test vault, the one used in FO:Tactics. It was in Colorado.

http://fallout.wikia.com/wiki/Vault_0

It is not really considered cannon however.

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 2:02PM

@30

Holy Crap! So are you!

lol @ Jul 1st 2007 2:12PM

I'm the biggest Fallout fan ever and Bethesda are rape my favorite gaem and are trying their best to appease all my whiny Fallout fanboy friends and me but ITS NOT ENOUGH OMG! KEEPING TURN BASED COMBAT AND ISOMETRIC VIEW WILL PLEASE ME? NO THANK YOU BETHESDA! If you are intelligent you will ignore this game because Bethesda is an evil company trying to make a game that the majority will like (THOSE BASTARDS). OBLIVION WITH GUNS! OBLIVION WITH GUNS!
BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

*Headbutt*

Viridium @ Jul 1st 2007 2:15PM

I'm a fan of Fallout. I still own the first two games, I've played them through many times.

I'm still excited by Fallout 3 and what Bethesda is doing.

Ralod, I find it incredibly ironic that in your first post you said "If your Intelligent you will ignore this game, and play something else"; although I guess there is a difference between intelligent and educated. Unfortunately, I feel your later posts destroyed any potential credibility of either.

You're not even debating the points, you're just automatically gainsaying whatever someone else posts in disagreement with you.

Sesur @ Jul 1st 2007 2:28PM

Jesus, Ralod... just don't play it then. It's not like like they're going to rape every disc of F1 and F2! I still contend that if you can't appreciate another Fallout that might have never been made, you're not a very big fan.

Ralod @ Jul 1st 2007 2:43PM

@34

Thanks for insulting my intelligence I love you too.

The points have been debated over and over at this point. Every intelligent post is answered by 3 mindless fanboy trolls. I am tired of taking the high ground.

But to refute your claim, make some points and I will argue them for you. There have been no points in this set of comments however, there has been a few people saying there mildly interested in the game, those who are disappointed in it, and people insulting fallout fans for no reason I can tell. I am sorry If I am just tired of being insulted and not fighting back.

rubaiyat @ Jul 1st 2007 2:54PM

I don't know why they would bother to have iconic landmarks. Why would any of them have survived?

That's my main problem with this supposed post-apocalyptic setting as shown by the concept art. Other than some rubble and griminess and the occasional hole in a wall, it doesn't honestly look like an atomic exchange took place + 40-50 years of decay/scavenging following it.

Chainblast @ Jul 1st 2007 2:56PM

"Beth cares nothing for the fans of its game, there only after the bottom line."

Oh no it's Battlestar Galactica all over again. :|

Eric @ Jul 1st 2007 2:57PM

Think all the die-hard Fallout fans that aren't happy based on what the previews are saying should hang tight and wait for Bethesda to SHOW you what the game is like. If this is as far along as Gamespot makes it sound, there's a fair chance we'll get some in-game footage in a couple weeks from E3.

Justin B @ Jul 1st 2007 3:01PM

First they develop the worst game ever made (Oblivion) then they go ahead and destroy a beloved franchise (Fallout). If they're not stopped soon one day you'll come home to find your family raped and murdered.

Michael @ Jul 1st 2007 3:03PM

Since little is known about the new Fallout and it is still at least a year away, this whole debate is useless beyond belief. Wait until the game comes out, or at least a bit more info is known, before you judge it. But I shall make sure that at least one good thing comes out of this discussion.

RALOD:

There -- means a place. As in, "I'm going over there." Not to be confused with...

Their -- means something that belongs to someone. As in "this is their game."

These are two separate words with two separate meanings, not to be interchanged. ALSO:

Your -- indicates possession. As in "this is your game."

You're -- a contraction of "you are." As in "if you're intelligent..."

Again, two separate words, two separate meanings.

There you go. Now this thread has actually had some value beyond pointless debate and idle speculation.

Ian70 @ Jul 1st 2007 3:11PM

After seeing a pic in Game Informer of a guy's head exploding and the news here that children will be in the game (presumably killable), I wonder if after the the Manhunt 2 controversy that the ESRB will more readily hand out an AO rating to this and other games in the future? The Fallout series has always been known for its mature subject matter, and I wonder if from what I've seen and read so far that the ESRB might be more inclined to give this game an AO.

Ken @ Jul 1st 2007 3:20PM

Been playing Fallout 2 for the past few days.

I just can't seem to make a character I like. Either I can't talk for shit, or I can't shoot for shit!

Decisions decisions!

warrenEBB @ Jul 1st 2007 5:03PM

I care nothing about the fans of the original game and wish they would all shut the hell up.

Thranx @ Jul 1st 2007 5:13PM

Fans are too narrow a market to devote a game to. It's a sad fact, but that is always the case. Game based on an IP are never focused so much on staying true to the IP as they are making money.

Money makes the world go round... even the virtual ones, so even though it may pain me to see oblivion re-skinned into the environment of my favorite series of games ever made... I'll still buy it, and I'll probably still love it. It just won't be the way Fallout 1&2 were... and nothing probably ever will be.

muppetmeth @ Jul 1st 2007 5:32PM

Whine whine, bitch bitch.

Looks good to me.

Rare Hare @ Jul 1st 2007 5:39PM

God bless, guys. Give it a rest, would you? You're being unreasonable.

I'm trying to put myself in the shoes of Fallout fans, by picturing Bethesda taking over the creation of Diablo 3 (the Diablo series being my favorite games ever). I understand the uneasiness, but what I don't get is the unwillingness to just give the game a try.

If Bethesda announced that they were going to make Diablo 3, I'd be excited. I'd be a little saddened by the fact that the gameplay that made me love the Diablo franchise would be no more, but I'd be ready and willing to experience a different take on a world I'm fascinated by.

Fallout fans: just give it a chance. What could it hurt?