Joystiq interview: Bethesda's Todd Howard on Fallout 3
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Jul 21st 2008 at 7:30AM }
Here's the meat and bones from our time with Bethesda's Todd Howard, and you can listen to the full audio interview below. After the break, find out some tidbits like the size of the world, how many radio stations are in the game, and why you won't be dual-wielding or buying horse armor. Oh, and be sure to pay attention to the exploding pants achievement.
- Fallout 1 and 2 both contained a lot of humor... but will Fallout 3 have any? Yes. Although they won't be breaking the fourth wall like the other games did.
- What's the exploding pants achievement? You can sneak up to unsuspecting mutants and drop a grenade in their pants. Why isn't this in other games?
- Interplay worked on this game for a long time, did Bethesda end up keeping anything? No. However, they did have a playable build of the original F3, which you can find here in all its bug-laden glory.
- Interplay is developing the MMO, and Bethesda has approval over everything. It's a strange reversal of licenses and fortunes.
- Find out why some of the elements are very reminiscent of BioShock, which Todd Howard calls "Easily one of the best games of the last five years." The short answer is that "a lot of today's gamers weren't alive when Fallout first came out and contained in-game vending machines.
- How quickly did Bethesda decide to use the Oblivion engine? "Instantly." To Bethesda, this is a great tool for building really huge games both now and in the future.
- How big is the world of Fallout 3? They aren't even sure. Right now it's "almost as big as Oblivion... we haven't measured it."
- However, as big as the game is, you won't using any sort of transports to get around. At least Oblivion gave you horses (with armor!) to help pass the time.
- Will this game appease Oblivion fans? "If they're mainly into swords and elves, I don't think they'll like it."
- When the Bethesda folks finish a game, they have a contest to see who can run through all the main quests in the fastest time. The winner gets a pie of their choosing. Can we instigate this policy at Joystiq?
- They considered doing dual-wielding, but the trouble is that you have to then add two animations, one for each weapon. It might make an appearance in their next game.
- Did they think about calling it something besides Fallout 3? Like, Fallout: Origins? They did, but Howard is "not a fan of that... I like Halo 1, Halo 2, Halo 3. It didn't hurt Grand Theft Auto 3, did it?"
- How many in-game radio stations do they have? "I don't know!" There are two main ones, the station with Malcolm McDowell as the President saying "all is well" and so on, and the other station that plays music from the 40s, and has a dj that you can actually meet and do quests for.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Cide @ Jul 21st 2008 7:33AM
The audio levels on that interview are way too low.
Xoviet chiK @ Jul 21st 2008 7:41AM
"a lot of today's gamers weren't alive when Fallout first came out and contained in-game vending machines."
Fallout came out in 1997 / 11 years ago. I don't think post-Fallout babies will be playing much Fallout 3, considering it's rated M, prominently features gore-splosions, and encourages you to drop grenades down the pants of your enemies.
a-train @ Jul 21st 2008 8:14AM
The Original Fallout did come out 11 years ago. How many 7 year olds do you think were playing it?
Use your thinking cap lady!
Mike M. @ Jul 21st 2008 1:15PM
I didn't realize gamers didn't come alive until they were more than seven years old.
Kamizar @ Jul 21st 2008 7:59AM
There was no "Halo," it started with "Halo: Combat Evolved"...
Pedobear @ Jul 21st 2008 8:01AM
I wasn't looking forward to this originally, but being an Elder Scrolls fan and after seeing the E3 demo, this game is definitely a day 1 purchase for me.
Mikeymike @ Jul 21st 2008 12:33PM
Suuuuuure it is
Sturek @ Jul 21st 2008 8:25AM
I get the feeling that Fallout 3 is not for me. I did not enjoy Oblivion (liked Morrowind up to the point where I lost track of my quests and where the hell I was) and what I liked best about the original Fallouts was turn-based combat. I think Kevin hit the nail on the head when he said that F3 is just Oblivion with a skin slapped on it. Maybe it will have great atmosphere and story and I will play it for that, but Bethesda have to prove that they are good at that sorta thing first.
PS: No, I'm not from NMA, thank you very much. I just like old-school western RPGs and turn-based combat.
AwesomeTown @ Jul 21st 2008 8:36AM
Was pretty much obsessed about this game beforehand, but after seeing the gameplay demos, I'm even more excited. It may not be like the other two, but it looks like a hell of a lot of fun.
aacman007 @ Jul 21st 2008 10:56AM
May God guide my grenade into the pants of my enemies.
Joystick Hero @ Jul 21st 2008 11:11AM
[Brother Maynard:] Armaments, chapter two, verses nine through twenty-one.
[Cleric:] [reading] And Saint Attila raised the hand grenade up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this thy hand grenade, that with it thou mayst blow thine enemies to tiny bits, in thy mercy." And the Lord did grin. And the people did feast upon the lambs and sloths, and carp and anchovies, and orangutans and breakfast cereals, and fruit-bats and large chu...
[Brother Maynard:] Skip a bit, Brother...
[Cleric:] And the Lord spake, saying, "First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in my sight, shall snuff it.
ogvor @ Jul 21st 2008 11:52AM
As if I needed another reason to look forward to this game, the exploding pants discription by Todd sold me.
ThornedVenom (Harley Quinn Defense Force) @ Jul 21st 2008 1:39PM
Those glasses freak me out.
zaglis @ Jul 21st 2008 3:19PM
Bring back DJ Atomica
j/k DONT DO IT
Saria the Cat @ Jul 21st 2008 4:39PM
*explodes with glee*
The Typist @ Sep 10th 2008 6:44PM
Todd needs to learn something about,"sticking to originality." You're suppost to give the fans what they wanted; Fallout 3 within it's own universe, playstyle, combat system and cynical text. Todd has disowned the Fallout community by declaring doing it his own way throwing the unfinshed Van Buren. Makes you sick when big wigs destroy classics.