Topic: Fallout 3

[MysterD]

Amen, Que.

EDIT:
Megaton Quest -- Evil Path Results with Pictures

(click to show/hide)

I went to Megaton Ruins and found one survivor....Moira...

[MysterD]

FO3 GECK (SDK) announced for PC version and will be out in December.

Three DLC planned for 2009 for PC and X360.
One DLC planned for Jan 2009
Another DLC for Feb 2009
And a third one in March 2009

Bethesda Softworks Announces Creation Kit and
First Downloadable Content for Fallout 3

Editor to be Available in December; Downloadable Content coming for January, February, and March

November 25, 2008 (ROCKVILLE, MD) – Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, today announced plans to make both its editor and downloadable content available for its award-winning game, Fallout® 3 in the coming weeks. The official editor for Fallout 3, called the G.E.C.K. (Garden of Eden Creation Kit), will be available for free download in December and will allow Games for Windows® users to create and add their own content to the game. In addition, the first official downloadable content, Operation: Anchorage, will be available exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows® in January, and more downloadable content coming in February and March.

"We've always seen the original world of Fallout 3 as a foundation for even more content. Some created by us, and a lot more created by users," said Todd Howard, game director for Fallout 3. "It's fun to create your own character, but it can be equally fun to create your own adventures. We can't wait to see what the community does with the G.E.C.K."

The release of the G.E.C.K. provides the community with tools that will allow players to expand the game any way they wish. Users can create, modify, and edit any data for use with Fallout 3, from building landscapes, towns, and locations to writing dialogue, creating characters, weapons, creatures, and more.

Three downloadable content packs will be coming to Xbox 360 and Games for Windows Live starting in January that will add new quests, items, and content to Fallout 3.

    * Operation: Anchorage. Enter a military simulation and fight in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe – the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from its Chinese Communist invaders. An action-packed battle scheduled for release in January.

    * The Pitt. Journey to the industrial raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. Choose your side. Scheduled for release in February.

    * Broken Steel. Join the ranks of the Brotherhood of Steel and rid the Capital Wasteland of the Enclave remnants once and for all. Continues the adventure past the main quest. Scheduled for release in March.

Released on October 28 in North America and in Europe October 30, Fallout 3 has been hailed as one of the most anticipated games of 2008, and received a 10 out of 10 review score from Official Xbox Magazine, a result then repeated around the world with perfect scores by some of the industry's most influential and respected critics including: Gamespy, GamePro, UGO, the Associated Press, MSN, The Washington Post, Guardian, FHM, G4-TV, The Toronto Star, and Eurogamer. MSNBC's review offered the observation that it viewed "Fallout as a no-brainer for game of the year." The Daily Star in the UK echoed that conclusion, saying "You can hold all bets on game of the year – I think we have a winner."

Fallout 3 features one of the most realized game worlds ever created. Set more than 200 years following a nuclear war, you can create any kind of character you want and explore the open wastes of Washington, D.C. however you choose. Every minute is a fight for survival as you encounter Super Mutants, Ghouls, Raiders, and other dangers of the Wasteland.

Fallout® 3 has been rated Mature by the ESRB. For more information on Fallout 3, visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com and www.prepareforthefuture.com.

[Quemaqua]

Kick ass.  My wallet is ready.  Well, no it isn't... but I'll get it ready.

[MysterD]

Interview with voice-actor Wes Johnson -- who did some voice-work for Fawkes and Mr. Burke in FO3

[gpw11]

Wow.  Two of those don't even take place in the Capital Wasteland.  I wonder how big all three will be.

[MysterD]

All kinds of info on Fallout 3: Operation Anchorage DLC that's coming.

[Quemaqua]

Sounds awesome.  But will someone please tell me what the fuck "800 points" means for those of us who don't fucking live in fucking Microsoft fucking Land.

[idolminds]

800 points = $10

[Quemaqua]

Thank you.  And I know it's been pointed out before, but I don't generally care, so I'm going to take this opportunity to say: who the fuck had the brilliant idea of making ten bucks equal 800 points?  What the hell kind of arbitrary shit is that?  80 points is a dollar?  Why the hell isn't 100 points a dollar, or even 50?  I'd like to find the person responsible for that decision and jam a 360 into one of his eye sockets.

I know, I'm angsty today.  I had a long day, and BS like this just gets under my skin.

[idolminds]

Be thankful its a round number.

800 points is:

USD   $10.00
GBP   £6.80
EUR   €9.30
CAD   $12.79
AUD   $13.20
JPY   Y 1184
CHF   17.12 CHF
NOK   65.60 NOK

[gpw11]

Thank you.  And I know it's been pointed out before, but I don't generally care, so I'm going to take this opportunity to say: who the fuck had the brilliant idea of making ten bucks equal 800 points?  What the hell kind of arbitrary shit is that?  80 points is a dollar?  Why the hell isn't 100 points a dollar, or even 50?  I'd like to find the person responsible for that decision and jam a 360 into one of his eye sockets.

I know, I'm angsty today.  I had a long day, and BS like this just gets under my skin.

Marketing major most likely.  "I spent four years in university learning that arbitrary numbers make people feel like they're spending less.

[Quemaqua]

Oh, absolutely.  That's what pisses me off so much.

Sony's apparently the only company to get it right so far.

[Cobra951]

Hahahaha!  I don't know why I find your posts so entertaining today.  Yeah, it crossed my mind before that points should be pennies.  I can see why with an international market they might not want to simply use dollars.  (I'd say fuck everyone else, this is an American company, and we'll do the conversion math, but your account will be in dollars even if you live in Kamchatka.  But that's just me.)  A point being worth 1.25 cents makes sense to no one.  I think Nintendo does equate a penny and a point on the Wii, as it should be.

[Quemaqua]

Well, I'm glad I could be entertaining.  If I'd be anything by choice, it's useful.

And yeah, I think Nintendo's points thing is more accurate.  I know it's certainly more logical, no matter how you look at it.  Another thing that occurs to me, though, is you still have to "charge" your account with the Wii, don't you?  Same as 360?  Like buy amounts of points and then when you spend them you probably still have points still left sitting there because you didn't quite need all the ones you bought?  I really hope they've phased that out by now, but I can't recall.  That was another thing that made me happy about PSN.  Initially it was the same way, but then they changed it all to dollars and you could just buy whatever for the exact cost.  There is absolutely zero reason it shouldn't be this way from the consumer end.  The only people points systems and buying fake money help is the game company.  I don't understand why people don't see that and rebel.

[Cobra951]

Points are still sold in blocks, so yeah, there are always a few dollars that they get that you can't spend.  Multiply that by millions of people, and you can imagine the amount of money they get without earning a penny of it.  Buying exactly what you need for exactly what it costs in real currency--gee, what a concept!

Edit:  People as a whole are sheep.  They're not going to rebel.  It will take a lawsuit or some consumer-advocacy group lobbying Congess to get any changes.

[idolminds]

G.E.C.K. is out!

[MysterD]

G.E.C.K. is out!

Woohoo!!!

9 MB download here!

[gpw11]

Points are still sold in blocks, so yeah, there are always a few dollars that they get that you can't spend.  Multiply that by millions of people, and you can imagine the amount of money they get without earning a penny of it.  Buying exactly what you need for exactly what it costs in real currency--gee, what a concept!

Edit:  People as a whole are sheep.  They're not going to rebel.  It will take a lawsuit or some consumer-advocacy group lobbying Congess to get any changes.

I was reading an article in the economist a while ago (last year maybe), and there's a name for this lost money (that I totally can't remember).  Apparently with giftcards and everything it adds up to billions a year.

[Ghandi]

I was reading an article in the economist a while ago (last year maybe), and there's a name for this lost money (that I totally can't remember).  Apparently with giftcards and everything it adds up to billions a year.

Profit?

[Quemaqua]

Profit?

Nice.

[gpw11]

'Breakage'.  Interestingly enough, technically as the holder of a gift card you're an unsecured creditor.  What that means is...well, look - just give people cash.

[Ghandi]

I had a subscription to the economist last year and it ran out this summer. I really miss it. It's by far the most informative magazine out there as far as world affairs, and the issues are dense. The level of information that I receive on a weekly basis has dropped 10-fold since I've stopped reading it.

[Xessive]

I've never really appreciated or believed in gift cards. It's like "Happy burthday! Here's some money that you can only spend in this shop." Bummer.

The only gift cards I can approve of are spa packages. Here's a massage, enjoy.

Coming back to the GECK, I don't know if I'm motivated enough to make a few plugins for FO3.. I might fiddle around with it and see if anything worthwhile comes out.

[Quemaqua]

I don't have the time for learning how to do stuff for games.  I barely have enough time to play them.

[gpw11]

I had a subscription to the economist last year and it ran out this summer. I really miss it. It's by far the most informative magazine out there as far as world affairs, and the issues are dense. The level of information that I receive on a weekly basis has dropped 10-fold since I've stopped reading it.

Fully.  I've had a subscription for years (until recently because I got too lazy to renew it).  One of the best magazines out there and you fully get your money's worth.  It's hard to keep up with it at times.

The only gift cards I can approve of are spa packages. Here's a massage, enjoy.

Yeah, spa packages tend to be a bit different than most gift cards in that you're actually buying a specific good most of the time rather than deposit a variable amount.  "Here's a massage" vs. "here's some money on a card you can buy a bunch of different shit with at one store."

[MysterD]

Coming back to the GECK, I don't know if I'm motivated enough to make a few plugins for FO3.. I might fiddle around with it and see if anything worthwhile comes out.

I really hope the FO3 community embraces this and has fun making their own stuff with it. I'd really like to see a booming mod community for this game.

[MysterD]

FO3 DLC interview w/ BethSoft's Jeff Gardiner - he's the lead producer for all of the FO3 DLC.

UGO: Will players be allowed to play as their existing characters in the DLC? Since “Broken Steel” takes place after the main story, how will this be addressed? Will it work similarly to Shivering Isles, where the new quests simply get added to your Pipboy, or will you have to load up a brand new game?

Jeff Gardiner: Yes, all of our DLC drops right into an existing game.  Which is a double edged sword, or course, it requires a lot of testing and fine balance tuning on our part! 

In our third DLC, “Broken Steel,” we’ve come up with a way of allowing the player to continue on past the game ending… by changing it!

You will not have to load in a new game to play any of the DLC material – though you will have to finish the main quest to experience most of what “Broken Steel” has to offer.  That being said, we are raising the level cap, so even if you don’t complete the main quest you can experience the expanded content by leveling up past 20.

UGO: Are there any plans to produce a full-on expansion pack (akin to Shivering Isles) for Fallout 3?

Jeff Gardiner: There aren’t currently any plans, but you never know.

UGO: Can you speak to the addition of new perks, creatures, weapons or an increase in the level cap for the DLC? Any specifics?

Jeff Gardiner: I hate spoiling content by telling specifics, sorry!  All of the DLCs will feature new perks, creatures, armor and weaponry.  We’re mindful to ‘fill in the gaps’ in our current game.  OK, one specific – we’re including a scoped energy weapon.  Also beefing up our melee weapons, big guns… As for the level cap, that will be significantly increased in “Broken Steel.” Along with it will be a bevy of new creatures and perks!

UGO: Does all of the DLC take place in maps outside of the DC Wasteland? How will you handle long distance travel to, say, Pittsburgh?

Jeff Gardiner: While this is true for most of the DLC, they all have ‘hooks’ in the main game.  “Broken Steel” itself will largely alter the game world in spectacular ways, and as always through player decisions.  To get to Pittsburgh, the player will have to find an abandoned railroad…

UGO: How large is the map for Pittsburgh or Anchorage, in comparison to the overall size of the DC Wasteland?

Jeff Gardiner: It’s hard to quantify in those terms as neither the Pitt nor Operation: Anchorage are the same as an open wasteland.  Each features around 5 hours of gameplay depending on playstyle, and any of the weapons or armor found can be used throughout the rest of the game.

UGO: Will any new achievements be added for the downloadable content?

Jeff Gardiner: Yes!  Each DLC will have 100 points worth of Xbox Live achievements.

[PyroMenace]

Yea, Im late but I got it for christmas. Dont know if anyone else wants to keep talking about it but Im loving it so far. Im trying to go for more of a non-violent path. The only weapons skill im putting points into is small weapons, everything else is going into science, explosives, speech, repair and a little medicine. Im hoping I dont have to rely on fighting so much, otherwise I could be screwing myself.

As for my progression Ive done alot of the Megaton quests, did a cool quest in Arefu, and right now im doing a quest for Big Town, gotta rescue some peeps. Dont know how thats going to go but Im going to hire a merc for some help if I can fucking find Jericho in Megaton, the bastard disappeared. My ammo situation is okay at the moment but I can see that going downhill soon. My only hope for that is running into caravans.

[MysterD]

About Megaton, yeah -- we had a discussion before about how NPC's just go missing for whatever reason; whether they get stuck period, fall off a high area to drop to their death, or whatever their case might be.
You might want to take a look at it.

I think it starts with this post by Que on it.

[Quemaqua]

It's a damn shame, is what it is.  The game is *relatively* bug free on the whole, but that shit is a pretty major oversight.  I guess they still haven't fixed it?

[Cobra951]

Trouble in paradise?  I hadn't heard of a major bug like that.  This game is still at the top of my list, for whenever I have money to spend on frivolities again.  Should I bump it down a few notches?

[Pugnate]

I am still yet to play this. I am waiting for lower prices, while I play Psychonauts.

[PyroMenace]

It's a damn shame, is what it is.  The game is *relatively* bug free on the whole, but that shit is a pretty major oversight.  I guess they still haven't fixed it?

Yup, I managed to find Jericho actually, but Walter is gone. I looked everywhere for him and he just disappeared. I thought maybe one of the other towns people had done something to him because I spotted I think Ian was going in the water plant during the night. But talking to him didnt reveal anything. So yea, I guess no more trading in scrap metal for me.

[Quemaqua]

Don't worry.  Walter is ultimately a super-unimportant character.  If he's all you lost, you aren't missing jack.  There's even another place to turn in scrap that you might find later, heh.

I really wish they'd address this, because as far as I'm concerned, it's the only thing keeping the game from being nearly perfect.  There's that and the sometimes shitty pathfinding, which has on a couple of occasions given me some annoyance.  Other than that, most anything you can throw at the game will be a nitpick at best.

And Cobra, I'd say no.  It's a shitty bug, but it doesn't seem to happen to everyone, and even if it does there's so much more of the game to try.  Unpredictability in this big a game is an unfortunate fact of life, and while I'm not sure why this bug wasn't caught, I haven't heard about much else going wrong, and my own 90+ hour experience, as I said before, had little more than a couple crashes and the one experience with the bug in question.  And that's basically it.

[PyroMenace]

Yea its not that of a big deal. I seemed to be doing much better now. Found a crap ton of ammo at the super duper mart and whats even better is that my main weapon now is well, explosives. Blowing shit up with frag grenades using VATS has never been more satisfying. Its definitely something Im going to invest more points in now.

I think now Im going to start going on the main quest a little bit because alot of other quests seem to be pointing to go to Rivet City, which I think is where 3-dog is? Forget what my notes say. Its really amazing how Bethesda's style of RPG fits so well with what the Fallout formula is. Probably the only thing I miss from the old Fallout games is the music. While the music here isnt bad, it just seems a little on the vacant side, theres just not alot other than a frantic track and some omnious stuff, nothing that really stands out. What I meant to look up was to see if theres a soundtrack I can download from the first Fallout game to listen to while I play.

[MysterD]

Que made his own Classic FO Music mod for FO3 PC, you know...

[Quemaqua]

Haha, yeah man.  I made a mod because I felt exactly the same way.  I've played with the mod in question for quite a while now, and ultimately I think it's a pretty substantial improvement.

[PyroMenace]

Awesome Que! Though I cant use the mod since Im running on the 360, but could you hook me up with the mp3s?

[Quemaqua]

Done and done.

[PyroMenace]

Thank you! Man I still to this day every now and again sing some of these tunes in my head. The game had such an impact on me.

Another thing I remembered picking up in FO3 was a nuke bomb schematic. What sucks is that it requires quantum nuka cola which ive been getting and selling, crap! It also needs abraxis cleaner which Ive been passing up for the most part because i thought it was just a meaningless item.

But I cant complain too much, Im still in the beginning part of the game so I think Ill come by lots more of it. What absolutely makes the game for me exploring wise is the value info you get when looking at items you find through the wasteland. Sure it doesnt really make much sense that you know the value of things in a world you never set foot on, but its something that makes wandering around much more fun and useful.